Chapter 8: A Hard-Earned Opportunity

The next day, Lin Duo shifted her job search strategy. She no longer focused on factory recruitment but instead paid closer attention to other service industries, such as hotels, restaurants, and sales. After all, these types of jobs demanded less physical exertion.

Unfortunately, Lin Duo’s age remained a significant hurdle. Employing child labor was illegal, and few legitimate businesses were willing to take such a risk.

The human resources department of one hotel frankly informed her: “Your personal presentation is excellent, and we would welcome your application in a couple of years. But today, we regret to say no.”

In the blink of an eye, dusk began to settle. Lin Duo, dragging her weary body, arrived at her final interview location for the day: a large fruit store situated at the entrance of a residential complex.

It was deemed “large” because its scale surpassed that of typical fruit shops she remembered. Most of the produce was displayed indoors, and the variety was extensive.

For instance, there were seven different types of apples alone, many of which Lin Duo had never even tasted.

Just then, a plump, middle-aged woman approached her with a cheerful smile. “Little girl, are you looking to buy something?”

Though utterly exhausted, Lin Duo still managed to force a bright smile. “Hello, Auntie. I’m here for the interview; I called this morning.”

“Oh, you’re Lin Duo!” The proprietress quickly recalled. “Come, step into the back room, and we can discuss further.”

Deep within the fruit store, a side door led to a small room resembling a staff lounge. Inside, a gaunt, middle-aged man sat observing a monitor connected to the shop’s surveillance cameras.

“Old man, this is the child who called you this morning,” the proprietress announced, gesturing for Lin Duo to take a seat.

The middle-aged man scrutinized Lin Duo. “You don’t look a day over sixteen, do you?”

Lin Duo nodded meekly.

The man continued his assessment. “With your delicate skin, you don’t seem like a child from a struggling rural background. Why would you want to work alone?”

Having interviewed at so many places, this was the first time anyone had inquired about Lin Duo’s background.

Noticing Lin Duo’s hesitant expression, the proprietress began to speak gently. “Little girl, feel free to say whatever is on your mind; it’s alright. If we had a daughter, she’d be around your age, so you can think of us as family and elders.”

How long had it been? This was the first time Lin Duo had heard such warm words since arriving in Nan’an City. Especially the proprietress’s kind gaze, framed by her crow’s feet, made Lin Duo unable to control her emotions any longer, and she began to sob softly.

The proprietress and the owner exchanged surprised glances. “Child, what grievances do you have? It’s fine to speak them aloud. There are no outsiders here.”

Lin Duo silently rose, turning her back to the couple, and slowly lifted her hoodie.

Dark red whip marks stood out starkly against her pale skin, like venomous snakes with gaping maws. Both the owner and proprietress involuntarily gasped.

The proprietress stepped forward, gently pulled down Lin Duo’s clothing, her face etched with heartache. “How can there be such cruel parents in this world!”

The owner remained silent, his lips pressed into a tight line.

After a brief whispered consultation, the proprietress spoke again. “Child, please wait outside for a moment. Your ‘old man’ and I need to discuss something.”

And so, Lin Duo stood in the fruit shop, anxiously intertwining her fingers. Her intuition told her this might be her only chance to find work in Nan’an City.

Approximately ten minutes later, the proprietress emerged from the back room. “Lin Duo, right? We’ve decided to offer you a one-month trial period. During this time, your benefits will be the same as a regular employee, as stated online: board and lodging included, with a monthly salary of 1200 yuan. We’ll make a final decision after one month. When can you start?”

“I… I can start today! Thank you!” Lin Duo stammered, overwhelmed with joy. “I still have some luggage at the inn; I’ll go get it right away!”

“Alright, alright, don’t be so eager!” The proprietress’s smile was especially warm and kind.

An hour and a half later, Lin Duo returned to the fruit shop, her backpack slung over her shoulders. The proprietress led her directly to the apartment building above the shop, pointing to a small bedroom.

“This is the room we prepare for our staff. It’s a bit small, but it has a bed, wardrobe, table, and chairs. You seem quite tired today, so get some rest early. We open at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and I’ll teach you what to do then.”

“Thank you, Proprietress!” Lin Duo bowed deeply.

The proprietress, however, frowned slightly. “Now that we’re all living under the same roof, calling me that feels too formal. My surname is Wu, and my name is Wu Bijuan. The ‘old man’s’ surname is Yue, and his name is Yue Renhui. You can call me Auntie Wu and him Uncle Yue.”

“Understood, Auntie Wu!” Lin Duo quickly replied.

A smile graced Wu Bijuan’s face. “I can tell you’re a sweet, sensible little girl. I truly don’t know how your family could bear to… Oh, never mind. Get some good rest tonight. If you get bored, you’re welcome to come to the living room and watch TV.”

Lin Duo was indeed exhausted. Her stamina had always been poor, and having walked so much today, her legs felt almost numb. She first went to the bathroom to check the lock; though old, it still worked, which brought her a sense of relief.

After securing the door, she took a hot shower, then lay down on the unfamiliar bed. She took her nighttime medication, pulled the covers tight, and as the day’s fatigue washed over her, she quickly drifted into sleep.

The next day, shortly after six o’clock, a knock on the door roused her. “Lin Duo, come out for breakfast!”

