5. A new job

Terry was still in Louis' lap when he opened his eyes. Terry's innocent face caught Louis' attention, and when he realized that Terry needed to work to pay for his sister's medical care, Louis suddenly thought back to his own predicament. Louis used to toil diligently, just like Terry, to pay medical expenses for his brother - Jerry. When the pleasant memories of Jerry were gone, Louis' eyes started to flood with tears. He lightly kissed Terry's hair while thinking, "Terry, from now on I will see you as Jerry!"

Terry kept sleeping despite the fact that it was 10 o'clock and the possibility that Terry was too exhausted. "He made an effort to get out of bed early this morning, perhaps just because he needed to find employment quickly," Louis thought.

Terry was carefully placed on the bed, and Louis snuck downstairs to the kitchen to make Terry a delicious lunch. It ran out of meat and fish, and only eggs and a few vegetables were left in the house. Louis was about to leave to go out and buy more food but when he tried to find his wallet, he noticed that it did not lie in his pocket.

Oh, dear! Louis' jeans were ripped to pieces during the fight yesterday. The jeans were very terrible so he had to temporarily borrow Kyle's pants to he came back home this morning.

The person who called Louis into the room yesterday to ask about his friendship with Terry is Kyle, who is also Louis' best friend. Kyle and Louis both have jobs at the Happy Hill pub - a place where just hearing the name can feel the joy.

In reality, it's a dimly lit pub where the waiters will lavish attention on patrons from head to toe. The majority of Happy Hill's visitors are wealthy middle-aged men, and the waiters are made up entirely of the young guys, essentially falling into three categories.

The first kind makes up the majority of Happy Hill and is referred to as "rosehip flowers" because they can accommodate any request from patrons, including having them sleep with them. Kyle and many others are rosehip flowers; to set themselves apart from other types of employees, such as the pure waiters, these special waiters wear flowers in their shirt pockets when they report to work.

Pure waiters only serve guests food and beer and they won't alter their physical appearance like "rosehip flowers waiters" do. Because of this, the amount of money they made was also significantly less, and many pure waiters were transformed into "rosehip flowers waiters" through the power of money.

The other pure waiters don't want to sell themselves, but since Happy Hill is a pub, they occasionally experience harassment and groping as well. One of the few pure waiters at Happy Hill is Louis.

Moving on to the final category, which is also the highest class of them - "the king of rosehip flowers" or "the rosehip king".

The "rosehip king" is a class of waiters that is above the common waiters and "rosehip waiters" due to the fact that they have a more regal and sexy appearance. Not even the word, "handsome," can adequately convey their appearance. Patrons must pay a very high price in order to enter the wine room of these rosehip kings. Additionally, due to the limited number of these kings, guests must reserve a room in advance if they want to drink with them.

The "rosehip kings" are also willing to spend the night with visitors, just like "rosehip waiters". The only distinction is that because all of their guests are extremely wealthy, “rosehip kings” make many times more money than "rosehip waiters" and pure waiters.

One cannot, however, become a flower king for life. This title is credited to Mr. Joe, who decided one of the rosehip waiters to become the rosehip king after receiving patron feedback. There are currently only two rosehip kings at Happy Hill pub. Their home is not an old building like "rosehip waiters" and pure waiters.

Remembering about the wallet, Louis immediately texted Kyle to inquire about the money he left in those torn pants, hoping Kyle hadn't thrown it away. But when he thought about it, he noticed that the money there was not much. It's because Louis is one of the pure waiters at Happy Hill, so he could not make as much money as "rosehip waiters" or the kings of them.

Thinking back, it's even more infuriating because a fight with a rosehip waiter named Nathan was the reason Louis was so miserable yesterday. Nathan stole Mr. Green, one of Louis' regular clients, and that's why.

Mr. Green was the one who came to Happy Hill just to enjoy a drink with a few of his friends rather than enjoy the rosehip waiters.

Louis had previously made Mr. Green very happy with his thoughtfulness and care. This guest didn't treat Louis badly; on the contrary, he could tip Louis fairly for the good service.

But last night, when Louis didn't pay attention, Nathan immediately drew Mr. Green to his room.

After receiving money from Mr. Green, Nathan continued to brag and make fun of Louis, telling him that if Louis wanted to compete with him, Louis should turn into a rosehip waiter first because Nathan thought that he had no business talking to a lowly waiter like Louis at Happy Hill then.

