Which way to go is the road?

That day, Xiang Fei, as usual, mopped the floor, wiped the tables, and cleaned the internet cafe inside and out until it was spotless. Seeing that it was still early, he also wiped the stairs, doors, and windows, working until noon. When Xiang Fei arrived at the front desk to tidy up, Dong Lu stopped him.

"You don't need to worry about that, I can clean it myself. I saw you working just now. The boss paid you well this time, but if you keep doing this, you'll be exhausted! The cleaning staff used to sweep and mop outside the toilets! And they still complained about being tired!"

"How could I die from exhaustion? My mother always said, 'There are no cows that die from exhaustion, only pigs that die from fatness!'" Xiang Fei realized something was wrong after saying that. He turned around and saw Lao You's big face, his greasy hands on his barrel-like waist, glaring angrily at Xiang Fei.

"What did you say? How did the pig die?!"

"I didn't say anything, I was just talking nonsense! Lao You, you're not fat, you're prosperous!" Xiang Fei's words were clearly not what he meant.

Xiang Fei's rural proverbs were already funny, but Lao You's reaction made Dong Lu burst into laughter, laughing so hard she almost fell over: "Xiang Fei, you're right! Lao You's wallet isn't rich, and his brain isn't rich either, but he's rich in body, rolling in oil!"

"Is it really necessary? The way you're smiling, I can't be bothered with you!" Old You said, swaying as he walked out of the internet cafe.

"Hey, dinner's almost ready, where are you going?"

"I'm not eating anymore, I'm afraid of dying, I'm on a diet!"

"That's ridiculous! He must have gone out to eat. If he can skip a meal, I'll give up eating!" Dong Lu said, pointing in the direction Lao You had left.

"Our internet cafe even provides meals?"

"We didn't care before, but recently the boss suddenly decided to learn to cook! He's using us as guinea pigs! But be prepared, the boss's wife still doesn't know the difference between seasonings and often makes mistakes. We're used to her putting in salt instead of sugar! The real problem is that she can put in MSG instead of salt, which is deadly!" Dong Lu said with a bitter face.

"Can't the boss do anything right?"

"Can you do one thing well?" Dong Lu looked at Xiang Fei's expectant eyes and continued, "Rice!"

"How about we go out to eat? Let's find a small restaurant, it's on me!" Xiang Fei said generously.

"Go out to eat if you want, I won't go. Sister Mei is a really nice person, she takes good care of me and never lets me work the night shift! I want to witness Sister Mei's cooking skills improve!" At this moment, Dong Lu, who was usually tomboyish, seemed innocent and cute with her loyalty and affection.

"Then I won't go out either. It's okay if the food is bad! As long as I'm full, it'll save money. By the way, Dong Lu, the Sister Mei you mentioned, is she our boss? What's her full name? How come she owns such a big internet cafe? Is this building hers too?"

"Oh, the boss's full name is Qian Luomei,..."

It turns out that Qian Luomei is an only child. The land on which this building stands was her family's ancestral property. It used to be a large courtyard house, but after the property was returned to them due to policy changes, it had become dilapidated. In the 90s, her family prospered again, so they built this building on the original foundation. Initially, they opened a restaurant, but later, as Qian Luomei's parents got older, they handed it over to her to manage.

Qian Luomei had just graduated from university when she decided to close her restaurant and open this internet cafe. The restaurant was doing quite well, but Qian Luomei was determined and no one could dissuade her, which caused a major argument with her family. Later, her parents relented, and Qian Luomei spent a considerable amount of money renovating and decorating, transforming the restaurant into the "Shuiyunjian" it is today!

Nearly ten years have passed, and the internet cafe's equipment has been replaced several times, but the layout and style have remained unchanged. Although it is a bit more expensive than other internet cafes, its business has always been booming because of its elegant environment and spacious space.

Before midnight, Qian Luomei's voice came through the walkie-talkie from the attic on the roof: "Dinner's ready! Get a few people to come and serve the food!"

"Wang Haoming, Xiangzi, dinner's ready. You and Xiang Fei go upstairs and bring the food down!" Dong Lu said into the walkie-talkie, and a reply came from the other end: "Okay, Lulu!"

The second floor had almost twice as many computers as the first floor, so it was staffed with two network administrators—Wang Haoming and Zhang Zhongxiang. The former was tall and thin with a small braid at the back of his head and dressed fashionably, while the latter was stocky with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looked like an honest and reliable technical talent.

The three of them opened the door and went up to the rooftop, where they waited by a window to serve the dishes.

A moment later, Qian Luomei appeared, wearing an apron, a mask, and a silk scarf casually wrapped around her head. In the summer, being wrapped up so tightly could only have one consequence—being covered in sweat. Qian Luomei passed out the prepared dishes one by one, wiping her sweaty forehead with her sleeve after each dish.

