Chapter 28: Shen Pangzi and Xiang Shaoye

  "Shall we start?" Da Tou asked Lin Xiaotang.

  Lin Xiaotang nodded.

  "Too much, can we two handle it?"

  Lin Xiaotang nodded again.

  "Damn it, I'm done for! Anyway, these hands of mine are almost useless now! At worst, I'll just sacrifice my two feet as well!"

  Lin Xiaotang nodded solemnly again.

  Two people were covered in sweat.

  In the alley behind the coffee shop, Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou each wore a white uniform with "Shandousi Coffee Shop" printed on it, staring blankly at the two large basins of tablecloths piled up like small mountains in front of them.

  Later, the two rolled up their pant legs, took off their shoes, picked up a few tablecloths and threw them into a nearby wooden basin, added some soap powder, jumped into the basin laughing and started trampling on the tablecloths, splashing water everywhere.

  Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou have been working at this Shandu Coffee House for four days. It wasn't until they arrived in the concession that they realized how difficult it was to make a living here.

  After the Japanese occupation of Nanjing and Shanghai, since they had not yet declared war on Britain, America and France, the International Settlement and French Concession became a rare haven in the occupied territories. Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou Ben wanted to rent a small house temporarily, but unexpectedly even renting just one room would require a small fortune for half a year, and the two of them didn't have enough cash on hand, so they had to give up.

  Later, the two of them wandered aimlessly to this place and found that this coffee shop was recruiting miscellaneous workers. They couldn't understand why there were still vacancies, because in the concession area, as long as it was a job, countless people would come to fight for it.

  The boss of the coffee shop, Mr. Shen, was over thirty years old, wearing a suit and leather shoes, white and fat, with his hair combed back and greased, shining so brightly that it could be used as a mirror. The only thing that wasn't quite right was his eyes, which had a piece of glass stuck in the corner of his right eye.

  After inquiring about the conditions, I understand why they can't recruit anyone here. The conditions are really too harsh: only outsiders are hired, not locals; must be male; no parents, wife or children; monthly salary of 150 yuan; one day off per month, but need to get the boss's approval before taking a rest.

  Joking aside, the cheapest cup of coffee in a cafe costs 15 yuan, and this salary is only enough for two days' worth of food in the concession area where prices are skyrocketing.

  The boss, Shen Pangzi, roughly figured out that Lin Xiaotang and the other person were outsiders who had just arrived in Shanghai. He decided to add another condition: the store would provide food and lodging, and Lin Xiaotang and the other person could help watch the store at night. After all, with the current chaos, having two strong and capable men living in the store made him feel more at ease. However, their wages would be reduced by two blocks.

  This is also what currently attracts both of them the most.

  Two days later, Shen Pangzi came to find the two of them and said that the police station in the concession area was checking tightly, and they needed to get an identity certificate. Lin Xiaotang also wanted to change his identity, so he readily agreed, thinking he could avoid the harassment of the Military Affairs Bureau and other unrelated people. Who knew that Shen Pangzi had cheated him out of twenty bucks again? It wasn't until later that he found out there were tens of thousands of refugees in the concession area, and the police station didn't have time to investigate one by one. Anyway, they finally managed to get the identity certificate, which was a weight off their minds.

  From then on, Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou became authentic Shanghai people. Lin Xiaotang was called Lin Qi, and Da Tou was called Cai Da.

  In the cafe, apart from a few waiters and three chefs, there were only two odd-job workers, Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou. So the two of them became Shen Baozi's main targets for exploitation, and they were also labeled as "all-purpose" workers. Every day, they swept the floor, cleaned the toilets, washed dishes and tablecloths. In just a few days, the two of them had lost a lot of weight.

  But there's no way around it, who let life be so difficult in the concession now? For the sake of three meals a day, Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou could only clench their teeth and continue with the task at hand, aside from cursing Shen Baozi every day.

  Lin Xiaotang stepped on the tablecloth and handed a cigarette to Da Tou, "Be frugal with it, we don't have much stock left."

  He took it with a big head and muttered, "Before, he was still ambitious and wanted to mix with others, but he didn't expect to mix into the current miserable state."

  Lin Xiaotang tucked a cigarette into his mouth, glanced at him and said, "Alright, life is tough, let's keep a low profile in Shanghai for now, there will be opportunities eventually."

  Just as they were about to take a break, a gloomy voice came from behind them, "I said, why did the tablecloth smell like stinky feet for days? It turned out that you two kids were slacking off!"

  Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou suddenly sprang to life, quickly jumping out of the wooden basin and putting on a smiling face. "Boss, we're not speeding up, there's still work waiting in the store, and we can only dry it if we finish washing early."

  "Hmph!" With a nasty snort, Shen Pangzi squeezed out of the narrow back door with great difficulty, "Fart!"

  "Fat Shen pointed at the two of them with his thick fingers, 'You're educated people, what kind of behavior is this? Besides being lazy and talking nonsense, can you do anything else? You two should be smarter, this isn't your home, this is Shanghai. If you're a tiger, you need to crouch down for me, if you're a dragon, you need to coil up for me. Since you're working, you need to have the appearance of working. This is intentionally causing trouble for me, if customers see you two like this, who will still come to our store?'"

  "Yes, yes, absolutely won't happen again!" Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou hastily chimed in unison.

  Shen Pangzi waved his hand impatiently and pointed at Lin Xiaotang, "Xiaoqi, you come with me for a while."

  "Pointing at the big head again, 'You, continue to work hard for me, remember, wash with your hands, and let me catch you again, get out of here directly!'"

  Lin Xiaotang responded with a "hmm" and followed Shen Pangzi into the store, not forgetting to turn around and give Da Tou, who was fuming with anger, a mocking smile.

