"Start?" Datou asked Lin Xiaotang.

Lin Xiaotang nodded.

"It's too much, can we handle it just by the two of us?"

Lin Xiaotang nodded again.

"Damn it, try your best, my hands are going to be useless anyway! At worst, I will lose two more feet!"

Lin Xiaotang nodded again with a solemn expression.

Both of them were covered in sweat.

In the alley behind the cafe, Lin Xiaotang and Datou each wore a shiny white uniform with the words "Santos Cafe" printed on it, and stared blankly at the two large pots piled like hills in front of them.

tablecloth.

Later, the two rolled up their trousers, took off their shoes, picked up a few tablecloths and threw them into the nearby wooden basin, added some soap powder, jumped into the wooden basin and started trampling on the tablecloths with laughter, causing water to splash everywhere.

Lin Xiaotang and Datou came to work at Santos Cafe four days ago. Only after arriving in the public concession did they realize how difficult it is to make a living here.

After the Japanese occupied Nanjing and Shanghai, since they had not yet declared war with Britain, the United States, and France, the public concession and the French Concession became rare paradises in the occupied areas. Lin Xiaotang and Datou originally wanted to rent a small house to live temporarily, but they did not expect that the current house is

Renting only one room would require a small yellow croaker for half a year, but the combined cash money the two of them had was still far from enough, so they had to give up.

Later, the two of them wandered here aimlessly and found that this cafe was recruiting handymen, but they couldn't figure out why there were still vacancies. You must know that as long as there is a job in the concession, there are countless people competing for it.

The owner of the cafe is named Shen. He is in his thirties. He is in a suit and leather shoes. He is white and fat. His hair is combed back and waxed. It is so bright that it can be used as a mirror. But his eyesight is not very good, and his right eye is always stuck.

A lens.

After discussing the conditions, I found out why he couldn't recruit people here. The conditions were so damn harsh: he wanted foreigners, not locals, he had to be a man, he had no parents, no wife, no children, and the monthly salary was fifteen yuan.

, one day off per month, but you can only take a break if your boss nods and agrees.

Just kidding, the cheapest cup of coffee in a cafe costs fifteen yuan. This salary can only cover two days of meals in the concession where prices are skyrocketing.

The boss, Fatty Shen, probably saw that Lin Xiaotang and Lin Xiaotang were foreigners who had just arrived in Shanghai, so he simply made another condition, that is, the store would provide food and accommodation, and Lin Xiaotang and Lin Xiaotang could help look after the store at night. After all, the war was in chaos now, and there were two

A strong man living in the store would give him a lot of peace of mind, but his salary would be reduced by another two yuan.

This is also what attracts the two of them the most at the moment.

After staying there for only two days, Fatty Shen came to see two people and said that the patrol room in the concession was tight and asked them to apply for identity certificates. Lin Xiaotang also wanted to change his identity, and once he escaped the harassment of the military commander and other unrelated people, he

Full of agreement,

Who would have thought that the sarcastic Fatty Shen had defrauded him of twenty yuan again. Later, he found out that there were hundreds of thousands of refugees in the concession. There was no time for the police station to check them one by one, but at least the identity certificate was finally obtained and the whole thing was settled.

Worry.

From then on, Lin Xiaotang and Datou were regarded as serious Shanghainese. Lin Xiaotang was called Lin Qi, and Datou was called Cai Da.

In addition to a few waiters and three chefs, the only two busboys in the cafe are Lin Xiaotang and Da Tou. Therefore, these two people became the targets of Fatty Shen's exploitation. They were also labeled as omnipotent and had to clean every day.

Hygiene, cleaning the toilet, washing dishes and tablecloths, the two of them lost a lot of weight in a few days.

But there was nothing they could do. Who made life in the concession so difficult now? In order to get three meals a day, Lin Xiaotang and Datou could only hold their noses and go on without cursing Fatty Shen every day.

Lin Xiaotang stepped on the tablecloth while handing Dutou a cigarette, "Smoking sparingly, we don't have much stock."

Da Tou muttered and took it, "I was so ambitious before that I planned to be a good person, but I didn't expect that I would end up like this miserable person now."

Lin Xiaotang held a cigarette between his fingers and glanced at him, "Come on, life is difficult. Just keep a low profile when you first arrive in Shanghai Maritime. You will eventually have a chance."

Just as Da Tou was about to answer, a conspiratorial voice came from behind the two of them, "I'm telling you why the tablecloth always smells like stinky feet these days. You two guys cut corners after doing this for a long time!"

Lin Xiaotang and Datou were excited, and quickly jumped out of the tub with a smile on their face, "Boss, are we speeding up? They are still waiting to be used in the store, so we should finish washing them earlier to dry them."

"Hmph!" With an unkind nasal sound, Fatty Shen struggled to squeeze out from the narrow back door, "Fart!"

Fatty Shen pointed at the two people with his fingers as thick as carrots, "You two are the kind of people who have read books. Apart from being lazy and talking nonsense, what else can you do? You two, please be smart, this is not your home. This is Shanghai Beach. If it’s a tiger here, you have to lie down for me. If it’s a dragon, you have to lie down for me. Since you’re working, you have to look like you’re working. Are you deliberately messing up the situation for me and letting the guests see it? If you act like this, who would come to the store?"

"Yes, yes, there will never be a next time!" Lin Xiaotang and Datou hurriedly said yes.

Fatty Shen waved his hand angrily and pointed at Lin Xiaotang, "Xiao Qi, come with me."

