Chapter Sixteen: Wounds

The next day, as usual, Le’er went to work at the construction site. He worked while singing cheerfully.

“Le’er, you rascal, why are you so happy today? Did you find some money or something?” an older coworker teased him with a laugh.

“Uncle Hua, he didn’t find money, but maybe he found a pretty girl. Otherwise, why would he be grinning like that?” joked another worker, Shalong.

“You’re both wrong,” interrupted a young man named Chen Fusheng, about the same age as Le’er, looking up from his work. “Le’er landed himself a big boss, didn’t you see? That boss yesterday must be his godfather, come to take him away to live the good life.”

“Fusheng, you scoundrel, what nonsense are you talking? That’s your godfather, isn’t it?” someone else chimed in.

“If I had a godfather like that, I’d wake up laughing in my dreams,” Chen Fusheng replied with a grin. “Then I wouldn’t need to slave away here anymore. With a godfather like that, I’d have my pick of girls in town.”

“Pick, my foot,” Uncle Hua scolded with a laugh. “Keep on dreaming. With those beady eyes and that big mouth, you look like a born pauper, destined to be poor like me all your life.”

“Uncle Hua, you old man, don’t curse me like that. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll win the lottery—five million in my hands, then I could have whatever kind of girl I want,” Chen Fusheng retorted, not the least bit offended, quickly tying steel wire as he joked. He bought lottery tickets every day, though no one had ever seen him win. All his money seemed to vanish into thin air.

Boasting and bantering like this was their way of making the hard labor more bearable.

“So, Le’er, that Boss Hong yesterday—who is he to you really?” Uncle Hua dropped the banter with Chen Fusheng and turned to Le’er.

“He’s nothing to me at all. I never met him before,” Le’er replied.

“Tell that to the ghosts,” Chen Fusheng sneered. “Why didn’t he come looking for me, then, and why did he bring two cars just to see you?”

“I… believe it or don’t, it’s up to you…” Le’er said, feeling as though not even the Pearl River could wash away their suspicions. “If I had a rich relative like that, would I still be here breaking my back for pennies? I’d have found some job with air conditioning long ago.”

The others looked at him, nodded, but the question remained: why had Boss Hong sought him out? Was Boss Hong so idle as to find amusement in bothering Le’er? But there seemed no answer to be found here, so the topic changed, and the banter resumed.

“Le’er, I saw your girlfriend the other day. She’s pretty,” Chen Fusheng needled him with a grin. “You two looked cozy. Have you kissed her yet?”

“Kiss your own ghost,” Le’er shot back with a laugh, but sweetness welled up in his heart. They’d kissed more than once, and his lips still remembered the taste. Just last night, he’d told Aunt Ma to ask Wenli to come over after work today. He wanted to share his good news with her. He planned to go to Foshan; Boss Hong had offered him three thousand a month, with room and board included. Once he started earning, he could finally buy her beautiful clothes.

Clothes at the mall were so expensive—a good one cost several hundred yuan. Wenli loved looking at them, especially those in boutique shops. She would look and touch and sigh, but always walked out empty-handed, standing outside the shop with a sigh.

“Sigh, the poor are always poor. These clothes are made for the rich.”

Le’er had seen a dress priced at over a thousand yuan. Damn, a single dress cost more than a month’s wages. But seeing Wenli’s disappointed expression, his heart ached.

If he ever had money, the first thing he’d do would be to buy her that dress. But he knew, as things were, it was just a dream. After food expenses, even working himself to exhaustion, he couldn’t save a thousand yuan in a month. Such hard-earned money—how could he bear to spend it on clothes?

Still, after a few more months of work, he was determined to buy Wenli a nice dress.

“Le’er, damn it, what are you daydreaming about, just standing there?” Chen Fusheng laughed loudly. “You’re definitely thinking about your girlfriend, figuring out how to get her into bed. Once you do that, she’s all yours.”

“Shut your mouth, you jinx,” Le’er glared at Chen Fusheng, who didn’t know why Le’er was angry, but just kept grinning.

