Asking For A Job

"Hey, where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet."

Zhi Luan was enthralled by the clear pictures displayed on the box so much, that he paid the man no attention.

"What, you haven't seen a television before?"

The man yelled, feeling irritated.

"Look, I don't have time for this. If you have nothing to do here, you can just-,"

"What's that noise?"

Zhi Luan asked, interrupting the man.

And just as the man was about to scold further, he heard the noise Zhi Luan mentioned.

"The police? What are the police doing blowing their siren around here?"

He reached for the television remote and changed the channel, disregarding Zhi Luan's stunned look. The channel was a news channel, and they were currently reporting breaking news.

"That place… it's just a couple of blocks from here! To think that that mass murdering maniac has stretched his hands on the women of this area."

The serial killer case had been going on for more than three months. And in these months, the killer had only targeted women from the suburban part of the city. No one knew where the killer would strike next, so everyone had their guard up. But from what the man said, it seemed this was the first time the killer had appeared on this side of the city.

However, the Life Report made an announcement.

According to the news, a distress call was made not so long ago by an eyewitness. A lady by the name of Miss Yan Qincheng was found in an alley slightly conscious, and a naked man lying unconscious beside her.

The old man sighed when he heard the name, Yan Qincheng.

"Poor girl… what would have happened to her?"

Then he turned to Zhi Luan.

"Why are you still here?"

"What city is this? I haven't been here before."

The old massaged his head.

"Are you pranking me?"

Zhi Luan shook his head.

"I'm not. I lost my way and winded up here."

"And you don't know Sanxing City?"

"Sanxing City?"

Zhi Luan repeated the question in utter confusion.

The old man was at a loss for what to say. He couldn't tell if was being tricked by this stranger, but he was nonetheless compelled to ask more questions.

"Where are you from? Maybe we can start from there."

"I'm from Fushan village in the Houtian Continent."

Words failed to describe how confused the old man was at this point.

"The what continent?"

"The Houtian Continent."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. I know I'm not familiar with world maps, but I'm sure there's no continent with that name. So, I'll ask again, are you pranking me?"

The old man was someone with a short fuse. To have endured Zhi Luan's shenanigans up to this point was a testament to his self-control. In any case, Zhi Luan had come when the restaurant wasn't busy, so the old man could spare him some time to chit-chat. But that was going to end soon because the old man was just about to call the police.

"I'd like to work here."

The old man paused when he heard Zhi Luan, and then turned around.

"What makes you think I'm hiring?"

"I can cook."

"You haven't answered my question. What makes you think I'm hiring? Maybe you think you can do whatever you like because I haven't thrown you out yet. You've been leading me by the nose from the moment you walked in here, and I've been patient enough to tolerate it. But I draw the line when it comes to my restaurant."

"I wasn't leading you by the nose, nor was I lying about cooking."

Despite the scolding he received, Zhi Luan remained calm, almost sounding unbothered.

In truth, he was thinking as fast as he could. This was a place he knew nothing about. It would be most unwise if he had no plan for himself going forth. In other words, he had to take up base here. But to do that, Zhi Luan understood that he needed to acquaint himself with the customs of this era. And what better way to do that than to work at a place where they would mostly gather, like a restaurant?

"Alright, let's play your game. What dishes can you make?"

Zhi Luan thought for a moment before answering,

"Can I take a look at your menu?"

The old man didn't mind and handed the menu over to him. However, the situation became grimmer for Zhi Luan. The words he saw on the menu were strange. Granted he could read them but understanding them was a different thing. Generally, he had never heard of these dishes before and even wondered if some of them could be eaten.

"Well, what's your answer?"

"I'm not familiar with these dishes."

Zhi Luan gave an honest reply but chose the wrong time to do it.

"You…"

The old man was on the verge of blowing a fuse when the door to his restaurant opened and a man walked in.

"Old man Shen, sorry to barge in like this, but I couldn't stop thinking about your pork stir fry. I don't think I'd have slept well if I didn't eat it."

The customer greeted and laughed when he entered. He did his best to sound very honest. It appeared he was familiar with the old man and knew the exact buttons to press.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere. It is late, but you're lucky I'm still up at this time. Just wait here."

The old man then turned to Zhi Luan,

"You wait here too. I'd love to see how far you'll go with your tricks."

He said that and stormed off into the kitchen.