Chapter 7
Two lonely shadows huddled together.
The next morning, Josh received a call from her high school classmate Zhang Jia, who said she had a job to introduce to her.
Not daring to delay, Josh finished his meal and excitedly headed over to the address Zhang Jia had sent him.
Zhang Jia comes from an average family and has been working during the summer vacation of her first year of high school. She currently works at a restaurant chain.
It was just past breakfast time, and there were very few people in the store. Zhang Jia had time to help Qiao Xi explain the job duties. "Now many places don't want newcomers. I told the manager that you are a good person, hardworking and reliable, and the manager agreed to let you try it out first."
He then explained to her, "They sell all three meals here, and it's open 24 hours a day. They provide meals during work hours, and even if you're just a short-term worker, the salary is about the same as that of a long-term worker."
After hearing this, Josh said gratefully, "Thank you."
“It’s nothing. The store just happened to be short-staffed, and I happened to see your message.” Zhang Jiamei put her arm around her arm. “From now on, we can go to and from get off work together. I’m on the night shift today. I start work at 5:30 pm and work until 7 am the next morning.”
Josh asked curiously, "What's the schedule for the day shift? If it's too busy in the morning, do we need to stay and help out after our night shift?"
“We are usually not needed. We just need to stay until 7 a.m., and then we can leave. The day shift will take over.”
"This job is a three-shift system. Because the night shift is usually not busy, fewer people are needed. The working hours for the middle shift are the same as the night shift, but you can go home after 10:30 pm."
Josh thought for a moment and said, "I just started working, can I work the night shift with you?"
“Of course you can. There won’t be too many customers in the early morning. You can get used to it first, which will make it easier for you to get started later.” That’s what Zhang Jia thought. “That’s what I suggested to the manager, and he agreed.”
"As long as you can stay up all night, it's fine," he confirmed one last time.
"I can endure it, of course I can endure it," Josh assured her confidently.
Since Josh didn't have a uniform yet and it wasn't convenient for her to go into the kitchen, Zhang Jia first took her around the dining area to get a general understanding of the work process and gave her some simple guidance.
"Actually, the general process is very simple: stay calm in the face of problems and don't make a mess of things."
Josh learned about the general content of the job and found that it was not too difficult. Fortunately, it started with the night shift and Zhang Jia was there to assist him, so he had more time to get used to it.
With that, Josh finally found a summer job.
Zhang Jia told her, "Today is your first day, you can come back at seven o'clock tonight."
Zhang Jia came specifically to accompany her, confirmed the work details with her, and then took Qiao Xi to a nearby hospital to get a health certificate without any trouble.
After finishing everything, Josh thanked Zhang Jia and hurried home. By the time he arrived home, he was just in time for lunch.
Chen Zhiyu had already taken the money he handed over yesterday to the morning market to buy groceries when he received a call from Qiao Xi. Chen Zhiyu was happy that Qiao Xi had found a job, but at the same time, he was worried about himself.
Josh's college entrance exam scores were excellent, and he was guaranteed admission to Hengcheng University. Now that he's found a summer job, everything is settled.
Chen Zhiyu became increasingly anxious, as he spent his days idly at home, eating and drinking her food.
These past few days, he has often gone out to look for odd jobs, but people refuse him as soon as they see his height, even before he can open his mouth.
Looking at the two sumptuous side dishes on the table, Josh joked, "If all else fails, you can set up a stall and sell boxed lunches." Chen Zhiyu had no other hobbies besides looking for a job; if he had to say, it would be tinkering with cooking.
With no job in sight, I've become increasingly skilled at cooking.
Seeing Chen Zhiyu's depressed look, Qiao Xi comforted him, "If you can't find him, then don't look for him. You can just stay home and prepare meals for me every day. As soon as I walk in the door, there will be a hot meal waiting for me. Isn't that nice?"
Actually, she hadn't planned for Chen Zhiyu to find a job. He was too young and was in the learning stage. But seeing how enthusiastic he was before, she couldn't refuse him. She also felt that some arrangements should be made by him himself.
Josh cannot make decisions for him.
Seeing how listless he looked, Josh felt a little sorry for him. "Your sister can take care of you." Then she urged him, "Hurry up and eat. After you finish eating, I'll take you for a drive."
Chen Zhiyu only remembered Qiao Xi's arrangements from yesterday at this moment, so he stopped thinking about it and ate his meal in silence.
After tidying everything up, the hottest part of the day had passed, and there was even a slight breeze. Josh casually hopped on his electric scooter and took Chen Zhiyu out the door.
Chen Zhiyu sat obediently on the back of the electric scooter.
Josh rode his bike fairly steadily. He started slowly, but once he left the crowded area, he picked up speed. A slight cool breeze brushed against their shoulders, instantly relieving some of the stuffiness.
It's quite cool.
After spending the past few days together, Chen Zhiyu had a general idea of Qiao Xi's personality. She was always like this; she would never reveal anything to him in advance. Chen Zhiyu got used to it and stopped asking.
He would follow her wherever she said she wanted to go. He would follow her whatever she said she wanted to do.
Ultimately, she won't abandon herself.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhiyu lowered his head, smiled with pursed lips, and then, with a thud, bumped his head into Qiao Xi's back.
"Huh?" Josh rubbed his back, which felt like it had been hit by a stone, and asked the person behind him in an annoyed tone, "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Zhiyu covered his forehead and dared not utter a sound.
"We've arrived. Sit here and wait for me."
Chen Zhiyu then realized that they had arrived at their destination in just a short while.
The moment the car stopped, the cool breeze vanished, and the heat quickly enveloped him, as if he were in a steamer. Chen Zhiyu stood with his legs apart, squinting in the blazing sun, and looked around listlessly.
