Chapter 35: Scammer Decides to Be a Good Person 10 – Seeing a Cloud in the Sky

The two candidates each had their own strengths.

Li Xia was careful and attentive, had a strong sense of service, was personable, and full of drive.

Zhang Wei was confident and talkative, had strong communication skills, and handled things in a clear, organized way.

It was hard to tell who was better.

They would have to prove themselves in practice.

Shi Lan said, “Two weeks each, taking turns as Deputy Store Manager. I’ll give the result in a month.”

After saying that, she left, but halfway there she remembered she’d forgotten something and turned back.

The other staff had already left. Only Zhang Wei and another male employee were still there mopping the floor.

Before she even entered, she heard the male employee say, “Do you think the boss already decided who’s going to be Deputy Store Manager?”

Zhang Wei replied, “Who?”

The male employee said as if it were obvious, “Li Xia, of course. She’s been with the boss the longest, and they even live under the same roof. The boss has the best relationship with her, so she must’ve already decided to make her Deputy Store Manager. And yet you still stupidly signed up. Well, fine, sign up if you want. Everyone could tell your speech was better, but the boss just had to come up with some practical assessment. If you ask me, you’d better give up now. In the end, isn’t she still going to pick Li Xia? Otherwise you’ll end up like that guy from a couple days ago and not even keep your job.”

Shi Lan found it rather interesting. So this was how some employees saw it.

What about Zhang Wei, then?

What was his attitude? Did he also believe everything came down to connections?

If his outlook was really that narrow, then there was no need for any assessment. He truly wasn’t suited to be Deputy Store Manager.

She heard Zhang Wei say, “Move aside, you’re blocking where I’m mopping. If you’re really that idle, go memorize the operating procedures again. You’ve already had all your bonus deducted this month.”

The male employee said, “Heh… and here I am getting blamed for talking too much. Trying to help and getting nothing for it. You’ll know how right I was after you get burned.”

Shi Lan stood outside for a while. When she didn’t hear Zhang Wei respond, she quietly left without going in.

It was only a small shop, with so few employees you could count them on both hands, yet it was already a tiny jianghu, tangled with human relationships. She wondered whether Du Heng would be able to handle the much more complicated environment on a film set.

She had only just been thinking about him when, the very next day, she received a postal package. Along with it came a letter, sent by Du Heng.

In the letter, he said that the initial basic training had already ended and they had started filming on location out of town. They were currently in Gansu¹, so he had mailed her some local specialties.

“…On the first day here, the producer treated the entire crew to a meal. We had lamb. I didn’t want to go, but it would’ve been awkward to refuse. Only after arriving did I realize the lamb here has none of that gamey smell at all, so I ate quite a lot. At the time, I thought that one day I must come here with you…

…That night I went out walking in the streets. There were melons everywhere, and whole ones were very cheap. They also sold them by the slice. I bought one wedge for only ten cents. It was very sweet, and I thought you’d probably like it. Unfortunately, it spoils easily, so I couldn’t mail it back to you…

…I kept wanting to bring you something, so I spent a long time choosing. I heard some of the local specialties here are dried goods, so I specially bought some to mail back to you. I hope you like them.

Lastly, I want to tell you something interesting.

We were filming in the stone forest², and during a break I lay on my back on the Gobi and saw a cloud in the sky that looked very much like you³.

Everything is well. Don’t worry, and don’t miss me.

Du Heng”

Shi Lan read the final few lines over and over. Running her fingers over the handwriting, she could almost picture him writing the letter. When he wrote that sentence, he was probably looking serious, with just a hint of embarrassment.

Idiot, you don’t even know how to say sweet things.

Did you mean “looked very much like you,” or were you trying to say “I miss you very much”?

And yet somehow, that indirect little sentence made her blush and her heart race even more.

After setting down the letter, she went to look at the package.

Shi Lan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This man really didn’t know how to spend money, even when he had it.

What were these local specialties?

They were all packed neatly in bags: lily bulbs, codonopsis, angelica, and astragalus⁴.

Was he expecting her to open an herbal medicine shop?

Shi Lan wanted to write back too, but there was no fixed mailing address. If she sent a reply to their current location, the crew might already have left before her letter arrived.

In the end, she could only give up in disappointment.

The competition between the two Deputy Store Manager candidates was in full swing. Both of them had an impeccable sense of responsibility and work attitude. What Shi Lan needed to consider was who was more suitable.

