Chapter 42

Lin Huailan and Li Fengzhu cleaned the entire shop, wiping even the dust on the floor until it was spotless before finally returning home in satisfaction.

When they passed the barbecue stall Xin Geling had set up, they deliberately did not walk past the front, but crossed behind it instead, separated by a curb.

“Little Xin, your mom and I are going back first!” Li Fengzhu’s full, resonant shout made Xin Geling, who was grilling, turn back.

At a glance, she saw her mother, Ms. Lin, wearing a mask, carrying a cloth bag over her arm, watching her with eyes full of gentleness.

“Go back,” Xin Geling called to them.

Lin Huailan and Li Fengzhu walked home, while Xin Geling turned back around and continued busily grilling.

Near closing time, Xie Zhitang came over. Xin Geling was curious. “You don’t need to work overtime today?”

Xie Zhitang helped her take the last customer’s order. “Sister, three beef skewers and one grilled sausage.”

Only after taking the order did she answer, “No need. After staying up late two nights in a row, the proposal is done. We’re waiting for the client to decide.”

Xin Geling took out three beef skewers and one grilled sausage and placed them on the grill. “Your work efficiency is pretty high.”

Xie Zhitang said, “It’s only because everyone worked together that we could be this efficient.”

“Right, Sister, have you built that cashier counter yet?” Xie Zhitang asked again.

Xin Geling said, “Not yet. I’m waiting for the truck to bring the bricks over. I’ll probably start building it tomorrow afternoon.”

Xie Zhitang said, “Then has Sister thought about the other things? How many tables and chairs to buy, how big a freezer or refrigerator you plan to buy? Why don’t I help Sister list a purchase checklist?”

Xin Geling’s hand paused. “These are all things I should be doing. You’re already very busy with work. I can’t trouble you further.”

Xie Zhitang did not mind. “I’m basically done being busy. Once the proposal passes, the remaining work will be handed to other departments. Besides, Sister, I’ve worked in advertising creativity for several years. I’ve come into contact with more home appliance brands than I can count on ten fingers. I understand their performance and prices very well.”

Xin Geling still did not quite agree. “I can’t always trouble you just because you understand this area. This is my homework.”

Xie Zhitang held the menu board, weighing her words and thinking about how she could make Xin Geling willingly accept her help. Suddenly, she thought of it and turned to look at Xin Geling. “If Sister feels bad about it, then in the future, when I work overtime, you can come pick me up.”

Xin Geling packed the last order of barbecue and handed it to the customer. She took off her gloves and replied while tidying up. “You can’t always live over here. Is your original home still not renovated?”

At this mention, Xie Zhitang’s hand holding the menu board paused. Then she tucked her hair aside, the corners of her mouth lifting into a rippling smile. “Not yet. My original home needs major changes. I’m embedding some appliances and changing the style.”

Xie Zhitang said it so convincingly that Xin Geling did not suspect anything. After thinking for a moment, she said, “Picking you up after work isn’t much trouble.”

Xie Zhitang took that as her agreement and said familiarly, “Then all right. I’ll make the purchase checklist over Read on BaiLianTalesthese next two days. When the time comes, Sister can decide which one to buy.”

Xin Geling opened her mouth, not knowing how things had somehow turned into her already agreeing. “Xie Zhitang…”

Xie Zhitang turned to face her directly, her chin lifting slightly, wearing an expression that seemed to say, “Are you going back on your word?” Xin Geling smiled helplessly. “All right. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

Only then was Xie Zhitang satisfied. She put down the menu board and helped her pack up.

The two parted ways and returned to their respective homes.

The next afternoon, Xin Geling had just finished several appliance repair orders when the people transporting the bricks called her and said they had already delivered them, asking her to come sign for them.

Xin Geling hurried to the shop. Unexpectedly, they had already unloaded everything outside the shop. She had originally wanted them to unload it inside the shop so she would not have to carry it an extra distance.

“That won’t work. You didn’t pay the unloading fee, so we can only unload it here for you.”

Xin Geling: “…”

That person said, “Confirm it. If there’s no problem, sign for it.”

Xin Geling could only accept it. Having them unload the goods inside would cost another few dozen yuan.

“Fine.” Xin Geling signed the receipt and watched them leave.

Xin Geling looked at the list. One bag of Mingfeng-brand cement was twenty-five yuan, one bag of sand was seven yuan, three hundred red bricks at four mao each, and a piece of three-centimeter-thick Black Galaxy granite, custom-sized at 1.5 by 0.7 meters, almost exactly one square meter, ninety yuan, with the surface polished.

For the flatness of the cashier counter’s sides, she planned to smooth it out with cement paint. One kilogram of cement paint was thirty yuan.

All the materials plus shipping added up to only 322 yuan. It was cheaper than directly buying a wooden cashier counter, and it was fireproof, moisture-resistant, and wear-resistant.

Xin Geling borrowed a wheelbarrow from the workers renovating the Mixue Ice Cream & Tea next door and used it to transport the building materials into the shop.

