Huayu: Starting from an Unemployed Male Model

After fleeing a garment factory in Jiaxing, Jiangsu and Zhejiang last month, Yang Chaoyue traveled to the metropolis of Shanghai to work.

Without education or connections, he couldn't find a good job for the time being, so he could only work as a waiter in a restaurant with his fellow villagers.

Working ten hours a day, with an hourly wage of 19 yuan, one can earn at least 5 yuan a month.

I can barely make a living in this metropolis of Shanghai.

Even so, the foreman said that she and her fellow townsman were lucky. Two months ago, the hourly wage in Shanghai was 18 yuan, but after they came, the policy changed it to 19 yuan.

On a daily basis, Yang Chaoyue's job is to serve dishes, clear the table, and clean.

Life is simple, but it's tedious and exhausting.

At first, I was full of enthusiasm, but after a month, it felt like I was back in a garment factory.

Dry and tasteless.

She often reflects on whether she should have come to Shanghai, her initial anticipation turning into numbness.

Shanghai is beautiful, especially at night, when all kinds of illuminated signs shimmer with enchanting colors.

But this doesn't belong to an ordinary person like myself.

Work has taken up all her time; she doesn't even have time to dress up or stroll around the metropolis with her fellow villagers.

Feeling lost and busy are her current life states.

"Coming, coming." Yang Chaoyue heard the foreman's call over the walkie-talkie.

Five thick, dark steak plates were stacked together. Yang Chaoyue tried to lift them, but it was a bit difficult.

Glancing at the foreman's stern, almost murderous gaze, Yang Chaoyue gritted her teeth and carried the five iron plates.

She only breathed a sigh of relief after carrying it all the way to the kitchen sink.

"Chaoyue, are you free to go see a movie after get off work tonight?" A young chef wearing a white hat approached him.

"No time, I'm exhausted, I need to sleep," Yang Chaoyue refused without hesitation.

Undeterred, the young chef continued to persuade him: "I heard there will be a big star at tonight's preview screening, so I asked someone to get me two tickets."

Yang Chaoyue retorted: "Can a big star give me a job? Can a big star give me money? If not, I won't go."

The young chef got carried away and waved his hand, saying, "I make over ten thousand a month. I have money; I can support you."

Yang Chaoyue held out her hand: "Give me 500 first, let's see how strong I am."

The young chef looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot to fry the steak. We'll talk about it later."

After saying that, he left.

"Tch." Yang Chaoyue curled her lip.

Yang Chaoyue had a small head and delicate features. Even without makeup, she still stood out as graceful and beautiful.

Several young men in the restaurant had a crush on her, and the one who was most persistent in pursuing her was the young chef from earlier.

Yang Chaoyue looked down on him: he was short, ugly, fat, smoked, and often talked nonsense.

She claims to care about others, but is actually selfish. She cooks the wrong dish herself and then blames Yang Chaoyue for writing the wrong recipe.

She often boasts that she owns an apartment in Shanghai and that if she were with him, she would never have to worry about food or drink.

He's stingy; I heard from colleagues that when they go out shopping or eating, he always takes advantage of them.

Yang Chaoyue wasn't the only one they were talking about; there were two or three other waitresses before she arrived.

"Chaoyue, what are you dawdling for? Table 13 needs cleaning." The supervisor's hoarse voice came through the walkie-talkie.

Helpless, Yang Chaoyue picked up the walkie-talkie and replied, "Coming, coming."

After working for several hours straight, it was finally time to get off work.

Yang Chaoyue finally saw her fellow villager Yang Xiujuan and complained, "My Juan, where have you been? I haven't seen you all night."

Yang Xiujuan complained indignantly, "That old hag made me, a woman, work with several men to move materials in the warehouse. It was exhausting."

"You go to the warehouse, leave me here. That old hag is making me work all night, I'm so sad." Yang Chaoyue was exhausted from working and leaned on the villager.

The two girls supported each other as they walked towards their dormitory.

The restaurant provides meals and accommodation, but the dormitory is three kilometers away from the restaurant. To save money, the two of them usually walk back.

"Turn on the air conditioner, it's so hot!" Yang Chaoyue took out the remote control and turned on the air conditioner as soon as she returned to her dormitory.

In June, the temperature in Shanghai began to rise slowly, and the two of them were covered in sweat as they walked.

"Wearing contact lenses all day is exhausting. Why am I the only nearsighted person in my family? It's so annoying."

The first thing Yang Chaoyue did upon returning to her dormitory was to remove her contact lenses. She is nearsighted with a prescription of 700 degrees and wears contact lenses for work.

