Chapter 24: You’re Great, But I Can’t Hire You
That day, the downstairs was crowded. Most were simply onlookers; a few were Mu Mu and Zheng An’s long-time neighbors, and they usually had a good relationship. They wanted to help but were intimidated by the landlord and the thugs and didn’t dare to move.
Mu Mu and Zheng An, under the inquisitive, doubtful, mocking, or sympathetic gazes, slowly gathered their belongings, leaving shamefacedly under the landlord’s endless humiliation.
After leaving their apartment building, Mu Mu and Zheng An stood hesitantly, looking at the darkening sky and the rapidly passing aircraft, exchanging bewildered glances.
They stood in the middle of the sidewalk, carrying their suitcases; they were too conspicuous and blocked the way. Passers-by looked at them as they walked by, and even turned back to look again, then turned to their companions to discuss what they were doing.
Mu Mu pulled Zheng An’s arm, moving to the side with the small suitcase, whispering, “An An, where are we going to sleep tonight?”
Zheng An lowered his head, looking at Mu Mu’s clear, round eyes, and shook his head blankly, “I don’t know.”
He then turned his head back to the road.
By now, it was completely dark. The lights had come on, creating a world even more vibrant and colorful than during the day.
Only, there was no place for him and Mu Mu to stay.
Zheng An slowly crouched down, burying his hands in his thick hair, his fingers tightening as he pulled at his hair, trying to calm his anxiety with the pain.
Mu Mu also crouched down, extending his arms to wrap around Zheng An’s shoulders, pulling him into his thin embrace.
He didn’t speak, just quietly accompanied Zheng An. The multicolored lights reflected in his clean, clear eyes, making them particularly bright.
In the flickering light and shadow, his youthful face was surprisingly reliable.
Mu Mu stayed with Zheng An by the roadside for a long time, until Zheng An had completely calmed down. Then, dragging their suitcases, they found a cheap motel nearby.
Fortunately, there were many small motels in this area. The rent was inexpensive, and the long-term price was reasonable, something they could afford.
Otherwise, being evicted so late, they might have had to sleep on the street, as the landlord had said.
The motel wasn’t without its drawbacks: the room was tiny, only about ten square meters including the bathroom. Two single beds were placed side by side, leaving a passageway narrow enough for only one person to walk sideways.
But Mu Mu and Zheng An were children who had suffered hardships; they felt lucky not to be sleeping on the street and wouldn’t complain about the small room.
Moreover, they were more worried about the rent than the room size.
They knew finding an apartment was harder than finding a job. Finding a conveniently located, comfortable, and affordable apartment would take time.
Zheng An was fine; he still had his job with a steady monthly income. By saving in other areas, he wouldn’t feel too burdened.
Mu Mu was in a dire situation. He had lost his part-time job and was now living off his savings. Every day spent at the motel reduced his savings.
Lying in bed, he burrowed into his small blanket with the border collie pattern, clutching the star-shaped nightlight tightly, his eyes wide as he stared at the dark room, calculating his savings repeatedly.
After calculating his savings, he was not only sleepless; the little sleepiness he had also vanished with the numbers. Mu Mu started planning where to look for work tomorrow.
Suddenly, he heard a turning sound beside him.
The stiffly laundered sheets rustled, sounding loud in the quiet room.
Mu Mu turned his head, his eyes widening, trying to see what Zheng An was doing. But it was too dark; he could only vaguely see a lump on the bed next to him.
Mu Mu wanted to ask if Zheng An was asleep but was afraid of waking him. He pursed his lips, then half-closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to come.
A few seconds later, Zheng An’s voice sounded in the darkness, in Mu Mu’s familiar, somewhat annoying tone.
“If you can’t sleep because you’re afraid of the dark, turn on your stupid star light. I didn’t say you couldn’t. Seriously, why are the curtains drawn so tightly? The room is as dark as a coffin.”
He lifted the blanket and got out of bed. The movement was a bit large, causing the not-so-good spring mattress to squeak unpleasantly.
Mu Mu thought Zheng An was going to the bathroom. He turned over, rubbing his cheek against the pillow, muttering, “Turn on the light, don’t bump into anything.”
Zheng An “hmph”-ed, replying, “Mind your own business.” He groped his way to the window and pulled the thick curtains, which were heavy enough to be worn as a tweed coat, to the sides.
Colorful light instantly squeezed through the narrow gap, casting a bright band of light in the dark small room.
Zheng An walked towards his bed with his hands behind his back like an old man, “Much brighter now, not like lying in a coffin anymore.”
Mu Mu softly corrected him, “An An, you’ve never slept in a coffin, how do you know what it looks like? Besides, coffins are antiques, very expensive. Only the big nobles can afford them; we can’t.”