Then he pointed at the big head and said, "You, go on and do me a good job. Remember, wash it with your hands. If you let me catch you again, just get out!"

Lin Xiaotang agreed and followed Fatty Shen into the store, not forgetting to turn around and give the angry guy with smoke coming out of his head a gloating smile.

To be honest, Fatty Shen is treacherous and stingy, but he can still deal with his subordinates. At least he never skimps on three meals a day and has a meal of meat every two or three days. Even with such a terrifying appetite, he Never said anything.

According to his words, he also came from a bitter background and knows what it feels like to be hungry, so he will never treat the people below him poorly when it comes to eating. In addition, Fatty Shen is also extremely protective of his shortcomings. If outsiders bully his subordinates, Fatty Shen will definitely stand out. . So Lin Xiaotang never had any ill feelings towards Fatty Shen.

Fatty Shen brought Lin Xiaotang to his office, closed the door behind him, took out a set of clothes from the cabinet and handed them to Lin Xiaotang, "Change into them!"

Lin Xiaotang was stunned.

"What are you doing standing there in a daze? Put on your clothes and help me do something later!" Fatty Shen was a little impatient.

Only then did Lin Xiaotang take it, and it turned out to be a suit, the latest model from Shanghai.

He quickly changed his clothes. Fatty Shen looked up and down, "Not bad, not bad, my figure is not bad, I still have a bit of style when I put on this outfit."

Fatty Shen patted Lin Xiaotang on the shoulder, "There is a regular customer in the store who is in trouble today and needs a new face to help. After much thought, you are the only one who is the most suitable. Don't worry, this help is not in vain. That old customer will take action." It’s very generous, and the benefits will certainly come from you.”

Fatty Shen took Lin Xiaotang to the curtain in the aisle, pointed to a table of customers in the store and said to him: "Did you see that, that's the table, yes, yes, the one against the wall. The young man's name is Ma Qixiang, he is from the concession. The nephew of Chairman Ma of the Chamber of Commerce, his name is Ma Qixiang, a rich man! You go there now, remember, don’t say anything, just walk over and nod and smile at what he says, you know?"

Lin Xiaotang agreed and opened the curtain and walked over. The waiters in the store looked at him sympathetically, which made Lin Xiaotang extremely confused and had an ominous premonition in his heart.

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

Frankly speaking, this Ma Qixiang should be the most beautiful man Lin Xiaotang has ever seen, with skin as white as jade, two sharp eyebrows, a straight nose, and a full face.

Ma Qixiang turned around and saw Lin Xiaotang. He smiled. He was indeed a handsome man who turned all living beings upside down. "Why does it take so long to go to the bathroom? Come on, sit here."

With that said, Ma Qixiang patted the seat next to the sofa and motioned for Lin Xiaotang to sit next to him.

Lin Xiaotang sat down nervously, but still kept a gentle smile on his face, which made Ma Qixiang couldn't help but 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 was about to break free, but immediately saw Fatty Shen's eyes not far away. Fatty Shen shook his head coldly at him.

Being grabbed by a grown man's hand in such an ambiguous manner and placed on his knee. This was an action that could only be done by a couple, but now it happened to two men, and the person involved was actually himself. The hair on Lin Xiaotang's body was... When I stood up straight, I felt like I was about to vomit in my chest.

Perhaps sensing that Lin Xiaotang's palms were cold, Ma Qixiang turned to look at him with a smile, and patted his hand gently to signal that Lin Xiaotang shouldn't be so nervous.

Only then did Lin Xiaotang realize that there was a woman sitting opposite. She was about 27 or 27 years old. She was a graceful young woman with an upper-middle appearance. She stared at Lin Xiaotang and Ma Qixiang without blinking with a pair of red phoenix eyes. Her eyes were uncontrollable. Live in anger.

Ma Qixiang held Lin Xiaotang's left hand with his left hand, and took advantage of the situation with his right hand to wrap around Lin Xiaotang's shoulder and pull him into his arms. This made Lin Xiaotang tremble all over, but Fatty Shen kept staring at him, and he also Don't dare to break away.

Ma Qixiang leaned forward slightly, "Sally, don't you want to see him? This is him."

The young woman looked at Ma Qixiang resentfully, "Axiang, don't lie to me. I know you love me in your heart. You said you only love me. I am willing to leave everything for you. Isn't that enough?"

Ma Qixiang sighed, "Sally, you also know what kind of person I am. I told you when I was with you that what I hate most in my life is to be bound by one person. I long for freedom and unfettered freedom." In life, my feelings go with the flow. I can’t decide who I meet or fall in love with!”

Sally stood up, "Just because of this pretty boy, are you going to abandon me?"

Ma Qixiang turned his head and looked at Lin Xiaotang affectionately, "I can't help it, who made me meet him again after you?"

Lin Xiaotang's back was covered in cold sweat, but he couldn't break free.

Ma Qixiang took his shoulder and leaned Lin Xiaotang's head on his shoulder. "Who can explain feelings clearly?" As he said that, he kissed Lin Xiaotang's hair gently.

Lin Xiaotang's heart was about to explode, large beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his face turned pale.

Sally stood up suddenly, "Ma Qixiang, you bastard, you actually like men, you go to hell!" After saying that, she grabbed a glass of water from the table, poured it on Ma Qixiang's face, 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: "Old Shen, how many times have I told you, the water on the other side must be warm water, today
Chapter completed!