The programmer and his woman

The next day I arrived at the factory early. Sister Zhang came earlier than me and seemed to be waiting for me. When she saw me, she said, "Xiaodong, you are here. I will be out for a while. You stay in the factory. I may not be back until the afternoon. I left you lunch money on the table. You can buy your own lunch at noon. I will not be back at noon."

I looked at the money she had left for me on the table, and thought to myself that Sister Zhang was a really nice person, but it was not easy for her to raise such a young child by herself, and she needed money right away, so I couldn't take it. I said to her, "Sister, I can just go home for lunch, so you don't have to give me the money."

When she heard me say this, she stuffed the money into my hand and said, "Take it. I said lunch is provided. I'm leaving now."

Before I could say anything, she hurried away carrying Xiaobao on her back.

After Sister Zhang left, the factory received several faxes, all of which were about printing labels. I printed all the words in one morning. I saw how Sister Zhang cut the words before, so I also tried to cut the printed words. After cutting, I found that they were not bad. I cut faster and faster, and I finished cutting all the words in a short while.

I went out to eat at noon and had some money left, so I used the remaining money to buy some masks for Sister Zhang. I also followed Sister Zhang's example to spray the words and then let them dry. I felt very happy looking at these finished cloth labels. I didn't expect that the effect of my own work would be quite good.

I was just about to deliver the finished work to those advertising shops, when I saw Sister Zhang coming back with a frustrated and exhausted look on her face. So I excitedly showed Sister Zhang the results of my day's work.

"Look, Sister Zhang, I've done so many orders today."

Sister Zhang hugged me and started crying while holding me. "My dear brother, you are so capable. It is I who am useless. I have been running around all day. I wanted to find another place for us to live, but the rent is too expensive. I can't afford it even if I give up everything I have."

I patted Sister Zhang on the back and comforted her, "Sister, don't worry. If you can't find it today, try again tomorrow. There will always be a way."

So he changed the subject and said, "Sister, you gave me too much money for meals today. I didn't use it all. I bought some masks with the remaining money and put them on the table in the yard. Remember to wear a mask next time you spray paint. You must be tired after running all day. You and the children should go into the house and rest for a while. I will deliver these finished works to the store first."

After paying the bill, I happily held up the money I earned today and showed it to Sister Zhang.

"Sister, guess how much we earned today. Look, sister," I excitedly handed over the dozen dollars in my hand. This is what we earned today. If we keep doing this, our business will definitely get better and better."

Sister Zhang smiled at me, as if she had made up her mind, and said, "Well, Xiaodong, you are right. I have made up my mind. I want to do something for the factory. I have to trouble you tomorrow. Go back and tell your family that I will stay here for overtime tomorrow and go home later. Is that okay?"

"Oh ok, what's wrong sis?" I asked.

"I have to go out tomorrow and may not be back until late. I can't take Xiaobao with me tomorrow, so I'd like to trouble you to look after him for me tomorrow." There was a hint of apology in Sister Zhang's tone. She gently stroked Xiaobao's head, her eyes full of tenderness.

"It's not a big deal. Xiaobao is so cute and I'm happy to take care of him." I responded with a smile, and I understood Sister Zhang's helplessness and reluctance.

The next day, there was still a lot of work to do in the factory. When I was about to deliver the last batch of work, Sister Zhang stopped me and said, "Xiaodong, that's it for today. I'll deliver the remaining orders tomorrow. I have to go out now, so Xiaobao is in your hands." Sister Zhang picked up a bottle from the table and handed it to me. "This is the milk I just filled. If it's too cold, warm it up with hot water. I'll try to come back as soon as possible. I'm so sorry to bother you again."

I took the bottle and felt its moderate temperature, which warmed my heart. I looked at Sister Zhang and said seriously, "Sister, don't worry. I will take good care of Xiaobao, you don't have to worry."

After hearing what I said, Sister Zhang seemed to feel relieved. She nodded to me and looked back at Xiaobao, her eyes full of reluctance. But she still turned and left, leaving Xiaobao and I in the room.

I felt that Sister Zhang had something to do today. Unlike the last time when she went out to look for an apartment, she usually didn't wear makeup, but today she put on light makeup. She also changed her work clothes into a hip skirt with high stockings, which outlined her figure perfectly. I didn't expect that Sister Zhang was so beautiful after dressing up.

But I didn't expect that this beautiful scene would be so short-lived in my eyes. I watched Sister Zhang's back walk into the teaching building, and then watched the backs of two people walk out of the school. I was so familiar with that back, it was the bald old man I saw that day. Although I am too old to understand the helplessness of the adult world, what should have been a beautiful scene made me see a sad scene. I looked at Xiaobao sleeping soundly on the bed, and my heart felt like it was pressed by a heavy stone, heavy and difficult to breathe.

I don't know how long it took, but Xiaobao woke up. She was very obedient and didn't cry or make a fuss. She watched me typing on the computer attentively. I looked up at the sky. It was already dark. The bright moonlight was like a veil in the yard, as if it brought a ray of light before dawn to the endless night. It makes you believe that the sun will rise tomorrow and tomorrow will be a sunny day, but will it really be?

I was immersed in my thoughts, when suddenly the door was pushed open with a creak, breaking my meditation. I looked up and saw Sister Zhang hurried in, her face full of tension and fatigue.

