Chapter 19: The Second Layoff
Mu Mu thought losing his job at Madame Li’s was bad enough, but misfortune continued to plague him.
What surprised Mu Mu most was that the next person to fire him would be the kind Fat Boss at the restaurant.
Although Zheng An and Mu Mu worked at the same shop, they rarely worked together.
Zheng An liked to sleep in and worked as a cashier, stationed at the front desk, unlike Mu Mu who had to arrive early to clean and prepare for the day.
Today, for some reason, Zheng An went to work with Mu Mu. Because he arrived early, he was there to hear Mu Mu’s bad news.
When Mu Mu heard he was fired again, he didn’t lose his composure as he had with Madame Li.
Perhaps it was just getting used to it.
He just felt confused, wondering what he had done wrong, why he had lost everything in a single day.
Mu Mu stared blankly at the angry Fat Boss, unable to reconcile the man before him with the always smiling middle-aged man in his memory.
He just silently watched the man’s mouth open and close, rapidly speaking.
Zheng An, standing next to the Fat Boss, abandoned his usual go-with-the-flow attitude. He was excitedly arguing with the Fat Boss.
Surprisingly, the most agitated person after the Fat Boss announced Mu Mu’s dismissal was Zheng An, who should have remained an observer.
Mu Mu saw Zheng An glance back at him, giving him a reassuring look, his lips moving quickly, saying something before turning back to argue with the Fat Boss.
But Mu Mu couldn’t hear anything except “You’re fired, you don’t need to come in from today.” He couldn’t hear what Zheng An was saying; his old and broken hearing aid seemed to have malfunctioned again.
Oh right, Mu Mu remembered that he knew a little lip-reading. He saw that Zheng An had just said, “Don’t be afraid.”
Am I afraid? Mu Mu lowered his head, seeing his hands tightly gripping Zheng An’s sleeve.
He’d gripped so hard that the cheap black sleeve was stretched long, revealing his entire neck and a small patch of honey-colored back, and the already thin material was almost transparent.
Yes, I am afraid. Afraid of not having money to eat, of not having money to pay rent and ending up sleeping on the streets.
Afraid he might choke Zheng An or rip his clothes, Mu Mu quickly let go, instead gripping his backpack strap.
Zheng An’s neck relaxed, and the feeling of suffocation was gone, restoring his fighting spirit.
“…No, Boss, why are you firing Mu Mu? He’s worked here for so long. He’s the most diligent and hardworking in the whole shop. If you have to fire someone, fire those lazy ones! Why fire Mu Mu?”
Those watching from behind pillars and walls, hearing Zheng An involve himself in this, made dissatisfied “Shh” sounds, seemingly unaware of their own laziness.
“Ai, I know,” Fat Boss wiped the sweat from his forehead, glaring at Zheng An, “But he’s deaf, lame, and a fool. Customers complained that he made them uncomfortable.”
Upon hearing this, Zheng An exploded, his face turning red with anger, “Who said that?! Who’s so disrespectful? I think such people don’t deserve to eat here! A little money doesn’t make you better than others! Do you think you can look down on people just because you have money? Believe me, I’ll report you to the Disability Federation and Consumer Protection!”
Since last night, Fat Boss had mentally rehearsed countless scenarios of Mu Mu’s reaction and how to handle it.
He hadn’t expected Zheng An to interfere, a tenacious Zheng An, making Fat Boss sweat even more, he could only yell angrily.
“I said fire him, so fire him. Are you the boss, or am I?! I’m the one in charge here! Zheng An, if you keep stirring up trouble, you’re fired too!”
Normally, Zheng An would have laughed it off.
But now, he glared back at the Fat Boss, saying, “Fine, I’m leaving!” He turned and grabbed Mu Mu’s wrist, pulling him away.
Zheng An took only one step before Mu Mu stopped him. He turned back to look at Mu Mu, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Mu Mu, looking at Zheng An’s reddened eyes, said nothing, stepping forward and gently hugging Zheng An.
Zheng An didn’t expect this sudden turn of events. The soft body stiffened him, and he stammered Mu Mu’s name.
“Thank you, An An,” Mu Mu whispered to Zheng An before quickly stepping back. He pulled the stunned Zheng An forward to bow deeply to the Fat Boss.
“Boss, I’m sorry, An An is a little quick-tempered, he didn’t mean to argue with you. He knows he’s wrong, Boss, please don’t fire him.”
Zheng An didn’t expect Mu Mu, the simpleton, to plead for him when he himself was in trouble, and his eyes welled up.
“Little fool…”
Mu Mu, thinking Zheng An was still angry and would leave, quickly grabbed his hand tightly.
He was quite strong, and his sudden grip hurt Zheng An, making his face twist in pain, tears streaming down, leaving him speechless.
Taking advantage of the moment, Mu Mu released Zheng An’s hand, stepped forward, and bowed again to the Fat Boss with a complex expression, “Thank you, Boss, for your care these past few months.”
He left the restaurant without looking back.
Seeing Mu Mu leave, Zheng An reached out to grab him. The Fat Boss, quick-witted, grabbed Zheng An’s collar, pulling him back.
Only after Mu Mu completely disappeared did the Fat Boss release Zheng An’s collar. He sighed and turned towards the back kitchen.
Zheng An, anxious and angry, rushed after the Fat Boss, urgently saying, “Boss, you really fired Mu Mu? Why? Is he bad? If you really dislike him being disabled, you can let him wash dishes in the back kitchen!”
“Boss, that poor fool is broke. If he loses this job, he won’t be able to pay rent, he’ll be sleeping on the streets.”
Fat Boss glared at Zheng An. Was it his choice to fire Mu Mu? He was powerless!
He was a small fry, and his only goal was providing for his family.
He was kind-hearted and pitied Mu Mu, the simpleton. But he couldn’t ignore his family and other employees because of Mu Mu.
Ultimately, it was Mu Mu who offended the person, and it was Mu Mu who caused the trouble. Even if he’s a fool, he’s an adult and must take responsibility for his actions.
Whether it was good fortune or misfortune was up to Mu Mu.
Fat Boss paused, throwing a sideways glare at Zheng An, sternly saying, “Zheng An, I’m only keeping you because of Mu Mu. If you dare say another word, I’m firing you too! Don’t beg me then, even if you cry and roll on the floor, I won’t feel sorry for you!”
Zheng An, seeing the Fat Boss’s expressionless face, understood that he was genuinely angry and meant what he said.
The threat of unemployment felt like a sharp knife at his neck, extinguishing his high spirits.
Seeing Zheng An laugh awkwardly, Fat Boss snorted heavily, saying, “Go back and clean the front desk; it’s full of dust. What does it look like? Will customers want to come in and eat?”
He quickly walked to the back kitchen, but the figure behind the door looked guilty.