It wasn’t entirely surprising that the man recognized An Xin’s truck. Female truck drivers were rare, and the events of the previous day had left an impression on him.

Yesterday, as he sat in the back seat of his car, the driver up front had suddenly exclaimed, “Wow, it’s rare to see a woman driving a truck in our provincial city. Look at that!”

Curious, he had leaned forward to see for himself. Sure enough, it was a female driver—her truck moving steadily and smoothly. The driver even praised, “Her speed is pretty good!”

The man had observed An Xin all the way until he neared his workplace. Later, as he left work, he had seen the same truck fully loaded and heading toward the train station, maintaining a steady pace.

Thus, when he spotted An Xin’s vehicle again today, he recognized it immediately.

Of course, explaining all this in the pouring rain would take too long. Standing drenched to the bone, the man, eager to convince An Xin, pulled a letter of introduction from his pocket despite the downpour and handed it to her.

“This is my unit’s letter of introduction. If you don’t believe me, you can read it before deciding whether to give me a ride.”

An Xin looked at him, slightly speechless.

Pulling out a letter of introduction in this weather? Not giving him a ride now would feel awkward.

Deciding it wasn’t worth making a fuss, she waved her hand.

“No need to read it. I believe you. Hop on.”

The man stared at her, visibly surprised. Rainwater dripped down his face as he asked, “What? You’re not going to check…..”

Seeing her unwavering expression, he stopped talking and quickly changed his words.

“Thank you, Comrade!”

An Xin tilted her head toward the truck. “Get in. If you keep standing there, your letter will be soaked.”

“Alright!”

The man cheerfully responded, opened the passenger door, and climbed in with some effort. Carefully setting his wet umbrella at his feet, he smiled and said, “Thank you so much. You’ve really helped me out. If I miss the train, it’ll be a disaster.”

As he spoke, he took out some cash and offered it to her.

“This is the fare I promised earlier.”

Remembering that An Xin had initially refused to give him a ride even after he offered money, he figured her change of heart was due to the letter. But he had promised, so he felt obligated to pay.

An Xin started the truck and drove forward, her gaze steady on the road. She didn’t even glance at the cash he held out.

“No need for that. I’m heading to the train station anyway, so I’ll just give you a ride.”

The man insisted, “Please, take it. I said I’d pay, and I don’t go back on my word.”

Still focusing on the road ahead, An Xin replied calmly, “Really, there’s no need. Consider it my way of serving the people. Some things are more important than money. If it’s something I can easily do, I don’t see the point in counting pennies.”

The man was taken aback, feeling a bit embarrassed as he retracted his cash. The small space fell silent.

An Xin wasn’t the type to talk unnecessarily. Moreover, the heavy rain made the road conditions tricky, and she needed to concentrate.

But the man next to her spoke again.

“Comrade, I work for the provincial government. My name is Cui Yusong. May I know your name?”

“An Xin,” she replied curtly, offering no further details.

She didn’t care much about who he was or where he worked. To her, he was just a passenger catching a ride. There was no need to extract information or expect favors.

Perhaps sensing her disinterest, Cui Yusong wisely fell silent.

The rest of the drive was quiet. Before long, they reached the train station. Due to the rain, An Xin drove up to the ticket hall entrance and stopped the truck.

“We’re here. Safe travels,” she said.

Cui Yusong gathered his belongings and thanked her again before getting out.

“Thank you, Comrade An Xin. When I return from my trip, maybe we can meet up again.”

An Xin responded with a polite nod but didn’t take his words seriously. She thought to herself, After today, we’ll just be strangers again. Who would bother to meet up?

Cui Yusong climbed down, opened his umbrella, and waved before heading into the ticket hall. Watching his rain-soaked figure disappear into the building, An Xin shook her head with a small smile and drove off.

Driving in the rain slowed everything down. Even with Bai Yichen rushing to the provincial city to help An Xin transport two additional loads, their productivity only reached half of what it was the previous day.

By evening, as An Xin returned to their rental house after parking the truck, she found Kai Zi, Sanmao, and Xiao Zhong sitting dejectedly inside, smoking with frustrated expressions.

“What’s wrong? It’s just a little rain, yet you all look like you’ve grown beards from despair.”

The three men, unkempt and disheveled, with damp clothes clinging to their frames, looked more like farmers returning from the fields than truck drivers.

Bai Yichen, following behind An Xin, overheard her teasing. Without saying a word, he slipped into the bathroom to wash up. Running trucks in the rain was exhausting, and his clothes were damp and uncomfortable. A hot shower was exactly what he needed.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zhong ruffled his already messy hair in frustration.

“Don’t even bring it up. It’s raining, and I feel really irritable.”