Foreigner's Journey

"First, I may send an apprentice to your side after a while. I need you to teach her bartending skills and knowledge about wine."

she?The woman raised her eyebrows, her expression was obvious—why should I help you train a qualified bartender for nothing?

"Second, I have news about [Cos]."

Heather smiled: "At the beginning, he was cheated by his partner and kicked out, so he ran to open a small bar in the slums of Qifan Street in despair. Yana, you said that the partner who cheated Cos would Wouldn't want to know the latest information about Coase?"

"...Kos has been missing for a long time."

"That's why what I have in my hand is called the latest information."

Heather raised her finger and flicked the empty glass wall in front of her, making a soft sound:

"Half a Doga, you pay the bill."

### Chapter 12 Four Months ###

It was late at night when Heather returned to the slums on Seventh Street.

Most of the houses in the Qifanjie slum have turned off their lights, only the cheap neon lights piled up with waste materials on the street are still shining with colorful lights.

Heather walked through the dark streets shrouded in shadows, scaring away several stray cats who were rummaging through trash cans.

Stepping up the metal stairs of Tianwangzhuang quietly, Heather walked to the door of room 202 and took out the key to open the door.Just as he was about to enter, the door of room 201 next to him creaked open.

Tifa stood in front of the door, clasped her hands in front of her belly, and looked at Heather timidly.

"Senior brother, Granny Marle has already told me about the Walled Commercial Street." Tifa mustered up her courage and said to Heather, "I will never work there."

"..."

Heather just looked at her quietly for a few seconds, then walked into Room 202 and closed the door, leaving a light sentence:

"Come and see me at six tomorrow morning."

Looking at the closed door, Tifa suddenly became more relaxed. She said good night to 202 and then tiptoedly closed the door.

The relationship between the brothers and sisters has returned to normal, which is gratifying.

......................................................

For the first month, Tifa's life was not easy.

Her body has just recovered from a serious illness, and there are still metal brackets in her body, and her physical strength is much weaker than before she was admitted to the hospital.But she still insists on exercising with Heather every day and never slacks off.

Heather made a rehabilitation training plan for Tifa's physical function, and constantly monitored her physical progress to make adjustments to the exercise plan.

And the repertoire after training every morning is breakfast time.

The two of them ate all the breakfast stalls on the station square in the Qifan Street slum, and would happily make their own evaluations of the food taste of each stall.On this point, Heather is obviously much stricter, criticizing most of the earlier comments to nothing.Tifa, on the other hand, felt that most of the breakfast dishes were delicious, except for Tang Xinzi noodles.She is really not used to this thing.

For a month, Tifa also got to know some residents of Qifan Street slums under the introduction of Granny Marle.But there is no one who can be called a "friend".

On the fourth day of staying at Tianwangzhuang, Tifa found a job——as a helper for the Dimo ​​restaurant in the slum of Qifan Street.Washing dishes, cleaning, and being a guest waiter, it didn't take her too much time to gradually become proficient from the rush at the beginning.

The owner of the restaurant is Timo, a bald old man with a beard and an old friend of Grandma Marlene.For Marle's sake, Dimo ​​took good care of Tifa.Compared with other slums, the atmosphere in Qifanjie slums is not bad, and other 'temporary workers' who do odd jobs in restaurants have not shown any hostility towards Tifa.

On the one hand, they didn't believe that such a beautiful girl would stay in old Timo's dilapidated restaurant all the time, and of course it didn't pose much threat to their jobs.On the other hand, they heard that Tifa is Heather's distant relative, Junior Sister Jia, who came from a rural village called Gongaga to join Heather, a well-known senior brother.

Is Heather considered to be famous?They don't know, but they can be sure of one thing - no one in the slums of Qifanjie dares to provoke Heather.From this point of view, Heather can indeed cover it.

In this way, Tifa gets up at 5:6 every morning, washes up and then does warm-up activities in the room by herself.When it was almost 7 o'clock, I went out to find my brother, and the two set off to exercise in the open space near the outer wall, and returned to Qifan Street Station for breakfast near [-] o'clock.

Then Brother Heather would disappear mysteriously from time to time, and according to Granny Marley, he was busy with his own affairs.And Tifa went back to her room to wash up before rushing to Dimo's to get to work.

Lunch was settled at Dimo's restaurant. It was not a greasy meal, but the advantage was that it was a free working meal. Tifa still ate very happily.

Tifa worked until about eight o'clock in the evening. Tifa changed shifts with the replacement, and then went to the market to pick some high-quality and cheap ingredients, trying to learn from his senior brother's way of bargaining.Even though he is seriously inexperienced in bargaining, he has a sweet face and can always buy suitable ingredients at preferential prices.

After returning to Tianwangzhuang, Tifa will cook dinner with Grandma Marle, or Grandma Marle will teach Tifa how to make some home cooking unilaterally.Heather sometimes came to eat together, sometimes came back very late, but never stayed out all night.

