Li Jinhua propped herself up.
"What kind of job requires you to start so early? How's the salary?"
"Just...ordinary farm work."
Su Mingqiang gave a vague answer.
"Four yuan a day, meals included."
He didn't dare tell his wife where he was going to work.
"Only four pieces?"
Li Jinhua pursed her lips.
"What's enough for?"
Su Mingqiang didn't reply, and quietly closed the door and left.
The cold morning wind whipped against his face, making him shiver.
He wrapped his thin coat tighter around himself and walked toward the bus stop.
When we arrived at Sujiatun, it was almost eight o'clock.
Su Mingqiang kept his head down, signing in and collecting tools along with the other workers.
His heart was pounding, terrified of being recognized.
"New guy, what's your name?"
A foreman-like man holding the list asked.
“Su...Su Qiang.”
He answered haltingly.
"Yes, your name is on the list. Today you'll go to greenhouse number three and learn how to pick vegetables from Old Li. Hurry up, they need to be loaded onto the truck and sent to the city before seven o'clock."
Su Mingqiang nodded, took the tools, and walked towards the designated greenhouse.
Along the way, he nervously looked around, afraid of running into his father or younger brother.
There were already people working in the greenhouse, so he quickly joined them.
"New here?"
An old farmer with a wrinkled face glanced at him.
"Just call me Lao Li. Watch me do it first, then you can try it yourself."
Su Mingqiang carefully picked cucumbers, just like Old Li.
This job was much more tiring than he had imagined, and his back started aching terribly in no time.
Sweat streamed down his forehead.
"The movements are too slow!"
The foreman appeared behind him without him noticing and shouted at him.
"At this rate, you won't finish picking them before dark!"
Su Mingqiang gritted his teeth and sped up.
His fingers were stinging from the cucumber thorns, but he dared not stop.
By lunchtime, he had developed several blisters on his hands.
"Newcomer, come and get your food!"
"It's the cafeteria lady calling out."
Su Mingqiang dragged his tired body over and took two steamed buns and a bowl of cabbage stew with vermicelli.
He was squatting in the corner, wolfing down his food, when he suddenly heard a commotion.
"Boss Su is here!"
His chopsticks fell to the ground with a "thud".
Looking up, I saw my father, Su Jianguo, leading Su Jianjun and a group of people to inspect the greenhouse.
They walked this way, getting closer and closer...
Su Mingqiang quickly lowered his head, pretending to concentrate on eating.
The footsteps stopped nearby.
"How's the yield from greenhouse number three today?"
He heard his father's familiar voice.
"Fifty pounds more than yesterday, Boss Su."
The foreman answered respectfully.
"Hmm, not bad. The new worker is doing a good job?"
"Most of them are alright, except for one guy named Su Qiang, he's too slow..."
Su Mingqiang's heart was in his throat.
He could feel his father's gaze linger on him for a few seconds before moving away.
"Take your time, beginners are all like this."
Su Jianguo's voice was unusually calm.
"As long as you're willing to learn, that's fine."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Su Mingqiang finally dared to raise his head.
My father has already gone far away.
Su Mingqiang's eyes suddenly felt hot. He quickly rubbed them and continued to eat his rice.
The work was even heavier in the afternoon.
Besides picking vegetables, they also had to help load them onto the truck.
Su Mingqiang's back ached as if it were about to break, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.
As the sun began to set, the foreman finally announced that work was over.
"Don't be late tomorrow at eight o'clock!"
The foreman shouted a reminder.
Su Mingqiang dragged his tired body toward the bus stop.
On the bus, he gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the window, lost in thought.
Today, his father clearly recognized him, but he didn't expose him; he even spoke up for him...
What does this mean?
When Li Jinhua got home, she was comforting her crying child.
Why are you so late coming back?
She asked, dissatisfied.
"There's a lot of work to do."
Su Mingqiang gave a brief reply and slumped into his chair.
Li Jinhua glanced at him.
"You're filthy, go wash up. By the way, you're paid daily, right? Where's the money?"
Su Mingqiang explained.
"The salary is paid monthly, and the monthly salary is 120."
Upon hearing this, Li Jinhua became somewhat suspicious.
"What kind of work can you do to earn 120 a month? Are you kidding me?"
“They have dozens of workers over there, how could they possibly lie to people?”
After Su Mingqiang finished speaking, he felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
...
at the same time.
On the other side.
Su Jianguo and Su Jianjun are inspecting new shops in Beijing.
This is a shop located opposite the wet market, in an excellent location, but the rent is shockingly high.
"Two hundred a month? That's way too expensive."
Su Jianjun clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Our shop only costs forty now."
During this period, the economy began to struggle and everything was getting more expensive.
Especially in shops where buying and selling takes place, prices change daily.
Su Jianguo carefully examined the shop.
It has a large area, good lighting, and an excellent flow of people.
He turned to the landlord.
"One hundred and fifty, I'll pay for six months in one lump sum."
The landlord, a lean middle-aged man, shook his head upon hearing this.
"Mr. Su, this is already a low price. I didn't even rent it to the other place that offered 220."
"One hundred and eighty, to be paid in full every six months."
Su Jianguo remained unmoved.
"I'll handle the renovations myself; I won't alter the structure."
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