Chapter One Hundred and Three: New Job

Santana 2000 pulled over in the middle of Jianyuguo Road. On the row of shops by the roadside, I noticed a tiny storefront with a sign hanging above it: Seeking the Subtle Bookshop.

Zheng Jianye parked the car and turned back with enthusiasm. “Brother Tang, this is the little bookshop I run. The frontage’s small, hehe! Let’s go down and take a look.”

As he spoke, he got out first. Zhao Yanjin and I followed. Zheng Jianye walked ahead to the entrance and called out, “Xiaomin, I’ve brought the person for you. Take a look and see if you’re satisfied.”

I followed him to the doorway and saw that behind a checkout counter by the glass door, a sleepy young married woman lifted her eyes to Zheng Jianye, then sent her gaze toward me. She looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven, decent enough in appearance, though she had several glittering accessories on her person, making her seem especially fond of dressing up. Then she smiled at Zhao Yanjin, who had come up behind me. “Oh? Xiao Zhao, you came too?”

Zhao Yanjin grinned. “Sis-in-law! Your man said you were tired of minding the shop and insisted on finding a replacement. So the moment I heard, I immediately found one for you. This brother used to work with me. He’s an honest sort. His name is Tang Qian. Even Old Zheng was pretty satisfied after meeting him. Sis-in-law, what do you think?”

The young woman came out from behind the counter, lightly gave Zheng Jianye a slap, and said with feigned annoyance, “Have you been gossiping about me again?”

Then, without waiting for his answer, she sized me up from head to toe.

I didn’t know whether to call her sis-in-law or madam, since Zhao Yanjin and I were friends, but I wasn’t particularly close to Zheng Jianye. Considering she would be my employer, I chose the safer option. “Hello, ma’am. My name is Tang Qian.”

She smiled faintly. “Why are you calling me ma’am? Am I that much older than you?”

I froze for a second, not knowing how to answer. She turned to her husband and said, “Fine, let’s take him. We trust Xiao Zhao, don’t we? This Xiao Tang looks honest enough to me. I have no objection.”

When Zheng Jianye heard that, he laughed. “Then you’re liberated. Of course there’s no objection!”

He called Zhao Yanjin and me outside the shop and began discussing the actual work. “Old Zhao, Brother Tang, since my wife has no objections, then it’s settled. I’m very busy with work most of the time and hardly deal with the shop. My wife likes to be out and about, and she can’t sit still in the store, so from now on I’m counting on Brother Tang to take care of it. Actually, minding the shop isn’t very complicated. You just collect the money, and keep an eye out for anyone stealing books. My wife will slowly teach you the details.”

Old Zhao said, “You can rest easy about him learning the ropes. Old Tang isn’t stupid. But since you’ve decided to hire him, let’s be practical about it. You need to set his salary properly. You can’t shortchange my friend, can you?”

Zheng Jianye said, “Of course, of course! But this little shop doesn’t make much in a month. I can’t afford to pay too high a salary, but if it’s too low, it wouldn’t be right toward you, Old Zhao. How about this: eight hundred a month for the first two months. If he stays on longer, I’ll raise it a little depending on the situation. What do you think?”

As soon as Old Zhao heard that, he was displeased. “Eight hundred? Isn’t that too little? It wouldn’t even cover one person’s meals. How’s a man supposed to support a household on that? I’m saying, Old Zheng, don’t be so stingy.”

I knew that for such a small bookstore, it really wouldn’t make much money in a year. Rent, taxes, and all that—expecting them to pay me one or two thousand a month was hardly realistic. Besides, I couldn’t possibly stay here for very long. I only wanted a place to occupy myself until I found the right job, so I wouldn’t waste my time.

So I tugged at Zhao Yanjin and said to Zheng Jianye, “It’s fine. When do I start work?”

Zheng Jianye was delighted when he heard I agreed. “You can start now! My wife’s been bored with it for ages. The sooner, the better. Wait a moment while I go tell her.”

With that, he turned and hurried back into the shop. Zhao Yanjin said, “Old Tang, see? I told you the pay wouldn’t be very high, didn’t I? I didn’t expect it to be this low either. And you’re still willing to do it?”

I smiled. “It doesn’t matter. This isn’t what I’m aiming for. When you said it was a bookstore, I was already interested. I might as well use this free time to better myself. I don’t really care how much it pays.”

