"Sweet. Today, in honor of the date, I won't fuss with you. Will there be more tomorrow?" Zhang Shuai asked.
"Are you a beggar or something? Today isn't over yet and you're already thinking about tomorrow?" She snatched the basket away.
"More or less!" Zhang Shuai lowered his head, muttered, "My dad plays cards outside all day, my mom ran away ages ago. It's just me at home, no one cares about me."
"You..." She felt a bit sorry for him, sighed and said: "You're grown up now, can't you go out and find something to do? You've got arms and legs, why can't you do something instead of bumming around the village for food?"
"I want to, but first, I have no skills, second, no craftsmanship, nobody wants to hire me, and I have no money. What can I do?" Zhang Shuai looked helpless.
"I am really amazed! Are you really okay with scraping by each meal like this?"
"You're capable, you've got skills. If you have the ability, find me a job." Zhang Shuai looked at her and said.
"Where am I supposed to find you a job..." She started saying but then remembered the way he wolfed down the food, and her heart softened, changing her tune: "Well...maybe it's doable. Listen, I'm soon going to Ancient City for school. I'll see if there's a job suitable for you."
"Really? You can help me find a job?" Zhang Shuai's eyes lit up, he held her hand excitedly and said: "If you can really find one, you'll be my boss. I'll stick with you, protect you. If there's anyone you don't like, just tell me, and I'll sort it out for you."
"Hey, hey, hey, let go!" She shouted at Zhang Shuai.
"Oh, sorry!" Zhang Shuai released his grip, looking pitiful!
"Alright, I'll look into it. In the meantime, stop wandering, tidy up at home, and wait for my news."
She wasn't sure why she had taken on this responsibility, clearly wanting to keep distance from this little troublemaker. Yet, she agreed to help him find a job. Can this guy really work properly when he's always causing trouble?
But she did manage to find Zhang Shuai a job, it was at a cement factory. At first, he worked in loading and unloading, then later when the cement factory needed truck drivers, she convinced Zhang Shuai to get his driver's license.
Though he appeared unreliable, once he became a truck driver, he worked diligently and even earned the title of "outstanding employee". He was loyal to his colleagues and soon became the team leader.
Only a few years later, trouble found him.
That day, the factory was on vacation, Zhang Shuai invited his colleagues to dine and drink together. The restaurant waitress served the wrong dish, placing a plate of stir-fried pork meant for the adjacent table on theirs. Everyone was careless and didn't notice.
They were almost finished when the neighboring table started clamoring for their dish, and the waitress finally realized the mistake.
"I'm sorry, the dish was served incorrectly. I'll make a new one right away, please wait a few minutes. It'll be ready soon," the waitress apologized cautiously.
"You served it wrong and think an apology will suffice?" The other party was unappeased.
"I'm very sorry, we'll give you this dish for free," the waitress nervously offered with a smile.
"That's not acceptable, who's accountable for our wasted time? If you want to waive the charge, then make the entire meal free. Just one dish won't cut it."
"We're just a small business, please have some consideration. Don't make things difficult for me."
"Who's making it difficult for you? You served the wrong dish and now act like the victim? Go get your boss."
At this point, one of Zhang Shuai's coworkers couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to the other table.
"Don't trouble the young lady. It's just a dish, and she's promised to redo it."
"Who the hell are you, daring to lecture me," one of them said, smashing a bottle on Zhang Shuai's coworker's head.
Zhang Shuai, already drunk, saw this and without a word, responded in kind with another bottle.
The person who was hit got injured, and then the other side flipped the table. This group of people in their twenties acted recklessly.
The restaurant called the police, both sides compensated each other with money, and the matter was ostensibly resolved.
But within a few days, Zhang Shuai and his teammates were all dismissed.
"Why? We've been working well, on what grounds are we being fired?" Zhang Shuai went to ask the foreman responsible for their team.
"On what grounds? Do you know who you hit with the bottle that day?" the foreman retorted.
"Who? His identity doesn't have anything to do with my job!"
"He's Director Liu's son. You hit his son, do you think he'd keep you here?"
"..."
"Boss, what are you thinking?" Zhang Shuai waved his hand in front of Tian Xin to bring her back from her thoughts.
"So, you've just been missing? It's been a year, I didn't know where you were, and you didn't mention anything over the phone."
"I didn't have the face to see you," Zhang Shuai said, "How did you find this place?"
"The number you called from last time was from around here, so I guessed you might be nearby, and I came to try my luck. Didn't expect my luck to be that good, and I found you right away."
"Really?" Zhang Shuai chuckled, "As expected from the boss, a university student's brain sure is sharp."
"Alright, stop joking. How's it going, can you handle it? Can you find these five people? I need experienced drivers."
"Don't worry, boss, I'll get back to you in a day or two."
"Hurry up and tidy yourself up, cut your hair!" Tian Xin disapprovingly patted Zhang Shuai on the back of his head.
"Huh? I just styled it, it's called non-mainstream, very trendy now." Zhang Shuai said reluctantly.
"What non-mainstream? You haven't checked your age, have you? You're over twenty, not a kid anymore? Cut it off, did you hear me? What will the people in the village think?
If you don't cut it, I'll do it myself. If I botch it, don't blame me." Tian Xin nagged behind Zhang Shuai like a mother.
"Ah, alright, alright, I'll cut it, okay? You're the boss, you win!" Zhang Shuai looked at his hair, feeling helpless.
What a shame, just had it done!
After they finished eating, Tian Xin went to the Ancient City to see her classmates! Zhang Shuai went to contact his former coworkers, whether he could assemble this team was yet uncertain.