<h4>Chapter 688: Discrimination From The Driver</h4>


    Trantor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio


    While looking at Big Quinn and Godzi, the bald driver forced a smile and asked Li Du, “Young man, these three aren’t the three friends you were talking about, right?”


    Li Du nodded. “Yeah, it’s them.”


    Noticing that the driver had an unpleasant look on his face, Li Du thought he was frightened by Big Quinn’s re and Godzi’s physique. “Don’t be frightened. These fes are all good-tempered.”


    The bald driver took out the 500 dors that he had just received and handed it to Li Du. “Sorry, young man, I won’t do this business.”


    “Why?” Li Du asked. “You can rest assured: these two are my assistants and I know them very well . . . ”


    “Not doing means not doing,” the bald driver impatiently interrupted. “You nag and nag. No.” He very quickly cooled down and said, “No. I mean I’m really not doing this business.”


    “Why?” Li Du asked again. “You have already epted the payment. Why did you say that you aren’t doing this business?”


    The bald driver replied, “I thought you were alone. You see, there are so many of you guys with so much luggage. I’m making too much of a loss at 500 dors.”


    Li Du responded, “No worries, I will pay you more. Four people and this luggage, how much?”


    The bald driver pondered for a while and said, “2,000 dors will be needed for this.”


    Li Du felt that the price of 2,000 dors for 170 miles was too much. “Isn’t 2,000 dors too expensive? How about 1,500 dors?”


    The bald driver shook his head. “Cannot, cannot. It has to be 2,000 dors.”


    As this sum of money was considered little to Li Du, he was toozy to say more and responded, “Alright, 2,000 dors, let’s go.”


    Hearing his words, the bald driver was stunned. “Ah? You don’t think it’s too expensive?”


    “More expensive is fine,” Li Du replied. “I’m rushing to get home.”


    The bald driver gave him a troubled look. “Young man, 2,000 dors is indeed pretty high. I suggest that you get another car.”


    By this time, Li Du had already be aware that something was amiss. Initially, the other party was very happy to do his business. Now, after seeing Godzi and Big Quinn, he’d tried every means possible to refuse his business. There was clearly something wrong here.


    Instead of taking the 500 dors, Li Du leaned against the copilot seat and said slowly, “What exactly is going on? Brother, give me a clear exnation.”


    The bald driver took a look at Hans, Big Quinn, and Godzi, who stood outside, and smiled bitterly. “There’s nothing to say. I just don’t wish to do business with foreign devils and hence, do not wish to do business with you.”


    Li Du could not force him.


    He took back the 500 dors and got out of the car. Hans asked, “What’s wrong?”


    Li Du exined the incident to them. Big Quinn became unhappy and said, “That’s racial discrimination. In America, if drivers reject a customer because of their race, they could be sent to court!”


    Hans nodded. “Yeah, racial discrimination. Moreover, he discriminated against three races: Caucasians, African American, and Mexicans.”


    Li Du chuckled, “But I feel that this is still rather good. You Americans have discriminated against us Chinese. How’s that? The feeling of being discriminated against isn’t nice, right?”


    Since this car would not drive them, he went to search for another car.


    Most of the cars in airports were taxicabs, which were too small for Big Quinn’s and Godzi’s physiques.


    While Li Du was wandering around, a Honda CRV pulled up. The driver asked, “Brother, looking for a car?”


    As Li Du felt that the car was still pretty reliable after taking a look at the space inside the CRV, he said, “Alright, I would like to go to Qi Meng county. How much?”


    The driver replied, “500 dors.”


    “There are four of us and some luggage,” Li Du added. This time around, he had to spell out the number of people first.


    The driver said, “Then that will be a bit more expensive. Since I have a good feeling about you, 600 dors.’


    After doing some calctions, Li Du said, “600 dors isn’t expensive but your car may not be spacious enough. Do you want to find another car for me? I will give everyone 600 dors.”


    Hearing his words, the driver became ted and happily replied, “Sure.”


    Very soon, another white Honda CRV drove over. With that, thebined space of the two cars was definitely enough.


    Li Du brought along the others. The driver lowered the car window. “Brother, let me make the situation clear to you first: you have to pay me upfront. I would like to talk about the worst case scenario first. I am afraid that you will not pay up after we have reached the destination—”


    “No problem,” Li Du agreed without waiting for the driver to finish speaking.


    After driving the car to the front of Hans and the others, the driver was taken aback and asked, “There’s a total of four of you guys. These three are the other three people? Foreigners?”


    Li Du nodded. “Correct. Friends from America.”


    Without saying another word, the driver stepped on the gas pedal and drove off.


    Li Du became dispirited. “What the f*ck is going on?”


    Hans stared nkly at the car that was disappearing in the distance and bellowed, “Racial discrimination! This is racial discrimination!”


    As both cars had driven off, Li Du had no choice but to find another car. This time around, he found a small bus. He made the situation clear straight away. “Four people, three Americans, going to Qi Meng County.”


    The driver pondered for a while and said, “This will cost 2,000 dors. Is that okay?”


    Li Du nodded. “I can pay you first. However, I must rify: four people, three are Americans. One Caucasian, one African American, and one Mexican.”


    “Sure, I’m fine with Americans and Mexicans. Just no aliens will do,” the driver joked,


    Li Du asked, “I pay you first?”


    “Pay half as the deposit and pay the other half when we reached the ce.”


    Li Du sighed. “You are fair in the way you do business. Earlier, I found a Buick whose driver also wanted 2,000 dors from me. Despite that, he still didn’t want to drive us in the end.”


    The middle-aged driverughed and looked like he had something to say. However, after opening his mouth and shaking his head, he did not say anything.


    This time around, everything went smoothly. After carrying the luggage onto the spacious bus, the four of them boarded.


    Hans, who was still angry, sat down and muttered to himself about how unfriendly it was and how it hurt Li Du’s overseas friends.


    As the driver did not understand Hans’s English, which had an Arizona ent, he asked, “This mister from America seems to be very unhappy. Is there any problem?”


    “He isn’t talking about you,” Li Du replied, “he’s talking about earlier. There were quite a few cars earlier that had initially agreed to drive us. They refused to after seeing them. My friend thinks that it was racial discrimination.”


    The driver stepped on the gas pedal and drove the bus forward. He hesitated for a while and spoke only after the bus had left the airport. “You tell your friend that it wasn’t racial discrimination, but it was because of their race. Anyways, you guys have fewer problems—you weren’t cheated.”


    “What do you mean?”


    “Were the prices offered by those cars very cheap? And required you to pay first?”


    Li Du nodded. “Yes.”


    The driver snorted. “Those sons of bit*ches! They are unlicensed cars that specialize in scamming non-locals. They take your money first before driving you out and dropping you off at a random ce.”


    “Initially, they agreed to drive you as they thought that you were an easy target. After discovering that there were foreigners, they could onlye up with an excuse to weasel out of the job as they did not dare provoke foreigners.”