A parallel world, near the equator of Earth.
"Buzz"
Amidst the roar of a diesel engine, a yellow excavator bearing the Sany logo is turning its bucket, "plowing" the yellow earth beneath its feet like an old ox.
"Pillar, I'll show you one more time, like this..."
Inside the cab, Xia Yu was personally teaching a young man how to operate an excavator, speaking in a mix of Chinese and French.
"Push your left handle forward and extend your forearm..."
"Papa, this is too difficult! I still prefer going hunting with Domi!"
"One mistake and all the soil I shoveled up fell off," Xiao Hei complained.
"He caught a small impala yesterday, and sold all the lamb chops to my mom. We're having French lamb chops tonight."
"Domi wants to learn from me but hasn't had the chance yet. But when it comes to pan-fried lamb chops, I still miss cumin lamb and lamb offal soup more."
Thinking of the food from her hometown, Xia Yu couldn't help but drool.
Damn, when he becomes successful someday, he'll definitely hire a Chinese chef.
"You idiot Zhu, you're wrong again."
Having made a grand vow, Xia Yu was pulled back to reality by the sound of the engine being shut down.
We haven't had lunch yet, and it's still a long time before dinner, so let's get back to work.
Around noon, workers at the construction site finished their lunch break.
Zhu Zi got out of the car like an eel to relieve himself, and Xia Yu turned off the car and took out the two lunch boxes from a basket in the corner.
The croissant, filled with meat, shrimp, and lettuce, is worse than a one-dollar fried chicken burger, but not as good as the premium roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) in China.
Chop green peppers and braised meat together, and double the amount for double the happiness.
The key thing is that it has to be hot. As a Chinese person, he likes to eat hot food, but at this time of day, he can only have cold food.
I've been in Afica for almost three years. The first year I lived in a dormitory and ate in the canteen. The second year I went out to do freelance work and ate instant noodles for almost half a year.
Fortunately, his city is by the sea, which adds some protein to his otherwise plain carbohydrates.
In his third year, which is this year, he splurged on himself after earning enough money to pay off his debts.
They hired Zhu's mother as a live-in housekeeper and also took Zhu's son as their godson.
Thus, this 26-year-old great magician became a father before even having a wife.
When Zhu Zi graduated from elementary school but failed to continue to junior high school, Xia Yu, the small business owner who was working independently, also had his first employee (apprentice).
He's a bit worried now, though, about when this guy will be able to graduate smoothly.
While nibbling on the foreign bread, Xia Yu gazed at the distant coastline, and her inexplicably agitated mood calmed down.
My family called me a couple of days ago, saying they wanted to set me up on a blind date. Even running away to Afica, I can't escape this fate.
What a joke, all he cares about now is making money.
Women will only affect the speed at which he makes money, especially during the rising phase of his career.
Yes, he did have a period of rising popularity right after he was discharged from the military, but just like in the jokes:
He learned to operate an excavator, his skills improved, he made many friends, he got jobs, he bought an excavator, he started treating people to meals, he started working overtime and staying up late, he became too busy to handle everything, and he started hiring a driver.
He started paying for his own gas and labor. His expenses kept increasing, and he started buying parts, doing his own maintenance, and fixing things himself.
Then he went to the construction site to collect the debt, he went to the police station to report the case, he went to court to sue, his loan became overdue, his excavator was locked, his excavator was towed away, and now he's back in Afica operating an excavator.
Life is a cycle. Apart from being "relatively" dangerous, Afica isn't too complicated. With a few lucky encounters along the way, Xia Yu's luck begins to change.
Therefore, he will not go back for the next few years; returning home in glory is a matter for the future.
After lunch, we continued working. The task for the next two days was to dig foundations for two villas. The entire villa area was under closed management, with armed security guards patrolling the perimeter regularly.
This is the case on most construction sites here. Workers from China can work with peace of mind, but once they step outside, they have to be extremely vigilant.
The construction team we're working with is also from China. At this stage, we don't need a single Black laborer. They can't do the technical work, but we have excavators to handle the heavy lifting. We don't need a crane to build a single-story villa.
"Uncle, have a smoke, we'll head back now."
As darkness fell, Xia Yu finished her assigned tasks for the day and promptly left work.
He helped the pillar onto the back seat, then pushed the motorcycle along, greeting Old Li, the foreman at the site.
"Xia, I'm not trying to be mean, but things seem a bit chaotic around here lately. You should probably buy a used car. If that doesn't work, we can give you a ride. Motorcycles aren't safe."
Old Li took the cigarette and kindly reminded Xia Yu.
That's how Afika is; its safety fluctuates, and familiar faces might disappear one day.
It's good that you're back in China; it would be troublesome if you weren't.
"Thanks, Uncle Li. I'll go take a look later, but I'm not made of clay, I've got some weapons in my pocket!"
