We Barely Know Each Other, but I'm Living with a Stone-Faced Mechanic! - Chapter 42

An hour after they entered the expressway, the clouds overhead grew darker and gathered more densely.

Tao Ying frowned. “It isn’t going to rain, is it?”

The words had barely left her mouth when huge raindrops struck the windshield without warning.

Qin Zheng immediately worked the stalk, turning on the wipers and switching the ventilation to outside air. His movements were practiced and steady.

But when even the wipers could not clear the dense curtain of rain, Tao Ying’s heart climbed into her throat.

“Don’t be afraid,” Qin Zheng said gently. “I’m right here.”

He was. Remembering how deeply Qin Zheng understood cars, Tao Ying relaxed a little.

“It’s only been a few minutes,” she murmured. “And it’s getting heavier.”

The vehicles on the expressway had slowed noticeably.

In an instant, the sky turned completely dark. It was only ten in the morning, yet it looked like night.

The wipers moved so fast they nearly blurred, barely managing to push aside layer after layer of water.

Tao Ying tilted her head and peered upward, terrified. It looked as if the sky had split open.

Qin Zheng, however, handled the car with practiced ease, his expression as calm as if he were driving on dry, level ground.

Tao Ying did not dare speak and distract him. She took out her phone, but the signal was poor.

Half an hour earlier, Li Meijuan had sent her a WeChat message asking whether she was coming home today or tomorrow.

The original plan had been to return that evening, then go to the cemetery together the following day.

But with this rain, Tao Ying did not answer rashly.

The storm grew more violent and visibility plunged below fifty meters.

Traffic slowed collectively once more, though there was no jam yet.

They crawled forward for half an hour. Their speed dropped lower and lower until traffic finally stopped altogether.

At first, Tao Ying assumed the heavy rain had simply caused congestion. Everyone waited quietly inside their vehicles.

Before long, through the patchy internet connection, she learned that a severe multi-vehicle collision had occurred ahead.

Both directions were completely blocked, and even the emergency lanes were obstructed.

There was nothing anyone could do but wait.

Qin Zheng reclined his seat. “If you’re tired, lie down in the back.”

Tao Ying shook her head and reclined her own seat instead.

Listening to the rain hammer the roof, she turned toward him. “I wonder how many people were hurt in the crash.”

Knowing she was probably thinking of her father, Qin Zheng reached back and brought over the bag of snacks from the rear seat.

“It’s noon. Eat something.”

Tao Ying smiled. “I tried to stop you from buying these yesterday. I didn’t expect we’d need them today.”

Her phone sounded. She replied to Li Meijuan, saying she was stuck on the expressway.

Li Meijuan immediately started a video call. Tao Ying declined it.

She knew her mother too well. If she answered, the first thing Li Meijuan would do was scold her for leaving town.

The last time Qin Zheng met Li Meijuan, the woman had berated him without letting him explain. Tao Ying did not want that to happen again.

Qin Zheng asked no questions. He handed her a packet of fish strips.

Tao Ying accepted it and suddenly laughed.

He looked over. “What is it?”

“I once saw a video of a couple tying two fish strips into a knot and eating them together. It was rather absurd.”

Qin Zheng laughed and took a bottle of water from the snack bag.

Tao Ying chewed a few bites without interest. She was worried they would not make it back that day.

Qin Zheng scrolled through his WeChat contacts. Liang Chong and Pei Jinnian were both unreliable, so he contacted Shao Mingyu.

He sent his location and asked his friend to find out what was happening with the accident.

These days, even the news did not necessarily report the full truth.

Tao Ying closed her eyes as she lay there. By the time she opened them again, two hours had passed.

The good news was that the rain had eased a little. The bad news was that the line of cars had not moved an inch.

Drivers with umbrellas climbed out for fresh air, only to be chased back into their cars when the rain repeatedly intensified.

Tao Ying’s agitation became visible.

Qin Zheng placed a hand over hers. “Under these circumstances, there’s no way you could get back. They’ll understand.”

The deeper problem was that Tao Ying did not want another fight with Li Meijuan.

She had never missed the anniversary before. If she failed to return tomorrow, her mother would explode.

Tao Ying looked sideways at him. “How long do you think we’ll be stuck?”

Qin Zheng recalled the information Shao Mingyu had sent. “Probably a long time. The entire route is closed, and it won’t reopen soon.”

Alarmed, Tao Ying sat straight up. “So we can’t leave tonight?”

Qin Zheng nodded. “While you were asleep, I asked a friend to look into it. This isn’t a simple accident. A heavily loaded semitrailer lost control and overturned, causing more than a dozen vehicles to collide. It blocked not only the main lanes but the emergency lane too.”

Tao Ying frowned. The traffic police and recovery vehicles must already have arrived, but the lack of movement after so long showed how difficult the situation was.

By two or three in the afternoon, her expression had grown increasingly strained.

Qin Zheng noticed and asked with concern what was wrong.

Tao Ying bit her lip, avoided his eyes, and refused to answer. Understanding dawned on him.

“Do you need the restroom?”

She said nothing.

She had barely dared drink any water.

Qin Zheng smiled. “It’s a normal physical need. There’s nothing embarrassing about it.”

He looked around. There was no convenient way to manage inside the vehicle. They would have to climb over the barrier and go some distance away.

Tao Ying shook her head. “I’m not going.”

Helpless, Qin Zheng took an umbrella from the car. “I’ll get out and see what’s happening.”

Several people ahead were also standing under umbrellas. They had moved from calm to irritable and finally to resignation, clearly accepting their fate.

Watching Qin Zheng chat easily with them, Tao Ying could not help admiring him.

With his personality, he could find his footing anywhere.

Before long, he returned. “When the cars ahead start moving, we’ll leave through the entrance ramp up there. Hold on a little longer.”

“The entrance ramp?” Tao Ying stared. “Isn’t that only for entering the expressway? We’d be breaking the rules.”

“Unusual road conditions require unusual measures.” Qin Zheng pointed through the windshield. “The man in the blue-and-white plaid shirt used to work in a related department. He said the entire expressway is under emergency control, so ordinary traffic rules no longer apply.”

“To clear the stranded vehicles, the traffic police and road authority will open nearby entrance ramps as temporary exits.”

Tao Ying was only half convinced, but the explanation gave her hope.

“There is one problem…” Qin Zheng hesitated.

Her heart rose again. “What?”

“It’ll be late, the road conditions are poor, and the rain won’t stop. We’ll probably have to spend the night in a small town nearby. The accommodations won’t be good. You may have to put up with a lot.”

“I’m not that delicate,” Tao Ying said. “Any place to spend the night will be enough.”

With that assurance, Qin Zheng had no further concerns.

Around six that evening, the vehicles ahead finally began to move.

Every one of them headed toward the nearest town.

By the time Qin Zheng and Tao Ying reached a small hotel there, only one room remained.

They hesitated. The people waiting behind them immediately began urging them to decide.

Tao Ying slapped her ID card onto the counter. “We’ll take it.”

Rain was still falling outside. Judging by the crowd behind them, the town would soon run out of rooms altogether.

If they let this one go, she and Qin Zheng might have to sleep on the street.