Mungkin karena sarapannya. Dua jam setelah shift dimulai, Xu Dongliang sudah kelima kalinya pergi ke toilet!
Baru saja perutnya tenang dan dia kira sudah aman, tiba-tiba perutnya mengeluarkan suara 'NGIK' yang keras.
'Aduh, lagi!'
Xu Dongliang menjatuhkan alatnya, memegang perut, dan berlari menuju toilet sementara di area konstruksi.
Sayangnya, toiletnya sedang dipakai!
'Tidak mungkin! Aku tidak bisa menahannya!'
Melihat sekeliling dengan panik, dia melihat semak tinggi di belakang gedung di seberang. Tempat itu menutupi, dan daunnya bisa dipakai untuk membersihkan.
'Semak tinggi—aku memilihmu!'
Xu Dongliang melesat ke semak itu dan akhirnya lega. Saat hendak memetik beberapa daun untuk membersihkan, tiba-tiba dia mendengar langkah kaki mendekat.
'Sial! Sudah terlambat lari. Pasti ketahuan kalau aku berdiri sekarang. Lagipula, aku belum sempat membersihkan!'
Memperlambat napas, Xu Dongliang membeku seperti patung, bersembunyi diam di semak.
Langkah kaki berhenti tidak jauh dari situ. Melintip melalui celah rumput, Xu Dongliang melihat sepasang sepatu kulit mengkilap dan manset celana hitam. Bukan pekerja konstruksi.
Pria itu berdiri sebentar lalu akhirnya berbicara.
"Hei, Lao Zheng, aku Lao Qi. Ya, aku telpon soal sesuatu."
"Ya, ya, itu yang mau kubilang." Meski tidak ada orang di sekitar, Lao Qi biasanya menurunkan suara. "Beberapa hari lalu, kudengar atasannya rapat soal itu."
"Bukan, bukan... huft. Kudengar mereka rencananya membatalkan proses tender sama sekali."
"Bukan urusan dalam. Eksekutif putuskan kasih subsidi makan langsung ke pekerja. Huft... Bukan keputusan ku, aku cuma ikut peraturan. Jadi kira-kira kali ini tidak jadi."
"Soal lokasi konstruksi Zijing Garden... gimana ya? Belum pasti, tapi kamu sebaiknya siap-siap. Kelihatannya tidak bagus."
"Tapi tenang, bukan cuma kabar buruk. Kamu bisa coba menarik mereka sendiri! Pekerja sudah lama makan masakanmu, sudah bias. Kamu masih punya peluang bagus."
"..."
Sisa percakapan cuma saling menghibur dan mengeluh, masuk telinga kiri Xu Dongliang keluar telinga kanan. Perhatiannya tertuju pada satu frasa: "kasih subsidi makan ke pekerja."
'Berita ini... benar nggak?'
'Benar atau tidak, harus kubilangin ke Anzi. Kalau bener, dia bisa persiapan. Lokasi Zijing Garden ada lima sampai enam ratus pekerja, dan Restoran Cepat Saji Xu paling enak dan termurah di sekitar sini.'
'Kalau berita ini bener, Anzi bakal untung besar!'
Pria sepatu kulit itu bicara sekitar lima menit lalu menutup telepon dan pergi.
Xu Dongliang cepat memetik beberapa daun untuk membersihkan tergesa-gesa. Lalu dia menyeret kakinya yang kesemutan—karena terlalu lama jongkok—kembali ke tempat kerja.
Tepat jam sebelas, shift berakhir, Xu Dongliang melesat seperti kuda lepas kekang ke Restoran Cepat Saji Xu.
Dia tidak nemu Xu An di Restoran Cepat Saji Xu, jadi langsung ke Restoran Lezat. Seperti dugaannya, Xu An ada sana, memuat nasi kotak ke van kecil.
