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墨書 Inktalez
The trees along the road rushed by in a blur, and the asphalt was remarkably smooth. Jia Ao drove the motorcycle as if it were flying. The wind felt refreshing, even though the sun was still a bit scorching; the tall poplar trees on either side blocked much of its rays.
When they arrived at Huang Jizhen, it felt slightly cooler. It was almost 4 PM, and the sunlight had softened considerably. This was a small town bustling with trade, and business seemed to be thriving. As they reached the easternmost part of the town, they spotted a modest courtyard. The red brick walls stood about two meters high, topped with shards of glass for security. A blue iron gate stood ajar beside another door.
Jia Ao parked the motorcycle to the left of the gate, and Wen Sheng dismounted.
Jia Ao pulled Wen Sheng along with a smile, "This is it!"
Thinking about finally seeing Wen Xin made Wen Sheng's heart race with excitement; he wondered what she looked like now. Although they had only been apart for a short while, it felt like years to him.
"Wen Xin!" Wen Sheng called out eagerly as he pushed open the door.
"Woof woof!" A large yellow dog tied up in the yard barked alertly, straining against its chain as it barked furiously at Wen Sheng and Jia Ao.
Wen Sheng quickly understood that this dog was quite effective at guarding its territory because it knew how to bite.
Hearing the commotion, the owner of the yard soon emerged from the house.
"Huang Ge!" Jia Ao greeted warmly upon seeing him.
Huang Ge was the owner of this knitting factory, which was essentially a workshop run from his home. He coordinated various knitting and embroidery jobs from outside and employed some local women to do the work at home.
Huang Ge appeared to be in his mid-twenties and was named Jian Fei. He originally came from Jia Ao's village but moved to town for business reasons.
Huang Ge had just gotten married last year. Being handsome and coming from a wealthy family made him quite selective when it came to choosing a partner. His wife was renowned for her beauty in the surrounding villages and was four years younger than him. Upon seeing Jia Ao, Huang Ge greeted him enthusiastically, "It's Jia Ao! Come in! Who's this?" He glanced at Wen Sheng.
"This is my cousin! Wen Xin's brother! How's Wen Xin doing here?" Jia Ao asked with a smile.
"Pretty good! She's quite clever!" Huang Ge praised Wen Xin happily. "Wen Xin, your brother has come to see you!" He called back into the house.
Moments later, Wen Xin dashed out from inside and threw herself into Wen Sheng's arms, bursting into tears.
"Brother! I miss you and Mom! I want to go home!" Wen Xin sobbed as she clung to him.
“Brother Huang, let’s go outside! It won’t be a problem if we take a little time, right?” Wen Sheng said politely.
“No problem! Feel free! It’s all good! I’ll get back to work now, you two take your time chatting!” Huang Ge turned and went back inside.
Wen Xin took off her white lab coat and put it back in their room before returning. Wen Sheng couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness when he saw the redness around Wen Xin’s tired eyes.
“Are you tired here?” Wen Sheng asked, holding Wen Xin’s hand.
“Not really tired! It’s just that the working hours are a bit long. I started working after breakfast at eight in the morning, had lunch at one, rested for an hour, then had dinner at six and rested for another hour. We didn’t finish until after one in the morning,” Wen Xin explained as she walked, glancing at her brother. “Look at my hands; they hurt so much!”
Wen Sheng then opened Wen Xin’s palm and gently touched it. Her fingers were wrapped in white adhesive tape.
“What happened? Does it hurt a lot?” Wen Sheng asked with concern.
“Yes! At first, I didn’t know how to do it, and the needles hurt quite a bit!” Wen Xin replied with a hint of annoyance.
“Why don’t we stop working here? Let’s go home!” Jia Ao suggested gently as he looked at Wen Xin.
“Will Boss pay us if we go home now? I’ve already worked for five or six days!” Wen Xin looked up at Jia Ao.
“Let’s not worry about the money; let’s just go home!” Wen Sheng pulled on Wen Xin’s arm. “Let’s go eat something!”
“Okay! I’ve never been full here! The food they make is terrible—just steamed buns, flatbreads, and pickles,” Wen Xin pouted.
“What do you want to eat?” Jia Ao asked with a smile.
“Let’s have dumplings! I want to eat meat dumplings!” Wen Xin grinned widely.
“How come you only think about dumplings?” Wen Sheng teased as he pinched her cheek playfully.
“Hehe!” Wen Xin laughed brightly.
At a baozi shop in the town, Wen Sheng and his friends casually found a table to sit down.
“Boss, bring us some baozi!” Wen Xin shouted happily.
“How many do you want?” the boss lady asked with a smile as she looked at Wen Xin.
“How many should we get?” Wen Xin turned to Wen Sheng for advice.
