Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 3 Working
In the 90s, when people from southern Fujian went out to do business, they generally sought refuge with their clan members, who were close enough to entrust their lives and property to. However, the methods of seeking refuge varied, as the blood ties between clan members varied.

The fourth uncle arranged for his daughter to welcome Yan Hui, arrange a job, and provide him with a place to live. He even gave him a coat. This was already very kind. When Yan Hui returned to the village for the New Year, the whole family had to go to thank him. Therefore, Yan Hui could not expect more from his fourth uncle.

No matter what, this place is more comfortable than the train. After thinking this through, Yan Hui fell into a deep sleep.

That night, Yan Hui woke up from the cold three or four times. He tried wrapping his legs with an electric blanket, then wrapped his feet with newly bought cotton trousers and covered them with a coat. He finally managed to hold on until dawn in a daze.

The next morning, Yan Hui got up early, went out to buy two steamed buns and a bowl of hot porridge, and then went to the labor protection store to ask about the price of the stove.

His house needed a small stove and five sections of iron pipe. The cheapest cast iron stove cost about 35 yuan, the iron pipe was 5 yuan per section, and the curved pipe was 7 yuan. You can also just buy three sections of pipe, which will make the flue much shorter.

After thinking for a long time, Yan Hui was still reluctant to buy it. On the one hand, he didn't have much money left, and on the other hand, he was not sure if he could get cheap or free fuel, even though this was a timber market.

After eating, Yan Hui went to No. 37, East District, and found that there was no work to do there, so he went to the store to help the boss light the stove.

There are some skills to lighting a stove. Yan Hui learned it from Sister Yan, but he failed after trying several times.

"Don't mess with matches, use this," Yan Hui was lying on the ground trying to light a fire when he heard an uncle's voice behind him.

Turning around, Yan Hui saw the uncle holding a handful of sawdust. He stood up and took it: "Thank you, uncle."

"It's okay. You're welcome."

The stove in this shop doesn't burn coal, but wood chips, so it needs to be refilled frequently. Yesterday afternoon, Yan Hui refilled it several times, but he wasn't very skilled at lighting the fire. With a handful of wood chips, he quickly got the stove working.

"Are you new here?" the uncle asked.

Yan Hui stood up and took a look. The uncle was about 1.8 meters tall and a little fat. He looked very strong overall and seemed quite friendly on the surface.

"Yeah, I came here yesterday afternoon, uncle. I didn't see you yesterday."

"I'm from the train station. I come here every few days." The burly uncle looked at Yan Hui and asked, "How old are you?"

"I'm 18," Yan Hui always says this when he goes out.

"Are you 18?" The uncle nodded. "You're here to move the planks, too, right? This job isn't easy, so take your time."

"Um, uncle, what's your name?" Yan Hui felt that this uncle was easier to talk to.

"They all call me Cheng Gui. You can call me Uncle Cheng Gui. The boy in our family is about the same age as you." Uncle Cheng Gui said with a smile and measured Yan Hui's height.

"Well, Uncle Cheng Gui, if you need any help, just call me. I don't have much to do here."

"Young man, be smart. I'm quite familiar with the boss here, 'Second Brother'. Tell me if you have anything to say."

"Thank you, Uncle Cheng Gui." Yan Hui looked around and asked, "By the way, Uncle Cheng Gui, they all call the boss here 'Second Brother'. I'm young, so is it inappropriate for me to call him 'Second Brother'? What should I call him?"

"Actually, you can also call him Second Brother. This isn't a matter of seniority; it's about showing respect. But since you're new here, calling him Second Brother might sound a bit too cozy. Just call him Uncle Li."

"Then I understand."

After chatting with Uncle Cheng Gui, Yan Hui also heard some hidden meanings. Second Brother's place was quite popular, and not everyone could come. When the work was good, he could earn forty or fifty yuan a day. Uncle Cheng Gui had wanted his son to come over to help, but Second Brother said the place was full.

Uncle Cheng Gui went to talk to Yan Hui because he wanted to find out what Yan Hui was thinking. Of course, Yan Hui would not mention his fourth uncle, so he said some ambiguous words. After all, he looked like a child, so it was normal that he did not understand some of what he said.

Yan Hui was chatting and cleaning the house at the same time, and soon his second brother came over.

Seeing Yan Hui working, the second brother was very happy. He greeted Cheng Gui and then called Yan Hui: "Xiao Hui, help move the goods today. Wear the gloves I gave you yesterday."

"Okay, Uncle Li." Yan Hui said, and put on the gloves that his second brother gave him yesterday from his pocket.

Cheng Gui glanced at the gloves and said nothing.

Yan Hui left the house and saw that an Isuzu truck had arrived, but only one worker had arrived. It was only a little after seven o'clock, and the sky had just begun to brighten.