Li Xia cared deeply about everything in the shop, big or small. She also got along well with the staff and handled everything personally.

Zhang Wei, on the other hand, seemed less overloaded with work. More often, whether the task was big or small, he would arrange for other employees to do it. Shi Lan even overheard some staff in the restroom complaining that he was acting like a lord because he’d been given a little authority even though he wasn’t officially Deputy Store Manager yet, practically like a hands-off boss.

But during the two weeks he was on rotation, the shop’s revenue was noticeably higher.

On the last day of the assessment month, something happened. Not major, but not minor either.

After finishing his meal, a customer refused to pay on his way out, saying the food hadn’t tasted good.

It was already very late by then, essentially a closing-time customer. There were hardly any other customers left in the shop.

The customer was burly, and he got into a conflict with the cashiering employee. The two started arguing.

Customer: “Your tomatoes were so sour. How was anyone supposed to eat that?”

Employee: “Sir, our tomato scrambled eggs are sweet. How could they possibly be sour? And besides, you’ve already finished the whole thing, and only then are you telling me it didn’t taste good. Do you honestly think that makes sense?”

Customer: “I was just following the principle of not wasting food. That’s why I ate it. But that still doesn’t change the fact that it didn’t taste good.”

Employee: “Please don’t make things hard for me, okay? If you hadn’t eaten it, I could help you return it. But you’ve already finished it and now you’re refusing to pay. No matter where you go, that makes no sense. A serving of tomato scrambled egg rice is only three yuan.”

Customer: “Why should I pay if it didn’t taste good? Are you deaf or what?”

The two argued until their faces were red and their necks swollen.

After hearing just a couple of lines, Shi Lan more or less understood what was going on. Both Deputy Store Manager candidates were in the shop today, so she didn’t move and continued checking the accounts in the corner. She wanted to see whether they would step in, and if they did, how they would handle it.

Technically, today was still Li Xia’s day on duty as Deputy Store Manager. Hearing the commotion, the young woman ran out from the back kitchen. She didn’t back down and went straight up to negotiate. Facing a customer much taller and stronger than she was, she at least didn’t show the slightest fear on the surface. She argued with him based on the rules, but the result didn’t seem to be going well.

Li Xia was already saying, “If that’s the case, then we’ll have no choice but to call the police. We run a business, and if it’s our problem, we’ll definitely admit it. But what you’re saying doesn’t constitute a valid reason.”

Shi Lan sighed and prepared to stand up.

At that moment, Zhang Wei came out from behind the counter and walked toward the two people in the middle of the dispute.

Shi Lan sat back down.

Zhang Wei stepped forward and separated Li Xia from the customer. “Let me handle this.” Then he said to the customer, “I’m sorry, sir. I heard most of it. It seems the issue right now is that you’re not very satisfied with this meal we served you, is that right?”

The customer snorted.

“Here’s the thing, sir. No matter the reason, since you were dissatisfied with this dining experience, we’ll waive the charge for you. After all, you came to our shop as a customer, and we also hope you’ve had a good experience.”

Li Xia wanted to object, but Zhang Wei ignored her.

Customer: “Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d done that from the start?”

As he spoke, he turned to leave, but Zhang Wei called him back.

“Since you had concerns about the flavor of our dishes, I’d personally like to give you a few vouchers.”

Zhang Wei handed over a stack of vouchers. They were from one of the shop’s promotions, and with them, customers could get a designated item free.

“We’ll definitely improve the flavor. You’re welcome to come back and keep tasting our food and supervising us.”

The customer didn’t refuse Zhang Wei’s vouchers. He carefully put them away, and before leaving, he gave Zhang Wei a few extra looks.

The disturbance was settled.

Li Xia immediately refused to accept it. “No, Zhang Wei, how can you compromise like that? If we give in once, there’ll be a second time and a third time. If customers all act shameless like this, are we even going to keep this shop open?”

Zhang Wei walked straight up to Shi Lan. “Boss, I’m sorry.”

Shi Lan said, “Why are you apologizing? If you thought what you did was wrong, then why did you do it?”

“I shouldn’t have waived the bill on my own or given out vouchers. Deduct those vouchers and today’s meal cost from my wages.” Zhang Wei kept his head lowered.

