Chapter 7: The First Hurdle: An ID Card

As the area was bustling around the train station, a plethora of hotels and inns naturally dotted the streets. Yet, it was precisely here that Lin Duo encountered her first significant hurdle.

Her identification card.

In her hometown, household registration laws stipulated that residents under sixteen were listed on their family’s household register. Only upon reaching sixteen years of age could one apply for a personal identification card from the Public Security Bureau.

Under these regulations, Lin Duo, naturally, possessed no such document. To complicate matters, she appeared to be nothing more than a petite middle school girl.

Hotel clerks frequently regarded her with suspicion the moment she entered, and once they discovered her lack of identification, they would promptly deny her service.

Time and again, Lin Duo found herself mercilessly turned away. She was already feeling disoriented from the day and night spent traveling by bus, and the subsequent long walk had pushed her body to its absolute limits.

She felt herself swaying precariously.

Just then, a brightly lit sign caught her eye: ’24-hour accommodation, Wi-Fi available.’

Lin Duo’s eyes immediately brightened. Wi-Fi was paramount for her, as securing employment in this era was entirely dependent on online resources.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, she stepped inside and approached the front desk, her voice barely a whisper: ‘Hello, I’d like to check in?’

‘Check in?’ The clerk scrutinized her with a suspicious gaze. ‘Where are your parents?’

‘I’m staying alone,’ Lin Duo replied, her voice still faint.

‘Alone? How old are you this year? Do you have an identification card?’

Predictably, the same inquiries followed. Lin Duo struggled to muster a smile. ‘I’m fourteen this year, and I don’t have an ID card, but—’

‘There are no ‘buts’,’ the clerk interjected brusquely, cutting her off mid-sentence. ‘Regulations from above mandate that all guests must present proof of identity to stay.’

Lin Duo stood rooted to the spot, utterly stunned. She had never anticipated that navigating the world alone would be this arduous, that even the most basic need for shelter would prove insurmountable.

In that moment, the accumulated weariness and grievances of the past few days surged within her. Her eyes involuntarily reddened, and tears began to fall like a string of pearls, suddenly snapped and scattering.

The clerk immediately panicked. ‘Why are you crying? If anyone sees, they’ll assume I’m bullying you! Hey, stop crying right now!’

Yet, the more he urged her to stop, the more intensely Lin Duo wept.

The clerk considered ushering her out, but the small girl before him was so delicate and frail, appearing as if a mere breeze could topple her. He worried that a single push might lead to a larger complication.

Left with no other recourse, he ascended the stairs to seek out the owner.

It wasn’t long before a sharp-eyed, middle-aged man descended the stairs. He approached Lin Duo and, with the softest tone he could manage, said, ‘Little girl, our refusal to let you stay is simply adherence to the law; it’s not a deliberate slight against you. Why are you weeping so?’

‘But, but I truly can’t find anywhere to stay… *sniffles*…’

The owner, too, wore a helpless expression. Such a pretty little girl genuinely stirred one’s compassion, and in a moment of kindness, he relented. ‘Alright, let her stay. If anyone comes for an inspection, just tell them she’s my niece from a distant branch of the family.’

Having given his instructions, the owner ascended the stairs. The clerk, meanwhile, proceeded with the registration process. ‘Tell me,’ he asked, ‘how many days will you be staying?’

‘I… I don’t know…’ Lin Duo stammered. Though she had managed to curb her tears, her nose still twitched with lingering sobs.

‘Then you’ll need to pay a 100 yuan deposit first. The room rate is 80 yuan per day, and if you wish to extend your stay, please settle the payment at the counter before noon.’

The clerk efficiently completed the form, then produced a key card. ‘Room number 316, turn right at the staircase. Hmm? Do you have any other questions?’

‘Um, what’s the Wi-Fi password, please?’ Lin Duo managed to force a smile, though it looked tragically out of place against her red, swollen eyes.

The clerk sighed, scribbled the password on a piece of paper, and handed it over. ‘Go on, it’s getting late. You should wash up and get some rest.’

Room 316 was a standard single. While not expansive, it was perfectly equipped with essential amenities: a shower, toilet, desk, and television. Lin Duo dropped her backpack and sank onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

Despite her overwhelming drowsiness, she managed to rouse herself and head for a refreshing shower.

Having been on continuous medication for three years, Lin Duo’s slender frame had begun to distinctly take on the contours of a young girl. Her skin, for instance, was remarkably fairer and softer than that of many girls her age, and she possessed virtually no Adam’s apple.

Her shoulders, too, were rounded and delicate, unmistakably feminine. A subtle budding graced her chest; though barely perceptible, it was no longer the typical flat appearance of a boy her age.

Further down, her waist tapered gracefully, and her legs, long and slender as matchsticks, completed the transformation.

After a thorough shower, she reached for the bath towel, wrapping it around her chest as was her ingrained habit. Given her petite stature, the towel’s hem cascaded all the way down to her knees.

Lin Duo stood before the bathroom mirror, scrutinizing her reflection from every angle. She found not a single vestige of her former male self, a transformation made even more striking since she had cut her hair into a feminine bob.

This sight filled Lin Duo with an overwhelming surge of happiness, profoundly strengthening her resolve to continue her medication.

The following day, Lin Duo awoke feeling thoroughly rested. After a refreshing wash and changing into fresh clothes, she gazed out at the brilliant sunshine streaming through the window.

A surge of renewed determination coursed through her, and she immediately began searching for various part-time job listings on her phone.

Soon, she dialed the recruitment number for a shoe factory. ‘Hello,’ she began, ‘I’d like to inquire about working for you.’

