Chapter 60: A Life Lost! |
Noon. The sun hung high in the sky.
Greenwood City, at the construction site of a food processing plant.
As the shout of "Break for lunch!" rang out, workers in twos and threes put down their tools and gathered under the shade of the trees to eat.
Ordinary construction sites did not provide meals, and the food sold in the site canteen was expensive, so most workers brought their own food from home.
But today was different.
"Whoa, what is that smell? Why does it smell so good?!"
"What kind of meat is this? Why is it so red? Smells amazing, too."
"Braised pork! So much braised pork!"
"..."
Dozens of workers surrounded a few stainless steel buckets, staring eagerly at the mouth-watering meat inside.
"Shut the hell up, all of you! If you keep blabbering, I''ll feed it to the dogs and you bastards won''t get a single bite!"
In front of the crowd.
Wearing a white hard hat, the site foreman and company boss, Sun Zhigang, stood with his large belly sticking out, swaggering in front of the buckets of braised pork while pointing at the surrounding men.
After his outburst.
The surrounding crowd quieted down.
Seeing this, Sun Zhigang cleared his throat. A look of displeasure crossed his face as he spoke:
"I am in a good mood today. The site is giving out free meat. Line up, one scoop per person!"
Free braised pork?!
At those words, the dozens of workers instantly burst into a commotion, their faces showing pleasant surprise.
In 2002, although people were gradually escaping poverty and most could eat their fill, the three daily meals still mostly consisted of vegetables. Meat could be seen, but it was neither common nor plentiful.
As for the migrant workers on construction sites, let alone now, even in 2026, many would still choose to eat more staples without meat for lunch just to save money.
Not to mention braised pork; some of them didn''t even know what braised pork was!
Right now...
"All you can eat braised pork!"
Sun Zhigang said with his hands on his hips, clearly in high spirits.
Below, a young worker couldn''t hold back and corrected him, "Foreman, you mean all you can eat."
Sun Zhigang paused, then glared at him, flying into a rage out of humiliation, "I fucking know that, do I need you to remind me?!"
He didn''t waste any more words and said bluntly:
"However!"
"After eating my meat, you all better work hard this afternoon. Don''t fucking make me delay the schedule again! Guarantee the quality for me too. No fucking slacking off!"
The crowd, already starving, chorused, "Got it, got it!"
"Then let''s eat!"
With a wave of Sun Zhigang''s hand, he personally took the iron ladle to serve the food, and the dozens of workers swarmed up clamoring.
In the corner.
Zhao Li, a short, heavy-set woman with dark, rough skin, wearing rubber boots and having just finished her cleaning duties, swallowed hard. She stood on her tiptoes to look inside.
It was a long time before it was her turn to get food.
Sun Zhigang glanced at the woman he had just scolded yesterday. He then plunged the ladle to the bottom of the bucket and scooped it up forcefully.
"Clack!"
A large, overflowing spoonful of meat was dumped into her simple lunchbox.
"Once you''re full, work hard. Don''t think I won''t whip you just because you have a limp!"
Sun Zhigang cursed, "Hurry up and get lost, don''t block the people behind you."
Zhao Li looked at the meat in her box and pressed her lips together, feeling a sense of satisfaction. She didn''t say anything despite being scolded.
She walked to the side but didn''t eat right away. She closed the lid of her lunchbox and then started walking out.
Someone saw the direction she was heading, their eyes lighting up, and chased after her.
"Sister Zhao, are you going to find your kid too?"
A skinny female worker walked up beside her and smiled.
"My son forgot to take his lunch money yesterday. I have to deliver it to him this noon. Want to go together?"
Zhao Li smiled: "Sure, let''s go together."
The place where the children studied was not far from here. It took less than twenty minutes to walk. The two women quietly left the construction site.
Meanwhile, at the food serving area.
Almost all the dozens of workers had braised pork in their hands, squatting in corners and swallowing it in huge mouthfuls.
Physical labor easily tires a person out.
And when a person is tired, their body feels extreme hunger, every cell urging them to eat.
