Chapter 17 Plum Blossoms Falling on Nanshan Mountain
The rain was falling coldly and quietly, and in the distance there were thick clouds and mist.
Once the misty rain in the south of the Yangtze River begins, it seems like it will never stop.
The white chrysanthemum in the teacup floated on the water and gradually sank.
Wen Baijing stroked the teacup with his fingers, his eyes focused on the white chrysanthemum in the cup.
"Ye Zhenzhen, it is more artistic to visit the ancient town at night. The ancient houses facing the water on both sides are lit up, and their shadows are reflected on the green water. In the middle of the night, the warm lights echo the night, and the ancient moon on the riverside shines on the people today."
"Also, there are undeveloped streets and alleys nearby, with white walls and green tiles, and many families living by the water; and..."
Ye Zhenzhen's eyes were clear, and she smiled and said, "It has always been here."
Wen Baijing smiled with relief, and the two of them prepared to get up and return.
There is a long string of red lanterns in front of the tea shop, swaying in the breeze and rain.
Holding oil-paper umbrellas, they strolled in the rainy alleys of Jiangnan. Their white clothes were whiter than snow, and their backs gradually merged into the hazy sky blue.
Ye Zhenzhen squatted beside the green belt, holding a bent branch in her hand, carefully digging a hole. The continuous rain soaked the land, and the wet soil that had just been dug was not obedient and flowed down the small hole again.
"Use this!" Wen Baijing found a piece of rubble from somewhere and handed it to Ye Zhenzhen.
She took the rubble and looked up at the man beside her. The man's eyes were as bright as the Milky Way, filled with stars.
Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly looked away, "Thank you."
She was concentrating on digging the pit. The man stood beside her, holding an umbrella for her. He said in a gentle voice, "It will know nothing when it dies."
Ye Zhenzhen's hands were covered in mud but she did not stop. She took the sparrow out of the packing box, held it in her palm, and slowly put it into the small pit.
"I can only find a place to bury it, and hope it can ascend to heaven soon."
Wen Baijing moved the umbrella above her again, "Well, I hope it will reach paradise soon."
Looking up at the umbrella above her head, she felt a little sad. How long can this umbrella hold her? After it shielded her from the rain once, she would look forward to the next time, and then fantasize about it for the rest of her life.
Wen Baijing just felt sorry for her and happened to meet her, so he shielded her from the rain for a while. Thinking of this, her eyes felt a little sour, and she lowered her head and closed her eyes in fear of showing her emotions.
He seemed to sense her disappointment.
"Ye Zhenzhen, I hope you're well." Wen Baijing reached out and touched her hair. "You know what? You look very beautiful when you smile. It's the most beautiful smile I've ever seen."
She suddenly felt a little regretful. She regretted not studying hard, regretted not having a good job, and regretted meeting outstanding people but not having the ability to match them.
If I were better, maybe...
She suppressed her sadness, raised her head and smiled at him, "Is that a smile like this?"
"Well... Ye Zhenzhen, let me tell you a secret." Wen Baijing's eyes shone with an obsidian-like light, and the corners of his lips slightly raised, "Your smile is your trump card."
At five o'clock in the afternoon on the weekend, Ye Zhenzhen's nightclub employee training is held and no one is allowed to take leave.
The instigator was the person who had been fighting two days ago. To cause such an incident is a disregard for the company's rules and regulations. No management can tolerate their authority being challenged.
The lighting in the hall was a little dim, and the air was stuffy. A group of employees stood neatly in the hall not far from the front desk.
Staff meetings are a headache, with leaders looking angry and nagging at everyone. It's nothing more than quarreling and fighting, which is not conducive to unity and affects the company's reputation. I'm afraid that everyone will get used to fighting to resolve work conflicts.
The leader made a passionate speech while all the employees bowed their heads and were scolded. The atmosphere was extremely depressing.
After a lot of hard work, it was seven o'clock, and the boss's anger had almost dissipated. Mainly because it was almost time for business, the boss finally waved his hand, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The employees complained as they walked, the culprit escaped, and the others were scolded for no reason.
Everyone went to the lounge. Ye Zhenzhen took advantage of the cashier being unbusy to collect the tip from the previous two days' card payment.
Several people at the cashier counter were checking the bills with their heads down. When they heard Ye Zhenzhen say her name, they all looked up at her and kept sizing her up and down. Ye Zhenzhen felt uncomfortable being stared at.
One of them smiled and said, "You are Ye Zhenzhen!"
Another person said, "Ye Zhenzhen, the tip for Friday is 10,000, and for Saturday it's 400. Sign and collect the money."
Ye Zhenzhen was a little dazed. Ten thousand? She had always thought it was just a rumor. Was Wen Baijing crazy? Why didn't he say anything?
"Ye Zhenzhen, sign quickly! We are still waiting in line!"
The people in line behind her tapped her on the shoulder and she quickly signed. After taking the money and taking two steps, a chattering noise started to emanate, and Ye Zhenzhen's ears felt as hot as a red iron.
"This girl looks innocent, but she is so resourceful!"
"You don't know that appearance is not the best!"
"She's pretty, has a good figure, and is young, so it's normal for her to be liked..."
Ye Zhenzhen didn't want to hear this, and hurried to the lounge. Standing at the door of the lounge, she didn't know which foot to take first. She was a little worried, and didn't want to be at the center of public opinion. No one wants to live in the spotlight of others.
The lounge was still noisy, with many smells mixed together, including powder, perfume, cigarettes, and sweat. Ye Zhenzhen walked in breathlessly, avoiding the crowds, and locked the cash in the cabinet.
The lounge was crowded. She stood next to an iron cabinet nearly two meters high and didn't know where to put her feet.
