PCJ – Chapter 275 Struggle

Zhang Youping was sweating profusely as he broke down cardboard boxes into flat sheets and neatly stacked them. In order to load more onto his tricycle, he had to think of clever ways to make the most of the space. Since he was still in the early stages of his business and didn’t have the money to buy better equipment, he had no choice but to ride his tricycle from factory to factory collecting recyclables. Cardboard boxes and paper waste were the most common types of recyclables from these factories. Zhang Youping was the only one collecting recyclables in this area, and he was always swamped with work.

Whenever he came to the factory where Zhao Hongbing worked as a security guard, Zhao would always help him load the tricycle. Seeing Zhang Youping drenched in sweat, Zhao shook his head. “Youping, you can’t earn all the money in the world. Why push yourself so hard? If you come work here as a security guard, the job is easy. Just walk around like us every day. Why put yourself through all this?”

“I can’t help it,” Zhang Youping replied as he strapped the last of the boxes onto his tricycle. “I’ve been used to hard work from my days in the countryside. If I’m not working, I don’t know what to do with myself. Besides, this job suits me. Sure, it’s tiring, but compared to farming back in Meizikou, this is nothing. Plus, this job gives me a lot of freedom. If I get too tired, I can take a day off whenever I want, and no one will stop me.”

Despite his humble job collecting recyclables, Zhang Youping had bigger dreams. His immediate goal was to replace his tricycle with a four-wheeler. He figured that with a four-wheeler, he could collect from more factories, not just the few nearby but also those farther away. He knew there was an older industrial park further out with several large factories. If he could tap into those, the potential earnings would be huge. Right now, few people realized how profitable the recycling business could be, so there wasn’t much competition. But Zhang Youping knew that there were plenty of smart people in the world. If he didn’t seize this opportunity and expand his business now, it would be much harder to do so in the future.

Instead of taking the recyclables directly to the recycling plant, Zhang Youping hauled them to a small shop he had rented. The shop was in a remote area, so the rent wasn’t too high, and it had plenty of space. He rolled up the shutter door, revealing piles of neatly sorted recyclables. Once he had accumulated enough, he would arrange for a truck to take them to a larger recycling center or directly to a paper mill.

After stacking the cardboard neatly, Zhang Youping sat down on a three-legged sofa to catch his breath. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, but instead of lighting it, he just held it to his nose and took a sniff. He hadn’t carried a lighter in his pocket ever since he started this business. He was afraid that if he lit up in the shop, it could cause a fire.

Sitting there, Zhang Youping thought about his wife and wondered what she and their child were doing. The thought of them gave him renewed energy. The last time Liu Xiaoye visited, she had been heartbroken to see the rough conditions he was working in. The two of them had sat on that broken sofa, and Zhang Youping had made a bold promise: “Just wait. Once I’ve made enough money, I’ll buy us a house in this city. You and our kid will be city folk.”

Ever since he left Meizikou, Zhang Youping had secretly vowed that he wouldn’t return until he had made something of himself. Now, he was working hard to make that goal a reality. He grabbed his thermos and drank the cold water inside in one gulp.

City people typically ate three meals a day, which was different from the two meals most people had back in Meizikou. But Zhang Youping had gotten used to three meals not because he was trying to be like city folk, but because the work he did was so physically demanding that he needed the energy.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiaoye was working swiftly on the assembly line, processing products with quick, nimble hands. Assembly line work required not only speed but also great patience. After spending so much time indoors, away from the sun, her skin had lost the ruddy tone she had when she first arrived in the city, becoming as fair as any city dweller’s. When she visited Zhang Youping’s recycling shop last time, he had teased her: “When you go back, our kid might not recognize you and think I brought a new wife from the city.”

Thinking about their child, Liu Xiaoye momentarily zoned out. Was the kid growing taller? Would he be as tall and handsome as his father?

“Xiaoye, what are you daydreaming about? Thinking about your kid again?” Her coworker Xiao Lihua nudged her.

“Oh, no,” Liu Xiaoye quickly snapped back to attention. She couldn’t afford to be distracted on the assembly line. Too many women had been injured by the machines after getting lost in thought.

“If you’re tired, take a break,” Xiao Lihua advised. “You and your husband are such a pair. Both of you work like you’re possessed. I’ve never seen you take a break since you got here. You need to loosen up or you’ll snap. Why not take this Sunday off and go help Youping out? Cook him a meal, do his laundry. If my man were half as hardworking as yours, I wouldn’t need to wear myself out here. But my guy doesn’t have big ambitions, sigh.”

Liu Xiaoye did feel a bit tired, so she decided not to work overtime that afternoon. She was worried about her husband, who always had the recycling shop filled with heaps of waste. Since it was too dangerous to cook there, he usually ate whatever was convenient. Liu Xiaoye thought about suggesting they rent a small apartment nearby, like some of her coworkers did. That way, they could live together, and she could cook and wash clothes for him every day. They were making enough money now that they could afford it. At least they’d have a decent place to sleep, and Zhang Youping wouldn’t have to curl up on that broken sofa every night.

As she neared the recycling shop, she saw Zhang Youping struggling to push his tricycle.

“What happened? Isn’t it easier to ride it?” she asked, confused.

“Bad luck today,” he replied with a grin. “The tire blew out halfway here, and it’s a brand-new one too! This area has way too many nails on the roads. But don’t worry, I’m going to replace this tricycle soon!”