Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 664 Something Must Have Happened to Her

Number 19 said to Number 15, "Don't you know them? Call two good-looking guys down for the handsome guy."

Number 15 said, "I only know Xiaohong and Xiaoya, who should I ask to go?"

Number Nineteen said, "Xiaoya is great, Xiaoya is beautiful. Brother, let me tell you, she's really beautiful, I like her even when I see her." She turned to Xiaowei and said this.

Xiao Liu said, "Just one? Never mind then, how are we going to divide them up?"

Number 15 said, "I don't know anyone else. Xiaohong is my classmate, and I've known Xiaoya for a while. We all work here and chat when we're not working. We don't have much contact with anyone else, and they don't interact with us either."

Xiao Wei asked, "Your classmate? How could she possibly feel comfortable seeing you like that?"

Number Fifteen wiped Xiao Liu's feet and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Aren't we all just trying to earn some money? What can you do if you don't have money? Take Xiao Ya, for example. She has no parents and was raised by her grandmother. Her grandmother is over seventy years old this year. What can she still do? Her brother needs money for school, and the family needs money for food. If she doesn't work, she'll starve to death!"

Number 19 said, "Yeah, she's quite pitiful. Even the boss feels sorry for her. If a customer bullies her, the boss gets angry. She's stubborn and won't accept money from others."

Xiao Wei asked, "What about your classmate? Huh? Xiao Hong, what happened to her? By the way, are all your names real or pseudonyms?"

Number Fifteen said, "They all came up with their own names. Xiaoya is her real name, Xiaohong is a made-up name, and I don't know about the others. Xiaohong's parents are divorced, and her family is dirt poor, but she's not as miserable as Xiaoya, who has to support her family. She supports herself."

Xiao Wei asked, "You still hang out with that company that does this kind of thing? Don't you look down on her?"

Number Fifteen pouted and said, "Why do you look down on them? They don't steal or rob, and they earn more than me. Besides, doing this isn't a bad thing; it's just a matter of necessity. So, according to you, once you get married, nobody will pay attention to you? It's the same thing."

Number 19 was chuckling to himself. Xiao Wei asked, "Then why don't you do it? You earn more."

Number 15 said, "Unless it gets really bad, my family has plenty of food and clothing; I'm just going out to work and earn a wage. Besides, wouldn't my mom beat me to death?"

Xiao Liu asked, "Are the families of those people who do that kind of work around here all pretty miserable?"

Number 19 said, "There aren't that many tragic stories. But anyway, everyone has their own difficulties. They can't earn money otherwise. Some are from poor families, their parents don't care about them, and they marry a man who says they'll starve. Some are just after money, and there are all sorts of people like that."

Xiao Liu asked, "What does it mean to marry a man and starve?"

Number 19 said, "In the place where I used to work, the men were nobody, they couldn't earn a penny, and their kids were only a little over a year old. How were they supposed to live? The women had to sell themselves to earn money to support their families. Her husband would come to her once a week to collect money and then sleep with her." She turned to Number 15 and said, "What's the point of living like that? What's the point? I just don't understand. If things are like this, can't you just leave and start your own life?"

Number Fifteen shook his head and said, "I don't know. They don't even know themselves, so what do we outsiders know?"

Number 19 said, "If I were that guy, I'd just kill myself. His life is too pathetic. Besides, what face does someone like that have to live?"

Xiao Wei and Xiao Liu exchanged a glance, and Xiao Liu said, "We should get to know this guy if we have the chance. Someone like him needs to be put in for some reform."

Number Fifteen said, "I think so too. A man like that is a disgrace to the world and a waste of food."

Number 19 said, "Hey, hasn't Xiao Hong come for several days? I haven't seen her for days."

Number 15 said, "Yeah, I haven't seen it for a few days either. Ugh, this lousy job, working day and night, my sleep schedule is completely messed up, I'm totally disoriented, what's the date today?"

Xiao Wei glanced at his watch and said, "Number 11."

Number Fifteen stopped what she was doing and sat up straight: "My goodness, it's Number Eleven?"

Xiao Wei asked, "You're so busy at work you don't even know the date? Ouch, ouch, ouch, be gentle."

Number 19 stuck out his tongue and said, "When someone comes, we turn on the bell; when no one comes, we quickly take a nap. We eat on time. We don't distinguish between day and night, and our days are all reversed. We just go from the lobby to the dormitory and then from the dormitory back to the lobby. Getting food is like shopping. Who cares about the time of day?"

Number 15 was still sitting there in a daze, blinking as if thinking about something. Little Liu nudged her hand with his foot and said, "Still bothering me? Are you stupid? Going to chant sutras?"

Number Fifteen reached out and pinched Xiao Liu's foot, but didn't respond, still calculating something.

Xiao Wei asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Number Fifteen stared blankly at Xiao Wei for a moment, then looked away again, still muttering calculations. Xiao Liu suddenly pulled his foot away: "Ouch, girl, that's my foot! Are you planning to modify it?"

Number Fifteen clapped his hands: "I get it now, six days, no, no, five and a half days. Little Red hasn't come back for five and a half days. No, I have to go tell the boss." He stood up abruptly.

Number 19 glanced at Xiao Liu and said to Number 15, "You're going to be on duty now."

Number Fifteen then realized what was happening and quickly sat down to take Xiao Liu's foot, saying, "I'm so sorry, I'll massage it for you for another ten minutes later."

Xiao Wei asked, "What are you doing, acting all mysterious?"

Number 15 said, "Xiao Hong has been gone for five and a half days. She told me that a regular customer invited her out to play that day, and then she hasn't come back. I have to tell the boss, in case something happens."

Xiao Wei said, "What could possibly happen? Maybe they just don't want to come anymore, they don't want to work here anymore, so they might as well move elsewhere."

Number Fifteen said, "Impossible, she hasn't been paid this month yet. Besides, she would definitely discuss leaving with me. Oh no, Xiao Jiu, do you think something's happened? Something must have happened."

Xiao Liu said, "Didn't someone say she was invited out to play? Maybe she hasn't had enough fun yet."

Number Fifteen said, "Impossible, you really don't understand? When regular customers invite someone out, it's just to sleep at their place for a while. The price is the same as here, and they don't have to share with the boss. Many people upstairs have regular customers. But that's just once in a while. You want to hire a prostitute to sleep with you for five days? Whether it's even possible is another matter. How much do you expect to pay? Xiao Hong isn't stupid."

Xiao Wei said, "Aren't you her classmate? Why don't you go to her house and ask? Maybe she's already home."

Number 15 said, "Her mother ran away, and her father is always drunk and stinky. What would she go back for? She'd rather go to my house than go home. To send money back?"

Xiao Liu asked, "Besides you, does she have any other close friends or classmates with her?"

Number Fifteen shook her head and said, "I don't know. She introduced me to this job. Usually, when we go out shopping, it's just the two or three of us. I've never seen her interact with anyone else. Oh no, what should we do, Xiao Jiu?"

Number 19 said, "How would I know what to do? No, let's go to her house later. I'll go with you."

Xiao Wei asked, "Are you sure she won't go anywhere else besides here, and that she doesn't have any friends besides you guys?"

Number 15 said, "I'm sure. We were classmates in elementary school. She stayed at my house more often than at her own. Besides, if you're doing this kind of work, what kind of friends can you make? Are you crazy?"

I just got home. I haven't been out for so long, and I didn't have enough time. My original plan was to be back this morning. Then, early this morning, my tooth suddenly started hurting terribly, so I angrily had it pulled. Now I'm biting on a cotton ball, unable to speak or eat. I regret it. I need comfort, votes, and food.

(End of this chapter)