Don't be a Kept Man

Chapter 114: Bai Yang, That Young Man

Shan Dian's uncle was a site manager at a nearby construction site.1 When Shan Dian heard that Wen Chuo wanted a job, at first he was very surprised and curious, but then with unwavering loyalty, he helped point him to a starting direction,

"Oh perfect, they were missing a worker there. I'll talk to my uncle and you can help move some bricks. 140 a day. How about that?"

Wen Chuo had sold his last gaming account for about 2000 or so, and taking away the amount for rent, he'd still have about 1000. So this money could forcefully be helpful for a bit. He couldn't help but ask however,

"Except for construction, is there nothing else to do?"

Shan Dian patted his shoulder,

"Wen Chuo, as brothers, we have always been impressed by you. Out of all of us, you are the only one who went to high school and even graduated too. It is going to be a stretch to ask you to go to a construction site, but Lin Xian, in this kind of poor, broken town, there's nothing else to do. You wouldn't want to head out of town to find work, would you?"

Wen Chuo naturally didn't want to leave. He was already living so terribly here, and with no friends or family outside the city, he'd starve to death on an unknown street.

Construction workers were split into two categories: those who could work on the technical stuff and earn a lot more money, and those who are just merely apprentices, selling only their strength. When Shan Dian needs money, he'll come help out for a few days. But his parents were still alive, so the pressure on him was not as much as Wen Chuo's.

"Then you should be careful. Last time a rascal kid didn't pay attention as he walked and his feet were poked through by a nail."

It was just during the very hot part of the summer, and without doing anything, Wen Chuo's back was already drenched in sweat. His skin was pale, and in the midst of all the ashen faces of the construction crew, he was as evident as a swan in the midst of a crowd of chickens.

Shan Dian laughed,

"Hah, would you believe it if your face would no doubt be as black as coal after a few days here."

Wen Chuo secured his safety hat and lowered his head as some other thought came to his mind. Focusing on shovelling the sand and uncaring of anything else, he then used the wheelbarrow to wheel it to the wall the crew was working on. Underneath the sun, he walked all over the construction site to create cement with Shan Dian, and before long his clothes were soaked through.

Although construction work paid a lot, it was selling hard labour. With gloves on his hands, Wen Chuo gritted his teeth to move cement bricks for the entire morning. When it was time for their break, his face had already turned pale green. He found a place to sit in the shadows away from the sun and took a look at himself. From the wrist up, he was muddled with dirt and cement, and his palms were so numb, they had no feeling.

Wen Chuo buried his face in his knees with sweat dripping down and stinging his eyes, never thinking that such a day would have come for him as all the other workers ate their steamed buns2 or for those that could afford it, ate their instant noodles. At this moment, all sorts of flavors and smells were mixed together, scattered along with the swirling dust in the sky.

Shan Dian had eaten with his uncle, and he brought back an ice cold beer for Wen Chuo. Wen Chuo didn't take it, so he just chugged it down himself,

"Say you, if you had worked hard to get into a university, why would you need to be working so hard right now."

Wen Chuo was so tired he didn't want to utter a single word. From his bones to his joints, his entire body was hurting. He took off his gloves and found a big bloody blister right in the middle of his hand.