Chapter One: Arrival in Dongguan
Dongguan, train station.
Cao Yang hoisted his luggage and walked out, gazing at the bustling traffic and the endless stream of people, momentarily lost in thought.
He made his way to a newsstand, took out a slip of paper, and dialed the number written on it.
“Hello…” A pleasant voice answered on the other end, still a bit sleepy and languid.
“Sister Yan, it’s Cao Yang. I’ve arrived in Dongguan.”
“Mm… Got it. Wait for me, I’ll come pick you up soon.”
After hanging up, Cao Yang checked the time—it was three in the afternoon. Why was Sister Yan still asleep? Was she working night shifts at the factory?
The summer heat in Dongguan was oppressive, as if the air itself melted. Cao Yang found a shady spot to sit and waited quietly for Li Yan to come fetch him.
Li Yan was his neighbor from back home, a beautiful woman who had been his childhood goddess. Two years ago, she came to Dongguan to work, sending thousands of yuan back to her family each year, making her the pride of the village. Li Yan’s mother was close friends with Cao Yang’s mother, so they suggested Cao Yang come to Dongguan and rely on Li Yan, hoping he too could earn a few thousand yuan each year.
Li Yan had initially refused, saying their factory didn’t hire men.
But her mother assured them she could help Cao Yang find work elsewhere if needed.
…
About an hour later, Cao Yang saw a tall, fair-skinned beauty approaching, dressed in a white dress and crystal heels.
“Sister Yan!” Cao Yang waved at her, inwardly admiring how she seemed even more beautiful than before.
Li Yan walked up to him, frowning at his shabby luggage.
“You’ve grown taller over these two years, but you still look so rustic,” she remarked, measuring their height difference with her hand.
“Come on, let’s get in the car.” Li Yan hailed a taxi.
Sitting in the back seat with her, Cao Yang caught a whiff of her perfume, inhaling deeply. He glanced at Sister Yan; her white dress was lovely but thin, almost translucent, and he could see the black underwear beneath.
“I heard you got into trouble back home?”
“Mm.” Cao Yang nodded, admitting softly.
Li Yan said, “Now that you’re out, focus on earning money. Don’t get involved in fights—making money is what matters.”
“Mm.” Cao Yang nodded, taking her advice to heart.
“If your mother sent you to me, then I’m responsible for you. You need to listen to me. If you don’t, I won’t bother with you!”
“Mm.” Cao Yang nodded again.
---
“How much money did your mother give you when you left home?”
“Two hundred yuan, all borrowed from others,” Cao Yang replied honestly.
“Where’s the money?”
“In my bag.”
“Give it to me.” Li Yan reached out, dug into his pocket, and pulled out one hundred and twenty-five yuan.
Cao Yang felt uneasy—he’d never heard of someone taking another’s money right after meeting.
“When you’re out, everything costs money. I’ll keep it safe for you, so you don’t waste it. Any objections?”
“None.” Cao Yang shook his head, though he had plenty inside. But since he still needed her help finding a job, he kept silent.
They were neighbors, and their mothers were best friends—she wouldn’t harm him.
…
The taxi stopped at the entrance of a village in Chang’an. Li Yan paid the fare and led Cao Yang into the village.
At a building, she went up to the third floor and opened the door to a two-bedroom apartment.
Dongguan’s two-bedroom village apartments were unlike the usual kind; these were tiny, barely forty square meters in total, with two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom.
“Sister Yan, do you live here?” Cao Yang asked curiously. Weren’t factory workers supposed to live in dorms? Why rent an apartment?
“Don’t worry about it,” Li Yan replied, avoiding the question.
She went into her room and brought out a blanket, pointed to the sofa, and said, “I have a friend at an electronics factory—they need workers. I’ll take you there tomorrow. Make do on the sofa tonight.”
Cao Yang nodded, then pointed to the other bedroom. “Isn’t there another room?”
“That belongs to someone else.”
“This damned weather—step outside for five minutes and sweat for two hours,” Li Yan complained as she headed to the bathroom for a shower.
Through the frosted glass, Cao Yang could vaguely see her silhouette. He swallowed hard and quickly looked away.
Soon, Li Yan emerged, now dressed in a black silk nightdress.
“Do you want to wash up? There’s shampoo and everything in there.”
Cao Yang nodded, but his eyes lingered on Li Yan’s chest.
“If you keep staring, I’ll gouge your eyes out!” Li Yan caught him peeking and covered her chest with a warning.
Cao Yang, caught like a thief, lowered his head and hurried into the bathroom.
Stripping off his sweat-soaked clothes, his body was especially sensitive—a young man at the peak of his vigor. Even a swimsuit poster stirred him, let alone the real thing, especially when it was his childhood goddess.
---
Under the cold stream of water, his restless desire slowly faded. He squeezed out some shampoo and began washing his hair, foam covering his head, when suddenly—bang—the door was yanked open.
“What the—who are you?!”
Cao Yang opened his eyes to see a girl staring, wide-eyed and surprised, looking directly at his lower body.
Utterly embarrassed, Cao Yang quickly covered himself with both hands, shielding his dignity.
“Hey, hey… He’s a younger brother from my hometown,” Li Yan heard the commotion and rushed in.
She pulled the girl away, glancing instinctively at Cao Yang, but since he was covering himself, she saw nothing.
After that awkward episode, Cao Yang hurriedly rinsed off the foam, dressed, and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Let me introduce you: this is Zhou Qing, my colleague and roommate. Just call her Sister Qing.”
“This is my younger brother from home, Cao Yang. You can call him Xiao Cao or Xiao Yang.”
After the introductions, Cao Yang immediately smiled, “Hello, Sister Qing.”
Zhou Qing nodded, her expression half-amused, her eyes flickering restlessly.
“Oh, stop staring. Let’s go eat and get to work,” Li Yan said, dragging Zhou Qing toward the door.
“Sister Yan, I haven’t eaten either,” Cao Yang reminded her.
“Go out and grab some fried rice noodles yourself.”
“But I don’t have any money!” Cao Yang protested.
Li Yan remembered she’d taken all his cash.
“Alright, let’s go together.”
The three of them went downstairs to a busy clay pot porridge stall. The place was packed.
Two men, shirtless, arms tattooed with dragons and tigers—clearly street toughs—spotted Li Yan and waved.
Li Yan and Zhou Qing strode over, obviously acquainted.
“Who’s this?” one of them asked, pointing at Cao Yang.
“He’s my younger brother from home, here to work. Tomorrow we’ll find him a factory job,” Li Yan replied.
The four began eating barbecue. Aside from Li Yan occasionally urging Cao Yang to eat, no one else paid him much attention.