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

"Of course Mom knows that, but look how high his emotional intelligence is! It shows he's smart. We have so many tenants, and in all these years, no one has ever bought fruit for the landlord. This kid rented my house yesterday, and he bought me a bag of fruit in the afternoon. It shows he knows how to treat people."

"Look at him again. He's so young and willing to do this kind of hard work, which shows that he has the quality of being able to endure hardship. He doesn't want to go to the factory because he says there's no future there, which shows that he's not content with mediocrity and has ambition."

"Girl, he graduated from a vocational high school, which means his academic performance must have been pretty good. Although diplomas aren't worth much these days, how many people working in factories are vocational high school graduates? Most of them are junior high school graduates."

"Girl, your dad can read faces. He said this boy has a kind face and his head turns back, which means he has the appearance of great wealth and honor. He will be successful in the future. I think he is quite suitable for you."

"Mom, you're just talking nonsense!"

"Hmph, girl, don't say I'm talking nonsense. What I'm worried about now is that this boy doesn't like you. Although he's poor, I don't see any inferiority complex in his eyes. He dares to joke with me, which means he's very confident."

"Mom, he's worked in a factory and even did QC. There are mostly girls in the factory. With his looks, how could he not find a girlfriend? Maybe he already has one."

"I asked him, and he said no. Even if he did, it doesn't matter. Breakups happen all the time these days. You've been in relationships before, haven't you?"

Li Xiulian stopped asking, but her heart seemed to be pounding like a deer.

Ding Yang returned to the tin shack, took off his clothes, and lay down to sleep next to the fan.

At 5 p.m., Ding Yang was about to go to the building materials market, but his feet hurt a little and he didn't want to move. He also felt a little hungry.

After locking the tin shack door, Ding Yang prepared to grab a quick bite on the main road ahead. His feet were a little sore, and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he walked slowly. Suddenly, a bright red Honda Civic pulled up beside him, its window just rolled down.

"Handsome guy!"

Ding Yang turned to the side and looked.

Isn't this the landlord's daughter, Xiulian? I just saw her.

"It's you?"

"Handsome, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'm going to buy some food and then go to the building materials market."

"Then get in the car, I'll take you there."

Ding Yang didn't stand on ceremony. He threw away his cigarette butt, sat directly in the passenger seat, and opened the door to a blast of cold air that felt incredibly comfortable.

"Thank you!"

"Handsome, how long have you been in Chang'an?"

"Just call me Xiao Yang. Calling me 'handsome guy' sounds really awkward. I've only been in Chang'an for three days."

"Oh, what were you doing before?"

I work as a QC (Quality Control) engineer in an electronics factory in Fenggang.

"My mom said you're planning to open a cement and gravel shop, right?"

"Yes, saying I'm opening a shop is an exaggeration. It's really just manual labor. I have to rent a place to live anyway, so I'll just rent a small storefront. If there's business, I'll do it; if there's no business, I'll just keep doing manual labor."

"Oh, so you didn't go to work today?"

"I was picking through three cubic meters of sand yesterday, and since I don't have much experience, I scraped my shoulder. I'll probably have to rest for a few days."

"oh!"

"Beautiful lady, what do you do for a living?"

"you guess?"

"I really can't guess that."

"I work in the local community as a family planning specialist."

"oh!"

Have you applied for a temporary residence permit yet?

"No, didn't they say we don't need temporary residence permits anymore?"

"Who said it's not necessary? It still needs to be done, it's just not as strict as before."

"Oh! Then I'll go get another one done in a few days."

"No need for that. My brother works at the community security committee. You're staying at my house, so it's fine if you don't apply."

"Xiaoyang, do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"No, these days you can't have a relationship if you don't have money, so don't go around hurting other people."

"How can you say that? Does being poor mean you don't deserve to be in a relationship?"

"It's not that poor people don't deserve to be in love. It's just that the love of poor people is cheap, like bananas, which are either green or yellow."

"Pfft! You have a good sense of humor."

"What about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No, no, there are very few local boys as hardworking and diligent as you. Most of them are good-for-nothings who gamble and whore."

"Ah, being born in a good place is an art. Some people are born as mules and horses, while others are born in Rome. You locals basically have houses to rent out, and you also receive dividends from the village every year. You don't need to work hard or suffer."

"Actually, for me, I never think that being hardworking and enduring hardship is something to brag about, nor is it worthy of praise."

Why?

"If hard work could lead to wealth, migrant workers would already be billionaires. Wealth is a compensation for a lack of understanding, not a reward for hard work."

"So-called hard work and perseverance are nothing more than a silent struggle. When a poor person is so poor that all they have left is physical strength, what else can they do but endure hardship and perseverance?"

"Praising a poor man for his hard work is as shameless as praising a eunuch for remaining unmoved amidst a group of beautiful women."

"Hahahaha, you're so funny."

"I'm stating a fact. No one is born a pushover. Who doesn't want to relax and enjoy themselves? Isn't it just that we have no choice?"

"Xiaoyang, have you ever been in a relationship?"

"No, I already said, poor people don't deserve to be in a relationship. I'm still a virgin."

"Have you talked to anyone?"

"Of course we talked, but we broke up more than two years ago."

"Then you need to keep looking. A woman's prime is short. Just find another one. Don't dwell on the past."

"But I still can't quite let go!"

"Sister, even the abbot has betrayed Buddha these days, and you're still so serious? Are you really foolish? When you get old, you'll find that everything in this world is fake, but you've taken it all seriously your whole life. The sunset teaches you to say goodbye, the ocean teaches you to be tolerant, even heaven and earth cycle endlessly, so why should you cling to the past?"

"Then why don't you look for one?"

"My situation is different from yours. It's not that I don't want to look for someone, it's that I want to wait until my circumstances are better before looking for someone, and I don't want the other person to suffer with me."

"I'm a boy, so I don't have high requirements for age when choosing a partner. When you find a partner, you have to be responsible for her. If you can't take responsibility, then don't look for someone randomly."

"A man should not easily take off a woman's pants, because what you are tearing off is not just a pair of pants, but a responsibility and commitment to the future."

"If you truly like a girl, the first thing is to respect her, maintain boundaries, feel compassion, and consider her feelings, instead of only thinking about your own desires. Because she will be your emotional support, your life partner, not just your endocrine regulator."

"Dating should be with marriage in mind, otherwise it's just playing around. If you're looking for a girlfriend to suffer with, then not finding one is a form of kindness."

"Xiaoyang, I didn't expect you to have such deep insights. You really don't seem like someone who hasn't been in a relationship."

"Even if you've never eaten pork, haven't you at least seen a pig run around? Some things don't necessarily require you to try them yourself; an observer might have a clearer perspective."