The crowd burst into laughter, leaving Ye Yuzhe at a loss.
"This child is so polite!"
"Speaking of which, my child is about the same age, but he can't open his mouth when he meets people. He's far worse than this child!"
"Children from the city are indeed good-looking, fair-skinned, and well-behaved!"
...
Seeing that they meant no harm, Ye Yuzhe gradually relaxed. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled like thunder, and his face turned a little embarrassed.
Since being taken to the police station, he hadn't eaten anything. After being brought home, he was first scolded by his father and then lectured by his eldest sister. Before he could even have a sip of water, he was sent here.
He hadn't felt it before, but now he felt his limbs going soft.
"The young man is hungry, does anyone have something to eat?" Old Zhang asked.
"I still have a steamed bun here."
Someone handed over a steamed bun. Ye Yuzhe took it and, without caring about anything else, took a bite. He was choked by the dry bun and coughed.
"Quick, pour the young man some water!" Old Zhang said.
Someone hurriedly poured a cup of hot water from the thermos in the room and handed it to Ye Yuzhe.
After drinking only two sips, Ye Yuzhe couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes. He had never drunk such unpleasant water! Why did it not taste smooth, nor was it sweet?
"The young man doesn't like the steamed bun. Do you have anything else to eat? Don't hide anything. It's not easy for these growing children to come out to work. Let's help them out more!" Old Zhang said.
Everyone immediately contributed a packet of instant noodles. Old Zhang poured hot water to cook it and brought it to Ye Yuzhe.
"Here, young man, take it and eat. After you've eaten most of the noodles, break the steamed bun and soak it in the noodle soup, then you can eat it."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang," Ye Yuzhe said politely. He thought for a moment and said, "My name is Ye Yuzhe."
The crowd immediately praised him again, making Ye Yuzhe feel a bit shy.
The aroma of instant noodles wafted out, mixing with the smell of the room to create a peculiar scent. But Ye Yuzhe was too hungry to care. Seeing that the noodles had softened, he couldn't resist taking a big mouthful.
After a few bites, a layer of sweat broke out on his forehead.
"It's so hot, can we turn on the air conditioning?" Ye Yuzhe asked.
The crowd was stunned and couldn't help but laugh.
"Little brother, this is a construction site, where would we have air conditioning!"
"Bring our electric fan over to the young man to blow on him, so he doesn't get too hot."
Soon, someone brought over a oscillating fan and turned it on. The fan whirred and blew towards him.
The wind from the fan was also hot. Ye Yuzhe couldn't help but ask, "The conditions here are so poor, how do you endure it?"
The crowd was stunned and burst into laughter again.
"Young man, this is already the construction site with the best conditions we've ever been to! Many of the construction sites I've been to don't even have hot water! It's fine in the summer, a cold shower is okay, but in autumn and winter, it's so cold. If you don't wash, you'll be covered in sweat!"
"It's all thanks to young boss Ye. We didn't have hot water here before, as it is summer. But when she heard about it, she directly had a large water heater installed, which not only allows us to drink hot water anytime but also take hot showers every day."
"Also, some construction sites, to save space, build temporary housing three stories high! Think about how poor the soundproofing is! When someone goes up and down the stairs in the middle of the night, the entire building can hear the sound of their footsteps! Not to mention the snoring, it's impossible to sleep!"
"It's only young boss Ye who is willing to use soundproof materials for the temporary housing. However, you still have to speak softly. If you speak loudly, the neighbors can still hear you!"
"Also, some construction sites don't include food. With the little money we earn, if we have to pay for three meals a day, how much can we save? We have to work from dawn till dusk, with no entertainment activities, and basically fall asleep as soon as we finish work. It's very hard!"
"Not only is food provided here, but young boss Ye also visits frequently to ensure that the cafeteria always has meat. Moreover, young boss Ye also built a movie pavilion, and we watch movies during our rest time. Although they are all old movies, they are quite interesting to watch. Little brother, why don't you join us tomorrow?"
...
Ye Yuzhe's mood was very complicated. Even if others didn't say it, he knew that the young boss Ye was his eldest sister, Ye Zhi.
He never expected that his simple words would turn into a grand praise session for Ye Zhi.
Ye Zhi had merely done some things to ensure their living conditions, but these honest people sincerely appreciated Ye Zhi's kindness.
"Construction work is so hard," Ye Yuzhe couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you do something else?"
A strange silence fell in the dormitory. Ye Yuzhe felt a little lost. Did he say something wrong?
"Young man, we people don't have much education," Old Zhang said with a smile. "Apart from farming, we can only sell our labor on construction sites. Isn't this all for survival? Who doesn't have a big family to support?"
"Yes, I haven't been home for three years. I don't know if my child will still recognize me when I go back. Who wouldn't want to spend time with their precious child? I have to earn more money so that my child doesn't have to go down my old path and continue to suffer!"
"Your child is a good student and will surely have a bright future. When I think of my little rascal, I get a headache. Why is he so unwilling to study? If he doesn't study, how can he get out?"
"Speaking of which, Old Zhang's daughter is promising! Old Zhang's daughter is a university student, studying in Kyoto now, and she will definitely become a high-ranking official in the future!"
"Haha, I don't think about becoming an official," Old Zhang said with pride. "As long as she can find a good job and sit in an office with air conditioning, I'll be very happy."
"I say, Old Zhang, isn't your daughter on vacation now? Aren't you going to see her?"
"Forget it, forget it. If she meets her classmates, and they know that her father is a migrant worker, it will embarrass her. Don't let her be looked down upon at school..."
...
Ye Yuzhe was stunned. He had never imagined that things that were easily obtainable for him, or even disdained, required others to fight for them with all their might.
He came here just to live, while these 'roommates' of his were struggling for survival. He finally understood that his previous question was simply like asking, "Why don't they eat meat if they don't have bread?"
The instant noodles had cooled down. He broke the steamed bun into the noodle soup and buried his head in eating them. Then, he picked up the cup of water from before and drank it silently.
He suddenly felt that the water wasn't that unpleasant anymore. At least, it was clean.