Marle said that this kind of situation is very rare. In the past, Heather would not return to Tianwangzhuang for several days in a row.

One month, two months...

Gradually, under the abundant nutrition and targeted rehabilitation exercises, Tifa's body became healthy and full of vitality again, and her complexion was no longer the pale appearance of just recovering from a serious illness.

She even had the courage to take the train to the Staples Mall on Bafan Street by herself to buy two cheap clothes and replenish some daily necessities.

Dimo's restaurant paid very little wages. Thanks to Tifa's frugality and free lunch, Tifanu worked hard to save some money.She hid all the money in the shoe box in the closet in the room, and counted it every few days to calculate how long it would take to pay off the rent and medical expenses owed to Grandma Marle.

In the third month, Tifa paid off her previous rent arrears, which was a huge victory for her.

Marle congratulated her with a smile, but Heather just said "oh" and didn't respond.

Tifa was not hit by his senior, but was still full of motivation.She even plans to take an extra job during the breaks. The medical expenses owed to Granny Marle and her senior brother have not been paid off, so she must continue to work hard!

Tifa's fourth month in Midgar, in April 2003, Heather announced that Tifa's rehabilitation had come to an end.

"Your recent activities are no different from ordinary people. The metal bracket is no longer uncomfortable, right?"

In the deserted open space in the early morning, Heather said to Tifa:

"Physically, it's no different from ordinary people, and even stronger than some men with poor living habits. Coupled with flexible body skills and Zanganliu martial arts for self-protection, you can already have some means of self-protection."

Tifa was wearing a black short-sleeved skirt and short skirt for easy movement, and the same pair of red sneakers on her feet.Compared with when she first arrived four months ago, she was no longer pale and timid, and became much more cheerful: "Brother, don't you need to continue the rehabilitation training?"

Heather nodded slightly: "Well, the next step is to officially start the advanced practice of Zanganliu martial arts, or come to me at six o'clock every morning. Be mentally prepared, this is much more difficult than rehabilitation training."

"I won't slack off."

"Also, go to Dimo ​​today to suspend work. I found you a new job."

"Huh? So suddenly, Mr. Dimo..."

"I'll tell Timo that working in a restaurant isn't a good option if you want to pay back the treatment."

"Hey, what's the job?"

Tifa wasn't worried about where his senior brother would kidnap and sell him, but he was a little uneasy that he would suddenly change to a new environment just after getting used to working in a restaurant.Speaking of which, when she first met Master Zangan, she still regarded him as a child trafficker.

Heather pointed to the above: "Go to the upper part of Bafan Street to be an apprentice bartender. The salary is higher than that of a restaurant. The most important thing is to learn something. I said it..."

"As long as I have learned it, no one can take it away. I will always remember it, brother." The girl smiled brightly.

"...I will answer quickly. It seems that you still have the strength to run around the open space three more times! Hurry up!"

"Ugh?"

###Chapter 13 Wild Rose Bar###

Tifa took the train alone to the upper city of Bafan Street.

Although in the past few months, I have also come to the Staples Mall alone to buy daily necessities and cheap clothes, but that is because the brother took me through it, so it looks familiar, and the Staples Mall is located in the eighth In the corner area of ​​the street, the surrounding environment is not so prosperous, which is one of the reasons why Tifa slightly reduces the pressure.

Today, according to the address provided by Heather to Tifa, the target bar is located in a quite bustling area of ​​Bafan Street.

Stumbled and found the wrong way several times, the pedestrians along the way were all dressed in beautiful and fashionable clothes, and Tifa, who was wearing cheap and outdated clothes, was a little country girl from the countryside.But she doesn't care much about the eyes of others. Everyone has their own way of life. Although she occasionally yearns for a lively and sparkling life, she still prefers a quiet and stable life without waves and accidents.

After spending more than half an hour, Tifa finally found a place.

This is a two-storey bar with a fairly large footprint.The outer decoration of the bar is decorated with luxurious black slate and metal inlays, the uniquely shaped windows are beige, there are two huge colonnades at the door, and above it is a large signboard with flashing neon lights.

Perhaps because of the working day during the day, no one seemed to go in and out of the bar, and it seemed a little deserted.

After a little hesitation at the door, Tifa pushed open the bar door and walked in.

As soon as Tifa entered, she found herself stepping on the slightly reflective brown wooden floor, which felt very comfortable to her feet.If the senior brother was here, he would definitely sneer, 'Is it comfortable to step on?If it is comfortable, the material must be expensive. '

The wide bar hall is lined with tables and chairs on either side, with a dart board and two stand-up pinball machines in the corner.The overhead fan is turning slowly, not so much to cool down the temperature as it is purely for the retro atmosphere of the bar.

