This is an anonymized experience record that has undergone risk screening and language refinement; it does not retain the original author's identity, location, or identifiable details.
Under the Scorching Sun, He Squats by the Wall Drinking Three-Yuan Baijiu
I set up a quick-cut stall by the construction site to give haircuts to workers. Summers at Hangzhou Bay are brutal, with the sun scorching and work uniforms drenched in sweat being the norm. Sa Beimin, a 52-year-old steelworker here, has been working for nearly 20 years, from steel reinforcement to odd jobs, his calloused hands thick as a shell.
After work each day, his coworkers head to the canteen or convenience store in small groups, but he squats alone by the site's perimeter wall with a three-yuan bottle of bulk baijiu in front of him, paired with half a bag of fifty-cent peanuts—one sip of liquor, one peanut, until his eyes turn red. He doesn’t care about the snacks; as long as there’s alcohol, it seems he can push through.
The first time I saw him, I handed him a bottle of cold water. He looked up at me, the wrinkles at his eyes filled with exhaustion as he smiled: "Thanks, girl, but I’m not thirsty. Just want a drink." Later, I swapped it for a bottle of liquor. He didn’t say much, just gripped the bottle tighter.
Working 10 Hours a Day, Only Alcohol Can Numb the Pain
Sa’s job is operating the steel bar bending machine, repeating the same motion endlessly. Under the blazing sun, sweat drips down his neck beneath the hard hat, every bend and lift a battle against exhaustion and heat. He says spending 10 hours daily on scaffolding, battered by wind and sun, leaves his back and knees too stiff to straighten. "Only a few sips of liquor can dull that piercing pain a little."
His coworkers call him hopeless, just a drunk. But no one knows his drinking is for the exhaustion of the day and the sorrows of the night. His heartache is known only to his gut. Lying on the dormitory’s shared bed at night while others play games or scroll videos, he’s afraid to sleep, clutching his bottle—and the bottomless sorrow it can’t drown.
"I Can’t Collapse—If I Do, the Distillery Would Go Bankrupt Too"
I’ve cut his hair a few times. Each visit, he carries a faint liquor scent, speaking little but insisting on stuffing ten yuan into my hand after the haircut: "Girl, life’s hard for you too. I know your stall doesn’t earn much." Once, when the line was long and I was drenched in sweat, he even bought me a drink from the site’s shop. "I’ve been around," he once said. "But folks from Shaoxing are the hardest-working—that’s us."
Drunk one evening by my stall, he suddenly asked: "Yingzi, tell me—is this it for my life? Backbreaking work, meager pay, no future in sight?" I had no answer, only the thought that punishing yourself with alcohol is wrong. Make those who hurt you pay, not your own body.
He doesn’t love drinking. He has nowhere to vent, no one to confide in, so all his grievances and pressure get poured into that glass. "Yingzi, I can’t collapse," he said. "If I do, the distillery would go bankrupt too. I’ve got to drink—and work hard. Keep living, keep shining."
Construction Site Liquor: Drinking to the Unseen Pain
Those dependent on alcohol at construction sites never truly want to get drunk. They just seek temporary escape from suffocating reality, only to shoulder life’s weight again the next day, reeking of liquor. On sites, you’ll always see groups of earnest laborers working side by side, hustling to build lives with their hands. This is the rawest portrait of ordinary people.
Sa’s story taught me that behind drinking problems often lie unseen fatigue and loneliness. If someone around you uses alcohol to cope with physical pain or emotional stress, try asking, "Are you exhausted today?" instead of just saying, "Stop drinking." Understanding holds more power than judgment—and the next step might be helping them find safer ways to face those days and nights.
Read more true stories or learn how to support loved ones.
Behind drinking often lies unseen exhaustion and loneliness—understanding is stronger than blame.