Although Chen Jian felt like half the world was about to find out, and he didn’t discriminate against people with fewer brain wrinkles, if Lao Wu found out, he would still feel a certain indescribable way.
—As in, even he knew!
That kind of feeling.
Now he certainly couldn’t give Lao Wu any room for imagination. He had to come up with a reason on the spot.
But his brain had just undergone such a shocking event, and it had been shaken quite smooth. He couldn’t think of anywhere they could have been on duty for a while.
“We went to the front desk after finishing our business in the office,” Shan Yu said. “If you stay here until tomorrow morning, you’ll be lucky to even see Mushroom.”
Ah, right!
Right!
Chen Jian glanced at Shan Yu. Some people are just born saints at making up lies.
“I didn’t see Manager Chen doing his rounds,” Lao Wu said, rubbing his face and sighing. “I thought he went to the office to sleep.”
Chen Jian couldn’t help but stare at him for a few moments, making sure he really was Lao Wu.
“I’ll go to the front desk for you,” Shan Yu said, then whispered in Chen Jian’s ear, “You talk to him for a bit. It’s the New Year. Don’t let anything happen.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian responded.
Shan Yu turned and hurried back into the house. It felt like his main purpose wasn’t to take over Chen Jian’s shift at the front desk, but simply that he couldn’t stand the cold and was freezing.
Chen Jian pulled his clothes tighter, put on his jacket hood, and walked over to lean against the table in front of the bench, face to face with Lao Wu.
“I’m fine,” Lao Wu said.
“Don’t be stubborn,” Chen Jian said. “Just a heartbreak shouldn’t have this effect. You’ve chased plenty of girls before, and you weren’t like this, were you?”
“What do you know,” Lao Wu glared at him. “Those before were just for fun. This time, I was serious!”
“Those before were just for fun? Or you just couldn’t catch them?” Chen Jian said.
“If you can’t talk nicely, then don’t talk at all,” Lao Wu said, taking a cigarette out of his pocket. He glanced at him, stood up, and walked towards the back door. “I didn’t die from a broken heart, but I’m going to be angered to death by you.”
Chen Jian smiled without saying a word and walked with him towards the back gate, doing his rounds of the courtyard along the way.
Lao Wu very properly walked to the pavilion at the crossroads before lighting his cigarette. He took a drag, let out a deep puff of smoke, but couldn’t keep up the act. The next puff of smoke was blown back into his face by the wind, and tears started to stream down.
He raised his hand and wiped his face with his sleeve.
“I really like her,” Lao Wu said. “I buy her whatever she wants…”
Chen Jian raised an eyebrow. “How much money have you spent on her?”
“I’ve spent all my salary from the past few months on her,” Lao Wu said. “I don’t care about the money, as long as she likes it…”
“Have you borrowed money?” Chen Jian interrupted him. “Have you borrowed money from anyone? From anywhere else?”
“No, just my salary,” Lao Wu looked at him. “Is money the only thing in your eyes?”
“Are you sure? Other than your salary, you haven’t spent any other money,” Chen Jian asked.
“And the bonus Boss Shan gave me. Nothing else,” Lao Wu said.
Chen Jian was a bit speechless and frowned. “Are you sure?”
“Sure, sure, sure!” Lao Wu glared at him. “Chen Jian, did you go crazy from paying back debts so now all you have left in your brain is money? This is love, my love!”
“Say that again?” Chen Jian looked at him.
Lao Wu immediately shut up. After a few seconds of eye contact, he looked away. “You know I speak without thinking.”
“Have you two met?” Chen Jian asked.
“Twice,” Lao Wu said. “She lives in the old town. I met her when I went with Brother Erhu to deliver the laundered supplies.”
“So now she ignores you if you don’t spend money on her, is that it?” Chen Jian asked.
“…I guess so,” Lao Wu sighed. “It’s normal, really. What girl in a relationship doesn’t want her boyfriend to be a little generous?”
“A normal relationship is different from your situation, right?” Chen Jian said. “This girlfriend of yours sounds like she’s coin-operated.”
“Fuck you, Chen Jian, why are you so mean!” Lao Wu said.
“I’m afraid you won’t wake up,” Chen Jian thought for a moment. “Your salary for next month won’t be paid out. You eat and live at the shop, you have no use for money. If you want to smoke, I’ll buy them for you.”
“What do you mean?” Lao Wu was stunned.
“I’m afraid you won’t make a clean break,” Chen Jian said, turning to walk back.
“Fuck!” Lao Wu shouted. “You just try it!”
Chen Jian ignored him. After entering the courtyard, he jogged back to the house. The wind was a bit strong, and he had just thrown on some clothes when he came out. Now he was almost frozen through.
Normally, he wasn’t this sensitive to the cold, but today… there was an indescribable feeling. Maybe it was still the shock, and he was feeling a bit off.
Shan Yu was sitting obediently behind the front desk. The small basket of biscuits on the table had been moved to his side.
“Hungry?” Chen Jian asked.
“Mhm,” Shan Yu glanced at him. “Cold, right? Your nose is all red.”
