My Terrible Life in Those Years

I didn't answer Lao Ye's question, and instead carried the baked goods to the guests.

With a beaming smile, he said to Old Ye, "Guess!"

He turned and left, leaving Old Ye with an inscrutable silhouette!

It wasn't until around 11 o'clock that I had time to take two chicken wings out of the basket and roast them. I was almost starving.

I deeply regret my decision to come to work here on an empty stomach.

Don't let its small size fool you, this barbecue stall is incredibly popular.

I didn't go into the store once during that time. It wasn't until 11 o'clock, when Lao Ye had so many deposit slips that he couldn't fit them all in his hand, that he asked me to bring them in, and that's when I went into the store again.

When I handed the form to the counter, I discovered that there was another person sitting behind it, besides Corning.

I was pleasantly surprised: "Little Ponytail? What are you doing here?"

She raised her little face and smiled at me, her eyes narrowing as she noticed the extra work uniform I was wearing, which was covered in oil stains.

Kang Ning looked up at me expressionlessly. Xian Wanning smiled and took the form, stacked the previous forms together, and took the calculator from in front of Kang Ning to prepare for counting.

"I'll come and help out too!"

Kang Ning, Wan Ning! I suddenly remembered what Lao Ye just said, that the young boss has a younger sister? Could it really be Wan Ning?

"You're the boss's sister?" I pressed.

The girl with the ponytail smiled and nodded, then began to check the previous earnings.

"So, you're the landlady's niece too?"

That's completely pointless. Since she's the boss's sister, she's obviously the landlady's niece!

She was using a calculator in one hand, quickly flipping through sheets of paper and counting, all the while nodding to indicate what she meant.

"I knew it! Why was the landlady so quick to ask for my deposit back and so kind to help me find a job? Turns out it was you who put in a good word for her!"

I wanted to continue our conversation, but then Kang Ning, with a cold expression, interrupted, "Hey kid, I hired you here to work, not to chat!"

Good grief, you're so fierce! I didn't steal your sister! Why are you being so aggressive?

But he was the boss, the one who gave me my livelihood, so I had no choice but to sheepishly go outside to entertain the guests.

Behind her, she faintly heard Kang Ning say to Wan Ning, "Is this the guy you said saved you in the car? He looks like a gigolo. You need to be more careful!"

I then realized that Wan Ning had exaggerated my actions and role in front of her brother; what she called a small favor had turned into saving her.

No wonder the landlady agreed so readily, and her brother even let me work the evening shift, which has such a time advantage.

But I didn't like what he said next. What does "like a gigolo" mean?

I've always considered myself a gigolo, a gigolo who works hard to make a living!

From the subtle wariness in the boss's words, I could sense that he wanted his girl to be careful not to get too close to me, lest she be deceived by this pretty boy.

Logically speaking, according to common sense, a penniless day laborer like me, living under someone else's roof, should have some self-awareness and stay away from this boss's sister, and work diligently and honestly.

But am I a normal person? Obviously not.

So, during the half hour she was doing the accounting, I went to the store at least three or four times.

"Little Ponytail, would you like something to eat? I'll ask Old Ye to grill some for you."

"Little Ponytail, how's the accounting going? You're almost as good at using the calculator as a professional accountant!"

"Little ponytail, another stack of slips!"

Finally, Kang Ning couldn't hold back any longer: "If you have nothing better to do, clean up the trash on the ground!"

I think the owner of Kangning is too petty. It's not like I don't know her. I just came to Huacheng and have an acquaintance there. We even work in the same small class. What's wrong with saying a few more words?

Is it really possible to seduce her?

As I cleaned up the trash on the ground, I thought to myself, if the owner of Corning always treats me like a thief, I think I should consider getting to know her better.

At least from what I've seen in the last couple of days, this girl is truly beautiful inside and out.

Of course, this idea is just that—an idea.

I am fully aware of my current situation. My poverty has not been eradicated, so how could I possibly have lustful thoughts?

I was just annoyed by the attitude of the young owner of Corning, so I deliberately tried to provoke him.

Just as I was lost in thought, a large group of guests arrived, at least seven or eight.

They were in groups of two or three, arms around each other, reeking of alcohol.

Judging from the looks of it, they had just finished eating and drinking somewhere else, and then, not satisfied, decided to have another round.

I quickly went over, tidied the table, and arranged the chairs.

With so many people, one table wasn't enough, so I put two tables together, added a few more chairs, and handed them the menus.

Several of them were already somewhat drunk, walking unsteadily, and loudly bragging to their brothers.

Although I've never worked in the catering industry, I know that these kinds of customers are particularly troublesome; if they drink too much, things can easily go wrong.

So we placed them a little further out, just in case something happened and the barbecue stand got smashed, which would be even more troublesome.

I was waiting for them to place their order when two of them helped each other to the restroom inside the store.

Then, as the two men passed by the counter, they spotted the girl with the ponytail sitting behind it doing the accounting. Their eyes lit up, and they both leaned over the counter, staring intently at her with their big, round eyes.

These two people probably had never been here for a late-night snack before, and had no idea who the owner was or who Wan Ning was.

Then, the two of them simultaneously slammed their fists on the counter and yelled outside, "Where's the boss? Come in here!"

At that moment, the owner of Corning was not in his seat, so they mistook me for the junior owner.

I quickly ran into the store, stood next to the somewhat flustered Wan Ning, and smiled at the two of them, saying, "What do you two need? Just tell me."

One of them waved his hand at me and said, "You have such a pretty girl in your shop, and you didn't even ask her to come and take our order? What do you mean by that?"

Wan Ning stopped working on the forms and calculator, and was about to speak when I interrupted her.

"I'm sorry, sir. She's not the order taker. There was a slight discrepancy between her payment and our bill just now. I asked her to check it here, and she'll leave right away after that."

Wan Ning looked at me in surprise, probably not expecting me to say that.

The customer closest to me forcefully pulled my hand away, saying, "Get away from me. I want to ask her myself and let her tell me."

Another man stared at the girl with a lecherous look in his eyes; the look made me want to shove the pen in my hand into his eye.

"Hey boss, don't try to fool us. You don't need to have the girls behind the counter to do the accounting, do you?"

With a little effort, I stood motionless in place.

"Young lady, is there anything wrong with your order just now? If there's nothing wrong, you can go now. I have many customers here and don't have time to keep you company!"

While frantically giving signals, she urged the girl with the ponytail to leave first.

There's no way to deal with someone who's half-drunk using common sense; the right thing to do is to tell Little Ponytail to leave this troublesome place as soon as possible.

Once Little Ponytail leaves, and there's no longer a target for their drunken antics, things will be much easier.