My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 161 First Day at Work

After spending a few hours alone with Natasha in her room, Hu Yi, despite feeling extremely reluctant to leave, returned to his own room promptly at 10 p.m.

Tomorrow is my first day at work, so I should try to get to the market as early as possible, at least not later than the boss.

The earliest bus and subway depart at 5:00 AM, and the journey takes about an hour. Since Fu Jiahui said there's no need to go too early, arriving by 6:00 AM shouldn't be a problem.

After showering, Hu Yi rushed to bed, the sweet intimacy from earlier still lingering in his mind. He set his alarm, forcing himself to stop thinking about Natasha, but he tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling into a deep sleep.

The alarm clock rang precisely at five o'clock in the morning. Hu Yi jolted awake, struggled to get out of bed, and yawned.

Caihua, still forcing his swollen eyes open, sat in front of the computer, the screen's light making his face glisten with oil. Hu Yi, having finished washing up, returned and, while getting dressed, frowned and said, "What time is it? Still not asleep? Practicing all night?"

"I'm going to sleep, I'm going to sleep now." Caihua shut down the computer, took off her clothes and glasses, and flopped onto the bed. "Leaving so early? Be careful on the road..."

Just as Hu Yi was about to reply, Caihua started snoring.

"Damn, this kid." Hu Yi laughed and cursed, then wrapped his coat tighter and went downstairs.

Moscow was still shrouded in the deep darkness of night, and the biting wind, mixed with a few snowflakes, made the feeling of it on one's face particularly unforgettable.

The last time I got up at five o'clock was also to go to the market. But that time, a group of Maji preparatory students went with Lu Tao and Yan Zhiwen to have breakfast.

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the faces of some of his classmates have become slightly blurry in his mind. Hu Yi huddled under the bus stop sign, sighed for a moment, and then took the bus to the subway station.

The subway is practically empty and absolutely safe in the early morning. Skinheads would never go out at this time, and the few drunkards you might encounter who are muttering to themselves are usually not even walking in a straight line.

Amidst the noisy rumble of the train, Hu Yi slept at one stop and woke up at another, arriving at the market at exactly six o'clock. The entire New Sun District was quiet; all the boxes were neatly closed, and not a single person could be seen.

What's going on? Did I arrive too early? Hu Yi wandered around the area for a while, then returned to Fu Jiahui's box and stared blankly, completely bewildered.

The warmth he'd accumulated in the subway had dissipated, leaving him feeling chilly and his stomach rumbling. He thought of the breakfast shop where he used to eat fried dough sticks, and couldn't help but swallow hard. But the market was so vast; he didn't even know which district that shop was in, and in the pitch black, there was no way to find it.

Snowflakes were still falling from the sky, and Hu Yi's layers of clothing were almost completely soaked through. After a moment's thought, Hu Yi decided to go inside the box to escape the cold.

Just as I opened a padlock, two people emerged from the gap between the containers in the distance. They seemed to have come from the adjacent Zone 9, holding powerful flashlights and shining them in my direction. "Who's over there? What are you doing? Don't move!" they said in Russian.

Hu Yi raised his hand to shield his eyes from the flashlight beam: "I work here!"

The two men crunched through the snow as they approached, shining their flashlights on Hu Yi before lowering them: "You're here to work? What time is it?"

"This is my first day at work. What time should I arrive?" Hu Yi glanced at the two men in front of him. They were wearing matching cotton-padded uniforms, and their cotton hats and leather boots were also the same. He guessed they were security guards from the market.

"Don't you know what time you're supposed to come to work?" One of the taller men smiled and held out his hand to him. "Give me your ID."

"What kind of documents?" Hu Yi smiled. He had been in Moscow for several years, and even though he had never worked in the market, he knew that students were not allowed to work.

Although the two men in front of him didn't look like police officers, it was always better to be cautious. So he spread his hands and tentatively replied, "I don't have my identification with me."

Sure enough, the two men didn't argue about the documents anymore. The taller man pointed to the shipping container behind him: "It's too early, it's not even dawn yet, we can't open the container."

"Why not?" Hu Yi shrank his neck. "It's too cold outside. I want to go inside and sit for a while."

"For the safety of the goods," the tall man replied coldly. Then he paused slightly, and changed his tone: "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"It's my first day at work, where would I get the money to buy you tea?" Hu Yi was well aware of this kind of small-ticket-giving tactic, and looked at the other person with a half-smile: "But if you take me to a place where we can drink tea, I can treat you each to a cup. Oh, it has to be indoors, it's too cold outside."

"That won't do." The two security guards exchanged a glance, seemingly very troubled. The taller one turned and pointed into the distance: "At this time, the only place to have tea is in the Seagull District, but we're on duty and can't take you there."

Hu Yi didn't know if he was telling the truth or not, nor did he know where the Seagull District was, so he could only shrug at them: "Then there's nothing we can do."

