"Waiter, bring me a pot of strong liquor."

"Okay, coming right away." Fang He was tidying up the table when he quickly put down the rag and ran to the counter to get the wine.

When he returned, he realized he had taken rice wine instead. He hurried back to change it, but suddenly forgot what kind of wine the guest wanted and was too embarrassed to change it, so he just grabbed a bottle of beer.

"I want strong liquor, but you're giving me beer. What are you trying to do?" the customer complained. He had only tried beer once and didn't like the taste. He said it tasted like horse piss and was not good to drink. He preferred strong liquor.

Fang He was busy replacing the beer with strong liquor and constantly apologizing to the guests.

He made no fewer than ten similar mistakes that night. When it was time to close, Fang He squatted dejectedly on the kitchen floor and remained silent for a long time.

Lu Xi tidied up the table, washing the collected bowls and chopsticks and boiling them in a clean pot to sterilize them. This was a necessary procedure after closing, and it was suggested by Sister Dou Dou. She said that the tableware had a lot of dirt on it after a day of use, and washing it with cold water alone was not enough to clean it. It was unhygienic for customers to use, which could easily cause them to feel unwell. Therefore, boiling water was the fastest and most direct way to remove the dirt.

"What's wrong, Fang He?" Lu Xi asked with concern, looking at Fang He who was hanging his head.

It's only the first day, so it's normal that he can't get used to the intensity of the work here. He doesn't look like someone who does manual labor regularly, so he definitely won't be able to adapt to doing so much work all of a sudden.

Fang He looked miserable. He felt like a failure. He couldn't even be a good waiter at a tavern. No wonder his family said he was useless and only fit to be a vampire and a parasite.

"Fang He, if you're tired, go back and rest. I'll take care of things here." He was used to doing things quietly by himself, and it didn't matter if he was a little tired.

Fang He shook his head and said weakly, "Lu Xi, I'm not physically tired, I'm mentally tired. I feel useless."

At this moment, he was shrouded in gloom, like a snail trapped in its shell, unable to find meaning or value in life.

Lu Xi was somewhat surprised. When Fang He came yesterday, he was full of confidence, with the kind of fearless spirit of a newborn calf. But in just one day, his spiritual energy was completely depleted. This job shouldn't be that difficult, right?

"Fang He, you did very well. There's no need to belittle yourself here." He squatted down and said earnestly, his eyes fixed on Fang He.

Fang He slowly raised his head, looking at Lu Xi incredulously, "Really? You think so?"

Lu Xi nodded solemnly, "Think about it yourself, have you ever done these things before?"

Never.

Lu Xi continued, "That's right. You've never done this before, and you did it for the first time today. You should be praising yourself. Why are you making yourself sound so useless? If you were really useless, why would Brother Anrong let you greet guests at the door?"

Fang He fell into deep thought. Since opening the door at noon, he had always greeted guests with a smile, making them happy to enter. After they finished eating, he politely saw them off, making them happy to leave.

That is the meaning of his existence.

Lu Xi's words made him stop dwelling on the silly mistakes he had made.

"Fang He, you're a newbie, so it's inevitable that you'll make some mistakes. It's just because you're not familiar with it yet. In a few days, once you're familiar with everything here, it will be hard for you to make mistakes." Lu Xi believes that no one is perfect, and making mistakes is inevitable. If you make a mistake, reflect on it seriously, and try not to make the same mistake again in the future, that is a kind of progress.

Fang He's eyes gradually brightened. He wasn't discouraged; on the contrary, he felt very lucky to have met someone like Lu Xi here.

"Lu Xi, can we be friends?" Fang He stood up and looked at Lu Xi expectantly.

My primary goal for this trip is to find a job to support myself, but more importantly, I want to make friends who are kindred spirits to me, what we call soulmates.

"I'd be happy to." Lu Xi didn't have many friends, and it was rare to meet someone she found somewhat agreeable.

Fang He hugged Lu Xi tightly, his heart pounding with emotion, "This is wonderful! I finally have a friend!"

"Am I your first friend?" Lu Xi asked, blushing.

Fang He nodded. "Yes, the only one."

“You are also my first friend.” Lu Xi’s heart was pounding. They were each other’s first. What a wonderful fate.

That night, the two slept in the same bed. At first, they were back to back, both feeling a little embarrassed. After a while, they lay flat on their backs and laughed as they talked about some interesting things that happened at the store.

The two had just established a pure friendship, and for a time, they seemed to have endless things to talk about until drowsiness overwhelmed them, and they gradually fell asleep.

The next morning, Lu Xi was the first to wake up. He turned to look inside and saw Fang He lying flat, fast asleep. He couldn't bear to wake him, so he got up quietly, dressed, went to the bathroom, washed up, and then went to the kitchen.

"Fang He hasn't woken up yet?" An Rong asked when she saw Lu Xi while cooking in the kitchen.

Lu Xi nodded, "He was too tired yesterday."

"He's new here, he needs a while to adjust." An Rong wasn't the kind of boss who exploited his employees. The young man looked delicate and wasn't someone who could endure hardship. An Rong just hoped that he would give up easily and leave on his own after three days.

"I'll watch the fire." Lu Xi took the fire tongs from An Rong and sat down by the stove.

An Rong went to prepare some side dishes. Breakfast was still porridge, steamed buns, and two stir-fried dishes.

“Brother Anrong, he’s actually very capable. I believe he can do a good job.” Lu Xi thought back to last night and realized that Fang He desperately needed a job to prove that he wasn’t useless.

An Rong was taken aback by his sudden topic, then laughed.

“Lu Xi, I never said he couldn’t do it. As long as he’s not mentally challenged or disabled, I think anyone can do a good job as a waiter.”

However, perseverance is not a quality that everyone possesses.

Fang He doesn't seem like the kind of person who can stick with something for a long time. He seems more like someone who's just here to experience life, like a gust of wind that will pass by quickly.

"But he won't last long, if I'm not mistaken."

Judging from his clothes, he came from an extraordinary background. Looking at his hands, it was one thing for a man to have a smooth and delicate face, but even his hands were incredibly white and tender, as if he had grown up in milk. They didn't look like the hands of someone who could do manual labor.

“Lu Xi, I have no problem with you treating him as a friend, but I have to remind you that you two are not on the same path, and he might make you sad.”

We'll part ways sooner or later; even if we're friends, it'll only be for a short time.

Lu Xi lowered his head and remained silent. He had considered An Rong's concerns, but friends were rare and precious, and he was unwilling to let go.

"I understand, Brother Anrong."