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The two of them chatted for a while until some of the quicker coworkers who had finished their meals returned. One of them asked Sha Zhouyin, “Xiao Sha, it’s already twelve. Aren’t you going to eat? The food will be gone soon, don’t let your friend go hungry.” An older worker chimed in, “Look at this young lady, so delicate—how could you let her eat our work meals? Xiao Sha, take her to a restaurant on the main street, don’t be stingy when you’re chasing a girl!”

Huang Qi quickly replied, “No need, I’m just here for a casual meal. I eat at the cafeteria at school as well, going to a restaurant would be a waste.” Sha Zhouyin stood up to grab his things, hesitated, and said, “You might not be used to our food.” “What’s there not to get used to? Can it taste worse than the big pot meals at the school cafeteria? Xiao Ying, I’ll eat whatever you eat,” Huang Qi replied. She realized her words sounded a bit like ‘wherever you go, I’ll follow,’ and thought it was too forward, so she added, “Isn’t the street with the restaurants pretty far? I didn’t see any shops on my way here. I’m wearing heels today, and they’re pinching my feet. Walking would be inconvenient—let’s just eat something simple here. If you want to treat me, save it for next time.” Not only did she avoid going out to a restaurant but also secured a promise for another meeting—quite a bargain!

A coworker teased, “Xiao Sha, you’re lucky! Finding a girl willing to share hardships with you—it’s rare to see young women willing to endure these days!” Xiao Ying, embarrassed, bent down to look for something under the bed. “I have an old lunch box, I’ll go wash it and scald it with hot water. Wait for me and we’ll get food together.” He pulled an aluminum lunch box from a trunk under the bed, took it and a stainless steel one, and went out to wash them.

As soon as he left, a coworker leaned over to chat with Huang Qi. “Miss, you look gentle and wear glasses—are you a university student?” Huang Qi nodded. The worker continued, “University students have it good—sit in an office, earn a high salary, no need to work yourself to death like us. Which university do you go to?” Huang Qi didn’t answer directly, simply said, “Near Wulu Junction, not far from here—just a few bus stops. It only took me about twenty minutes this morning, but I had to walk a long way after getting off.”

Just as she hoped, the worker’s attention was diverted. “Oh, Wulu Junction? That’s not far at all. You’ll be able to see Xiao Sha often. This place is just starting, so it’s a bit barren, but once construction is done, the roads will open and it’ll be much easier. No need for you to come all the way here—so hot and the conditions aren’t great. Let Xiao Sha come find you! That’s what a man should do if he wants to win a wife, right?”

Huang Qi laughed. The workers’ words were rough, but there was a simple honesty to them, as if this was how things were meant to be. Indeed, love and desire are part of life; it’s perfectly normal for people in their twenties to fall in love. She liked Xiao Ying, and he liked her—it was obvious to everyone, so why hide it?

Lord Huang’s bold spirit surged again. If Xiao Ying wouldn’t take the initiative, she didn’t mind doing so herself. After all, as children he’d been tied up and sent to her as her future consort—wasn’t it time to make that official?

The coworker kept on, boosting his friend, “You’re a university student, and truthfully, picking someone like us manual workers is a bit beneath you. But Xiao Sha isn’t like the rest of us! Don’t be fooled by his high school diploma—he just had a tough childhood, lost his parents early. But his mind—he’s as sharp as any university student! Ask around, how many people in their early twenties can command the respect of so many? Most foremen are over forty! Among us, Brother Biao values Xiao Sha the most—he always consults him about anything important. These days, all you need is a quick mind and willingness to work hard—you don’t need a fancy degree to become a big boss. My little brother here has a bright future. You won’t regret picking him!” The coworker spoke with great flair, even giving a thumbs-up.

Huang Qi stifled a laugh, “I know he’s wonderful. I’ve always known. I won’t let anyone else have him.”

Just then, Sha Zhouyin returned with the cleaned lunch boxes. “What are you talking about that’s got you all so happy?” he asked.

The coworker replied, “I was just keeping your friend company so she wouldn’t get bored. Now that you’re back, you take over!” He winked at Huang Qi as he spoke.

Sha Zhouyin took Huang Qi out to get food. She had expected the workers’ free meals to be nothing special, probably like the most basic cafeteria fare—lots of vegetables, little meat. But when they actually arrived, she was still taken aback by how bare and poor the conditions were.

The construction site had just started, and there was no proper canteen. The cook brought food on a tricycle, and the workers lined up with their lunch boxes to get their portions, then sat in small groups by the roadside to eat. The site was nothing but dirt, and the slightest breeze sent dust swirling. Some workers had sand blown into their faces while eating, but they weren’t bothered—just brushed off their steamed buns and continued.

The main staple was large white steamed buns, unlimited and free for all, but each worker only got two ladles of food. There was only one dish: pork slices stewed with eggplant, served in a stainless steel thermal pot—though you could only see eggplant, no pork in sight.

The workers in the queue noticed Sha Zhouyin had brought a girl and all made way for them, insisting the guest be served first so she wouldn’t go hungry. The cook was also especially polite, giving them a heaping bowl of eggplant and digging for as much meat as possible, though there really was little to be found.