Lin Duo quickly scrambled up, dressed, and opened the door to find Wu Bijuan had already prepared a simple breakfast, laid out on the dining table.

Upon seeing Lin Duo, Wu Bijuan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Look at that bed head! You look like a madwoman. Go find a comb and tidy yourself up. I’ve already eaten, so take your time. Just be downstairs by 7:30.”

Despite the casual tone, Lin Duo understood the situation. She completed her morning routine of washing, eating, and washing dishes as quickly as possible, then headed down to the shop.

As it was only 6:45, the rolling shutter door remained closed, but Wu Bijuan was already mopping the floor. Lin Duo hurried over, intending to take the mop, but Wu Bijuan shook her head with a smile.

She pointed to a cloth nearby. “Could you wipe down these display cases? If any fruit looks dusty, please wipe that too.”

Lin Duo acknowledged the task, picked up the cloth, and wiped with exceptional diligence. Wu Bijuan observed her carefully, nodding in quiet approval.

Around seven o’clock, Uncle Yue Renhui, the owner, walked in, breathing heavily. “The delivery’s here. Let’s start sorting.”

Thus began Lin Duo’s first lesson on the job: identifying fruit. Some fruits, though seemingly similar, varied greatly in price. Naturally, she couldn’t make mistakes during sorting, and she had to be careful when checking out customers, as some might try to hide premium fruit among cheaper varieties to pay less.

This, of course, was merely the initial step. After sorting and storing the fruit in the warehouse, they had to allocate it to the various display sections in the shop, ideally filling each slot.

Furthermore, if any fruit was nearing its expiration, it needed to be separated and marked down. In essence, the three of them remained busy until almost 7:30, only then having largely completed the preparations for opening.

After opening, customers began to trickle in. Uncle Yue Renhui seemed to have gone upstairs to catch up on sleep, while Wu Bijuan sat at the cashier, teaching Lin Duo how to input items and process payments.

Lin Duo learned diligently and quickly grasped the system. Seeing her dedication, Wu Bijuan temporarily left her to it, retreating to the back room for a short rest.

However, it wasn’t long before Lin Duo encountered a problem. A young man, perhaps in his early twenties, approached the watermelon display. He tapped various melons repeatedly, yet still looked hesitant, finally calling out to the staff: “Hey, little girl, come over here and help me pick a sweet one.”

Lin Duo hurried to his side, patiently explaining, “I just started working today and lack experience. I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

To her surprise, the man persisted stubbornly. “You people deal with fruit every day; how can you not know how to do this? Or are all your watermelons rotten, which is why you’re afraid to pick one?”

These words immediately ignited a sense of grievance in Lin Duo. “How can you speak like that! I truly don’t know how to pick a watermelon!”

“Don’t know? You’re clearly just scared!”

Seeing the man’s unreasonable behavior, Lin Duo was so flustered that tears welled in her eyes. Fortunately, Wu Bijuan heard the commotion and emerged.

After listening to the full story, she promptly selected a watermelon. The man, still unconvinced, insisted she cut a slice. Only after confirming it was indeed a good melon did he pay and leave, satisfied.

Wu Bijuan looked at Lin Duo’s tearful, aggrieved face, sighed softly, and patted her shoulder. “In a big forest, all kinds of birds exist, and there are many unreasonable customers.

But we run a small business, and the competition is fierce, so we can only try our best to retain more customers with our service attitude.”

Although still feeling wronged, Lin Duo understood the logic. She nodded obediently and tugged at Wu Bijuan’s sleeve. “Auntie Wu, could you teach me how to pick a watermelon?”

“Picking a watermelon? There’s quite an art to it!” A smile appeared on Wu Bijuan’s face. “When things quiet down, I’ll teach you properly.”

As noon approached, customer traffic became sparse, yet Lin Duo couldn’t afford to be idle. She had to neatly arrange the scattered fruit, and certain sugary varieties required sprinkling with water to prevent them from drying out.

If a fruit was partially rotten, she would trim away the spoiled portion; fully rotten ones went straight into the trash bin. Furthermore, each time Lin Duo sold fruit, she had to record the specific quantity. This data was crucial for analyzing which fruits sold well and which didn’t, allowing Uncle Yue Renhui to adjust future orders accordingly.

Lin Duo was surprised to discover just how much work a seemingly relaxed fruit shop entailed. By afternoon, her stamina was completely depleted, and she swayed precariously when standing.

Fortunately, the owner couple noticed her condition and proactively suggested she sit at the cashier to focus on payments, taking over the remaining tasks that required moving around.

It wasn’t until eight in the evening that the fruit shop’s rolling shutter finally closed. Lin Duo collapsed onto a chair, utterly drained, finding it difficult even to stand.

During the nearly thirteen hours from opening to closing, Lin Duo had barely a moment of rest. Even her boxed lunch was frequently interrupted, taking her over half an hour to finish in fits and starts, by which point the food had grown completely cold.

Uncle Yue Renhui walked over to Lin Duo, patting her shoulder. “How are you holding up? Can you manage?”

“I can!” Lin Duo declared, gritting her teeth and springing up like a carp leaping from water.

“That’s good! Come on, let’s head upstairs for some dinner, and then you can get some early rest.”