When Xiang Fei went to get the vegetables, he glanced into the kitchen—good heavens, was this cooking or a war? Various condiment bottles and food containers filled the countertop, and various vegetable leaves were scattered on the floor. The water stains, vegetable leaves, and footprints mixed together, making the floor look dirty. Fortunately, the vegetables that were handed out were still presentable, fresh and shiny!

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen cooking before? Hurry up and bring out the dishes!" Qian Luomei looked at Xiang Fei, who had a strange expression on his face, and then glanced back at the messy kitchen, scolding him in a low voice.

"It's nothing! Let me see if there are any other dishes to serve." With that, Xiang Fei sheepishly carried the three dishes downstairs to the first floor.

Dong Lu tidied up the clutter on the coffee table, spread out old newspapers, and arranged the dishes one by one. Xiang Fei noticed that no one seemed to be eating yet, and knowing they were waiting for the boss, he stood quietly to the side.

After arriving at the internet cafe, Xiang Fei was cautious and timid, and in theory, he didn't offend anyone. However, he always felt that Wang Haoming's gaze towards him was not very friendly. When Xiang Fei's eyes met Wang Haoming's, he gave him a kind smile, but was met with a glare from Wang Haoming.

Xiang Fei was quite open-minded. No matter where you are, there will always be people you can't stand and people who can't stand you. Fortunately, there will always be people who share your tastes and appreciate you. Everyone hopes to have more friends, but as long as some people don't become your enemies, you've already made good friends.

About ten minutes later, Qian Luomei came downstairs, having changed out of her kitchen attire and put back on the knee-length dress. The delicate floral pattern complemented her fair skin. Compared to her tall figure, her face beneath her long hair appeared somewhat petite, with a slightly wide mouth on a pointed chin. Her small nose, combined with the curve of her lips, conveyed an unusual stubbornness and aloofness. Her deep, spring-like eyes, however, were the finishing touch, dispelling any disharmony in her appearance.

She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she possessed a natural elegance and composure.

Seeing that no one had started eating yet, Qian Luomei walked to the coffee table at the front desk, pointed to the food she had prepared, and said in a deliberately serious tone, "Is it not good? Why aren't you eating?"

"Weren't we waiting for you, Sister Luomei? It must be delicious. Although we haven't tried it yet, it looks like it will taste amazing!" Dong Lu stepped forward, took Qian Luomei's hand, and said in a coquettish voice.

"Yes, Sister Luomei, all the dishes you make are delicious to me. I'll finish them even if they're terrible." Wang Haoming said smugly. When he saw that no one agreed, Qian Luomei frowned and realized that she had flattered him but made a fool of herself. She stuck out her tongue and retreated.

"Our Lulu has such a sweet tongue. You should all learn from her, especially you, Wang Haoming. If you can't speak well, learn from Xiangzi: talk less and do more. By the way, where's Lao You?"

"Someone invited Lao You to dinner, so he won't be eating at the restaurant!"

"Hehehe," Qian Luomei couldn't help but laugh at Dong Lu's words. "He can't even come up with a good excuse. With Lao You's appetite, whoever invites him will go bankrupt! Never mind him. You guys try my cooking and see if you've improved. This dish is all about color, aroma, and flavor. The flavor won't come out in a short time, and the aroma takes even more work. I'll make the presentation first, that is, the color. Doesn't it look appetizing? Eat up!"

"Sister Luomei, aren't you eating with us?"

"No, my boyfriend is picking me up later. We're going out to eat; we're having Western food today!"

As Qian Luomei finished speaking with a raised eyebrow and a gleeful expression, a soldier entered through the door. He was about 1.8 meters tall, with delicate features and a good build. His dashing appearance was further accentuated by his crisp military uniform.

Qian Luomei immediately went over, took the soldier's arm and went out the door. The two of them didn't forget to turn back and greet us.

"Wow! That soldier is so lucky to have married our boss's wife. He has such a big business now, a family and a career at the same time!"

"Hey, Wang Haoming, aren't you being silly? You're not even married yet, how can you call her 'wife'? Besides, our boss is so lucky to have found such a handsome soldier!" Dong Lu sat on the sofa like a lovesick girl, resting her chin on her hand and daydreaming.

"What's it to you? Let's mind our own business and eat!" Zhang Zhongxiang said, then started serving rice and eating with his chopsticks. However, after taking the first bite of food, his facial expression became somewhat ferocious, but he swallowed it whole.

"What's wrong? Did you put in MSG instead of salt again?" Dong Lu asked with concern.

"No, it's just a bit salty, and is the vegetable raw?"