‘Certainly,’ responded the man on the other end, his voice carrying a distinct Southern accent. ‘But how old are you this year? We strictly do not employ child labor.’

‘I’m sixteen, just turned,’ Lin Duo stated, a small lie slipping from her lips. She had previously learned online that sixteen marked the legal boundary between child and adult labor.

‘Sixteen? Excellent, then come on over and give it a try. Just head straight here.’

‘Thank you! I’ll be right there!’ Lin Duo exclaimed, her voice brimming with joy. She promptly hung up and hastened towards the bus stop.

Although it was her first visit to Nan’an City, and she was unfamiliar with its geography and public transport, compounded by a slight tendency to get lost, her phone’s navigation proved too robust for her to truly stray.

An hour later, she arrived without incident at the factory gates. Following the security guard’s instructions, she made her way to an office.

The recruiter was a middle-aged man with a noticeable beer belly. The instant his gaze fell upon Lin Duo, before she even had a chance to speak, he shook his head decisively.

‘We have no need for you here; you may as well return home,’ he stated.

‘Why!’ Lin Duo exclaimed, her face etched with disappointment. All the arguments she had meticulously rehearsed on the journey were now utterly useless.

The middle-aged man took a drag from his cigarette, then hesitated before speaking. ‘Given that you’ve traveled such a distance, I’ll be honest with you. Firstly, you’re not even sixteen yet, are you?’

Lin Duo obediently nodded.

‘And even if you *were* sixteen, we still wouldn’t hire you!’ The middle-aged man’s voice was resolute. ‘This place is all about manual labor; overtime is a constant, and the money is hard-earned.’

‘Little girl, do you truly believe someone as frail as you can manage such work?’

‘I can endure hardship!’ Lin Duo declared, her gaze unwavering.

‘That’s still not acceptable! If you were to fall ill from exhaustion someday, we’d be obligated to cover your medical expenses. And if, God forbid, you worked yourself to death, we’d face substantial compensation claims. Who would engage in such a loss-making venture?’

The middle-aged man took another sharp drag from his cigarette. ‘Furthermore, it’s not just our perspective; other recruiting agencies share the same view. You should abandon any thoughts of doing strenuous labor!’

The faint glimmer of hope she had managed to cultivate was thus cruelly extinguished. Lin Duo’s eyes began to redden. ‘But, but I desperately need money… I want to support myself independently here.’

At that moment, the middle-aged man scrutinized Lin Duo once more, a sly, unsettling smile creeping onto his lips. ‘Actually, making money isn’t difficult at all, and you could make a lot of it quite easily.’

‘While you’re a bit slender, your looks are certainly appealing. I know a few prominent businessmen who have a particular fondness for girls like you. If I were to arrange for them to ‘take care’ of you—’

‘You pervert!’ Lin Duo’s body trembled with indignant rage. ‘I would rather starve to death on the streets than ever stoop to such a thing!’

The middle-aged man’s face darkened considerably. ‘You want to earn money without putting in any effort? What do you take this society for? A charity organization? Or do you imagine everyone in this world is a philanthropist?’

‘Get out! Get out now!’

As she walked away from the factory gates, Lin Duo clenched her jaw, battling fiercely to hold back her tears. Was she truly so incapable of carving out a place for herself in this society?

Was her only fate to return home, to live a hollow existence under the oppressive shadows of her father and brother? No, she refused to accept it. She wouldn’t yield.

Returning to her temporary lodging, Lin Duo immediately resumed her search, meticulously sifting through countless job advertisements and calling each one.

Some callers, upon hearing her youthful voice, would abruptly hang up. Others would invite her for an in-person meeting, only to swiftly dismiss her with an array of excuses.

By the close of the day, Lin Duo was left with nothing but profound exhaustion and a crushing sense of futility.

That evening, as she lay sprawled on the bed, continuing her search for employment on her phone, a knock suddenly echoed at the door. The clerk’s voice followed. ‘Hey, are you renewing your stay or not? Pay up if you intend to!’

Lin Duo quickly opened the door, then followed the clerk downstairs to settle her room fees. The clerk didn’t miss the opportunity to lecture her. ‘If you want to renew your stay, you need to come before noon. We don’t wait for latecomers. Today, I’m making an exception because you’re just a young girl. Next time you don’t renew on time, I’ll toss all your belongings onto the street.’

Back in her room, Lin Duo buried her face in her pillow and wept uncontrollably. Although her family and classmates had not always been kind, they had never cursed at her so directly.

She had once believed her schoolmates were unkind, but upon entering society, she discovered the world outside the campus was a hundred times more ruthless.

After a cathartic cry, Lin Duo wiped away her tears and checked her wallet. After deducting the day’s expenses for food, transportation, room fees, and the deposit, her actual disposable cash amounted to roughly two hundred yuan—enough for just two more nights at the hotel.

She picked up her phone, her fingers trembling as she dialed her father’s number, her index finger hovering over the ‘call’ button, hesitating whether to press it. If she returned home, no matter how much she might be humiliated, she wouldn’t have to worry about starving on the streets.

Ultimately, her finger pressed the ‘back’ button instead. After all, if she returned home, her dream of being a girl would be utterly shattered, and three years of effort would have been for naught. She was unwilling to give up. She didn’t want to revert to her male identity, didn’t want to wear monotonous men’s clothes, didn’t want to keep a dull buzz cut. She harbored a dream: to one day be like the beautiful older sisters she saw on the streets, adorned in lovely dresses, walking with light steps, a vibrant afternoon rainbow blossoming in full splendor.