Part-time

Lin Fan woke up to the sound of his mother preparing to go to work, rubbing his eyes he thought 'I should tell her now'.

"mother!"

"Goodmorning sweetheart, anything you need?"

"Yeah, I had a request, remember the matter about having a part-time job?"

"Lin Fan, I told you to erase that idea from your head"

"But listen! you know I won't be going to school anytime soon, I get bored at home alone, so why not do it, even just for having fun while earning some extra bucks,"

"Even if I allowed you to have one, how are you going to work with your shoulder,"

"My shoulder is getting better now, I can move my arm and it doesn't hurt all that much" exclaimed Lin Fan while swinging his arm in the air while trying to make the best poker face he can come up with to prove his words.

'That's of course all bullsh*t, It hurts like hell' thought Lin Fan,

"didn't the doctor say it will be painful to move your arm for the next three weeks?"

"I don't know as well but either way we shouldn't question good things, plus, you can be sure that I won't do anything extreme, there is a noodle stall that I used to pass by every day while returning from school, It doesn't look too shabby, I'll look there"

Jasmine gazed at her son and thought 'Maybe he can help us out while also gaining some experience,'

"sigh, alright then, I give you permission to do what you want, but remember! only simple jobs, "

"Really?! thanks, mum!"

Jasmine looked at her phone and exclaimed "Oh no, I am getting late, I need to go now, take care of yourself and contact me if you need anything,"

Lin Fan nodded at his mother while looking at his new Nokia 130, he the urge to cry while looking at this piece of plastic filled with lousy buttons.

"Alright, be careful on your way,"

"I will, bye sweetheart,"

Lin Fan looked at his mother leaving, 'should I go now?'.

'might as well just do it now, I am feeling bored already,'

returning to his room, Lin Fan opened the closet and started scanning with his eyes, 'what to wear, what to wear,'

'screw it, I will just wear anything,'

grabbing himself a pair of jeans, and a shirt he was set to go.

he didn't forget grabbing his scarf before leaving, It was quite cold today.

The weather kept getting worse and worse the past few days, It was raining heavily last night, the streets were water-soaked.

a few minutes later, Lin Fan arrived at the noodle stall, It didn't look too old, but definitely not new as well, a few cracks were apparent in the stall's oakwood, a few Chinese lanterns were hanging off the stall and a few wooden tables and chairs were set outside, Lin Fan scanned with his eyes, looking for the boss.

"Boss!"

"I am coming, just a second"

Lin Fan heard the voice of the old man, deciding to wait, he took a seat on one of the nearby chairs while fidgeting with his imaginary 'iPhone',

a few minutes later an old man wearing a kitchen rope came out.

"Are you the one who called a moment ago"

"Yeah"

"Alright, what do you want to order, I recommend trying our hand-pulled noodles, we are known for it around this area,"

"Actually, I wasn't here to order food,"

"Oh, then what brings you here?"

"I was looking for a part-time job and thought your stall was a good option,"

the old man looked at Lin Fan's arm, lying in a sling, "I don't mind hiring you but your arm..."

"don't mind it, I can remove it while working, nothing too serious"

"Are you positive?"

"Very positive,"

"Alright, you can start today, I will give you a 50 yuan a day. satisfied?"

"Very satisfied, I would like to start today, what do I do now?"

"See those vegetables right there? I want them all cut in 20 minutes, quick!"

"Yes!"

Just as Lin Fan was preparing to start his cutting spree, he stopped in his tracks, "Um boss, I forgot to ask, what do I call you?"

"You can call me Old Wang or boss, choose what you will. now begin your work,"