Chapter 67: Secretly Rejoicing Over Unlimited Rides

Yang Meng stood bewildered, watching Qiao Yu and her two friends walk away.

“What’s going on here, Third Brother?” Yang Meng asked Zhang San.

Zhang San shrugged. “What else could it be? An ex-boyfriend, obviously.”

Yang Meng’s curiosity was piqued. “Forgive my bluntness, but Qiao Yu seems to have pretty good taste. How did she end up with a guy like that?”

Zhang San was surprised. “You don’t know Zhou Chun?”

Yang Meng spread his hands. “I’m not his father, why would I know him?”

Zhang San chuckled. “Xiao Yang, you really don’t give an inch. Alright, that guy works in medical devices. But let me tell you, if you ever cross paths with him again, whatever you do, don’t get into a race with him.”

“Huh? Why?” Yang Meng was puzzled.

Chongfeng, who had been listening, explained, “He may look unremarkable, but he used to be a professional racer. Only after he got injured did he go into the medical device business. His driving skills are among the best in our city. In terms of results, probably only Third Brother here can beat him.”

Yang Meng suddenly understood. Most professional motorcycle racers are quite slim, so as not to weigh down the bike and to go faster.

Zhang San shook his head. “He’s definitely better than this old man. I couldn’t keep up with him now.”

Yang Meng, still curious, asked, “Isn’t that quite a career change? From racing professionally to medical devices?”

Zhang San replied, “Is it really that big a leap? Anyone who’s done sports knows the injuries pile up, especially with something as dangerous as motorcycle racing. Let me put it this way: all my years racing, my right leg alone has been broken four times. You know who motorcycle racers know best, besides their team’s mechanics? Doctors! And the sport isn’t well-developed here. Sometimes, with those unreliable teams, the prize money doesn’t even cover your medical bills!”

“Zhou Chun was smart. He made a name for himself, then switched careers and used his connections in the medical industry to make a tidy profit. Qiao Yu was won over by his driving skills at first. But after a while, she realized there were more women around him than she had pairs of shoes. That’s why they broke up. You see her with short hair now, looking like a tomboy, but she used to have long hair and was full of feminine charm. It was only after being hurt that she became who she is today.”

Yang Meng scratched his head, unable to picture a feminine Qiao Yu.

Chongfeng laughed. “My friend, a beauty’s affection is the hardest to resist. And tonight, she’s invited you for drinks! What’s your plan?”

When Qiao Yu and her friends left, they’d copied his phone number from the registration form, clearly planning to call him that evening.

Yang Meng glanced at Chongfeng. “Why do I hear a hint of jealousy in your voice?” He pulled out his phone and switched it off. “See? I have no time to entertain them. Sweet as honey when in love, wailing and moaning after breaking up. No matter how much of a scoundrel Zhou Chun was, it was still her choice. You can’t tell me, with her qualities, there aren’t good men chasing her; she just doesn’t care for them. I’m not here to play peacemaker for spoiled women. Off it goes—got my own plans tonight!”

Chongfeng gave a thumbs-up. “Now that’s character! For that alone, I’m buying dinner! Third Brother, let’s go for hotpot!”

Zhang San was surprised. “Don’t you ever get tired of eating hotpot every day?”

After all, Chongfeng was the manager of a hotpot restaurant.

Chongfeng shook his head. “Usually it’s me serving others. Tonight, someone else can serve us. Let’s go! Nothing better than hotpot on a cold night.”

Zhang San glanced at Yang Meng. “Alright, you two make arrangements. Someone’s coming to fix the door soon, I’ll have someone keep an eye on it. But I’m saying this now—no drinking tonight!”

“Of course not, we’re all on our bikes,” Chongfeng replied with a grin.

“I’ll pass. I’ve got things to do tonight,” Yang Meng tried to decline.

Chongfeng insisted, “Whatever you have to do, you can handle it after dinner. Come on, I work in the restaurant business. Honestly, I love a good upstart! Settled then!”

In fact, both Zhang San and Chongfeng were intrigued by this self-proclaimed “upstart” Yang Meng. Inviting him to dinner was just an excuse to get to know him better; after all, men can be even more gossipy than women.

“You really do food delivery?” At the table, Chongfeng looked shocked after hearing Yang Meng’s story.

Yang Meng gave a wry smile. “Why don’t you believe me when I tell the truth? I’ve been working odd jobs in Handong City for years, and for the past year, I’ve been delivering food. But I did lose my job last week, so I’m planning to open a barbecue place with a friend.”

Chongfeng blinked. “So you’re going into the restaurant business yourself? Planning to have others deliver food for you?”

Yang Meng shook his head. “No, no, just trying to earn a living. Do you really think it’s easy for us laborers here? Endless rent, sleepless nights, inscrutable people, endless lies, working round the clock with never a penny to spare.”