“How many can you eat, Jia Ao?” Wen Sheng asked Jia Ao quietly.
“I can eat at least ten!” Jia Ao replied with a grin as he settled into his seat. Despite his dark complexion, there was something quite endearing about him.
“Then let’s order ten! And also a bowl of egg soup!” Wen Sheng called out to the plump boss lady.
“Haha! You two are such gluttons!” Wen Xin laughed.
“Hehe! We’re big eaters, and you’re just a glutton!” Jia Ao pointed at Wen Xin with a smile. “We need to find a way to take Wen Xin home! This can’t go on; just look at her!” Jia Ao said while munching on his food, discussing it with Wen Sheng.
“I was thinking the same thing. No matter what, I want to take Wen Xin back today. She’s been working for so long; how can a child handle that?” Wen Sheng sighed.
“How about this? Later, I’ll talk to Wang Ge and have him give Wen Xin her money. Then he can make a call saying that Wen Xin has been too much trouble and that we should take her home!” Jia Ao suggested earnestly.
“Taking Wen Xin back is settled then. The reason doesn’t matter. You and Huang Ge handle it; even if they refuse to give us money, I’m still taking Wen Xin home!” Wen Sheng declared confidently.
“After we get back, let’s see if we can send Wen Xin back to school!” Jia Ao said in a low voice.
“We’ll try our best! If she can’t go to school, then she can just stay home and play!” Wen Sheng glanced at Wen Xin, who was stuffing baozi into her mouth.
“I’ll talk to my uncle; this isn’t right! Even if we let Wen Xin work to earn money, she should wait until she turns eighteen!” Jia Ao said indignantly.
“I’m done eating!” Wen Xin wiped her mouth. Just the thought of going home with her brother and being able to continue her studies made her incredibly happy.
“Boss, how much do we owe?” Jia Ao stood up.
“I'll handle it!” Wen Sheng smiled as he pulled out a ten-dollar bill from his pocket.
“Then it's all yours!” Jia Ao grinned slyly.
“Cousin, you're so cunning!” Wen Xin teased with a wink.
“Did you see that? Wen Xin is looking down on me!” Jia Ao laughed proudly.
Jia Ao and Wen Sheng had a close relationship as cousins, often joking and playing tricks on each other, so Wen Sheng didn’t mind. Wen Xin was a bit different; she still had some reservations.
After finishing their meal, they returned to the factory. Upon seeing Huang Ge, Jia Ao got straight to the point. “Huang Ge, here’s the situation: we want to take Wen Xin back home; she’s still in school.”
“Is that so? Honestly, I’m in urgent need of workers here, but since your brother has come out, I can’t do much about it. Alright, I agree. However…” Huang Ge interrupted Jia Ao by shaking the collar of his blue shirt.
“We won’t take Wen Xin’s wages. I’ll just give her a few dozen bucks later!” Jia Ao said confidently.
“Then what was the point of me working for nothing?” Wen Xin pouted.
“Hey now! Am I not giving you money? If I were to shortchange this kid, I’d be cursed with bad luck! Haha!” Huang Ge laughed heartily at Jia Ao and Wen Sheng. “That’s not what I meant. Since your brother is here and we haven’t seen each other in a while, how about we have a drink together?”
“I have to drive them both back, so no drinking for me! But I promise to treat you next time!” Jia Ao replied readily.
“Why wait for another day when today is perfect? Let’s go out for a meal on me!” Huang Ge insisted with a smile.
With no way to refuse, Jia Ao had no choice but to accompany Wen Sheng and Wen Xin as they went out to eat with Huang Ge.
They arrived at a restaurant in town called Orchard. They found a table by the window and sat down. As soon as they settled in, Huang Ge pulled out a fresh fifty-dollar bill from his wallet and handed it to Wen Xin. “Here you go, girl. This is your wage.”
“It’s too much! I can’t give change for this!” Wen Xin stood up, looking a bit shy.
“There's no need for you to look for it; what's left is your bonus!” Huang Ge said with a smile.
“Hehe! That's great!” Wen Xin exclaimed, proudly holding the money.
Huang Ge ordered a table full of dishes, and everyone began to eat.
“Wen Xin, since you're still in school, why are you out working?” Huang Ge asked, a bit confused.
“It’s all my mom’s fault. She heard you were hiring and insisted on bringing me over from my uncle's house!” Jia Ao said with a sigh.
“Oh! Does Wen Sheng agree with that?” Huang Ge looked at Wen Sheng and asked.
“Not really...” Wen Sheng replied, feeling a bit embarrassed about his father's disapproval.
“Once you go back, let Wen Xin continue her studies! Honestly, she’s too young; it’s not suitable for her to work here. I really can’t afford to take on any troubles!” Huang Ge said with a sense of concern.
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