Global Collapse

Chapter 119 Hengming Middle School
"A labor market, also called a job market, is a place similar to a vegetable market."

Seemingly afraid that Gu Mian wouldn't understand, the fat man explained, "But unlike the vegetable market, which sells vegetables, the labor market sells people."

"Don't get me wrong, this isn't illegal human trafficking, it's selling physical labor."

"There's no discipline here. To put it simply, a large group of people gather there, waiting for those who need labor to come and pick people; if there are buyers who need workers, they will drive to the labor market, mostly in beat-up vans."

"The jobs available there are extremely dirty and tiring, some are even very dangerous, and the work is unstable. It's basically a one-day job, but the pay is high."

"The labor market is a case of too many applicants for too few jobs. Groups of people gather there waiting to be picked, buzzing around any vehicle that comes along. Some don't even ask what the job is for, they just push and shove as if they're afraid someone will snatch their job away."

Ignoring the fact that the fat man had misused another idiom, Gu Mian continued listening.

"Because in the labor market, once the time is over, there are very few people looking for work, so people waiting there crowd onto any vehicle they see, often scaring away first-time buyers."

"The advantage of finding work in the labor market is that you get paid daily, and the pay is higher."

"The downside is that you can't do it for long because the work there is so damn tiring. You work from morning till night, with no breaks except for meals. First, there are people watching you work, and if you try to stop and rest, they'll inevitably yell at you. Second, the work is just too exhausting; you have to keep going until you're completely drained. If you take a break, you just collapse and you're too tired to move anymore."

"If I were to look for work in that area long-term, I reckon I'd be exhausted after a few months."

The fat man coughed as he said this: "Don't ask me why I know so much."

Because you did that job—Gu Mian figured it out without even having to guess.

The phone in his hand was still making noise.

However, the conversation doesn't seem to be between Zhao Guanhai and Brother Li anymore. The person Zhao Guanhai is talking to has changed, and their conversation doesn't sound like they're talking on a cell phone.

The first to speak was a somewhat rough voice, sounding quite young: "Brother Zhao, I've seen you come here for several days in a row, can you handle it?"

Zhao Guanhai's voice followed: "I can take it, I can take it. I'm not even forty yet, I'm still young."

"Come on, with your skinny frame, I'd believe you if you said you were fifty. But Brother Zhao, I really didn't expect you to be able to endure this kind of hardship. You know, back when I was in high school, I saw you sitting in front of the supermarket, drunk and acting crazy. I thought back then that I would stay far away from you if I ever saw you again. I never thought we would become colleagues. Even though we've only been colleagues a few times, it's still fate."

"Sigh, that's all in the past, let's not talk about it."

"A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold, haha. By the way, Brother Zhao, I still remember your son, the little brat who desperately tried to pull you away at the supermarket entrance back then. What grade is he in now?"

"I'm in junior high now, in my final year, and the high school entrance exam is coming up. I need to earn more money to save up for tuition and living expenses."

"Does your son know that you're doing this kind of work?"

Zhao Guanhai was silent for a while, then said in a low voice, "Of course I don't know. That kid has always looked down on me. If he knew that his dad could only find manual labor at the labor market, he would laugh his head off... I made him live at school because I was afraid he would find out about this."

"I heard your relationship seems a bit strained." The young voice hesitated.

"There's nothing to hide. My relationship with my son is really not good. It's my fault. I didn't take good care of him when he was young. All I knew was drinking. After drinking, I would just sit there and not care about anything else. My son had a really tough time when he was young." "But Brother Zhao, you've changed your ways now. Look at how hard you work to earn money now. Isn't it all for him? Go back and explain it to your son. I think he'll definitely understand."

Zhao Guanhai seemed to hesitate for a moment.

“Wait a minute. I know a lot of people at school look down on my son. The last fight was because of that… Once I’ve saved enough money and don’t have to work here anymore, I’ll talk to him. You know we’re all afraid of being seen or running into acquaintances when we come here to work. If my son finds out… I’m afraid he’ll be even more ashamed at school.”

"Sigh, you've had it tough too. By the way, Brother Zhao, a foreman told me there's work to do tomorrow and asked me to find a few people. It seems easy, and the daily wage isn't bad. Do you want to go?"

"What kind of work?"

"It seems there's road construction going on somewhere, and they're looking for someone to mix cement. If any trucks come by, they can also help unload the cement bags. It's 300 yuan a day. It's a pretty easy job. Only a few trucks come a day, and there's time to rest. It's much easier than what you usually do, like unloading cargo or carrying iron pillars."

“This job is really good,” Zhao Guanhai’s voice came through: “I really haven’t been able to eat much these past few days, this job is a bit easier, I can rest, and the pay is good, thank you.”

"Don't mention it. When your son becomes successful in the future, you can treat me to a nice meal."

Zhao Guanhai chuckled, his tone somewhat relaxed: "By the way, where's the job tomorrow?"

"I haven't seen it yet, let me take a look first..."

"The intersection of Songjiang Road and Anchang Road..."

"...Hengming Middle School"

The young voice spoke haltingly, seemingly hesitant.

Then both sides fell into an eerie silence.

But Zhao Guanhai's voice immediately came out: "Hengming Middle School? My son goes to school there. I think I'll pass, I won't go..."

"Think about it again. You've been working so hard for so many days. You can't keep doing heavy work. I know you're reluctant to rest. It's not easy to find a lighter job here with high pay. You can rest while doing this. Don't just give up on going here because of this."

Zhao Guanhai refused decisively: "No way, my son goes to school there. What if we run into each other?"

"You might not run into him. If you do, make sure you're well covered up so your son won't recognize you."

Zhao Guanhai was silent for a while: "Actually, it's not just that I'm afraid of being seen by my son, but also that some teachers and students at his school recognize me..."

"Anyway, I've embarrassed myself a lot before, I'm used to it, so it's nothing for them to see me like this... I'm just afraid they'll see it and laugh at my son again. I can afford to lose face myself, but I'm afraid my little guy won't be able to hold his head up high. Let's just forget about it, let's just forget about it..."

"Sigh, so what are you planning to do? Go back to the labor market tomorrow and take on those backbreaking jobs that will leave you exhausted?"

"I'll check tomorrow and see which construction site needs people to unload or carry goods."

Thank you to Donggu, life's proud blue, Asu Blue, creating fantasy, alluring only for lemon sourness, I joined the group for urging updates, Fangtian Huaji ted, Addicted Taoist, and Fish Cake_ for their donations. (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
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(End of this chapter)