“It’s the wind,” Chen Jian said, pulling a chair next to him. He hesitated for a moment, put a small cushion on the chair, and then sat down. “It’s windy.”
“Uncomfortable?” Shan Yu asked in a low voice.
“You’ll find out sooner or later,” Chen Jian said. “No need to be so curious.”
Shan Yu was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “Such strong aggression, manager.”
“Come here,” Chen Jian looked at him.
Shan Yu leaned over and came close to him. “Hm?”
Chen Jian kissed him on the mouth. “There, I feel better.”
Shan Yu pinched his chin. “If you’re not feeling well, why don’t you go lie down in the office for a while?”
“It’s fine,” Chen Jian said. “I trust you with the big things, but I’m really not at ease with the small things in the shop.”
“I’m just answering a phone call, how bad can I be at it?” Shan Yu clicked his tongue.
“Who was that you just answered the phone for?”
It wasn’t even eight o’clock, and the first guests to check in today stood at the front desk. It was a family of six, a middle-aged couple with their child and parents. The woman asked curiously at the front desk.
“Hm?” Chen Jian glanced at her while checking them in. “What’s wrong?”
“It didn’t sound like your voice,” the woman said, looking at Shan Yu beside him. “Was it him?”
Shan Yu didn’t speak, just shook his head.
Damn it!
It was definitely you!
As soon as you heard someone could recognize your voice, you didn’t even dare to speak!
“Was there anything unsatisfactory?” Chen Jian asked.
“He didn’t know the answer to anything I asked, but he was quite polite,” the woman said.
“It might have been one of our temporary employees. I’m sorry, sister,” Chen Jian said quickly. “If you have any questions, you can ask me.”
“I was just asking if we could cook our own meals, and what time breakfast is served,” the woman said. “And if you could help book tickets…”
“You can cook your own meals, but the variety of vegetables might be limited during the New Year, or you can eat with us. Many guests do that,” Chen Jian said. “Also, our breakfast is from 7:30 to 10:30. For ticket booking, you can just let the front desk know a day in advance. The activities in the town are open every day except today and the first day of the New Year.”
“Okay, thank you, handsome.” The woman smiled and nodded, then glanced at Shan Yu again. “Was it really not him who answered the phone just now?”
“He’s our boss,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu stood up and smiled at the woman.
“Oh, the boss,” the woman said. “Then it probably wasn’t him.”
It was totally him!
“I’m sorry, sister,” Chen Jian said.
“It’s fine. It’s okay now that I’ve asked. I was just a little curious.” The woman took the room card and called to her family. “Let’s go, our room is on the second floor.”
“You have a lot of things, take the elevator, sister,” Hu Pan said, having just come out of the elevator. “I’ll take you up.”
After the elevator door closed, Chen Jian turned to look at Shan Yu.
“I’m going back to the office,” Shan Yu said. “I’ll come down for breakfast later.”
“What did you answer?” Chen Jian asked. “You didn’t know the answers to just those few questions?”
“I only know when the staff meals are,” Shan Yu said. “I don’t know how you guys arrange for self-cooking… I’m going back to the office.”
“I’m just answering a phone call, how bad can I be at it?” Chen Jian mimicked his tone.
“The manager didn’t train me well,” Shan Yu said with a laugh, tossing the line behind him as he ran up the stairs.
Today was New Year’s Eve. The sound of firecrackers could be heard everywhere since early morning. Liangye set off a string of firecrackers right at their back door. Sanbing and the others all came downstairs with dark circles under their eyes.
“Where are our firecrackers!” Sanbing said. “I want to set them off!”
“Let’s go!” Lao Wu waved his hand.
“Bring Mushroom inside first, don’t scare it,” Chen Erhu said.
“It’s not afraid,” Hu Pan said. “It was even trying to rush up and bite them this morning. A fierce beast.”
“As expected of the dog Shan Yu brought back,” Chen Erhu said.
“Hey,” Sun Nana yawned. “Anyone want coffee?”
“Yes—” a group of people shouted in unison.
“Anyone want breakfast?” his dad also came downstairs and asked.
“Yes—” the group shouted again.
“You go rest. I’ll take over,” Hu Pan said, walking to the front desk and flipping through the phone log. “Who wrote this?”
“Hm?” Chen Jian glanced at it.
-Didn’t hear what the guest said. Answered: I don’t know.
“Is this Boss Shan’s handwriting?” Hu Pan looked at him. “Six o’clock? He was on duty here?”
“…Yes, he couldn’t sleep, so he came to be on duty,” Chen Jian said.
“And you let him answer the phone,” Hu Pan started laughing. “What kind of answer is this!”
“The guest even praised him for being polite despite not knowing anything,” Chen Jian said.
“Oh my god,” Hu Pan laughed uncontrollably.
Chen Jian went into the kitchen. His dad had already started kneading dough.
“What are you making?” Chen Jian asked.
“Something simple, let’s have some rolled pancakes,” his dad said. “There are also frozen buns in the freezer, just steam them. And make some soy milk.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded. “Did you sleep well?”
“Pretty good,” his dad smiled. “I slept in your bed yesterday.”