"Why don't you just wear framed glasses?" Yang Xiujuan asked curiously.

"It's that old hag again. On my first day at work, she said I looked ugly in glasses and asked if I could wear contact lenses."

"Comfortable," Yang Chaoyue said, taking off her contact lenses, putting on her framed glasses, lying on the bed, opening a pirated website, and watching "Ode to Joy." "Let's watch it again."

Yang Xiujuan saw her watching it again and couldn't help but laugh and cry: "You've watched it twice already, don't you get tired of it?"

Yang Chaoyue chuckled and said, "Don't you think it's great? I like Qiu Yingying the most; she's brave and cute."

Yang Xiujuan retorted, "Andy is the best."

Since its premiere on April 17 on Zhejiang TV and Dragon TV, "Ode to Joy" has sparked a ratings frenzy.

The two often watched TV series on pirated websites late at night.

Yang Xiujuan, a fellow villager, likes Andy, believing her to be intelligent, wealthy, charming, and a high-earning returnee from overseas.

Yang Chaoyue likes Qiu Yingying because she thinks Qiu Yingying is like herself. She comes from a poor family, has no resources or background, and is not particularly capable, but she is stubborn and strong in living in the big city.

She doesn't have Andy's ability to solve problems logically, nor is she as adept at interpersonal relationships as Fan Shengmei, nor does she have the strong family support of Qu Xiaoxiao.

It's not even as good as Guan Juer getting into a Fortune 500 company right after graduation thanks to her family connections.

Even when she was bullied as a new employee, she still bravely fought back.

Yang Chaoyue felt that even if she reached Qiu Yingying's age, she wouldn't have her courage.

After the two discussed the plot for a while, Yang Chaoyue, who was watching the show, suddenly realized that her fellow villager had gone silent.

Pressing the pause button, Yang Chaoyue turned her head and found her fellow villager hesitating, as if he wanted to say something.

"What's wrong? Are you constipated?" Yang Chaoyue asked Yang Xiujuan with concern as usual.

Yang Xiujuan took a deep breath and said something that shocked Yang Chaoyue: "I'm going home to get married."

"Huh?" Yang Chaoyue was completely dumbfounded.

Yang Xiujuan, her face drooping, continued, "My mom is calling me back to get married."

"Are you sure?" Yang Chaoyue stood up abruptly. "Are you crazy? You're only 19!"

"My mother said that I haven't earned a single penny in the year I've been in Shanghai, so I might as well go home, get married, and use the dowry money to pay for my younger brother's education." Yang Xiujuan's face became calm.

Yang Chaoyue's expression turned ugly: "You're still young, you'll make a lot of money in the future, you don't need to get married so early."

"I said this to myself when I graduated from junior high school and went to work. From working in a factory to working as a waitress in Shanghai, it seems like I've changed, but actually nothing has changed."

"My dad injured his leg two years ago and can't work anymore. My mom has lung disease and can't do heavy work. My younger brother is still young. I'm the only one in the family who earns money."

"I send my monthly salary back home, keeping only a few hundred yuan for living expenses. I haven't bought any new clothes for several years."

Yang Xiujuan's eyes were red and swirling with tears.

Yang Chaoyue went over and hugged her, gently patting her back.

"I'll go home after this month's work. I've told the foreman, and I've already bought the train ticket." Yang Xiujuan burst into tears, which dripped onto Yang Chaoyue's shoulder, soaking a large area.

"But we can't sacrifice your happiness." Yang Chaoyue also started crying.

"This is the 136 yuan I saved up, and a few photos of me here. I'm giving them to you now, so you can survive in this big city for me."

Yang Xiujuan pushed Yang Chaoyue aside, took out a worn-out gift box from the cabinet behind her, and handed it over.

Yang Chaoyue resisted, but was forced into his arms.

"I'm going to take a shower first," Yang Xiujuan said, wiping away her tears as she left.

Yang Chaoyue held the gift box, dazed and confused, her mind a complete mess.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the internet unconsciously, not knowing what to look at or what I should look at.

I don't want to watch "Ode to Joy," and I don't browse the clothing stores I've saved on Taobao. I just keep switching between different apps and scrolling through them.

I saw on Weibo that a blogger named [Wei Jun Studio] was recruiting actors.

It's 200 yuan a day, including food and drinks, and they reimburse travel expenses for interviews. That's more than she earns in a day.

I don't know why, but I inexplicably sent my photo over.

Perhaps it was resentment, or perhaps it was a desire to live a different way.