Chapter 3

Li Yan ran off—practically flew—afraid that Cao Yang would chase after her asking for money.

Cao Yang went to the corner shop and bought a bamboo mat, a bucket, toiletries, and a pack of two-yuan cigarettes. After that, he only had two yuan left in his pocket.

That night, he put on his work uniform and went to the workshop to screw bolts.

He didn’t know how to do anything, so his team leader told him to take a toothbrush and sit at the assembly line scrubbing circuit boards.

At first glance, the job looked simple—pick up a board and give it a quick scrub—but doing the same motion endlessly was maddening. The worst part was having to sit still in the heat; his butt was practically breaking out in heat rash.

Even going to the bathroom required reporting in—only when the team leader found someone to replace you could you leave.

These team leaders all acted like everyone owed them money, their attitudes foul beyond belief.

Cao Yang had no idea how he endured the four-hour shift. When he got back to the dorm, he collapsed and slept like a rock until the next morning.

He went back to work again—four more hours of scrubbing boards—then to the cafeteria for lunch.

After eating, during the break, he noticed a crowd gathered deep inside the shop. Curious, he went over. They were playing slot machines.

This was nothing new to Cao Yang—back home he used to help out in a game hall. But here it was even crazier: seven or eight people crowded around one slot machine, all betting together.

One person bet on watermelon, another on double stars, until all the options were taken—then someone would bet “10 points” as an extra. If it hit, they’d settle up separately afterward.

Total chaos, yet they were completely absorbed.

This method had one advantage: at least someone would win, so the machine wouldn’t eat everyone’s money.

Cao Yang knew the machines could be adjusted; the others knew too. It was just for fun, gambling on whether they’d hit during a payout cycle.

He only had two coins left, but temptation struck. He fed them in, planning to win five yuan and leave.

Two beeps, two spins—his two yuan vanished.

“Damn it!” he cursed, and went back to the workshop to scrub boards.

He had barely sat down when someone shouted:

“Hunan boys, all come out!”

Cao Yang looked up. It was a team leader, though not his own.

“All the guys from Hunan, come with me!” he yelled again. A dozen Hunan men walked out.

Cao Yang followed too. He didn’t know why, but since he was from Hunan, maybe the factory had some arrangement.

They went downstairs and headed straight to the dorms. The team leader kicked open a door, and the group charged in—starting a fight.

Hearing the thuds and crashes inside, Cao Yang was stunned. He hadn’t expected to be called out just to fight.

He didn’t join in—not out of fear or disloyalty—but because there was no reason. Why fight? For what? To just rush in because someone shouted “Hunan guys, come!”—that would make him an idiot.

The ruckus quickly drew management’s attention. Soon the police came and hauled off the team leader and the main instigators.

Seeing it was over, Cao Yang returned to work.

Barely a few minutes later, someone shouted again:

“Hunan boys, all come out!”

“For f***’s sake, again?!” This time, Cao Yang ignored it and kept scrubbing.

“Xiao Cao, they’re calling you outside,” his own team leader came over.

“They’re fighting again. I’m not going,” Cao Yang said, acting like a model worker.

“This time it’s not fighting,” the leader said. “The managers want you.”

Hearing that, Cao Yang put down his work and went out.

Outside, he saw over twenty men standing in a row. He lined up with them.

“Is that all of them? All the Hunan male workers?”

“Yes, they’re all here.”

“Good.” The manager nodded. “You’re all fired. Go pack your things and leave.”

“Why?” someone protested.

“You gathered to fight and refused to obey orders!”

Cao Yang felt wronged. He hadn’t even fought—he just went along, without knowing what was happening.

He wanted to argue, but then he noticed even a dozen guys who hadn’t gone at all were being fired too. If anyone was more unjustly treated, it was them.

But the factory was ruthless—one-size-fits-all. Workers were disposable in those days; no one cared.

“What about our pay? When do we get our wages?” someone asked.

“Come back on the 15th next month to collect.” The manager left after that.

That wouldn’t do. Cao Yang was flat broke—without pay, he couldn’t even afford dinner that night.

He thought about rallying the other Hunan guys to demand wages. After all, even if he only worked eight hours, that should cover at least two meals.

He called out to organize them—but no one responded. Everyone just quietly packed their stuff and left, leaving him standing there like a clown.

Sigh… When it came to pointless fights, they’d charge ahead. But when it was about their own wages, suddenly they cowered. No wonder they got trampled by capital.

With everyone gone, Cao Yang had no way to make trouble alone. Besides, after only eight hours, he wasn’t owed much anyway.

He packed his bag—one striped woven sack in one hand, a bucket in the other. Inside the bucket were his mat, slippers, towel, toothbrush, toothpaste, and soap. Carrying it all under the blazing sun, he trudged through Dongguan’s Chang’an streets.

He had nowhere to go but back to Li Yan.

Sweat dripped down as he retraced his steps. Passing the watermelon stall, he stared at the iced melons and glass-bottled sodas, licking his lips.

By the time he reached Li Yan’s rented room, it was already 7 p.m. He knocked—no one answered.

He knew she must have gone to work and wouldn’t return until four or five in the morning. He just wanted to get inside quickly, shower, and cool off, not wait all night. So he went to the phone booth downstairs and called her.

“Sister Yan, I’m back.”

“What are you doing back?”

“I got fired.”

Before he could explain why, Li Yan scolded him fiercely:

“Did you get into a fight?! You’re so careless! Do you remember what I told you before you left home? You’ve already forgotten!”

Her tirade made Cao Yang fume.

“Sister Yan, that’s not what happened…”

“Enough! Stop making excuses. I’ll let it slide this time, but if it happens again, I won’t care about you anymore!”

“I’m working right now. Just wait at the door. I’ll be back at four-thirty to let you in.”

“Are you far? Can’t you come back now? Or give me the address, I’ll come over.”

“No need. Just wait there!” Li Yan said, about to hang up.

Cao Yang suddenly spoke, his tone strange:
“Is it because the place you work at can’t be shown to people? You don’t dare let me know?”