After trudging through the muddy path for another fifteen minutes, Gu Tao, with his backpack, guitar, and a map marked with annotations, boarded the return bus to the city. He sat by the window, earphones stuffed in, listening to "Ninja Stick Stick".
Just as he was resting with his eyes closed, the song in his earphones suddenly paused, then changed tracks to a very popular square dance tune, with notably explosive sound quality. Due to his laziness, he didn't pay attention to these minor details.
"Holy crap, where's my phone!"
Upon reaching his destination, Gu Tao instinctively reached for his phone, but what he fished out of his pocket was actually a battered MP3 player—the kind from more than a decade ago that required a size-AA battery to operate. His earphones were plugged into it, and the fiery "Good Luck" blared into his ears.
He finally understood why the song had suddenly changed—he glanced back at the bus he just got off with teeth clenched in silent fury.
"So it goes..."
Though frustrated, he ultimately had to acquiesce to reality. He sighed skyward and mourned softly, "Luck really does exist."
Losing the phone wasn't really an issue, since he only had a few friends in the city anyway. There was the chubby dude, a couple of guys he sang with in the subway tunnel, and the rest were probably just the delivery guys from some food delivery group and a few couriers from some Express or some Wind company.
But the emotional slump was truly uncomfortable. How could he describe it? A sense of defeat... yes, that's it, a sense of defeat, that feeling of "why am I so useless."
With the last bit of money, he bought two sets of pancakes. He stuffed one set into his bag for lunch, while the other he held in his hand, sitting casually on the curb and munching away.
While eating, someone threw a coin in front of him. He looked up to see a cool-looking young lady with a backpack walking away briskly. He immediately got annoyed, stood up, and yelled, "Hey Miss, stop right there!"
The lady who had thrown the coin was startled and turned to look at him, "What's the matter?"
Gu Tao bent down to pick up the coin: "Do you insult me with this?"
"I... I'm sorry... I thought you were street performing." The lady's face instantly turned red. "I'm sorry for the trouble, really."
Gu Tao snorted coldly, pocketing the coin: "I'll forgive you this time. Remember next time, no less than five yuan."
Having said so, he slowly moved toward the first place hiring, not forgetting to turn back solemnly and say to the puzzled lady, "Remember, five yuan minimum next time. What's one yuan good for!"
Having vented some of his frustration on a kind stranger, Gu Tao felt a bit better. He then pushed open the door of a restaurant and peeked in to see a girl peeling garlic: "Miss, are you hiring?"
"Hold on a sec. I will call the boss," she replied.
The garlic-peeling girl got up and went inside, and soon a boss sporting a cigarette appeared. Gu Tao saw him and immediately crossed his arms: "I'll take my leave!"
Boss: "???"
As for why he took his leave, it was simply because he couldn't stand the smell of smoke. Any problem with that?
Carrying his backpack and holding the map, he looked just like one of those budget travelers—definitely the genuine kind, not those who travel the world sleeping with people for lodging. Gu Tao believed law enforcement should crack down on that sort of budget travel. How are prostitution and solicitation defined again? Anyway, that kind of budget travel is not much different from prostitution.
Following the signs on the map, Gu Tao arrived at a small alley and squeezed into a dark shop. At first, he thought he had gone to the wrong place and stepped out to double-check. The sign did indeed say "Hundred-Year-Old Shop."
Though it was called the Hundred-Year-Old Shop, it was hard to tell what it sold. The interior was dark and empty, with a few wine jars in the corner that gave it an ancient air. The counter had the style of those seen in martial arts dramas—had it not been for a computer that was still turned on beside it, it would have felt like traveling through time.
"Anyone there?" he asked.
"Yes..." an indifferent voice came from behind the counter. Gu Tao leaned over to take a look. Hey! There actually was someone there, but the guy looked rather downcast, sprawled over the computer keyboard, with messy hair, clearly just having woken up.
"You hiring?"
"Looking for a job?"
The two asked simultaneously, then locked eyes, recognizing each other as kindred spirits.
It was said to be hiring, but the guy behind the counter never stood up from start to finish. He just lazily raised his head to glance at Gu Tao, wiped his face, and that was it—he was hired without even being asked his name.
And Gu Tao, observing this messy individual, felt very puzzled. Who actually wears a down jacket in this season?
"I have a question," Gu Tao touched his chin, looking pensive, "Is board and lodging included?"
