The white rose I picked up cried and said she liked me.

I made it home late at night after braving the rain all the way.

Stepping back into the damp, dark little house, Xu Xi sniffed the air. The faint musty smell was still there, yet it brought her a sense of peace.

The room became messy again. In the few days since Xu Xi left, Xu Nian had been running around every day and had no time to clean the house, so it had become slovenly again.

"Focus on recovering. Don't get up in the middle of the night to clean. I won't kick you out if you don't clean, understand?"

Xu Xi nodded.

Xu Nian looked at the layers of gauze covering her clothes and couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

"Go to sleep. I have to go to work tomorrow. You stay home and don't open the door for anyone."

Lying in bed, Xu Nian read the message that the burly man had sent her again.

He works from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The factory is about a 40-minute walk from here, so he has to get up at 7 a.m.

Fortunately, the salary is paid daily, so I'll be able to afford food after get off work tomorrow.

Hopefully, this job will be more stable.

I can earn 100 yuan a day, which is enough to feed two people.

The rain pattered softly outside the window. Xu Nian forced herself to close her eyes and try to fall asleep as soon as possible.

Xu Xi lay on the other side of the bed, unable to sleep for a long time, feeling Xu Nian trembling slightly beside her.

She gently moved her aching body closer to his cheek.

She was somewhat surprised that this seemingly fearless man also had a nervous, uneasy, and hesitant side.

Did Xu Nian have a nightmare?

Xu Xi reached out and hugged Xu Nian, mimicking how her mother comforted her when she was alive.

"The dark sky hung low."

"The bright stars are with me."

"The insects fly, the insects fly."

Who are you missing?

"The stars in the sky are weeping."

"The roses on the ground have withered."

"Cold wind blows, cold wind blows."

"As long as you're with me."

She tried hard to recall the lullabies her mother used to sing, and gently patted Xu Nian's back.

Seeing that Xu Nian had gradually calmed down, Xu Xi stopped what she was doing and slowly brought her head close to his chest.

Listening to Xu Nian's regular heartbeat, Xu Xi gradually felt at ease. She smiled happily and drifted off to sleep.

Mom, don't worry, Xiaoxi has found someone who is willing to protect her.

I hope you're doing well over there.

......

Oh no! I'm going to be late!

Xu Nian ran all the way down the street, only stopping to catch her breath when she encountered a red light.

When he woke up and saw Xu Xi in his arms, he instinctively wanted to push her away.

But Xu Xi's soft snoring was like a kitten constantly teasing his heart, making Xu Nian unable to resist sleeping a little longer.

This one nap led to a major blunder.

It'll be exactly 8 o'clock in 20 minutes. I finally found a job, how can I be late on the first day?

He pushed through the crowds, running with all his might.

......

"Li Lei, Zhang Qiang, head to the Haicheng line."

"Wang Gang, Liu Long, head to the Shancheng Line."

"Zhao Min, Qian Guofu, go to the Guangcheng line."

The burly man held the list and assigned each person who came to report to a job on the assembly line.

He hired fifteen people yesterday, and ten of them came today, which is exactly ten positions available, so he is quite satisfied.

As for the five who didn't show up, he couldn't be bothered to investigate.

Everyone knows that sorting is a difficult job, and he can understand why some people give up.

"Han Liang, Qi Yu, head to the Beijing line."

"No, you want me to go to the Beijing line with this skinny monkey?"

Han Liang pointed at Qi Yu, who was fair-skinned and thin, with a look of dissatisfaction.

"What are you babbling about? You're all grown men, get to work."

The burly man frowned and glared at Han Liang.

"Are you kidding me? The Beijing line has the most goods, and you want me to partner with this 'Little Dog'? Either send me to another line, or find someone else to partner with, or I'm quitting."

"That's fucking slow."

The burly man cursed.

"Li Lei, go and switch with Qi Yu."

Before the burly man could finish speaking, Li Lei quickly slipped away.

He knew his own limitations and knew he couldn't withstand the pressure from the Beijing line.

The burly man called out to everyone, but no one was willing to come to the Beijing line.

"Han Liang, I'll give you an extra twenty yuan, if you put in a little more effort, okay?"

Qi Yu also hurriedly stepped forward to persuade him.

"Brother, I can do it with all my might, let's work together."

Han Liang frowned and sized up Qi Yu for a while.

"Twenty dollars is too little, you should give me at least a hundred more."

"Are you trying to raise your price? Get lost, I don't need you anymore."

The burly man cursed and chased Han Liang away.

He was just a team leader in charge of temporary workers. The money the factory paid him was exactly 100 yuan after he paid the temporary workers their wages.

Han Liang is asking for all of my profits right off the bat. Isn't that just letting me shout all day for nothing?

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Xu Nian hurried to the burly man and wiped the sweat from her brow.

The burly man was delighted; another person had arrived, and he wouldn't have to take over the position himself.

"Xu Nian, you've come at the right time. This is your partner, Qi Yu. You two will be in charge of the Beijing route today."

Seeing that the burly man didn't blame her, Xu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in agreement.

After being taken to the location of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei line, Qi Yu was still shocked by the scene before him, even though he had been prepared.

Goods piled up like a small mountain, and the previous shift's employees sitting on the ground, unable to move.

Qi Yu swallowed hard and asked the burly man in a trembling voice.

"Brother, these are all goods from the Beijing line."

"Yes, let's get to work quickly, another batch will be arriving soon, hurry up."

Xu Nian didn't care; these goods were nothing to him, as he was used to manual labor.

The two walked to the conveyor belt and began to move the goods up one by one.

"Brother, have you done this kind of work before?"

After a while, Qi Yu was panting a bit. He stood up to rest and then spoke to Xu Nian.

Xu Nian nodded and looked Qi Yu over for a while.

He wore glasses, had fair skin, and looked like a refined scholar.

"You've done this before, is this your first time?"

"Hehe, yes, please bear with me, brother."

Xu Nian shrugged and tossed a pair of gloves to Qi Yu.

"Wear it, otherwise your hands will get sore after a day of work."

"Thank you, brother."

As the sun rose higher and higher, the factory, though covered by a roof, was filled with sweltering air from all directions, quickly turning the entire factory into a giant steamer.

Xu Nian's shirt was completely soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his body and revealing his strong chest and muscular abs.

On the other hand, things were much worse for Qi Yu.

He was drenched in sweat, and his glasses, soaked with sweat from his nose, fell to the ground, his pale skin turning bright red.

His movements had slowed down considerably; he had long lost the initial enthusiasm, and his steps had become light and unsteady.