Story introduction
In Quanzhou in 2005, the air was always mixed with the salty humidity of the sea breeze and the roar of machines. In the era when the "world's factory" was roaring, Cai Huabang and Qiu Meizhen, who had just graduated from Shishi Dongpu Wuhong Middle School, said goodbye to the familiar Mazu temple and fishing boat whistles in the seaside fishing village, and plunged into the hot pulse of the city.
Cai Huabang works in a hardware store in the east of Quanzhou City. His daily life is filled with heavy metal shelves, the pungent smell of engine oil, and a parts list that never matches the numbers. He doesn't talk much, but he has the tenacity of a boy from a fishing village and is never lazy in his work. Qiu Meizhen, on the other hand, was in the printing factory on the other side of the city, in a workshop filled with the smell of dye, repeating monotonous movements towards the pieces of fabric sliding on the assembly line.
The two were classmates, but they had little communication at school. Until by chance, Cai Huabang, who was wearing work clothes, saw Qiu Meizhen wearing a paint-stained apron on the streets of a noisy industrial area. In the strangeness and busyness of a foreign land, a familiar local accent "Are you... From Wuhong Middle School?" Easily broke the two-year barrier.
From that moment on, their worlds began to intersect. Between the seemingly cold metal and the colorful fabrics, two hardworking and simple hearts from the same sea are slowly getting closer, trying to find a soft harbor for each other in this hard city.
Next, I will continue to write the beginning of a story for you. You can see if you like it:
Chapter 1: Metals and Pigments
The Hardware Street in the east of Quanzhou City is always filled with the smell of pig iron and engine oil. Cai Huabang squatted at the door of "Xinfa Hardware Store" and was cleaning the rust on the rebar with a steel brush. The July sun was so scorching that the iron awning crackled. The sweat on his forehead dripped onto the hot metal and evaporated instantly, leaving only a small dark mark.
He raised his head and wiped his sweat, his vision was a little blurry. Across the street was a steamed bun shop, and the steam rising when the steamer was opened reminded him of the early morning sea fog in his hometown of Dongpu Village. It seemed like a long time ago that I left Shishi Dongpu and Wuhong Middle School. Even though I had made every effort, it was only a year ago.
In this noisy industrial area, dialect works better than Mandarin. Cai Huabang is used to communicating with his coworkers and customers in Hokkien, and this sense of familiarity makes him feel at ease. He doesn't talk much by nature, and it is precisely because of his honesty and willingness to work that the boss gives him the details of purchasing and shipping.
That afternoon, a master craftsman came to the store and wanted to buy a batch of expansion screws of a specific type. He said that the printing factory needed them urgently to install new machines, but the store was out of stock. The old master was so anxious that he was sweating, so Cai Huabang rode the old tricycle in the shop and braved the scorching sun to go to the main warehouse a few streets away to transfer goods.
The printing factory is at the other end of the industrial zone, and that area is a bit unfamiliar to Cai Huabang. The smell in the air has also changed. It is no longer the simple smell of engine oil and rust, but is mixed with the slightly pungent and sweet smell of chemical dyes. He rode a tricycle and found the printing factory called "Hongda" according to the address given by the old master.
The factory building is like a huge tin box, with the windows opened high, and you can hear the rhythmic "clang" of the printing machine inside. He carried the heavy box of screws, checked in at the doorman, and walked inside.
The light in the workshop was dim, and fine fiber dust floated in the air. Brightly colored fabrics are spread out on a huge printing table. Several female workers were wearing masks and aprons and were busy with their heads down. There were traces of paint on their hands and aprons that could not be washed away. Cai Huabang put down the goods and asked the recipient to count them, while he stood aside a little awkwardly, trying not to look at the colorful fabrics.
At this moment, a female worker stood on tiptoes and stretched her arms, possibly to pick up a tool from a high place, which was a bit difficult. The worker next to me shouted: "Meizhen, be careful!"
Cai Huabang followed the sound subconsciously. The girl named "Meizhen" had already got the thing and turned around. She was wearing a mask, leaving only her eyes exposed. The eyes were bright, a bit tired, but still energetic. The moment their eyes met, Cai Huabang was suddenly startled.
These eyes are somewhat familiar.
"Meizhen..." He repeated the name in a low voice, and a vague figure with a ponytail and a blue and white school uniform suddenly flashed in his mind. Wuhong Middle School, Class 1 of the third year... The girl sitting in the front row with very delicate handwriting.
He wasn't sure. After all, there were many people with the same name. Moreover, the female worker in front of her, her hair was a little messy under the hat, and she was wearing a loose work clothes, seemed different from the quiet female classmate in my memory.
Just as he was hesitating whether to speak, Qiu Meizhen over there seemed to have noticed this gaze. She raised her eyes and looked over, confused at first, and then her eyes exposed outside the mask suddenly opened wide.
She pulled down her mask, revealing a face that was slightly stained but still delicate.
"You... Are you Cai Huabang?"
The local accent hits my ears, with a special ending that only Dongpu people have. In this unfamiliar workshop filled with the smell of chemical dyes, this Hokkien dialect was like a gentle hand, instantly removing the dust from Cai Huabang's heart.
It's really her.
The girl who had been in the same class at Wuhong Middle School for three years and whose back he had secretly watched during recess, Qiu Meizhen.
Intention: Fall in love with Xiao Cai