Chapter 1 hot and dizzy
It was July, the scorching sun was scorching, and the dry and hot air strangled every pedestrian. While it squeezed out the only moisture left in its body from its throat, it maliciously shook its head back and forth to create dizziness, and it felt like it would not stop until it was killed. If the places with air conditioning turned on were paradise and the shaded basement was a fairyland, then some people - such as Qian Jing - were undoubtedly walking in the world made of shadows of buildings and the scorching hell of the sun.
Sweat turned into water vapor, steaming from the top of his head, forming a rainbow-like halo, shaking and disappearing, as unreal as the same swinging empty streets. He adjusted the crossbody bag on his shoulders, looked forward, and hid under the narrow eaves of the communication room. He showed his charm to an old man with a kind smile on his face.
By the way, the fan air leaked from the window of the transmission room.
"Young man, you're not wrong. This is the case. What unit do you want to find? Just have a door sign. I've lived here for almost a lifetime, so I'll give you the way."
The communicative uncle raised his eyes and looked at Qian Jing from above the reading glasses. He placed the newspaper on the table, and his calloused palms supported his ears, trying to make himself hear clearly.
"I looked for Baixi supermarket chain and went there to work during the holidays. My phone just broke and I got lost without navigation. I couldn't see the specific address in the text message, only the supermarket name." Qian Jing smiled embarrassedly.
"I understand. When working, changing your phone is better than my grandson who doesn't work, it's better to ask for money." The old man probably understood. He waved his arm and pointed in a direction very firmly: "There is east there, and then there is a road to the north. You can see the supermarket when you walk over. There is always a shortage of staff there, so you must be recruiting workers!"
"Great! Thank you, you have helped a lot." Qian Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He was fine, but he had the problem of "urban road deaf". As long as he was in the city and was surrounded by "jungle" made of buildings, he would slowly become dizzy, and then he would not know where he came from and where he was going - and the problem of road deafness was even more serious when he was indoors. Only by relying on his mobile phone to navigate and frequently ask people for directions can Qian Jing stay in the right direction. It was smooth before, until the mobile phone went on strike completely because there was no high temperature subsidy.
It was already deadly enough to have no navigation, and this time, it seemed that due to the heat, the road deaf attacks were faster than before. In just five minutes, he found that he had suddenly arrived at another place and everything became unfamiliar. It was the center of the city where the skyscrapers just now, and suddenly it seemed to have arrived in the suburbs.
Along the old man's arm, the double-lane asphalt road was drawn with a termination sign thirty meters east. Several cement pier barricades with red and white stripes were horizontally in the center, and then there was only mud land that had not been constructed. On one side of the road, that is, on the sidewalk where Qian Jing was located, was a construction site, and the high wall formed by the billboard blocked the view. From the colorful advertisements, we can see that it should be a commercial complex, a shopping mall that can be eaten, bought and played.
The tinging sounds of tinging come from time to time from time to time from time to time, lacking the accompaniment of mechanical operation noise, so it seems weak. Either the construction progress is slow or there is no one on high temperature vacation. Fortunately, there is an old man at work in the communication room at the gate, so Qian Jing hurried over to ask for directions.
The old man was a little timid. Not only did he speak loudly, but he also needed others to talk to him loudly. But even if the volume was increased as much as possible, Qian Jing always felt that the communication was not smooth.
"Busy? I'm not busy. The construction site is almost stopped now, and I don't need to open and close the door to command the vehicle. Alas..." the old man said: "If there are too many construction work, it's good to come to us as a temporary worker. It's pretty good to see you have the strength to carry bricks. But if you have the skills, such as tying scaffolding, you will earn more."
"Thank you, but it still won't be." Qian Jing said hurriedly. He was in his freshman year and did not achieve any outstanding results in his studies, but he had achieved remarkable results with his roommates. Who told me that "livestock" runs a gym at home and drags him to play all day long. After being busy for more than half a year, he has doubled down on all the physical exercises that have been missing in the past three years. He has become tired of moving dumbbells, so let's forget about moving bricks.
"Uncle, ask you how is this Baixi supermarket chain like?"
"Lock? I don't remember it selling locks, but it sells a kind of yellow and orange wine that is very delicious! You will see a flagpole with a white cloth on it, and then find it. Tsk tsk, when you talk about this, it seems that I haven't been there for a while, and I'm still a little greedy."
The old man fell into deep thought for a moment, his brows were tightly entangled, his eyes were blurred, and it seemed that it was a serious problem that he had not bought wine for a long time. The old man ignored Qian Jing and ignored him even said goodbye politely.
Recalling scenes surged into my heart, the old man finally remembered the scene when he drank the last time he drank the restaurant. He remembered the owner there, who was a kind big brother, but unfortunately he had no wife and had no children. He vaguely remembered that he had good alcohol tolerance and was willing to pay credit to the villagers in his neighbors. He could also get enough goods when material goods were not developed at the beginning of the reform and opening up. He was definitely a capable person.
"The last time I went to the store to buy wine was to celebrate the birth of my eldest grandson. It has been more than ten years in the blink of an eye. Strange, why didn't I think about going there to buy wine? When I talk about it, I was a little thirsty. Young man, can you come back..."
The old man looked around and found that Qian Jing had left. He couldn't help but shake his head and smiled bitterly. "Anyway, it's okay now. You can get there in a few steps. I'll go there now."
He picked up the teacup and took a big sip of water, and then got up. But at this moment, a light blue light flashed in his eyes, and a stream of blue smoke rose from under the soles of his feet, quickly dissipating in the air. The old man froze for a moment, and after a few seconds he recovered, gently rubbed his stomach.
"Oh, I have to go to the toilet again. If I don't drink water, it will be hot. If I drink too much, it will be toilet. This is really a terrible weather."
He walked quickly with his hand on the pergola. The old man had completely forgotten to go to the supermarket to buy wine. He didn't remember to point him in the way, and Qian Jing completely disappeared from his mind.
Qian Jing would not disappear out of thin air. He was standing at a corner of the construction site. This happened to be the end of the asphalt road, which was occupied by those cement piers. Along the edge of the billboard, there was a dirt road turning into the distance, three meters wide, uneven, and bumpy, with a few clear ruts on it, with deep and wide marks of pressing, perhaps a truck. Qian Jing looked into the distance, and a small river could be seen at the end of the dirt road, and nothing else was there.
"Uh, it doesn't seem to be a good supermarket. But it doesn't matter. I'm just here to work, and I'm not going to develop a career here. Since it's a job, don't be too picky!"
In Qian Jing's "social classification", there are many things that can make money, but they are divided into several levels. The highest level is called career, which is a spiritual pursuit and can even be elevated to the height of philosophy. The second level is called profession, which is to show personal abilities, value and professionalism while obtaining income. The third level is called work, which is to do something steadily, work hard, get money, and strive to develop into a profession. The fourth level is called "work", which means finding work, and finishing one thing is one thing. If you don't expect it, you will definitely have the next one.
Chapter completed!