Migrant couple straddles life in city, countryside

Their current 40-square-meter rural house, constructed with bricks and tiles, was built six months ago, a refuge from the city, where the couple feel they don't truly belong.

"One day, when we get old, we will need a shelter in our hometown," Zhu said.

The couple, neither of whom finished primary school, said they had little choice of proper jobs.

Zhu, 45, has been working for a food company in Hefei since the end of 2011. She picks sunflower and melon seeds, earning a little more than 100 yuan from each 12-hour "boring and tiring" work shift.

Cui, 46, has been taking temporary jobs over the years, such as installing stages and billboards for advertising agencies. Although satisfied with his salary of 20 yuan an hour, he said "the work is just too strenuous".

In 2013, Cui bought a car, purchased with the family's savings and about 40,000 yuan borrowed from relatives, to ferry passengers around the city. But he abandoned the business a year later since it was illegal and risky.

Though not expensive, the car brought the couple some respect, as well as envy, from local villagers. "I heard recently that some other local villagers working in cities are also planning to buy cars," Cui said.

Zhu said the family still had a debt of more than 40,000 yuan, which they borrowed when they bought an apartment in the city last year. The apartment, located near the Hefei suburbs, cost 540,000 yuan.

The couple paid 180,000, of which 80,000 yuan was borrowed from relatives, and obtained a 20-year mortgage for the remainder.

The apartment was bought for the couple's son, Cui Yaoyao, 21, who is a sophomore at a university in Changsha, Hunan province. Fellow villagers also have bought apartments in the city, Zhu said.

The couple views their son as their pride and hope, because he is one of the few college students in the village, which has more than 1,000 registered residents.

"I believe our lives will become much easier after my son's graduation," Zhu said.

The family will take ownership of their apartment at the end of this year, a little early for Zhu, who had hoped the delivery would be delayed so that they could receive some compensation from the real estate developer, and also because the family hadn't saved enough money for the home decor.

Her husband and son laughed at Zhu and said: "You wish!"

Contact the writers at zhulixin@chinadaily.com.cn