"Anzi, ada yang harus kubilangin." Xu Dongliang berjalan cepat dan menangkap Xu An yang sedang bekerja. "Kemarin aku denger berita. Kelihatannya Xuguang Real Estate mau batalin kontrak nasi kotak dan kasih subsidi makan ke pekerja!"
'Dari mana Paman Dongliang tau soal ini?' Xu An diam-diam kaget. 'Berita udah sebarkan di area konstruksi?'
'Kalau berita udah keluar, keuntungan duluku hilang. Aku harus bersaing langsung dengan kompetitor.'
Tapi setelah Xu Dongliang jelasin cara dia dapet info, Xu An tenang. Cuma kebetulan saja.
Setelah denger dari pria itu kemarin, Xu An sudah yakin tujuh puluh persen. Sekarang, dengan konfirmasi Paman Dongliang, dia yakin sembilan puluh persen.
'Waktunya bertindak. Harus bertindak!'
'Rekrut karyawan lebih banyak!'
'Perluas restoran!'
'Gas!'
Jam dua tiga puluh sore, Restoran Cepat Saji Xu tutup. Tempat udah bersih kebanyakan, Xu An siap kunci dan pulang.
Tiba-tiba, skuter listrik berhenti di depan. Seorang pria turun dan mengintip ke dalam Restoran Cepat Saji Xu. Bukan lain pemilik kosan tempat sebelah yang kosong.
Dia awalnya pikir bisa 'memotong' anak muda dari Restoran Cepat Saji Xu dengan harga tinggi. Kan dia punya satu-satunya ruang kosong di sekitar.
'Kalau anak itu mohon,' pikirnya, 'mungkin aku turunin dikit. Misalnya 2.888 yuan per bulan. Angka keberuntungan, arti bagus.'
Tapi dia tidak pernah duga Restoran Lezat yang baik-baik saja tiba-tiba tutup, dan anak muda itu malah ambil alih sewa.
Lalu tiga hari berturut-turut, cuma satu calon penyewa datang lihat, dan setelah lihat tidak kabar lagi.
Pemilik kosan sebelah mulai panik. Tempat itu kosong setengah bulan! Dua ribu per bulan, berarti seribu yuan sia-sia!
Dia rugi seribu yuan sia-sia, dan tiap hari tambah kosong berarti rugi sewa lagi.
Pikir-pikir, dia akhirnya putusin anak Restoran Cepat Saji Xu masih calon penyewa paling potensial.
Jadi, setelah seharian debat batin, dia putusin cari Xu An.
"Eh... Boss Xu ada?"
"Ada!" Xu An jawab reflek sebelum lihat siapa panggil. Pemilik kosan sebelah. 'Dia mau apa?'
Bingung tapi tetap senyum ke pintu dan sapu. "Bos, ada apa?"
"Cuma mau tanya Boss Xu masih mau sewa tempat nggak. Masih pertimbangin tempat ku?" Ekspresi pemilik kosan datar banget, seolah usaha 'memotong' Xu An sebelumnya tidak pernah ada.
"Oh?" Xu An lihat pemilik kosan dengan senyum tipu yang penuh arti. 'Kalau mau main bodoh, aku ikut main.' "Kira-kira," ucapnya, "sewa bulanan berapa? Syaratnya gimana? Depo berapa bulan, bayar di muka berapa bulan?"
Xu An cuma ngocok, tapi tak terduga pemilik kosan benar-benar menunduk dan mikir serius.
Pikiran konyol muncul di kepala Xu An. 'Dia nggak bakal benar-benar sewa ke aku, kan?'
"Dua... dua ribu per bulan!" pemilik kosan ucap sambil cekikik gigi setelah mikir sebentar. "Tiga bulan depo, tiga bulan bayar di muka. Bayar per triwulan!"
Sebentar Xu An kira salah dengar.
Sudah berapa lama pertemuan tidak enak kemarin? Dia tidak cuma datang sendiri, tapi turunin harga sendiri.
Kalau pemilik kosan tawar harga ini kemarin, Xu An terima langsung. Tapi sekarang beda!