As soon as Sister Zhang entered the room, she anxiously glanced around the room, and her eyes finally settled on Xiaobao and I. When she saw that we were safe and sound, her tense nerves seemed to relax, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did Xiaobao cause you any trouble?" Sister Zhang asked softly, with a tremor in her voice.

"No, Sister Zhang, we are all fine." I replied, pointing at Xiaobao who was watching me work on the computer, "Xiaobao is very well behaved. He just drank milk and is watching me work now."

I looked at Sister Zhang and saw that her hair was disheveled and her skirt was torn, revealing her snow-white thighs. At this moment, she was holding the torn areas tightly with both hands and trying to cover them up. Even so, you could still see that her thigh socks were also torn, and her legs were covered with scars.

Seeing this, my heart suddenly tightened, and a surge of anger rushed to my head. I stood up, walked to Sister Zhang, and asked with concern: "Sister Zhang, what's wrong with you? I know you went to see him today. Did he beat you?"

When Sister Zhang heard what I said, a trace of fear and uneasiness flashed in her eyes. She looked down at herself, then raised her head, her eyes filled with tears. She said in a trembling voice: "Xiaodong, I... I'm fine. Don't ask anymore."

I sighed deeply, looking at Sister Zhang's haggard but determined face, my heart was filled with helplessness and anger. I held her hand tightly and said firmly: "Sister, it doesn't matter if we quit this factory, we can always find other ways out. But we can never let you continue to be bullied by that bastard.

When Sister Zhang heard this, tears welled up again. She sobbed and held my hand tightly, saying in a choked voice: "Xiaodong, I know you really care about me, but I beg you, please don't go find him. If you go find him now, all our efforts will be in vain."

Hearing her say this, I calmed down.

She paused and said to me, "Xiaodong's incident is over. We should be able to calm down for a while. It's getting late. You should go home early and don't let your family worry. Thank you for helping me take care of Xiaobao today. You helped me so much today."

In the following days, just as Sister Zhang said, everything was very peaceful. The factory took on more and more work. Seeing the factory getting better, our hearts were filled with hope. Until this day, the peace was broken.

"Who is the person in charge here?" A figure appeared at the door with a loud shout. Sister Zhang answered, "It's me. What can I do for you?" The man introduced himself, "I am here on behalf of the school to inform you that your office needs to complete the demolition within this month. Please vacate the house and move out as soon as possible in the next two days."

"Wait, sir, whose message are you conveying?" Sister Zhang looked puzzled. "It was Director Xu who promised me to rent this place for a long time."

"Where did Director Xu come from? He no longer exists!" The other party answered firmly, "The original Director Xu was promoted and has been transferred to another school as the vice principal. And our principal was also transferred to the new school. Today, the school leadership has been completely replaced. To tell you the truth, the bungalow you are in is already dilapidated and in disrepair. It poses a huge safety hazard, so it must be demolished." After that, he turned around and pointed to the workers beside him and ordered: "Come on, all of you, write the six big words 'Do not approach dangerous buildings' on this wall, and write the big word 'demolish' over there, and make sure it is written clearly and conspicuously!"

Hearing this, Sister Zhang seemed to be hit by an invisible heavy hammer. She stood there in a daze, and time seemed to stand still at this moment. She stared at the glaring red words, her pupils filled with fear and confusion. Her legs suddenly lost strength, and she sat down on the cold concrete floor.

I rushed forward and tried to help her up, but Zhang waved her hands weakly, signaling me not to bother with her. I looked around and saw several uniformed staff working busy, their tools leaving indelible marks on the wall.

"Hey, stop it, you can't write, you can't write, this is our factory, stop it!" I shouted loudly, trying to stop them. However, my voice seemed so weak in the empty factory, as if it was blown away by the wind.

"Hey, kid, don't interfere with public service. If you try to stop me again, I will call the police and have you arrested." A middle-aged man who seemed to be in charge shouted at me, his face full of impatience and warning.

I stopped helplessly and turned to ask Sister Zhang: "Sister, what's going on? What should we do? Should we go ask Director Xu?"

Sister Zhang looked up at me. Her face was no longer as strong and optimistic as before, but full of despair and powerlessness. She waved her hands and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't look for it anymore. I guess I can't find it anymore. I was fooled by that Xu."

I held her hand tightly, trying to give her some strength. I asked, "Sister, what's going on?"

Sister Zhang took a deep breath, as if she wanted to suck all the pain into her stomach. She spoke slowly, her voice full of regret and anger: "He should have known last month that he would be transferred to another place, so he was so eager to ask me to give him a benefit before the end of the month, otherwise he would make me vacate the house. I didn't think too much at the time, thinking that he just wanted some benefits, but I didn't expect that he had already planned to demolish our factory."

I listened to Sister Zhang's words, and I couldn't help but feel angry. Director Xu is so despicable!

At this time, Sister Zhang was seen cursing hysterically like a madman: "Xu, you bastard, you beast in human clothing, you liar, you pervert." After cursing for a while, she seemed to be tired of cursing and suddenly became quiet.

After calming down, she said, "It seems that we really have to break up this time. Xiaodong, thank you for helping me so much. Without you, my place would have collapsed long ago and would not have lasted until now. There is really no other way this time. I will find a scrap collector to clear out all the things and pay you your salary. When you came here, you said you would get 600 yuan a month, but thanks to your busy work here for more than half a month, we can split the money you earn equally."