4.8 Driving Lessons: Six Months Later (Finale)

It was the final day of the driving test. Both Li Wei and An Jing had gone out together in the morning. An Mei was baking a cake to celebrate their forthcoming success. Just as she was finishing up the final touches on the cake, the door clicked open and the test takers returned home. An Mei went out to greet them. Both of them looked relatively happy.

"So, what happened?" An Mei asked her husband and sister.

"I passed," Li Wei beamed.

"That's great, Weiwei," An Mei said happily. "I would hug you, but I have been wrestling with the cake for an hour.

"I don't mind," Li Wei said before pulling his wife for a warm embrace.

"Guys, I am still here, you know," An Jing complained.

An Mei smiled at her sister and pulled her into the hug.

Once the group hug broke up, An Mei asked for the particulars of the exam.

"I scored full marks in the theory portions, of course," Li Wei said. "But the practical portion was a little difficult for me."

"Jie, he is trying to sugarcoat it. He barely passed the actual road test," An Jing said, correcting her brother-in-law. "The examiner called him the most annoyingly safe and robotic driver he had ever seen."

"Safe is good, right?" An Mei said supportively. "What matters is that you passed, Weiwei. I am proud of you."

"Thanks, Meimei."

"And Jingjing, what about you? How was your exam?" An Mei asked her sister.

"I aced the road test, of course. The examiner told me that he has never seen anyone with such skill before."

"That's great. It's wonderful that you both passed. Now, it's time for some cake."

Suddenly, Li Wei started laughing.

"Weiwei, what's going on?" An Mei asked.

"Mei, you didn't ask her about the theory portion."

"Well, she passed, right? That's all that matters."

"Tell your sister how you did, Jingjing."

An Jing looked embarrassed. It was an expression An Mei had rarely seen on her sister.

"Jingjing, how did you do in the theory part of the test?" An Mei asked, her suspicion increasing with every second of delay in An Jing's response.

"Jie... I...I didn't pass," An Jing mumbled.

"What?"

"I didn't pass, okay? The questions were so stupid. Some of them were so illogical. Why would anyone do some of those things? I told them what I thought of those questions and the best way to design the test."

"So...you failed the driving test?"

"Yes. Wait, does that mean there is no cake for me?"

Li Wei continued laughing while a bewildered An Mei looked at her sister, still not completely sure of what had happened.

*     *     *

A week later, on a warm sunny afternoon...

"When did you get the license, Jie-fu?"

"Yesterday," Li Wei answered.

"I guess you and my sister went on that drive you were dreaming about?"

"Yeah," said Li Wei without taking his eyes off the road.

An Mei, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned around to look at her sister in the back and said, "Jingjing, don't disturb him while he is driving. He needs to focus."

"Okay, okay, I'll let your precious husband work on the extremely difficult task of driving."

"Thank you, dear sister," An Mei said with a smile.

"So, Jie, where did you guys go?"

"We went to the beach and watched the sunset."

"Very romantic. So, when am I getting my coffee coupon?"

"He ordered it yesterday. You should get it in a day or two."

"And my divine dragon bones?"

"What's that?" An Mei asked.

"The game item he promised me."

"I sent it to your account yesterday," Li Wei managed to say before starting to reverse the car into the parking spot.

"Jie-fu, you can reverse a little faster; there are no other cars around."

"Shhh..." Li Wei hissed.

"Sorry, sorry, you do your thing, Jie-fu. So, Jie, is this restaurant any good?"

"The reviews are good. We haven't been here before."

"I don't really mind anyway, as long as there is enough to eat."

"So, Jingjing, did he promise you anything else?" An Mei asked.

"Yeah. Lifetime dibs on drumsticks."

"Lifetime?"

"Yup."

Li Wei had managed to park the car by now and joined in on the conversation. "Even though I have to stick to wings and chicken breasts from now on, it was totally worth it."

"You can have my drumsticks, Weiwei," An Mei said lovingly.

"Really?" Li Wei asked, looking adoringly into his wife's eyes.

"Ugh! I am getting out." An Jing told the couple. "You two finish your lovey-dovey stuff. I am going inside to order."