01
Xiao Jian has been having a lot of bad luck lately.
He was poor, that's true, but who says poor people can't go to college? So, he went to college.
So what about the money?
It's simple, just earn it yourself! In a big city like Beijing, what's the easiest and most lucrative job? Definitely not a white-collar job! And certainly not a working-class job.
What could it be? A gigolo? No, no, no. Although Xiao Jian is poor, he is ambitious. Although being a gigolo is easy, it can't ruin his reputation! Right? He has worked hard to remain chaste for his future wife for 20 years, how can he just give it away to someone else? Therefore, Xiao Jian naturally did not become a gigolo.
Actually, even if he were quite the pretty boy, no one would want him, for a simple reason: he's very dark-skinned...
These days, women prefer fair-skinned, thin, and weak young men. Who would be interested in a burly, 185cm tall man like Xiao Jian, who is considered silly?
Can't guess what his profession is? The answer is quite unexpected! -- Selling pancakes.
Wow!
Please don't react like that! This is perfectly normal. From 6 AM to 9 AM every morning, just three hours, you can earn a net income of three to four thousand a month! Surprised? Don't be envious! If you want to, then go set up a stall too! But, whatever you do, don't end up like our protagonist Xiao Jian, encountering a difficult troublemaker, otherwise, you'll be in big trouble!
Who was this troublesome scourge? Xiao Jian had no idea who it was! Every morning at the university gate, Xiao Jian would put on a mask and a white coat, working tirelessly without a break. After finishing his work, he still had to teach. That was already quite a feat. How many university students could get up at five o'clock every day? Putting all that aside, because of his shred of dignity, Xiao Jian was also afraid that his classmates would recognize him. So every day after selling pancakes, he would make sure his face was dirty before going to class.
Why not get it dirty when selling pancakes?
nonsense!
So dirty, who would dare buy Xiao Jian's pancakes? Sigh, poor Xiao Jian, it's bad enough that he's dark-skinned, but he has to make his face even dirtier during the day, it's really not easy for him!
After working so hard, why do I still encounter such unlucky customers?
Most of the customers who buy his pancakes are students. And it's not just Xiao Jian bragging, but his pancakes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—very fragrant and crunchy! So his business is always booming, with many repeat customers. But this morning, I don't know if he forgot to check the almanac before leaving home, but he encountered a difficult customer. Plus, Xiao Jian is usually rather dull, so he was completely taken advantage of. It really proves the saying, "Bad luck can't be blamed on society!"
Here's how things unfolded:
That day, Xiao Jian was still wearing a mask and a white coat, selling his jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) at the school gate. Just as he was about to close up shop, the sound of a motorcycle engine came from not far away.
"Damn it! You said his mom brought me breakfast? What? Am I supposed to starve this morning?" A boy who looked like a student from the school got off his motorcycle and cursed at the driver, his back to Xiao Jian.
"Don't get so angry, Grandpa. You're my grandpa, okay? Go buy something to eat, or you'll be in big trouble if you're late for class. Isn't that old bastard in your department going to take attendance today? I'll deal with you after class, okay?"
"I'll cripple you after class, then go have some fun!" The boy kicked the motorcycle and turned to walk towards Xiao Jian.
"Hey! Give me a pancake!" Xiao Jian finally got a good look at his face and thought to himself, "Sigh, what a spirited young man, but all he swears about is swearing. What a pity..."
After Xiao Jian handed the pancake to the boy, he took another closer look at him. He was handsome with delicate features and a dashing air about him. This handsome young man was quite good, so why did he have no manners at all?
Just as he was sighing, he saw the handsome boy Xiao Jian had mentioned take a bite of the pancake, throw it into the trash can, clap his hands, and say, "Take another pancake, no scallions, put two eggs in it, make the pancake thinner, and make the crispy part in the middle crispier, brush on plenty of soy sauce, crack one egg and leave the other whole, don't make it too salty, and don't add cilantro."
"Ten yuan in total." Xiao Jian was furious. This was the first time he had encountered such a picky customer. It was simply inexplicable. If they were so picky, they might as well go to a high-end restaurant instead of eating at a roadside stall.
