Linxia

Chapter 40, Rejection

However, although he was happy, Manager Liu did not believe Fang Lin's words and did not even give him a chance to investigate. He waved his hand and said, "No, no, young man, you should look somewhere else!"

Fang Lin naturally would not leave, and did not say anything else. Seeing a guy struggling to move books to the shelf, he went over to help and easily picked up the books.

The fellow's name was Chai Yiwei, a taciturn and honest man. He quickly thanked the other party.

"Wow, you're quite strong? But if you want to work for me, you need more than just strength."

Shopkeeper Liu seemed to be somewhat interested in the other party and deliberately asked, "Can you read?"

"I can't read, but I have a good memory and can learn to read very quickly."

'I knew it. '

Shopkeeper Liu said this in his heart, pretending to be regretful on his face, and shook his head to reject it: "It's not okay to be illiterate. You are not suitable for my bookstore. Go away!"

Obviously, this was another excuse. He was just determined not to want Fang Lin, who came here to escape.

How could Fang Lin leave so easily? He had lived two lives and had suffered countless cold shoulders. He would not give up halfway.

Next, he continued to help out, considering himself a member of the bookstore and helping out wherever there was work.

"Hey, you are such a stubborn guy. Why don't you listen to my advice? Well, if you like, do it. But I will tell you straight up, I won't pay you a penny."

Seeing that he refused to listen despite repeated persuasion, Manager Liu became a little annoyed. He angrily went to pick up the teacup to drink tea, but there was no tea in it, so he was about to add water.

Who knew that boy would be so arrogant, he took the initiative to come over and fill up the cup, making him hold the cup, but he didn't know whether to drink or not, he had no temper at all.

Snapped!
Shopkeeper Liu took a big sip, put down the teacup, and said nothing more. He just sat there, staring at Fang Lin and letting him do what he wanted.

He wanted to see how long this young man could last with him.

Who knew that this would take an entire afternoon.

During this period, after seeing another worker selling books, Fang Lin helped guide the customers to sell a few books when there were many customers in the middle period. Later, a customer even came directly to Fang Lin, mistakenly thinking that he was also a worker in the store!

In this bookstore, in addition to Chai Yiwei mentioned earlier, who was responsible for cleaning, moving and classifying books, there were two other assistants. One was named Huang Di, who was good at talking and was responsible for entertaining customers; the other was named Cheng Shiliang, who was responsible for settling the bills.

Of course, if there are more customers or when books are coming in, it would be too much to handle, and Manager Liu would have to come in and help, so he would need to hire another person.

What were the attitudes of the three guys towards Fang Lin's persistence? Chai Yiwei, who helped at the beginning, hoped that Fang Lin could succeed. Huang Di and Cheng Shiliang were just there to watch the fun and did not refuse Fang Lin's help, feeling relaxed and happy.

After spending an entire afternoon like this, Manager Liu was somewhat convinced by Fang Lin. This guy refused to leave and did not get angry even when scolded. He always kept a smile on his face and was quite considerate, making it impossible to vent your anger.

He had to admit that this kid was really talented, but he still didn't change his mind.

evening.

Manager Liu said again: "Young man, our bookstore is about to close, you should leave! By the way, I have seen many people as shameless as you who do these useless things... well, not few. Anyway, no matter how shameless you are, I will never let you work in my shop!"

Fang Lin was not annoyed when he heard this. He kept smiling, said hello, and left.

"I think this guy is interesting. Boss, would you really like to consider it?" Huang Di came over with a playful smile and joked.

"Interesting, what's the point?"

Shopkeeper Liu snorted and curled his lips, saying, "This kid is a smart man, but in this world, the smarter people are, the more they will weigh the pros and cons, gains and losses, and will not waste their energy in vain. Just wait and see, that kid will definitely not come tomorrow."

……

Early the next morning, Shopkeeper Liu was slapped in the face. When he opened the door, he was greeted by Fang Lin with a smile.

His face darkened at that moment: "Why are you here again? It's so early, my bookstore isn't open yet!"

"The early bird catches the worm. Where is the shopkeeper going?"

"Take a walk." Shopkeeper Liu answered subconsciously, then paused and turned to look at Fang Lin: "No, you are not my shop assistant, you don't have to call me shopkeeper." "Okay, shopkeeper, shall we take a walk together? I heard that taking a walk in the morning is good, it can put you in a good mood for the whole day."

"Hey, you kid...stay away from me, I'll be in a good mood."

"Got it!"

Fang Lin was indeed a little further away, but of course not too far. He kept the same route as Manager Liu, looking left and right and observing the surroundings.

It was still early, the sun had not yet risen, and the air was filled with a light mist. The city was located by the water, so there was plenty of water vapor, and there were trees planted on both sides of the road, so the air in the early morning was extremely fresh.

On the roadside, you can see farmers carrying vegetables on their shoulders, people bargaining for vegetables, and many breakfast shops, selling simple ones like porridge and pickles, as well as more luxurious ones like fried dough sticks, sesame cakes, and soy milk.

People come and go, dogs pass by with their tongues sticking out and saliva dripping, all kinds of sounds interweave together, and a vivid day begins from this moment.

After returning from their walk, Manager Liu and his wife had finished their meal with their three servants, Chai Yiwei, Huang Di and Cheng Shiliang. The bookstore was open, just like yesterday, and Fang Lin stayed to help.

Manager Liu couldn't do anything about him and just pretended not to see it.

At noon, a customer bought two books and some papers and paid the bill. Cheng Shiliang reported a number.

"You're wrong. It's six taels, five qian, eight fen and seven li of silver." Fang Lin said suddenly.

Cheng Shiliang calculated again and found that he had miscalculated for the customer. He felt ashamed and annoyed at the same time. He had been doing checkouts and cashiering for several years and he didn't expect to be slapped in the face by a refugee who pointed out his mistake. He didn't look very happy.

Wait until the guest leaves.

Shopkeeper Liu was surprised: "You really know how to count?"

"Like I said, you are good at math. Would you like to test me, boss?"

"Row."

Shopkeeper Liu thought about Fang Lin's "boasting" yesterday, and now it seemed that he might be serious. Sure enough, Fang Lin answered the questions correctly several times, which surprised him. However, after thinking about it, he still rejected Fang Lin.

If Fang Lin was not a refugee, he would probably have accepted it all, but he was prejudiced against refugees.

For Manager Liu, character is more important than competence for the position, and he wants to recruit someone who knows him well and has a guaranteed character.

At noon, Manager Liu and his friends were having lunch, and Fang Lin left on his own accord.

……

Come back home.

Fang's mother was cooking alone. Fang Lin was still surprised, but when he saw Tian Xuan sewing, he understood.

"I have to say, it has to be you, mother!"

Fang Lin understood at a glance that it was not that Fang's mother did not want to seize the time to make money by mending, but that Tian Xuan was clever and could mend faster than her. It was the most cost-effective to let Tian Xuan mend and cook for herself.

"The pork in this city is really not durable. Next time, we should buy more oil!" While cooking, Fang's mother looked left and right, and muttered to herself when she saw the pork seemed a little thin.

Upon hearing this, Tian Xuan, who was not far away, felt her ears turn slightly red and she lowered her eyelids guiltily, just in time to meet Fang Lin's gaze. They could see the smiles in each other's eyes, as if they had done something bad together.

The dishes were ready, but Mr. Fang hadn't come back yet.

"Linzi, go call your father back for dinner." Fang's mother said, and then paused: "Forget it, it will be too late if you come back now. Just find a restaurant over there to eat!"

"Hey!"

……

(End of this chapter)