It was only when I arrived at the bus station that I realized why Lin Qing didn't want this job. Five o'clock in the afternoon is the peak traffic jam. It is said that I go to work at six o'clock. If I come to the bus at 5:30 o'clock, I will be late.
After waiting for twenty-five minutes, I finally got on the bus. The car drove forward slowly, with constant red lights all the way. I found that the people standing in the car were all in a state of distress, and those who had seats also looked exhausted. Through the car window, I took a serious look at Beijing for the first time. In fact, I watch the news broadcast every day, and I think I am familiar with Beijing. However, when I actually got here, I realized that every street is so strange. Strange buildings, strange pedestrians, strange advertisements, strange vehicles, strange signs, everything is so strange, quietly moving in a strange direction.
In autumn in the north, the sky gets dark very early, and the journey of four stations seems to go from day to night.
The coffee shop called Starbucks is located on the ground floor of a luxurious building. Strangely, although it was rush hour, there were not many pedestrians on that street. There are about twenty parking spaces in the parking lot on the side of the building, all of which are fully occupied. I stayed outside the gate for a while, straightened my hair and skirt, looked in the mirror quietly, and opened the door to enter.
The cafe is not too big, very quiet, only the voices of people humming. The waiters inside wore all black T-shirts, and both men and women wore a dark green apron. A boy named Tong Yue received me. He looked about my age, not tall, with a bright smile and an easy-going look.
He stretched out his hand politely: "Hi, thank you...Xiaoqiu, is that right? I am the night shift manager, and people call me Xiaotong."
"Hello little boy."
"Your resume is well written. In fact, you don't need to write English, Chinese is fine. The boss doesn't understand English. There are four people here tonight, including you. Are you from S Normal University?"
I nod.
"Me too. Sophomore English. What about you?"
"newborn."
"Really? I'm here today to welcome the newcomers, why didn't I see you?"
"Maybe you've seen it, but you just don't recognize it."
"Hehe. Which district do you live in?"
"North Seventh District."
"Beiqi District? It is the farthest from the school gate. Eating mutton skewers and halal beef noodles will be more troublesome. Have you bought the textbook?"
"Well, it's very expensive."
"I wish I had met me sooner. I have old textbooks, which are exactly the same. I don't like studying, so they are basically new ones. I can give them to you."
depressed. Thinking of the one hundred and forty yuan I spent this morning, it makes my heart ache.
"Ho ould you like your coffee? (Translation: What do you want to put in your coffee?)" He stood in front of the cash register and said something in English while he was working. I looked back and saw a foreigner standing by the counter smiling.
"Double cream, one sugar."
"Sure."
I can't help being intoxicated. His accent is not far from the "Crazy English" I've heard.
"There are many opportunities to speak English here. However, the boss doesn't approve of us chatting with guests. Unless there are not many people and the guests are willing to chat, you can accompany and talk a few words. But you can't delay work."
He then introduced me to three other people who were working, one of whom was about to leave. The other girl is Ye Jingwen. M University Chinese Department.
The work in a coffee shop is not difficult. The first step is to be familiar with the usage of various coffee machines, and then to memorize the menu, which is the recipe of various drinks. Xiaotong said that although there are many drinks on the menu, there are only a few that he drinks frequently. It is very simple and can definitely be remembered in a day. In addition, the size of coffee cups is different from that of ordinary coffee shops. They are called Venti, Grande, and Tall instead of large, medium, and small.
I changed into work clothes. The girl named Ye Jingwen was absent-mindedly staring sideways out of the window. She was slender, and she looked very much like the heroine in "Too Much to Die". Xiaotong said that she is from Nanjing, her parents are both university teachers, she has no worries about food and clothing, and she just came here to practice oral English. I find it very strange, isn't she from the Chinese department? Why do you need such good English? Xiaotong said that she was admitted from a highly competitive high school. Originally, I planned to take the test of Peking University, but I didn't want to be disadvantaged, so I only got into M University. Now that I have entered university, I should take a rest, but I am used to taking exams, so I can't rest. So, after CET-4 and CET-6, TOEFL after CET-6, and GRE after TOEFL. After taking the GRE test, I found out that I was studying Chinese. It was difficult to apply for a school, and it was even more difficult to get a visa. I came here to work. One is to practice oral English, and the other is to see if it is possible to meet a foreigner and vouch for her. But the boss does not allow employees to chat with customers, and she has never found a chance. So, "she always looks very sad, very lost, alas."
In fact, it was Ye Jingwen's eyes full of daydreams that moved me. As soon as I saw her, I thought of the characters in Qiong Yao: a pair of infatuated big eyes, ready to be touched at any time. Thin lips waiting to be tortured. Shawl long hair, don't wear a pearl hairpin. A touch of lipstick, a touch of perfume, and even a touch of posture, as if it could disappear from the air at any time. I have been working for two hours since I came in, and she just said "Hi" to me.
The cash register is very simple. I was interested in electronic things, so I learned it all at once.
"You can be regarded as the fastest newcomer I've ever seen." Tong Yue was very satisfied and laughed. A customer left, leaving behind a table of dishes. Seeing that Ye Jingwen was still on the counter in a daze, Xiao Tong could only sigh and go up to clean up. Come back and say quietly: "Don't mind her being cold to you. Xiaoyeren is very nice. It's just that her sweetheart is here today, and now it's nympho time." After finishing speaking, she pointed to the corner by the window.
Following his fingers, I only saw a slanted silhouette. A young man in a suit was sitting at a table by the window, looking intently at his laptop.
"He's a Chinese." I said with a smile.
