Money is really hard to earn now.

A few days ago, I went to a massage parlor and met a new female therapist. She was quite young, spoke rather shyly, and looked like it was her first time in this line of work.

She told me that she used to sell fried skewers at the entrance of the mall. At first, she was the only one, and she could sell seven to eight hundred in a night; on weekends it was a bit better, and she even broke a thousand. Later, her business was targeted by others, and suddenly several similar stalls appeared, driving the prices lower and splitting the customers, making it gradually unsustainable.

The New Year is approaching, the stall has been taken down, and I've stayed in the dormitory for a few days, really not knowing what else to do. I heard from fellow villagers that technicians make money quickly, so I came to give it a try, thinking that if I grit my teeth, at least I can earn money for the New Year.

It wasn't until the result was truly achieved that I realized it was not like that at all.

The business in the store is average. Newcomers can work a few more hours during the first few days, but after that, working one or two hours a day is considered good, and if lucky, it can be three or four. All in all, it’s about the same as working in a factory, and you also have to watch people's faces.

She said that the hardest part is not being tired, but that some customers speak very unpleasantly and also have bad breath.

I asked her if she would come again next year.
She shook her head and said she didn't want to do it anymore, and it wasn't as easy to make money as others thought.
After hearing her say this, I suddenly felt quite emotional.

In today's world, it's really difficult for people without some savings to find a temporary place to earn a little extra money.
Even women, who set aside their dignity to make the most "practical" choice of becoming technicians, may not necessarily earn money.

So you say, in this situation, where can ordinary people go to make a living?