Zheng An retorted impatiently, “It’s a figure of speech. Do you understand figures of speech, you little fool? Why are you being so literal?”
Mu Mu sniffed, turned towards Zheng An’s bed, and was about to speak when he heard a “bang!” from the bed next to him, as Zheng An threw himself onto the bed.
He paused, and Zheng An’s voice preceded his, “It’s bright now, let’s sleep. We have to find an apartment and a job tomorrow.”
Mu Mu looked at the ever-changing band of light in the small room, knowing that Zheng An had opened the curtains for him because he was afraid of the dark. The corners of his lips curled into a smile, and he said softly.
“Thank you, An An. You’re so good, Mu Mu loves you the most.”
Zheng An unconsciously widened his eyes, his face flushed. Even though he knew Mu Mu couldn’t see, he turned over, turning his back to him.
“Yuck!” he said in an exaggerated tone. “In the middle of the night, don’t disgust me. Who wants you to like them. I’m going to sleep, sleep if you want to.”
Mu Mu was used to Zheng An’s occasional sharp tongue and didn’t get angry. He turned over, facing the colorful light band, rubbing his cheek against the not-so-soft pillow, closing his eyes, softly saying, “Goodnight, An An.”
Zheng An ignored Mu Mu, deliberately deepening his breathing, as if he were asleep.
After a while, a steady, slightly heavy breathing sound echoed in the small room. Zheng An, who should have been asleep, opened his eyes, looking at the nearby wall, and curled his lips into a smile.
Seriously, even homeless, he can still sleep. Fools are so carefree.
——
The next day, Mu Mu and Zheng An took out some nutrient solution from their luggage for breakfast. Within five minutes of drinking the solution, they divided their tasks—Mu Mu would continue to look for work, and Zheng An would worry about finding a place to live.
Mu Mu had no objection to this arrangement. He was clueless about finding a suitable apartment; even their previous apartment was found by Zheng An.
After drinking the nutrient solution, they went to the front desk to renew their short-term rental and then parted ways.
In the past two days, Mu Mu had already asked every shop nearby; they all said they weren’t hiring. He had originally planned to rest for two days before searching further afield.
He never expected to be evicted by the landlord, completely disrupting his plans.
Mu Mu chose the university town bordering the next district. Because of the large student population, there were many cafes, convenience stores, and supermarkets, increasing his chances of finding a job.
Mu Mu was lucky. Just leaving the transit station, not even 500 meters away, he saw a convenience store with a “Help Wanted” sign in the window.
To appear like a healthy, normal person, he found a public restroom before going to the convenience store to apply for a job. He practiced walking and smiling in the mirror and carefully adjusted his hearing aid to the position where he could hear most clearly.
But Mu Mu didn’t expect that even after he’d heeded the advice of the bosses who had fired or rejected him and tried his best to disguise himself as a flawless normal person, he still couldn’t get even the simplest job as a cashier or stocker.
On one side of a long table, a girl wearing a light blue apron and a ponytail gave an apologetic smile, her eyes avoiding Mu Mu’s, hesitantly refusing him.
“I’m sorry, you’ve made a wasted trip. We’ve already filled all our positions.”
Filled? Mu Mu turned his head, looking at the illuminated sign in the window, which clearly stated, “Hiring: Cashiers (2) and Stockers (3).”
The young boss followed Mu Mu’s gaze to the sign, which was displaying the job advertisement in bright colors. She blushed with embarrassment.
Her hands clenched her apron under the table, she said with a forced smile, “That advertisement…I forgot to take it down. We filled all our positions yesterday…or the day before yesterday.”
“I’m so sorry, I’ll take it down now.” She got up and quickly walked outside. A cashier of similar age saw her removing the sign and poked her head out from the counter, asking loudly,
“Sister, why are you taking down the sign? Aren’t we still short-staffed? If you take it down, no one will see it.”
The young boss felt a sense of foreboding when the cashier poked her head out, frantically shaking her head and waving her hands at the cashier. But it was too late; she didn’t stop the girl from speaking.
The young boss gasped, her face turning from white to red to deep red. She looked at Mu Mu, her eyes meeting his calm, dark eyes and gentle smile through the clean glass.
She didn’t know why, but her heart tightened, and she felt like crying. She saw Mu Mu get up and slowly walk towards her.
Blushing, she helplessly clutched the sign, stammering, “It’s not that I don’t want to hire you, you’re great, it’s just that we’re fully staffed. Uh, maybe you could come back next month? Maybe there will be openings then.”
Mu Mu knew the boss was lying; she didn’t want to hire him, so how could she think he was great?
He smiled at the young girl, saying softly, “Thank you, then I’ll try again next month.”
【Author’s Note】: Yan Moumou will appear in the next chapter (stroking chin) Maybe, perhaps, probably…