“The front desk and cook are handled by the cleaner, and the waitstaff and security are outsourced to hooligans,” Shan Yu whispered. “Does a guesthouse like this even have a business philosophy?”
Chen Jian turned to look at him. While the description wasn’t wrong, it was…
“Who talks about their own business like that?” Chen Jian said.
“It’s not my business these past two days,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian felt a bit helpless and was about to say something more when Chen Erhu interrupted him. The dishes hadn’t arrived yet, but this group had already poured their drinks. Chen Erhu raised his glass and stood up. “Boss Shan!”
“Aye,” Shan Yu responded, picking up his teacup.
“This is wine,” Chen Erhu reminded him.
“I don’t drink,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Erhu’s expression immediately turned a bit ugly. Whether he was the leader of the Pigsty Security Group or just an ordinary person, being so bluntly rejected would make anyone’s face drop. Chen Jian was even startled for a moment.
“I’m on medication,” Shan Yu said. “I need to take anti-inflammatory drugs for my leg injury.”
“Ah!” Chen Erhu’s expression changed so quickly that he couldn’t keep up. He paused for two seconds before saying, “Then you can’t drink. You drink tea, you drink tea.”
Shan Yu raised his teacup. “Cheers to pleasant cooperation and mutual progress.”
Chen Erhu tilted his head back and drank the wine. “Pleasant cooperation! Mutual progress!”
After a brief awkwardness, Boss Zhang brought in a pot of fish, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.
“In the future,” Chen Jian leaned closer to Shan Yu and whispered, “for things like that just now, try saying them in a different order. Otherwise, it’s easy to start a fight.”
“Oh,” Shan Yu took a sip of tea.
Chen Jian paused. “Were you doing that on purpose?”
“Speak a little louder,” Shan Yu said. “I’m afraid they can’t hear you.”
Chen Jian quickly replayed his previous volume in his mind. “I…”
“Chen Jian!” Chen Erhu suddenly shouted.
“Aye!” Chen Jian was startled.
“We’re colleagues now too,” Chen Erhu raised his glass. “Let’s put our grievances aside for now…”
Are you going to pick them up again when I resign? Chen Jian picked up his cup and clinked it with Chen Erhu’s, interrupting him. “Cheers to pleasant cooperation.”
“Pleasant!” Chen Erhu again downed the wine in his glass.
This was Chen Jian’s first time eating with Chen Erhu’s group. He didn’t know if Shan Yu had experienced similar dinners, but his head was aching from the noise. The group chatted animatedly, their mouths never stopping. Everyone was always talking at the same time, plus smoking and drinking, their mouths so busy that their orbicularis oris muscles seemed to have gotten stronger, yet it didn’t affect their eating at all. The fish Shan Yu ordered wasn’t enough, so they added another pot of chicken. Shan Yu barely spoke and seemed to eat very little, just leaning back in his chair with a faint, unreadable smile.
Chen Jian remembered the bottle of orange juice Shan Yu had previously disliked. He was about to remind him to eat a few pieces of chicken while the pot was still fresh, when Zhao Fangfang, who had been sitting quietly to his left, suddenly swung a teacup across his face and pointed it at Shan Yu. “Generous Boss!”
“Hey, hey,” Shan Yu abruptly sat up straight and picked up his own teacup. “Sister Zhao, I toast you.”
“I toast you. I can’t drink alcohol either, so I’ll use tea. Don’t mind it,” Zhao Fangfang looked at him. “I toast you.”
“Aye,” Shan Yu held his cup, with his other hand supporting the bottom of the cup, and clinked it with Zhao Fangfang’s. “You’ve worked hard these past few days.”
“It’s not hard, it’s what I should do for the money,” Zhao Fangfang said. “That… we’re already hiring more people, long-term, and I used to work here for a long time, Chen Jian knows that, I’ve been doing it for a long time…”
Once Zhao Fangfang started talking, it was hard to interrupt her. Fortunately, Shan Yu already had experience. Without waiting for her to continue, he directly responded to the main point. “No problem, you can continue working.” With that sentence, Zhao Fangfang felt at ease. She took a sip of tea and continued eating with her head down. It was clear that she had been very tired from working these past few days. Shan Yu also didn’t drink the tea in his cup.