  To be honest, Shen Pangzi is cunning and stingy, but he's not bad to his subordinates. At least they get three meals a day without any deductions, and every two or three days they even get meat. Even with the huge appetite of Da Tou, he never complained about anything.

  According to him, he also came from a poor background and knew the taste of hunger, so in terms of food, he would never shortchange his subordinates. Moreover, Shen Pangzi was extremely protective of his own people, if outsiders bullied those under him, Shen Pangzi would definitely stand up for them. Therefore, Lin Xiaotang had no bad feelings towards Shen Pangzi.

  Shen Pangzi brought Lin Xiaotang to his office, closed the door behind him, and pulled out a set of clothes from the closet, handing them to Lin Xiaotang, "Change into these!"

  Lin Xiaotang was taken aback.

  "What are you staring at? Hurry up and change, I need your help with something in a minute!" Shen Pangzi was getting a bit impatient.

  Lin Xiaotang took it over and found it was a suit, which was the latest style in Shanghai.

  Ma Li changed into a new set of clothes. Shen Pangzi looked him up and down, "Not bad, not bad, the figure is still okay, after changing into this outfit, it's still quite stylish."

  Shen Pangzi patted Lin Xiaotang's shoulder, "There's an old customer in the store today who's having some trouble and needs a fresh face to help out. After thinking about it, I think you're the most suitable person for the job. Don't worry, this favor won't be unpaid, that old customer is very generous, and you'll definitely get your share of benefits."

  Shen Pangzi took Lin Xiaotang to the curtain beside the corridor, pointing at a table of guests in the store and said: "See, it's that table, yes, yes, the one against the wall. The young man is called Ma Qixiang, he's the nephew of Chairman Ma of the Concession Commercial Association, rich people! You go over now, remember, don't say anything, just walk over, if he says something nod your head and smile, got it?"

  Lin Xiaotang nodded and lifted the curtain, walking over. Along the way, he encountered shop attendants who all looked at him with sympathetic faces, which made Lin Xiaotang extremely puzzled and filled his heart with a sense of foreboding.

  The young man named Ma Qixiang heard the footsteps and turned his head.

  To be frank, this Ma Qixiang should be the most handsome man Lin Xiaotang has ever seen. His skin is as white as jade, with two sword-like eyebrows, a straight nose bridge, and facial features that are perfectly defined.

  Ma Qixiang turned around and saw Lin Xiaotang, smiled, indeed a handsome man who overturned the crowd, "How long did you take in the last bathroom, come on, sit here."

  As he spoke, Ma Qixiang patted the spot next to him on the sofa, gesturing for Lin Xiaotang to sit beside him.

  Lin Xiaotang sat down with a nervous heart, but still maintained a gentle and calm smile on her face, which made Ma Qixiang reveal a hint of curiosity.

  As soon as he sat down, Ma Qixiang naturally grabbed Lin Xiaotang's left hand. Lin Xiaotang was startled and just wanted to struggle free, but immediately saw Shen Baozi's gaze not far away. Shen Baozi slightly shook his head at him with a cold expression.

  Being held by a big man in such an ambiguous way, with his hand still on his knee, this was a move that only couples could make, but now it happened between two men, and the person involved was actually himself. Lin Xiaotang's body hair stood up suddenly, and he had a feeling of almost vomiting in his chest.

  Perhaps sensing Lin Xiaotang's icy palm, Ma Qixiang turned his head and smiled at him, gently patting his hand to indicate that Lin Xiaotang didn't need to be so tense.

  It wasn't until then that Lin Xiaotang discovered a woman sitting across from him, about 27 or 28 years old, with a slender figure, a beautiful and elegant young woman. A pair of phoenix eyes stared unblinkingly at Lin Xiaotang and Ma Qixiang, her eyes burning with suppressed anger.

  Ma Qixiang grasped Lin Xiaotang's left hand with his own left hand, while his right hand took advantage of the situation to grasp Lin Xiaotang's shoulder, pulling him into his own embrace. This made Lin Xiaotang tremble all over, but Shen Baozi's gaze was fixed tightly on him, and he didn't dare struggle free.

  Ma Qixiang leaned forward slightly and said, "Sally, you wanted to see him, didn't you? This is he."

  The young woman looked at Ma Qixiang with a hint of resentment, "Ah Xiang, don't deceive me, I know you have feelings for me. You said before that you only love me, and I'm willing to give up everything for you. Isn't this enough?"

  Ma Qixiang sighed, "Sally, you also know what kind of person I am. When we were together, I told you that the thing I hate most in this life is being tied down by one person. I yearn for freedom, a life without constraints. My emotions are like drifting with the tide, whoever I meet, whoever I fall in love with, it's not something I can control!"

  Sally stood up, "Just for this little white face, you're going to abandon me?"

  Ma Qixiang turned his head and looked at Lin Xiaotang with deep feeling, "No way, who made me meet him again after you?"

  Lin Xiaotang's back was drenched in cold sweat, yet she couldn't struggle free.

  Ma Qixiang leaned his shoulder, and Lin Xiaotang's head rested on his own shoulder. "Who can make sense of emotional things?" As he spoke, he gently kissed Lin Xiaotang's hair.

  Lin Xiaotang's heart was about to explode, big drops of cold sweat seeping from her forehead, her face turning pale.

  "Sally suddenly stood up, 'Ma Qixiang, you bastard, actually liking men, go die!' After saying that, she grabbed a cup of water from the table and splashed it on Ma Qixiang's face, then turned around and slammed the door."

  Ma Qixiang watched her back disappear, then let go of Lin Xiaotang, wiped the water from his face and shouted loudly: "Old Shen, I've told you so many times, the water for the opposite side must be warm water, today's is a bit scalding!"