When the rage reached its peak, Louis initially intended to let it go, but because Nathan continued to make fun of him many times, so Louis decided otherwise when he saw Nathan go into the bathroom alone.

Long exchanges of words ensued, but Nathan's remained challenging behaviors. Louis finally swung his fist into Nathan's face in a fit of rage.

Nathan actually has a lot of relationships in Happy Hill because Eric, the "first rosehip king," is close with him. As a result, when Louis hit him, Nathan called three or four nearby "rosehip waiters" to fight Louis. If Kyle hadn't stepped in to save the day, Louis' injury might have been much worse.

Nathan and his friends rushed to beat Louis at that time despite Kyle's attempts to step in and stop them. Kyle, fortunately, was astute enough to point out that if they made a big deal out of it, the head of the security team in Happy Hill, Christian, would be aware of it and would come to solve this problem.

Although Nathan was overbearing, when Kyle mentioned the leader of the protection team, he was also a little worried and quickly left with his friends. Only Kyle was there to blame Louis: "Why are you so stupid. Don't you know that Nathan plays very well with the first rosehip king of Happy Hill, Eric?"

Louis bit his lip to prevent the wound from bleeding, in addition to the burning sensation, the tip of his tongue also felt salty: "How can I just watch it rob my patron? You also know that I'm not a "rosehip waiter", so finding a guest who came to Happy Hill just to drink and is as generous as Mr. Green is not an easy thing to do!”

Following a sigh, Kyle said: "Let me tell you something. I've seen this scene before: Mr. Green was not pleased as he exited Nathan's wine room. He will undoubtedly visit Nathan's room the next time because of the terrible service of that dirty guy!"

By that time, it was almost morning, and Louis' jeans were torn. Kyle knew that if Louis left the pub to come back home with those jeans, people would laugh. Thus, Kyle immediately brought his own pants for Louis to wear.

At first, Louis didn't even accept it but Kyle explained that those pants were no longer important to him because he would go with a petron to a nearby motel. The petron is the handsome pub singer. 

Louis experienced some empathy after observing Kyle's dejected expression. As soon as Kyle walked away, Louis shouted, "Remember to protect your body!" in a loud voice.

Unexpectedly, this made Kyle smile.

***

Louis did not dare to consider the ominous scene in Happy Hill and becomes overly preoccupied with it after seeing Terry's innocent face sleeping. However, there was a glimmer of hope in his heart, so he went to the bathroom to take a shower in an effort to forget these memories.

Louis shivered slightly as he observed the bruises on his white skin and the cold water running down his hard features in the mirror. He quickly showered and dried off with a towel before heading outside to wash some bitter melons and cut them up for his favorite dish of fried bitter gourd with duck eggs.

Terry had also been awakened by the aroma. He went to wash his face in the bathroom. When Terry passed Louis' position, he smelled the aroma coming from the kitchen before grinning and saying, "It smells so good!" 

After giving Terry a quick and slight hand pat on the head, Louis grinned and responded, "You make the breakfast for me so I decide to make the lunch for you!"

After saying that, he turned his head and resumed stir-frying. When Terry entered the bathroom to wash his face and noticed Louis's clothes, he immediately put them all in a washbowl and said, "Let me do the laundry of these clothes for you!"

Louis opened his mouth to stop him, but he saw Terry crumple his shirt. Seeing the panties lying next to him, Louis suddenly felt embarrassed. After all, it would be a shame to leave this in the hands of others, especially that person who has an innocent, pure face like Terry.

But the feeling of awkwardness quickly passed, and warmth gradually invaded his heart. Finally, Louis can feel this kind of love again, and there is someone who cares and takes care of him.

Terry eventually finished washing and brought Louis's clothes to dry. When he came back, Louis had already set the table with food and rice, saying, "Let's eat rice!"

Terry happily laughed as he said, "Just by hearing the aroma, you know how delicious this dish is!" when he noticed the fried bitter gourd and eggs there.

Louis replied, "Don't you think this kind of melon is bitter?"

"This type of melon has a bitter taste at first, but then becomes sweet," Terry shook his head and continued to say to Louis, "Just keep trying and you'll succeed in the end, just like the taste of bitter melon. Don't worry about what happens in the beginning and middle!"

