Volume 1, Chapter 5: Heaven Never Shuts Every Door

As Team Leader Li finished his tirade, my brother happened to walk over.

In an instant, Team Leader Li’s expression shifted completely. He smiled and patted my brother on the shoulder. "Don't you worry, Old Chen, it’s all taken care of."

My brother naturally showered him with thanks.

Team Leader Li waved his hand, dismissing the gratitude, then turned to look at me with a solemn, earnest gaze.

"Young man, I’ve arranged this job for you, but whether you can keep it depends on your own skill. Remember, if you hit a snag, find a way to overcome it. Don't give up easily—don't let your brother down."

I stared at his "smiling" face, completely at a loss for how to respond. It wasn't that I was a coward; I had just come from the countryside and had never encountered this kind of maliciousness, which I found utterly revolting.

My brother, however, kept tugging at me, urging me to thank him.

Thank him for what? I kept a straight face and said nothing.

"No need, no need, it was just a small favor," Team Leader Li continued. "Xiao Hui, Yuzhu, go get familiar with the dorms. Come find me in Group Three in half an hour."

With that, Team Leader Li walked away. My brother, noticing my strange demeanor, asked if I was feeling unwell.

"No, I was just spacing out." I didn't want my brother to worry about me.

He didn't pry further, but reminded Yuzhu and me that just because we were in the factory didn't mean we were officially hired. Since we were novices, we had to undergo a period of training and pass an assessment before we could sign formal contracts.

"You two need to listen to Team Leader Li. He’ll teach you. The sooner you pass your assessment, the sooner you can start working and earning money. Understand?"

Sister Yuzhu nodded repeatedly, but my heart sank. "Brother, what happens if we can't learn it well?"

"What do you mean you can't learn it?" My brother rolled his eyes. "Beginners start on flat-bed machines; it’s very simple. Apply yourself, and you’ll get the hang of it in three to five days. The assessment covers pocket sewing and opening—also simple. As long as you put your heart into it, it won't be a problem."

"But what if we really can't learn it and fail the assessment?" I pressed.

"Ah Hui, have some backbone, will you? Everyone else can do it, and you're not missing an arm or anything..."

"Brother, just answer me: what happens if we fail the assessment?" I interrupted him.

"What happens? You can't get hired, you go back to the village to farm. What else?" My brother was growing impatient.

My heart sank again, and I realized exactly what Team Leader Li meant when he said he would "play me to death." If he intentionally refused to teach me or just went through the motions, I wouldn't pass the assessment, I wouldn't get the job, and I would become the laughingstock everyone looked down on.

I must pass the assessment! I would find a way, no matter what!

A person fights for their dignity! I would die before I let Team Leader Li see me fail!

With my resolve hardened, Yuzhu and I went to our respective dorms. My brother helped me drop off my luggage and told me to take a shower, then urged me to go with him to report to Team Leader Li’s Group Three.

As I walked into the factory, I ran into Yuzhu. She had changed her clothes and clearly just finished showering, her hair still damp and clinging to her face. With her eyelashes blinking, also damp, she looked like a picture of moving, delicate beauty. I couldn't help but stare.

Yuzhu waved at me, signaling for me to come over. "Xiao Hui, thank you." She pulled a piece of hard candy from her pocket and pressed it into my hand.

I scratched my head and gave a foolish grin, then walked into the workshop with her and my brother.

***

When we reached the Group Three workshop, it was already filled with employees in factory uniforms. They were hunched over their knitting machines, the "buzzing" sound filling the air, along with the scent of cotton that had been scorched by the sun.

Team Leader Li spotted us and nodded at my brother. My brother exchanged a few pleasantries, asked him to look after us, and then headed to his workstation on the right side of the floor.

Team Leader Li then enthusiastically led Yuzhu to an empty station at the very back of the workshop.

When he returned, however, he wore a cold expression and led me to the corner behind the factory entrance. Although there was a flat-bed machine there, it was tucked right next to the restrooms; not only was it reeking, but it was completely blocked from the rest of the workshop.

Then, Team Leader Li tossed a spool of white thread at me. "Thread the machine first." He left me with that and walked back into the workshop.

I held the spool, staring at the various small holes on the machine, completely clueless. But this treatment was exactly what I expected. He wanted to toy with me, to see me make a fool of myself, but I wouldn't give him the satisfaction!

I tilted my head to watch the other employees' machines, trying to copy how they threaded theirs. But as I looked, I saw that Team Leader Li had pulled up a stool and was sitting behind Yuzhu...