What we are going to install today are larch boards, which are three or four meters long, about 3 centimeters thick and about 25 centimeters wide. One board weighs about 40 kilograms and requires two people to lift.

Yan Hui could handle the weight with two people, and he quickly placed the first board. The board would swing up and down during the lift, and at first, Yan Hui felt it was somewhat less strenuous.

The man who was carrying the wooden board with him was a man in his 50s, about the same height as Yan Hui. He looked quite thin and spoke very little. Yan Hui only called him Uncle Wang.

Uncle Wang's family must be relatively poor; he wore older clothes than anyone else, and he was usually the first one to arrive every day. Uncle Wang was a quiet man, and neither was Yan Hui, but the two of them worked in perfect harmony, as stacking wood boards wasn't a particularly technical endeavor.

"Hiss" Yan Hui suddenly felt a piercing pain in his fingers.

"Got pricked?" Uncle Wang saw this and motioned Yan Hui to slowly put down the wooden board. "Then go fix this prick first."

"Okay." Yan Hui endured the pain, put down the wooden board, then gritted his teeth and took off his gloves bit by bit.

The two had been working for half an hour, lifting about 40 planks, or about one square meter. Meanwhile, the others had arrived. Fearing it might be too late for him, Yan Hui hurried back to the shop, asked his second brother for a needle, and gritted his teeth as he picked out the splinter. These labor gloves were no match for splinters.

"Be careful," the second brother warned, "don't rush, take your time."

The second brother obviously said this to give face to the fourth uncle, but Yan Hui knew not to take it seriously. After making sure there were no splinters in his hands, he checked his gloves and immediately went back to continue moving.

After just a few steps, Yan Hui felt his waist and legs weakened. After only half an hour of moving, he felt a bit exhausted. Although he had always helped with farm work, he had previously focused on school. At 16, he was not cut out for manual labor.

Half an hour ago, Yan Hui thought it was fun to shake the wooden board, but now he felt pressured.

He and Uncle Wang moved almost one square meter of wood together. Uncle Wang was still moving at the same frequency and speed. Yan Hui could no longer keep up. He could only grit his teeth and persevere.

Uncle Wang saw Yan Hui's helplessness and said nothing, so he could only slow down a bit.

In this case, by the time the truck was finished loading, the two porters who arrived half an hour late had carried basically the same amount of cargo as Yan Hui and Wang Bo, or even a little more.

This made the two of them a little dissatisfied, but fortunately Yan Hui moved the car early, so they couldn't say anything.

"There's nothing to do this morning. We'll move white pines in the afternoon. Don't run around after lunch." After delivering the car, the second brother said to everyone, "There will be four cars in total this afternoon."

There was a lot of work to do today, and the eight or nine porters were all very happy. Only Yan Hui felt a little uncomfortable. In the past two hours, he was almost exhausted. He felt sore all over and his right leg was a little numb.

After moving the truckload of larch, the warehouse was a bit messy and needed to be tidied up. Yan Hui had done this job yesterday afternoon, and now he had no strength left.

"Don't sit there, take a walk." Uncle Wang knew Yan Hui's condition best. When he saw Yan Hui sitting, he came over and gave him some advice.

Yan Hui nodded gratefully, propped himself up and stood up, strolled around the warehouse for a while, and did some light work.

It was almost noon, and Yan Hui was about to go out for lunch when Yan Yan came over with a lunch box. Seeing Yan Hui, she happily greeted him, "Xiao Hui, Xiao Hui."

"Sister Yan," Yan Hui said, somewhat surprised as he came closer, attracting the attention of many people. "Come, I brought you lunch." Yan Yan pointed to her second brother's shop, "Don't stay in the warehouse, go over and eat."

"Coming." Yan Hui looked around, and finally said nothing, and followed Yan Yan out of the warehouse.

Yan Yan walked in front and turned to look at Yan Hui: "Is your leg really okay? Why are you limping a little?"

"That's just tiring, it's okay."

"Well, how about I talk to my dad and ask him to find you a new job?"

"No, no," Yan Hui immediately waved his hand, "I can do this job."

"Okay, let's eat first." Yan Yan didn't know what to say.

After entering the store, Yan Hui first checked the stove and added a few pieces of firewood. When he was done, he looked back and saw that Yan Yan had already opened the lunch box.

A full plate of Northeastern rice, plus a square of pork head weighing at least two taels, and the rest is cabbage.

"Come and eat." Yan Yan called out.

"Sister Yan, have you eaten?"

"I ate a long time ago," Yan Yan said unhappily. "My stepmother is here, and I don't like her. I'll finish eating sooner and leave sooner."

"Have I never met Fourth Aunt?" Yan Hui said uncertainly.

"You definitely haven't seen her. She just went back to southern Fujian with my dad, had lunch, and left," Yan Yan waved her hand. "Let's not talk about her. I start school tomorrow, so please be safe here."

