RPAGF 10: Fellow villager
10: Fellow villager
Gu Amei never dreamed that she would come to Jinghua City with her relatives to work as a nanny. After only one month of work, she was fired by her employer for making a small mistake.
She is now penniless and almost at her wit's end.
She didn't know why her situation had become such a mess, as if she had just had a nightmare.
However, being resilient by nature and harboring ideals, she was unwilling to admit defeat or give up. Therefore, she remained in Jinghua City and did not return to her hometown.
Besides, she didn't have the money to go back to her hometown. She didn't even know where to catch the train or which train to take.
Unfortunately, fate was not kind to her, and time did not change anything.
She struggled desperately, searching for a way out of adversity. But to no avail.
When she saw the job posting outside Ningning Typing Shop, she felt a glimmer of hope.
However, when she saw the content on GG, her expression changed, and her eyes dimmed. This shop only hired male apprentices, and she was a girl.
Looking at the bustling customers in the store, the booming business, and the two young men and women working frantically, she finally clung to her last glimmer of hope and reluctantly went inside.
"Hello, do you need help with typing or building a computer?" Zhou Ning asked politely when he saw her.
"I don't want anything." Gu Amei shook her head, looked at Zhou Ning, gritted her teeth, and then asked, "Excuse me, can I work here?"
"I'm sorry, we only accept male apprentices here." Zhou Ning shook her head and replied with some regret, "You are a girl, so you don't meet our requirements."
"I don't need a high salary, I just need enough to eat and a place to live."
"I'm from a southwestern province, from a mountainous area, and I'm very capable. I can endure hardship, any kind of hardship." Since Gu Amei had spoken, she naturally wouldn't give up easily.
This was a rare opportunity; if she missed it, she would either starve to death or end up sleeping on the streets.
All I could do was plead, "I can learn what I don't know. I'll definitely study hard. Please let me stay, please."
Zhou Ning wanted to continue refusing, but then she suddenly remembered that Han Wen was also from the Southwest Province, and she recalled the pitiful scene when he appeared in front of her alone, dragging a suitcase.
Her compassion kicked in, and she changed her mind, turning to Han Wen and calling out, "Han Wen, come here for a second."
Han Wen was squatting on the ground, busy repairing the computer, and didn't see Gu Amei, nor did he hear the conversation between the two girls.
After hearing the shout, he stood up, turned his head and looked around, and immediately saw Gu Amei.
"Sister Ning, what's wrong?" he asked curiously.
"She's from your hometown, in the Southwest Province, and she's here looking for work." Zhou Ning pointed at Gu Amei: "But you're recruiting male apprentices, and she's a girl."
However, I feel she's quite suitable. So, I'd like to hear your opinion.
"From the Southwest Province?" Han Wen was surprised.
These days, not many people from the southwestern provinces go out to work.
Han Wen was surprised to meet his fellow townsman in Jinghua City and couldn't help but take a closer look at Gu Amei.
"My name is Gu Amei, I'm from Southwest Province, and I'm 16 years old." Gu Amei glanced at the Korean text and introduced herself: "I'm completely desperate now, I have no food, no water, and no place to stay. Please help me, I beg you."
This little girl, all alone, actually came to Jinghua City to make her way in the world. To be honest, Han Wen admired her from the bottom of his heart.
After all, as a man, he only started his life as a migrant worker in Beijing after graduating from high school.
This girl is something else. She probably started her journey to Beijing right after graduating from junior high school. She's got guts.
To be honest, Han Wen didn't want to hire a girl that young.
Firstly, it's inconvenient to live with someone else. Secondly, I can't lift heavy things or do strenuous work.
However, he felt a little reluctant to refuse.
"Sister Ning, why don't you take down the recruitment poster outside?" Han Wen thought for a moment and then made a decision: "As the saying goes, when fellow villagers meet, their eyes well up with tears."
Since Gu Amei is from my hometown, let's let her stay.
At home, you rely on your parents; away from home, you rely on your friends. She's in trouble now, and I can't just ignore her."
"Okay." Zhou Ning nodded and walked out.
"Thank you, Brother Han, thank you for helping me, thank you so much!" Gu Amei was so surprised that she almost cried.
"I'm not really helping you. I'm keeping you here so you can learn a skill from me and make money for me." Han Wen shook his head and explained, "You just said you have no food, no drink, and no place to stay, so start working today."
GG, as you can see, there's a guaranteed minimum of 300 yuan, and all other income comes from commissions. Of course, if you learn quickly and are diligent, you should be able to earn 700 or 800 yuan a month.
You can eat out or have a meal with me at the restaurant. It's just regular food, and I won't charge you for meals.
Can you rent a place yourself? There are some single rooms available nearby.
The price isn't too expensive, but the space is quite small. However, it's fine for one person.
"I have no money left, not a single penny. I'm eating at the shop, eating with you."
"I can cook, and I'm quite good at it. It'll taste just like home; you'll definitely like it." Gu Amei shook her head: "I won't rent a place anymore; I can sleep in the shop."
"There's only one bed upstairs. If you sleep here, I'll have to sleep on the floor downstairs." Han Wen said somewhat dejectedly, "Besides, men and women shouldn't be too close. It's not appropriate for the two of us to live together."
If you're willing to rent a place elsewhere, I can give you some of my salary in advance.
Don't worry about money. As long as you have food, lodging, and other necessities, you'll always have opportunities to earn money in the future.
"Even if you give me an advance on my salary, I won't be willing to spend it." Gu Amei still shook her head: "You don't need to sleep on the floor downstairs, I can sleep downstairs. It's hot in the summer, so I won't feel cold."
These days, I've endured all sorts of hardships in Jinghua City. Don't worry about me, I can persevere, I can bear it.
Seeing that Gu Amei still refused, Han Wen didn't press the matter further. "Fine, let's just see how things go," he thought.
If I didn't have the ability, that would be fine. But now that I do have the ability, I will naturally find a way to take care of my fellow villager.
It was nothing, not worth mentioning.
"Since you insist, I respect your decision." Han Wen nodded.
Gu Amei is a ruthless person. She learned to type from Han Wen in just a few days.
Moreover, while taking on all the typing work, she was also busy washing vegetables, cooking, tidying up, and cleaning.
One person took over almost all the work in the store.
This freed Hanwen up completely, allowing him to focus on his computer assembly and repair business.