'Restoran Lezat sudah aku sewa,' pikir Xu An. 'Lokasinya mungkin agak kalah, tapi buat dapur persiapan, selama dekat, yang lain nggak terlalu penting.'
'Kedua, Restoran Lezat lengkap peralatannya. Aku beli semuanya cuma tiga ribu lebih yuan. Tempat sebelah sudah dikosongin total. Kalau ambil, harus beli peralatan baru semua.'
Kalau pemilik kosan datang kemarin, Xu An tolak tanpa mikir dua kali.
Tapi, nasib baik, pemilik kosan datang *setelah* dia tau soal rencana Xuguang Real Estate kasih subsidi makan ke pekerja. Dua ribu per bulan, nggak terlalu mahal.
'Tapi,' pikir Xu An, 'lihat pemilik kosan begitu putus asa, kayaknya aku bisa tekan harga lebih rendah lagi.'
"Dua ribu masih mahal," Xu An putuskan tegas. "Seribu enam ratus. Kalau setuju, kita bisa tanda tangan kontrak sekarang."
Kali ini giliran pemilik kosan terpana, mata melebar kaget. Mukanya kayak mau tanya, "Kenapa nggak curi aja?"
Tapi keputusasaan buat sewain tempat bikin dia telan kata-kata itu.
"Boss Xu, aku nggak mau tamak. Gimana kalau sembilan belas ratus per bulan? Kalau oke, kita tanda tangan sekarang."
"Kita tengah-tengah aja. Seribu delapan ratus per bulan. Aku nggak bisa lebih." Xu An arahkan ke area konstruksi di seberang jalan. "Bos tahu sendiri bisnis di sini susah. Lagi tambah sewa, aku rugi."
Pemilik kosan lihat area konstruksi, lihat Xu An, lihat toko-toko lain di dekatnya, lalu akhirnya mengalah.
"Oke! Seribu delapan ratus!"
Mereka berdua ke percetakan dekat buat bikin kontrak.
Karena pemilik kosan punya riwayat janji tidak dituruti, Xu An tambah klausul khusus: masa sewa dua tahun dengan sewa bulanan 1.800 yuan, denda tiga kali lipat uang jaminan untuk pihak yang melanggar.
Pemilik kosan sisi dia khawatir Xu An nanti bilang bisnis sepi dan putus kontrak setelah beberapa bulan, jadi dia tidak keberatan klausul itu.
Benar. Kali ini Xu An tidak masalah dengan depo tiga bulan.
'Kalau nanti pemilik kosan mau putus kontrak buat ambil balik properti, dia harus bayar aku 16.200 yuan. Untung buat aku juga.'
Kontrak ditandatangani, restoran sebelah resmi jadi Restoran Cepat Saji Xu, Lokasi #3.
"Di hotel."
Nanny He lihat keponakannya dan menantu barunya selesai upacara pernikahan. Tugasnya selesai, dia bisa duduk, makan enak, dan ngobrol.
Saat obrolan berlanjut, topik meluncur ke kehidupan pensiun masing-masing.
Ada yang pensiunnya penuh warna, bepergian ke mana-mana lihat pemandangan dan cobain kuliner lokal.
Ada yang diberi cucu banyak, hari-harinya buat ngurusin cucu.
Tapi kebanyakan kayak Nanny He. Cucu sudah SD, nggak butuh diurus, jadi waktu luang banyak banget.
"Yu He, akhir-akhir ini sibuk apa? Mukanya segar banget, bahkan agak gemuk sehat."
"Oh, aku?" Nanny He senyum lebar, tanpa sadar sentuh pipinya. "Aku nemu kerja enak. Cuma kerja dua sampai tiga jam sehari, masih dapet makan siang. Cara bagus dapet uang saku sambil nunjung waktu."
"Wah! Yu He memang pandai hidup." Wanita itu acung jempol. "Di hotel mana? Masih butuh orang? Mungkin aku diterima?"
