After finishing our work at the restaurant, the owner, taking pity on us, pointed us in the right direction, saying there was a small town called Pingxiang ahead where we might find some work. We thanked him and, asking for directions, headed towards Pingxiang.
We walked for who knows how long, finally arriving in Pingxiang. As soon as I entered the town, I was bewildered by the scene before me. People in floral shirts whizzed past on motorcycles, their speed creating gusts of wind, startling me so much I quickly dodged to the side. Shop signs lined up one after another, their Chinese characters like gibberish to me; I couldn't understand a single one.
I stood on the street, watching the crowds come and go, utterly lost. Everyone else was in a similar state, looking around helplessly. We were like a group of small animals that had wandered into unfamiliar territory, both curious and afraid.
I followed the others, squatting in a corner, hoping that perhaps I'd run into a kind person who could give me some directions, or find us some work. I squatted there for a while, my legs went numb, and no one paid us any attention.
Just when I was about to despair, a middle-aged man passed by, glanced at me, took a steamed bun from his pocket, and tossed it to me. I quickly caught it, hurriedly saying in broken Chinese, "Thank you, thank you!" The man smiled, waved, and walked away without a word.
I looked at the steamed bun in my hand; this was a lifesaver. But how could one bun be enough? I handed the bun to the guy next to me, saying, "You eat some." He shook his head, saying, "Qiang, you eat it; you're hungrier than me." We all politely declined, but finally decided to each take a bite.
Eating the bun, I felt a pang of sadness. Arriving in this unfamiliar place, cheated out of my wages, and now unable to even get a decent meal. But at least I'd met a kind person who gave me food, letting me know that there are still good people in this world.
After finishing my steamed buns, I stood up, dusted myself off, and said to everyone, "Brothers, we can't just sit here and wait; we have to find work." Everyone nodded in agreement.
So, we went from shop to shop along the street, asking if they could give us some work. But when they saw how dirty we were and couldn't understand what we were saying, they either waved us away or impatiently chased us away.
After walking for a while, we came to a vegetable market. The market was bustling with people, a cacophony of shouts and haggling. We walked around the market for a bit and saw an uncle struggling to carry a basket of vegetables. I quickly ran over, pointed to the basket, then to myself, meaning I could help. The uncle hesitated for a moment, then, probably understanding, nodded.
We quickly helped him carry the vegetables to his stall. The uncle looked at us, smiled, and asked in broken Mandarin, "Where are you from? Why did you decide to help?" I replied in broken Chinese, "We...we're out of money and want to find some work." The uncle listened, pondered for a moment, and said, "Oh, okay, if you're willing, come back tomorrow to help me move vegetables, and I'll pay you."
We were overjoyed and nodded eagerly. The uncle added, "You don't have anywhere to stay tonight, right? There's a small shed behind the market; you can make do there for the night and come back early tomorrow morning."
Thanking the uncle, we went to the small shed behind the market. It wasn't big and was piled high with miscellaneous items, but for us, it was a decent place to stay. That night, lying on the hard ground, although my body ached, I felt a little relieved. At least I had found some work to earn money, and I had some hope.
Looking at the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the shed roof, I thought that I must work hard tomorrow and earn more money. There will definitely be many difficulties ahead, but as long as we don't give up, we'll eventually get through it. Thinking about this, I gradually drifted off to sleep. In my dream, I sent a lot of money home, and my mother and sister were smiling happily…