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

The ticket seller announced, "We've arrived at Tangxia Overpass. Those going to Tangxia, please get off the bus."

Ding Yang got off the bus with his luggage.

"Goodbye, Sister Tang!"

"goodbye!"

After getting off the bus, there was a circular overpass.

Ding Yang was dumbfounded. Which way should he go?

I arrived at the phone booth, ready to call my cousin Xiao Cui.

However, they discovered that the phone booths were selling SIM cards.

"Boss, how much for a SIM card?"

"The 50 yuan M-Zone plan includes 50 yuan of call credit."

Ding Yang thought to himself, "I might as well just buy a SIM card, since I'll be changing the card anyway."

"Let's take one!"

I took out my Nokia 1110, removed the battery, and inserted the SIM card.

Ding Yang dialed 1860 to check his phone bill, and it was indeed 50 yuan. The boss hadn't lied to him.

After paying, Ding Yang only had 52 yuan left.

I dialed my cousin Xiaocui's number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

A lazy voice came from the other end of the phone, as if the person hadn't woken up yet.

"Who... am I feeding...?"

"Sister, it's me, Ding Yang."

"Xiaoyang, it's you?"

"Sister, I'm in Tangxia right now."

"Oh... what are you doing in Dongguan? My mom said you're still on probation, you didn't sneak out, did you?"

"How could that be? My probation period is over, and I'm completely free now. I'm out here working. Sis, where are you? I'm coming to find you."

"Xiaoyang, where are you?"

"I just got off the bus. This place is called Tangxia Overpass, but I don't really know the details. There's a phone booth here."

"Okay, I got it. Just wait for me in the phone booth, don't go too far, I'll be right there."

"OK!"

Ding Yang stood by the phone booth smoking and waited for nearly half an hour.

A Wuyang-Honda 125cc motorcycle was parked next to a phone booth. A beautiful woman got off the motorcycle and handed the driver 5 yuan.

The person who came was my cousin, Liu Cuicui.

"Xiao Yang!"

Two years have passed, and my cousin has become even more beautiful. She wore an apricot-colored long dress with high heels, showcasing her graceful figure, exquisite features, and long, black hair loosely tied up, which accentuated her slender and fair neck. She exuded a captivating weariness, though it was a pity that her C-cup was a bit small.

She's so pretty, she doesn't look like a factory worker at all. Could she be a prostitute?

"sister!"

"Xiaoyang, when did you arrive?"

"Just arrived!"

"Sis, aren't you at work today?"

"Our factory operates on a three-shift system, and I work the night shift."

"oh!"

"Sis, you're even prettier than before, and your breasts are bigger too."

"Stop being so cheeky. You're actually more handsome than before."

"That's a must, I make a living off this face."

"You're getting all worked up just because I said you're fat. It's so hot, aren't you afraid of dying of heat wearing a jacket?"

"There's a breeze in the car, so I don't feel hot. It's still quite cool back home; I need a quilt to sleep at night."

"You were planning to come to Dongguan, why didn't you tell me beforehand? It would have been better to call ahead. Why did you only call me after you arrived?"

"Isn't it all the same? Wouldn't it be better to give you a surprise?"

"Let's go, I'll take you to eat!"

"Sis, it's only 10 o'clock, it's still early for dinner, and I'm not hungry."

"Xiaoyang, what are your plans after coming to Dongguan?"

"Just find a job to support yourself."

How are your grandparents doing?

"I'm alright, I'm still in pretty good health."

"Sis, why didn't you come home for Chinese New Year last year?"

"I'm busy at the factory, what would I do back home? Besides, I don't like listening to my mom nagging."

"Sis, how much further?"

"It's just ahead, not far away."

We followed a slope to a small river, turned a bend, and arrived at an urban village.

A self-built house, somewhat dilapidated.

The two went up to the fourth floor.

"Xiaoyang, keep it down. Some of my colleagues are still sleeping. Don't wake them up."

"oh!"

Liu Cuicui opened the door.

Before Ding Yang even entered the room, he could smell a strong perfume scent.

The living room wasn't big; it contained a metal-framed bed, a small sofa, and a woman lying on her side on the bed. I couldn't see her face, but she had a pretty good figure.

Liu Cuicui opened the bedroom door. There were two iron-framed beds in the bedroom, and a woman was lying on one of them. She had long, wavy blonde hair, a tall figure, and was wearing a spaghetti strap nightgown, which did not cover her breasts at all.

Ding Yang put down his luggage, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Sister, this place is full of women, it doesn't suit me here."

"It's alright, this bed is mine, please sit down!"

Unexpectedly, the woman in the halter top suddenly sat up, her eyes slightly blurry, clearly indicating she hadn't had enough sleep.

