"Zhou Zhe? The nerd who always ranked first or third in the exam?" Zhao Rui was stunned for a moment, then curled his lips. "What's wrong?"
"His family situation might be too good. I see him often skipping lunch or just eating dry steamed buns. He's been busy lately. I'd like to ask if he can come over to help out? Just like you, with meals provided and hourly wages."
When Zhao Rui heard this, his brows knitted into knots. His first reaction was:
"Okay! You promised me to tell others! If this gets out, everyone in the class will know that I'm a waiter in a restaurant. Where will I put my face?"
Lu Qingyang had expected this response from him, so he looked at him anxiously and said slowly:
"So, are we discussing this with you? You've seen Zhou Zhe's condition. He's as thin as a bamboo pole. Man is iron and food is steel. If he's hungry for a long time, no matter how smart he is, it will not work. We are just providing him with a chance to have enough food to eat. What's so shameful about that?"
Zhao Rui opened his mouth, wanting to refute. Although he was arrogant and liked to compete with Lu Qingyang, he was not a bad person at heart. He was even a little soft-hearted.
"Okay, okay, that's your business. Do whatever you want. It has nothing to do with me. Oh, this is really troublesome! You run a restaurant, why do you have to worry about these things..."
Going up to him and saying, "I see you're not eating well, come and work for me and I'll feed you," would undoubtedly hurt Zhou Zhe's self-esteem.
He needed an opportunity for Zhou Zhe to "discover" this opportunity himself.
During the break on the first day, Lu Qingyang did not read or leave immediately as usual. Instead, he sat in his seat, tapping the table unconsciously with his fingers, frowning slightly, and sighing softly, looking like he was worried about something.
His appearance really caught the attention of Zhou Zhe next to him.
Zhou Zhe was naturally careful and sensitive, and Lu Qingyang usually seemed calm and composed, so this attitude was rare.
He hesitated for a moment, then put down his pen and asked quietly, "Student Lu Qingyang, have you... encountered any difficulties?"
Lu Qingyang seemed to have just been awakened from his thoughts. He looked up and saw that it was Zhou Zhe. He sighed again: "Oh, it's nothing. It's just some trivial matters at home that are a bit annoying."
He paused, as if he had found someone to confide in, and went on naturally, "A distant relative of mine opened a small restaurant nearby. It used to be doing well, but lately, for some reason, the number of customers has increased, and the kitchen is incredibly busy, while the front desk staff are struggling. My relative asked me to ask if I could find two reliable classmates at school to help out during their spare time. It won't take too long, so I'll just have to wait during the busiest two hours at dinner time."
"It's mainly about helping to clean up the dishes, wiping the table, or helping to put things away in the backyard. It's complicated work and requires a lot of attention to detail."
Lu Qingyang observed Zhou Zhe's expression and continued, "As for the compensation, it's paid by the hour. It's a lot of money, but at least they provide a dinner. They say the staff meal is quite filling, definitely better than the cafeteria. I'm worried about where I can find the right person to go at this moment? They need to be able to study without being delayed too much, but also be down-to-earth and hardworking. They also need to keep their mouths shut and not spread rumors that would have an impact..."
As he spoke, he complained to himself, "Alas, it's really easy to find a suitable temporary worker these days."
Zhou Zhe listened quietly, originally just asking out of friendship, but as Lu Qingyang spoke, his eyes gradually changed.
When he heard the key words "free dinner", "very filling", and "better than the cafeteria", his thin shoulders tensed up noticeably, and his fingers gripping the pen exerted a little force.
He desperately needed a decent dinner.
Only he himself knew how difficult it was to eat dry buns and pickles every day or simply go hungry.
He had to spend his meager subsidy carefully until the end of the month, and even buying the cheapest meals was often insufficient.
If... if there was a place where he could get a little subsidy and still have a solid meal...
"Clean up the dishes and wipe the table? What time is dinner time?"
Lu Qingyang maintained a calm tone. "Well, that's the main thing. The time is roughly from 5:00 to 7:00 in the afternoon, 7:30 at the latest, so it won't affect evening self-study. So, classmate Zhou Zhe, are you... interested? Or do you know anyone who might be willing to go?"
He deliberately threw the choice back to Zhou Zhe, leaving him enough room to consider and refuse.
Zhou Zhe was silent for a few seconds, and the noisy classroom and the clamor during breaks seemed to be far away from him.
He could feel a slight burning sensation in his stomach from hunger, and finally, he seemed to have made up his mind.
"I... I don't have much to do in my spare time. If... if your relatives are still short of help, I... I can give it a try. I'll do it seriously, and I won't tell anyone else about it."
"Okay, you helped."
After school in the afternoon, Zhou Zhe followed Lu Qingyang to "Xinwei Ju" with some trepidation.
It’s not the busiest meal time yet, but preparations have already begun.
An enticing aroma wafted from the kitchen. Ma Hongxia and Liu Xiaohua were doing the final cleaning and setting the table in the front hall.
Lu Qingyang simply greeted Ma Hongxia and took Zhou Zhe to familiarize himself with the environment.
He deliberately led Zhou Zhe to the backyard first and pointed at the neatly stacked firewood:
"Zhou Zhe, you'll mainly help out in the backyard. The work is heavy. You'll help watch the stove, add firewood when needed, and draw water from the pressurized well when the water tank is empty. You'll also help wash and pick vegetables. When the front is busy, you might be asked to help carry in the disinfected dishes, or clean up the guests' dishes and bring them back to the backyard. Is that okay with you?"
Lu Qingyang's arrangements were very considerate. The backyard work was relatively independent, and there were no opportunities to contact the front hall guests, taking care of Zhou Zhe's possible restraints to the greatest extent.
Zhou Zhe looked at the clean and tidy backyard and listened to Lu Qingyang's words. He felt relieved and grateful.
Compared to the farm work he did in his hometown in the countryside, such as carrying water, chopping wood, and working in the fields, these jobs were incredibly easy.
He nodded quickly: "Okay, no problem, I can do all of this."
"Okay, take a look around first. That's the sink for washing vegetables, and this is the basin for picking vegetables."
After everything was arranged, Lu Qingyang went to the front hall to get busy.
In fact, this time, he was not only helping his classmates.
These graduates from the physics departments of universities in Beijing will all become famous experts and professors in the future, and they all have connections. He is paving the way for the future and helping his classmates.
Zhou Zhe rolled up his sleeves and worked extremely seriously.
At this time, the front hall seemed to be extremely busy. Ma Hongxia's voice came through the door curtain: "The new student, hurry up and move the pile of sterilized bowls in the disinfection cabinet in. There will be enough!"
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