Chen Jian got up and walked out of the private room. If you were to say he was a clean freak, he could sit down anywhere in the guesthouse, regardless of whether it was cleaned or dusty, and he’d drink dusty drinks found in the warehouse without a second thought. But if you were to say he wasn’t a clean freak, he barely ate or drank anything during this entire meal.
“Old Zhang, do you have any Coke?” Chen Jian asked at the counter.
“Yes,” Boss Zhang pointed to the freezer. “Help yourself.”
Chen Jian took a bottle of Coke. Boss Zhang leaned over the counter. “Hey Chen Jian, those guys from Erhu, are they all working at the haunted house now?”
“Not all of them, they take turns,” Chen Jian said.
“Take turns? Which place can handle them taking turns? This new boss…” Boss Zhang clicked his tongue. “He’s got some tricks up his sleeve. What did he do before?”
Probably a professional at cursing people out.
“Not sure,” Chen Jian said, taking a cup from the sterilized cupboard.
Returning to the private room, Chen Jian sat back next to Shan Yu and placed the Coke and cup in front of him. “Want this?”
Shan Yu looked at him with some surprise. “Did you go out for further studies?”
Chen Jian sighed and didn’t speak.
“Thanks,” Shan Yu said.
“You’re welcome,” Chen Jian said.
“Should those two sentences also be said in a different order?” Shan Yu asked.
“No, for those two sentences, no matter who says them first or last, it won’t end well,” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu chuckled, unscrewed the Coke, and poured a cup. “This meal, it made my throat dry.”
“Should I take you back first?” Chen Jian asked. That way he could leave early too; his head felt like it was about to explode from the noise.
“No need,” Shan Yu said. “Occasionally, eating like this is quite enjoyable.”
“…Enjoyable?” Chen Jian couldn’t help but glance at the people in front of him. “Enjoyable what?”
“The superiority of facing smooth brains,” Shan Yu said.
Shan Yu stayed until Chen Erhu called out that it was late and they had to work tomorrow before finally getting up. As they left, Chen Jian looked up. Just as the short-haired girl had said, the moon was indeed beautiful tonight, large and round, hanging over a silent mountain forest.
“It looks like a wonderland,” Shan Yu said, standing beside him.
“It does,” Chen Jian said.
“Let’s go to the river bank for a bit,” Shan Yu said. “My eardrums are all vibrated loose now; I need to relax.”
“Okay,” Chen Jian got on the sidecar. After Shan Yu sat down in the back, he took out the strap from before.
“Just drive slowly,” Shan Yu pulled his leg in a bit. “Take that thing away.”
Chen Jian chuckled, hanging the strap on the front of the sidecar. The river bank was long, with a few people scattered around. Some were tourists—the guests from their guesthouse should be there now—and some were local young couples. Chen Jian parked the sidecar by the river bank. Shan Yu, leaning on his crutch, walked onto the bank and stood still, looking at the forest in the distance, brightly lit by the moonlight. Chen Jian originally wanted to ask him if he wanted to stroll for a few steps, but seeing him so engrossed, he didn’t speak again and sat down on the stone block guardrail behind them.
For about ten minutes, Shan Yu just stood there, motionless, not knowing what he was looking at or thinking about. He perfectly blended with the night, making Chen Jian feel as if he might disappear into the night wind at any second. Chen Jian sometimes zoned out by the river too, thinking about many things—good and bad, worries and joys—but he rarely stayed completely still; he always had to scratch his shoes or pull at some grass. Shan Yu stood for about twenty minutes. Chen Jian had taken 360-degree night view photos of the surroundings with his phone and had completely run out of things to do. He looked at Shan Yu in the viewfinder and took another picture.
“Boss Shan,” he called out to Shan Yu.
Shan Yu didn’t answer.
“Shan Yu?” Chen Jian stood up and called again. Just as he was about to call out again, a gust of wind blew by, and he looked down and sneezed.
“Hey,” Shan Yu sighed, “Let’s go. Don’t catch a cold.”
“It’s fine,” Chen Jian said. “If you want to…”
“Sick leave costs money,” Shan Yu said.
