PCJ – Chapter 165 I Found a Sister

“Here, eat something. You haven’t had a single grain of rice on this trip. At this rate, even if you make it to Guangdong, how will you be able to work in a factory?” Zhang Youping looked worriedly at Liu Qiaoye in the narrow, semi-reclining seat on the southbound sleeper train.

“I’m fine. I’m not hungry at all. Jiaohua has never been separated from us before. He’s so stubborn, he definitely won’t go live with his grandparents. Who will cook for him when he’s home alone? Who will tuck him in at night? Will he have enough to eat and wear?” Liu Qiaoye had been worried about their son throughout the journey, and now she couldn’t hold back her tears again.

A friendly female passenger in the neighboring bunk consoled her, “Sister, it seems like this is your first time leaving home. I was exactly like you when I first went out to work. My child was just over three years old when I left. A relative in Guangdong invited us to work there. When I left, my child was asleep, but I heard he cried for days before getting used to it. I cried all the way to Guangdong. Every night I dreamed about my child. Sometimes I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic. After a year, I got used to it. Now my child is used to living with his grandparents. When I first came back, he didn’t even recognize me. Now he’s not very close to me. Sometimes I wonder why I went out to work. Staying home wasn’t so bad. But at home, we live in poverty. We adults can endure it, but we can’t let our children suffer too. If we stay poor, we won’t be able to support them, and they won’t even be able to get married in the future.”

“Sister, have you been in Guangdong for many years?” Liu Qiaoye asked in surprise.

“Yes, I went a few years ago. Back then, Huacheng wasn’t very developed. It’s changed a lot in recent years. By the way, do you have a place to stay in Guangdong?” the female passenger asked enthusiastically.

“Not yet. We’re going with people from our village. We’ll look for a factory when we get there. What’s your name, sister?” Liu Qiaoye shook her head.

“My name is Xiao Lihua. I was born in ’65,” Xiao Lihua said with a smile.

“My name is Liu Qiaoye. I was born in ’66. My husband’s name is Zhang Youping, born in ****,” Liu Qiaoye said, chatting easily with Xiao Lihua and momentarily forgetting the pain of leaving her home and son.

“My husband is Zhao Hongbing, born in ****. When we get to Guangdong, we’ll be old friends from the same town. We’re both from Gezhu Ping Town. By the way, I heard our factory is hiring this year. Why don’t you two come with us and give it a try? I’ll talk to my relative. Maybe it’ll work out. Working in a factory is more stable. Guangdong is still a bit chaotic now. It’s much better to be in a factory,” Xiao Lihua said, her enthusiasm growing after recognizing Liu Qiaoye as a sister.

People’s connections depend on fate. If Liu Qiaoye and Xiao Lihua hadn’t been seated so close, and if they hadn’t shared similar experiences, they wouldn’t have become so close so quickly.

Xiao Lihua’s neighbor was a strange man, making it inconvenient for conversation. So Liu Qiaoye asked Zhang Youping to switch seats with Xiao Lihua. The two women chatted non-stop until they arrived in Guangdong. By then, it seemed they had known each other for years.

Originally, Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye were traveling with Zhang Shicai and his relatives. But now, with a better opportunity, they decided not to go with Zhang Shicai’s group.

“Shicai, take care. When we’ve settled down, we’ll come find you,” Zhang Youping said, feeling a bit guilty.

“It’s alright. I can’t guarantee you’d find work with us anyway. Since Xiao Lihua has connections here, she can definitely help you find work. Just settle in and look for us later. Who knows, we might need your help to get into a factory,” Zhang Shicai was genuinely happy for them.

At this time, the influx of migrant workers hadn’t yet flooded into Guangdong, and various factories were springing up like mushrooms across the province. Entry requirements were very low. Although Zhang Youping and Liu Qiaoye didn’t have high education levels, they weren’t illiterate. Soon, they found work at a factory introduced by Xiao Lihua. Although they started at the lowest level, it was already a significant achievement for two farmers from the mountains.

“Jiaohua, Mom found a job. You must take care of yourself at home!” At night, Liu Qiaoye lay in the women’s dormitory, staring at the white ceiling and silently thinking.

Back in Meizi’ao Village, the night was silent. Zhang Jiaohua had finished all his chores and was now sitting under the incandescent lamp in his room, opening the book he was halfway through.

Zuan Shanbao lay at Zhang Jiaohua’s feet, eyes narrowed. Jinhu and the others were gathered around him, interested in the book’s pages.

The room was quiet, only occasionally broken by the crisp, comforting sound of turning pages.

Zhang Youping had taken the only mechanical watch in the house to Guangdong, leaving no timepiece at home. Zhang Jiaohua had no idea what time it was. When he felt sleepy, he closed the book and went to bed.

With a pure heart, Zhang Jiaohua always fell asleep quickly. In his dreams, the old Taoist master continued to teach him Meishan martial arts. Dream scenes seemed jumbled. Recently, he dreamed the old master was seriously ill and had removed his protective amulet. Now, the dreams reverted, possibly because of Zhang Jiaohua’s morning practice of Meishan’s foundational skills. Day thoughts lead to night dreams.

In his dreams, Zhang Jiaohua’s skills had improved, and he was getting beaten less often. However, there was new content today.

The old Taoist master filled a large bamboo sieve with grains and tied two ten-pound sandbags to Zhang Jiaohua’s legs: “From today, you will run on this sieve for one incense stick’s time every day. Do not fall! Add half a pound of sand each day and remove ten pounds of grain from the sieve.”

The sieve held about 150 pounds of grain. Zhang Jiaohua, weighing only 50 pounds, stood on the sieve’s edge, which was only two fingers wide. Balancing was challenging, and running for an incense stick’s time was even harder.

Initially, Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t adapt and fell off the sieve.

“Smack!” The old master’s bamboo stick struck Zhang Jiaohua, making him tremble in pain.