He was "guiding" her on how to thread the machine while smiling, constantly pressing his body against hers. Yuzhu's station was at the very back, hidden from the view of the other workers who were buried in their tasks. Yuzhu was biting her lip, her body tensed; she seemed repulsed by his behavior, yet she dared not make a sound.

And how could she dare? She was here all alone, with no one to rely on, needing to earn money for her brother’s medical bills. If she fell out with Team Leader Li and lost this job, what would she do? Where else could she go?

For a moment, I finally understood what she meant the night before—that many things in this society simply cannot be solved by fighting.

But just because she was alone and vulnerable, did that mean she deserved to be bullied by Team Leader Li? I gritted my teeth, gripping the spool so hard my knuckles turned white, frantically thinking of what to do. It is no exaggeration to say that, in that moment, I even considered attacking him!

But then I thought: Yuzhu still needed to earn money in this factory. If I threw a punch because of her, wouldn't I just be dragging her down and making things worse?

Fortunately, heaven never closes all doors. Just as I was at my wits' end, someone I recognized walked into the workshop with two other employees. It was the office manager who had helped us register our dorms earlier.

The manager called Team Leader Li over and said something to him. Team Leader Li nodded with a smile, then gestured for Yuzhu and me to come over.

"Xiao Hui, Yuzhu, Group Three has a rush order. You two should go report to Group Five. The leader there will teach you. You need to work hard, understand?"

My heart leaped with joy, and Yuzhu nodded as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

As the manager turned to lead us out of the Group Three workshop, I caught a glimpse of Team Leader Li. The expression behind his glasses had turned ashen, as if he’d just swallowed something foul.

Of course he was upset. He had helped us get into the factory specifically to bully Yuzhu and humiliate me. But the manager’s sudden arrival had turned his secret scheme into nothing. And yet, he still had to follow through with getting us into the factory. How could he not be furious?

"Don't be in such a hurry, the road is long..." Team Leader Li seemed to notice me watching him, his voice laced with a grinding, venomous tone.

I ignored him completely. I’d heard enough hollow threats; most were just pathetic posturing.

We followed the manager to Group Five. The leader of Group Five, in a sense, became a very important woman in my life—the one who truly initiated me into the "underworld."

Her name was Zeng Jing, a young woman in her thirties. Her husband was a well-known boss in our area who had been involved in many brutal street fights. As for why such an "underboss's wife" was working in a factory, or how a factory could accommodate someone with such a complex background—I didn't know at the time.

If I had known then, perhaps I would have preferred to stay in Team Leader Li’s Group Three.

When I first saw Zeng Jing, I finally understood the term "underboss's wife" in a concrete way. Bright red lipstick, high heels—even in a shapeless factory uniform, she couldn't hide the arrogance and coldness that radiated from her.

She didn't make things difficult for us. Although she was a woman of few words, she taught us with meticulous detail. We followed the other employees and called her "Sister Jing."

At noon, when work stopped, my brother found me and asked me to go to the canteen to eat. I invited Yuzhu to join us, and she didn't refuse.

But when we got to the canteen, as my brother handed me a lunchbox, Yuzhu stood there blankly, clutching her stomach and looking completely helpless.

"Did you forget to buy a lunchbox?" my brother asked.

I realized what was happening. After I got our food, I quickly went to Yuzhu and handed her my full lunchbox. "Sister Yuzhu, this is a new lunchbox my brother bought, it’s clean. Eat up."

"But... but what about you, Xiao Hui?"

"I’m not hungry." I pulled Yuzhu to an empty table and pushed the box in front of her.

She must have been starving. She had walked to the station from Changping yesterday, spent the night out in the freezing wind, and hadn't eaten a thing. After thanking me, she started to eat with my spoon. Though she was hungry, she didn't wolf the food down. She covered her mouth with one hand, chewing slowly and delicately, without making a sound.

After a few bites, she used the spoon to scoop up some food and held it out to me, insisting I eat with her. It made me incredibly happy.

As we ate, she took out a handkerchief and wiped a grain of rice from the corner of my mouth, saying her younger brother used to get food all over his face when he ate.

"Sister Yuzhu, stop treating me like a kid," I said, feeling a bit annoyed. "I’m not small anymore! I’m a grown man!"

Before she could respond, another person holding a lunchbox approached us. It was Kang Youwei, wearing a wicked grin. "A grown man? How grown? As big as an elephant?"