Chapter 232

Shi Tingyu was an experienced driver in her later years. While the cars now were somewhat different from those in the future, they were largely similar.

Moreover, she had driven herself the last time she went back to her hometown, so she had no issues adapting.

Lu Weiguo watched his wife intently as she drove, relieved when she smoothly crossed the horizontal boards. He was confident in her driving skills, but since she hadn’t driven in a long time, he was a bit worried she might be rusty. Fortunately, his wife proved to be just as skilled as any seasoned driver.

After flawlessly crossing the horizontal boards, Shi Tingyu turned the steering wheel towards the mud pit.

Given the Jeep’s high chassis, she estimated the speed correctly and passed through in one go without getting stuck.

Next was the slope.

She also completed this in one go.

Having navigated all the obstacles, Shi Tingyu took a lap around to get a feel for the car’s performance, finishing with a smooth parallel parking maneuver, perfectly positioning the car in the designated spot.

As she stepped out of the car, the instructor led the applause.

His intention was to let the new recruits learn driving techniques and to curb their arrogance, so he naturally elevated Shi Tingyu’s accomplishments.

Shi Tingyu: …

Time to showcase her acting skills.

Facing so many eyes, she perfectly concealed her slight social anxiety and embarrassment.

Who could understand the feelings of someone who lived in an era where drivers were everywhere, suddenly being praised with applause for simply driving?

She smiled and nodded at the onlookers, modestly saying, “Just a little demonstration.”

Lu Weiguo coughed lightly, hiding his impending laughter.

As Shi Tingyu’s husband, Lu Weiguo was well aware of her personality by now. Seeing her flawless smile, he knew she desperately wanted to escape.

Shi Tingyu shot a glance at Lu Weiguo, knowing well the restrained amusement in his cough.

Lu Weiguo quickly composed himself and, out of sight of others, clasped his hands in a mock gesture of apology towards his wife.

His eyes conveyed a clear message: “Wife, I was wrong.”

At this point, the instructor began addressing the recruits.

“Did you see that? That’s the skill level of an experienced driver. You all have a long way to go! Stay focused, because if you don’t meet Teacher Shi’s standards, I won’t go easy on you.”

Shi Tingyu: …

That’s really not necessary, comrade.

Captain Shen approached Shi Tingyu and asked, “Sister-in-law, your driving is impeccable. I just want to know, how are you at car repairs?”

“Car repairs?” Shi Tingyu was puzzled.

At this point, Lu Weiguo joined them and, hearing Captain Shen’s question, said, “My wife hasn’t learned car repairs.”

Captain Shen responded, “Then it’s a good time to learn.”

Cars were scarce, and there were hardly any repair shops on the roads. At this time, most drivers knew some repair skills.

Otherwise, if the car broke down midway, they would be stranded.

Especially since the road from the school to the camp was somewhat remote, making it even harder to manage if something went wrong.

Shi Tingyu wasn’t familiar with these issues. Hearing Captain Shen say that there would be no repair shops if the car broke down, she quickly said, “I’ll learn!”

Seeing his wife looking a bit anxious, Lu Weiguo reassured her, “We have about a month before school starts. Just learn the basics. I’ve learned some repair skills too, so if anything goes wrong, I’ll come get you if you’re not home.”

Shi Tingyu nodded but didn’t give up on learning.

No matter how much she learned, it was best to know something.

In the following days, Shi Tingyu, along with Lijian and Shen Shen, went to the camp to learn car repairs.

She couldn’t help but marvel at the excellent after-sales service, offering comprehensive training.

The car’s structure and engine were somewhat different from those in the future, but Shi Tingyu had a good memory. After a few lessons, she got a general understanding of the structure.

Lijian stood by Shen Shen, watching their owner busy under the car hood.

Captain Shen, checking in on their progress, saw Shen Shen’s cute, fair face and wanted to hold him out of the small bamboo cart for a bit.

Just as Captain Shen reached out towards Shen Shen, Lijian snapped at his hand.

Startled, Captain Shen quickly withdrew his hand.

Lijian stood with its body tense, eyes fixed on Captain Shen, growling lowly as if ready to attack if he took another step closer.

Captain Shen took a moment to calm his racing heart.

Fortunately, he had pulled his hand back in time, or Lijian would have bitten him.

Rather than getting angry, Captain Shen was impressed with Lijian.

Lijian was protecting its master, living up to its lineage as a military dog.

Shi Tingyu and the instructor turned to see what was happening and found Lijian staring defensively at Captain Shen.

“What’s wrong with Lijian?” Shi Tingyu asked.

Lijian glanced at Shi Tingyu, then continued to watch Captain Shen.

Captain Shen explained, “It’s nothing. I just wanted to hold the child, and Lijian was being protective.”

Shi Tingyu didn’t scold Lijian. Instead, she patted its head and said to Captain Shen, “I’m sorry, Lijian is very protective of Shen Shen. It gets anxious when unfamiliar people come close.”

Captain Shen didn’t mind. He didn’t mention holding the child again.

Having worked with military dogs before, he understood that Shi Tingyu’s approach was correct.

Lijian was right to protect its master. Scolding Lijian now could make it think that protecting its master was wrong, which might cause hesitation or misjudgment in a real threat.

Shi Tingyu smiled and returned to her car repair lesson.

This was why she liked dealing with sensible people.

They understood and respected your actions without questioning or getting upset.

Shi Tingyu didn’t spend all day learning car repairs. Instead, she followed the instructor’s schedule, getting guidance whenever he had free time.

As an unofficial member, she couldn’t take up the soldiers’ regular training time.

By the end of the day, Shi Tingyu’s hands were quite dirty, and it took her a long time to wash off the grime.

When Lu Weiguo came home that evening, he noticed and found her a pair of gloves. “Wear these tomorrow.”

Shi Tingyu accepted them happily. “I didn’t know we had gloves at home.”

“They were issued by the military, but I haven’t used them much. They were stuffed in a drawer.”

Shi Tingyu tried on the white gloves, but they were a bit too large. Still, they were better than nothing.

Seeing this, Lu Weiguo realized the gloves were too big and not very practical.

“These gloves are too big. I’ll get you a smaller pair.”

Before Shi Tingyu could protest, he was already out the door.

When he returned, he had a smaller pair of gloves, clearly designed for women.

“Where did you get these gloves?” Shi Tingyu asked.

“I got them from Old Feng’s wife. She works at a factory and often gets some.”

Shi Tingyu tried them on and found they fit much better.