National Tide 1980

Chapter 401 Four-Wheeled Iron Horse

In Beijing in 1902, a strange thing called a "four-wheeled iron horse" came to the Forbidden City.

Its body is wooden and open, with a roof and double rows of seats.

The appearance still looks like traces of European horse-drawn carriages from the 18th century.

This is the first car that has been documented to appear in Beijing.

However, this fashionable gadget, which Yuan Shikai finally obtained from the United States and presented as tribute to the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty, was driven into the background after being driven once.

Not for anything else, just because cars cannot solve the problem of inferiority and inferiority.

The Empress Dowager Cixi would not allow anyone to sit in front of her, including Sun Fuling, her royal chauffeur.

However, the feudal resistance and ignorant rejection did not stop the progress of science and technology.

Forty-four years later, the people of the Republic have a completely different perception of cars.

In 1956 in Beijing, almost everyone was excited that our country had successfully manufactured its first car of its own.

At that time, the National News Film Studio even made a special trip to shoot a documentary for this event that caused a sensation throughout the country.

The film not only completely records the process of driving the first domestically produced car off the production line by 54-year-old driver Ma Guofan.

There are also scenes of Master Ma shaving his head and face just for this matter, and cleaning up neatly.

These details are the most touching, and a writer even composed a song "Old Driver" based on them.

It is a pity that twenty-six years have passed by in a blink of an eye, but the manufacturing capabilities and technical levels of our domestically produced automobiles have not been significantly improved as we expected, but have remained stagnant.

In 1982, the number of motor vehicles in my country was still pitifully low, with less than 2 million vehicles nationwide.

Compared with before the reform and opening up, the number of cars driving on the streets of Beijing has not changed much, both in terms of model and number.

Most of the motor vehicles that can be seen are Jiefang brand trucks, Songhuajiang brand buses, 630 medium-sized station wagons, 130 medium-sized trucks, and 212 jeeps.

Even three-wheeled motorcycles haven’t been phased out yet.

This year, our Huhai brand cars have just begun to consider the issue of installing air conditioning in the car.

This year, my country's plan to jointly produce automobiles with well-known foreign automobile manufacturers is still in the negotiation and inspection stage.

Among all domestically produced cars, only the Hongqi sedan barely reaches a certain level.

As for other imported small cars, old vehicles that are close to being eliminated such as Warsaw, Victory, Jim, Austin, and Standal account for the majority.

So let alone German Mercedes-Benz, French Bairu, and American Chrysler, these truly high-end international cars are rare for Chinese people to see.

Even Nissan's economical vehicles like Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Datsun, and Toyota, or gadgets that are almost like toys like Polonaise and Fiat, are considered rare and good cars.

To be honest, in this era when cars were not yet popular, even the technical content of the driver's profession was extremely enviable and admired by ordinary people.

Not to mention that in every unit, car drivers are respected high-end talents.

You can show off your temper, put on airs, get the first bonus, make fun of your boss, and look down on your superiors.

The profession of taxi driver is even more high-end among high-end professions, with a very special luster.

Since the reform and opening up, as more and more foreigners have come to Beijing, the income of this group has also skyrocketed.

Taxi drivers have not only become frequent visitors to Western restaurants and high-end shopping malls, but they also have very high requirements for choosing a spouse.

It is not uncommon to find a teacher, a flight attendant, or fall in love with a beautiful actress.

Think about it, even the drivers responsible for driving are so arrogant these days, what about the people who can ride in small cars all year round?

It can be seen from this that Ning Weimin can own a car that he can use at his own discretion, and it is a fairly new imported car.

What an enviable and shocking thing!

To a certain extent, this means that his status is equal to that of the director and county magistrate.

There is no exaggeration in this statement.

Because of the current national conditions, the 1979 declaration that the country allowed individuals to own private cars is not yet feasible and legal.

As production resources, the limited domestic automobiles are allocated to personnel of a certain level and are called official vehicles.

Based on the specific situation in the capital city, only those at the director level are entitled to the privilege of being equipped with official buses, not even deputy directors.

If you want to get out of the category of no-name cars and 212 jeeps and get into a serious car, you have to at least get to the director level.

If you want to go one step higher and ride the red flag car, you have to be at the ministerial level.

Because of this, Hongqi sedans are nicknamed "minister cars".