Under these circumstances.
When a mouthful of fatty and lean braised pork filled their mouths, followed by a bite of fluffy, tender white steamed bun, their teeth constantly chewed before forcefully swallowing it down, feeling the sensation of fullness from their bellies.
At this moment, everyone on the entire construction site felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
"Foreman, why are you in such a good mood today?"
A worker asked with a smile while eating.
Hearing this, Sun Zhigang, who was sitting to the side eating the same meal, cursed in reply:
"Why do you care so much?"
"Just eat your food. You all look like you''re starving ghosts reincarnated. Talking while eating... careful you don''t choke to death!"
"If you die on my construction site, I''ll feed your corpses to the dogs!"
Upon hearing this.
The young worker from before couldn''t hold back again. After swallowing his food, he retorted once more.
"Foreman, that''s called choking, not croaking."
Sun Zhigang fell silent. A moment later, he suddenly flew into a rage out of humiliation, pointing his chopsticks at him.
"You just have too much to fucking say! I know it''s called choking!"
...
...
"Sister Zhao, you pinch pennies every day, reluctant to eat or wear anything nice... What''s the point of spending all the money you earn on the kids? At least get your leg and back treated..."
"It can''t be cured. It''s an old illness. I''ve been everywhere to see doctors, there''s just no way."
"My life is going to be like this. As long as the kids can have it better than me, that''s enough..."
At the same time.
By the side of the road, the skinny female worker Wang Fen and Zhao Li were walking side by side, chatting as they went.
As she spoke.
Zhao Li felt a sense of relief. An unconscious smile appeared on her face as she said gently:
"Huanhuan gives me peace of mind. She doesn''t spend money recklessly, has good grades, and doesn''t get into trouble. I have hope no matter what I do now."
"Right now, I''m thinking of buying an air conditioner so her hands won''t freeze when she writes in the winter, and she won''t be covered in sweat while studying in the summer."
"When the time comes and she gets into a good university, she won''t be uneducated like me, only able to sell her physical strength on a construction site..."
Women were not the foreman''s first choice on a construction site.
Biologically speaking, women''s strength and stamina were inferior to men''s, and construction work was all heavy labor.
For the same price, men were much more cost-effective.
Unless it was for a ''site cleaner'' job, where the pay was low and not much strength was required, women would only be considered then.
Not to mention someone like Zhao Li, who had a physical disability. It was nearly impossible to find a site that would take her.
"How much is an air conditioner? Sister Zhao, how much have you saved up?"
Wang Fen was a bit surprised.
"A brand name one costs over three thousand, but a second-hand one that doesn''t break easily only costs eight hundred."
Zhao Li calculated carefully. She had obviously visited many appliance stores.
Wang Fen said, "Your daily wage is so little, and you have to provide food and drink for two kids... Can you save that much in half a year?"
"We''ll eventually be able to live a good life."
Zhao Li didn''t think too much about it; she was quite content.
She had no great ambitions. As long as her children could grow up safely, steadily, and healthily, that was fine.
Air conditioners were expensive, but saving a few dollars a day, she would eventually save enough.
The road was hard to walk, but as long as she was willing to work hard and endure hardship, she could reach the destination.
She had calculated it. Next month she would be able to save enough money. Then she would quietly install the air conditioner. When her child came home for the holidays and saw such a thing hanging on the wall...
Thinking of this.
A smile couldn''t help but appear on Zhao Li''s face, and she and Wang Fen came to a halt.
They had arrived.
In front of them was Greenwood City Eighteenth Academy.
The gate was an extendable iron gate with a security booth on the left side. Looking inside through the main gate, it perfectly aligned with the entrance of the main building, and in the center stood a flagpole with a flag fluttering high.
At this moment.
Before their eyes, countless vibrant, young figures wearing uniform outfits stood around, scattered along the paths, walking and talking.
Zhao Li stood in front of the security booth, stood on her tiptoes, and knocked on the window.
"Knock, knock—"
"Screech!"