"Okay." The two tilted their heads slightly and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Hu Yi hesitated for a moment, took off his gloves, took out his wallet from his pocket, and stuffed twenty rubles into each of their hands: "You've worked hard on duty. Go buy a cup of tea after you get off work."

"Thank you, you're such a good comrade and a good friend!" The two men shook hands with Hu Yi, their faces beaming. "What's your name?"

"My name is Anton." Hu Yi smiled slightly. "I'll be working here from now on. I hope we get along well."

"Enjoy! You must enjoy it!" The tall man glanced at his watch. "It's too early now. You'd better find a warm place to stay, like the subway station."

"It's okay, I'll just wait in the box for a while." Hu Yi didn't know what time Fu Jiahui would arrive. What if he arrived and he was still waiting at the subway station? Wouldn't that be getting up early only to arrive late?

"Alright, please go ahead." The two security guards smiled cheerfully and turned to continue patrolling other areas.

Hu Yi opened the container; it was pitch black inside, and he couldn't see anything. By the faint light of his phone screen, he could vaguely make out several large stacks of bags piled high at the back of the container.

The package was large but rather flat, with a stiff surface, suggesting that the pants inside were compressed very tightly. He looked around with his phone in hand, then chose a stack of shorter packages and sat on it.

The box offered only a meager shelter from the wind and snow, but it was no warmer than the outside. His clothes and shoes were frozen solid, and Hu Yi huddled on the cold, stiff woven bag, his jaw chattering uncontrollably.

Damn, it's so cold. He was a little tired, but he couldn't fall asleep at all, and he knew he would catch a cold if he did.

The cold was bearable, but the real torment was the lack of anything to do in the pitch black. Hu Yi began to fill his mind with warm memories: the sweltering summer days of his hometown, the sizzling lamb skewers, the steaming hot pot, the scalding hot bathhouse…

But none of this seemed to bring him any warmth; instead, it only increased his hunger and cold. He then recalled the fire at Building 6 that day, closing his eyes and imagining what it would feel like to be in the midst of the flames.

It didn't help much either. Hu Yi got up and stretched his stiff limbs in the box, then thought of Natasha.

Indeed, only she could bring him peace and warmth. He reminisced about the wonderful times he had spent with Natasha, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face in the darkness.

While stretching my body, I was lost in thought. I barely managed to stay awake until after seven o'clock, but it was still dark and quiet outside. Apart from the occasional security guard passing by, I couldn't see a single person.

Winter mornings are so unbearable. Hu Yi rubbed his heavy eyelids, considering whether to go for a run, when his phone rang. It was a text message from Natasha: "Honey, I just woke up. Have you gone to work yet?"

Hu Yi felt a surge of sweetness in his heart and immediately forgot about the cold. He took off his gloves, vigorously moved his fingers, and typed with difficulty, "Good morning, darling, I've arrived."

"Is everything going well? Have you had breakfast? It looks cold outside; I'm worried you'll get cold at the market."

Hu Yi's eyes welled up slightly, but quickly cooled back down. He sniffled and wrote, shivering, "Just finished eating, everything went very smoothly! Don't worry, my workplace is very warm."

After sending the message, she added another one: "No need to even wear a coat!"

Natasha sent a smiley face: "That's good. I'm going to work today too. The nearby Kangaroo Supermarket is having a promotional event, and I signed up. I can earn some extra money."

"Indoors? Or on the street?"

"I'm on the street, but don't worry, my clothes are very warm."

Hu Yi felt a pang of sadness. Based on his experience, he guessed that Natasha could earn "a small sum of money" at most two or three hundred rubles, yet she had to work hard in the cold wind all day to sell it.

But at this point, he didn't have much to say, so he could only reply, "I understand. Be careful and keep warm."

After chatting with Natasha for a few more minutes, Hu Yi felt a slight warmth spreading through him. He sat back down on the woven bag, watching the minutes tick by, and couldn't help but doze off.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but half-asleep, he suddenly heard a series of metallic clanging sounds coming from afar. Hu Yi opened his eyes with a start and found that light was already shining through the crack in the door.

He took out his phone to check the time; it was almost nine o'clock. He quickly got up and pushed open the suitcase door, immediately squinting as the sunlight stung his eyes.

Several boxes were opened in the distance; the clanging of metal earlier was the sound of doors being opened and locks being removed. A few people stood scattered along the road, all covered from head to toe; some were Chinese, and some were foreigners.

Hu Yi yawned and stretched, just as he was about to find a place to buy a bottle of water, when he saw Fu Jiahui walking towards him, chatting with other bosses.

"Wow, you're already here?" Seeing Hu Yi standing at the door of the box, Fu Jiahui smiled faintly: "I came a little early on purpose, but I didn't expect to be later than you."

Did you come a little early on purpose? Hu Yi looked up at the sun, clutched his cold ear, and said with a wry smile, "Didn't they say the other districts open at five? I came at six, and I was worried about being late."

(End of this chapter)