Shi Lan said, “Let’s not talk about money for now. Tell me why you handled it that way.”

Zhang Wei no longer sounded as confident as he had when facing the customer earlier.

“I just thought we couldn’t let the customer make a scene. It was fine since we were about to close, but if this had happened during the day, it definitely would’ve affected the other customers. So I’d rather take a small loss. Besides, I could tell he wasn’t deliberately trying to scam us.

Actually, before it even got dark, I saw him wandering around outside the store. He didn’t come in to order until we were about to close. And he picked the cheapest set meal in the store. His clothes looked like he hadn’t changed them in days, and it seemed like he hadn’t shaved in a long time either. He was probably just short on money for the moment. He might not even have a place to stay tonight…”

Shi Lan raised a hand, planning to pat him on the shoulder, only to realize Zhang Wei was quite a bit taller than her, which made it feel awkward. So she patted his arm instead. “You did well.”

Zhang Wei looked up, delight filling his eyes. “Thank you, Boss.”

All the employees turned to look at Li Xia.

Li Xia stood there in a daze.

Shi Lan looked at her and said, “Customers don’t just come into a store to buy products, they also buy service. Sometimes right and wrong aren’t the most important thing. In business, what matters is maximizing benefits, solving more problems with the least amount of money. Of course, there was nothing wrong with you standing your ground. But it depends on the situation. If that customer had been groping a young girl today, then we wouldn’t give an inch.”

Li Xia sounded somewhat discouraged. “Got it, Boss.”

Shi Lan clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Today is the last day of the Deputy Store Manager assessment. Since everyone’s here, I’ll announce the result.”

Everyone looked at her. She didn’t keep them guessing and said directly, “Starting today, Li Xia will serve as Acting Deputy Store Manager at Rice Steward, with a three-month probation period.”

Li Xia stared at Shi Lan in disbelief. She had thought she’d already been passed over, but in the end, Shi Lan had actually chosen her!

The other employees all looked at Zhang Wei. The hand hanging at his side tightened slightly, but he still maintained his composure.

“Li Xia, congratulations.”

Li Xia replied stiffly, “Thanks.” The smile on her face looked especially unnatural.

Shi Lan knew all the employees had their own thoughts, so she didn’t explain further.

Instead, she said, “Zhang Wei, come with me for a moment.”

The two of them walked over to a corner, and Shi Lan got straight to the point. “Feeling wronged?”

“Since you made this decision, Boss, I’m sure you have your reasons. All I can do is handle my own responsibilities properly.”

He did feel wronged, but he didn’t say it outright.

Shi Lan smiled. “I have another store, a Western-style fast food place. It hasn’t opened yet. Starting tomorrow, your salary goes up by 300. Come with me to coordinate with suppliers, recruit and train staff, and prepare for the opening. Same as before, three months’ probation.”

In the span of just ten short minutes, Zhang Wei’s emotions had gone through one sharp swing after another. Hearing Shi Lan’s words left him stunned for a moment. He barely heard anything else and only remembered the most important part.

“An extra 300?”

His current salary was only 500 a month. A direct raise of 300 meant a 60 percent increase. It was even higher than what his department director used to make back at school.

Shi Lan said, “So, are you in or not?”

“I’m in!” What was there to hesitate over? “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Boss.”

Inside the store, Shi Lan had established her authority, won people over, and left the employees completely awed.

But the moment she finished tidying up, stepped out of the store, and took only a few steps, the one left dumbfounded became her instead.

A figure stood by the roadside, tall and straight as a pine, smiling at her. Wasn’t that Du Heng, who was supposed to be thousands of miles away?

Shi Lan only froze for a moment. Once she was sure she wasn’t seeing things, she let out a low cry of surprise and threw herself at him.

Only after he caught her securely did she ask, “Why’d you suddenly come back? Is work already over? Why didn’t you call and tell me in advance? I would’ve gone to the train station to pick you up.”

The employees were getting off work one after another. They felt too embarrassed to come over and greet them, but they all kept looking in their direction.

Du Heng was thin-skinned too, but he couldn’t bear to let go of the person in his arms. He could only take Shi Lan by the hand and lead her back as he explained, “Filming isn’t finished yet. It’s just that I don’t have any scenes scheduled for the next few days. The producer introduced me to another production, so I came back to audition. And while I was at it, I wanted to see you.”

Translator’s Notes