The window slid open, and the security guard popped his head out, asking in confusion, "Who are you looking for?"
Zhao Li said, "I''m looking for..."
She didn''t finish her sentence.
"Bang!!!"
Without any warning, completely sudden.
A sound rang out by her ears.
Zhao Li froze. She turned her head, her gaze shifting to the area in front of the main hall corresponding to the extendable gate.
There.
A person had smashed into the ground.
She had fallen from the building above, just like a piece of pork... Yes, like a piece of pork dropping onto a chopping block. She didn''t bounce but smashed straight down into a splat.
Blood dyed her clothes brown, then seeped out, spreading outwards with her at the center.
The side of her face smashed against the ground; that half of her face was already ruined.
The other half was covered in bruises and bloodstains. That eye was vacant and lusterless. Her mouth was open, looking towards the main gate, like a dead fish on a chopping board.
In an instant.
Everyone froze. The people closer by hadn''t even reacted yet, maintaining their chatting postures, time seemingly frozen.
At the main entrance.
Zhao Li watched this scene, her whole body paralyzed in place, staring blankly.
"Smack!"
The cheap plastic lunchbox fell to the ground, the lid popping open. The cold braised pork rolled onto the ground, covered in sand and gravel.
...
...
Afternoon, one o''clock.
At the construction site.
The workers had gradually finished resting and were preparing to start work.
Sun Zhigang turned his head and looked around, only to find that two figures were missing, and he frowned.
"Where are Wang Fen and Zhao Li?"
"Where did those two go? Did anyone see them?"
Hearing this, the surrounding people also looked at each other, exchanging glances before shaking their heads.
"Didn''t see them."
Hearing this, Sun Zhigang''s frown deepened.
These days, although the environment was better than twenty years ago... accidents often happened on construction sites. Not seeing his workers made him feel uneasy.
"Go find them first."
The crowd began to search in every corner, but after searching for a long time, they didn''t see even half a shadow.
Just as Sun Zhigang''s face was full of anger...
"Foreman... Foreman..."
A voice laced with a crying tone sounded from far to near. This voice... it was Wang Fen''s!
Sun Zhigang was about to get angry, but turning his head, he saw Wang Fen wearing her work clothes, stumbling towards the construction site from a distance while wiping her tears and sobbing.
He paused, and when she got closer, he asked.
"What are you crying for?! What happened?!"
"Dead... someone''s dead..."
Wang Fen cried as she spoke, her voice choking with sobs, making Sun Zhigang anxious.
"Think before you fucking speak!"
"Where is Zhao Li? Where did Zhao Li go, why is she missing?!"
Wang Fen cried, "Sister Zhao and I went to find the kids, but her... her kid is dead!"
"It looked like she was pushed off the building by someone, fell straight to her death... half her head was smashed to pieces!!!"
Dead...
Someone died?!
Sun Zhigang''s heart jolted.
"Where''s Zhao Li? Where is Zhao Li?!"
Wang Fen cried even more sorrowfully, speaking repeatedly.
"Sister Zhao... Sister Zhao collapsed too. I don''t know what happened, she suddenly clutched her chest, her face went pale, and then she fell to the ground."
"I wanted to leave, but the security guard blocked me and wouldn''t let me go. I ran back when he went to make a phone call..."
"Are you sure someone pushed the kid?" Sun Zhigang asked.
Wang Fen cried, "I saw a few heads looking down from the roof, there must have been someone up there."
Dead... Someone''s dead.
Pushed off a building, smashed straight into a puddle...
And it fucking happened right inside the Eighteenth Academy. Zhao Li had followed him for years, and now her life was uncertain too...
They were bullying people right under his nose!
Suddenly.
Sun Zhigang''s face turned livid, already extremely unsightly. The veins on his forehead popped out, his hands clenched tightly, his knuckles white, and his chest heaved violently.
The next second...
A furious roar suddenly echoed across the construction site, making everyone''s eardrums numb.
"Fuck, everyone who''s still breathing, grab your fucking tools and follow me!"
"Don''t let those bastards get away!!!"