In the urban-rural fringe area full of a lively atmosphere, the roads are like fine spider webs, connecting the simplicity of the countryside with the prosperity of the marketplaces. Old Zhang’s electric tricycle is his capable assistant for making a living. Over the years, it has braved wind and rain. The carriage has carried the heavy fruits from his own orchard, exquisitely hand-woven bamboo baskets, and various daily necessities for the villagers, witnessing every moment of his struggle for life. And the inconspicuous yet crucial 43 connecting plates, hidden in the structure of the vehicle body, are just like a silent and resolute guardian, making every effort to maintain the stability of the tricycle. The stories behind them are full of twists and turns as well as warmth.

Old Zhang is nearly sixty years old. He has a cheerful personality and is warm-hearted towards others. He relies on this tricycle to do small businesses by going from street to street to supplement the family’s income. On weekdays, he takes extremely good care of his beloved vehicle. Before setting out, he always walks around the vehicle several times to check the tire pressure and the braking performance. And for the 43 connecting plates, they are the key objects of his attention. He would bend down, squint his eyes, and carefully check whether there are cracks or deformations on the connecting plates and whether the screws are loose. He would also press the key parts of the vehicle body with his hands and judge the supporting strength of the connecting plates based on his experience. Only when everything is in order would he set off with peace of mind. In Old Zhang’s heart, these connecting plates are the “backbone” of the tricycle. If something goes wrong with them, not only will the vehicle body become loose, but it will also shake when driving, which may endanger life safety at any time, and the goods loaded on it will also be damaged.

It was a scorching summer day. The sky was blue without a single cloud. The ground was baked hot by the scorching sun, and waves of heat were rolling in. Old Zhang received a big business deal. He was supposed to deliver several boxes of drinks and snacks to the grocery store in the neighboring village. He hummed a little tune and energetically loaded the goods onto the vehicle box by box. After tying them up firmly, he started the vehicle and set off towards the destination. At first, the tricycle was running briskly on the flat asphalt road, and the 43 connecting plates were steadily playing their roles of connecting and supporting. Old Zhang was in an especially good mood, imagining that he could buy some new things for his family after finishing this business.

However, unexpectedly, when he reached a suburban path that was under construction, troubles came one after another. The road surface was dug up and became bumpy, with gravel and sand scattered all over the ground. Heavy construction machinery shuttled back and forth frequently, making the originally narrow path dilapidated. Old Zhang had to slow down and carefully avoid the big and small potholes. The vehicle body shook violently with the bumps. Suddenly, there was a loud “clang” sound. Old Zhang felt the vehicle suddenly tilt to one side and almost lost control and fell down. He quickly stopped the vehicle and jumped down to take a look. His face turned pale instantly. He saw that the screws at one of the connection points of the 43 connecting plates couldn’t withstand the violent bumps and all fell off. The connecting plates drooped down, one side of the vehicle body was seriously deformed, and several boxes of drinks also fell to the ground due to the shaking. Some of the boxes were split open, and the drinks were flowing out.

Old Zhang was extremely anxious. Big beads of sweat oozed out on his forehead, and the back of his clothes was instantly soaked with sweat. Seeing that there was still some distance from the destination, he didn’t know what to do. If he left the goods here and ignored them, not only would he have to pay a large amount of compensation for breaching the contract, but he would also ruin his reputation built up over the years. But it was impossible to continue driving with this “falling-apart” tricycle. If something unexpected happened again, the consequences would be unimaginable. He squatted down and hurriedly took out a simple repair tool kit from under the seat, planning to deal with it as an emergency measure by himself.

However, the weather was so hot that the sweat kept getting into his eyes, blurring his vision. He couldn’t even hold the screwdriver steadily, and it was also difficult for him to use the wrench with force. Old Zhang managed to screw on a few screws with great effort, but the connecting plates were seriously deformed and couldn’t be restored to their original positions at all. The vehicle was still tilted. The drinks spilled beside the vehicle gave off a pungent sweet and greasy smell under the scorching sun. Old Zhang was so anxious that he stamped his feet, pacing around like an ant on a hot pan.

Just when Old Zhang was full of despair and felt helpless, a passing agricultural tricycle motorcycle slowly stopped. The window was rolled down, revealing a simple and honest face. The driver asked with concern, “Brother, what’s going on? You seem so anxious with sweat all over your head.” Old Zhang, as if grasping a life-saving straw, pointed at the broken 43 connecting plates and told him all about his encounter. Without saying a word, the driver jumped out of the vehicle and took out a jack, spare connecting plates, screws of various specifications, and professional correction tools from the vehicle.

It turned out that this driver was also an “old hand” who was often engaged in transportation and deeply understood the difficulties of vehicle breakdowns on the road. He always kept common repair items in the vehicle for emergencies. He skillfully operated the jack to lift the deformed part of the vehicle body. First, he carefully used the correction tools to straighten the deformed connecting plates back to their original state, then carefully compared the positions, screwed on brand-new screws, reinforced the connection points, and repeatedly checked and adjusted to ensure that the connecting plates were as stable as before. In less than twenty minutes, with the skillful repair of the driver, the tricycle stood upright and steady again.

Old Zhang’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, I really wouldn’t know what to do. I’ll remember this kindness!” The driver smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Brother, don’t mention it. We’re all making a living away from home. Who doesn’t have difficulties? It’s just a piece of cake. You should pay more attention to the road conditions and check the vehicle regularly in the future.”

Old Zhang restarted the vehicle and drove steadily towards the destination. After this incident, Old Zhang took meticulous care of the 43 connecting plates of his electric tricycle. He checked them more rigorously before setting out each time, regularly applied oil to the screws to prevent rust, and also prepared an extra set of spare connecting plates and put them in the vehicle. Since then, the connecting plates have never had any problems again and have steadily accompanied Old Zhang as he shuttled between urban and rural roads, witnessing his years of continuous hard work for a living.