Tentative

Although the various stores near University A are busy, there are so many students who want to work and study, and they are not short of manpower.Moreover, University A is not located in the outskirts of the city, but in the urban area. The recruitment of shops around this area is even stricter, and at least a high school diploma is required.

Qu Zhe wandered around, asking around during the day which store was still recruiting, and at night he stayed in the Internet cafe all night, leaning on the seat and sleeping.For five days in a row, he couldn't find a shop willing to take him, either because he thought he had a low degree and was not a local;

The little money he had left with him, after five days of spending nothing but money, was quickly spent.

One o'clock.

Qu Zhe held the remaining ten yuan in his pocket, and calculated that if he went to the Internet cafe to deal with it tonight, he would not even be able to eat tomorrow.He thought, find a place with less wind to deal with it tonight, and go back to the outskirts of the city tomorrow, it's better than wandering around like this now.

To the east of University A is the bustling urban area; to the west is the suburban direction.Naturally, the lively places are all in the east, while the west is a bit quieter.He is now strolling in an old pedestrian street in the west. At this time, all the shops are closed and the street is empty. He looks up at the night sky and can vaguely see a few stars twinkling.

He said that he would have nothing to eat tomorrow, but in fact, Qu Zhe only ate two steamed buns this morning, and now his chest is sticking to his back, and he is very hungry.Tired from walking, he sat down at the foot of a wall next to a shop and took out a cigarette from his pocket.

He lit and counted, and there were three cigarettes left.

After lighting one of them, Qu Zhe smoked, not knowing what he was thinking.For a long time, he was in a state of emptying his mind, and he tried his best not to think about things other than livelihood.

The wind was blowing at night and it was still very cold. He rubbed his hands and smoked a cigarette. He only hoped that he would pass the night safely and take the earliest bus back to the outskirts of the city tomorrow. It would be even better if he could find a job smoothly.

Just as he was thinking, a light suddenly lit up in the glass window of the shop next to him. He looked over in surprise, and saw someone pushed open the door and came out.It was a woman, wearing flip flops, wrapped in a down jacket that covered her calves, her hair was tied up in hairpins, and she had a cigarette dangling from her mouth.She pulled the skirt with one hand, and when she came out, she noticed someone beside her.

She turned her head and met Qu Zhe's eyes.

Qu Zhe felt that she looked familiar, but he was sure that he had never met this person before.From the open door of the shop there was a smell like beef stew.

The woman was also a little surprised, and said, "...what are you doing sitting here at night?"

"I……"

Just as Qu Zhe wanted to apologize, his appetite was whetted by the wafting fragrance, and his stomach groaned disobediently, interrupting what he was about to say.Immediately afterwards, the woman laughed heartily and said, "It just so happens, let's eat together."

"It's not good."

"What's wrong, I still want to go to the convenience store to buy a few bottles of beer, or you can run my errands for me, and I'll treat you to supper." The woman said, raising her eyebrows, she looked handsome and slightly A woman's unique charm.She took out 20 yuan from the pocket of the cotton coat, and stuffed it into Qu Zhe's hand without any explanation: "Hurry up!"

The woman was very abrupt, but her tone was very relaxed, as if inviting strangers into the house for dinner was a very common thing.Qu Zhe was indeed very hungry. He hesitated for a few seconds with the money, and ran towards the 24-hour convenience store not far away where the lights were still on.

When he walked into the shop with a beer in hand, he was a little surprised.The heater was turned on inside, and it wasn't cold at all; there were various patterns of pencil sketches hanging on the wall, big and small, covering the entire wall without looking messy.Those patterns are very unique, and there are all kinds of styles. Although he doesn't wear glasses and can't see the details clearly, he can still feel the artistry contained in them.He secretly guessed that these should all be written by women.

The shop is small, narrow and long, with a compartment inside and a table outside. There is a pot of stewed beef brisket on the table, with a charming aroma.He put down the beer, and the woman warmly greeted him to sit down, and then closed the shop door.

The woman took off her coat, and she was only wearing a vest underneath.

Qu Zhe was dumbfounded - her arms, from the shoulders down to the back of her hands, were all tattooed.

The woman distributed the bowls and chopsticks in front of him, completely ignoring his surprise, and said with a smile: "Eat it, eat it while it's hot. This is my specialty." After she finished speaking, she picked up the beer and flicked it with her teeth. Open the lid, put it in front of Qu Zhe, and open it for himself.

The smell is really fragrant, just by smelling it, Qu Zhe can feel that his saliva is speeding up.It is also the life of the past few years that has taught him many principles, for example, the most important thing is to have enough food and clothing.

Qu Zhe moved his chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef brisket that was cooked slowly until soft, and put it in his mouth impatiently.The tongue is burned, but it still does not affect its taste, it is really delicious.

"Is it delicious?"

"good to eat."

"Come here, touch it." The woman grinned, picked up the bottle and handed it to him.

As the glass bottle collided with a crisp sound, the woman gulped down a big gulp, while Qu Zhe just took a sip.Just looking at the posture of drinking, Qu Zhe looks like a girl, and the other party looks like an upright old man.

"Why are you outside in the middle of the night? It's such a cold day." The woman chatted with him while eating, "There's nothing to eat."

"I……"

"You're not a local, are you?"

