Chapter 6: Shazhu's Lunchbox

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After speaking, Qin Huairu ignored Xu Damou and walked past him, returning to the central courtyard through the small western passage. Just as she turned from the passage, she heard Bang Geng, who had been off playing somewhere, excitedly yelping, “Silly Uncle, give me the lunchbox you brought. Bang Geng’s hungry. Please? Silly Uncle…” Qin Huairu frowned. That must be Shazhu back; she quickened her pace.

She happened to meet Jia Zhangshi, who was coming out of her own house. The two exchanged a glance before looking together toward Shazhu, who was walking through the hallway, with Bang Geng circling around him.

Shazhu staggered with an air of arrogance, carrying an aluminum lunchbox in a net bag, his expression full of pride. If not for his messy hair that always looked like he just woke up and his untidy cotton clothes, his demeanor would have been that of a domineering CEO making an entrance.

Qin Huairu glanced at Shazhu, bent down to place the cabbage she was holding on the doorstep of her house, then called out to Bang Geng, “Bang Geng, why are you circling around your silly uncle? Come back quickly; it’s time to eat.”

Bang Geng pretended not to hear and kept circling, though it was clear he was focused on the lunchbox Shazhu was holding. However, he only circled and didn’t dare to reach out or grab it; instead, he murmured repeatedly to Shazhu the same words as before.

Qin Huairu’s face darkened. Jia Zhangshi, however, crossed her arms and watched with keen interest, as if waiting to see what Shazhu would do.

Qin Huairu called again, “Bang Geng, come back quickly, don’t be annoying. I’ve made you some cornmeal porridge; come eat.”

Bang Geng replied, “I don’t want cornmeal porridge. I want meat. I smell meat in Silly Uncle’s lunchbox. I want the meat inside.”

Qin Huairu felt unusually sentimental today, her emotions easily stirred. Bang Geng often acted like this, but for some reason, today she felt particularly distressed and irritated. Normally, she would just scold Bang Geng lightly and not think much of it, but now she felt wronged, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks.

Shazhu, who had been secretly watching her, saw this. He had been distracted, feeling that Sister Qin looked especially beautiful today for some unknown reason, leaving him momentarily stunned, his mind swirling with thoughts.

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But seeing Qin Huairu’s tears, he immediately panicked, his heart aching with sympathy. Without hesitation, he hurried over and handed her the lunchbox. “Sister Qin, here, someone invited me to cook today. I brought this special lunchbox back just for you. Don’t worry, it’s not leftovers; it was specifically saved. You can warm it up later to satisfy little Bang Geng’s cravings.”

His tone was full of pride, his face beaming with enthusiasm, eyes fixed on Qin Huairu, finding her more and more beautiful.

“Sister Qin is always fair-skinned, but today you look rosy and radiant. You seem even more captivating than usual,” Shazhu thought happily to himself, not noticing that the lunchbox was taken from his hand.

He thought Qin Huairu had accepted it, feeling pleased. But then he heard her say, “Mom, why are you taking Shazhu’s lunchbox? Give it back to him.”

“Didn’t you hear Shazhu say it’s for Bang Geng’s cravings? Shazhu, you brought the food back at just the right time. Bang Geng’s hungry and craving it. I’ll warm it up for him; he can eat it with steamed buns later.”

By the time Shazhu came to his senses, he saw Jia Zhangshi happily carrying his lunchbox back inside. Little Bang Geng, who had been circling him, followed his grandmother home, yelping as he went.

Only Qin Huairu remained, her eyes red and embarrassed, standing there looking at Shazhu. Her pitiful demeanor softened Shazhu’s heart, and he quickly said, “I ate plenty while cooking. Bang Geng’s just craving it; let him eat more to grow strong.”

He was about to seize the moment to say more intimate words when Jia Dongxu stumbled leisurely through the hallway and entered the courtyard.

Hearing the noise, Qin Huairu turned and immediately grew anxious, no longer able to speak to Shazhu. She complained, “Oh no, who have you been drinking with again? You know you can’t handle alcohol, yet you keep trying to show off. Look at how dirty you are from falling.”

Jia Dongxu had obviously fallen many times; his clothes were a mess, covered in dirty snow and mud. Hearing Qin Huairu’s voice, he barely reacted, his drunken eyes blinking drowsily as he chuckled foolishly.

As he walked toward Qin Huairu, his legs buckled, and he stumbled to the ground.

“Oh!” Qin Huairu cried out and rushed to help him. Shazhu hurried over too. The two of them, flustered and scrambling, helped the thoroughly drunk Jia Dongxu inside.

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After leaving Qin Huairu’s house, Shazhu sighed, holding the net bag with the now-empty lunchbox. He lifted the box in front of his eyes, shaking his head with a bitter smile, clicking his tongue before heading toward his own home next door.

Jia Dongxu had gotten thoroughly drunk and filthy today. Qin Huairu tidied him up until late at night before he finally lay down to sleep.

The whole house still smelled of alcohol, and she couldn’t help but sigh. They hadn’t seen each other for many days, and she hadn’t expected today to unfold like this. Still, it was somewhat a relief—she had no mood or energy to deal with him, which saved her a lot of trouble.

Outside, Jia Zhangshi had deliberately taken Bang Geng up to her bed to sleep. By now, it was quiet; he was probably fast asleep.

Qin Huairu lay awake alone under the warm quilt, the heated kang beneath her making her feel restless. Her thoughts had already drifted to the front yard, recalling the absurd incident from the afternoon. She sighed again—seemed like the kang was burning too hot today, making her body feel uncomfortably agitated.

…

Back when Liu Haizhong tricked her predecessor into transferring to the steel mill’s coal yard as a loader, he only mentioned the benefits: 24 yuan the first year, 32 the second. He never spoke of the harsh working conditions or the labor intensity, and certainly not that 32 yuan was the salary cap.

Beijing’s defining feature is its relentless wind, strong and ceaseless throughout the year, only varying in intensity.

Working as a loader in the coal yard meant daily exposure to coal dust swirling everywhere.

Unloading coal was manageable—whether it came by small train from the station or large trucks into the steel mill, you just shoveled it down. Once you mastered the technique and went with the flow, it wasn’t too taxing.

The real challenge was loading coal—distributing it to various workshops, loading onto small trains and trucks. The steel mill’s loading and unloading were hardly mechanized, relying entirely on manual labor.

Loading meant first filling bamboo baskets, which were then passed hand-to-hand between two people on and off the vehicles, dumping coal onto the vehicles, then passing the baskets back down. This process repeated endlessly.