Chongfeng replied, “Yang, you know I’m in this business. It’s tough. If you jump in with no experience and don’t manage it well, your money will be gone in no time.”

Yang Meng laughed. “Us country bumpkins are bold enough to try. Who knows, maybe I’ll actually make money? If my barbecue place takes off, I’ll poach you to manage it—how about that?”

Chongfeng just smiled without commenting. It was only a barbecue stall; what future could it really have?

Zhang San sensed the awkwardness and changed the subject. “Xiao Yang, what got you into motorcycles?”

Yang Meng shrugged. “It’s how I grew up. Besides, I can’t drive a car, can I?”

Zhang San smiled. “Lucky for you, Handong City doesn’t restrict motorcycles, otherwise you’d be in trouble.”

Chongfeng, listening in, pouted. “I don’t get it. What’s wrong with riding motorcycles? Why restrict them? Makes me nervous every time I want to go for a ride.”

With rising living standards, many people have taken to traveling. Everyone gets around differently, but a lot of people dream of a motorcycle road trip—it’s the ultimate symbol of freedom.

But you have to do your homework before a motorcycle trip. There are now 185 cities nationwide with motorcycle restrictions or bans, and every province has its own rules. In some, motorcycles are allowed on highways; in others, they’re not. If you don’t check and ride into a restricted area, you’ll be hit with a fine.

Some places don’t have an outright ban, but their local regulations are so unfriendly to riders that, among enthusiasts, there’s a saying: “Better to visit the King of Hell than ride through XX County.” A single trip could leave you with nothing but your underwear after all the fines...

Zhang San shook his head at Chongfeng’s complaints. “Chongfeng, you know I love motorcycles, but I’m not against bans. There are just too many people in this country to expect everyone to follow the rules. Guys like us speed through the mountains for fun—but what about others? More motorcycles mean more low-quality riders, which leads to running red lights and reckless lane changes, causing chaos. And back in the day, public safety wasn’t as good as it is now—remember all those snatch-and-grab crimes? Even now, some places still have them. How can you not have restrictions?”

Yang Meng added, “And there’s the economic side. Manufacturing motorcycles doesn’t bring in as much tax revenue as making cars.”

Zhang San nodded. “That’s part of it too. When you weigh the pros and cons, restricting motorcycles has more benefits than allowing them, so a lot of places just banned them outright. We should just be quietly happy there are no bans here. Why complain?”

Chongfeng protested, “Traffic chaos? Show me a major pileup or mass-casualty accident caused by a motorcycle! We ride ‘wrapped in iron,’ so we’re always careful. As for snatch-and-grab crimes, it’s people committing the crimes, not the motorcycles! The bikes are just tools. Ban motorcycles and you’ll get electric bikes instead. Ban those and people will just rob with knives. It’s lazy governance, that’s all! I think we’re the only country in the world with such bans!”

Yang Meng laughed. “Alright, enough complaining. Everyone has their reasons. We could argue all day and get nowhere. Ordinary folks like us shouldn’t bother, but I do think the bans might gradually be lifted in the future.”

Chongfeng was surprised. “Why do you say that?”

Yang Meng fished a piece of meat from the hotpot, chewed, and swallowed before answering, “Because with more and more private cars, traffic’s only going to get worse. We’ll need new ways to ease congestion. Public transport, no matter how good, can’t replace private travel. Motorcycles are a good option. Of course, that means addressing the issues Third Brother mentioned, like cracking down harder on unlicensed and smuggled bikes. If buying a motorcycle becomes expensive, the cost of committing snatch-and-grab crimes goes up, and who will bother? But that’s just my guess.”

Zhang San nodded. “That’s basically what the traffic police are doing now. Who here hasn’t been checked by them?”

Yang Meng grinned. “As long as our papers are in order, what’s there to be afraid of? Let them check! Third Brother, Chongfeng, I have things to do tonight, so I’ll head out first. Next time, dinner’s on me!”

Zhang San smiled. “Business comes first.”

Yang Meng paused. “It’s nothing urgent, really. How about this—leave your motorcycles here, and let me buy you a drink.”

“Where to?” Zhang San was puzzled.

Yang Meng scratched his head. “I need to go to ‘Focus’ to find someone. You treated me to dinner, so I’ll buy you drinks.”

Zhang San and Chongfeng exchanged a glance and shook their heads. Zhang San said, “I’m too old for places like that.”

Chongfeng laughed. “I’ve got training with new staff at the shop early tomorrow. I can’t go either. Let’s do it another time.”

Yang Meng didn’t press the issue. He slung his riding bag over his shoulder, grabbed his helmet, said his goodbyes, and left the hotpot restaurant. He wanted to get there early—what if Zhang Qiang wasn’t in?