Lao Song was a worker who painted exterior walls at a construction site. He started his apprenticeship at the age of eighteen and worked diligently for twenty-five years. He was very skilled in his craftsmanship and was the only senior master in the construction team.
But recently, there have been some problems with his work.
On this day, Lao Song was painting the exterior wall on the hanging board outside the construction site building with his co-workers as usual.
Logically speaking, doing this kind of work makes the human brain very nervous and exciting, and the attention will be highly concentrated. After all, when working at high altitudes, if you are not careful, you may fall down.
It is for this reason that exterior wall workers are paid very well.
But Lao Song is a skilled worker, and he knows that this job only looks scary. In fact, workers are hung by several safety ropes, and the danger is much smaller than it seems. After a long time, he will only get bored doing this job. Ordinary, there is no difference between standing on the suspension bridge and standing on the ground.
At this moment, Lao Song was painting the outer wall on the suspension bridge, staring at the wall in front of him as he painted, but suddenly he felt sleepy and couldn't help opening his mouth and yawning.
He hasn't been sleeping well recently. It's been several months since his eldest son graduated from college and he still hasn't found a job. His second daughter is still in college and has an ordinary bachelor's degree because she didn't do well in the college entrance examination.
Seeing that the employment situation is becoming more and more serious year by year, and the boss has not made a good start, Lao Songchou can't sleep well all night.
I don’t know what to do with these two children in the future.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, fighting up and down uncontrollably. He gradually closed his eyes and dozed off while standing on the suspension bridge.
The next second, his center of gravity lost balance, his head pulled his body, and he fell forward. The brush in his hand fell out of his hand with a "snap" and fell to the ground more than ten meters high.
"Old Song!"
A roar rang from his ears, suddenly waking up Old Song, and then a hand powerfully grabbed Old Song's collar, pulling him back from the edge of falling:
"You don't want your life!"
Looking at the ground more than ten meters high, Lao Song was frightened for a while. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his legs went weak and he sat down on the suspension bridge. He didn't come back to his senses for a long time.
The old worker next to him looked at Lao Song, pointed at his nose and cursed:
"You dare to take a nap on the suspension bridge. You are a longevity guy who eats arsenic - you don't want your life to be long! Go back to sleep! Don't fucking harm me here!"
Old Song came back to his senses, looked at his coworkers with an apologetic look, and said with a wry smile:
"Thank you, Lao Wang. I haven't slept well these days, so I was a little negligent."
He also knew that dozing off on the suspension bridge was dangerous, but it was just like the driver of a large truck running long-distance freight. Over time, the brain had become accustomed to this level of stimulation and this kind of working environment, and dozing off was not unusual. thing.
When fellow worker Lao Wang heard this, he had a rare serious look on his face. He shook his head and criticized:
"Old Song, you can't go on like this. How many times has this happened to you this month? I can't guarantee that I can help you next time."
"Look at the dark circles under your eyes, they look like fucking pandas. If it doesn't work, just take a leave of absence for ten days and a half."
Old Song waved his hands and stood up from the suspension bridge again. He still didn't take it seriously:
"It's okay, it's okay. I can survive it. I'll have a good sleep when I go back tonight and I'll be fine tomorrow."
"I have to do this job for several days a day, and I can't bear to take a break."
Saying this, he couldn't help but yawn.
However, at this moment, a voice suddenly came from below:
"Old Song, come down here!"
Old and Song quickly lowered their heads, only to find that one of them was holding the brush that Old Song had dropped and waving to him.
It was none other than foreman Li Dou.
His face was covered with frost and he glared at Lao Song fiercely. Even though he was more than ten meters away, he could still feel his anger.
Old Song's expression changed drastically: Could it be that the foreman discovered it?
Next to him, Lao Wang patted Lao Song on the shoulder and gave him a wish-for-blessing look:
"Go ahead, we might have to take a forced rest now."
Lao Song sighed and slowly lowered the suspension bridge.
Not long after, Lao Song stood in front of foreman Li Dou with an expression on his face.
He took out a cigarette from his pocket with a flattering look on his face:
"Brother Li, what do you want from me?"
The two of them were from the same hometown. When they were able to join the construction team, it was because of their fellow villagers that the other party allowed Lao Song to join.
Li Dou took a puff of cigarette, frowned, and looked at Lao Song seriously:
"You just dozed off again, didn't you?"
"How many times has this happened? You don't want to live anymore?"
"what happened?"
Lao Song smiled:
"It's nothing serious. I just haven't slept well these past few days. I'll just take a break at noon and it'll be fine."
However, Li Dou was not as talkative as usual this time.
He frowned and said to Lao Song in a serious tone:
"Old Song, this month, I have noticed that you have dozed off more than five times. This does not include the reactions from others. If you continue like this, something will happen sooner or later!"
"According to regulations, in your situation, I can't let you do exterior wall work anymore."
When Lao Song heard this, he immediately panicked and quickly grabbed Li Dou's hand:
"Brother Li, come on, what else can I do if I don't make exterior walls? I've been working for decades and I rely on my crafts to support my family. Give me a chance."
The salary from the exterior wall job was quite good, and one day's work was worth several days as a worker in other types of work. Moreover, he needed money now and there was nothing he could do to lose it.
Li Dou looked at Lao Song helplessly:
"Old Song, can I call you brother? This is an exterior wall, and it is dangerous work at high altitudes! If you are not careful, someone will die. How do you ask me to give you a chance? If something happens in the future, who will give me a chance? ?”
"Do you know that once something happens to you, dozens or hundreds of people on the entire construction site will stop working? When the construction site is finished, the project is finished, and everyone's salary is finished, there are so many families like you behind it. .”
"Taking a step back, even if you don't think about us, you still have to think about yourself. If something happens to you, what will happen to your siblings, and what will happen to the children at home?"
Lao Song lowered his head and couldn't say a word. He just held Li Dou's hand and refused to let go.
Li Dou had no choice but to say irritably:
"Otherwise, you can go back and have a good rest for a few days. If your sleepiness is better then, you can come back."
Lao Song knew that Li Dou could do this, which was considered to be the most benevolent and righteous, and he also took risks. He had no choice but to nod his head, turned around and walked out of the construction site in despair.
At his age, he only knows this one craft. Once he leaves the construction site, he will be completely unemployed.
Lao Song didn't know why his insomnia had become more and more serious recently, so much so that he didn't have the slightest energy to support him in working all day.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. After walking out of the gate of the construction site, he did not go home immediately. Instead, he walked to a small store converted from a container not far away.
Lao Song wanted to get drunk and drink away his sorrows.
