NCCnovel Chapter 23 Part-time Job
Chapter 23 Part-time Job
When Song Huan got home, it was already dark.
The living room lights were on. Zhang Xuejuan brought the dishes to the table, and Song Wentao sat on the sofa reading the newspaper.
"You're back?" Zhang Xuejuan glanced at him. "Why are you so late today?"
Song Huan changed her shoes and went over to sit down.
"I stayed at school a little longer than usual with Xiao Yunqing."
Zhang Xuejuan nodded. It's normal for the workload to be heavy with the upcoming entrance exams for junior high school.
"Exams are coming up soon, so it's good to study harder."
Song Huan kept her head down and ate without saying a word.
After finishing my meal, I took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
He glanced at the clock on the wall; it was 7:30.
Zhang Xuejuan was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Song Wentao was still reading the newspaper.
Song Huan walked over and leaned against the kitchen doorway.
"Mom, I'm going to Xiao Yunqing's house to study with her."
Zhang Xuejuan turned to look at him.
"Shall we go now?"
"Yes, she said she couldn't solve a problem and asked me to teach her."
Zhang Xuejuan thought for a moment and nodded.
"Okay, don't come back too late."
"understood."
Song Huan went out the door.
As the door closed, he heard Zhang Xuejuan mutter something inside.
"This child has been quite studious lately."
……
Following the address written on GG, Song Huan found the educational institution.
In an old office building, on the third floor, the storefront is small, with a sign that reads "Qihang Education".
He pushed the door open and went in.
A young woman was sitting at the front desk and glanced at him.
"Little friend, who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for your boss."
The girl was stunned for a moment.
"What do you want with the boss?"
"Applying for a job."
The girl paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Little boy, stop fooling around. We don't hire child laborers here."
Song Huan ignored her and walked inside.
Inside was an office with the door open. A middle-aged man was sitting behind a desk, looking at some documents.
Song Huan knocked on the door.
The man looked up.
She was in her forties, slightly overweight, wearing a white shirt, and her hair was neatly combed.
He glanced at Song Huan and frowned.
"Whose child are you?"
"My name is Song Huan, and I'm here to apply for a job handing out flyers."
The man paused for a moment, then smiled.
That smile, like the one from the receptionist, carried a hint of "stop fooling around, kid."
"We don't accept children here, go back."
Song Huan didn't move.
He stood there, looking at the man.
[What's wrong with this child? Can't he understand human speech?]
[However, we really can't finish handing out all the flyers lately; the college students we recruited are all slacking off...]
[It would be great if someone could help post this, but the child is too young. What if something happens to him...?]
Upon hearing this, Song Huan spoke up.
"Boss, you can't seem to finish handing out all the flyers lately, right? The college students you hired are slacking off, so you're not handing out many a day."
The man froze.
"How...how did you know?"
"Just a guess."
The man looked at him, and his expression changed.
"Handing out flyers is tiring; a little kid like you can't do it."
"I can do it."
"How old are you?"
"Eleven, soon it will be twelve."
The man shook his head.
"Too small, no way."
[That works too, actually. Kids handing out flyers are more likely to be accepted by passersby...]
[But if something goes wrong, it'll be troublesome if the parents come knocking on our door...]
Song Huan added, "Boss, I'm fast and I won't slack off. Besides, I came here on my own, my parents don't know, and they won't come looking for you if anything happens."
The man's eyes widened.
How does this kid know what I'm thinking?
Song Huan smiled.
"Boss, just tell me if it's okay or not. You can let me try first, and if it doesn't work, I'll leave."
The man looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.
He finally sighed.
"Alright, let's give it a try."
He stood up and took a stack of flyers from the drawer.
"Two hundred sheets, ten yuan after they're all distributed."
Song Huan took the flyer.
"it is good."
The man added another sentence.
"Don't stuff them into people's cars, don't go into residential areas, just hand them out on the street. If you get caught by the urban management officers, don't say I told you to do it."
Song Huan nodded.
"understood."
He walked out carrying the flyers.
The man watched his retreating figure and shook his head.
[What happened to this child's family? Why are they so short of money?]
[But he's just a little kid, how could he possibly hand out any flyers? He'd probably regret it after standing on the street for a while.]