"Bukan hotel," Nanny He senyum sambil tangan. "Cuma warung makan cepat saji kecil. Kita kurang dari sepuluh orang. Sekarang nggak butuh paruh waktu, cuma full-time."
Minat wanita itu langsung mati denger warung cepat saji. Tapi lalu, seolah teringat, dia tanya, "Yu He, berarti Yu He makan siang di sana tiap hari?"
Nanny He angguk, nggak ngerasa ada yang aneh.
Beberapa orang lain di meja terlihat kaget dan ikut ngomong peringatan.
"Makanan cepat saji nggak sehat! Belum lihat berita? Minyak jelantah, bahan kadaluarsa, higienisnya parah... makan sekali-dua gapapa, tapi tiap hari? Badan hancur!"
"Bener! Belum lihat berita beberapa hari lalu? Beberapa pekerja konstruksi keracunan makan di warung cepat saji!"
"..."
Nanny He tetep senyum sopan. Apa pun yang mereka bilang, dia cuma angguk-angguk—"Ya, ya," "Bener," "Betul sekali"—sikap orang yang kebal terhadap nasihat.
'Kalau mau bilang terserah. Dengerin atau nggak urusan aku sendiri.'
Acara selesai dan Nanny He pergi, beberapa wanita berkumpul bahas soal itu.
Keputusan akhir: demi kesehatan Nanny He, mereka harus bikin dia sadar kesalahannya!
Perhaps it was something he ate for breakfast. In the two hours after his shift started, Xu Dongliang had already made five trips to the toilet!
Just when it finally settled down and he thought he was in the clear, his stomach let out another loud GURGLE.
’Here we go again!’
Xu Dongliang dropped his tools, clutched his stomach, and ran toward the makeshift toilet on the construction site.
To his dismay, the toilet was occupied!
’No way! I can’t hold it in!’
Glancing around frantically, he spotted a large patch of tall grass behind the opposite building. It offered cover, and the leaves would have to do for wiping.
’Tall grass—I choose you!’
Xu Dongliang bolted into the patch of grass and finally found relief. Just as he was about to pluck a few leaves to wipe, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching.
’Shit! It’s too late to run. They’ll definitely spot me if I stand up now. Besides, I haven’t even wiped yet!’
Slowing his breathing, Xu Dongliang froze like a statue, hiding motionless in the grass.
The footsteps stopped a short distance away. Peeking through a gap in the blades, Xu Dongliang saw a pair of gleaming leather shoes and the cuffs of black suit trousers. Definitely not a construction worker.
The man stood there for a while before he finally spoke.
"Hey, Old Zheng, it’s Old Qi. Yeah, I’m calling about something."
"Yeah, yeah, that’s what I was about to tell you." Even though no one was around, Old Qi habitually lowered his voice. "A couple days ago, I heard the higher-ups held a meeting about it."
"No, no... sigh. I heard they’re planning to cancel the bidding process altogether."
"It wasn’t an inside deal. The executives decided to give the workers meal subsidies directly. Sigh... It’s not my call, I just have to follow regulations. So I’m guessing it’s a no-go this time."
"As for the Zijing Garden construction site... well, how do I put this? It’s not confirmed, but you should probably prepare yourself. It’s not looking good."
"But hey, it’s not all bad news. You can try to win them over on your own! The workers have been eating your food for so long, they’re used to it. You still have a great shot."
"..."
The rest of the conversation was just mutual consolation and complaints, which went in one of Xu Dongliang’s ears and out the other. His attention was completely fixated on one phrase: "give the workers meal subsidies."
’This news... is it legit?’
’True or not, I have to tell Anzi. If it’s real, he can prepare. The Zijing Garden site has five or six hundred workers, and Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant is the best and most affordable place around here.’
’If this news is true, Anzi is about to make a killing!’
The man in the leather shoes talked for a good five minutes before hanging up and walking away.
