Uncle said, "Ruoyu, your parents passed away early. To be honest, the compensation from the workplace accident wasn't much, and it ran out years ago. Our family simply can't afford to support you through high school and college. We're not capable. But we can't hold you back either. Honestly, education isn't that useful these days—college graduates often earn less than factory workers, and many can't even find jobs. Learning a trade is much more reliable. We only want what's best for you. Several people from our town work at a factory in Xiangcheng. I heard it's run by someone from our county. You'll go with them next month. They say you can make three or four thousand a month. When you start earning money, remember to send it home—don't waste it! We'll save it for you."
Liu Ruoyu remained silent.
Exchanging glances, his aunt chimed in, "You're so ungrateful, never showing us any affection. Aren't I just like your mother? We raised you! Would we ever harm you? If you miss this chance, there won't be another! You have to go and work hard there. Build a future for yourself."
Liu Ruoyu's face flushed. "But I'm only fifteen!"
His uncle waved it off. "Don't worry about that. Just say you're older—they're all familiar faces, it'll work. You might earn a few hundred less, but that's still good. We've raised you all these years; it's time you started repaying us! Gratitude is what makes us human. Without it, we're no better than beasts—heartless!"
"Fine, I'll go!" Liu Ruoyu slammed his cup down, stood up, and stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him.
His uncle and aunt muttered a few curses but let it go.
A few days later, Liu Ruoyu left with a backpack, following several young men from the town. His uncle was absent, and his aunt was playing cards at a neighbor's house. When he went to say goodbye, she beamed from the card table without getting up. "Our Ruoyu is off to make money! Have a safe trip!"
The other women at the table chuckled. Liu Ruoyu felt their smiles were fake, laced with pity and mockery, as if saying: Sending such a young child out to work. How cruel, and how pitiful.
He turned and left.
His junior high graduation exam scores had placed him in the top twenty in the county and first in his town.
At first, Liu Ruoyu felt hopeful about his new life at the factory. After all, he was leaving that dreary village and cold house behind. He'd earn his own money and read as much as he wanted. Like any trapped teenager, he was eager to grow up.
But within days, the novelty of the vast factory workshops wore off. He realized his surroundings weren't much different from before—a remote urban-rural fringe, living among workers and villagers. What he'd truly yearned for was Xiangcheng, the provincial capital of Hunan, with its renowned schools, hospitals, and celebrities—a place of talent and dreams he'd long admired.After receiving his first month's salary, he first bought himself a mobile phone, then took the bus to the city, wandering around all day before returning. Even though he wandered alone without speaking a word to anyone, the dark-skinned rural boy was very happy.
The money he sent to his uncle and aunt that first month was short by the amount spent on the phone. They sounded displeased on the call, and Liu Ruoyu made an excuse about needing to go to work after just a few words, hanging up.
Next month, he didn't plan to send them his entire salary as they wished. This money would only keep decreasing. He had calculated how much of their living expenses he had used over the years. He intended to stop sending them money once he had repaid enough.
He was finally free.
But the boy gradually came to understand that life is like climbing mountains. You exhaust yourself reaching the summit, enduring darkness and storms, only to see another peak waiting for you.
You never reach flat ground.
At first, he didn't realize how different he was from the adult workers. The factory occasionally had a few workers who looked very young, and everyone tacitly understood without meddling. On his first day entering the dormitory, the three others froze when they saw him. Perhaps it wasn't just his age—there was also his ill-fitting, middle-aged-style T-shirt handed down from his uncle, and the woven bag in his hand. Xu Jiayuan laughed and said, "Which mountain did this little kid run out from? Did you get lost?"
The two beside him burst into laughter. Liu Ruoyu had never been articulate or quick-witted; he just silently placed his woven bag by the bed, his face flushing red.
Perhaps this initial encounter established the unequal dynamic between him and his roommates, especially between him and Xu Jiayuan.
Gradually, everyone noticed this boy spoke little, didn't know how to argue or stand up for himself, and just quietly did things: cleaning the dorm, fetching everyone's packages, running errands without a word of complaint. This obedience pleased Xu Jiayuan, yet he still felt this kid might not be truly tamed. Besides, how old was Liu Ruoyu anyway? What was wrong with adults ordering a child around? Wasn't that just how it should be?
As if by inertia, everyone enjoyed that sense of superiority, and their attitude toward Liu Ruoyu became increasingly casual and harsh.
"Hey, go wash my clothes for me."
"Go buy me a pack of cigarettes."
"I've got something tomorrow—cover my shift for me."
"Damn, it's only ten o'clock! Why are you opening the curtains to read? I need to sleep—turn it off!"
"You're not even eighteen yet, and you're already out working? I bet your family doesn't care much about you. Or maybe you did something wrong, slacked off in school, and got sent out to work? Most cases are like that. But what trouble could a country kid even cause? What could you have done, huh?"
...
Liu Ruoyu had thought about refusing. But once certain things started, it was as if everyone got addicted and wouldn't allow him to refuse. There were three of them, all taller and stronger than him, with more seniority in the factory. They knew more people and had more friends. If he showed the slightest reluctance, they used looks, sneers, even body language to tell him he wasn't allowed to refuse.
"Just be obedient, okay? It's not like you have anything else to do—why not help out?"
"Country folks are just dumb. You're not even an adult yet—who else would pay you any mind besides us?"Xu Jiayuan was the coldest one. He glanced at him and said, "Go. Do you really want me to expose you as a child laborer and get kicked out of the factory? Have some self-awareness, will you?"
Sometimes he would resort to physical actions.
Xu Jiayuan would occasionally get hands-on—patting his head, shoving him, or giving him a kick.
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