Xia Yu chuckled and patted his waist, revealing a gun handle through the lifted hem of his shirt.
Without some serious skills, who would dare to take on the Afica project? Comrade Xia is no pushover.
Although he wasn't a retired special forces champion, he was a former armored soldier and had participated in special forces selection.
We were just unlucky back then. We went several kilometers off course according to the map and ended up arriving at the destination late.
Rules are rules, and although it's regrettable, we can only accept it.
Even after retiring from the military and returning to civilian life, one can still contribute and shine.
"Okay, this time tomorrow morning!"
Waving goodbye, Xia Yu started his beat-up, three-handed Jialing 70 and pulled the pillar towards the town.
There were many people riding motorcycles on the road, and most of them were domestic brands. After all, they are cheap and durable, which is why they are loved by black men. However, such advantages can sometimes have the opposite effect.
Xia Yu glanced warily at the rearview mirror and saw a Lifan car approaching with ill intent.
Is this an attempt to emulate "Road Rash"?
Xia Yu recalled a game he played in elementary school. The theme was racing, but kicking people was the soul of the game.
He wasn't wearing a big gold chain or a small watch; the most valuable thing he owned was his motorcycle, which the other party wanted to steal.
"Swish"
Xia Yu drew his pistol from its concealed holster, pointing it diagonally behind him, and drove with one hand, showing no fear.
He was used to such things, so the first thing he did after starting his own business was to get a gun license.
Large contractors can hire full-time armed bodyguards, small contractors can band together with their employees, but those like Xia Yu who work alone can only protect themselves.
Upon seeing the "Equality of All Beings" damper in Xia Yu's hand, the two men on the Lifan slack off to indicate "Please."
They only brought knives; their weapons were outdated, so they had to make their escape.
"Woo"
With the accelerator pedal twisted to the floor, the previously slow-moving "old-fashioned car" roared off.
This is not the performance of a 70cc engine. Xia Yu carried out a complete modification and upgrade after he acquired the motorcycle. Underneath its unassuming appearance, it is actually a performance beast.
With its redesigned suspension, off-road driving in mud is no problem.
Commuting is just one of your needs; in Afica, you need much more.
"Papa, that's so cool! I want to learn that!"
"Zhu Zi said excitedly."
In Afica's reports, Chinese people are always portrayed as victims of robbery. But if the Chinese don't come, will those thieves stop doing business?
No, even their own people steal it, it just doesn't make the news.
"Learn to operate an excavator properly first!"
Xia Yu neither agreed nor refused. Learning to protect oneself is always a good thing, especially in Afica.
Less than half an hour's drive later, after passing through the town's central street, Xia Yu stopped in front of a self-built house with high walls and a large courtyard.
This is Xia Yu's long-term rental house, just a place to stay. He can afford to buy it, so there's no need to spend the money. He's also unsure how many years he'll work in Kong Lujia, which will cause a lot of trouble later.
Upon entering the yard, one's eyes are drawn to a boxy flatbed truck and a small Kubota excavator.
Not counting the motorcycle, Xia Yu's family has three "gas guzzlers." Apart from the small excavator they just acquired, they have relied entirely on the tow truck and the 25.5-ton excavator to make a living and pay off their debts in the past two years.
But this presents a contradiction: how could they have acquired such a fortune while in debt?
Keep in mind that a brand new 25t excavator would cost tens of thousands of US dollars in Afica, and a used one wouldn't be much cheaper depending on its condition.
So if it weren't for that serendipitous encounter, he'd probably still be working as a driver for some other boss!
I remember it was a sunny morning. The construction site had a long-awaited day off, and he went to the fish market in town early.
It doesn't matter if you're not a good cook, we can make hot pot!
Although Xia Yu is not from Guangdong Province, he is an expert in Cantonese-style hot pot with seafood, especially since it was a bit hot those two days and he wanted to eat something light.
I wandered from one end of the market to the other and got the freshest grouper to take home, slice it up, and cook in a hot pot.
Just as they were being gutted, something strange happened.
"Chen Sheng is king!"
How could that be? Xia Yu touched something hard when he was pulling out the internal organs.
It wasn't a kidney stone; he held up a crystal-clear glass bead with his wet hand.
Could it be embezzled funds from the triangular trade during the Age of Exploration?
A single bead in exchange for several slaves
Just as he was making this guess, sunlight shone through the glass beads and into his eyes.
"Oh, my eyes!"
Everything went black, followed by a flurry of data streams. When Xia Yu opened her eyes again, she had nothing left in her hands.
This thing doesn't bind to its owner with blood, it's just loaded directly via retinal binding, right?
As a senior VIP user of a certain platform, and a long-time user who has signed up for 2333 consecutive days, Xia Yu had never seen such an extraordinary encounter before. It was truly an eye-opening experience.
After calming himself down a bit, he began to study the system carefully.
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