Yes, of course Ning Weimin had his own car in his previous life.

In 2020, in order to avoid the license restriction policy as much as possible, he owned a Grand Cherokee and an Audi A8 in his personal name.

The company also owns a Toyota Accord, a Buick GL8, and two Jinbei Dabaos.

Moreover, he has touched many luxury cars in his life.

Either rent or borrow, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Lincoln, Hummer, Ferrari, Cadillac, they have all been tried.

But to be honest, it’s because cars are so special and rare in today’s world.

The happiness he felt when driving this pickup truck was far beyond the luxury cars he drove in his previous life.

Even he himself had never thought that the taste in it could be so wonderful.

The first difference is reflected in the road conditions.

What was the road condition like in Beijing in 1982?

It cannot be denied that the roads outside the city are bumpy and bumpy, with loess and gravel roads in many places.

But it's different in the city. The Second Ring Road is open to traffic, and the urban areas of Beijing are all asphalt roads.

And because there are few motor vehicles, although the road is not wide, it is enough for use.

Even crowded and lively places like Beihai, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen, Wangfujing, and Shichahai can all be passed smoothly.

Without a bus expressway, no matter whether it is a bus or a truck, once it runs parallel to a car, it will often take the initiative to avoid it.

After all, they all knew that the person sitting in the car was definitely not an ordinary person.

There are no worries about monitoring, taking pictures, deducting points, speed testing, or checking for drunk driving.

When it comes to investigating violations of traffic regulations, the traffic police can only catch them in action.

Secondly, parking is extremely convenient.

Large places have specially designated parking lots, but small places can just park along the side.

Not only does no one charge parking fees, but all car guards are voluntary workers.

Moreover, no one is fighting for parking spaces, and the trouble of driving down to the basement and circling left and right is eliminated.

I believe that drivers who have been to Beijing can compare the road conditions and fares in Beijing in 2020.

You know how cool it was to drive around the capital in 1982.

In addition, Ning Weimin's pickup truck also has an advantage that few others can match, that is, the make of the truck is extremely impressive.

Of course, Pierre Carton Company is a black-brand children's truck, 31-00446. When the traffic police came all the way to see the pickup truck's brand, they knew it was a foreign-related vehicle.

(At that time, there were 30 provinces and cities in my country, not counting Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Qiongyu was not established yet. In order to avoid conflict with the 64-type license plate, 01 was suddenly changed to 31, and the black plate was reserved for foreign-related institutions)

So I often take the initiative to provide some special care.

Often when there are not many vehicles, the traffic police will use the traffic light controller to turn the red light into green for Ning Weimin to allow him to pass.

That was an unexpected surprise!

There are no traffic restrictions, no traffic jams, no red lights, it’s a smooth journey!

If you want to travel east and west, take Chang'an Avenue.

If you want to travel between north and south, take the Second Ring Road.

No matter whether you are running east-west or north-south, as long as you don't go into an alley, your speed will be as fast as Nezha riding a hot wheel, and you will arrive in the blink of an eye.

This is called driving! It embodies all the conveniences that a car should have!

Once time passes and you miss this era, you will be the richest man in the world and come to the capital, and you will no longer be able to enjoy such smoothness!

More importantly, cars have an extraordinary weight in the hearts of most people these days, and they can satisfy people's vanity.

After Ning Weimin drove his car back from the company, the first thing he did was drive back to Shan'er Hutong, wanting to take Kang Shude, who was resting at home, out for a walk.

As a result, the neighbors in the alley were shocked when they discovered that Ning Weimin had driven back a car.

Although this pickup truck only has seats for two people, the back is just like a truck.

But after all, this is a new car that has only been driven for two years, and it has the appearance of a sedan.

As for those who lived in Shan'er Hutong, whether they were familiar with Ning Weimin or not, many people took time out of their busy schedule to come here.

There are no other requirements. As long as you can see the cab of the car and touch the steering wheel, you will be quite satisfied.

"Look at these people, they are so awesome. The cars are running. Is this when you become an official..."

"Pull them down, the foreign companies that protect the people are doing a good job. The main reason is that their companies are rich and don't watch "Xinwen Lianbo". They show their company's advertisements every day. In the past, Casio was in charge..."