"It's pretty good here, everyone takes good care of me."

"Oh," Yan Yan was really a little melancholy, "I really envy you. You can go out alone and no one will bother you. How great is that."

"My main problem is that I'm not good at studying. If I were good at studying, I would continue to go to school." Yan Hui said as he ate his meal without raising his head.

If he wanted to buy this meal, it would cost at least two or three dollars, and he would be reluctant to buy it himself.

"My dad wanted to take me back home for the Chinese New Year this year, but my stepmother wouldn't let me. It's so annoying. There's nothing here in the winter. It's so much fun over there." Yan Yan was really bored.

Yan Hui chatted with Yan Yan for a while and finished the entire box lunch, which surprised even himself.

"I envy you so much. You can eat so much without worrying about getting fat." Yan Yan felt a headache when she thought about school starting tomorrow. "Yan Hui, after I take the college entrance examination this year, should I go to university?"

"I don't know about that. You have to listen to Fourth Uncle."

"You're such a dull person," Yan Yan said unhappily. "I'm going to school tomorrow, and you don't even spend more time chatting with me."

Yan Hui had just finished his meal and wanted to rest for a while, preferably lying near the stove for an hour and taking a nap. But he also knew that Yan Yan was a very kind person, so he took the initiative to bring up the topic: "Sister Yan, do you still remember my sworn brothers?"

"Ah?" Yan Yan's face suddenly turned red.

"I am the youngest, I am the fifth. Do you remember my second brother?" Yan Hui spoke to himself as if he didn't see Yan Yan.

"Oh, why did you mention him?" Yan Yan's eyes were a little evasive, but every time she shifted her gaze, she would always secretly glance at Yan Hui's expression.

"My second brother started high school last year. I asked him about it during the Chinese New Year, and he did very well on his first semester final exam. His teacher said he would have no problem going to college."

"He's in high school?" Yan Yan thought about it and realized it was true. "He, he's just a little brat!"

"During the Chinese New Year, my second brother asked me about you. He heard that I was coming to Fengtian and came over to talk to me a lot."

"What did he say?" Yan Yan's voice was a little anxious.

"I said I didn't know your situation either. I also said that after I settled down, I would write to him and tell him about you."

"Oh, don't blame me," Yan Yan waved her hands quickly, "I don't want to think too much. I want to get into a good university and go to Beijing!"

"Yeah," Yan Hui nodded frequently.

His five brothers were sworn brothers in a temple. Now only the eldest and the second oldest are still in high school, and the other three have all gone out to work.

No, I came out to do business!

The story between the second brother and Yan Yan is all old news. After all, Yan Yan has been in Fengtian for four years. From this, we can also see the second brother's awesomeness. When the second brother was pursuing Yan Yan, he was in the fifth grade of elementary school.

"Tell him that if he can get into a university in Beijing, I'll take him to eat roast duck!"

"Row!"

The two had a pleasant conversation, and Yan Yan felt much better. She packed her lunch box and went back. She still had to prepare things to take to school tomorrow. After all, she now had some other ideas about the college entrance examination.

As soon as Yan Yan left, Yan Hui took the time to lie down on a chair for a while, leaning against the wall, facing the stove, and fell asleep all of a sudden.

After sleeping for about half an hour, Yan Hui woke up and his whole body was still in terrible pain, even more painful than before he fell asleep.

He got up and walked around slowly. It seemed as if the pain had eased, or as if his body had adapted to the pain. He drank some water, and the afternoon workday soon began.

White pine is softer in texture than larch, so it is more likely to produce splinters during processing.

The white pine here is relatively light, weighing about 30 kilograms per piece. Everyone carried it on their own. Yan Hui had just moved a dozen pieces when he was pricked by the splinters twice, and red could be seen on his gloves.

He worked slower than others and had to pick thorns twice, and the people who were moving a car with him had already started gossiping.

Yan Hui turned a deaf ear to him, gritted his teeth and moved the items bit by bit until his car was full.

Only he himself knew how tired he was. Not to mention his body, even his teeth were sore from gritting their teeth.

Except for Uncle Wang, the two uncles who moved with him were unhappy and told the second brother about Yan Hui's situation, but the second brother said nothing and asked everyone to continue working.

After Yan Hui finished moving the truck, he went straight to his second brother and said, "Uncle Li, I'm not used to this job yet. Is it okay if I can only move this much today? I'll get better with practice."

"Okay, you moved two trucks today, so I'll pay you 40 yuan," the second brother said without saying anything. He took out four 10-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them to Yan Hui. "If you're tired, you can take a few days off."

Yan Hui looked at his second brother, thanked him, took the money, silently went to the labor protection store to buy a needle, and walked towards his residence.

It was a little after four in the afternoon, the sky was still light, and the indoor temperature was still around 0 degrees. Yan Hui staggered to his bed and actually felt warm.

(End of this chapter)