China Popular Republic.
Nanhe City, an ordinary residential building.
This 103 square meter three-bedroom apartment was divided into 5 separate bedrooms and transformed into a shared dormitory.
A young man in his early twenties is sitting on the bed, next to the bed is a table. He is holding his phone and looking at the job openings on the Yan Guo Nation website.
"690 dollars, 13 salaries, 9 to 5, weekends off, free food and accommodation, two round-trip tickets per year..."
The young man hurriedly goes downstairs and goes to a nearby Internet cafe: "Boss, a computer, please."
"There are no more vacancies, wait a bit."
"Are there no more vacancies?"
The young man is confused.
This is not 2010, since the advent of smartphones, internet cafes have entered a dark era, and many have closed their doors.
He was also an internet addict in the past, but now he rarely goes to the Internet cafe to play games.
The Internet cafe manager asks, "Are you going to send in a resume?"
The young man is surprised: "How did you know?"
The lan house manager chews gum, lifts his chin and looks inside the lan house: "Just like you, everyone is here to send resumes. For this Yan Guo Nation, right?"
"Yes."
"Tsk, you guys are very brave. I heard that Yan Guo Nation isn't even a real country. Are you really not afraid of being sold out after going there?"
The young man laughs at himself: "Not even poverty scares us, what else can we fear?"
After waiting about half an hour, a machine becomes available.
The young man opens a one-hour session, turns on the computer and quickly sends out a resume.
Leaving the LAN house, he goes to the nearby police station.
However, the police station is also crowded, everyone is there to get a clean criminal record certificate.
….
Linhai City, Gongrenxin District, a three-bedroom apartment.
A middle-aged man, around forty years old, shirtless, sitting at the table.
On the table, a plate of dried fish, another of pork and a bottle of generic baijiu in a bottle of mineral water.
The man drinks and eats, his brow always furrowed.
The woman sitting next to you says, "Maybe you shouldn't go. It's too far away and I heard that this Yan Guo Kingdom isn't even a country, it's not recognized by any other country. What if you go and they don't pay you ..."
The man raises the glass and drinks it all at once, without responding.
For a middle-aged man who has started a family and has a career, the most feared things are:
Parents' serious illness and lack of money for treatment.
Sudden job loss and cut in family income.
The man did not lose his job and his parents are in good health.
But the income is getting worse and worse.
Fishing in the Linhai Sea has never been a stable business. The company's contracts are renewed every year, without any guarantee.
If it was just him, fine. But he has a family.
The two daughters, the oldest in her last year of high school. When he finishes the entrance exam, he will go to college and then he will want to get married.
As a father, he needs to find a way to buy them an apartment.
It would be nice if he was carefree like old Liu across the street. But he has a strong sense of responsibility and cannot let go of these worries.
No wonder they say that ordinary people with a sense of responsibility suffer the most.
After drinking who knows how many glasses, the man says: "I'm going to apply. If I get this job with an annual salary of 138 thousand, I'll work for three years, save 4 million and buy an apartment for each of my daughters. Then, life will be easier."
Looking at her husband's determined gaze, the woman smiles, pats him on the back and says nothing.
….
Chi Shui City, Lin Tian District Police Station, a family of three enters the police station.
"Officer, we've come to request a criminal record certificate."
Upon hearing this, the two police officers at the reception immediately looked at them.
"Uncle, what do you need this certificate for?"
"To work."
"You're not going to Yan Guo Country, are you?"
"Yes, how do you know?"
"It's circulating on the internet, many people are lining up at police stations to get it, and you are the first in our city."
The police officer said, "Uncle, I must warn you, that Yan Guo country, strictly speaking, cannot be considered a real country, you guys have to think carefully."
The middle-aged man replied, "It's not yet certain whether we will be hired."
"Alright, then wait a bit."
The police officer was just giving a warning, looking at this family of three, they were determined to go.
The couple was also a little worried, after all, it was a job abroad.
But they also watched a lot of videos and news about Yan Guo Country, and besides, the salary there was simply too high.
Furthermore, they were just ordinary citizens; if anyone wanted to trick it it would probably be young people, why trick people in their late fifties to go there?
Does not make sense.
But if it were true, then it would be a huge gain.
Work for a few years and save 13 thousand dollars, they wouldn't have to worry about their son's wedding or retirement.
*****
(translation note:
If you find any errors in the translation, please let me know so I can correct them.
This novel is already completely translated into my pateton.)