"Included, all included," the guy grabbed a bag of dog food from behind the counter: "It's almost the end of the month. Let's make do with this for a few days."
Gu Tao stared at the dog food packaging, then reached out to taste a piece, finding that besides its bland taste, everything else was acceptable. That guy actually grabbed a handful and stuffed it straight into his mouth, mumbling, "Had breakfast yet? If not, grab more, this stuff fills you up."
"Oh," Gu Tao actually grabbed a handful too, munching on it like sunflower seeds as he asked, "So where's the place to stay?"
"Just walk up the stairs, and you'll see it. You might want to check out the environment first."
"Hold on!" Gu Tao thought for a moment, "You're actually resorting to eating dog food, so how are you going to pay me?"
"Isn't it just a few days until the beginning of the month? I'll collect the rent and pay your salary first." The guy lifted his head, speaking in a languid tone, "I promise I'm not deceiving you, let's pinky swear."
Who the hell wants to pinky swear with you! Gu Tao dodged the guy's hand and then went upstairs with his bag, finding that the second floor was a storeroom, and in the middle of the storeroom was a makeshift bed with a pillow and a sleeping bag atop it, while cardboard was used as bedding beneath.
Honestly, Gu Tao was shocked at the sight. It was the first time he had seen someone treat their living situation so cavalierly; the scene was strikingly similar to those wandering heroes in martial arts films who sleep in dilapidated temples in the wilderness, with only a sign away from labeling the storage entrance as a makeshift monastery.
He silently went back downstairs only to find the guy who could loosely be considered the boss pouring dog food into a bowl. Then, out of nowhere, a grubby thermos appeared, which he used to pour water into the dog food, even placing a cover on it. Seeing Gu Tao come down, he chuckled, "Softer after soaking, tastes better."
Jesus... This is truly a wonder of the human world. Judging by his skilled movements and confident tone, this kid must have eaten his fair share of dog food. Gu Tao looked at the half-eaten dog food in his hand and silently refused, "I prefer it dry."
"Alright then, if you find it too bland, I've got some chili sauce here. You can mix it in."
Mix, mix... mix... The mere repetition was irritating to the ears, so Gu Tao quickly shook the dreadful word from his head and coughed, "How much is the monthly salary?"
"Twelve hundred?"
Gu Tao turned away to leave.
"Don't go, don't go, we can talk about it." The guy hastily grabbed Gu Tao, "Eighteen hundred, with food and accommodation included!"
"Three thousand five."
"That's too high, then I'll have to start eating this stuff from the middle of the month." The scoundrel shook the dog food in front of Gu Tao, with an expression truly akin to a dog's, "Maybe... a little lower?"
"Name your price."
"Fifteen hundred?"
"I'm leaving!"
"Don't go!! Plus one thousand!" He was almost on his knees, clinging to Gu Tao's leg and pleading, "Two thousand five!"
Looking at his pitiful state, Gu Tao sighed. Considering the offer included meals and accommodations... Hmm, dog food is a terrible thing despite its taste being bearable.
"Alright then," Gu Tao hesitated and then reached out his hand, "Gu Tao."
"Xin Chen."
The two hands came together in agreement.
Gu Tao was also quite helpless; this was probably the first time he agreed to anything for the sake of survival with such an abnormal human being. But looking at this strange boss, he felt he had to speak his mind, "I mean no offense, but you're in such a state, who are you to hire anyone?"
"Here's how I see it," Xin Chen leaned on the counter, coming close, "I'm alone here and usually have nothing to do, so I thought about bringing someone else over to do nothing with me, isn't that more comfortable?"
It made sense in a way, but totally lacked logic. However, discussing logic with someone who considered dog food a viable meal option seemed ridiculous, so Gu Tao nodded in agreement, "What does this Hundred-Year-Old Shop you run do?
"We sell liquor. My ancestors were suppliers of tribute liquor to the royal court."
"Where's the liquor then?"
"Gone."
"And then?"
"I don't know how to brew." Xin Chen looked up at the ceiling, "My dad didn't get the chance to pass on the recipe before he ran off with a chicken, and my mom... Well, my mom ran off with a truck driver first, then my dad got together with that chicken."
After a moment of contemplation, Gu Tao said, "I believe your parents' decisions are largely related to you. But I think the fact they didn't abandon you as a baby at full moon, they've already done more than their duty required."