“You’ve already paid me,” Chen Jian said.
“It’ll be deducted from the third month’s salary,” Shan Yu turned to look at him. “Are you not going to continue working?”
Chen Jian tutted.
Back at Yinxi, a minivan was parked in the courtyard; Tang Rui had driven it over. Chen Jian found the keys on the front wheel of the car and put them in his pocket, feeling relieved. Tomorrow’s work was set: taking things to be washed, then accompanying Shan Yu to look at cars.
The security personnel who had been drinking today had all gone home to rest, but San Bing was still sitting in the courtyard. Chen Jian knew he was waiting to take the mattress back later. Shan Yu didn’t ask why San Bing was still there and went straight into the house. Chen Jian also didn’t ask how he planned to get such a large mattress back on a motorcycle; asking too many questions would be awkward.
Chen Jian initially thought Shan Yu didn’t care about San Bing being at Yinxi after work hours, but when he was disinfecting Shan Yu, Shan Yu still asked, “Why isn’t San Bing back yet? Did he switch shifts with someone tonight?”
“No,” Chen Jian held a cotton swab. Shan Yu’s wound looked a bit red, possibly due to too much activity today. “He’s… taking the mattress from the third floor, the one we’re throwing away, back with him later.”
Shan Yu didn’t speak. Chen Jian glanced at him. Logically, this shouldn’t be a problem, but Shan Yu’s silence suddenly made him feel uncertain. “Do you still want that mattress?”
“No, it’s to be thrown away,” Shan Yu said. “But it hasn’t been thrown away yet, it’s still in the room, right?”
“Yes,” Chen Jian nodded.
“Don’t do things like this in the future,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian was startled. Shan Yu’s expression was somewhat serious, unlike his usual self.
“Taking things directly from a room, whether they’re unwanted or not, is not allowed,” Shan Yu said.
“But…” Chen Jian was a bit confused.
“If something is cleared out and unwanted, he can take it,” Shan Yu said. “Even if it’s just a formal process, it has to be followed.”
“What’s the difference?” Chen Jian asked.
“There is,” Shan Yu said. “These are rules that must be strictly adhered to. It wasn’t emphasized before, so we won’t pursue it this time, but it cannot happen again in the future.”
Chen Jian’s disinfecting motion stopped. To be honest, after spending these past few days with Shan Yu, he had gotten used to Shan Yu being a casual person, seemingly indifferent to everything, someone he could joke with, contradict, even “fire” from his position as boss… But now, suddenly hearing him say this, Chen Jian instantly felt a sense of pressure and… awkwardness. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
“Every employee must strictly follow the rules, without any special treatment,” Shan Yu’s tone softened slightly. “But they are indeed different from ordinary employees; you should be clear about that.”
“Mhm,” Chen Jian responded. After all, this was a group of hooligans, even San Bing, who was relatively less “hooligan-like,” had followed Chen Erhu in harassing businesses and smashing windows. He understood Shan Yu’s meaning: even if it was just a formal process, they had to be made clear that there were rules here, unlike the small town streets they roamed.
“I looked at Boss Qian’s previous employee handbook; there are no major issues,” Shan Yu said. “Tomorrow, you save that thing as a document. I’ll revise it and print it out.”
“We’re going to the old town tomorrow,” Chen Jian reminded him. “We might not be back until dinner.”
“Then let Zhao…” Shan Yu started to say, then stopped.
“Mhm, Sister Zhao doesn’t know how to use a computer,” Chen Jian nodded.
“Do we still need to hire a front desk person or something?” Shan Yu looked at him.
“You’re asking me?” Chen Jian said.
Shan Yu sighed. “It’s hard to hire people here. We might just end up hiring more Chen Erhus.”
“The guests said today,” Chen Jian lowered his head and continued disinfecting, “they thought Yinxi was a guesthouse with a public welfare nature, specifically for solving employment issues for ex-offenders.”
“Was that what they said was cool?” Shan Yu smiled.
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded. “I thought about it, and it’s quite similar.”
“How did you answer?” Shan Yu asked.
