The next day, when Wu Jun opened his eyes, it was already bright outside. He’d stayed up past two in the morning and had overslept.
He got up from his bed on the floor, dressed, and pushed the door open. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Xu Fei helping an older woman carry some bags of rice.
"Brother Wu, you’re awake. Go wash up and eat. I’m helping Sister Li take this to the elevator," Xu Fei called out when she saw him.
"Look at you, just look at you," the older woman, Sister Li, said with a teasing smile. "Ever since Xu Fei started working here, our Wu Jun has gotten so spoiled. Sleeping in as late as he wants and having his meals ready the moment he wakes up."
"Sister Li, please don’t say that," Xu Fei explained, her face flushed red. "Brother Wu is out running around all day. He’s much more tired than I am, so he should get more rest."
Wu Jun just shook his head and smiled, not taking it to heart. Ever since Xu Fei had started working at the store, these old gossips loved to tease the two of them. He was used to it. Rubbing his eyes, he walked toward the bathroom.
After washing his face, he came out and went into the kitchen. Wu Jun glanced at his watch—it was already 6:30 in the morning. He’d slept in for over an hour.
He pulled out his phone and saw a missed call. While dishing up some food, Wu Jun called the number back. "Hello, this is Wu Jun, the general distributor for Hongyun Rice. I see you just called me."
"You’re just some fucking rice seller, what gives you the right to be so damn cocky? I called to give you some business, and you didn’t even have the balls to pick up? I was gonna do you a favor and buy a few bags, but forget it. I don’t want it now. I wouldn’t take it even if you fucking begged me!" The voice on the other end was a furious, rapid-fire tirade. Before Wu Jun could even react, the man hung up.
’What a character.’ Wu Jun chuckled, unbothered. He saved the phone number with a note. ’You can act all high and mighty now, but the day will come when you’ll be begging me to deliver.’
"What’s wrong, Brother Wu?" Xu Fei asked as she came into the kitchen. She had just finished helping Sister Li get the rice into the elevator.
"It’s nothing. Just ran into a hothead. Come on, let’s eat." Wu Jun set out the bowls and chopsticks. "Why didn’t you eat already? The food’s been ready."
"I wasn’t hungry yet," Xu Fei said quietly, reaching for the serving spoon in Wu Jun’s hand. "I’ll get the rice."
"I’ll do it today. You just sit." Wu Jun gently pressed down on Xu Fei’s arm, guiding her into a seat. He then served her a bowl of rice and placed it in front of her.
"Thank you, Brother Wu," Xu Fei said, finally picking up her chopsticks to eat. Even though they ate the same rice every day, today it tasted exceptionally good.
Wu Jun watched her take small, delicate bites and froze for a moment.
’In the past, Xu Fei always served his food and handed him his chopsticks, but he’d never once said thank you. Had he been taking her for granted?’
"What is it, Brother Wu? Is there something on my face?" Wu Jun’s staring made Xu Fei self-conscious. She asked awkwardly, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
"A rice grain," Wu Jun said, snapping out of it. He smiled and played his old trick, pinching his fingers together in the air and pretending to pop the imaginary grain into his mouth.
"There you go again," Xu Fei muttered, her face flushing at his antics. She lowered her head and continued eating. ’Strange... Why does the rice in my bowl taste even better now?’
After they finished eating, Xu Fei washed the pots and dishes while Wu Jun sat in the boss’s chair behind the counter, waiting for the phone to ring with orders.
He had visited another dozen or so restaurants yesterday, expanding his market yet again. The results should start coming in today.
BRRRING...
His phone rang. Wu Jun picked it up and saw the call was from his cousin, Qian Na, his second aunt’s daughter.
Qian Na was a headwaitress at Wanrong Restaurant. It was through her that Wu Jun had met the restaurant’s purchasing manager yesterday to pitch his rice.
"Hey, Cousin, what’s up? Calling so early?" Wu Jun asked with a smile after picking up.
"Wu Jun..." Qian Na stammered. "Just now, did you... that thing... ugh."
"Cousin, what’s going on? There’s nothing you can’t tell me directly," Wu Jun asked, completely puzzled.
Qian Na said, "Wu Jun, our purchasing manager just called and gave me an earful about you. What happened? I thought your meeting went well yesterday?"
The moment Wu Jun heard his cousin’s words, he thought of the hot-tempered customer who had called while he was dishing up their meal.
’That guy really is something else. Cursing me out wasn’t enough for him, he had to call my cousin to keep ranting? What’s his problem?’
’Even though Qian Na hadn’t said it outright, Wu Jun could guess that the man didn’t just call her to complain about him. She had probably been dragged into it, too. After all, she was the one who made the introduction.’
"I’m sorry, Cousin. I didn’t mean to get you involved in this," Wu Jun said. "I missed his call earlier. When I called him back, he just laid into me and then hung up."
"So that’s what happened..." Qian Na said. "Don’t worry about it. Our purchasing manager is the boss’s brother-in-law, so he’s used to throwing his weight around. He curses people out all the time; it’s just how he is. I’m used to it. I was just calling to see what was going on. Don’t let it get to you, Wu Jun."
After she finished speaking, Qian Na added apologetically, "I’m sorry, Wu Jun. It looks like I can’t help you out this time."
"Don’t say that, Cousin. I know you did your best," Wu Jun said, seeing another call coming in. "Hey, I’ve got another call. I have to go. Let’s get a meal together soon." He then ended the call with Qian Na.
"Hello, this is Wu Jun, the general distributor for Hongyun Rice," Wu Jun said as he answered the new call, introducing himself first.
"Hello, Boss Wu. This is Haiyue Pavilion. I’d like to order ten bags of Hongyun Rice..."
After a brief conversation to confirm the order with the owner of Haiyue Pavilion, Wu Jun was about to call Wang Qidong when, speak of the devil, the man himself walked in.
"Boss Wu, a pack of Rose Diamonds," Wang Qidong said with a smile as he came in, pulling out his phone to scan the QR payment code on the wall.
"Just take it, no need to pay." Wu Jun grabbed a pack of Rose Diamonds from the counter and tossed it over.
Wang Qidong caught the pack of cigarettes with a practiced ease. "Wow, Boss Wu, feeling generous today?" he said with a grin.
After working with him for the past few days, Wang Qidong felt it was no longer appropriate to call him ’Little Wu’ and had switched to ’Boss Wu.’ Wu Jun had tried to correct him a few times, but eventually gave up and just let him be.
"Perfect timing, Brother Wang," Wu Jun said with a smile. "You took my stuff, now you have to work for it. Go get the truck loaded up at the warehouse. You’re going wherever I point you today."
"You got it! On my way!" Hearing this, Wang Qidong knew he was set for the day, ’kept’ by Boss Wu. A simple, happy smile spread across his face as he turned and headed out of the store.
’Working for Wu Jun meant free food, drinks, and even cigarettes. The money he made in one day was more than he’d earn in several days of waiting around for fares. It was a cushy gig anyone would fight for.’
After Wang Qidong left, Wu Jun slapped his forehead. He’d just remembered something important: he’d forgotten to go to the warehouse first to summon Little Red to load the truck.
Wu Jun quickly grabbed his phone and sent Wang Qidong a voice message. He told him that Little Red had called in sick for the day, so he should find a few loaders nearby to get through the day. He’d pay their wages separately.