Chapter 38 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Zhang Heng realized that he underestimated the extent of Takeda Tetsuya, his new boss’ ruthlessness.

He sent the man back to the shop at 3.15 in the morning. Then after spending ten minutes unloading and packing the seafood, Zhang Heng left the shop at 3.35. By 6.30, he was still driving with about half of the undelivered goods at the back of the van.

By then, the street was growing busy—all the office workers who lived far from their workplaces were already out the door, spilling into the underground subway and bus stations. The number of cars on the road were also gradually increasing. Zhang Heng went to two other places, and when he left an izakaya¹, he encountered two traffic policemen who were just starting their s.h.i.+fts. As a result, he decided not to risk continuing the delivery.

Driving without a license in j.a.pan would be a severe offense. Not only would the offending driver have to serve less than 3 years of jail time and pay a 500,000 yen fine, all pa.s.sengers and owners of the vehicle would also be convicted and fined. It was almost at peak hours. If Zhang Heng did not leave, chances were, he would be stuck in a jam.

Zhang Heng brought the L300 back to the store to an unsurprised Takeda Tetsuya. The latter picked up the phone and contacted the former delivery man, before turning to Zhang Heng and said, “You have one more week. After that, Takahas.h.i.+ Koichi will be back in his hometown. If you still can’t complete the delivery by then and I suffer a loss, would you pay me back?”

“Alright.” Zhang Heng answered.

Zhang Heng’s unwavering answer was not quite what Takeda Takas.h.i.+ had expected. This situation was, in all honesty, quite a tragedy for the store owner—not only was he unable to contend with the young man, but he was also in a vulnerable position that the young man could capitalize on. He could do nothing about Zhang Heng not completing the job, so he could only grumble and make a fuss. He really hadn’t expected the young man to actually agree so breezily.

Takeda Takas.h.i.+ said cunningly, “Hey, kid, you better don’t lie. If you can’t do it, then you can’t! The sooner you tell me, the sooner I can figure out a way to hire another driver. I worked hard to get each and every one of these customers! Don’t make empty promises. If you still cannot complete your task, the one at stake is my shop!”

“If I fail to complete the deliveries, I will pay you back whatever you lose!” Zhang Heng hopped down the van and stretched his shoulders and wrists. His first delivery was unsuccessful, and after driving from the wee hours of the morning, his body and mind were exhausted. But he found that somehow, this pressure had drastically improved his driving. It would appear that this nonstop driving around was much more useful than if he were to practice the entire day.

Of course, he could always tell Takeda Takas.h.i.+ to reduce his cargo, but if he was not even willing to accept a small challenge like this, then why bother to partic.i.p.ate in the compet.i.tion? He might as well just give up then.

Zhang Heng took the bus back to campus and was only able to wash his face and quickly gobble down a few pieces of bread before he had to rush for another j.a.panese lesson.

Only in the evening did he get the chance to make up for being awake the whole morning. He had set the alarm for four hours. Later, he had dinner. He then visited the bookstore nearby to buy a map of Tokyo.

As mentioned previously, self-reflection and deduction were Zhang Heng’s strengths. On his way back to campus that morning, he had already started mulling over reasons he was unable to complete his task that day. Other than his unpolished driving skills and the L300’s poor performance, his unfamiliarity with the roads and lack of route planning were also crucial factors.

No matter how good a driver was, it would be challenging for him to be able to perform to be at fullest capacity if he was unfamiliar with the location of the compet.i.tion.

At 1.20 in the morning, Zhang Heng arrived at the parking lot, gave Mr. Crab two onigiri¹, who gleefully opened the gate for him. He returned to the store at 7.34 am. Unfortunately, his performance today was worse than the day before, delivering only about 40% of the goods.