Back to 1991: Starting with a Truckload of Watermelons

In 1991, Xu Xiangye returned to the past, sitting on the tailgate of his family's truck.

There were three thousand jin of watermelons in the truck, a buyer outside trying to force the price down, and his father beside him ready to accept a loss.

When he was young, he thought driving trucks was hard and his father didn't earn enough. Only after he started hauling goods himself did he understand that his old man's cigarettes handed out to others and the smiles he wore through losses hadn't come easy.

This time, he pulled the basket off the scale.

"Six cents a jin? We're not unloading at that price."

His father's face darkened on the spot. "Is this your truck or mine?"

For now, the truck still belonged to his father, but they couldn't sell the watermelons like this.

Starting with a truckload of watermelons, Xu Xiangye accompanied his father on long-haul runs, hauling cargo on the way there and looking for deals on the way back. He saw the sights in different places, ate at roadside stops, and earned cash he could put in his pocket.

He wanted a good pair of shoes, a new house for his family, and then a truck of his own.

His old man wasn't thinking that far ahead yet.

"Quit staring and move those watermelons!"

[Everyday Life in the 1990s, Father and Son Truckers, Roadside Deals, Making a Living]