Li Ling was sitting on the sofa chatting with her colleagues. She waved at her and squeezed to the side to make room for her. "Ye Zhenzhen, come and sit here."
She smiled at Li Ling, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Thank you, Sister Li Ling." Then she sat down.
Li Ling clapped her hands and said cheerfully, "What's the big deal?"
Someone walked past them and accidentally stepped on Ye Zhenzhen's toes, so she quickly pulled her feet back to the base of the sofa.
Li Ling leaned close to her ear and lowered her voice, "Ye Zhenzhen, you have to seize the opportunity and take as much as you can while the customers like you. There is no love here. There are always girls who are eighteen years old. After they are cut, they grow up again..."
There is no flower that will never wither or fade. Once a flower blooms, its beauty will fade. A wise person must seize his youth and pawn it before the beauty leaves the mirror, the flowers leave the tree.
Ye Zhenzhen understood what Li Ling meant. She widened her eyes and explained hurriedly:
"Sister Li Ling, I just want to work hard and make money, I don't want anything else."
Li Ling said earnestly, grabbing her arm, "Ye Zhenzhen, are you stupid? If you have the chance to make more money, why don't you do it? The gold mountain is in front of you, if you don't dig, someone else will."
Everyone does this, and people who are different are the opposite. If you enter this place and still act noble, you are either stupid or have a poor brain.
Ye Zhenzhen felt suffocated in her heart. The thin oxygen made her chest feel tight and she felt short of breath. "Sister Li Ling, thank you."
Li Ling was very confused and looked mysterious, "You don't have a boyfriend, do you?"
Ye Zhenzhen hurriedly shook her head and waved her hands desperately.
Li Ling smiled and leaned close to her ear, "Zhenzhen! You don't know my situation. I'm not as good-looking as you, I'm older than you, and I'm not very good at finding a husband. I'm divorced and have to raise my children by myself. Next time you have a customer, can I go over and get a tip? That customer is so rich, he doesn't need this little bit, it's just a matter of a word from you..."
Ye Zhenzhen was stunned for a while, her eyes dull, and she raised the corners of her mouth into a faint smile.
Everything here is tied to interests, and the seemingly well-intentioned reminders are just an attempt to gain something in return.
Li Ling was still chattering in my ear, with endless sweet words and sad expressions.
Ye Zhenzhen said she wanted to go to the bathroom, and only then was she able to get away.
In the water bar, on the wooden wine cabinet embedded in the wall, there are several kinds of cheap red wine and foreign wine; the half-person-high ice bucket is filled with ice cubes, which are constantly emitting cold air; the floor and the bar are filled with fruit cartons, and watermelons, cantaloupes, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and other fruits are emitting a fresh fragrance. The staff are skillfully cutting melons, carving patterns, and arranging them on plates; the compartment next to it is filled with beer boxes of various brands, and the large cabinet is chilling beer;
The washroom was filled with all kinds of cups, wine jugs, fruit plates, and snack plates. Aunties wearing long pink rubber gloves kept scooping up cups from the sink to drain the water, and the remaining water dripped onto the red hollow mat. Several washing machines were working non-stop, and white towels were tossed back and forth. Steam rose from the glass of the high-temperature disinfection cabinet, and white smoke rose.
The young masters were busy in the box, fetching washed cups from the washroom, wiping them, scraping the countertops, and cleaning;
Auntie, in her grey work clothes, pushed the vacuum cleaner from one box to another, making a dull humming sound.
A few meters away in the corridor, there was a girl, talking on the phone to the mirror on the wall, with a charming smile on her face and a coquettish voice, constantly acting coquettishly on the phone, asking if the guests would come tonight and if they needed to book a private room;
In the security room, several walkie-talkies were thrown on the table. The security guards were wearing white shirts and black suits, busy smoking before work.
Several people at the cashier counter were looking down at their accounts and giving tips to the service staff;
The intercom at the front desk kept ringing, XX booked a certain box, XX ordered a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to XX box;
In the boss's office, the boss and the manager were drinking tea, leaning lazily on their chairs, listening to the voices coming from the intercom and chatting casually.
As soon as Ye Zhenzhen walked into the restroom, a strong smell of cigarettes wafted in. Many waiters who were heavy smokers often met in the restroom to smoke. Ye Zhenzhen was choked by the smell of cigarettes and hurriedly left the restroom.
The cleaning lady pushed a cart and passed by her, "Oh! You are Ye Zhenzhen!"
Ye Zhenzhen's pupils dilated instantly and she nodded stiffly.
An indescribable feeling of powerlessness filled her surroundings, surrounding her like a deep mountain fog.
Auntie lit the sandalwood, wrung out the towel, and pushed the cart out of the bathroom.
A faint sandalwood scent spread out, and thin smoke floated.
Ye Zhenzhen stood at the door of the restroom and was bumped into by people coming in and out. Someone kindly reminded her, "Hurry up if you need to go to the restroom! It's almost time to stand guard!"
When Ye Zhenzhen walked out of the restroom, the background music in the lobby had already started. She walked towards the lobby with heavy steps, and a group of princesses also came out of the lounge, and everyone walked towards the lobby with their work boxes.
There is a glass wall in the lobby, which is filled with various foreign wines. The soft light from above shines on the wine rack, exuding a luxurious atmosphere. Royal Salute, Chivas, Macallan whiskey; Martell, Hennessy, Remy Martin brandy; vodka; rum, etc. are neatly placed on the wine rack.
At 7:30 p.m., all the lights in the lobby and lobby were turned on as scheduled, illuminating every corner with colorful lights; the sound of music floated in the air; in the distance, the huge water curtain and fountain leaped in the starlight, and the sound of water gurgling was loud; the faint scent of incense filled the cold air, refreshing the spleen.