Chapter 11 : Maintenance

The supply and marketing cooperative in the county town was undoubtedly one of the most impressive buildings in the city. The two-story brick building was completely painted white, with red characters on the side walls that read, “Serve the People.”

Rows of shelves were neatly arranged. The first floor was mostly stocked with common daily necessities, such as pots, pans, bowls, grains, oils, sauces, teas, vegetables, meat, and fruits.

The second floor, on the other hand, featured rarer and more expensive items like fabrics, sewing machines, and watches.

In those days, having money wasn’t enough to buy things; tickets were also essential. If you had money but no ticket, or a ticket but no money, lacking either would mean that the sales clerk wouldn’t even give you a second glance.

The sodas Liang Qingqing had been thinking about for a long time were right at the entrance. There weren’t many people around, but a group of children surrounded the large box of sodas, chattering away. However, only a few would actually spend money to buy them; most were just there for the excitement, enjoying the cool air that emerged when the box was opened.

Ice was a rarity and not available every day. Today, they were lucky to be able to drink ice-cold sodas.

“Stop loitering around if you’re not buying anything. Where are your parents? Hurry up and take your kids away; it’s suffocatingly hot here.”

The saleswoman, dressed in a standard deep blue uniform, had two shiny, braided pigtails hanging down her chest. Her pretty features were scrunched up in annoyance, clearly fed up with the noisy children.

Nowadays, jobs were secure and could last a lifetime, with no performance metrics. Whether you sold a lot or a little, your salary remained the same every month. Consequently, there was no longer a concept of “the customer is always right.” Instead, customers had to be careful not to offend the sales clerks, fearing that they might make things difficult if they wanted to buy something rare in the future.

As soon as the saleswoman started to shoo people away, When the parents who were shopping in the supply and marketing cooperative heard that the salesperson was starting to chase people away,they could no longer pretend to be blind and called their children to their side.

“Come here, didn’t we just buy you a bottle the other day? We’re not buying another one today.”

Sodas, like candy, were an occasional treat for children. They couldn’t fill you up and were expensive, so ordinary families couldn’t afford them every day.

Understanding this, the well-behaved children fell silent, while a few mischievous ones continued to pester their parents, shouting and crying for more sodas. The mixture of cries and parental scolding made the whole cooperative noisy and chaotic.

Liang Qingqing rubbed her ears and quickly squeezed into the area around the soda stand while there was a few people in the crowd.

“What flavor are the sodas?”

The large box of sodas was covered with an old, grayish-black quilt, and it was hard to see what was inside because the attractive sales clerk was pressing down on it.

Upon hearing the question, the saleswoman didn’t even lift her eyelids, playing with her fingertips and responding with disdain, “Never bought this before, huh? We only have one kind of soda here. If you want it, buy it; if not, leave.”

“Hey, what kind of service attitude is that?” Liang Qingqing, who was used to being well-treated while shopping due to her privileged background, was taken aback by the sales clerk’s high-handed demeanor. Her breath quickened with irritation.

“Service? What service? I’ve never heard of it,” the saleswoman replied, picking up a fan to cool herself, displaying an attitude of not caring at all.

Liang Qingqing sneered, “Can’t you see the big words ‘Serve the People’ outside? Haven’t you read Chairman quotation?”

Hearing this, the saleswoman paused fanning herself. She finally looked up and took in Liang Qingqing’s appearance. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but after a quick scan of her shabby clothes and poor-quality attire, her heart settled back down.

“Stop putting on airs. If you want to buy, pay with money and tickets. If not, get out of the way. It’s hot outside, and if you don’t buy, others will. Don’t block the path.”

Before Liang Qingqing could respond, Fan Yanxing, standing two steps behind her, frowned and spoke up with a cold tone, “Regardless of whether you’ve bought it before or not, you should do your job properly, answer questions well, and sell your goods, not act so arrogantly.”

Fan Yanxing spoke with a calm yet commanding tone. Although his voice wasn’t particularly loud, it was incredibly authoritative. After his words, the noise of the rowdy children around them diminished significantly, and others in the area began to turn their attention toward them.

“Is there a commotion?”

“What’s going on? Can someone explain what happened?”

The murmur of voices filled the air. Seeing that everyone was watching her, the attractive sales clerk felt embarrassed. She slammed her fan down on the box of sodas and raised her voice to shout at Fan Yanxing, “Who do you think you are, coming here to teach me a lesson?”

Although their attire was drastically different—one looking sophisticated and the other shabby—the man seemed to be defending the woman. It was clear he was a friend of hers. In a rural area like this, it was likely that his friend was just as unsophisticated, so she didn’t think there was anything to fear from him.