Xiang Fei picked up his chopsticks and tasted each dish. Because he had some cooking experience back in his hometown, he immediately knew what was wrong. First, the oil wasn't hot enough when he put the vegetables in, resulting in a raw oil taste. Second, he added too much salt because he lacked experience. Third, the soy sauce wasn't properly sautéed; it was added along with the vinegar when the vegetables were almost cooked, resulting in a bland taste. The worst part was that the vegetables weren't cooked long enough. Although they looked shiny, fresh, and tempting when plated, they were still raw and unpalatable.

Hearing what Xiangzi said, Wang Haoming stopped picking up food and instead got a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce from somewhere and mixed it into his rice, making do with what he had eaten!

"Hey, Wang Haoming, didn't you say you had to finish it no matter how bad it was? Come on, eat!"

"I did say that, but how can we possibly finish all this rice made by the boss! This rice was also made by the boss, so I'll finish this bowl of rice! The rest is up to you!" After saying that, Wang Haoming took the bowl of rice upstairs and never came down again.

"Two-faced! A despicable person!"

"Alright, Dong Lu, Haoming isn't that bad. Last time he ate that dish with too much MSG, his mouth tasted bitter all afternoon. He's scared of eating it! Stop talking about it, let's continue eating. But how are we supposed to eat this?" Xiangzi looked at the table full of dishes with a troubled expression.

"It's not that you can't eat them. The stir-fried garlic sprouts with pork, the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and the stir-fried pork with green peppers weren't too salty, they were just cooked for a short time. But these dishes can be eaten raw, so it's not a big deal if they're not fully cooked. Luckily, the pork was cooked through. This hand-torn vegetable is too salty, you can eat it in small amounts as a pickled vegetable. Don't eat the other two, they're undercooked and could cause problems!"

"Xiang Fei, aren't you quite good at cooking? Your analysis is very insightful!"

"Oh, what country boy doesn't know how to cook? They can only fill their own stomachs, they're not presentable!" Xiangzi's admiring gaze pleased Xiang Fei, but it also made him blush.

"Make us a meal sometime!" Dong Lu looked around, lowered her body, and waited for Xiang Fei and Xiangzi to come over before laughing and saying, "Even if it's not very good, it's still better than what Sister Luo Mei makes."

The three couldn't help but burst into laughter, attracting the attention of customers playing games. They had to try their best to hold it in. In their cheerful mood, Xiang Fei and Xiangzi each ate two bowls of rice, and Dong Lu ate most of hers. The rest of the rice was thrown into the trash can so that she could send a message of encouragement to Qian Luomei.

Since the morning cleaning was thorough, Xiang Fei had nothing to do in the afternoon, so he followed Lao You or Xiangzi to help them. He took on all sorts of tasks, such as carrying things, moving computer cases, and delivering tools. Because he was quick-witted and efficient, the two men were happy to take him along.

The two men were well aware that Xiang Fei was secretly learning the trade, but they didn't mind. Being a network administrator wasn't a highly skilled job; on the contrary, the job had low barriers to entry and the pay wasn't particularly good. Many people weren't willing to do it, so one more person learning wouldn't hurt!

However, when Wang Haoming was around, he always liked to send Xiang Fei away, as if he was afraid that someone would take his job. Xiang Fei felt very uncomfortable, but he still walked away with a smile. Since he didn't care about him, why get angry at his childishness and ridiculousness? Treating him as an enemy was already too kind of him.

More than ten days passed in this way, and Xiang Fei became more and more skilled at cleaning. What used to take half a day to finish now only took two hours. He required himself to be at the internet cafe at 7 a.m. every morning, just as the customers who stayed overnight had left. The open environment was the most suitable for cleaning, and he didn't have to hide from customers, making him more efficient.

By 9 a.m., the cleaning was basically finished, and then he started working as a helper, assisting the network administrator with various tasks. Gradually, Xiang Fei went from a complete novice who didn't even know how to turn on a computer to learning how to assemble a computer, install operating systems, and troubleshoot various minor computer problems. Most importantly, with Dong Lu's help, a week after arriving in Yandu, Xiang Fei got his first QQ account, although it only had two stars, which Dong Lu had helped him register on the front desk computer.

After getting his own QQ account, Xiang Fei was frustrated by the lack of friends. So, in his spare time, he used the computer at the bar to add a few strangers online and tried to chat with them. However, he had a common problem for beginners—he typed slowly. After someone finished a sentence, it would take Xiang Fei a long time to reply. As a result, after only a few sentences, the other person's avatar would go dark and there would be no further communication!

After much painful reflection, Xiang Fei began to practice typing diligently, spending every spare moment practicing on the computer at the bar. Dong Lu, having no other choice, gave up the computer and taught Xiang Fei all the operations of the internet cafe system, such as adding money, adding members, and swiping cards to log in. When the boss wasn't around, she would let him cover for her while she read books or played mobile games, quite content with her leisure time.