"No matter where you go, it's better than here." When I heard this, I said to my brother-in-law very disapprovingly, "I said that you people are better than anyone else at home, and how dare you be like a mouse when you go out." Stand here and see if he dares to come to you? ”

As I spoke, I put the quilt and bag at my feet and looked at the gate of the police station with two eyes. I'm always ready to call the police. However, until we got in the car, the people never came to look for us again.

We boarded the train to Korla in a crowd. After finally finding a seat, I was squeezed and almost collapsed.

In this way, after three or four days of torment, a group of us came to the Korla railway station. Of course, there is nothing to do along the way to play cards, or enjoy the scenery on both sides of the train.

Zhengzhou has to go through three provinces, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu. Henan and Shaanxi are mostly wheat fields, and when you arrive in Gansu, you can see the endless desert. Those deserts are boundless, as if there is no end to them.

After arriving in Korla, we took the bus to Aksu. Just like in Gansu, through the car window, we are greeted by the boundless yellow sand. The yellow sand sparkles in the light of the eyes, and it seems to bring people into a distant and ancient place.

When we arrived at Aksu Station, my fourth uncle and my little cousin were waiting there. They took us around to a construction site. The site was covered with a row of improvised sheds made of asbestos tiles and red bricks. We each found a room, made a bed, and settled down temporarily.

The next day, my fourth uncle brought with him a man of about forty years old in a suit and leather shoes, of medium build, and with a flat haircut. As soon as the man entered the room where we were staying, he bowed politely and said, "Hello everyone! ”

Seeing this, my uncle hurriedly said to us, "This is our boss." We hurriedly replied, "Hello boss! Then, the boss told us, "The construction site I contracted will not start until the end of this year, so you can rest here now." I'll pay for my living expenses. ”

We all nodded. Then, the boss gave my fourth uncle another 2,000 yuan for living expenses, and then drove away.

Since the work has not yet started and there are living expenses, the stinky problems of the big guys have come again: playing cards, chess, mahjong, and being very busy.

I would like to introduce the situation of our group: in addition to my fourth uncle, my little cousin Yiwa has long been here, in addition to my cousin-in-law Lao Huang and my cousin, my third aunt's old cousin Lao Ju, me, my eldest brother, my brother-in-law, and several good friends of my fourth uncle, one is Lao Qun and the other is Zhiping.

There was also a long, lanky-faced young man, whose name I couldn't remember. This is the number of people we have just arrived at the site.

The next day, several more people came to see us. Among them was an old man and two young men in their twenties, as well as a blue-faced man with a small height and a chubby middle-aged woman.

According to my fourth uncle, it was the old man and a young man who contacted us. The other young man was the old man's son. The blue-faced man's wife (a fat woman) had a very good relationship with the boss, and he was also a good friend of my uncle.

However, we really dare not speculate on how to have a good relationship between women and men. The old man and the young man, as well as the blue-faced man and his wife, also came to our dormitory to take a look, and told us that the construction site would not start until after the Chinese New Year, and we were relieved.

We sat there for a while, and then left.

After they left, my uncle told us that if the construction site started, let his daughter (my cousin) cook for us, and give her one dollar a day, and we all agreed.

But who cooks when we're idle? I'm too lazy to do it anyway. Of course, my fourth uncle can't push it off. He cooked for us with every meal with my cousin and cousin-in-law. Sometimes we also help with grocery shopping, choosing vegetables or something. I had nothing to do, just playing poker and chess.

My eldest brother and I didn't have much interest in playing poker or chess, and we just wandered the streets when we had nothing to do. One day, my eldest brother and I were strolling around when a few people in blue uniforms came over.

One of them, a taller man, came up to us and asked us sharply, "Where are you from?" "Henan's." "Do you have an ID card?" "Yes." "Take it out and have a look."

The two of us didn't want to take out our ID cards, but we didn't know what they were doing, so we hesitated for a while before taking out our ID cards.

At this time, several other people also gathered around. The man looked at our ID, nodded, and then returned it to us. My eldest brother and I wondered if there was nothing wrong with me, so we wanted to leave.

However, as we were about to leave, the men stopped us again: "Do you have a temporary residence permit?" "We've only been here for a few days." My eldest brother said. "Then take out your train tickets and have a look." "The train ticket has long been lost." I say.

"Come with me and get your ID card ready." After saying that, the men embraced the two of us to a bungalow. The bungalow was located on the shoulder on the left side of a street, and a large sign was posted next to the door that read: Aksu XX District Security Patrol. My eldest brother and I went into the house.

One of them sat down at a table and motioned for us to walk over. My eldest brother and I went to the table. "Take out your ID card." The man said. We handed him the ID card again.

"Is there any money?" "How much does it cost to get a temporary residence permit?" My eldest brother asked rhetorically. "A hundred." The man said. "Isn't that ridiculous?" Big brother said.

When the man saw my eldest brother say this, his face changed at that time: "If you don't apply for a temporary residence permit, you will be detained." "I saw that it was not right. Hurriedly played the round and said: "Brother Zhi'an, it's like this: we really just came here, we haven't found a job yet, and we don't have any money on us, and when we earn money in the future, can we come to you again to reapply for a temporary residence permit?" ”

"This—" The man hesitated when I said this. He took a few steps back and forth and then asked, "You don't have a penny on you?" "I don't believe you." With that, I stretched out my two hands, revealing two pockets.

The man didn't search for me, but consulted with the others. Several people discussed and discussed together, and they didn't say let us go, nor did they say they wouldn't let us go. My eldest brother and I had no choice but to stand there stupidly.

After a while, a man picked up a broom and swept the floor, and I hurriedly stepped forward, snatched his broom and dustpan, and said cautiously, "Big brother, let me sweep it for you." The man did not speak, but gave me a broom and a dustpan.

I cleaned the house carefully. The men nodded to each other, and then went out to run errands. My eldest brother and I waited there for a long time and didn't see them come back.

I said to my eldest brother, "Did these people see that I was busy sweeping the floor and left a special space for us to leave?" "Probably." Big brother said. "Then let's go." With that, the two of us walked out of the bungalow together. Far away, we saw one of those people coming towards us. My eldest brother and I were scared, but when the man saw us, he only pretended not to see us, so my eldest brother and I walked forward as fast as we could.

We finally escaped from the tiger's mouth and returned to the construction site.

When I came back, I told the people about it, and they praised me for being smart. Among them, my third aunt's old cousin said: "The next time I am caught, I will also help others sweep the floor." ”

We stayed idle for a while, and the New Year's bell had already struck. The year was already 1999. The boss who came last time came once and was never seen again.

The living expenses he gave us have been spent, and there is no way, my fourth uncle took out my little cousin's savings for our expenses, and spent the Spring Festival with all his pockets.

However, the boss has not yet come after the Spring Festival. It wasn't until after the Lantern Festival that we couldn't stay any longer, so we went to find the two people who contacted us, the old man and the young man.

This book was first published on Kanshu.com