Xu Dongliang quickly plucked a few leaves for a hasty wipe-down. He then dragged his numb legs—a result of squatting for so long—back to the worksite.
The moment the clock struck eleven, marking the end of the shift, Xu Dongliang bolted like a horse breaking free of its reins and shot over to Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant.
He didn’t see Xu An at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, so he immediately headed over to Delicious Restaurant. And just as he suspected, there was Xu An, loading boxed meals into a small van.
"Anzi, I need to tell you something." Xu Dongliang strode forward and grabbed Xu An, who was in the middle of working. "I heard some news this morning. It seems like Xuguang Real Estate is going to cancel the boxed meal contract and just give the workers a meal subsidy instead!"
’How does Uncle Dongliang know about this?’ Xu An was secretly alarmed. ’Has the news already spread through the construction site?’
’If the news is already out, I’ve lost my early advantage. I’ll have to go head-to-head with the competition.’
But once Xu Dongliang explained how he’d gotten the information, Xu An relaxed. It was just a happy accident.
After hearing it from the man yesterday, Xu An had been seventy percent convinced. Now, with Uncle Dongliang confirming it, he was ninety percent sure.
’Time to make a move. I have to make a move!’
’Hire more staff!’
’Expand the restaurant!’
’Let’s do this!’
At two-thirty in the afternoon, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant closed for the day. With the place mostly cleaned up, Xu An was ready to lock up and head home.
Suddenly, an electric scooter pulled up to the entrance. A man dismounted and began peering furtively into Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. It was none other than the landlord of the vacant place next door.
He’d originally thought he could fleece the young punk from Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant for a hefty sum. After all, his was the only vacant storefront around.
’If that kid comes begging,’ he had thought, ’I suppose I could lower it a little. Say, to 2,888 yuan per month. Such a lucky number, with such wonderful connotations.’
But he never in his wildest dreams expected the perfectly fine Delicious Restaurant to suddenly close down, only for this young punk to take over the lease.
Then, for three days straight, only a single potential tenant came to view the property, and after looking, was never heard from again.
The landlord next door started to panic. The space had been vacant for half a month! At two thousand a month, that was a thousand yuan down the drain!
He’d lost a thousand yuan for nothing, and every additional day it sat empty meant more lost rent.
After turning it over in his mind, he finally decided that the kid from Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was still his most likely tenant.
And so, after a whole morning of internal debate, he finally resolved to seek out Xu An.
"Uh... Is Boss Xu here?"
"Here!" Xu An replied instinctively before turning to see who had called. It was the landlord from next door. ’What’s he want with me?’
Though confused, he still walked to the entrance with a smile and greeted the landlord. "Boss, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to ask if Boss Xu is still looking to rent a space. Are you still considering my storefront?" The landlord’s expression was perfectly nonchalant, as if his previous attempt to gouge Xu An had never happened.
"Oh?" Xu An looked at the landlord with a faint, knowing smile. ’Well, if you’re going to play dumb, I might as well play along.’ "I wonder," he said aloud, "what’s the monthly rent? And what are the terms? How many months for the deposit, how many paid upfront?"
Xu An was just teasing him, but to his surprise, the landlord actually bowed his head and seemed to be seriously considering it.
A ridiculous thought popped into Xu An’s head. ’He isn’t actually going to rent the place to me, is he?’
"Two... two thousand a month!" the landlord said through clenched teeth after a moment of deliberation. "Three months’ deposit, three months’ rent paid upfront. Billed quarterly!"
For a second, Xu An thought he must have misheard.
How long had it been since their unpleasant last encounter? Not only had the man come to him, but he had also lowered the price on his own initiative.
If the landlord had offered this price last time, Xu An would have accepted on the spot. But things were different now!
’I’ve already leased Delicious Restaurant,’ Xu An thought. ’Its location might be slightly worse than his place, but for a prep kitchen, as long as it’s nearby, nothing else really matters.’
’Secondly, Delicious Restaurant came fully equipped. I bought all of it for just over three thousand yuan. The place next door has been completely stripped of its equipment. If I take it, I’ll have to outfit it with all new stuff.’