"I know, I know, my company sells fashionable clothes, which are the favorites of young people now. A set of old noses is expensive, at least more than a hundred..."

"Oh, aunt, don't tease me. Why don't you pay me back more than a hundred? Several hundred! Why don't you look at what kind of clothes those are? They're from Paris, France. Pierre Cardin..."

I don’t know if this last sentence was meant to be a joke, or if he really remembered it wrongly.

Anyway, he scratched the big guy's itch, which immediately caused a roar of laughter.

So in such an atmosphere, Ning Weimin couldn't leave quickly even if he wanted to.

He must first patiently and kindly let the neighbors enjoy the experience and take them to the car to visit.

Unexpectedly, after they had fooled all these people, Aunt Bian and Aunt Luo were attracted by the excitement outside.

Of course, he has to be more attentive to these close neighbors who are almost like relatives.

So he then took Aunt Bian and Aunt Luo for a drive to Tiananmen Square.

After struggling until it was almost lunch time, he finally asked his master Kang Shude to get in his car.

The master and apprentice discussed it in the car and headed straight to the north to eat Hunan cuisine at Ma Kai Restaurant on Gulou Street.

It's November, and I'm watching the neighbors watching them go away with envious eyes.

Then look at the pedestrians pedaling against the strong wind outside the car and being blown away by the wind.

Kang Shude couldn't help but feel proud of his apprentice.

But he really couldn't praise Ning Weimin for being capable and doing a good job.

Because as a master, the main responsibility is to pour cold water on others and not to let young people raise their tails.

So instead, he kept reprimanding Ning Weimin.

Told him to be more kind and humble to his neighbors when he comes back, and not to be arrogant.

Otherwise, you will appear impersonal and easily hated by others.

Of course Ning Weimin could understand his master's thoughts and nodded while driving.

"Don't worry, I understand. I don't know my last name just because of a car. I'm not stupid, why do I have to ask others to spit on my car and puncture my tires behind my back?"

But Kang Shude was a little annoyed that his understanding was so off-topic.

"You kid, why do you always think the worst of others? How can our neighbors be so mean?"

Ning Weimin is still very true to this.

"Hey, why is it impossible? Your words are too idealistic. As the saying goes, the king of hell is easy to meet, but the devil is difficult to deal with. You yourself also always said that if the five fingers are not aligned on one side, you must be on guard against others. …”

Kang Shude was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.

"How presumptuous! We haven't even eaten yet, and you're quarreling with me. Are you going to make me angry?"

Ning Weimin couldn't help but want to laugh, but he didn't relax.

"You are so bold. You have learned all the emperor's words from Liu Baorui's cross talk "The Fight between Kings and Ministers". I would like to ask you, are you not tired of scolding me every day when you see me? You don't like me so much? That’s me, I get scolded every day, but I still worship you like a god.”

"I'm your master! What's the matter, can't I still be your master? I scold you for your own good. I don't bother to teach others a lesson. I don't have that obligation."

"Yes, yes, do you still want to eat at noon today? Don't go for a while, you said you are full..."

When Kang Shude heard this, he quickly changed his tone.

"You're playing tricks on me again, aren't you? I'm not an old fool yet. I won't be fooled by your kid. If I can't eat it, I'll order it, and it will cost you a hundred yuan. Just watch it, I'm happy."

"Okay, whatever you want. But let me tell you something, don't be angry. I left my wallet in your room and forgot it."

Kang Shude immediately opened his eyes wide.

"Wait a minute, what do you mean? You didn't bring any money? You dragged me here without any money! Did you have a premeditated plan? Do you want to eat me today?"

"I don't mean that. We can order food and eat first when we get there. At worst, you can sit and drink tea after we finish eating. I'll drive back to get the money. Isn't there a car here..."

Kang Shude flatly refused.

"Don't bother me, that won't work. Turn around and go back quickly. You have a car, it's the same as going back to get the money..."

This time Ning Weimin really laughed.

"Look at you, you can't even believe your own apprentice, and you still talk about me. People's hearts are separated from each other, right? To tell you the truth, I was just teasing you. I have my wallet with me."

Kang Shude was so angry that he was completely speechless this time.

I said in my heart, good boy, you are Ma Sanli, are you kidding me?

Okay, let’s go back after this meal is finished!

I will be the first person to spit on your car today...