Chapter 13 Then why do you still drink? Because life is even more bitter.
"Xiao Fuzi, go buy a cup of coffee."
"What?"
An Fusheng looked up from behind the computer and asked.
"Go buy a coffee, an iced Americano."
He not only straddled the boss's chair and played on his phone, but also gave orders without even looking up.
"oh."
An Fusheng stood up, hesitated for a moment, and then stopped himself from speaking. Seeing that He Zhi had no intention of giving him money, he ultimately said nothing and left the office.
When the security guard saw An Fusheng come out, he greeted him and asked, "Where are you going?"
"Go buy coffee for the boss."
The office building is next to a shopping mall, and An Fusheng saw a coffee shop as soon as he entered the mall.
However, he didn't rush to buy it. He walked around the mall and found that there were two coffee shops in the mall. After comparing the prices, he went to the first one he saw.
When the shop assistant saw An Fusheng approaching, he smiled and asked, "Hello, what would you like to drink?"
"I'd like an iced Americano," An Fusheng said.
"Okay, please wait a moment." The clerk started making the coffee.
Looking at the menu in front of him, Fusheng couldn't help but complain in his heart: a cup of coffee costs more than 20 yuan, and he doesn't know what's so good about it.
"Your iced Americano is ready. Would you like it to go or drink it immediately?"
"Pack."
"Okay." The clerk then asked, "Would you like to pay by facial recognition or scanning a QR code?"
"I'll pay in cash."
An Fusheng took out the red plastic bag that Grandma Ao had given him from his pocket, opened it, took out 22 yuan and gave it to the shop assistant, then rolled up the bag and put it back in his pocket.
The shop assistant took An Fusheng's money with a complicated expression.
An Fusheng returned to his office with coffee, and He Zhi was still lounging in his chair playing on his phone, just like when he left.
An Fusheng placed the coffee on the desk in front of him: "Your coffee."
He merely nodded; his attention remained on his phone.
An Fusheng silently sat back down at his workstation and continued browsing the forum, glancing at it only occasionally.
After a while, He Zhi finally put down his phone, picked up his coffee, and asked, "What's this?"
An Fusheng: "Coffee."
He didn't just ask, "You're only buying this for me?"
"Didn't you want an iced Americano?" An Fusheng asked sincerely, he hadn't bought the wrong thing.
It's not just like throwing the coffee back on the desk like trash: "Is instant coffee that costs a few dollars even considered coffee?"
An Fusheng: "It's not a dozen yuan, it's 22 yuan."
In He Zhi's eyes, there is no difference between 22 yuan and a dozen yuan. Anyway, he would never drink instant coffee. "I don't drink this kind of coffee. I'll go buy a new cup."
An Fusheng was a little angry, but he didn't dare to show it. However, he didn't want to pay He Zhi anymore, so he said, "Then give me the money."
"Would I shortchange you on such a small amount of money?" He Zhi nonchalantly picked up his phone and made a few transactions, "Transferring it to you."
An Fusheng, who doesn't have a cell phone: "I need cash."
More than that: ...
Who carries cash these days?
"I don't have any cash on me. You go buy it first, and I'll pay you back later."
An Fusheng returned to the shopping mall.
He walked straight to the expensive coffee shop, lingered at the entrance for a while, and then went inside.
"Hello sir, what would you like to drink?" The waiter was even more polite than usual.
"Hello, I'd like an iced Americano."
"Okay, would you like it dark or light baked?"
"Huh? Deep...deep roast it."
"Okay, so would you like the original extract, the concentrated extract, or the multi-extract extract?"
An Fusheng didn't understand the difference between deep and shallow, nor did he know how to extract; he just said whatever came to mind.
After completing the process, the waiter smiled and said, "Okay, please wait in the rest area for a moment. We'll call you when it's ready."
An Fusheng nodded.
Twenty minutes later, An Fusheng placed a cup of coffee—half the price of the original but not much more—on He Zhi's desk.
