Cao Yang ate absentmindedly. Those two men were obviously not good people—so how did Sister Yan know them?
From their accents, the three of them—Li Yan, Zhou Qing, and the two men—were all from Sichuan. Zhou Qing even had tattoos.
Normally, people with tattoos couldn't get into factories. But Zhou Qing was Li Yan's colleague… Was Li Yan really working in a factory?
Questions piled up in his mind, but he didn't think it was appropriate to ask.
"I'm heading to work. You go back first," Li Yan said as she handed him a key.
"Mm." Cao Yang took the key, his mood sinking.
Seeing his gloomy expression, Li Yan asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Cao Yang replied and walked away unhappily.
After he took just two steps, Li Yan called him back. She pulled five yuan out of her bag and shoved it into his hand. "Take it."
Cao Yang had never felt so speechless in his life. She gave him five yuan with the momentum of handing out fifty thousand—never mind that it was his money in the first place.
…
After saying goodbye, he didn't head home. Instead, he wandered out of the village.
Outside the village were all factories. It was peak off-work hours, and the streets were filled with young men and women wearing blue short-sleeve uniforms.
Cao Yang walked aimlessly, checking the recruitment posters outside various factory gates.
Then he found a phone booth and called his hometown to report his safe arrival.
The call went to the small shop in the village, asking the shopkeeper to tell his mother he had reached Dongguan safely and had found Li Yan.
He hung up and paid the 0.3-yuan phone fee.
He craved a cigarette, but the kiosk had sold out of anything cheaper than five-yuan packs.
Just as he was about to leave, the owner said they had loose cigarettes—three cents a stick.
Loose cigarettes were usually from cheap five-yuan packs; selling them individually let the owner earn extra. Shops around factories often sold them this way.
Cao Yang bought five sticks. Smoking as he walked, he continued wandering until night fell, then returned toward the village.
He had barely gone a few steps when he heard someone whistle at him. He looked over and saw a woman wearing a tiny tank top and a skirt barely covering anything, waving at him.
"Me?" Cao Yang pointed at himself, unsure.
The woman smiled and nodded, beckoning him over.
Cao Yang walked up, confused. "What is it?"
"Handsome boy, come in and play for a bit." She pulled his hand and led him toward a small room.
"What are we playing?" Cao Yang asked sincerely. Were people here always this enthusiastic?
"Still pretending to be innocent?" the woman laughed, pushed him onto the sofa, then squatted down and started unbuttoning his pants.
Only then did Cao Yang realize—she was a prostitute.
"No, no, I'm not doing this!" He bolted upright and sprinted out. He ran so fast he vanished in seconds.
Back at the apartment, he took another shower. It was unbearably hot here—go out for a bit and you'd be sticky all over.
After washing, he lay on the sofa. Thinking of that prostitute earlier, a wave of anger hit his stomach.
"She looked so pretty… why would she choose to be a hooker?" He couldn't understand. If he had money in his pocket, he really wanted to ask her properly.
Thinking about the prostitute made him think of Li Yan again.
Was Sister Yan really working at a factory? Or was she doing something… less respectable?
Why was it that others who worked in factories could only send home two or three thousand a year, yet she could send seven or eight thousand?
He had already guessed something, but he wasn't certain—and didn't want to be.
A heavy discomfort sat in his chest, like a stone he couldn't move.
She was his childhood goddess… Had she really fallen this far?
It almost felt like heartbreak.
Maybe he was overthinking it. Maybe she did work at a factory and just happened to know some street people.
He tried to console himself and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Around four or five in the morning, the sound of a door opening woke him. Li Yan and Zhou Qing had returned.
Them coming back at this hour made his heart sink even further.
If someone worked the night shift, they normally got off when the sun came up.
Li Yan turned on the light, glanced at Cao Yang sleeping soundly, and didn't disturb him. She switched the light off and went to bed.
But Cao Yang was awake—he simply didn't open his eyes.
Not long after, Zhou Qing came out of her room and went to take a shower. After some rustling sounds, Cao Yang saw her walk out of the bathroom completely naked.
He couldn't help but widen his eyes—was she really not treating him as an outsider?!
Then he thought about it more carefully. Maybe this was just how she behaved normally, simply forgetting that there was an extra man on the living-room sofa today.
Zhou Qing wasn't as tall as Li Yan, and not as pretty either, but she definitely had the assets. Just one quick glance was enough to keep Cao Yang awake the whole night!
He endured it until eight in the morning and got up to knock on Li Yan's door, reminding her that she was supposed to take him to work today.
"What?!"
Li Yan opened the door with messy hair and a full face of morning grumpiness.
"It's eight o'clock. Weren't you taking me to work today?" Cao Yang reminded her.
"What's the rush? We'll go in the afternoon!" Li Yan slammed the door shut and continued sleeping.
Cao Yang was helpless. He wandered around downstairs until one in the afternoon before returning.
By then, Li Yan had just gotten up. After washing up quickly, she took Cao Yang to meet her friend.
"Sis Yan, let's take a car," Cao Yang said, carrying his luggage and sweating all over.
"It's not far. Only three kilometers. We'll walk there," Li Yan said, also drenched in sweat, her white dress soaked through.
"But it's way too hot. Don't tell me… you're just saving money?"
"A taxi costs seven or eight yuan. If we run into a scammer, they'll overcharge us."
"Then let's take the bus!"
"There's no bus that goes there."
Cao Yang wiped his sweat and saw a stall selling ice-cold watermelon. He couldn't help licking his lips.
"Sis Yan, let's buy some watermelon."
"Eat what? You're that greedy?"
"Are you seriously just stingy?"
"Of course. You think money grows on trees?"
"Use my money then. I'll treat you."
"Your money? What money?"
"The 120 yuan I gave you?"
"That 120 was for your lodging and the agency fee for introducing you to this job. What money do you still have?!"
Cao Yang froze on the spot, staring at her in disbelief.
His mom and her mom were on such good terms. They were neighbors back home. There was no way she'd treat him like this, right?
Besides, she does that kind of job—she wasn't that poor. She didn't need to eye his measly hundred yuan. If she really did something like that, wouldn't the whole village talk about her behind her back?
"Why that expression? You think I really care about your hundred yuan? I was just joking."
She suddenly switched expressions, smiling as she took out one yuan and bought two pieces of watermelon.
The icy watermelon cooled them down instantly.
Soon, they arrived at their destination— a small electronics factory with around 300 workers.
Li Yan's friend, an unattractive woman, helped Cao Yang get his work badge, meal card, and dorm arranged.
Once everything was settled, she told him he would start work that night and left with a wave.
"Work hard. If you need anything, call me or come find me. I'm heading back first," Li Yan said, patting his shoulder.
She had only walked a few steps when Cao Yang grabbed her.
He held out his hand.
"What?" Li Yan asked, confused.
"The money! Give me my money. How am I supposed to survive with no money?"
"They provide food and lodging here. What do you need money for?"
"That's still my money! And what about cigarettes, toiletries?"
Li Yan nodded. "That's true."
She pulled out 30 yuan and handed it to him.
"Don't smoke. It's bad for you. Use this thirty first. If it's not enough, tell me."
"It's not enough," Cao Yang said immediately.
Li Yan paused. "You haven't even used it yet. Talk to me after you spend it."
Cao Yang was speechless. He couldn't understand why Li Yan kept clinging to that hundred or so yuan. There was no way she actually needed that little.
He originally wanted to ask her for 300—100 of his own money back, plus borrowing 200 from her until he got paid.
But judging by how she acted, getting his original money back was already difficult… let alone borrowing anything!