他是住在石牌东的一个送水工，每天要穿过黄埔大道的人行隧道，把桶装饮用水送到对面的写字楼。这里正好是珠江新城的边角，城市和村落的界限在他身上显得格外模糊。

王帅住的地方是城中村，工作的地方则是繁华的城市。每天，他在两者之间往返，过着机械式的生活。你会觉得，他的梦想和生活似乎有些遥远。然而，王帅告诉我，他曾是当兵的，体格健壮，年轻时还曾梦想过能成为保镖或司机，但无奈广州太安全，保镖成了多余的职业。

于是，他选择了送水这个看似不起眼的工作。他知道这不是长久之计，但为何依然选择这条路呢？王帅淡淡地笑着说：“这份工作离我的梦想最近，至少这是住在城中村里最容易接触到大公司的一份‘好工’。”

他告诉我，每天他送的水，大部分都是大国企或者大型企业的办公室，其中还有两家是世界500强的分公司。“每次把水送去，离开时，我总会回头看一眼那些高楼大厦，心里告诉自己，离梦想又近了一步。” 王帅告诉我，他虽然住在30平米不到的出租屋里，但每天有两小时用来看书，记录下他的经历和想法。“一年后，我相信这些零碎的文字会成为一本《一个送水工在城中村的996》。”他说。

王帅的故事让我深刻体会到，在广州，城市与村落之间，只隔了一条马路，甚至差一个梦想而已。再高的楼，再富丽堂皇的写字楼，都是那些住在城中村的人建起来的。城市和村落，不是绝对的分界，而是相互交织、相互依存的。

“不要鄙视每一个在村子里诞生的梦想。”王帅的话让我很触动，他认为，尽管许多住在城中村的人，可能一辈子都无法住进这些豪华写字楼，但这些写字楼就是他们追梦的动力。住在城中村的每个人（房东除外），都有一个共同的梦想——冲出村子，迈向城市。

“即便是最发达的天河区，像棠下、车陂这些地方，租金便宜的城中村，也能找到适合的工作。比起北京上海，这里真是一个梦想开始的地方。” 王帅说。在广州，低成本的生活让每一个带着梦想的人，或不带梦想的人都能找到一片栖身之地。

在广州，你不会听到很多“暴发富”的故事，也不容易看到“屌丝逆袭”的成功者。这里的人们似乎更脚踏实地，他们的梦想更多是积累每个小目标，一步步向前走。而像网易的丁磊这样，虽然住过很长时间的城中村出租屋，但他依然通过长时间的努力和坚持，才逐渐获得成功。

王帅的故事不仅是一个送水工的奋斗故事，更是一个关于梦想和坚守的故事。对于他来说，广州不仅是他的工作城市，更是他的梦想城市。即便生活艰难，他也从未放弃过自己的小梦想。

在王帅看来，广州是一座宽容的城市，这里的人不容易沉沦，因为总有机会让你站起来，“这里的苦难更少，生存的可能性更大，随便找份工作，总能生活下去。”他说。

这座城市没有那么多高不可攀的门槛，给了每一个人机会。正如王帅所说：“只要你不摆烂、不偷懒，广州总会给你一个活下去的机会。”

English Translated Version

Wang Shuai, a water delivery worker who lives in Shipaidong. Every day, he crosses the pedestrian tunnel under Huangpu Avenue, delivering bottled drinking water to office buildings on the other side. This area is right on the edge of Zhujiang New Town—right where the city and the village meet.

For Wang Shuai, his home is in an urban village, while his workplace is in the heart of the city. Every day, he moves between these two worlds, performing the same routine work. You might think he has no dreams, but Wang Shuai shared something with me that surprised me. He was once in the army, and with his strong physique, he had dreams of becoming a bodyguard or a chauffeur. But Guangzhou is so safe, he explained, that bodyguards are simply unnecessary.

So, he chose to deliver water. He knows it’s not a long-term career, but why stay in a job like this? He shrugged and said, “This job is the closest I can get to my dream right now. At least it’s the easiest job in the urban village where I can get close to big companies.”

He delivers water to large state-owned enterprises and multinational corporations every day, including two subsidiaries of companies on the Fortune 500 list. “Every time I deliver the water and leave, I always look back at those tall buildings and tell myself, ‘I’m one step closer to my dream.’” Wang Shuai told me that although he lives in a less-than-30-square-meter rental, he spends two hours each day reading and writing about his experiences and thoughts. “I believe that in a year, these fragments of writing will turn into a book, ‘A Water Delivery Worker’s 996 in the Urban Village’,” he said.

Wang Shuai’s story made me realize—there is only a street between the city and the village! No, actually, there’s only one thing separating the city from the village: a dream! The high-rise buildings, the luxurious office towers—they were all built by people who lived in urban villages. The distinction between city and village is not a sharp line, but an intertwined reality.

“Don’t look down on the dreams born in the villages,” Wang Shuai said, and his words really resonated with me. Even though many people living in urban villages may never own a piece of these skyscrapers, the towers themselves are what drive them forward. Everyone who lives in an urban village (except for the landlords) shares a common dream: to break free from the village and enter the city.

He went on, “Even in the most developed parts of Tianhe District, places like Tangxia and Chebei, where you can rent a one-bedroom apartment in an urban village for just 1,000 RMB, that’s unimaginable in Beijing!” Guangzhou offers a place for dreamers, with affordable living costs and easy access to public transportation. It’s a place where anyone with or without a dream can settle down.

In Guangzhou, you won’t hear many “rags-to-riches” stories, nor are “underdog success” tales common. The people here tend to take a more grounded approach to life. Their dreams are small and practical, achieved step by step. Unlike places like Beijing or Shanghai, where people dream of sudden wealth, Guangzhou is not a city of overnight success. Even Ding Lei, the CEO of NetEase, who once lived in a rental in Shipaicun for many years, only rose to success after years of hard work and perseverance.

Wang Shuai’s story is not just about the struggles of a water delivery worker; it’s about the pursuit of dreams and the importance of persistence. For him, Guangzhou is not just a city for work; it is a city where dreams can come true. Despite the challenges, he has never given up on his dreams.

For Wang Shuai, Guangzhou is a city of tolerance, where people don’t easily fall into despair because there are always opportunities to stand up. “The difficulties here are fewer, and the chances of survival are greater. As long as you don’t slack off or be lazy, you can always find a way to make a living here,” he said.

This city has low barriers to entry, and it gives everyone a chance. As Wang Shuai said, “As long as you don’t give up and don’t slack off, Guangzhou will always give you a chance to live.”