Upon hearing this, Song Huan paused for a moment without turning around.
……
There weren't too many people on the street; it was just after dinner, with people taking walks or walking their dogs in twos and threes.
Song Huan stood at the intersection, clutching a flyer.
The first target was a young couple.
He walked over and handed over the leaflet.
"Hello, this is Qihang Education. We offer tutoring for students transitioning from primary to junior high school. Would you like to learn more?"
The couple paused for a moment, then looked down at him.
It was a little kid with a tender face, holding a thick stack of flyers, standing there looking at them.
The woman laughed first.
"So young and already handing out flyers?"
Song Huan didn't say anything, but just held up the flyer with a smile on her face.
The man took it.
"Okay, let's take a look."
Song Huan nodded and turned to walk towards the next one.
The second one was a middle-aged woman with a child.
"Auntie, are you interested in tutoring for the transition from primary to junior high school?"
The woman took the flyer and looked at him.
"How old are you?"
"eleven."
"Starting to work at such a young age?"
"I'm a student, please support me."
Song Huan continued to provide service with a smile.
He handed out two hundred flyers in one night.
I went and got another two hundred.
All sent out.
I went and got another two hundred.
The boss sat in his office, watching him come in, go out, come in, and go out again.
My eyes were practically wide open!
The last time she came in, Song Huan showed him her empty hands.
"All sent."
The boss checked the time.
9:30.
Two hours, six hundred photos.
He opened his mouth.
"You...you sent it so quickly?"
Song Huan did not answer.
"Boss, the bill is ready."
The boss took out thirty yuan from the drawer and handed it to him.
"Will you come again tomorrow?"
Song Huan took the money, folded it neatly, and stuffed it into her pocket.
"Come."
"Still at this time?"
"Um."
The boss nodded.
"Okay, I'll reserve five hundred for you tomorrow. Two days of absence without leave means you're fired, understand?"
Song Huan nodded and turned to walk out.
As he reached the door, the boss called him back.
"Oh, kid."
Song Huan turned around.
"Is something wrong at home?"
Song Huan glanced at him.
"It's nothing, I just want to make money."
Then he pushed open the door and went out.
The boss sat there, staring at the door, without moving for a long time.
……
Song Huan arrived home at almost ten o'clock.
He pushed open the door; the living room light was still on.
Zhang Xuejuan was sitting on the sofa. When she saw him come in, she stood up.
"You're back?"
"Um."
"Are you hungry? Mom will cook you a bowl of noodles."
Song Huan was stunned for a moment.
"Need not……"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhang Xuejuan had already gone into the kitchen.
"Wait, it'll be soon."
Song Huan stood there, looking at the light on in the kitchen and listening to the sound of water boiling inside.
He touched the thirty yuan in his pocket.
Wait, wait until I make money...
The noodles were served quickly.
A bowl of vegetable and egg noodles, topped with a poached egg and chopped green onions.
Song Huan sat down and picked up her chopsticks.
Zhang Xuejuan sat opposite him, watching him eat.
"Eat slowly, don't burn yourself."
Song Huan lowered her head and ate her noodles without saying a word.
Zhang Xuejuan muttered to herself from the side.
"That Xiao Yunqing is something else, still making you study so late. Tell her to come home earlier next time."
Song Huan paused for a moment, nervously swallowing.
"Um."
"Oh, right," Zhang Xuejuan suddenly remembered something, "Xu Wan told me today that your Uncle Xiao goes home on his way home from his night shift. Why don't you take his car home from now on? That way you won't have to walk home at night every day."
Song Huan almost choked on her noodles.
He looked up at Zhang Xuejuan.
"Mom, no need..."
"Why don't I use it? I worry about you coming home so late every day."
"Really, there's no need. I... I'll go with Xiao Yunqing, it'll be fine."
Zhang Xuejuan looked at him with a strange expression.
"You're acting strange today?"
Song Huan lowered her head and continued eating her noodles.
"no."
Zhang Xuejuan didn't say anything more, and stood up to clean up the kitchen.
Song Huan breathed a sigh of relief.
If things get out, I'll definitely get a beating from both husband and wife.