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Just thinking about this possibility, a sense of crisis that Lu Jiangting had never felt before surged in his heart.
Because, in that small mountain village, there were hardly a few who were more outstanding than him. With himself standing in front of her, how could she possibly have eyes for anyone else?
But now it was different; he knew he couldn’t compare to Fu Huayi.
…
Lin Yuyao cooked with her newly bought cooking appliances and simply stir-fried some vegetables.
At first, she only planned to buy a small coal stove, but Fu Huayi said it was too small and inconvenient for cooking, so he bought her a larger one that could handle stir-frying.
However, this meant that the fuel consumption would be a bit higher.
This small room was worth ten yuan, as it had a small balcony, which was incredibly convenient for someone cooking with a coal stove.
If it were indoors, what a strong smell it would have!
After preparing a simple meal, Lin Yuyao washed up and went to bed.
The next day, after a simple breakfast, she dressed neatly and went to the bookstore to report for duty.
On her first day at work, she appeared a bit uneasy.
Zhou Jing smiled and guided her through her tasks.
“You don’t need to be nervous; Sister Fu is very easy to talk to.”
“Sister Fu?”
“Yes, she is the owner of this bookstore.”
“Oh… then she and Fu Huayi…”
“You mean the person who brought you here yesterday?”
Lin Yuyao nodded.
“Seems like he is Sister Fu’s younger brother, or cousin?”
So it turns out she was his sister; she felt quite embarrassed to have been introduced to such a good job.
She had planned to invite him out for a meal to thank him, but in the end, she had eaten three meals he treated her to instead.
And he insisted on paying for those things as well.
Lin Yuyao silently noted all the expenses he incurred, thinking she would repay him when she had the chance.
“Thank you, Zhou Jing.”
“You’re welcome; Sister Fu asked me to help you get familiar with the work.”
Lin Yuyao followed closely behind, listening attentively.
“Actually, our work is quite relaxed; you just need to handle a few things. First, keep an eye on the customers entering the store to prevent book theft. Second, when customers need assistance, provide them with simple introductions and answer various questions, such as when certain books might be back in stock.
Third, if customers can’t find a book or reach one, you need to help them find it or hand it to them. Fourth, when new books arrive, assist with shelving them. Finally, ensure the bookstore remains clean and tidy, as some customers may leave books lying around instead of putting them back. In such cases, after they leave, you’ll need to pick the books up and organize them.”
Lin Yuyao nodded and said, “Okay, I will remember.”
Zhou Jing added, “It sounds simple, but it actually takes effort. For example, to answer customer questions, you need to be very familiar with the books in the store. You should know where every book is located and memorize this as soon as possible, so when a customer asks for a book, you won’t take forever to find it.”
“Yes, I understand, Zhou Jing. I will make sure to memorize it quickly.”
“Great! I will get back to work; let me know if you need anything.”
“Okay.”
Zhou Jing went to stock up, occasionally glancing back at Lin Yuyao.
Seeing her carefully handling the books made her chuckle.
But then she thought about it and understood.
Girls from the countryside often started out this way. Some were so timid that they couldn’t even speak clearly, afraid to touch anything; they were worse off than Lin Yuyao.
…
The work hours were quite leisurely, with very few people in the bookstore.
Lin Yuyao diligently tried to remember the locations of various books.
Zhou Jing and another colleague, Liu Yihuan, were reading some young adult novels.
Zhou Jing told her that most of the time, they were like this, quite idle.
Usually, it was after school when students came in, and weekends that were busier.
Also, the bookstore owner, Fu Leyi, usually didn’t come by; she would only show up when there was a lot of stock to manage.
That day, Lin Yuyao considered herself lucky.
After hearing this, Lin Yuyao said, “No wonder I haven’t seen Sister Fu these past few days.”
Zhou Jing replied, “The Fu family is very wealthy; both of Sister Fu’s parents are in business and even opened a factory on Lingxiang Street. She runs this bookstore just for fun.”
That sounded quite enviable.
“Hey, this book looks pretty good. Have you read it?”
Lin Yuyao casually looked at it; it seemed to be a sweet romance novel.
“Wait, why is it in traditional characters?”
Zhou Jing laughed and said, “The author is from Taiwan; there are simplified versions too, but I think reading traditional characters gives it more flavor.”
“I can’t recognize some of the characters.”
“Just guess; it’s fine.”
Lin Yuyao, “…” Alright, guessing it is.
At first, it was a bit difficult to read, but after making some guesses, she gradually got into it.
…
On the weekend, Fu Huayi came over, and the bookstore was busy.
She found a moment to run over and said, “I don’t think I can today; look at all these people! I just started, so it wouldn’t be good to ask for a leave.”
“Yeah, I understand. I just came to let you know that Old Zhou is not around lately; he’s on leave. Your matters might need to be postponed.”
Lin Yuyao was taken aback.
“How long will he be gone?”
“He’s been working for over ten years; he gets a month of family leave every year. He just left a few days ago.”
“He probably won’t be back for at least twenty days.”
Twenty days.
Now that she had found a job, she could wait twenty days, but… she worried about Lu Jiangting harassing her at night.
“Big Brother Fu, could I ask you for another favor?”
She looked up, her eyes dark and clear, as pure as a deer’s.
Her hands nervously clutched her pants; her cautious demeanor was something no man could refuse.
Fu Huayi swallowed, his voice hoarse, “Go ahead.”
“Is there any way to… prevent him from coming to find me at night?”
He had already solved this problem for her; otherwise, how could she have had any peace these past few nights?
“Well, He’s very busy lately, so Lu Jiangting probably won’t have the energy to bother you.”
Lin Yuyao breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Zhou Jing called out to her from across the room.
Her face flushed, “Big Brother Fu, I… I…”
Fu Huayi smiled. “Go ahead; I still have things to do. I’ll just grab a couple of books and leave.”
“Okay, Big Brother Fu, thank you.”
She hurried over to Zhou Jing.
Zhou Jing handed her a book with printed designs. “A few pages of the print on this book have fallen off. Take it and register it; we’ll return it to the printing factory later.”
“Okay.”
As she went to register it, Liu Yihuan came over.
“Hey, Xiao Lin, what’s your relationship with Sister Fu’s brother?”
“Ah? We don’t have any relationship. He… he is a… classmate of someone I know from my hometown.”
She didn’t know how to explain it; she certainly wouldn’t admit that Lu Jiangting was her man, so she could only say they were from the same hometown.
Was Fu Huayi considered a friend of Lu Jiangting’s?
Fu Huayi had said that they were friends before, but he didn’t like Lu Jiangting’s shameless behavior, so they weren’t friends anymore.
So, classmate it was.
Lin Yuyao was very busy on the weekends. She worked all day, while Fu Huayi sat in the coffee shop across the street all day. He said he had to leave, but it was just an excuse.
He took two books, sipped coffee made with malted milk powder, and sat there for a whole day.