CHAPTER 367: CHAPTER 85: CHILD LABOR

After sitting on the train for a whole day and night, Uncle Lu was already exhausted and everything he ate tasted bland.

Seeing Yezi in the same carriage still full of energy, Uncle Lu couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh, "It’s good to be young. I remember at your age, I could travel half of China without feeling tired, unlike now where just a few days away makes my back and waist ache. If it weren’t for..."

Yezi nodded in agreement, but in fact, he wasn’t really listening, and excitedly opened the train window. The April spring breeze, which fluttered green willow tips and rippled through rice paddies, blew in, clearing away the unpleasant smell inside the train and also calming down his increasingly agitated feelings as he drew closer to Beijing.

Xiao Xian, I’m stepping on the same land as you.

Yezi’s heart in his chest was restless, beating fiercely. Although he didn’t know where Xiao Xian was specifically, Uncle Lu had said on the way that Beijing wasn’t too big, encompassing only 18 districts and counties, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find someone.

But what would Xiao Xian’s reaction be when she saw him?

Yezi utterly misunderstood Uncle Lu’s meaning. When the latter said the city was not too big, it was a euphemistic way of speaking. Besides, for businessmen like Uncle Lu who traveled all over China, even larger cities didn’t seem like much in his eyes.

"Look at you, kid, you’re completely out of it. You didn’t even hear what I said about Huang’s Breeding. Nevermind, I’ll choose something you like to talk about. What’s the name of that little girlfriend of yours? Which district does she live in? Anyway, Uncle Lu has to get someone to transport crab seedlings later. We’d have to call a car anyway, might as well give you a lift on the way," Uncle Lu understood Yezi’s current fidgetiness, jumping around like a flea, since he too once had his moments of youthful impetuousness.

"Where does she live? Heh, I actually don’t know, Uncle, I’ll just stay wherever you’re staying first. I came to Beijing in secret, wanting to surprise her. Her name is Zhu Xiaoxian, do you know her, Uncle?" Yezi asked, appearing rather clueless, leaving Uncle Lu confused and starting to doubt whether Yezi, looking tall and strong, was actually reliable in his actions, thinking how could he find someone based on just a name, who wasn’t some big shot like Jiang or Zhu.

"Yezi, I haven’t asked you yet, how old are you this year?" Uncle Lu grew suspicious, taking in Yezi wasn’t a big problem, after all, the young man seemed to have a gift for aquatic life, and the crab-catching skills demonstrated by the river weren’t something you can learn overnight.

"Me, this year," Yezi pondered, and after a long pause, he finally gave an answer of "sixteen."

"Sixteen, alright, so you’re not considered child labor. Yezi, Uncle has something to tell you, think it over, if you agree, not only will Uncle provide you with three meals and accommodation, but every weekend I will help you look for that girl named Xiao Xian, how about that?" Uncle Lu was a businessman, picking up Yezi halfway was already doing him a huge favor, but providing food and accommodation and helping to find someone couldn’t be done in vain.

Uncle Lu expressed his idea, according to the labor protection laws of our country, employing child labor under the age of sixteen is prohibited. Yezi was just sixteen this year; getting a temporary residence permit for him meant he could stay in Beijing for the time being and help with crab breeding.

Yezi truly was the clever child from Dongnan Miao Village, although new to Beijing and unfamiliar with the place, he knew the saying that at home you rely on relatives and outside you rely on friends. Thinking about his almost empty pockets, Uncle Lu had taken good care of him these past few days, and was an honest person. For the moment, he couldn’t find Xiao Xian, and helping Uncle Lu breed crabs in exchange for food and lodging was a good deal that wouldn’t lose him anything.

"Okay, Uncle, I’ll move the crab seedlings out for you right now," at this time the train had already been in the station for a while, passengers had disembarked, and the freight train was just starting to unload.

The train had been running for more than a day, and the crab seedlings had been jostled around for just as long. Fortunately, Uncle Lu was quite experienced and had prepared well in advance.

Yezi was strong and didn’t wait for Uncle Lu to give orders before he began to move the water-filled containers along with the workers unloading the goods.

After moving dozens of boxes of crab seedlings onto the two trucks that Uncle Lu had rented, right before driving away, Uncle Lu opened one of the boxes.

The tool used for transporting crab seedlings was quite sophisticated; you should know that a kilogram of crab seedlings could turn into a whole basket of money once grown, so they were very precious.

Before departing, Uncle Lu had specially ordered a batch of rectangular foam boxes forty centimeters high, and also drilled several chopstick-sized holes at the bottom for ventilation for the crab seedlings.