mynovelweb Chapter 343 Li Xiulan, exhausted from work!
Chapter 343 Li Xiulan, exhausted from work!
Her heart sank suddenly as a terrible suspicion gripped her.
Li Xiulan's figure disappeared inside the factory's large iron gate.
Ye Fan gestured for Xian Zuling to wait a moment. He got out of the car first, walked to the window of the gatehouse, handed her a cigarette, and whispered a few questions.
The gatekeeper pointed to an open-air area inside, filled with red bricks.
Ye Fan returned to the car and gently opened the passenger door.
Xian Zuling staggered off the car, her steps unsteady as she followed him in that direction.
The scene before her eyes struck her heart like a heavy hammer!
In the cool morning mist and swirling dust, her mother, Li Xiulan, stood beside a mountain of red bricks.
She was wearing a faded old work uniform covered in red brick dust, with a cloth wrapped around her head that was of indeterminate color, and a thick dust mask covering her face, revealing only a pair of tired but still trying-to-open eyes.
The most jarring thing was the pair of work gloves on her hands that should have been white, but were now soaked in brick red and worn rough at the edges.
Li Xiulan was bending over, carrying the heavy red bricks one by one onto the handcart next to her.
With each bend and each exertion, his not-so-strong body trembled with a gritted-teeth perseverance.
The handcart next to it was less than a quarter full.
"mom--!!!"
A heart-wrenching, distorted cry ripped through the morning hustle and bustle of the factory!
The spirit of the ancestor seemed to have all its strength drained away, or perhaps it was driven by immense grief, and relentlessly charged towards that tiny figure amidst the pile of bricks.
Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, instantly blurring her vision and washing over her pale face.
Li Xiulan froze instantly! That voice, so familiar to her very bones, made her think it was a hallucination caused by extreme exhaustion.
She sat up blankly and looked in the direction of the sound—
It's not a hallucination!
Her daughter, the precious daughter she had worried about all night and cherished all her life, was now running towards her, tears streaming down her face, stumbling and falling!
The shock, pain, and disbelief on her daughter's face pierced Li Xiulan's heart like a sharp knife.
"Ling'er?" Li Xiulan's voice was filled with fear and panic.
Her deepest secret, the embarrassment and hardship she least wanted her daughter to see, was thus exposed without any cover to the morning light!
She wanted to hide, to conceal her hands covered in brick dust, and to cover her tattered work clothes, but it was too late!
The ancestral statue, like an out-of-control cannonball, plunged headlong into Li Xiulan's arms, the enormous impact causing the frail mother to stagger.
Xian Zuling clung tightly to her mother, as if trying to meld herself into her body, her heart-wrenching sobs filled with endless heartache, self-reproach, and unspeakable pain: "Mom—!"
Feeling her daughter's scalding tears soaking through her thin work clothes, and hearing her heart-wrenching cries, Li Xiulan's strength, which she had maintained all night, crumbled instantly.
She hugged her daughter tightly, as if she were holding a lost treasure that had been found again. Tears welled up and slid down her dusty cheeks, leaving two clear streaks.
The mother and daughter embraced and wept beside the cold pile of bricks amidst the swirling dust, their cries suppressed yet sorrowful.
......
Ye Fan watched this scene silently, feeling as if a heavy stone was lodged in his chest.
Instead of immediately going forward to disturb them, he turned his gaze to a foreman-like man not far away who was standing with his hands on his hips, shaking his head as he watched the scene.
Ye Fan walked over, took out a pack of unopened "Hua Zi" cigarettes from his pocket, handed one over, and then took out a lighter to light it for the other person.
The foreman looked at the distinguished young man with some surprise, then glanced at the mother and daughter weeping in the distance, sighed, and softened his tone considerably.
"Sigh," the foreman took a deep drag on his cigarette, the smoke he exhaled particularly clear in the chilly morning air, "Young man, you're that girl's friend, right? To tell you the truth, we don't usually hire female workers here! Carrying bricks, stacking bricks, pushing carts—these are all hard physical jobs; even a man would be exhausted after a day's work!"
He pointed to Li Xiulan, who was still crying: "It was this lady who came to me a few days ago, insisting on giving it a try and begging for a chance. I saw that she was determined and seemed honest, so I let her give it a shot. And what happened?"
The foreman shook his head, his face a mixture of admiration and helplessness: "She's certainly not as strong as those older laborers, but she's incredibly hardworking! While others start work at 7:30 in the morning, she's there at 6:00! While others finish at 5:00 in the afternoon, she can work until 6:30! She barely meets the piecework requirements by working two or three hours longer than others. Tell me, how can a woman's body take that kind of strain?"
The foreman took another drag of his cigarette and said earnestly to Ye Fan, "I don't know what your relationship is with that mother and daughter, but the fact that you drove this girl here suggests you're quite close. The older sister's family must be going through a really tough time, otherwise who would be willing to suffer like this? But this can't go on; they'll collapse from exhaustion sooner or later. To be honest, if you can help, then help."
His gaze held the simplicity and concern unique to those working at the bottom of society.
"I understand, thank you, brother." Ye Fan nodded sincerely. "Please settle her wages for the past few days now. That's all for today."
The foreman was a straightforward man. Without asking any questions, he immediately took out a small notebook and a stack of cash, and counted them out neatly.
Ye Fan took the money and casually stuffed the unopened packet of "Huazi" cigarettes into the foreman's hand: "Brother, take this. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."
The foreman looked at the pack of good cigarettes in his hand, then at the young man in front of him with clear eyes and decisive actions. In the end, he did not refuse, but just sighed heavily, patted Ye Fan on the shoulder, and everything was understood without words.
That sigh contained both helplessness at the hardships of life and a hint of admiration for the young man's sense of responsibility.
......
On the other side, in a corner of the brick factory.
Li Xiulan suppressed her heartache and gently patted the back of her daughter, who was crying and trembling in her arms. Her rough fingers clumsily wiped away the tears and dirt mixed with grime from her face.
"Ling'er...be good, don't cry," her voice was hoarse and nasal, "tell Mom how you found this place?"
This is her biggest confusion and panic at this moment.
Xian Zuling sobbed, explaining haltingly, "I fell asleep in the car last night... right at the entrance of our alley... When I woke up this morning, I just happened to see you leaving, Mom."