“One at a time,” Chen Jian said, then suddenly felt unsure again. Shan Yu’s attitude just now made him a little nervous. “I didn’t know how to answer appropriately.”
“Very appropriate,” Shan Yu leaned back, resting his head on the bed, and chuckled. After a while, he added, “As for this group, they can’t go to prison; at most, they’ll spend a few days in a detention center.”
Chen Jian felt there was something else in Shan Yu’s words but didn’t dare to ask. The tension from Shan Yu’s previous serious demeanor hadn’t subsided.
Driving and the “Manager” Promotion
Chen Erhu came to work early in the morning, ready to drive to the old town.
“I’ll drive. This car is automatic, no need to press the clutch,” Shan Yu said from the driver’s seat.
“No, Boss Shan, what’s the meaning of this?” Chen Erhu was a bit unhappy. It was agreed that this was a paid-per-trip job, and now he wasn’t allowed to do it.
“How much did you drink yesterday?” Shan Yu turned his head to look at him. “Even if a mosquito bit you now, and you went to the traffic police and blew into the breathalyzer, it could count as drunk driving.”
“There are no traffic police on the way to the old town!” Chen Erhu said.
“It’s not a question of whether there are traffic police,” Shan Yu said. “It’s a matter of my safety, Boss Chen.”
“I’m sober now, how can I not guarantee your safety?” Chen Erhu was losing face, and the “Pigsty Boss” persona was about to emerge.
“Erhu,” Chen Jian stepped in front of him.
“Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. That saying applies everywhere,” Shan Yu leaned back in his seat, looking forward, his tone calm and cool. “Boss Chen, you’ve also been in the underworld; there are rules everywhere, aren’t there? With so many brothers under you, you can’t get things done without some rules, right?”
Even with rules, they hadn’t accomplished much anyway. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have resorted to being security guards because they couldn’t collect protection fees. However, Shan Yu’s words, both flattering and pressing, seemed to calm Chen Erhu down.
“Boss Shan is indeed thorough.”
“We might pick up the new car this afternoon,” Chen Jian said. “It’s easier to drive than this one.”
“Really?” Chen Erhu’s eyes lit up.
“Mhm,” Chen Jian nodded.
“Alright,” Chen Erhu said readily. “Cooperation should be for the long term.”
“Yes,” Chen Jian continued to nod.
“Then you two go,” Chen Erhu said. “I’ll come over tonight to take the night shift.”
After driving out of the small town, Chen Jian looked at Shan Yu. “Can your leg handle this?”
“No,” Shan Yu said. “You can come and drive without a license.”
“…I meant we could drive for a while and then rest for a while,” Chen Jian said.
“Go get your license,” Shan Yu said.
“I don’t think I’ll need it,” Chen Jian said, and he also didn’t have the money or time.
“The guesthouse will pay,” Shan Yu said. “Consider it pre-job training.”
“What job? Driver?” Chen Jian asked.
“Store manager,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian was startled and sat up straight. “What?”
“What’s wrong?” Shan Yu asked.
“I can’t do it,” Chen Jian said. “There’s so much to do. I used to just do odd jobs, I…”
“Money,” Shan Yu said.
“Hm?” Chen Jian was surprised.
“Store manager gets more money, probably similar to now,” Shan Yu said.
Then I’ll do it. No, I can’t, it’s too complicated. But the money… Chen Jian silently considered for three seconds. “Are there any other positions?”
“Team leader,” Shan Yu said.
“I can do that,” Chen Jian immediately said. “That…”
“Same work as the store manager, one-third less pay,” Shan Yu said.
Chen Jian looked at him, and after a while, asked, “If there’s a store manager, is there still a team leader position?”
“Quite smart,” Shan Yu chuckled. “No, if there’s a store manager, there’s no team leader. If there’s a team leader, there’s no store manager. You choose.”
“Store manager,” Chen Jian sighed. Of course, choose the money.
“It’s fine, don’t worry, if you can’t figure it out, I’m here,” Shan Yu said.
“Then why don’t you do it yourself?” Chen Jian said. “Why insist on appointing a store manager?”
“If I do it myself, will I scold myself for making mistakes?” Shan Yu said. “There has to be someone to take the blame.”
