On the way home, Lan Xiaoling asked Uncle Zhou about his situation out of curiosity.

During the previous few trips out, the two of them would exchange a few words from time to time. Silence often prevailed over conversation, but as they got to know each other better, they also began to talk about things at home.

Lan Xiaoling knew that Uncle Zhou's mother was ill, and his wife had disliked the poverty of the village. She had left with the child a year after giving birth.

Now Uncle Zhou and his old mother depended on each other for survival.

However, Uncle Zhou had never mentioned the origin of this car.

Lan Xiaoling wasn't a gossipy person, but at this moment, she really wanted to know what Uncle Zhou had gone through.

"Uncle Zhou, can I ask you if there's a story behind this car?"

She had thought that Uncle Zhou might get angry, but unexpectedly, he smiled in response to Lan Xiaoling's question.

"You've actually guessed it right. This car does have a story."

As Uncle Zhou drove, he told Lan Xiaoling about his past experiences.

It turned out that Uncle Zhou had left the village and worked as a truck driver a few years ago. At that time, his financial situation was okay, and by living frugally, he had bought this second-hand truck!

But later, some things happened at home, and all the burdens fell on him. He had no choice but to give up his job and go home to take care of his family.

This car had been idle all the time. Uncle Zhou regarded it as a treasure and couldn't bear to sell it. He would clean and maintain it himself during his leisure time, so the car still looked quite new.

"Xiaoling, if it weren't for your appearance, I'm afraid I would never be able to drive again in my life!"

Uncle Zhou sighed deeply.

Besides taking care of his mother, he also had a lot of work to do in the fields. He was basically busy every day and exhausted when he came back, with no energy to think about other things.

It was Lan Xiaoling who asked the village chief for help and asked the people in the town to provide some study supplies for the children.

The village chief thought that the town was too far away, and he was too old to make the round trip. So he gave this task to Uncle Zhou.

Uncle Zhou was warm-hearted and diligent. Besides, the village chief had helped him a lot, so he took on the job.

"Uncle Zhou, you're being too polite. Asking you to make these round trips every month is really adding to your burden."

Lan Xiaoling felt a bit embarrassed. After all, everyone in the village had their own work to do, and it was not easy for them to spare some time.

Moreover, Uncle Zhou used his own car and had to pay for the fuel himself. All in all, this job was a losing proposition.

However, Uncle Zhou had never mentioned this. He would even show up at her doorstep on time every month and invite her to go to the town together, which made Lan Xiaoling respect him a lot.

"What's that? Compared to what you've done for the village, what I've done is nothing at all!" Uncle Zhou laughed heartily.

Lan Xiaoling laughed along with him.

The two chatted from time to time, and soon the car was on the way back to the village. Just as they were about to pass the section of the road where they had almost had an accident earlier, Lan Xiaoling saw from a distance that the luxury car that had crashed into the telegraph pole was still there.

Uncle Zhou saw it too, and he couldn't help feeling a little flustered.

After all, they had almost collided with the other car just now, and the other driver had suddenly swerved the steering wheel and crashed into the telegraph pole.

If the other party asked him for compensation, he wouldn't be able to afford it even if he sold everything he had.

"Uncle Zhou, it seems that the man's car is broken!"

As they got closer, Lan Xiaoling could clearly see that the car was quite damaged.

The car owner had his back to them and was checking the condition of the car, so Lan Xiaoling didn't see his face.

But Uncle Zhou stepped on the gas pedal harder and said uneasily, "Xiaoling, let's go back quickly. In case this person recognizes us and asks for compensation, I won't be able to afford it even if I sell this car."

Lan Xiaoling understood Uncle Zhou's concerns and nodded. "Okay, let's go back quickly!"

Upon hearing this, Uncle Zhou immediately stepped on the gas pedal to the floor.

Soon the truck drove past Gabriel.

Since it was an old-fashioned truck running on diesel, the car made strange noises and emitted a pungent exhaust smell, which made Gabriel frown in discomfort.

He looked back and recognized it as the old truck that had almost collided with him just now.

He was just about to step forward and stop the driver to give him a ride, but the truck drove away as if it were in a hurry.

Before Gabriel could stop it, the car had driven far away.

Lan Xiaoling had been keeping her head down all the time, afraid that the car owner would recognize her. She didn't look up until the car had driven away.

She looked into the rearview mirror and saw that the car owner had indeed chased after them, but he obviously couldn't catch up. He was standing in the middle of the road, gasping for breath with his hand on his waist.

Lan Xiaoling stuck out her tongue. She still felt a bit guilty, after all, they were also at fault just now.

If she hadn't been talking to Uncle Zhou all the time, Uncle Zhou wouldn't have been distracted for a moment.

However, why did she feel a sense of familiarity when the car passed by just now?

Lan Xiaoling stared intently at the rearview mirror, trying to see the man's face clearly.

But the car drove farther and farther away, and the man's face became blurred. She couldn't see his face clearly at all.

Lan Xiaoling became a bit anxious and said to Uncle Zhou, "Uncle Zhou, can you pull over and stop the car?"

Uncle Zhou didn't understand what she wanted to do, but thinking that they had already driven a certain distance and the car owner couldn't catch up with them anymore, he slowed down and stopped the car.

Lan Xiaoling jumped out of the car and ran back the way they had come.

Uncle Zhou realized what she was going to do and quickly tried to stop her. "Xiaoling, don't go over there. You'll suffer a loss!"

When he had worked as a truck driver outside before, he had also come into contact with some wealthy people.

Those people were arrogant because of their money and didn't take people at the grassroots level like them seriously at all. They even insulted them in various ways.

If he made a small mistake occasionally, they would scold him harshly, not caring about his feelings at all.

Uncle Zhou had suffered a lot in the past, so he always avoided wealthy people.

Now seeing Lan Xiaoling running back, Uncle Zhou was very worried.

"Uncle Zhou, I just want to confirm one thing. I'll be back soon!"

Lan Xiaoling was still running hard. The feeling she had when she saw the man just now couldn't be wrong. It was so familiar, and she even felt a stabbing pain in her heart.

This was a feeling that she only had for that man.

But in her heart, she was also constantly questioning this thought.

Gabriel was so busy with his work, and in this desolate mountain area, what was he doing here?

Thinking of this, Lan Xiaoling felt that she was being ridiculous.

Since she had already decided to let go, she shouldn't have any more thoughts about that man.

Just like that, she stopped in her tracks and stood there, taking a deep breath.

In the end, she gave up the idea of finding out the truth and returned to the car.

"Let's go, Uncle Zhou!"

Uncle Zhou saw that she didn't look very well and asked worriedly, "Xiaoling, what's wrong?"

Lan Xiaoling shook her head and said, "It's nothing. Let's go home!"

"Okay!"

Uncle Zhou slowly started the car and continued driving towards the village.

Just as they left, suddenly a loud rumbling sound came from the horizon.