Chapter 19: An Unexpected Encounter

I worked alongside Lin Tietou at the construction site, laboring hard each day. When I returned to the workers' dormitory, I would simply fall asleep, leaving me no time for reflection and helping me forget many of my past troubles. In no time, more than ten days had passed, and I had grown accustomed to the work on the site.

The project I was working on was called “Bluewater Golden Court.” It was being developed by the city’s wealthy tycoon, Qian Zhiwei. In Qingshui County, this was considered a high-end development, consisting mainly of over a dozen high-rise buildings and several hundred villas. The high-rises were to be delivered fully finished, while the villas were left as shells for the owners to decorate as they pleased.

When I started, I worked as a rebar fixer, but by the time I joined, the high-rises were nearly topped out. After only a few days on rebar, I was transferred to the decoration team.

Lin Tietou was delighted, telling me, “Decoration work is good—not only is it easier, but you can learn a trade, and the pay is decent too.” Indeed, carpenters and painters earned good money, and the work was much less grueling than general labor. In summer, we didn’t have to toil under the blazing sun, though the job did require skill.

Xu Qingyun gathered several dozen of us migrant workers and announced, “I have an important task for you. You’re to decorate that big villa over there. It’s Mr. Qian’s wedding house. In five months, Mr. Qian will hold his wedding. If anyone messes this up, you can forget about getting paid this year.”

The “Mr. Qian” Xu Qingyun referred to was the son of the developer. I’d heard his name was Qian Duobao.

I’d only seen him once, when he came to the site with an entourage. He looked like a fair-skinned man in his thirties, dressed in an expensive suit and tie, the very image of success.

He was followed by a crowd, and it was obvious that Xu Qingyun was just a minor contractor. I’d heard other workers gossip that Xu Qingyun’s sister was the mistress of Mr. Qian’s cousin, who was one of the project managers. That connection was how Xu Qingyun had landed his position as contractor.

We were split into several teams; Lin Tietou and I were assigned to the painting crew. The villa was enormous and located in the best spot—clearly a prime location for feng shui, which explained why the boss reserved it for his son’s wedding.

By the time we started, most of the other decoration work had been completed, and only the painting was left.

Lin Tietou had experience in plastering walls, so he handled the wall smoothing, while I did odd jobs. In truth, odd jobs were the hardest and dirtiest—thankless work. Especially when it came to sanding down uneven walls, it was exhausting and filthy, a task no one else wanted.

Being the newcomer, all the undesirable jobs were pushed onto me. I worked from dawn till dusk, my hair dusted white with plaster, barely finding time even for a cup of tea.

Lin Tietou, unable to stand it any longer, would often come over to help, while the others preferred to lounge around, sipping tea and swapping dirty jokes rather than lend a hand. They even accused me of working too slowly and holding up the whole team, bullying me outright.

I knew all too well that a kind man is easily bullied, and a tame horse is easily ridden. Especially one fellow named Huang Daqiang—a bald man with jagged teeth and a foul mouth—was our foreman, overseeing the painting crew. He made things difficult for me at every turn, complaining that I was too slow and holding everyone back.

I often felt like punching him, but Lin Tietou confided in me that Huang Daqiang owed his position to his wife’s affair with Xu Qingyun. Everyone knew about it, yet Huang Daqiang seemed proud rather than ashamed. Every day he strutted about, throwing his weight around. He picked on me because I was new, unskilled, and, unlike the others, I didn’t bribe him with cigarettes or play along with his crude jokes. To him, I was an easy target.

Much as I wanted to slap him, I knew now was not the time. If I laid a hand on him, I’d lose my job, and on this site, except for Lin Tietou, no one would stand up for me—in fact, they’d likely side with him. If a fight broke out, I’d come off the worse, and might even get Lin Tietou in trouble.

Besides, I knew construction was not a long-term path for me. The best thing would be to learn a skill in decoration so I could strike out on my own one day and make real money.

A tiger fallen to the plains is harried by dogs; a dragon stranded in the shallows is mocked by shrimp. For now, all I could do was endure.

Soon, more than a month had passed and the villa’s decoration was nearly complete.

One day, I saw Huang Daqiang accompanying Xu Qingyun. Xu Qingyun said, “Clean up all the trash in the villa. Mr. Qian is bringing his girlfriend to see the results. Do you understand?”

We all responded in unison, “Brother Xu, we understand.”

Xu Qingyun patted Huang Daqiang on the shoulder, “If Mr. Qian and his girlfriend are satisfied, I’ll reward you. If not, don’t even think about your bonus this year! You’ve been dragging your feet long enough on such a small job.”

Huang Daqiang bowed and scraped, saying, “Brother Xu, it could’ve been finished ages ago, but this guy here—he’s unreliable, too slow, and holding up everyone else,” pointing at me as he spoke.

Lin Tietou quickly defended me, “Brother Xu, Afeng has been working very hard. He’s done a lot of jobs that weren’t even his responsibility.”

Huang Daqiang barked, “Tietou, what do you mean? Are you saying the rest of us are lazy? Brother Xu pays you, so you’d better do your work properly.”

Xu Qingyun, growing impatient, snapped, “Enough talking, just get this cleaned up. I’m off to meet Mr. Qian. Anyone who messes this up won’t see a penny.”

As soon as Xu Qingyun left, Huang Daqiang turned on Lin Tietou, threatening, “Tietou, are you looking to quit? Are you out of your mind?”

Lin Tietou grabbed my arm, “Brother Huang, he’s my brother. I brought him here. Don’t push him too far.”

Huang Daqiang’s fury boiled over. “So, Tietou, you think you’ve grown wings and can fly solo now? Fine! I’ll tell Brother Xu when he gets back.”

As they quarreled, I hurried to calm Lin Tietou and apologized to Huang Daqiang, offering conciliatory words.

Huang Daqiang jabbed a finger at our faces, cursing, “If Mr. Qian weren’t coming to see the place, I’d teach you both a lesson.”

Just then, laughter drifted in from outside the villa. Through the window, I saw Xu Qingyun leading a group inside. At the front was a young couple: the man was Qian Duobao, whom I’d met before, and the woman was a beautiful, elegant lady.

One look at her alluring, familiar face, and I felt as if struck by lightning—a jolt ran through my body. The woman was none other than Jin Yulian.

How bitterly ironic it was. The woman I secretly loved was now someone else’s girlfriend, and I was here, helping to decorate her wedding house.