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墨書 Inktalez
A few girls finished their meal and fell asleep at Shen Yu's house. Gao Ming left with his cousin-in-law, and Shen Yu went to work. When she returned in the evening, Shen Yu borrowed five identification cards and handed them over to Gao Ming and the others.
That night, Shen Yu's husband bought a lot of groceries and prepared a large feast, which the children happily enjoyed. After dinner, Gao Ming followed his cousin-in-law to stay at his auto repair shop, while Shen Yu hosted the girls at her home.
By the second day, Shen Yu took them to apply for jobs at a tissue paper factory, which was essentially just looking for work. The factory was located not far from Qinghe Station, marked by a sign that read "Beijing Paper Industry Co., Ltd." As they opened the large iron gate, they noticed a big yellow wolf dog tied up in the yard, barking ominously at the newcomers—a clear sign of a dog that thrived on its owner's authority.
To the left upon entering was the workshop, which was about four or five large rooms in size, roughly 200 square meters. Opposite the workshop was the storage room, and behind that were the workers' dormitories, separated for men and women. The manager's office was to the right of the storage room, next to it were the finance office and the offices of the warehouse supervisor.
Shen Yu brought them to the manager's office without any issues. Hiring laborers didn't require resumes; they simply needed to fill out a form. Since Yuan couldn't read, she had to rely on Wang Lijuan to fill it out for her.
Wang Lijuan and the others worked in the workshop alongside Shen Yu as paper packers. They handled rolls of paper that were embossed by machines and then cut into sheets. The female workers would pack these sheets into bundles before boxing them up. Their wages were calculated per piece. Of course, all machine operators were men; some young men would help out the female workers during their downtime, trying to impress them.
Regardless of everything, they finally found work. Wang Lijuan, Lan Lan, and Reiko performed well enough that the manager was satisfied with their efforts. They earned about 17 yuan each after meals. Even Sister Fang, their supervisor, praised them for being quick at their tasks. However, Yuan struggled; her age made it difficult for her to keep up, leaving her with very little after meals. The factory provided accommodation but deducted meal costs from their wages. Reiko and her friends managed with just a few yuan for food, while Yuan needed five yuan—she ate more than her age suggested. Sister Fang often teased her: "Chubby one, eat more; you’re still growing!" It seemed Sister Fang liked Reiko quite a bit.
Gao Ming had no issues either. Tall and strong from practicing martial arts at home, he was capable of heavy lifting and could earn around 80 yuan unloading goods. They had one day off each week—Sunday—though meals were not provided during their time off.
Gao Ming would take them to Shen Yu's house for meals since eating out was expensive. Shen Yu didn’t mind; she liked having these kids around and busily prepared food for them while accompanying them on outings.
Time flew by quickly; before they knew it, over a month had passed. Their boss planned to withhold half a month's wages until they completed their work by year-end. If anyone left early, they had to submit a resignation letter a month in advance to receive their pay.
At first, Yuan managed well, but soon she began crying at night because she missed home. Children away from home for too long inevitably yearn for it! Lan Lan and Wang Lijuan also felt homesick. They often had to soothe Yuan to sleep at night. They called home nearly every week; Reiko tended to talk longer than anyone else. Strangely enough, Reiko never joined them when they called home; instead, she would sneak out alone at night to make calls herself. However, Reiko's father would still call Gao Ming's cousin asking Reiko to return his calls. Each time Shen Yu urged Reiko to call home, she would step outside to do so.
One night, there was another call from home asking Reiko to return it. She stepped outside and went to a public phone booth by the roadside. After thinking for a moment, she hung up without dialing anything. A faint smile appeared on her face—a rather haunting smile. She looked up with a sigh before turning back toward the factory.
It was slightly windy outside; she instinctively wrapped her coat tighter around herself.
When Reiko returned to the factory and Wang Lijuan asked about her call, she merely nodded and smiled faintly while pretending to miss home as well.
In a few days, the salaries would be paid! After work, the girls squatted by the roadside outside the factory, discussing how to spend this month's wages. Wang Lijuan smiled playfully and said first, "I want to buy some beautiful clothes, get some jewelry, and have my hair styled!"
Lan Lan glanced at her and shyly added, "I want to buy some snacks. I haven't indulged in snacks for a long time!"
Yuan also giggled foolishly, saying, "I want to send money home; my little brother needs it for school." Everyone praised Yuan for being so sensible.
Reiko remained calm, as if lost in thought. It wasn't until Wang Lijuan asked her that she responded with a distracted, "Oh, oh! I guess I'll just see!"
When payday arrived, Lan Lan and the others each received 500 yuan, Yuan got 300 yuan, and Gao Ming received 800 yuan. The day after they received their wages was a Sunday. As the sun rose, Gao Ming took them to explore the market in Qinghe. Wang Lijuan bought many beautiful clothes and some jewelry—though it was all plastic, cheap yet pretty. She also bought plenty of snacks. Lan Lan filled her bag with a bunch of treats. Yuan didn’t buy anything since she could share with everyone; they all doted on her. Gao Ming lent Yuan 200 yuan so she could send 300 home, leaving her with 100 yuan for pocket money to buy some clothes. However, Reiko had Gao Ming help her open a bank account to save her money.
Finally, they sat on a bench under a willow tree by the roadside and chatted. Lan Lan smiled brightly and asked Wang Lijuan first, "What do you want to do most? What’s your dream in Beijing?"
Wang Lijuan tossed her freshly curled hair back and smiled brightly, "Me? I love singing! I want to be a star!"
Lan Lan thought for a moment and replied, "I've always wanted to be a writer! But I guess there's no hope for that in this lifetime!" She nudged Reiko with her elbow and asked, "What about you, sister?"
Yuan looked at Lan Lan and giggled foolishly, saying, "I want to find a good husband!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh; Wang Lijuan bent over laughing with a flushed face, "You’re thinking about finding a husband already? Hahaha!"
Yuan's face turned red instantly as she glanced at Wang Lijuan and then at Gao Ming and the others. She fell silent and lowered her head, tracing circles in the dirt with her finger.
Reiko said nothing; she just listened to them. It seemed like she had no wishes or dreams of her own. Even if she did, she wouldn’t share them.
Yuan wanted to call home because she missed her family and longed for her mother.
Gao Ming accompanied her to the public telephone booth, where Yuan dialed her home number. After a short while, someone picked up on the other end. Yuan glanced at Gao Ming and smiled, "It's my mom!"
Then she cheerfully spoke into the phone, "Mom, I sent home 100 yuan this month, and Gao Ming lent me another 100 yuan."
Her mother laughed and praised her, "Good girl! Is it cold over there? Don't catch a cold. Why are you borrowing money to send home? If you want something to eat, just buy it yourself. How are things going over there?"
Yuan replied obediently, "It's great! Gao Ming, Sister Juan, Lan Lan, and Sister Reiko are all taking good care of me. Gao Ming even took me to his sister Shen Yu's house for dinner. It's really nice here, but I miss home a lot."
Her mother reminded her, "Make sure to listen and take care of yourself! By the way, if you see your brother, tell him to call home. He’s been gone for so long and hasn’t contacted us at all. Your aunt is really worried!"
Yuan suddenly felt a bit sad. "Mom, Beijing is so big! I might get to see my brother there!"
Her mother sighed on the other end, "This child, he leaves and doesn’t even keep in touch with us."
At this point, Gao Ming also felt a pang of sadness. Wang Lijuan lowered her head to look at the chain around her neck, lost in thought. Lan Lan kept shaking her head, while Reiko looked up.
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