Lingnan, where there are no clear boundaries between the four seasons, is gradually getting colder. An Yi finished a bowl of cold rice noodles mixed with beans and leeks at a roadside stall in Nandi. After paying, he stood up and looked to the west, which was covered by clouds.
Under the bright sun, I caressed my belly that was still growling twice, took a deep breath and walked towards the luxury shop across the road.
"Taichang" Trading Firm is a large trading firm specializing in imported machinery. It has become famous for selling sewing machines made in the United States and Germany in the past two years. The firm's 18-meter-wide and 9-meter-deep store is located on the first floor of a French-style building, decorated
The exquisite and orderly display makes people feel the extraordinary aesthetics and strong strength of the owner of this business from a distance.
"Stop! Why is it you again? Come on, go on!"
Shopkeeper Chen, who was slightly chubby and wearing a pair of myopic glasses, was about forty years old. He was wearing a cloud gauze literati gown and had a somewhat elegant air. However, when he saw An Ning coming in for the third time, his expression immediately changed.
An Yi came out of the cashier and stopped him as he entered the store, his long and narrow white face full of disdain.
An Yi said sincerely with a humble smile: "Mr. Chen, I have been observing outside the store for a few days. The business here is indeed good. Many customers from the northern provinces have purchased sewing machines and textile machine accessories from here in batches.
So I think there is no problem in communicating with these guests from other provinces. Although I can’t speak Cantonese yet, I can understand every sentence. I believe I will be able to speak it soon. There are not enough people here, and you have not been able to recruit them.
If you are the right person, why don't you let me give it a try? Just give me three days of trial time. If it doesn't work, you can kick me out immediately, and I will never dare to trouble you again."
Shopkeeper Chen looked sideways at An Yi. Since he was only about 1.6 meters tall and had to hold his head high when talking to the tall An Yi, this made him feel very uncomfortable: "Hey! You are a beggar who doesn't even have a primary school diploma.
, also want to enter the famous 'Taichang'? It seems that I was too polite to you the first two times, now you can get out of here while I am in a good mood... are you leaving... are you not leaving? Agan Abiao, give it to me
Take him out!"
"Hi!"
"Slow! I'm going, I'm going, I'm going by myself." An Yi waved to the two waiters who rushed in front of him, and trotted out like a defeated rooster. In exchange for a burst of ridicule from shopkeeper Chen and the clerks, more than a dozen people chose
The customers who saw the product laughed out loud when they saw the interesting product.
"I am your ancestor..."
The frustrated An Yi sat down on the most remote step outside the business store, muttering in his mouth and couldn't help but curse in a low voice. However, no matter how much he cursed, he could not solve the employment problem, nor could he alleviate the shame of being discriminated against, so he could only look up to the sky.
Slowly letting out his resentment, he turned to think about what to do next. After thinking about it for a while, he still had no idea. His mouth was dry and he had no choice but to stand up and look at Mr. Lao's fortune telling not far to the west.
The bright yellow flag above the stall was about to beg for a drink of water, and now An Yi couldn't care less about his face.
As soon as An Yi took a step forward, he heard a noisy argument coming from behind. He turned around and found that the gate of the business was bustling with activity. A well-dressed and coquettish rich lady pointed at shopkeeper Chen's nose and cursed as she passed by.
Bored pedestrians gradually gathered around to watch the excitement. Shopkeeper Chen, who had just yelled at himself, seemed to have lost his backbone at this moment. He nodded and bowed his head and apologized amidst Mrs. Kuo's barrage of shrill curses. A Gan and A Biao, who had been so fierce just now,
He and the shop assistants were all huddled in the store, so how could they dare to stand out.
An Yi felt strange and thought that not ordinary people could afford to open a 'Taichang' trading firm. There must be a lot of backers behind him. It is indeed rare to be so scared when a woman comes to the door. But when An Yi saw it,
The situation behind Mrs. Qingkuo immediately became clear. Four Yunnan soldiers carrying sewing machines and two officers with shell guns hanging on their waists looked angry and arrogant. Their posture seemed to be waiting for Mrs. Kuo's order, and they would rush in and smash it.
this business.
Shopkeeper Chen apologized profusely and politely under the power, and respectfully invited the rich lady to come in and have a cup of coffee to calm down. The domineering rich lady did not buy his account at all. She pointed at the sewing machine on the ground and yelled, saying that she only bought it for more than three hundred yuan.
I haven't been able to move for more than ten days after I returned home. What kind of trash would dare to deceive me... When he curses people in Yunnan Mandarin, it's like singing.
An Yi felt bored and turned to leave. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped. He thought that there was not much difference between the American "Singae" sewing machine just now and later sewing machines. From the outside, the machine head and die plate were the same. It was estimated that the internal parts were also the same.
It's almost the same, the only difference is that later it was a pedal transmission and now it's a hand crank transmission. If I risked being beaten again and repaired it, maybe I could get this job.