He merely glanced at it and clicked his tongue, saying, "Is this the only instant coffee you can buy?"
An Fusheng was so heartbroken over the money that he could hardly breathe, and yet they were still not satisfied. An Fusheng felt that he could no longer suppress his anger.
"This coffee with a picture of a disheveled woman is already the most expensive in the mall, and the process is so complicated. It's hardly instant coffee. If you're not satisfied, don't drink it! Can't you just drink water if you're thirsty? Why do you have to drink coffee? This tiny cup costs tens of dollars, and it's not even as much as a two-dollar bottle of water!"
"What disheveled woman? She's a siren!"
An Fusheng didn't care who the woman was; he was more concerned about his money. He reminded her, "Remember to pay me back; it's 55 yuan in total."
"Can't I just give you back a hundred yuan?" He Zhi said.
“Okay.” An Fusheng sat back down in his seat.
"Here, have this cup, it's 22 yuan, don't waste it." He Zhi placed the cup of coffee that An Fusheng had bought earlier on An Fusheng's worktable.
"Since I've already bought it, it would be a waste not to drink it." An Fusheng took the coffee, and a faint aroma wafted up, which smelled quite nice.
An Fusheng opened the lid and slowly took a sip.
puff!
The coffee in my mouth was sprayed all over the desk.
"Why is it so bitter?" An Fusheng asked, wearing a mask of pain.
He quickly took two steps back to avoid the splashing coffee, and laughed loudly: "Coffee is supposed to be bitter."
An Fusheng was so miserable that he didn't even want his tongue anymore.
He deliberately took a sip of his coffee without changing his expression.
"Isn't yours bitter? Are the expensive ones less bitter?" An Fusheng asked.
"Even more bitter." He said more than that.
An Fusheng looked at He Zhi strangely: "Then why are you still drinking?"
"Because life is even harder." He Zhi added cheekily, "It's 22 yuan, don't waste it."
An Fusheng remained silent.
He finished his coffee in silence, threw the cup in the trash can, and walked to An Fusheng's desk: "Send me the information of potential clients."
An Fusheng paused in wiping the table: "What information?"
"Didn't I just ask you to prepare the potential customer information form and send it to me?"
"I...haven't done it yet."
More than just surprised: "You didn't do it? What were you doing all morning?"
"I...I can't do it."
"You can't do it? Then why have you been sitting at the computer all morning? Are you trying to fool me?" He Zhi looked utterly incredulous.
An Fusheng felt a little embarrassed. Although he had some issues with his boss, it was indeed wrong for an employee not to work diligently. He felt as awkward as if he had been caught daydreaming in class by the teacher.
"Or perhaps I..."
"Don't speak yet."
It was more than just interrupting him.
An Fusheng shut up and looked at He Zhi.
Not only did her phone ring, but after saying something on the other end, He Zhi irritably said "Okay" and disappeared from the office like the wind.
An Fusheng tidied up his table, looked at the coffee on it, thought about the 22 yuan, and forced himself to take another sip. It tasted awful...
An Fusheng still couldn't do what he was supposed to do. He felt uneasy but continued to browse the forum, only to find it increasingly boring.
Everyone should definitely go hiking in a group this weekend; the chances of meeting rich older men are high, so seize the opportunity…
An Fusheng: Instead of doing your job properly, you're always thinking of crooked ways!
My English speaking skills are so bad, and the big deal that was almost in my grasp has slipped away. I'm so sad and upset...
An Fusheng: Can't you find another job if you don't know English? Why do you keep doing something you know you can't do? What's there to be sad about!
Anfu angrily logged off the website.
"Maybe you should just resign."
An Fusheng planned to go outside and see if there was any work he could do.
When the security guard saw An Fusheng come down again shortly after going up, he assumed that his boss was unhappy with the coffee he had bought and couldn't help but say, "Your boss is too difficult to please."
