Unable to find work due to being on the wanted list, Yang Jian dared not wander around. He bought a newspaper, a bottle of mineral water, and a bag of bread at the park entrance and returned to the park.
He planned to stay there for the day. The park had long benches, and he could sleep if he got tired.
Some people also spent the night in the park, mostly young people who hadn't found jobs, and some dirty-looking homeless people.
Yang Jian didn't intend to stay there because he needed to shower. In such hot weather, it was unbearable not to shower for a day.
Moreover, there were many mosquitoes. It was fine during the day, but at night, it was impossible to sleep. The weather here could change at any moment, and it was possible to wake up in the middle of the night to rain with nowhere to hide.
Thus, Yang Jian spent his days reading newspapers in the park and exercising, and at night, he would go to a bathhouse to shower, sleep, and wash his clothes, eating the cheapest rice noodles and fried rice.
To avoid arousing suspicion, he visited all the bathhouses in the vicinity, rotating his patronage.
During this time, apart from buying things and spending money at the bathhouses, he did not interact or gather with anyone, avoiding being recognized.
After a month of this, Yang Jian had only six hundred yuan left. He knew he couldn't continue to lie low like this, or he would soon run out of food.
He looked around. His wanted poster had been covered by more small advertisements. Even in places where it was still visible, it had become blurred by wind and rain.
It was time to look for work. Yang Jian's first option was a construction site. On one hand, he knew carpentry, which was a skill that could earn him money.
On the other hand, it could solve his accommodation problem. Based on his experience, most construction sites provided accommodation and even allowed for advance meal ticket withdrawals, solving both food and lodging.
"Brother, do you guys need people on this site? I can do carpentry." wap.kanshu伍.net
At the entrance of a large construction site, Yang Jian offered a cigarette to the middle-aged security guard at the gate. This was the third construction site he had inquired at.
The first two sites either had no vacancies or only needed odd-job laborers for sixty yuan a day, which Yang Jian was unwilling to do.
"We need people. Do you have a residence permit?"
The security guard sized him up. The young man was tall and strong. Although he was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt, one could see he was muscular. He was neatly dressed and didn't look like a manual laborer.
Yang Jian had never heard of this: "Residence permit?"
"Yes. There are no other requirements to work on a construction site, but you need to obtain a residence permit and register with the police station. If you don't have one, it's okay; the construction site can help you get one. Do you have your ID card?"
"I don't have my ID card with me."
Upon hearing that he needed to get a residence permit at the police station, Yang Jian immediately lost interest. Wasn't that walking into a trap?
Seeing Yang Jian turn to leave, the security guard quickly called out, "Little brother, when are you coming? If you don't want to do carpentry, you can be a security guard. With your physique, you can be hired directly without an assessment." kΑnshu伍.ξà
"Thank you, brother. I'll go back to get my ID card."
Yang Jian made an excuse and left quickly. So, working on a construction site required a residence permit, and this path was also blocked.
Now, he had to go to the labor market to see if he could find day labor jobs, which didn't require an ID card.
He had explored all the surrounding streets during this time. Yang Jian knew where the labor markets were. He paid five yuan for a motorcycle taxi to the largest labor market nearby.
This city was undergoing large-scale construction, with employment agencies and labor markets everywhere. Every place was crowded with people, and job seekers were as numerous as fish in a school.
The labor market Yang Jian went to was near the main bus station. The market covered more than ten acres, with recruitment advertisement boards everywhere. Each board was surrounded by young job seekers.
On the side closer to the road, there were many migrant workers doing temporary jobs. These people were generally older. Some had signs in front of them indicating plumbing, carpentry, or painting – these were temporary workers for renovation, earning a living by their skills.
There were also some people with nothing, who would swarm forward whenever someone came to recruit. These were manual laborers.
Although Yang Jian knew carpentry, he didn't know renovation. Therefore, the only thing he could do for now seemed to be manual labor, to solve his immediate problem of survival.
"Four tons of cement, carried to the third floor, two hundred yuan. Is anyone willing to do it?"
A minivan drove into the market, and a group of people immediately surrounded it. A middle-aged man got out of the car and shouted to the crowd.
Upon hearing the price, most of the onlookers dispersed, clearly finding it not worth it. Four tons of cement meant eighty bags, and carrying them to the third floor was very strenuous. Most people couldn't handle it, and it was also very dirty. No one was willing to do it.
"Boss, add a bit more. One person can't handle this, and two people doing it isn't cost-effective."
A slightly thin man in his forties was negotiating with the boss, wanting to take the job.
"No more. If you're not willing to do it, move aside."
The boss's attitude was cold; he had no intention of raising the price.
This attitude immediately dampened the interest of the onlookers. Everyone left except for the thin man.
"Boss, is there a time limit for carrying the cement? It might take me a day to carry it alone."
The thin man seemed to be in dire need of money and wanted the job, but his physical strength was clearly insufficient.
The boss, likely a foreman, replied, "You have until noon at the latest. I need to bring in other materials in the afternoon."
The thin man sighed and remained silent, knowing his body couldn't handle such strenuous work.
Yang Jian squeezed through and said, "Uncle, let me team up with you. We should be able to finish it by noon."
The thin man looked surprised and delighted. "Sure, young man. You're strong, so the more you carry, the more you'll earn. I won't take advantage of you."
The boss eyed Yang Jian suspiciously, thinking he didn't look like a manual laborer, but he didn't ask further. He waved his hand, "Get in the car."
The two of them got into the minivan and followed the boss to a three-story villa compound. The cement truck hadn't arrived yet.
The boss gave them two bottles of iced black tea and then took them upstairs to survey the terrain. In fact, the four tons of cement were to be delivered half to the second floor and half to the third floor.
Through conversation, Yang Jian learned that the thin man's surname was Ma, he was forty-five years old, and he lived near the labor market. Yang Jian called him Uncle Ma.
In less than ten minutes, the cement truck arrived. This was a dirty job. Old Ma had a special camouflage uniform for carrying things, but Yang Jian didn't have one. He had to take out his casual suit jacket and put it on.
The boss seemed observant and recognized that the jacket was a designer brand. It would be a waste to use it for carrying cement, so he quickly rummaged through the minivan and threw a camouflage jacket to Yang Jian.
Yang Jian was a bit surprised. This boss seemed difficult to deal with, but he was outwardly stern and inwardly kind. He had offered them iced black tea right away and now even gave them clothes.
Without being polite, Yang Jian put on the camouflage jacket and started working. He was strong and directly asked Uncle Ma to help him put two bags on his shoulders.
Carrying two hundred jin upstairs wasn't very strenuous, which greatly surprised Uncle Ma and the boss. Most people would find it very difficult to carry a hundred jin up to the third floor.