In the fringe areas between urban and rural regions, the roads are like intertwined blood vessels, conveying the hopes and busyness of life. Old Wu’s electric three-wheeled and four-wheeled universal vehicle is his capable partner in making a living, accompanying him through countless days of striving for life. The carriage has carried the heavy fruits from his own orchard and the building materials for renovating the old house, and the compartment has carried the neighbors who were visiting relatives and friends, witnessing every trip he made between urban and rural areas. And the inconspicuous yet crucial gasoline combination switch is quietly hidden on the console, just like the “nerve center” of the vehicle, controlling the start and stop of the power and the brightness of the lights. The stories behind it are full of twists and turns as well as heartwarming moments.

Old Wu is in his early fifties. He is bold and generous and always ready to help others. He relies on this multi-functional vehicle to take on some odd transportation jobs around to supplement the family’s income. On weekdays, he takes extremely good care of his beloved vehicle and is meticulous in the inspection before setting out. Among them, the gasoline combination switch is the key object of inspection. He will gently press each button on the switch, listen to whether there is any abnormal sound when starting, check whether the indicator lights light up normally, and repeatedly toggle the light adjustment lever to confirm that the switching between high beam and low beam is smooth. Only when everything is in order will he feel at ease to turn the accelerator and set off. In Old Wu’s heart, this combination switch is the “gatekeeper” for driving safety and smoothness. If there is the slightest mistake, the vehicle breaks down halfway or the lights fail to work. On the dim country roads or at the urban intersections with heavy traffic, the risk factor will soar rapidly.

It was a freezing cold winter evening. The sky was extremely gloomy, and the dark clouds were hanging low as if they were about to swallow up the last ray of light. Old Wu had just finished a busy day when he received an urgent call from an old friend in the neighboring village. The friend said that an elderly person in the family had suddenly fallen ill and needed to be rushed to the hospital, asking Old Wu for a favor. Without a second thought, Old Wu hung up the phone and rushed to his friend’s house.

As the night fell deeper, the temperature dropped sharply, and a thin layer of ice formed on the road surface, making it slippery. Old Wu drove the vehicle carefully, turned on the headlights, and the warm yellow light pierced through the darkness, struggling to illuminate the road ahead. When he reached a remote country road, the vehicle suddenly made a “clunk” sound without any warning. Then the engine stalled and the headlights went out immediately, and the surroundings plunged into darkness in an instant. Old Wu’s heart tightened, and he quickly pulled over to the side of the road. By the dim light of his mobile phone, he checked and found that the start button on the gasoline combination switch had sunk in and couldn’t pop up no matter how hard he pressed it. It seemed to be stuck by something. No matter how he fiddled with it, the vehicle just didn’t respond at all.

At this time, calls from his old friend came one after another. The friend’s voice was full of anxiety and helplessness, and the patient in the back seat was moaning weakly. The situation was extremely critical. Old Wu was extremely anxious. Fine beads of sweat oozed out on his forehead. On this icy and snowy cold night, his clothes were soaked with sweat. He hurriedly took out a simple repair tool kit from under the seat and tried to take apart the shell of the combination switch to see if he could repair it by himself.

However, his fingers were frozen stiff and he couldn’t hold the tools steadily. The screws seemed to take root in the icy air. It took him a lot of effort to unscrew just one. The temperature inside the vehicle was getting lower and lower, and the patient’s condition in the back seat couldn’t afford any delay. Old Wu was so anxious that he stamped his feet, pacing around like an ant on a hot pan, full of despair and helplessness.

Just when Old Wu was on the verge of breaking down, a strong light shone from behind. A passing agricultural pickup truck slowly stopped. The window was rolled down, and a simple and honest face popped out. The driver asked with concern, “Brother, what’s going on? You seem so anxious.” Old Wu, as if grasping a life-saving straw, pointed at the broken gasoline combination switch and told him the whole situation. Without saying a word, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and took out a hand warmer, professional circuit detection tools, and a spare gasoline combination switch from the vehicle.

It turned out that this driver was also a transporter who often drove at night and deeply understood the danger of vehicle breakdowns at night. He always kept emergency items in the vehicle. He first handed the hand warmer to Old Wu to warm his hands, and then skillfully used the detection tools to check the circuits. Finding that there was no major problem, he decisively replaced the gasoline combination switch with the spare one, reconnected the circuits, and carefully adjusted them. In less than twenty minutes, the vehicle’s engine roared again, the headlights lit up, and the warmth gradually returned to the vehicle.

Old Wu’s eyes were red, and his voice choked with emotion. He grasped the driver’s hand tightly and thanked him repeatedly, saying, “Brother, thank you so much! If it weren’t for your timely appearance, the old and the young in the vehicle would have been in danger. I’ll remember this kindness!” The driver smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Brother, don’t mention it. We’re all away from home. Who doesn’t have difficulties? It’s just a piece of cake. You should pay more attention to the vehicle’s condition and check it regularly in the future.”

Old Wu restarted the vehicle and drove steadily towards the hospital. After this incident, Old Wu took the utmost care of the gasoline combination switch. He checked it more rigorously before setting out each time, and also specifically learned some simple circuit repair knowledge. He always kept spare switches and repair small items in the vehicle. Since then, the combination switch has never had any problems again and has steadily accompanied Old Wu as he shuttled between urban and rural areas, witnessing his years of enthusiastic help and hard work for a living.