"Well, no."

"Come here to study?"

"No," Qu Zhe hesitated a little, but said truthfully, "I didn't study anymore, I was looking for a job here, but I couldn't find it..."

There is an advantage to talking to strangers - because neither of them knows the past, but those worries are gone.

Especially talking to such a straightforward woman, he also relaxed a lot.

"Looking for a job..." the woman said while eating, "I didn't bring enough money, so I slept on the side of the road?"

"Um……"

"My name is Guan Tian, ​​and I'm a tattoo artist."

"My name is Qu Zhe."

"Then where are you from?" Guan Tian asked.

"Joe City."

"Coincidentally, me too. I may be a few years older than you. Where did you study?"

"Heaven."

Hearing this, she looked at him meaningfully, and then asked, "Which class did you graduate from?"

Qu Zhe calculated the time: "13 years."

"Oh——" Guan Tian nodded, "Then you can sleep with me, and we'll talk about it when you find a job."

Qu Zhe was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head like a rattle: "No, you are a girl."

"Hahaha……"

She put down her chopsticks, took out a cigarette from the drawer, and smoked while drinking: "Look at the two of us standing next to each other, who looks like a girl?"

"...That's not too good."

"It's okay," Guan Tian said, "I graduated from Tianzhong in 09, let's count it as your senior sister, call me Tianjie in the future, and you can count it as a friend."

"God... Sister Tian."

"Actually, my store just needs a shopkeeper, or you can do it here, but the salary can't be too high." Guan Tian said, stretching out his chopsticks to find a piece of translucent oxford in the pot. The parts were sent to Qu Zhe's bowl, "One month, two thousand?"

"Is this really good..."

"What's the matter, you're looking for a job, I'm hiring, we're still alumni," Guan Tian said, "It's called fate."

"...But I don't know how to get tattoos."

"You just need to show me a shop."

It could be seen that Qu Zhe had concerns, Guan Tian didn't force it, and turned to say: "If you really don't like it, I won't force it. It can be seen that you have difficulties. Humans, it is inevitable that sometimes you need help from others.  … …Maybe it’s good for you to learn tattooing from me in the future, it’s more or less a craft.”

Before that, Qu Zhe didn't know anything about tattoos, so he didn't talk to him, and took a sip of beer silently.The taste of beef brisket in his mouth was a good taste he hadn't tasted for a long time—maybe it wasn't that good, but at this moment, when he needed it most, it entered his stomach and warmed his whole body.

Qu Zhe didn't answer, Guan Tian said to himself: "It's very boring for me to open a shop here by myself. It just so happens that you accompany me to eat supper, which is quite happy. But if you don't want to, just pretend that I don't." Said, it's okay... how do you say it, 'Meeting by chance is fate', if you want to come later and come to me for supper, that's fine too."

After she finished speaking, she laughed naturally.

Guan Tian's eyes narrowed into slits when he laughed, and there were still some slight wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, but he didn't look old.From her words, Qu Zhe could vaguely figure out her age, probably four years older than him, but she looked much more mature.

"If Sister Tian is willing to take me in, that's really...couldn't be better." Qu Zhe said after careful consideration.

Guan Tian's eyes lit up, and he just put a piece of meat into his mouth.She nodded while chewing, with a smile in her eyes: "Yeah, yeah." She swallowed the meat in her mouth before continuing, "I will clean up for you later, there is a small room upstairs for you to live in." ...but really small."

"It's okay, in the future, in the future..." Qu Zhe said, "From now on, you will be my boss."

"Hey, if the boss is not the boss, it's called Sister Tian."

"Miss Tian."

"Eat more." Guan Tian looked at his thin body, picked up his bowl, and filled him with a full bowl of rice.

"Thank you Tianjie..."

Qu Zhe took the rice and ate it in small mouthfuls, occasionally picking up a piece of beef brisket.He tried to eat slowly, not to look too ugly, but gradually he ate faster and faster.

He has been eating very little these days, and he is really hungry.

Guan Tian chatted with him for a while, and after the two finished eating, Qu Zhe took the initiative to wash the dishes and then went upstairs.

Upstairs is where Guan Tian lives, and directly opposite the door is a small storage room of a few square meters. While Qu Zhe was washing the dishes, she had already tidied it up, and there was a folding bed and a small table.She said: "If you don't need anything, go buy it tomorrow, and I can give you some salary in advance."

"That's all right, thank you Tianjie." He thanked her earnestly and bowed slightly to her.

Guan Tian avoided it as if he couldn't get used to it, and didn't accept his gift, but said: "You're welcome, maybe we have other fate."

"what?"

"It's nothing." Guan Tian said, "My shop doesn't open until noon, so you should have a good rest, and we'll talk about it tomorrow if you have anything to do."

"Good night my sister that day."

"Good night."

After closing the door of the storage room, only a small window can let in light.Qu Zhe knelt on the bed, looking at the scenery outside, still feeling dazed.What happened in such an hour or so just now is really a coincidence, a bizarre coincidence-it just so happens that Guan Tian wants to go out to buy beer; it just so happens that she is short of manpower; It is destined in the sky that a woman with her character is probably really rare.

But no matter what, as long as he has a place to stay and a job, Qu Zhe is already very satisfied.