Louis grinned "What an interesting thing! So you need to eat this meal a little more, and the immediate problems will vanish along with it. Then, you'll also land a great job!"

Terry nodded "Then it is unparalleled! I'll invite you to a full meal once I get my first paycheck!"

Louis grinned subtly: "Haha, good. I'm waiting for that day! Let's eat right now!"

***

After lunch, Terry assisted Louis in washing the dishes while taking a short nap. He then said goodbye to Louis and left to look for work. Terry was urged by Louis to wait until one o'clock in the afternoon before leaving, but he wanted to leave early because he was so hopeful.

Because there aren't any trees here, the sunlight is much hotter and more intense in this urban area than it is in the countryside. In Terry's hometown, the comforting sound of waves crashing on the shore, which Terry compares to the sea breezes in the fishing village, helps people to feel at ease in the heat.

Luckily, Terry noticed a recruitment sign hanging outside a Chinese restaurant as he was walking. Therefore, he hurriedly entered to inquire about more details only to find the proprietor grinning and welcoming: "This brother, would you kindly sit down and check the menu? What are you craving right now?"

Terry waved his hand as soon as he heard that: "No, I'm here to submit a job application! Does your restaurant intend to hire someone to be a waiter?"

When the owner of the restaurant heard that she abruptly changed her expression and asked Terry, "Do you think that you are too thin to be a waiter? You are a student, aren't you?"

Then Terry quietly shook his head and said, "No, I'm not! I'm also eighteen, though!

"Ah, so it is! But seeing as how thin you are, it seems that the job here will not be suitable for you to do," the restaurant owner grinned.

The rude tone of the restaurant owner makes people find this to be extremely uncomfortable. However, the pay here was quite high compared to other places Terry had met before, so Terry put that thing aside, he really wanted this job. 

"Yes, madam! Although I am a little underweight but not weak, I can do these things and more!" Terry said after giving it some thought, "I beg you, madam! Please give me a chance!"

When the restaurant owner overheard that, she immediately said: "Everything must follow a rule! I don't want to throw my money at unhelpful people!"

After she said that sentence, a group of employees from the opposite office came into the store. Therefore, she changed her expression and asked them, "Welcome guys! What would you like to eat?"

The restaurant owner, who was aware that Terry was standing nearby, did not behave formally and instead raised her hand and pushed him: "Leave the area now! You just block the way here!"

Terry was pushed a little unsteadily; if a guy nearby hadn't helped him up, he would have fallen. Then, he just pays attention to the restaurant's owner, who is scowling: "Looking at that! You seem so frail, but you claim to be healthy."

"Come on, Miss Fortune, why are you so grumpy today?" - the guy standing there said.

Miss Fortune began to laugh and said: "It's because this kid makes me angry! Don't mind about it. What would you like to eat? Please tell me, so I can prepare it for you quickly!"

Miss Fortune simply grinned and invited each person inside after receiving the name of the dish they would like to eat. She again turned to Terry when they had all left: "If still want this job, you will know how to greet people when you meet them. But you just stand there like a statue, and don't know what to ask people to eat! Therefore, I don't want to hire you! Please go away!"

After she said that, two girls were strolling by the restaurant. One of the girls turned to her friend and asked, "Do you prefer this Chinese restaurant to the Japanese one?"

"Welcome you to our restaurant!" - Terry, who had just received a reprimand, called out to the two visitors who were waiting outside the door, "Please come in for lunch!"

The two nearby girls giggled and smiled hesitantly while slightly saying, "This guy is so handsome, let's go inside."

Then, they immediately entered to order two fried noodles after saying that.

When Miss Fortune observed that scene, she thought Terry might be a little helpful, so she spoke slowly in a low voice: "I'll give you a chance, try here today. If I believe you can succeed, I will allow you to work here!"

Terry was continuously grateful to say thank you after hearing that from Miss. Fortune. She immediately said, "Stop saying thank you and swiftly deliver these two plates of fried noodles to the two girls who just entered!"

As a result, Terry concentrated on working hard in this way. Terry even did not dare to drink despite being extremely thirsty throughout the entire afternoon and he worked hard because it was very crowded in this restaurant. Additionally, Terry knew that this job would not be offered to him if he didn't perform well in front of Miss. Fortune.