"Ten yuan? Are you trying to scam me? Do you think I'm an idiot?" the boy said dismissively.
“One yuan per pancake, that’s my rule for selling pancakes.” Xiao Jianqiang suppressed his anger. This was truly the first time someone had thrown his pancakes in front of him and then found a whole host of faults with them!
"You've got guts! Damn it! I'm starving today, I guarantee you won't be able to open your stall tomorrow!" Xiao Jian never expected that what he thought was just the boy's angry words, which he hadn't taken seriously, would turn into a once-in-a-century encounter with the Industry and Commerce Administration officials the next day. Xiao Jian wasn't a legally operating vendor, so he had no choice but to stop selling pancakes for the next two days.
Sigh, I can't let myself have zero income for the next two days, can I? Luckily, Xiao Jian knows quite a few poor kids, and someone introduced him to a job as a food delivery driver. He gets three meals a day, so he can save some money. As the saying goes, what you save is what you earn, and Xiao Jian really believes that.
Sure enough, on my first day of work, I already had a task: to deliver a deluxe beef meal to room 802 in Building 1 of the premium student apartment complex.
What does it mean to be unlucky? When the elevator breaks down, that's being unlucky! After much effort, Xiao Jian finally climbed to the eighth floor, but to his surprise, no one was in room 802! Xiao Jian waited and waited, but no one came for an hour. He had no choice but to go back.
Just as Xiao Jian stepped out of the apartment building, he glanced at his watch and exclaimed, "Oh no! I'm going to be late for class!" Without even thinking about whether he could deliver the food he was carrying, he rushed to the classroom. Good heavens, attendance was taken in this class, and he absolutely couldn't miss it—he needed to get his scholarship!
Just as he was about to enter the classroom, one of Xiao Jian's roommates called him back.
"Hey! Xiao Heizi!" Uh... Xiao Jian really disliked this nickname, but since he was honest, he didn't even have the right to object, so the nickname spread.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Jian asked, looking at his roommate Wang Youai rushing over. He thought to himself, "What Wang Youai? I think Wang Youhai is more like it."
"Tsk tsk, look at your dirty, black face, it makes me want to vomit. Why don't you ever wash up? And you always smell like a jianbing (Chinese crepe)... Oh right, let's get down to business. I'm going to pick up some girls later, so I can't answer for my brother. If you hear the teacher call Li Muqing's name, remember to answer for him!"
“But I…” Xiao Jian was very afraid of this kind of thing. He was an honest man, so he was timid.
"No more 'buts,' it's settled! Someone answered for me, so don't worry! Bye!" With that, Wang Youai left.
Xiao Jian had no choice but to accept it.
Sure enough, as soon as class started, the teacher began taking attendance. After Xiao Jian was called, Li Muqing was called shortly after.
"Li Muqing," the sixty-year-old professor read aloud.
"arrive!"
"Here!" Xiao shouted, forcing himself to be brave. To his surprise, a second person answered!
"What's going on? Why are there two people answering? Who was that just now?"
As expected, bad luck struck... After the professor finished asking his question, a young man stood up and said, "Professor, I am Li Muqing, he is impersonating me!"
Xiao Jian glanced awkwardly at the professor, then at the boy who was pointing at him and yelling that he was an imposter. It was the same picky customer, but Xiao Jian was too honest. He could only nervously rub his hands together and couldn't say a word.
"Professor, you don't believe me? I have my student ID here. I live in student dormitory building 1, room 802. You can check it anytime. My student ID number is..."
"Alright, that's enough. Hey there, what's your name?"
“Xiao…Xiao Jian…” Xiao Jian answered nervously.
"Xiao Jian, come to my place after class."
This is truly bad luck. All of this is because of that foul-mouthed man, Li Muqing!
For the first time, Xiao Jian felt anger.
Unfortunately, he was too honest and suppressed everything within himself.
Alas, bad luck can't be blamed on society, and misfortune can't be blamed on the government.
Sure enough, just as expected!
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