"Xiaohe, who are you knitting this sweater for? Why is it so large?" Fangfang asked, observing He Zhilan, who seemed reluctant to leave her dorm or work. Halfway through Zhilan knitting her sweater, Fangfang’s curiosity peaked. Who was Zhilan knitting such a large sweater for? Notably, Zhilan’s face lit up in smiles every second she spent on her knitting.
"It’s for my brother." Zhilan said, "You’ve probably met him, he was the tallest one who came to the restaurant with me on the first day!"
"No wonder then!" Fangfang nodded in understanding. She then began to ask about Zhilan’s family, and when she learned that Zhilan has an elder brother and a younger sister, she felt a touch of envy - the older sibling a man, and a cute younger sister. As the middle child, Zhilan was expected to be the least spoiled, yet she was nurtured and sent to college.
Unlike her, being the family’s only daughter, even as the first child of her parents, she became disposable when compared to her two younger brothers.
Fangfang was not a poor student, she even got into a local high school. However, because she was a girl, her parents believed that it was enough for a girl to be literate and not get cheated. Reading more books was useless, so after middle school, she helped her family earn money. Yet her two brothers, who were both naughty and poor in their studies, causing trouble for the family, were allowed to continue their schooling by any means necessary.
Originally, Fangfang felt that her current situation was not so bad. After all, many girls in the village had never attended school, so she always felt grateful that her parents allowed her to study until junior high school. But when compared to Zhilan, she didn’t feel satisfied.
She was really envious of Zhilan for having such a good family.
Zhilan’s job at the restaurant was always very leisurely, with good relationships with colleagues, and not taking advantage of anyone. Although the manager was strict, he had never picked on Zhilan. She did not slack off during work, fulfilled her responsibilities, and didn’t become arrogant due to some colleagues flattering her, thus abandoning her professional duties.
Perhaps because of this, she devoted herself to her work, was honest and straightforward, could interact cheerfully with everyone, and because of her professional advantage, many foreign customers who saw her fluent English would strike a conversation with her. Consequently, she became familiar with many regular customers of the restaurant. Sometimes, even if Zhilan was not on duty, many clients who did not get to see her would still inquire after her. John, as the boss, seeing that Lin Chan’s recommended girl was reliable, gradually stopped looking at her with a scrutinising gaze and started engaging in more conversations with her.
Another advantage of working in a restaurant frequented by foreigners was the custom of tipping. The tips were not considered as part of the restaurant’s wages, but rather belonged to the waitress herself. Therefore, even though Zhilan had only worked for ten days, the tips she received were enough to fill her with joy.
The Chinese New Year came late this year, it was already the end of January on the ’Xiao Nian Ye’ (New Year’s Eve). It must be said, John was a fabulous boss. Although he was not a local, he was aware of the locals’ custom of ’Xiao Nian’and thus, the restaurant closed early at nine o’clock that day.