Sha Zhouyin looked at the mushy eggplant in the lunch box, a little guilty. “Xiao Qi, you came all this way to see me, and I have to feed you this…”

“I love eggplant—it’s delicious no matter how it’s cooked. This mushy style goes great with rice,” Huang Qi replied, glancing around. “Let’s eat inside. So many people are watching—it’s a bit embarrassing.”

The eggplant really was hard to eat: too little oil, too much salt, with a boiled, briny taste—far worse than the school cafeteria. Still, Huang Qi managed to finish a whole steamed bun with it.

Before, when she had visited Uncle Biao’s site to see Xiao Ying, she’d never come during work hours and hadn’t seen firsthand the hardships of laborers at the bottom rung. For a university student from a comfortable family, seeing someone like Feng Xidi take out loans for school, work part-time for living expenses, and live on cheap cafeteria food already seemed tough. Yet there were so many people in the world who ate even rougher food, lived in more basic housing, did heavy manual labor all day, and had no hope of a better future.

Xiao Ying had been working and living on Uncle Biao’s sites since he was sixteen. He’d spent five years eating eggplant and steamed buns, living in a prefab dorm with over ten people. He was used to this life.

Huang Qi was an adult now—no longer a teenager who would break down and cry at the sight of hardship. She felt for Xiao Ying, but it was just that—empathy, not pity. He didn’t need her sympathy; he had his own philosophy for survival. People like him and Feng Xidi lived with resilience and purpose. What others saw as hardship was not an obstacle to them. For such people, pity would only belittle and insult their strength.

Sha Zhouyin gave the stainless steel lunch box to Huang Qi and kept the old aluminum one for himself. After eating, Huang Qi noticed a small corroded hole in the old lunch box. “Xiao Ying, don’t use the aluminum one anymore—it reacts with the food, and it’s not healthy.”

“I know. We didn’t care about these things before, but once I found out, I switched to stainless steel. I just keep the old one for emergencies.” He put away the utensils. “Xiao Qi, you don’t ever have to worry about me—not at any time.”

“You’ve always been the careful one since we were kids, always looking after me. Why would you ever need me to worry about you?” Huang Qi laughed. “Oh right, where are the loquats my mom sent? Perfect for dessert—let’s share them with everyone.”

Xiao Ying didn’t need her concern; he would take care of himself, just as she had promised him she would be fine on her own. Not making each other worry was also a form of love.

“I brought the loquats here the day before yesterday, but I was afraid they’d spoil in the heat, so I left them in the freezer at the little shop outside. I’ll go wash the dishes first, then take you to get them.”

“Sounds good.”

After washing up, the two went to the small shop outside the construction site. The shop was tiny, a makeshift shack selling cigarettes and daily necessities to the nearby workers, with a freezer for watermelons and cold drinks.

The shopkeeper, an auntie, said to Sha Zhouyin, “My husband brought back the loquats—men are so careless! How could you put fruit in the freezer? They all froze solid. I took them home and put them in the fridge. I’ll call him to bring them over—he’ll be here in five minutes or so, just wait a bit.”

Sha Zhouyin thanked her repeatedly. While they waited, Huang Qi’s sharp eyes spotted something familiar in the freezer. “Xiao Ying, look! They have those ice pops!”

Those colorful, fruity ice pops from childhood—fifty cents each. You could break one in half and share, which made them especially popular with kids. “You have one half, I have the other”—a symbol of close friendship.

Sha Zhouyin smiled too. “Want one?”

“Mm-hmm! I didn’t get to treat you earlier, so here’s your chance to make it up to me!”

He turned to the shopkeeper. “How much for one?”

“Fifty cents.”

Huang Qi stared at the freezer in disbelief. “After all these years and so much inflation, it’s still only fifty cents each—amazing!”

“There’s plenty in life that hasn’t changed over the years, not just this,” Sha Zhouyin said, pulling out some change. “We’ll take two.”

Huang Qi stopped him. “Why buy two? One’s enough—we can split it. That’s how we always used to eat them. The whole point is to share.”

The shopkeeper laughed at them, “Exactly, sharing is what makes it nostalgic and romantic!”

They bought one ice pop and broke it in half. It was just a tube of colored, flavored sugar water frozen into ice, replaced long ago by better ice creams, but finding one here in this little shop in the middle of nowhere was a surprise.

It was a sweltering day. Huang Qi sucked the sweet water and chewed the ice, finishing her half quickly. She turned to see Xiao Ying had barely eaten any. “Why aren’t you eating? Don’t you like it anymore?” she asked. It did feel a bit childish for someone their age.

“Isn’t this how it always was? You’d eat yours fast, then look at me with those eyes and say, ‘Xiao Ying, can I have a bite? Just one bite!’ And then you’d take one bite after another until mine was gone.” He handed her his remaining half. “Here, have a bite.”

Huang Qi grinned as she took it. “Xiao Ying, you’re the best!”

Sha Zhouyin watched her treasure the ice pop, sipping the sweet water carefully, and couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, you can have it all.”

After a moment, he added, “What’s mine is yours.”

“Exactly! What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is still mine!” She bit down on the end where the wrapper was, mimicking the lines from the game Monopoly’s Sun Xiaomei, but was secretly thinking, hmm, Xiao Ying just bit here too… Even though they always used to do this as kids, still… heh!

What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is still mine.

My Xiao Ying is still mine.