An Fusheng nodded in agreement and asked, "Uncle, do you know where we're hiring?"
The security guard asked, "Did your boss fire you?"
"More or less," An Fusheng said.
The security guard was furious: "You boss are inhuman! You fire someone just for a cup of coffee?"
An Fusheng explained, "No, it has nothing to do with coffee. It's just that I'm not capable of doing this job."
He must have been fired by the boss but was too embarrassed to say it. How could he have suddenly lost his ability after doing so well? The security guard looked sympathetic and said, "Don't say anything, I understand."
An Fusheng continued, "Do you know where it's easier to find a job?"
The security guard thought for a moment and said, "I'm not really sure about that, but you can check it on your phone."
An Fusheng: "On the phone?"
Security guard: "Yeah, you young people love using your phones, right? You use them to hail a taxi, buy things, find a job, you name it. But you know what, it's really convenient. My daughter found this job for me online using her phone."
An Fusheng was somewhat disappointed: "I lost my phone and don't have the money to buy a new one. I'll look around first. Thank you."
"Hey, it's no big deal!" The security guard pulled An Fusheng into the security room: "I'll lend you my phone. When my daughter was looking for a job for me, she downloaded that app on my phone called 'Boss is Looking for Me.' Yes, it's specifically for job seekers. I haven't deleted it yet."
An Fusheng said happily, "Really? Thank you so much."
The security guard laughed and said, "Don't mention it. It must be so hot looking for a job outside on this sweltering day. My office has air conditioning, it's very comfortable."
The two sat side by side on the iron chairs in the security room, with the security guard holding his phone in the middle as he and An Fusheng looked at the job postings.
Security guard: "Hey? This one's not bad. Public relations manager, starting salary 10,000, good looks, can drink. Your looks are definitely not a problem. Can you drink?"
"I'm not very good at it."
In An Fusheng's hometown, the tradition is that boys hold a coming-of-age ceremony on their eighteenth lunar birthday, during which they drink their first bowl of wine, and only then are they considered to have learned to drink. His birthday has not yet arrived, so he has not yet learned to drink.
"How about this one? This one is not bad either. Office form filling clerk, salary 4500-6000."
"It might not be appropriate..."
He has only used computers for playing games, not for office work.
"A children's welfare home is hiring a cook. The salary is 5,000 yuan a month, with five social insurances and one housing fund. The job duties include cooking, taking care of children, and cleaning..."
The security guard read it out word by word and said, "Isn't this just hiring a nanny? The pay is alright, but you can't do it."
“I can give it a try,” An Fusheng said. “I can cook, take care of the children, and clean.”
The security guard asked uncertainly, "Can you cook, take care of children, and clean?"
An Fusheng nodded: "I can, I want to try."
Security guard: "Okay, let's ask."
The security guard slowly wrote each character with his finger: "Hello, do you need a chef?"
The other party quickly replied: Yes.
The security guard wrote again: Do you have any other requests?
The other party: I just need to be able to cook, take care of children, and clean. There are no other requirements. If you are interested, you can come for an interview first.
The security guard asked An Fusheng, "So, how about it? Do you want to go for the interview?"
An Fusheng asked, "What does an interview involve?"
Security guard: "You just need to go over and show yourself to the boss. If the boss likes you, that's fine."
An Fusheng: "Go."
"Okay." The security guard replied: When is the interview? Is the address the one listed in the job posting?
The other party sent a location: It will be available tomorrow, the address is this location.
"Will tomorrow work?" the security guard asked An Fusheng.
An Fusheng nodded: "Okay."
A note from the author:
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I type too slowly; it takes me five, six, seven, or even eight hours to write and revise three thousand words… I also can't control my update schedule precisely. Currently, I only update four to five chapters a week. You don't need to wait for daily updates, once a week is enough.
For some reason, these last three chapters have been repeatedly pulled back for review shortly after being posted. Heaven is my witness, I really didn't write anything I shouldn't have!
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