Obliquely in front of the door is a bar counter with a row of bar chairs. The bar counter is made of high-quality wood. Behind the bar counter is a luxurious wine cabinet full of wine bottles. It is very expensive at first glance.

"Sorry for the interruption... is anyone there?" As soon as the sound came out, Tifa was startled by her kitten-like cowardly voice, she mustered up the courage to clear her throat and shouted again at a higher volume.

Da da da……

With the sound of high heels colliding with the wooden floor, a graceful beauty in an exotic gown with fringes came out from the side door behind the bar.When she saw Tifa, she was stunned for a moment, and then chuckled, "Ah la la, the child recommended by Heather, right? I didn't expect to come so soon."

She took a few steps forward, and stretched out her white and tender palm wearing golden jewelry: "My name is Naya, the owner of this Wild Rose bar."

"Hi, my name is Tifa." Tifa quickly walked over to hold Naya's hand and shook it gently.

Naya looked Tifa up and down, the smile on the corner of her mouth never disappeared: "He is really a child with a good looks. Unlike his appearance, his arms and shoulders seem to be very strong, and he does have the potential to be a bartender. Then, Heather tell you Have you been treated as an apprentice bartender here?"

Tifa shook her head.

"The training time is one month. During the period, you need to work as a bartender from 11:00 to 20:00 every day. The salary is 80 GIL per day, and the tips are handled by yourself. The assessment will be conducted after one month. If you pass the assessment, you will become a trainee bartender in the bar. , no fixed salary but enjoys a [-]% commission on the sale of wine."

Naya walked around to the back of the bar and blinked at Tifa: "Don't underestimate the bartender of Wild Rose. Even a trainee, if he is proficient in business and gets called by guests frequently, he can get at least 500GIL commission every day. .”

"5, 500..." Tifa was already very happy with the treatment of bartenders, but when she heard the treatment of trainee bartenders, she cried out in surprise.If you can keep the commission of 500 GIL every day, you can earn more than 1 GIL a month!In two months, I will be able to pay back all the medical expenses owed to Granny Marle and my senior brother!

Naya seemed very satisfied with Tifa's reaction, and said unhurriedly: "The bar serves lunch from 11:2 am to 2:5 pm every day, and a bulletin board will be used to mark the dishes of the day. Generally speaking, there are one or two dishes products, but because of cooking, not many customers seem to be interested. Afternoon tea time is from 5:[-] pm to [-]:[-] pm. This service has been stopped recently because of lack of manpower. From [-]:[-] pm until late at night is bar time, will Serve wine and light appetizers. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Tifa replied nervously.

"Although it's a pity to have such a iconic face and figure, but Heather asked me to try to train you to be a bartender who can be independent instead of a receptionist who only shows off. I owe him a favor, so I just I can do it."

Naya rested her fingers on her chin, and her bright red lips curved beautifully:

"If you take a closer look, your face alone can become a top sign to attract customers. Are you sure you want to study as a bartender? First, it is very difficult to become a bartender. If you fail the assessment after one month, I have a good reason to kick you back to Heather, and I have paid off the favor. But if it is only used as a waiter and a sign to attract customers, I can let you stay in the bar without assessment, treatment It will increase accordingly, think about it, right?"

Tifa was taken aback for a moment, and then felt uncomfortable.She doesn't want to be regarded as a vase that only shows off her beauty to attract guests, she wants to impress her senior brother!

"Please teach me how to become a qualified bartender!"

Tifa's voice was firm, and she bowed to Naya.

Naya rested her elbow on the bar and rested her chin on one hand, her smile became bright and bright: "Hmph, did you choose a very difficult path? But with such tenacity... I now believe that you are Heather's younger sister gone."

Tifa blushed a little, but she didn't flinch from Naya's gaze, but looked back firmly.

Naya straightened up and stretched lazily: "Very good. Then let's start with the lunch service at noon? Go to the back kitchen to prepare the corresponding ingredients and handle them, then wipe the tables and chairs clean, pay attention to approaching There will always be a lot of ashes at the door. The teaching time is from 2:5 to [-]:[-] in the afternoon, and then I will teach you about wine knowledge and bartending techniques from the beginning, understand?"

"Yes!"

And thus began Tifa's apprenticeship as a bartender.

At this time, Heather was wandering in the slums of Bafan Street.This place is often surrounded by the smell of steam and rotten water. The more prosperous the upper city of Bafan Street, the more sewage will be discharged into the lower city.Moreover, there is no drainage system in many areas of the Bafanjie slum, which causes the smell of rotten water to permeate the entire slum.

Heather was wearing a loose postman's cap, a dark blue coat and black trousers, and her cheap but very strong boots stepped in the stagnant water, walking towards the depths of the steamy Bafan Street slums.

It was the lair of the underground rulers of the Bafan Street slums, and it was also the destination of Heather's trip.