"Cuicui, who is this?"

"My cousin Ding Yang just came from our hometown."

Ding Yang smiled and said, "Hello, beautiful lady!"

The woman then took a closer look at Ding Yang.

"Wow, what a handsome guy! Cui Cui, your cousin is so handsome, he looks like a celebrity!"

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm sorry to have disturbed your sleep."

"It's alright, it's alright!"

My cousin said, "Xiaoyang, you must be tired from the long bus ride. Why don't you sleep on my bed for a while?"

"Need not!"

"Sis, you have to work the night shift, you should go back to sleep. I'm going to go for a walk outside and get familiar with the area."

"Okay, don't go too far, let's have dinner together later."

"oh!"

Ding Yang took off his jacket, put on a short-sleeved shirt, walked out of the room, went to the bathroom, and urinated.

But I saw three bottles of "Fuyanjie" on the bathroom windowsill.

Back in the living room, glancing at the balcony, I saw several sexy outfits hanging on a stainless steel clothes rack, but none of them were factory work clothes.

Ding Yang went downstairs and lit a cigarette.

Sigh! This doesn't look like a factory girl's dormitory at all; my cousin is most likely a prostitute.

Damn it, my cousin used to be so elegant and beautiful, she was my dream girl, but now she's fallen so low. She's a real slut.

It's said that this is an era where people laugh at poverty but not prostitution, but seeing my cousin working as a prostitute is still hard to accept. I suddenly felt nauseous and my chest felt tight.

Ding Yang strolled through the streets of Tangxia, smoking one cigarette after another, using nicotine to numb his lungs and make himself feel better.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at an industrial area. A sign said something like "138," and rows of factory buildings stretched as far as the eye could see.

There are two tin-roofed houses at the corner of the industrial area, and there is a convenience store inside.

"Boss lady, a bottle of mineral water and a pack of cigarettes."

What kind of cigarettes do you want?

"A pack of four yuan's worth will do."

The proprietress gave him a bag of "Temes".

This was Ding Yang's first time smoking this stuff.

Damn, this cigarette is bitter and spicy, strong, choking, has a heavy smell, and burns out fast.

I unscrewed the cap and slurped down half the bottle in one go.

Before long, many mobile vendors pushing tricycles arrived, offering everything from fast food boxes to fried rice noodles.

Although it was by the roadside and didn't look very hygienic, poor people didn't care that much.

Ding Yang arrived at a middle-aged vendor's stall.

"Boss, how much is the fried rice noodles?"

"Add an egg, three yuan!"

A plate of fried rice noodles costs only three yuan, and it even comes with an egg. Ding Yang was stunned; it was cheaper than in his own small town.

"One order, please!"

"Okay!"

A plastic bag contained a porcelain dish, a full dish, quite substantial.

Squatting at a small table, eating three yuan's worth of fried rice noodles, yet finding it incredibly delicious.

No wonder some factory girls lose their virginity over a three-yuan bowl of rice noodles.

Ding Yang was starting to have an existential crisis. Was it because the rice noodles here were really good, or was it just that he was too greedy and only deserved to eat this stuff?

In no time, the plate of fried rice noodles was finished.

I felt like I was about 80% full, but something was still missing. I needed some fruit after the meal to brush my teeth.

Not far away, there was a vendor selling pineapples. The peeled pineapples were skewered on bamboo sticks and soaked in a glass jar, one yuan a piece.

Ding Yang bought another pineapple. It tasted pretty good, not too sour, and quite sweet, but strangely, it also had a slightly salty taste.

Since leaving my cousin's chicken coop, I've spent another 10 yuan, leaving me with only 42 yuan in my pocket.

Before long, the factory closed for the day, and the industrial zone was bustling with people.

Ding Yang, dressed in worn-out jeans and a T-shirt, walked through the industrial area. Standing at over 1.8 meters tall, he stood out from the crowd and occasionally attracted strange glances, including from some of the factory girls.

Ding Yang wasn't interested in the factory girl; dating her would be a complete waste of his time.

Of course, rich women are a different story, but the problem is there are no rich women in the factory.

Alas, how tragic! I really want to compose a poem!

"The mountain pass is difficult to cross, who will mourn the lost traveler; we meet by chance, only to find that she is another man's wife."

Even with a thousand precious pills, I cannot win back a single moment of my beloved; I have a heart full of wandering, but nowhere to find tenderness.

A pineapple costs one yuan to cut through the greasiness, while a bottle of turmeric costs four yuan to sober you up. The lights of Dongguan, the wind of Tangxia, the streets are full of migrant workers, yet none of them have a sweetheart.