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墨書 Inktalez
The temperature inside the room rose sharply. Fei Hu wiped the sweat from his brow and sat up helplessly. He had lost the job of frying rice noodles and needed to find another one; otherwise, when the rent was due, the landlady would not let him off easily.
Fei Hu tried to avoid busy areas, fearing that those yellow-haired informants would cause him trouble again. For the past few days, he couldn't stop thinking about this issue. Was he really being chased every day just for a single pill? He considered calling the police, but quickly dismissed the idea, recalling what Head Nurse Sun Li had told him.
In City A, a grand international metropolis, there should be plenty of job opportunities. However, for Fei Hu, it felt almost impossible. He had already spent half a day searching; either there were no job openings or when he showed up, people would take one look at him and simply say, "No." Did he look too unattractive or carry an air of a thug? Fei Hu was extremely troubled.
Suddenly, a job advertisement on a wire pole caught his attention. It stated that Jianghan Dock was hiring dockworkers with immediate payment. This was an opportunity! Fei Hu had plenty of strength, so he hurried to the address listed. The person hiring was a balding middle-aged man who sized up Fei Hu and pointed to a large burlap sack, saying, "This sack contains corn, weighing 120 pounds. Carry it onto the ship."
Fei Hu approached, bent down, grabbed each corner of the sack with both hands, and with a grunt, lifted it onto his back. For Fei Hu, 120 pounds wasn't too heavy. He walked lightly up the gangplank; however, trouble soon arose as the gangplank swayed up and down. But Fei Hu quickly found his balance and managed to walk across.
The balding middle-aged man smiled slightly and said, "Not bad. You can start working now! Carrying one bag on and off the ship pays 50 cents each; the more you carry, the more you earn." Fei Hu nodded and began his work.
Carrying one bag was easy, but carrying multiple bags became increasingly difficult. Sweat soaked through Fei Hu's clothes; when he touched his hair, it was drenched. That wasn't even the worst part—by the end of it all, with every step he took, his legs trembled slightly, and worst of all, his stomach was uncomfortably growling nonstop. When Fei Hu finally tossed the last bag onto the deck, he collapsed onto the ship, closing his eyes tightly and not wanting to move at all while sweat continued to pour down his body. He felt like he was about to collapse from exhaustion.
The balding middle-aged man walked over to him and said with a smile, "Young man, not bad! You carried a total of 98 bags this afternoon; I'll count it as 100 for you. Here’s 50 yuan—take it! There will be another ship coming tonight; do you want to work overtime?"
Fei Hu took the money and shook his head with difficulty; he felt like his body was falling apart.
The balding middle-aged man looked at him and smiled. "Alright then! Go home early to rest and come back tomorrow."
Fei Hu didn't even want to move; he just wanted to sleep right there. But the discomfort in his stomach made it unbearable. He had no choice but to get up and went to a noodle shop where he devoured two large bowls of noodles, causing the shop owner to shake his head in disbelief.
"Man is iron; food is steel," was certainly true. After finishing two bowls of noodles, Fei Hu felt revitalized. He didn't want to take a bus back; instead, he wanted to walk while looking around at how enchanting this international metropolis was at night.
Unknowingly, Fei Hu walked into an unusually bustling street, seemingly called Fangzhou Road. The shops on both sides were extravagantly decorated, and the neon lights at the entrances alternated in captivating colors. Through the glass doors, women dressed in revealing outfits posed provocatively, enticing men with wavering intentions.
Fei Hu found it amusing and deliberately paused in front of a shop named Sister Massage. A woman sitting on a sofa and gazing outside noticed the greed in Fei Hu's eyes. Suddenly, she hiked up her not-so-long skirt to her waist and spread her legs apart. Oh my! Fei Hu nearly had a nosebleed as he caught sight of a red patch between her snow-white thighs.
When Fei Hu realized what was happening, he quickly stepped into the shop, only to hear shouts from behind: "Damn country bumpkin, can't even afford to look!"
Every time Fei Hu heard someone call him a country bumpkin, he felt furious. So what if he was short on cash? One day, he would make everyone see him differently, and those snobbish women would be circling around him naked. Just as Fei Hu found his earlier thoughts ridiculous, a woman in a red short skirt suddenly dashed out from a nightclub, pursued closely by a chubby man.