"Definitely rich," he added, "The accent may be Chinese."
From 9 o'clock to 9 o'clock, the number of customers gradually decreased. The young man in a suit had no intention of leaving, as if he regarded this place as his office.
Xiaotong said that half a year ago, when this young man first appeared, Xiaoye fell in love with him desperately. In order to meet him, he did not hesitate to work part-time, even to work the night shift. Not only Xiaoye, but all the girls in the cafe had a crush on this man. As long as he appeared, the girls were all in a trance throughout the night, and the error rate of the cash register increased. Only Xiaotong and a boy can work normally.
I laughed: "Really?"
"All the girls here are expecting him to come, but I don't want to. Once he comes, I will have to do double work. However, he has his advantages in coming," Xiaotong said again, "He gives very high Tips." If the girls are really embarrassed, they will usually give the tip on the table to the little boy to express their apology.
The cafe serves simple lunches and dinners, mainly sandwiches and fruit salads. And the customers wait for the coffee on the counter by themselves, so few people give tips, especially the Chinese.
"Is tipping common here?" I asked.
"Not often. Some old gentlemen and old ladies need us to deliver coffee to the table, and they will leave tips, but not many." Xiaotong said, "He is the only one, and he always gives a high tip every time. So We are also willing to serve him. When we see him coming, as long as we can walk away, we usually take the initiative to ask him what he wants, and then bring him coffee.”
"Why? Isn't everyone queuing for coffee here?"
"His legs are not very convenient."
"Oh." I just noticed that there was a black cane hanging beside his desk, but his whole body looked no different from ordinary people.
"Why is it inconvenient?" I asked again.
"It's not very inconvenient, it's just that my left leg is a little lame."
"Maybe it's just a temporary injury," I said.
"No. His car is parked in a handicapped space. BMW SUV."
"What is a BMW SUV?"
"Rich people drive cars, and they're not afraid of burning gasoline."
"oh."
"He always asks for a skinnytte (translation: skim latte). However, if you see him coming, don't take the initiative to go up and say hello, let Xiaoye entertain him. Xiaoye is an old employee here, this is her privilege. Hehe."
"What kind of skinnytte? There are many kinds of Latte."
"Vanilla."
While talking, Xiaoye flashed over at some point, and whispered: "It's not vanilla latte, it's large coffee—it's a different flavor today." After saying that, she flashed back to the cashier, "Xiaotong, collect the money for me, and I'll deliver it. "
There were quite a few people standing in front of the cashier, and she couldn't leave. Obviously, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to serve coffee to the young man by the window. He looked like he was asking for help.
Xiao Tong smirked: "You behaved too badly today, I'll let Xiao Xie serve coffee. Don't be angry, the tip is still yours."
Coffee was made quickly. I went to the window with my coffee. Not wanting to disturb him, I planned to quietly put the coffee on the table and leave. He had already noticed it, and raised his head to look at me.
It was a face that could only be seen in perfume advertisements in fashion magazines. It was glamorous and godlike. In a daze for a while, I forgot to breathe. I suddenly felt that Beijing is actually a beautiful city. In a daze, my hand shook slightly, and a gust of hot coffee swirled out and spilled on my fingers. I was born afraid of being scalded, so my hands shook even more. I dropped the cup, and only heard a "dang". The coffee cup fell on the table first, splashed all over him, and then rolled to the ground, spilling all over the floor.
"I'm... terribly sorry! Sir! (Translation: I'm very sorry, sir!)" In a panic, I said something in English.
I don't know why a sentence in English suddenly popped up. Maybe it's because Crazy English has memorized too many times, or maybe I don't want to speak Chinese, lest people notice my foreign accent. Anyway, I saw a big stain on his white shirt. The blue tie was also brown.
He frowned and said nothing.
"Excuse me, I'm... an intern. Are you burned?"
"I'm fine," he said. The voice is very low and very pleasant.
Just as I was about to speak, Ye Jingwen rushed to my side: "Sir, I'm really sorry, are you not burned?"
He shook his head.
I looked down to see the coffee still dripping down his trouser legs. The little boy gave me an unhappy look, brought a yellow non-slip notice board, stood it by the table, and said quickly: "Sir, I am very sorry. If it is convenient, please send the invoice for the laundry, we will send it to you." You reimburse."
"No need. I accidentally knocked over the coffee, and it has nothing to do with this young lady."
"Really?" Xiaoye and Xiaotong turned to look at me at the same time, puzzled.
I froze for a moment, and corrected: "Thank you sir for your kindness. I did spill the coffee. Next time...be careful."
When I said this, I couldn't help but glance at Xiaoye, worrying in my heart, if such a big mistake happened, would there be a "next time" after all? But Xiaoye was obviously satisfied with my attitude of bowing my head and pleading guilty.
I quickly found a mop to clean up the scene. Xiaoye insisted on pouring him another cup of coffee, but he declined, closed the notebook, put it in the bag, took out his cane and stood up.
"Be careful, the ground is slippery." I said softly.
He nodded, walked to the door, pressed the electric door, and left quietly.
In fact, he was not walking slowly, but his gait was a little stiff.
I looked back at the table and there was fifty dollars left on the table. Xiaotong took it without hesitation.
I made such a mistake the first time I went to work, and I was so ashamed that I had to apologize to Xiaotong repeatedly.
"It doesn't matter, you are not the first person to spill coffee on him. Don't worry, we won't tell the boss. But, next time you see a beautiful man, you must be calm." Then he leaned over, half-jokingly: "One sentence Advice, it's up to you whether you take it or not: don't waste your time with him, he never looks at girls more than once."