Making a living in Dongguan, her fiery red lips offer me tenderness.

Chapter 39 "Washing Feet"

Arriving at the nearby alleyway of an urban village, one finds buildings so close together that they seem to shake hands – houses right next to each other.

I passed by two small hair salons, both with little red lights on inside.

"Hey handsome, come in and have some fun."

Holy crap, I never imagined Houjie was such a thriving place with a high concentration of prostitutes.

"Dawei, there seem to be a lot of prostitutes around here?"

"There are plenty. Coming out of Gate 3, you'll see them everywhere—in the alleys across the street, on both sides of the road, in those hair salons, massage parlors, and small hotels. Look at those women in tank tops, short skirts, and black stockings, standing at the door, smoking, and pacing back and forth—they're all prostitutes."

"Which female worker in the factory would wear that kind of thing?"

"How old are you? What's your price range?"

"How much do these streetwalkers charge? A few dozen yuan, I guess. I've never been with them myself, but I've heard from my coworkers that they charge around 30 or 50 yuan, and some even offer the full service. They're very cheap."

"They range from 18 to over 30 years old. They are factory girls who quit their jobs at electronics factories around VTech. Some of them are not doing well, are lazy and have been tricked into going into business."

"Those hair salons and foot massage parlors are a little more expensive. Further afield on Kang Le Road, there are high-end ones and some star-rated hotels, which are even more expensive."

"What, you want to play? If you want to play, I'll take you, it's not expensive anyway."

"I'm not interested. Spending a few dozen yuan is fine, but I'm afraid of getting sick. Besides, I don't lack women. Let alone these cheap prostitutes, even those tall, beautiful female managers, I've already had them all."

"Holy crap, you're awesome."

"You're handsome, and there are more women than men in the factory, so I believe those women would pursue you. But how can someone from a non-male-to-female background compete? They're not prostitutes, are they? Would they agree to date you? Wouldn't it be obvious the moment you meet them?"

"Hmph, some things aren't as you imagine. It's determined by circumstances. You go on a trip together, get tired, rent a room to sleep, and somehow you end up together."

"Once you've done it the first time, it'll be easy. You can play however you want from now on."

"Brother, I fucking admire you so much."

"Wang Chang is quite nice. She's pretty and very quiet. I think she has feelings for you, so you should cherish her."

"Of course, I was his first love. I started bleeding, and I'm planning to marry her."

"Damn it, you care that much about that hymen?"

"Of course. Don't tell me you don't care. You'll understand when you get married. Without that hymen, you'll have a knot in your heart."

"Perhaps you have a point. I hadn't thought about those things."

"Ding Yang, if you don't come, I'm planning to rent a place in a couple of days too."

Why are you renting a place?

"I'm planning to live together. Many couples in our factory live together, and I don't plan to stay in the dormitory anymore. I'll have more freedom living outside."

"Renting a room in the urban village here is also cheap; a single room costs only one or two hundred yuan a month."

"oh!"

The two chatted for a while and soon arrived at a small hotel, with rooms ranging from 15 to 40 yuan.

Ding Yang booked a double room for 25 yuan. It had no air conditioning, only an electric fan, and a private bathroom.

When I opened the door, the room was quite clean.

"Ding Yang, take the cash with you, lock the door, let's go outside and get a foot massage."

"Dawei, I'm fine with foot massages, but is there anything more authentic? I really don't want to solicit prostitutes."

"Yes, there are legitimate ones, don't worry!"

"Alright!"

They put down their suitcases, locked the door, and went downstairs.

Arriving at the alley entrance,

"Hey handsome, wanna come over and have some fun?"

A woman in her early twenties waved to Ding Yang. She had heavy foundation on and was quite attractive.

Ding Yang walked over, lit a Furongwang cigarette, and handed it to the woman.

The woman didn't stand on ceremony and took the cigarette directly, putting it in her mouth.

Ding Yang took out another one and lit it in his mouth.

"How's business?"

"Hey, it's alright, nothing special!"

"Hey handsome, wanna play?"

"I can't play, I'm allergic to seafood."

To everyone's surprise, two more women immediately walked over.

"Beautiful lady, I'm out of money. I just got fired from the factory. I'll definitely support you if I have the money."

"Hey handsome, you want a pack of Furongwang cigarettes? Don't you even have a few dozen yuan?"

"No, I really didn't. This cigarette was a gift from a friend yesterday."

The other one or two women said:

"Wow, what a handsome guy!"

Ding Yang then took out cigarettes and handed one to each of the two women.

"Sister, do you know any ways to make money? Could you tell me?"

"If we had a better way to make money, we wouldn't be doing this. You're so handsome, why don't you go work as a PR person at the Sheraton!"

"Sigh, I'm a bit weak. My kidneys aren't up to par; I can't withstand the abuse from those rich women."

"puff!"

All three young ladies laughed.

"Handsome guy, how about we play with you for a bit? We won't charge you, just consider it practice time."

"How could I possibly break your rules? You can't just not pay, that would be like freeloading. I don't eat and dash."

"I'll come back to patronize your business when I've made some money. I'm leaving now."

"If you don't do business with me, how are we supposed to make money?"

"Don't worry, I've calculated it for you. You'll definitely make a fortune. Don't rush. Heroes aren't afraid of humble beginnings. Even rich women were once prostitutes."

After saying that, Ding Yang walked away.

"This handsome guy is really interesting!"

David followed.

"What's the point of talking to these bitches?"

"Dawei, you don't understand. Although most prostitutes are lazy and good-for-nothing, some are very generous. I drive a motorcycle taxi in Fenggang, and most of my customers are these prostitutes. Sometimes I take them to their places. Some prostitutes even introduce me to jobs, and some even give me a few extra dollars for the ride."

"I'm truly impressed by you."

"Oh, you said last time your cousin worked as a prostitute in Houjie, where is that?"

"It was at a bathhouse, disgusting, don't even mention it."

The two arrived at the main road and walked along it for several hundred meters until they reached a corner where there were several foot massage parlors. At this point, the number of people outside had decreased significantly, as most had returned to the factory.

"Handsome, want to get your feet washed?"

"Um!"

"Please come in!"

"Please select a technician."

Ding Yang didn't even glance at it. "The 23rd, I guess."

Jordan and James both wear number 23.

David probably doesn't come to places like this often, and he's a bit shy. He ordered number 7, perhaps because he remembered that Beckham also wears number 7.

The two entered the private room.

"Sir, number 23 is at your service!"

Ding Yang looked up and saw a woman in her early twenties with a pointed chin, a high nose, and a C-cup bust; she was quite pretty.

"Thanks!"

First, they soaked their feet in a dark, medicinal solution, and then they started massaging them.

"Hey beautiful, where are you from?"

"Hey handsome, from Sichuan, what about you?"

"From Wuhan, Hubei!"

"Wow, you're so handsome!"

"Thank you for the compliment!"

"How long have you been working here?"

"It's been almost two years. I used to work in the factory."