Uncle said, "Ruoyu, you see your parents died early. Actually, you didn't get much compensation when you had an accident while working. You spent it all a few years ago. A family like ours really can't afford to support you to go to high school or college. We don't have the ability. But we can't delay you. In fact, studying is useless now. College students don't earn as much as workers. Many unemployed people can't find jobs. It's safer to learn a skill. We are definitely doing this for your own good. There are quite a few people in the town who work in a factory in Xiangcheng. I heard it was opened by a fellow villager from our county. You can go with them next month. I heard they make three to four thousand a month. When you make money, remember to send it home, don't spend it carelessly! We will save it for you."

Liu Ruoyu remained silent.

The uncle and aunt exchanged glances, and the aunt said, "You are a child who has no regard for family affection at all. You are not affectionate with us. Am I not the same as your mother? We raised you! How could we harm you? If you miss this opportunity, you will never have it again! You must go and work hard there. Earn a future for yourself."

Liu Ruoyu's face was already red: "But I'm only fifteen years old!"

My uncle said, "That's okay. That's what you're worried about. When the time comes, you can just say you're older. They're all acquaintances, so you can get by. The money might be a few hundred dollars less than others. But that's not bad. We raised you up, you should make money to repay us! The most important thing for a person is to remember to be grateful. If he's not grateful, he's a money wolf, a tiger or a leopard, and he has no conscience!"

"Let's go!" Liu Ruoyu put down the cup with a "bang", stood up, walked into his room and slammed the door.

My uncle and aunt looked at me, cursed a few words, and then ignored me.

A few days later, Liu Ruoyu left with a backpack and several young people from the town. When I left, I didn't know where my uncle had gone and my aunt was playing cards at the neighbor's house. Liu Ruoyu went to greet her. She was smiling happily at the card table: "Oh, our Ruoyu is going out to make money too. Have a safe trip." She didn't stand up.

The mothers and grandmas next to them were also laughing. Liu Ruoyu felt that the looks they gave him were fake smiles, but were full of pity and sarcasm, as if they were saying: Sending a child this old out to work is also a good idea. How cruel! The child is pitiful too.

Liu Ruoyu turned and left.

His junior high school graduation examination results ranked among the top 20 in the county and first in the town.

At first, Liu Ruoyu was looking forward to the new life in the factory. In any case, he left the village and the cold house. And I can earn money on my own and read a lot of books. The trapped teenagers are somewhat anxious to grow up. He is no exception.

But after a few days, the novelty that the huge factory workshop brought to him disappeared completely. He realized that the environment he lived in was actually no different from before. A remote urban-rural fringe area, living in a township. There are only workers and villagers around. He originally longed for Xiangcheng, the capital of Hunan Province. He heard that there were good schools and hospitals there, and there were many celebrities. Wei Chu was talented and had longed for it for a long time.

So after receiving his first month's salary, he bought himself a mobile phone, then took the bus to the city, walked around all day, and then came back. Even though he was strolling alone and hadn't spoken a word to anyone, the dark-skinned country boy was very happy.

The first month's money spent on calls to my uncle and aunt was deducted from the mobile phone bill. They were not happy on the phone. Liu Ruoyu didn't say a few words, then made an excuse to go to work and hung up the phone.

He also didn't plan to transfer the full salary to them next month as they wished. This money will only get less and less. He calculated the living expenses he had spent on them over the years. He planned to pay them back when he had enough and then stop giving them money.

He was finally free.

But the young man gradually realized that life is like climbing a mountain. You climbed to the top with all your might, endured the darkness, and the wind and rain. But you see there is another hill waiting for you.

You'll never reach a flat road.

At first he did not realize how different he was from the adult workers. Occasionally there would be a few workers in the factory who seemed to be in a small position, and everyone knew it and would not interfere. On the first day he walked into the dormitory, the three people were stunned when they saw him. Maybe it's not just his age, but also the ill-fitting, worn-out, middle-aged-style T-shirt on him, and the woven bag in his hand. Xu Jiayuan smiled and said, "Which mountain did this little kid come from? Did he go the wrong way?"

The two people next to him laughed. Liu Ruoyu has never been an eloquent or flexible person. He just silently put the woven bag beside the bed with a red face.

Perhaps it was this first confrontation that established the unfair status between him and his roommates, especially between him and Xu Jiayuan.

Gradually, everyone noticed that this young man didn't talk much, didn't know how to argue, and just did things silently: cleaning the dormitory, picking up parcels for everyone, and running errands without saying a word when asked. This kind of obedience made Xu Jiayuan proud; but he still had a feeling that this kid might not be really tamed. Besides, Liu Ruoyu is just a grown-up. What’s wrong with an adult ordering a child around? Isn't this a matter of course?

As if by inertia, everyone enjoyed the feeling of being superior, and their attitude towards Liu Ruoyu became more and more casual and bad.

"Hey, go help me wash the clothes."

"Go buy me a pack of cigarettes."

"I have something to do tomorrow, go and take over my shift."

"It's only ten o'clock. Why are you reading with the curtains open? I don't want to sleep. Turn it off!"

"Why are you working outside when you're less than 18? I see your family doesn't treat you well. Maybe you did something wrong, didn't study hard, and were sent to work outside? Most of them are like this. What trouble can a country boy cause? What trouble can you cause? Huh?"

…

It’s not like Liu Ruoyu hadn’t thought about refusing. But once something starts, everyone seems to be addicted and will not allow him to refuse. There were three of them, all of whom were taller and stronger than the others, and had more experience in the factory. They know a lot and have many friends. As soon as he expressed the slightest reluctance, they would use their eyes, their sneers, and even their body language to tell him that he was not worthy of being refused.

"Be obedient, okay? You don't have anything to do anyway, so why don't you help?"

"People from the countryside are stupid. You are not even an adult yet. Who will care about you except us?"

Xu Jiayuan was the coldest one. He looked at him and said, "Go. If you really want to wait until I expose you as a child laborer, you will be kicked out of the factory. Can you have some self-awareness?"

Sometimes I take action.

Xu Jiayuan sometimes acted in an inappropriate way, patting his head, pushing him, and kicking him.