Chapter 4: Four: This is…….uh, a keepsake my partner left me.

The HongSheng Building was very easy to find. Ji XiaoYu could see it before he entered the street. It was the tallest and most imposing building on the block. Carrying the delivery basket as he rushed along, he agilely dodged the pedestrians on the crowded road and, just five minutes later, he reached the bottom floor of HongSheng Building’s Block A. He had to go through the security check to enter the lobby.

The security guard was about twenty-six years old. He was thin and tall, with dark skin, small eyes, and a bright gaze. With just one glance, Ji XiaoYu was picked out from the staff who were moving to and fro.

Ji XiaoYu glanced at the nameplate on the chest of the security guard. The name was Liang ShaoGang. He called “Liang Ge” out sweetly and said that he was here for a food delivery.

Liang ShaoGang clearly didn’t eat up his act. With his face expressionless like a robot, he spoke out one word at a time, “Please show a valid ID. Which floor are you going to? Who are you looking for?”

Ji XiaoYu had to honestly pull out his ID card and he quickly and clearly answered the questions one by one. Liang ShaoGang checked the register and made an internal phone call to verify his identity with Miss Zhou, who had made the order, before releasing him.

After another three or four minutes, Ji XiaoYu trotted into the lobby and then drifted across the smooth, mirror-like surface of the marble floor. He dashingly and elegantly squeezed into an staff elevator that was about to go up, causing many people in the lobby to look over at him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

At the same time, the management’s private elevator on the other side of the lobby just happened to open. A tall man dressed in formal suit stepped out. With a glance, he caught a glimpse of Ji XiaoYu’s profile as the doors of the staff elevator closed.

As soon as the man appeared, everyone in the lobby, who were all originally noisy, went as silent as a chicken. Liang ShaoGang also quickly got up from his seat and stood as straight as a javelin.

“Cheng Zong, what’s wrong?” The assistant next to him followed the man’s gaze, but found nothing unusual.

Cheng YuTang turned around and replied, “Nothing, let’s go.”

It’s just a little delivery guy. He must have been mistaken, how could there be such a coincidence?

Meanwhile, Ji XiaoYu took the elevator to the 12th floor. Throughout the trip, the elevator stopped several times and people kept coming in and out. When he finally arrived at the 12th floor and found Room 1208, the electronic clock in the corridor showed that it was just ten seconds until the half-hour delivery time agreed upon by Li DeFa and Miss Zhou.

He straightened the little yellow hat on his head, pressed the doorbell without hesitation, and then, when a sweet-looking girl in a dress came to open the door, he gave her a full smile, “Are you Miss Zhou? Hello, I am the waiter of ‘Old Li’s Home-Cooked Dishes’ here to make your delivery.”

“Wow, it’s a little handsome guy!” The other side cried quietly in surprise, almost dazzled by Ji XiaoYu’s neat little white teeth.

……

Ten minutes later, Ji XiaoYu returned to the Old Li’s Home-Cooked Dishes on Screw Street. He handed over the forty-eight yuan for the delivery order to Li DeFa, while slurping a cup of milk tea from one hand and carrying two chocolates in his pocket.

The milk tea and chocolate were both given to Ji XiaoYu by Miss Zhou, who had just ordered the delivery. The other party also curiously asked him if he was a part-time college student on the summer vacation and whether he had a girlfriend. The girl who ordered the meal with Miss Zhou also joked about how, if she helped him with publicity in the future, making their other work colleagues order Old Li’s delivery, he would have to thank her or something like that.

Although Ji XiaoYu has always had a silver tongue, he hadn’t known how to deal with the girls’ teasing. At that time, he was red-faced and couldn’t reply, making the two girls laugh uncontrollably.

Li DeFa took the money, his face unable to hide his smile, and then he starting giving orders to Ji XiaoYu to do this and do that.

With the milk tea and chocolate as a cushion, Ji XiaoYu’s stomach was a little better, so it was a little easier for him to do the work.

The business tonight was better than usual. Some people wandering outside inadvertently glanced into the restaurant and then suddenly turned in. There were especially more female customers and they were obviously targeting Ji XiaoYu, some boldly staring at him, some shyly stealing a few eyes, and some whispering with their peers.

Ji XiaoYu was ordered around by Li DeFa, simply not noticing the gazes of the various guests at all. Even if he had noticed, he wouldn’t have taken it seriously. He had long become numb to this same kind of situation at the hotel in Xing City.

When the customers were all gone and the restaurant was closed, it was almost nine o’clock and Ji XiaoYu was starving again.

Li DeFa was obviously in a good mood, sitting down at the table with the teapot, and said while he drank, “Xiao Ji, ah……”

“……you can call me Xiao Yu.” Ji XiaoYu said quickly, ‘chick’ or whatever sounded so awkward. He was already a big bird. Mhm, in every sense of the word.

(t/n, the Ji in Ji XiaoYu’s name isn’t the same Ji as chicken, but it sounds the same. Xiao Ji can mean little chicken aka chick)

He couldn’t help but confidently stand up, puffing out his thick and solid, and definitely not weak, chest.

Li DeFa was in a good mood so he changed his words in a benevolent manner, “Oh, Xiao Yu ah, hearing your accent, it’s not like a Ning City native. Did you come for college from out of town?”