“Who I am is not important, but don’t you salespeople receive training before starting your job? Didn’t your supervisor teach you how to perform your duties? If you didn’t receive proper training, go back and learn it before coming back to work.”

Fan Yanxing, while guiding Liang Qingqing behind him, raised one hand and mimicked the saleswoman earlier action of slapping the box, using his height to add a sense of pressure.

“W-what, are you going to hit me?”

The saleswoman, her gaze darting over Fan Yanxing’s imposing figure, swallowed nervously and instinctively took a step back. How could this person know about the internal affairs of their supply and marketing cooperative?

Could it be that appearances are deceiving and he has a significant background?

They had indeed given every employee training before starting their jobs, but it was mostly a formality. Once on the job, no one really monitored these aspects, so everyone had more or less forgotten about it. Now, suddenly being confronted with it, she felt a bit uneasy.

“I’m not going to hit anyone, nor would I, but you must apologize today. Otherwise, I’ll have to ask your supervisor exactly what kind of training you received.” His dark eyes were like a deep, shadowy pool; when he stared, it made people feel uneasy.

The attractive sales clerk clenched her fists, preparing to retort. Just then, footsteps approached from behind, followed by a familiar voice that interrupted her.

“What’s going on here? Why is everyone gathered?”

A middle-aged woman, dressed in the same uniform, emerged from inside the supply and marketing cooperative. Her gaze swept over everyone before finally landing on Fan Yanxing.

Given the commotion, it was impossible for her not to hear. At first, she had observed from the sidelines, thinking that this young couple would soon give in, but they seemed to be getting more entrenched in their stance.

Moreover, with her extensive experience, she could tell this young man was exceptional in both demeanor and conduct. He didn’t seem like an ordinary person, and while the girl was dressed plainly, her face and demeanor suggested she came from an exceptional background.

Could it be that they were sent by higher-ups for an inspection? No, that shouldn’t be possible; otherwise, she would have heard some rumors.

But no matter what, today’s issue must be resolved quickly.

Seeing the manager arrive, there was no added drama.

“Is what Oda said correct?” The middle-aged saleswoman asked the attractive sales clerk. The latter wanted to argue further but felt embarrassed in front of so many people. She could only remain silent, neither nodding nor shaking her head.

Seeing her reaction, the middle-aged saleswoman understood immediately. She sighed and forced a smile, saying, “Xiao Tian was indeed wrong. Apologize quickly, and then go inside and check the sugar cabinets.”

As she spoke, the middle-aged saleswoman pulled the attractive clerk’s arm and gave her a warning glance, clearly offering her an escape while also cautioning her not to cause more trouble.

The attractive sales clerk, who had been working under the same roof for so long, understood the unspoken hint. She bit her lip, knowing this was the best way to handle the situation. Otherwise, if it escalated to the higher-ups, not only would she be scolded, but Li Jie would likely get reprimanded too.

After a moment’s hesitation, she reluctantly apologized to Fan Yanxing and Liang Qingqing, then covered her face with her hand and hurried back into the supply and marketing cooperative.

“I’m truly sorry. Everyone, please continue with your purchases. It’s so hot, so let’s disperse quickly,” Li Jie shooed away the onlookers, then turned back to Fan Yanxing and Liang Qingqing with a smile. “What would you like to buy?”

“Two bottles of soda,” Fan Yanxing replied while opening his bag to get the money. Unexpectedly, Liang Qingqing interrupted, “One bottle is enough.”

Upon hearing this, Fan Yanxing paused in his action of getting the money and looked at her in surprise. She had been eager for two bottles all the way, so why the sudden change of mind?

Seeing Fan Yanxing’s gaze, Liang Qingqing felt a bit embarrassed. She fiddled with a strand of hair and, avoiding his eyes, murmured, “Just consider it a thank you for helping me earlier.”

A gentle breeze lifted the girl’s loose hair, brushing over his hand with a tickling sensation.

He suddenly smiled and said, “Still, two bottles. Thank you.”

Li Jie glanced between them, her lips curving into a smile. After agreeing, she swiftly removed the blanket and cover from the box and took out two bottles of soda.

The cold air from the soda swirled in the air, feeling extremely refreshing.

“Hey, why can’t you understand? I already said one bottle is enough. Why spend extra money?” Liang Qingqing puffed up her cheeks, her eyes widening as she glared at him. Her tone, extended at the end, carried a touch of cute exasperation.

Cute? Exasperation?

Fan Yanxing’s smile gradually faded, and he thought to himself that he must be crazy today.