Zhao Yanjin shook his head and sighed. “Fair enough, but a man has to live, doesn’t he? What can eight hundred a month really do?”

I turned to him. “The money may be little, but I still have to thank you. You helped me again when I was in a tight spot. Right—there’s still the two thousand I owe you.”

I took out my wallet and was about to pay him back, but Zhao Yanjin hurriedly stopped me and said seriously, “Hey, now you’re being formal with me? I don’t need the money right now. Besides, I know you don’t have much saved up, and the salary here is low. Keep it for now. You can pay me back when you’re more comfortable.”

I thought about it for a moment. If I returned the two thousand now, I would really have very little cash on hand. Xu Shu had talked about paying me back the eighteen hundred her sister had tricked out of me, but afterward there had been no movement at all. I was afraid she had already forgotten the matter entirely. With this job paying only eight hundred a month, and with the various household expenses—water, electricity, phone bills, and so on—all needing to come out of my pocket, it really wouldn’t be enough.

Old Zhao and I were close, so there was no need to put on a brave face and pretend to be polite.

So I put my wallet away and said, “All right. Since you’re not in a hurry for it, I’ll pay you back later.”

At that moment Zheng Jianye came out of the bookstore again and said to me, “Brother Tang, my wife says you can start learning right away. Go inside. I have to head off to work now and don’t have time to explain much. Anyway, she’ll teach you everything. So that’s settled?”

I nodded, and Zheng Jianye turned to Zhao Yanjin. “Old Zhao, are you leaving? Want me to give you a ride?”

Zhao Yanjin said, “Sure, I have to get to work too.”

After saying that, he turned back and gave me a few more instructions before leaving with Zheng Jianye.

Watching the Santana drive away quickly, I turned and went back into the bookstore. Zheng Jianye’s wife greeted me warmly, and I began work formally.

From what I observed, Seeking the Subtle Bookshop was indeed very small. The shop was rectangular in shape, and aside from the front door, the other three sides were all lined with shelves packed with books of every kind. Small as it was, it had everything it needed. The shelves were neatly arranged into categories such as politics and economics, reference books, fiction, biographies, and so on. In the middle of the shop stood two long tables covered with discounted books. One side had a sign saying ten yuan each, the other five yuan each. It looked as though they were all old titles no one wanted, being cleared out at bargain prices.

Through my conversation with the proprietress, I learned that her surname was Zhuang and her given name was Min. She, like her husband, was from H Province. Two years earlier, when her husband was transferred to B City for work, she came along as well. She didn’t have a job of her own, and three months earlier she had taken over this shop from someone else to run a small business. But by her own admission, she was naturally restless and couldn’t stand staying cooped up in the shop, so she needed someone to help watch over it.

Minding the shop really was simple. When customers chose their books, I just had to collect the money. There was a computer at the counter, and it could go online, though only through a dial-up line, so the connection was terribly slow. Its main function was managing the inventory. Every time a book was sold, it had to be entered and written off in the computer. After looking through it two or three times, I basically understood how to operate it.

The proprietress then told me the details. For example, the store had to open at eight in the morning and could not close until eight at night. If I wanted to eat, I could call one of a few restaurants and order takeout, but the money would have to come out of my own pocket. She also showed me where the power switch was, where the lights were turned on and off, where the restroom was, and so on.

Half a day passed very quickly. After a rough estimate, I could tell business really wasn’t very good. In the entire afternoon, only a dozen or so books were sold. Mrs. Zhuang was not only restless, but extremely talkative, and she loved asking questions. Within half a day, she had asked about my age, birth date, zodiac sign, where I lived, whether I had a girlfriend, what school I graduated from, what my major was, where I had worked before, why I quit, and a whole host of other private matters. At the same time, she volunteered all sorts of information about herself—her age, zodiac sign, hobbies, and so on—whether I wanted to hear it or not. Before long, she had become so familiar with me that she kept calling me “Little Tang, Little Tang!” even though she was a year younger than I was. Since she was the proprietress and my employer, there was nothing I could do about it.

I wasn’t a talkative person, but I listened carefully and remembered everything she told me. Soon I tried handling a few payment transactions myself. It was simple enough, and I made no mistakes. Seeing this, the proprietress smiled and said that after just another half day, she would probably be able to hand the whole shop over to me without worry.