Ji XiaoYu replied, “I’m not from Ning City and I don’t go to college. I lived in a village near QingShan Town. My parents passed away early and I was the only person in my household. Because it wasn’t easy to find work in that town, I came to Ning City to work.”

In fact, he hadn’t even gone to kindergarten. However, this was the story he used last year and it was basically true too, so he opened his mouth with these words and pulled out his ID card and diploma from the his backpack to show to Li DeFa.

Zhang QiaoYan was still tidying up the storefront and, very sympathetically, she said, “Xiao Yu, it’s not easy for you to live alone.”

“It’s not easy, but you are still young. Work hard and do a good job, and one day you’ll have a place to call your own,” Li DeFa said seriously, “Xiao Yu, you did a good job just now, I can take you on but it’ll only be temporary. The trial period is one month; if there are no problems, you can convert to a proper employee. Those are the rules. During the trial period, covering room and board, the wages will be 1800 yuan, 2800 after conversion. Uncle Li’s salary is the highest on our street. Go ask around if you don’t believe me.”

Ji XiaoYu didn’t think it over for too long and agreed, “Alright, you’re in charge.”

Compared to the hotel in Xing Cheng previously, the wages here were slightly lower, but his current needs weren’t too high. He could use this as a place to stay for a while and, wen he had a better opportunity, could get a better job.

“Alright, it’s a deal!” Li DeFa slapped the table hard, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were so deep a fly could get trapped in them.

“Hey, what’s this?” Zhang QiaoYan suddenly said.

She was wiping the window sill of the kitchen, where Ji XiaoYu’s little canvas bag was sitting. When she moved the bag, the bag’s tie loosened and a smooth round thing rolled out, spinning as it fell and it quickly rolled over the edge of the counter.

Li DeFa saw only a flash before his eyes and Ji XiaoYu, who had been sitting opposite him, disappeared.

Ji XiaoYu screamed out with a “chirp”, taking a rushing step forward, and caught in his hands the little white egg that was halfway through freefall.

Zhang QiaoYan, “…”

She hadn’t seen exactly what it was, but she was shocked by Ji XiaoYu’s exaggerated reaction, nervously saying, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! Xiao Yu, what is that? It’s not broken, right?”

“It’s okay, it’s fine.” Ji XiaoYu touched the little white egg in the palm of his hand. His heart sunk back from where, in that moment, it had leaped into his throat and he put the little white egg back in the pouch, “This is…….uh, a keepsake my partner left me.”

“Wow, Xiao Yu, you already have a partner?” Zhang QiaoYan exclaimed.

Telling this lie had goosebumps breaking out all over Ji XiaoYu. He hung his head to conceal his expression and, with his long eyelashes casting a shadow on his face, he gnashed his teeth secretly and replied, “Yes, but we’ve already broken up.”

In the eyes of others, he looked like a man who had been destroyed by sorrow.

Zhang QiaoYan was immediately even more sympathetic, “Xiao Yu, don’t be sad, you look so handsome, there will be girls who like you who are better. Would you like to introduce your jiejie to introduce you to someone else?”

Ji XiaoYu shook his head, “Thank you, QiaoYan-jie, but no. I don’t want to find another partner right now, I just want to make money.”

This was the honest truth. Don’t even talk about him finding someone right now, he was still carrying the egg currently. His first task is to make money to buy milk powder, where did he have idle time to mess around with girls.

“That’s the right way to think!” Li DeFa patted his thigh. “Why should a young man be in a rush? As long as you have money, what kind of pretty girl can’t you find? As long as you do well, Uncle Li won’t treat you badly!”

Zhang QiaoYan pouted in disapproval.

Ji XiaoYu replied cleverly, “Thank you, Uncle Li, I will.”

“Okay, it’s late, it’s time to rest. Xiao Yu, although our shop doesn’t serve breakfast, we have a lot to do in the morning, stocking, preparing vegetables, starting the boiler……there can’t be a delay, so you’ll have to get up and start work at 8am, don’t sleep in tomorrow.”

“No problem, you just rest assured!” Ji XiaoYu’s reply was firm and forceful.

Since the egg had been laid, Ji XiaoYu’s lethargy had automatically disappeared and his previous state of ‘spirited as a dragon and fierce as a tiger’ had been restored. He had so much strength in his body, he could hardly exert it all, so Uncle Li’s request wasn’t too difficult.

As soon as the words fell, Ji XiaoYu’s stomach made a gurgling noise. He coughed a little in embarrassment and said, “Uncle Li, I haven’t eaten dinner yet. Can I wrap this up? I want to eat twice-cooked pork.”

Li DeFa: ” …… ”

A man daring to order from the boss a la cart, he had been in the restaurant for so many years and was seeing this kind of thing for the first time.

Zhang QiaoYan coughed to cover up her laugh.

But the Boss Li who had recruited a very cost-effective staff member was in a good mood, and it would only take a few minutes to fry a pot of pork, so he agreed happily.

Half an hour later, when the bottom of the rice bowl could finally be seen, Ji XiaoYu had finally eaten his fill to his heart’s content and he gave a contented burp rich in the scent of twice-cooked pork.

The author has something to say,

Cheng Zong: This keepsake’s not bad, would you like a few more?

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Footnotes:

1. Zong (总): chief, used for company executives

2. spirited as a dragon, fierce as a lion (龙精虎猛): idiom meaning energetic and high-spirited, related to the tiger and dragon dances at festivals

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eat well so you can be strong for your egg ?