“What’s the big deal? Why so worked up?” Chen Fusheng straightened up. “If you don’t get a woman into bed, what’s the point? Worship her like a goddess? If I had a beautiful girlfriend like yours, first thing I’d do is get her into bed…”

Le’er didn’t want to argue; he moved to the other side. But the men there were also talking about women—except they were talking about the women in the alley.

Men working far from home, away from their wives and girlfriends, would sometimes visit women who sold themselves. It wasn’t unusual. Men, whether rich or poor, had the same desires. Besides, many who joined in these conversations hadn’t actually visited such women; often, they just liked to joke around.

“Le’er, you’re still a kid—go play somewhere else. What we’re talking about isn’t for children,” said a bearded man in his late twenties, waving Le’er away with a smile.

“Beard, you think Le’er can’t father a child? Give him a woman, and he’ll be just as good as you—maybe even better!”

“Le’er, take out your little brother and compare with Beard. Let’s see whose is bigger!”

Everyone burst out laughing, and Le’er could only smile wryly.

At last, the workday ended. He hurried home as fast as he could run, but Aunt Ma wasn’t back yet. He quickly showered, changed into new clothes, and sat under the fan, waiting for Wenli. He planned to take her to a little restaurant and order a few dishes to treat her to a meal.

Waiting for someone is the hardest thing—he waited and waited, but she didn’t come. He went to the street corner to look three times, but still saw no one. Uncle Gui was making dinner at home, and when he saw Le’er so anxious, he laughed.

“Le’er, you look like you’ve lost your soul waiting for your girlfriend. It’s still early—they’re working overtime for an hour. She won’t be here for a while yet.”

“Uncle Gui, why are they working overtime today?” Le’er asked, embarrassed, and then sat in Uncle Gui’s house, watching him cook. Uncle Gui was a model husband—his rice was perfect, his dishes fragrant.

“Le’er, stay and eat with us later.”

“No, Uncle Gui, I want to treat Wenli to a meal at a restaurant,” Le’er replied.

“Look at you, acting like you’re rich. Even if you have money, you should spend it wisely. There’s nothing good to eat in those restaurants—just overpriced. Buy some meat and veggies, cook them yourself—it’s convenient and affordable. Why waste money on a restaurant?”

“Hehe… Uncle Gui, I just want to be romantic for once.”

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside. Le’er rushed out to look, but it was neither Aunt Ma nor Wenli.

“Le’er, did Wenli steal your soul?” someone called out teasingly.

Le’er smiled sheepishly. Just then, there were more footsteps and Aunt Ma’s voice. He hurried out again, only to see Aunt Ma and another female worker.

“Aunt Ma, where’s Wenli?”

“Wenli… Oh, she said she had something to do today. She’s not coming.”

Disappointment washed over Le’er’s face. Head down, he turned to go back to his room.

“Le’er, eat with us. There’s plenty of food,” Aunt Ma called after him.

“All right,” Le’er forced a smile and returned to Uncle Gui’s room. Uncle Gui dished up the food and set it on the small table, serving his wife as well, while Le’er sat there, absent-mindedly holding his bowl.

“Le’er, has your soul flown away again? Eat, now,” Uncle Gui frowned. “Honestly, what’s with that Wenli? The boy’s soul is gone.”

Aunt Ma watched Le’er. “Le’er…”

“Yes, Aunt Ma?” Le’er sensed something strange in her expression.

“I think… I think you shouldn’t wait for Wenli anymore.” Aunt Ma forced a smile, a little embarrassed. “Let me find you someone even prettier than Wenli.”

“Aunt Ma, what happened to Wenli?” Le’er put down his bowl and stared at her.

“Eat first, then we’ll talk.”

“No, Aunt Ma, tell me now.”

She sighed. “Wenli’s seeing someone else… Someone from our factory, an overseer, related to the Hong Kong boss…”

This time, Le’er was truly stunned. The mouthful of rice fell from his lips without him even noticing.

“She… why… why…”

“Enough. She left you a letter. Eat first, then read it,” Aunt Ma said.

For a long while, Le’er sat in a daze, then finally lowered his head and began to eat. But he could taste neither the rice nor the dishes.