The workers were easy to talk to as well. They temporarily did not need the wheelbarrow and readily lent it to her.

Xin Geling pulled the wheelbarrow to the building materials, put on white industrial gloves, and lifted two red bricks in each hand into the wheelbarrow. Only after filling one load did she lift the wheelbarrow handles and pull it into the shop.

To reduce brick breakage and loss, she could not directly dump the wheelbarrow. She had to unload them one by one and stack them neatly in the corner.

After five or six trips like this, she finally moved all three hundred red bricks into the shop. Then she carried the cement, sand, and cement paint onto the wheelbarrow and pulled another load.

She found a few industrial rubber buckets, sliced open the cement bag with a trowel, poured it into the sand, added water according to the appropriate ratio, and mixed it into cement mortar. Then she shoveled it into the rubber buckets and carried them to the marked floor line for the cashier counter. Picking up a red brick, she stirred the trowel in the bucket twice, scooped up a trowel of mortar, and began building the cashier counter.

When she had built it halfway, Xie Zhitang came over.

Xie Zhitang brought two bottles of mineral water, unscrewed one of them, and handed it to her. “Sister, you’re already building it so quickly?”

Xin Geling took off her gloves and accepted the mineral water from her. “It’s not early. I’ll finish building it earlier today. I still need to set up the stall after four in the afternoon.”

Xie Zhitang saw a sheet of paper placed beside her. She picked it up and looked, only to discover it was an architectural drawing, done in pencil. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell there was a certain level of professionalism to it. She turned to look at Xin Geling, then looked back at the drawing. “Sister, is this the drawing you made for the cashier counter?”

“Mm.” After Xin Geling finished drinking the water, she glanced at her, then continued laying bricks.

Xie Zhitang turned it over. On the back, there were also piles of formulas and numbers written in pencil that she could not understand.

“Sister, the drawing you made is very professional.”

“I just drew it casually. Mainly to save money.”

Xie Zhitang put down the drawing and watched from the side as Xin Geling built the cashier counter up to a height of one meter. Then she saw Xin Geling put down her tools and walk toward that slab of granite, realizing that Xin Geling wanted to move it over and use it as the countertop.

“Sister, I’ll help you lift it up.”

“Don’t come over. This is very heavy.”

Xin Geling refused her help and alone lifted the dozens-of-jin Black Galaxy granite slab onto the top of the cashier counter. After adjusting it, she built the outer side of the cashier counter another twenty centimeters higher, forming a half-enclosed shape.

Xie Zhitang looked at the red bricks exposed on the outside. It looked a bit like Syrian style.

Immediately after, Xin Geling smeared the remaining mortar over the red bricks, covering them up. The entire outer wall of the cashier counter turned gray.

Xie Zhitang was curious about what kind of cashier counter she was going to make.

Xin Geling opened the cement paint, added water, mixed and stirred it, then applied a layer of cement paint over all the solidified mortar surfaces. After finishing, she glanced at the time. It was four o’clock, time to set up the stall. Xin Geling quickly packed up her tools and prepared to go back.

Xie Zhitang looked at this industrial-style cashier counter and thought that it actually suited the barbecue shop’s style quite well, simple and money-saving.

Before Xin Geling went back, Xie Zhitang asked her, “Does Sister still need this drawing?”

Xin Geling asked, “Do you need it?”

Xie Zhitang said, “For the refrigerator and freezer dimensions, I need to refer to the shop’s floor plan.”

Xin Geling said, “Then take it and use it.”

Xie Zhitang carefully folded it and put it into her pocket. “I’ll make the purchase checklist tomorrow. It happens to be the weekend. After Sister buys stock, when will you be free to discuss it with me? After we discuss it, we should be able to go purchase everything. We’ll go together.”

Xin Geling said, “Let me see. I’ll only be free at ten in the morning.”

Xie Zhitang said, “Then I’ll wait at home for Sister to come over?”

Xin Geling said, “Okay.”

Xin Geling tidied up the things on the ground. There were still more than ten red bricks and some building mortar waste left. She used the wheelbarrow to transport the waste to the dump and throw it away. As for the remaining dozen bricks, she could only pile them in the storage room, in case they were needed in the future.

Xie Zhitang helped her move the red bricks into the wheelbarrow. Xin Geling strode over and quickly took the red brick from her hand. “If you don’t wear gloves, you’ll easily hurt yourself.”

Seeing her take over the brick in her hand, Xie Zhitang was not annoyed. She simply crouched on the ground and lifted up a brick as hard as a board toward her, signaling for her to put it into the wheelbarrow.

“I’ll be careful. Would I let myself get hurt?”

Xin Geling saw that she had no protection at all, directly using her fine, fair hands to touch the dry, hard, rough red bricks. The sight made her brows crease tightly.

She walked up to her, turned slightly, bent down, and reached out to pick up the bricks. “I’ll do this heavy work.”

Unexpectedly, just as she reached over, Xie Zhitang pushed her away.

She explained seriously, “If I pass them to Sister, Sister won’t have to keep bending down to pick up bricks. That can easily hurt your waist, you know?”