Chapter 15 - Part time

Jian silently washed the vegetables in the kitchen. The kind couple had hired him, but they refused to let him clean up the dirty dishes. Instead, they made him clean cabbages to be pickled.

His eyes roamed around. The kitchen was small enough that it could only fit around three people inside with two stoves. The younger twenty-or-something girl was making the noodles.

Notching his gaze, she gazed back with a smile. "I'm Giya, what's yours?"

"Jian," he smiled softly. He didn't know what to talk to her about so he silently started to wash the cabbages.

"Which grade are you in?" the young woman strained the noodles and [placed it in a bowl. She then handed it through the small window that opened to the restaurant. "You look awfully young to be working,"

Kui clenched the cabbage tightly. "I'm in tenth grade. And I'm not young,"

Technically, he was not a young boy but a mature man. But physically he was still a child.

The young woman named Giya gazed back with a smirk. "Is that so? Next time you head here, make sure to bring a change of clothes. It would look bad if you are caught with your school uniform working here," saying so she continued to cook the noodles.

Kui nodded. She had a point. If the school got to know he was working part-time at such a young age, they would definitely expel him.

He finished washing the cabbages and stood up, drying his hands. "Can I wash the dishes now?"

"The water is cold. I don't want you to get sick. Wait a bit. ill mix the pickle mixture. Just massage it into the cabbage," She hurriedly placed the cooked noodles in the bowl and came over to him wiping he hands on the apron. "Hand me the chili flakes," she pointed to the huge bag of chilly.

Kui dragged it over.

He watched her carefully as she mixed all the spices. "We make our own side dishes, that include pickles as well. This huge tub of cabbages will be eaten in just two days. So we will be making a batch every two days. I want you to learn how I make the mixture. Make notes if you have to. Next time you will be making it on your own,"

"Okay," given the notice, he carefully noted all the ingredients. Soon, a bright red paste was mixed up.

"You have to massage the paste into each of the cabbage leaves. only then will it ferment properly," she showed him how to coat the cabbage.

Seeing this Jian sat beside her and took over the job.

"Don't touch your face while doing so. this thing is very potent. Oh, wear gloves too,"

She wasn't wearing a glove, but she made him wear an oversized plastic glove.

Kui followed her instructions and started to make the pickled cabbages.

It took him about an hour to finally finish coating it. he stacked it up in a neat stack.

In his house, he had made pickled cabbages once, but Bian had accidentally left the jar open. The fragmentation was not complete and it spoiled. He stopped trying to make pickles after that.

'That guy is really troublesome.' Clicking his tongue, he made sure to stack it all tightly.

Giya helped him stuff them into huge jars and placed them in a pickle fridge.

After doing so he awkwardly stood in the kitchen. "Any other work?"

The young woman just shook her head. "You worked for two hours. That's enough head home before your grandmother gets worried."

"She would be worried I didn't make dinner on time..." he grumbled under his breath.

"What?" Giya gave him a loo.

"No nothing. I'll see you tomorrow then," he ran out of the restaurant before she could ask any more questions.

Walking through the slightly darkened streets he started to think of a reason to give to his grandmother.

Right now he had to stay at that house. So, he had to tolerate it for a few months or so. but he wouldn't be a doormat like last life.

'Should I lie and say that I was at the library?"

There was a library on the back side of the school but since it did not have any up-to-date syllabus books students do not frequent it often.

He could say that he was studying there.

'Hmm, that would work.'

With a smile, he happily ran to his house.

By the time he reached the gates, his school uniform was completely soaked with sweat. 'goodness I completely underestimated how long that was...'

He removed his dirty torn shoes and entered the house.

Right as he stepped in a slipper flew to his face.

He quickly dodged it and looked at the way the slipper was thrown. His grandmother stood there panting in rage.

Her whole frame was shaking. Including her belly fat and her arm fat.

It was quite comical.

He lowered his head and held back his laugh.

"you rascal! How dare you bully my Bian!"

'Here they go again.'