The restaurant didn't start to empty until the hour hand reached one. To get their break meal, the restaurant's staff also went to Miss. Fortune. A hand tapped Terry on the shoulder as he was still trying to clean the table: "Why do you still have the table cleaned? Go get some meal now!"

When Terry turned to look behind him, he was surprised to see that the statement had been made by a muscular and handsome guy. Because of his radiant smile, a person can be happy and forget tired when seeing it. So Terry stopped wiping the tables and said "yes" softly instead.

There were already four employees working at this restaurant: that handsome guy, an elderly aunt, a middle-aged aunt, and a girl. The way they addressed each other made it clear that they were all close friends or relatives of the restaurant owner. At that time, they were waiting in line to receive a break meal. It goes without saying that because Terry is not the relative of the restaurant owner, it is possible to infer how simple his meal will be given. Actually, his meal and other people's ones have different meals, both in quality and quantity. However, Terry did not care about this because he really wanted this job.

The restaurant owner gave Terry some rice and didn't forget to glare: "Your limbs move rather slowly. I would not have hired you if it weren't for the fact that you beg me! Therefore, do you aware that you must practice more over the coming days?"

Terry also only had to shyly "yes" for a few hours. Again, he heard the restaurant owner say: "About the salary, I will also explain it to you clearly." You must spend 10 hours working at a restaurant, not only on serving but also preparing the food ingredients for me to cook before peak hours! You also have 2 days off per month!" 

Terry listened to her explanation and swallowed. It is true that it is not easy to earn money in this city, but at least compared to the hard job, this job of carrying is much easier. In his head. also carefully memorize the words of the restaurant owner. The restaurant owner immediately waved his hand to tell him to leave. Terry took a plate of little food and walked to a nearby table, still listening to the words of the restaurant owner who said: "Eat and eat quickly so you can still do business! This restaurant has no slowly eating habits for staff!"

After hearing that sentence, Terry only had to say "yes" once. At that time, a group of eight or nine guests entered the restaurant, probably looking like office employees. The rest of the staff in the restaurant were half-eaten, most of them looking at Terry. Terry understood the meaning and stood up and walked over to the guests and asked them what they were eating. The handsome guy, whose chestnut-colored skin, also stood up to lend him a hand.

The restaurant staff didn't finish their meal until Terry and the handsome guy had finished serving the guests' meal. At that point, Terry was able to return to the table with the chestnut-colored guy. Terry expressed his gratitude to the guy for helping him.

That handsome guy with chestnut skin and curly hair motioned with his hand and said, "It's alright! If we are colleagues, we ought to support one another. Tell me your name and age?"

Terry told the guy his name and age. After that, the guy warmly smile and immediately introduced himself then: "I'm Harry, and I'm 27 years old. I've been employed there for more than a year."

"Pleasant to meet you! I hope I can pick up some job-related tips from you!" Terry said.

Harry grinned subduedly "Yeah! Of course!" His eyes appear to be very gentle when he smiles. Harry has a very masculine face with bushy eyebrows over lined eyes, a high, straight bridge of the nose, thick lips with a split line, and a beard that is under the skin.

A brown T-shirt that hugged Harry's muscular frame was on him. He has been doing heavy work since he was young, so his body is very muscular and well-built. His fingers are also larger than average, and his hands are very wide. When Harry stood up, he was as tall as a bear and looked like he was more than six feet.

When the majority of the customers had left the restaurant, Terry, Harry, and the other staff cleared the dishes from the table. Bring them all to the kitchen to be washed.

Each of them took on a different task. The first person will separate the leftovers and place them in the trash cans in front of them. The second person will wash the dishes to remove the grease stains. The third person will scrub gently with soap. The fourth person washes them with clean water. The fifth person will arrange the washed dishes on the dish rack.

Terry was placed in second place and heard the eldest aunt, who was sitting in the first place, say coldly: "These seats are rotated on a daily basis. As a result, you must be familiar with all of the stages outlined here. Only the first stage is difficult; the rest are relatively easy. So I brought you here to learn, but keep an eye on me because I only modeled once. You need to pour leftover rice into a white bucket. This red bucket is filled with leftover food, such as fish meat. The bones are discarded in the gray bin. Remember to put the broth or sauce in this yellow bucket! If you pour leftovers into them arbitrarily, you will be fined by Miss. Fortune! So, do you remember everything?"