If the landlord had come to him yesterday, Xu An would have turned him down without a second thought.
But, as luck would have it, the landlord had shown up *after* he’d learned about Xuguang Real Estate’s plan to issue meal subsidies to the workers. At two thousand a month, it wasn’t completely out of the question.
’Still,’ Xu An mused, ’looking at how desperate the landlord seems, I bet I can push that price down even further.’
"Two thousand is still high," Xu An stated decisively. "Sixteen hundred. If you agree, we can sign the contract right now."
This time, it was the landlord’s turn to stare, his eyes wide with disbelief. He looked like he was about to ask, "Why don’t you just rob me instead?"
But his desperation to rent the place out made him swallow the words.
"Boss Xu, I’m not trying to be greedy. How about nineteen hundred a month? If that’s acceptable, we can sign the contract right now."
"Let’s both meet in the middle. Eighteen hundred a month. I can’t go any higher." Xu An gestured toward the construction site across the road. "You know as well as I do that business around here is tough. Any more on rent, and I’ll be operating at a loss."
The landlord glanced at the construction site, at Xu An, and then at the other nearby storefronts before finally relenting.
"Fine! Eighteen hundred!"
The two of them went to a nearby print shop to get the contract drawn up.
Since the landlord had a history of going back on his word, Xu An added a special clause to the contract: a lease term of two years at a monthly rent of 1,800 yuan, with a penalty of three times the security deposit for whichever party breaks the agreement.
The landlord, for his part, was worried that Xu An might decide business was too slow and break the lease after a couple of months, so he had no objections to the clause.
That’s right. This time, Xu An had no problem with the three-month security deposit.
’If the time comes and the landlord decides he’d rather break the contract to get the property back, he’ll have to pay me 16,200 yuan. Not a bad deal for me either.’
With the contract signed, the restaurant next door officially became Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, Location #3.
「At the hotel.」
Nanny He watched as her nephew and his new wife completed their wedding ceremony. Her duties were finally done, and she could sit down, enjoy a nice meal, and chat.
As the conversation flowed, the topic drifted to everyone’s retirement lives.
Some people had incredibly vibrant retirements, traveling all over the country to see the sights and sample local delicacies.
Others were blessed with a house full of children and grandchildren, and spent their days looking after the little ones.
But most were like Nanny He. Their grandchildren were already in elementary school and didn’t need much looking after, leaving them with an abundance of free time.
"Sister He, what have you been busy with lately? You’re looking so much better, glowing even. And you’ve put on a little healthy weight."
"Oh, me?" Nanny He beamed, unconsciously touching her cheek. "I just found a nice, easy job. I only work two or three hours a day, and it even includes lunch. It’s a great way to earn a little pocket money and pass the time."
"Wow! You really know how to live, Sister He." The woman gave Nanny He a thumbs-up. "Which hotel is it? Are they still hiring? Do you think they’d take me?"
"It’s not a hotel," Nanny He said with a smile, waving her hands dismissively. "It’s just a small fast-food place. There are fewer than ten of us in total. They’re not looking for part-timers right now, only full-time staff."
The woman’s interest immediately died upon hearing it was a fast-food place. But then, as if a thought occurred to her, she asked, "Sister He, does that mean you eat your lunch there every day?"
Nanny He nodded, seeing nothing wrong with it.
Several others at the table looked astonished and chimed in with words of caution.
"Fast food is so unhealthy! Haven’t you seen the news? Gutter oil, expired ingredients, abysmal hygiene... eating it once or twice is one thing, but every day? You’ll destroy your body!"
"That’s right! Didn’t you see that story a few days ago? Some construction workers got food poisoning from a fast-food restaurant!"
"..."
Nanny He maintained a polite smile. No matter what they said, she just nodded along—"Yes, yes," "You’re right," "Absolutely"—with the air of someone completely impervious to their advice.
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