Toward evening, I received a call from Hua Jingjing. “Tang Qian, I’m off work. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ll come pick you up!”

I hurried out of the shop with my phone and said, “I’m still working, so I’m afraid I won’t have time to meet you. Let’s talk another day.”

“What? You’re working? Who are you trying to fool? This morning you were still sleeping in, and by afternoon you’ve found a job?”

“I’m not fooling you! I really did find one today, through a friend. I’m at work right now!”

“I don’t believe it. What kind of job won’t even let you eat dinner? Tell me.”

“It’s a bookstore. I’m helping mind the shop and collect money.”

“A bookstore? You looked all day and found only this kind of job? Hmph, I don’t believe it. Where is your bookstore? I’m coming to see for myself.”

“Don’t! Please, for heaven’s sake, don’t come here and make trouble. The bookstore’s proprietress is here too. If an acquaintance comes looking for me on my first day, she’ll be unhappy.”

“Oh? So there’s a female boss too? No, then I really have to come and take a look. Give me the address, or I’ll go to your place and wait for you. I’ll tell them I’m their future daughter-in-law and see how you explain that. Hmph!”

My head was starting to ache. “Please, just spare me. I told you I wasn’t lying, so I wasn’t lying. I really am working. What’s the point of you coming to look?”

“What do you mean, what’s the point? I was just thinking of buying a few books anyway. Isn’t it good to support your business? Will you tell me or not? If you can’t say it, that proves you’re lying. And if you lie to me, hmm hmm—you know what the consequences are, don’t you?”

I had discovered that ever since Hua Jingjing confessed her feelings for me, I had never again held the upper hand in our arguments. No matter what I tried to say, she would unleash a woman’s talent for stubbornness and reasoning that could not be dealt with by ordinary means. More than that, the fact that she liked me had somehow become an excuse for me to be in the wrong, and I could no longer bring myself, as I once did, to crush her with ruthless determination.

In the end, I had no choice but to say, “If you really don’t believe me, then come and see for yourself. The address is on Jianyuguo Road...” I glanced back at the building number and went on, “One thousand four hundred twenty-eight. The shop is called Seeking the Subtle Bookshop. But let me warn you—when you get here, you’re not allowed to make trouble for me. It’s best if you pretend not to know me. If I lose this job because of you, I won’t let you off.”

“Ha! Your little broken job? Is it really worth that much?”

“Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say. Do whatever you want.” I hung up at once and went back inside.

Just then I saw the proprietress calling for takeout over the phone. When she saw me come in, she asked, “Little Tang, do you want fried rice or rice with a topping?”

“Fried rice,” I said.

She immediately ordered two portions of Yangzhou fried rice, while I went to straighten the shelves that customers had left in disarray. Fifteen minutes later, the takeout arrived. I had wanted to pay first, but she stopped me. “Little Tang, it’s your first day at work. This meal is on me.”

I was about to refuse politely when I heard someone snort at the shop entrance, then walk past me and into the bookstore. I knew that voice far too well. Turning around, I saw that it was Hua Jingjing.

She wore a solemn expression, pretending to browse and flip through books in front of the shelves, not even glancing at me properly.

I also pretended not to know her, sat down with a serious look on my face, and started eating my fried rice.

After paying for the food, the proprietress ate with me while furtively studying Hua Jingjing. Then she whispered to me, “Little Tang, look at that woman. That outer coat she’s wearing is Versace. I saw it in a fashion magazine before—probably costs several thousand dollars, right? Wow, I’m so jealous.”

Of course I knew the clothes Hua Jingjing wore would never be cheap, so without turning my head I said, “Really? I don’t know much about clothing, so I couldn’t tell.”

The proprietress went on, “And she’s so beautiful on top of dressing so well. She must be some big boss’s kept woman, right? Ah, being young and pretty really is wonderful these days. You can be kept by a rich man, eat well, dress well, and never have to work. It’s enough to make anyone jealous. If only I were as beautiful as she is. Then I wouldn’t have to work so hard selling books here.”

I held back my laughter and didn’t dare take up the proprietress’s thread, afraid Hua Jingjing would hear and make a scene. I just kept my head down and ate my Yangzhou fried rice.

Before long, a stack of books was set on the counter. Hua Jingjing came to stand beside me and said with a smile to the proprietress, “Madam, could you ring me up? How much is it?”