Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Important Moment
Hua Buwan had been quite busy over the last two or three days. She had been practicing for her Subject Three driving test for several consecutive days, and today was finally exam day.
Waking up around six or seven in the morning, she rode in her instructor’s car to the testing center. Unfortunately, it was raining. But the rain wouldn’t stop the exam; as long as the road was visible, they still had to drive.
Three other people from her driving school came with her: an older man, a female college student, and a young working professional. Hua Buwan naturally gravitated toward the college student, as they were the only two women in the car.
Who could have guessed that the young woman would completely lose her composure the moment they arrived at the testing center? She looked absolutely shell-shocked. The hot breath she exhaled fogged up her glasses, leaving the lenses completely clouded over.
As soon as Hua Buwan approached, she heard the girl anxiously muttering to herself. "I’m doomed, I’m doomed. Taking a driving test in the rain? I won’t even be able to see the rearview mirrors properly! And my glasses are fogging up... WAHHH! Heaven is out to get me! PHEW! Calm down, deep breaths! It’s fine, everything is fine!"
Hearing this, Hua Buwan silently took two steps back. She hadn’t been nervous just a moment ago, but after listening to the young woman’s frantic rambling, an inexplicable wave of anxiety washed over her, and her heart began to race.
She glanced at the older man nearby. He was holding his phone in one hand, playing voice prompts, while twisting his other hand in the air as if operating an imaginary steering wheel.
"Commencing simulated night driving light operations..."
"When overtaking a vehicle ahead, alternate between high and low beams twice..."
"When passing through a pedestrian crosswalk..."
Hua Buwan realized he was reviewing the lighting operation portion of the exam. She had seen posts on her instructor’s Moments about this before. Older men of his age actually had no problems with their driving skills; they just couldn’t remember the lighting sequences. Most of them failed before they even got the car on the road.
Furthermore, for Lingnan people—especially older and middle-aged folks who weren’t fluent in standard Mandarin—listening to the automated Mandarin voice prompts during the exam was sheer torture. Sometimes the voice prompt would end before they could even process what was said. As the joke went: the exam would be over before their brains finished translating the instructions.
She quickly averted her gaze, afraid that staring too long would make the older man nervous.
The other young man, however, seemed entirely unfazed. He sat there, staring calmly at the exam window. But before Hua Buwan could admire his psychological fortitude, he abruptly stood up and headed for the restroom. Five minutes later, he got up to use the restroom again. Ten minutes after that, he went to the restroom yet again...
Hua Buwan snapped out of her daze and decided to stop watching the people around her. The more she observed, the more nervous she felt; if this kept up, she would end up underperforming during her own test.
Just then, their instructor clapped his hands to get their attention. "Relax, everyone. You have two chances to pass Subject Three. Just follow the steps I taught you and drive confidently. There are three possible routes for this exam. Make sure you remember which route you draw later, and don’t take a wrong turn.
"Also, remember to buckle your seatbelt when you get in. Don’t accidentally buckle the passenger side’s seatbelt. And don’t let the person in the backseat buckle yours either..."
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at that. It seemed their instructor had been watching quite a few short videos online to summarize all these bizarre fail scenarios.
"Stop laughing, stop laughing. Remember to walk a full circle around the car, and remember to adjust your seat..." The instructor went through everything from start to finish, and the group gave him their undivided attention, committing every word to memory.
Soon, it was their turn to take the exam.
The four of them entered the testing area together. Perhaps because the cars ahead were already full, all four of them were miraculously assigned to the same test vehicle.
The moment Hua Buwan heard the announcement, she closed her eyes and offered up a silent prayer.