As the woman ran, she opened the door of a red car parked by the roadside. Just as she was about to step inside, the chubby man lunged forward, grabbing her arm and pulling her back down. The woman angrily tried to shake him off, but his grip was too strong.
"Xia Yan, you ungrateful bitch! You've stood me up too many times!" the man cursed breathlessly.
Xia Yan—no wonder this woman's figure and the car looked familiar; could it really be her? Fei Hu quickened his pace.
Seeing that she couldn't break free, Xia Yan had no choice but to suppress her displeasure and said softly, "Chen, I'm not feeling well; my period just started."
"To hell with that! You say that every day of the year! I don't believe you today. Whether it's your uncle or your aunt who's come to visit doesn't matter; you're coming with me!" The man's roughness and brutality drew the attention of passersby. Xia Yan buried her head in embarrassment, which only fueled the man's arrogance as he raised his voice even higher.
Fei Hu couldn't help but feel anger rise within him; he detested seeing men bully women like this. He stepped forward and grabbed Chen's hand. With a slight exertion of force, Chen let out a grunt and quickly released Xia Yan's arm. Fei Hu quietly asked, "What business are you in? I've never seen you around here before."
Releasing Chen's hand, Fei Hu coldly replied, "What business I'm in is none of your concern; just don't bully people anymore."
Chen didn't expect this country bumpkin to be so bold as to disrespect him without hesitation. This made him uncomfortable; he had been in this street for several years and no one had dared to treat him with such disrespect. He sized up Fei Hu: long hair touching his shoulders, clothes drenched in sweat, and as a breeze passed by, a strong smell of sweat wafted through the air.
Chen wrinkled his nose, realizing that the man in front of him, who looked like a wild man, was just putting on a show. He raised his hand and waved towards the nightclub behind him, and two men who looked like security guards rushed out, respectfully saying, "Chen, what are your orders?"
"This kid is acting like a big shot here. Bring him inside and treat him well," Chen said fiercely.
Seeing this, Xia Yan quickly stepped forward and stood in front of Fei Hu, saying, "Chen, he doesn't understand. Let him go; I'll go back with you."
"You filthy brat, now you're acting all coy and want to leave? I don't want you anymore. What, this guy is your wild man? Are you heartbroken? Don't worry; I'll make him scream," Chen said with a lewd grin, as if Fei Hu were his sworn enemy.
The two men approached Fei Hu and pushed Xia Yan aside before they started to grab at Fei Hu. This was clearly not an invitation but an arrest. Since it was an arrest, Fei Hu wouldn't hold back. Understanding the situation, he blocked their hands with both arms.
It seemed these two were not pushovers. Their first attempt missed, and they switched tactics from grabbing to attacking, throwing punches aimed at Fei Hu's sides. Seeing this, Fei Hu realized it was too late to dodge. He sank down, his legs planted firmly on the cement floor, and simultaneously threw punches that collided with theirs. Both men let out a light gasp and quickly stepped back two paces, raising their hands to reveal blood streaming down their wrists, their faces filled with shock.
Seizing the opportunity, while the two were still stunned, Fei Hu leaped into the air and kicked out at both men. The crowd gasped as both men staggered back several steps before collapsing to the ground. Chen didn't expect Fei Hu to be so formidable and turned to run in fear. Just as Fei Hu was about to chase after him, Xia Yan suddenly grabbed him and pulled him into the car.
With a slam on the gas pedal, the Red Sedan honked its horn and surged into traffic. Xia Yan remained silent as she swerved left and right through dangerous situations, provoking shouts of anger from pedestrians. Fei Hu thought to himself how crazy this woman was acting; he couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "I don't want to die yet! I still want to get married!" This old-fashioned line surprisingly amused Xia Yan.
Finally stopping by the roadside, Xia Yan turned her face towards Fei Hu and softly said, "Thank you for saving me again. I really feel ashamed to face you," and she unexpectedly began to cry softly.
Fei Hu couldn't understand why she was so upset despite sitting in a car in such a situation. He wondered if he should have already gone to meet Yama (the King of Hell). He truly couldn't comprehend why people could be so complicated.
Since childhood, his grandfather had taught him that contentment brings happiness; thus, even in such dire circumstances, Fei Hu had never felt discouraged. Tears were something he hadn't shed in over ten years. As Xia Yan cried, she suddenly turned around and threw herself into Fei Hu's arms, her softness pressing against his chest. In that instant, Fei Hu was completely stunned.
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