“Is Liu Yiting’s bed not comfortable?” Chen Jian asked.
“That kid’s pillow smells of mosquito repellent water. The smell was so strong I couldn’t sleep,” his dad said.
“Probably perfume,” Chen Jian laughed. “Lao Si likes to spray that on his bed. Cheap perfumes can be a bit overpowering.”
“Did something happen to Chen Ziyang? He was crying in the middle of the night yesterday, and then he ran out,” his dad said, looking outside. “I haven’t seen him this morning.”
“He broke up,” Chen Jian said in a low voice. “Don’t ask him about it.”
“I won’t. He’s a young man, he has his pride,” his dad nodded. “It must not be easy managing such a group of people in your shop.”
“It’s okay. These are all ones that Shan Yu has tamed,” Chen Jian said. “Even if they don’t listen to me, they listen to Shan Yu.”
“This Boss Shan… is indeed different from ordinary bosses,” his dad said. “Maybe I just haven’t met any high-level bosses in all these years…”
“Even high-level bosses, there aren’t many like him. He’s truly an exception,” Chen Jian said.
He helped his dad steam the buns. As he was about to make the soy milk, his dad came up beside him. “Boss Shan’s parents… are they coming over in a couple of days? I heard Panpan say so.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded. “Probably on the second day of the New Year.”
“Will the cooks be back on the second?” his dad asked.
“No, why?” Chen Jian looked at his dad.
“Will it be inconvenient?” his dad said. “You guys are all regular employees. They’re not going home for the New Year, and no one from their families is coming over. As the manager, will it be…”
“The boss’s parents are coming. Why can’t the manager’s father be here?” Chen Jian said. “And you’re here to help us.”
“That’s also a problem. I’m here for the New Year, but I’m getting paid,” his dad asked.
“If you weren’t getting paid, I wouldn’t be letting you stand in the kitchen right now,” Chen Jian said. “I would have gotten you a room to stay in.”
His dad looked at him and didn’t speak for a long time.
“It’s fine, Dad. Don’t overthink it,” Chen Jian said.
“You really…” his dad said. “You really…”
Chen Jian didn’t say anything, waiting for his dad to finish.
The sound of firecrackers suddenly erupted from the backyard, a series of crackling explosions.
“You really look like a leader now!” His dad wasn’t scared at all. He shouted, looking him up and down, and then patted his arm. His strength was considerable, making him sway a little. “You really look like a manager! You look more like a leader than the boss at our station—”
“The boss at your station is nothing—” Chen Jian also shouted, getting angry at the thought of the unpaid wages.
“Hey,” his dad laughed. “Don’t curse.”
“He deserves to be cursed,” Chen Jian said.
His dad smiled and continued to knead the dough. “You’ve changed, my son.”
After breakfast, the fireworks boss’s van pulled up to the courtyard gate. It was a van with the seats removed, filled with fireworks.
“…You really know how to do business,” Chen Jian said, stunned as he pulled open the car door.
“Boss Shan is generous, so of course I have to cooperate,” the fireworks boss said. “It’s the New Year. He wants you guys to have a good time and is willing to spend the money. You’ve really found a good boss!”
“Listen to that,” Chen Jian said, looking at Sanbing standing next to him. “Learn how to talk from him.”
“Lao Wu, you should learn!” Sanbing said.
“Move it!” Lao Wu got into the van.
“He said that during the New Year, no matter how many fireworks you want to set off, he’ll deliver them to you right away,” Chen Jian said.
“The service is quite thoughtful,” Shan Yu said, standing in front of Erge’s tank and watching.
“If you pay without even checking the numbers like that, if it were me, I would also…” Chen Jian stopped mid-sentence.
“Really?” Shan Yu tilted his head, a faint smile on his lips.
“Of course,” Chen Jian looked at him. “My service is also thoughtful. When you set off fireworks, I can even be a gun mount for your super big Gatling gun.”
“…Get lost,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian started laughing. “What’s wrong?”
Shan Yu didn’t say anything. He threw the tweezers for holding mealworms to the side, rushed over, wrapped his arms around him, and pressed him onto the sofa.
“Chen Jian! Manager Chen!” Hu Pan’s voice came from the walkie-talkie on Chen Jian’s waist. “Time to make dumplings! Everyone has to participate!”
Chen Jian reached for his waist but was held down by Shan Yu, who bit his lip. “You’re fired for five minutes.”
Chen Jian smiled and kissed him back.
It definitely wasn’t five minutes, maybe two or three. When he picked up the walkie-talkie to reply, his lips felt a little sore.
“Coming,” he said, then went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. “Shan Yu!”
“Hm?” Shan Yu walked over.
“You bit my lip open,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu leaned in to look. “You probably didn’t sleep well, manager. You’re getting ‘heat-fire’.”
Right, the excuse was already prepared.
“Let’s go, time to make dumplings,” Chen Jian said.
“I don’t know how,” Shan Yu said.
“Everyone has to participate, you can’t be absent. I’ll give you a piece of dough and you can knead it into a rabbit on the side,” Chen Jian said.