This is a commercial street, but it's afternoon now, and there are hardly any pedestrians or customers.
He had never been to this street before, but judging from the shop signs, it was mostly seafood. Chen Zhiyu sniffed; a faint fishy smell still lingered in the air.
Josh went into a seafood restaurant called Sister Cheng's Seafood. Less than five minutes later, she reappeared at the door, beckoning to Chen Zhiyu, "Come here."
Chen Zhiyu perked up, quickly got out of the car, and jogged over. As soon as he entered the house, he was hit by a refreshing blast of cool air.
The air conditioning was on inside, so it was very cool.
There were two people in the room: Josh and an older woman, who looked like the owner, Sister Cheng.
Sister Cheng glanced at him subtly, gave him a cold look, and then ignored him.
Chen Zhiyu felt uncomfortable being stared at and subconsciously wanted to hide by the door, but a hand suddenly stopped him. Qiao Xi pulled him in front of her and introduced him, "This is Aunt Cheng, quickly greet her."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Cheng glanced at them again.
"Hello, Aunt Cheng." Chen Zhiyu greeted her obediently.
Aunt Cheng hummed in agreement, then pointed to his side, her expression still indifferent, "The goods are over there, all three boxes. Move them over."
"ah?"
Josh patted his shoulder. "Go on, go and carry those three boxes on the cabinet to the car. If you can't move them, move them one by one."
Upon receiving the order, Chen Zhiyu quickly ran over. On the cabinet were three boxes about the size of fruit crates. He only glanced at them briefly; they contained sea cucumbers.
He stacked the two boxes together, picked them up and shook them; two boxes were indeed the limit.
He jogged outside to move the boxes, then turned around and moved the third box over, placing them all on the footrest of the electric scooter. He didn't go back inside after that; those few minutes inside were more unbearable than being outside.
Chen Zhiyu waited by the electric vehicle.
However, Josh didn't keep him waiting for long, only a minute. She followed closely behind, jogging out of the store, saying goodbye to Boss Cheng who saw her to the door, then got on the electric scooter, "Let's go."
The two set off again.
The journey was a bit long. Josh stopped at a residential complex, greeted the security guard, rode his bike in, and the two of them carried three boxes of sea cucumbers directly to the eleventh floor via elevator.
The woman who opened the door was a very kind auntie who was easy to talk to. After checking the goods, she readily paid Josh.
Chen Zhiyu had been in a daze the whole way, and only now did he roughly guess what they were doing.
There were no problems on the way there, and the mission was completed smoothly, but a small problem arose on the way back.
Josh was always at school and often away from home. Electric bikes are often left unused for long periods, which can easily cause battery problems. Even though the battery was fully charged before he left home, it would run out of power before he got back. Fortunately, there was a small supermarket nearby where he could charge his electric bike.
A half-hour charge is enough for the two of them to get home.
While waiting, Josh went into the store and picked out two popsicles. It was a hot day, and eating those overly sweet things wouldn't quench his thirst. These were cheap and refreshing.
She handed one to Chen Zhiyu, and the two sat on the side of the supermarket entrance, enjoying the sunset while eating popsicles.
“The seafood place we went to, Sister Cheng’s Seafood, was taken to it by Qiao Mai.” Qiao Xi took a bite of her slightly icy popsicle and suddenly spoke up, “We’re very familiar with Sister Cheng, so we can get sea cucumbers at the lowest price.”
Hengcheng is not a coastal city, and some families need sea cucumbers to maintain their health, but they don't want to buy them themselves, so they find someone to deliver them to their door. "They can earn a few dozen yuan per box for each round trip."
Three boxes would cost around 100.
"If you deliver it every day, that's almost three thousand yuan." Chen Zhiyu said in surprise.
Seeing Chen Zhiyu's silly look, Qiao Xi laughed, "Who eats sea cucumbers like rice, three boxes of sea cucumbers a day! I only know a few customers, this is just to earn some pocket money."
Then her voice lowered, "However, I haven't delivered anything in a long time."
When Joe had a stable job, he stopped doing it. If Josh didn't have classes, he would still deliver the packages to her so he could earn some pocket money.
One hundred yuan can cover the food expenses for two people for several days.
Chen Zhiyu gently turned his head, his gaze falling tenderly on the profile of Qiao Xi sitting next to him.
The warm sunlight fell, illuminating her smooth, full forehead, making Josh's facial features appear exceptionally firm in the light.
After watching silently for a while, he lowered his head and stared at the silhouette beneath Josh. The shadow was stretched long. Chen Zhiyu carefully moved closer, and the two lonely shadows were pressed together.
Each time you move, you get closer.
They moved it again, and it got even closer.
"What are you grinning about?" Josh suddenly stared at him with her big, round eyes.
Chen Zhiyu paused in his movement, nearly dropping the popsicle he was holding.
"Ugh, so dirty." Josh took a small pack of wet wipes out of his pocket and handed it to him. "The popsicle's all melted. Hurry up and eat it, then we'll go home."
"oh."
On the return trip, Chen Zhiyu sat obediently on the back of the electric scooter as usual.
It was clear that Josh was in a good mood today. Chen Zhiyu looked up and noticed that she had used Josh's curling iron to curl her shoulder-length hair.
The wind howled in her ears, billowing Josh's white sun-protective shirt, but she seemed completely unaffected, humming a cheerful tune.
For some reason, Chen Zhiyu also became happy.
He didn't know why Josh was happy; it could be because he earned a hundred dollars, or it could be because he ate an ice cream. In any case, Josh was happy, and so was he.
Chen Zhiyu's lips curled up slightly, revealing a row of white teeth, but this time, he did not lower his head.
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