Youdao means finding wealth in a dangerous situation. An Yi, who is so poor that he is crazy, gritted his teeth and strode back, squeezing away the busy people watching the excitement and came to the back of Shopkeeper Chen. He seized the chance of Mrs. Kuo to breathe and said with a smile in an authentic Sichuan accent:
"Sister, don't be angry. Our shopkeeper apologizes to you. Sister, please sit inside first, drink a cup of tea to calm down, and let me help you take a look at the machine. How about it?"
Mrs. Kuo looked at An Yi angrily. She was stunned when she saw An Yi's handsome appearance under his flowing long hair. She looked very surprised. Usually anyone who met her, the teacher's second wife, had to respectfully call her "Second Mrs.", but this handsome man in front of her
The tall young man opened his mouth and shouted "big sister" from left to right, "big sister" from the right, which made people feel comfortable, just like the polite young man from the neighbor's house.
Perhaps after scolding for a long time, most of her anger had dissipated. Mrs. Kuo thought for a moment and gave the order with a straight face: "Adjutant Xie, please leave a few people standing at the door. You and I can go in. I want to see how he is doing today."
Get off the stage, hum!"
"yes!"
An Yi saw shopkeeper Chen still standing there stupidly, and quickly patted his arm: "Mr. Chen, please go in and say hello. If you trust me, let me check this machine."
Only then did Shopkeeper Chen react: "Okay! I'll leave this to you. I'll go in and have a look. I'll go in and have a look..."
After Boss Chen entered, dozens of onlookers were still standing on tiptoes and stretching their necks to watch the fun. An Yi walked to the middle of the steps and said loudly: "Uncles, brothers, sisters-in-law, stop watching the fun here, there is nothing to see, what should you do?
Go ahead and do whatever you want, these officers carrying guns are not in a good mood, I'm worried that I might bump into everyone by accident later."
When everyone heard the young man's polite and thoughtful words, they felt that they were reasonable. They also saw that the several Yunnan officers and soldiers carrying guns outside the door were indeed a bit scary. In addition, the heroine had already entered and there was nothing to see, so they dispersed. An Yi came out.
He wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with his breath, and his heart was still beating fast. He would not do such a showy thing in public if he wanted to kill him in normal times, but he could only bear it for the sake of two meals.
An Yi turned around and entered the store, called A Qian and he carried the malfunctioning sewing machine to the repair table in the corner of the store. He didn't even see an American-made sewing machine parked under the shade of the trees on the left side of the store. In the black car, an elegant man wearing gold-rimmed glasses in the back seat of the car has been watching the development of the situation. He looked at An Yi on the steps of the front door with admiration. He listened to the secretary standing outside the car door and bent down to report the details, while smiling. Nod frequently.
"Hey! You little girl, are you okay?"
The sturdy Agan rubbed his slightly sunken nose and asked nervously, as if he had no confidence in this good-looking beggar. He then went on to babble a lot, saying that no one in the store dared to open this new type of machine. The machine head, not to mention the complicated parts and components inside, would cause huge losses if not handled properly.
An Yi, who was immersed in dismantling the machine head, was extremely annoyed. He thought that if he was really recruited into the store, he and this stupid young man would be colleagues from now on. At this moment, stupid young man's words were so contemptuous. If he didn't take the opportunity to teach him a lesson, it would be very difficult for him in the future. .
So An Yi stopped and straightened up, looked at A Gan without any scruples and whispered: "You look down on me, don't you? Come on!"
"No, no! Come here, come here... I see you are very quick and sharp in removing screws, I guess you have the ability." A Gan, who performed security duties in the store, gave in in front of the knowledge.
An Yi glared at him again before leaning over and continuing to work. He removed the transmission part inside the machine and took off the bobbin casing. He soon found the fault. He removed the rewind card and looked at it. He stretched out his hand and touched it, but found no oil at all. The presence of the machine immediately understood the cause of the machine locking up. He checked it again and raised his head with satisfaction. He was surprised to see shopkeeper Chen and Mrs. Kuo standing behind him.
An Yi picked up the faulty parts and explained kindly: "Nothing, it's a small problem. The transmission part of the machine is short of oil, which causes the card to be overheated and shift. The machine cannot move. Just push this part back to its original position and move it up." If there is enough engine oil for idling lubrication, it will be as good as new.”
Shopkeeper Chen was surprised at first and then beamed with joy: "You are a good boy! You have two hands, haha... Madam, maybe you forgot to refuel. Look, the inside of this machine is very dry, without any trace of oil. .”
"Who said I don't work hard? I even did it once this morning. Do you think I'm a bumpkin?" Mrs. Kuo was furious.
An Yi quickly explained: "Both of them are wrong. Sister, Mr. Chen, you see, these three are oil filling holes. This slightly larger round hole is probably for maintenance, but the Yankee who produced the machine did not mark it on it. It is clear, so it is not difficult to understand that this hole is regarded as an oil filling hole. The eldest sister added oil. You see, unfortunately, the oil did not flow into the place where the machine needs it, but flowed out along the machine base, so it was This glitch is gone now, you can easily use it after reinstalling it. Please wait a moment, it will be installed within ten minutes."
After An Yi finished speaking, he turned around and installed the disassembled parts in an orderly manner. The seemingly unhurried movements produced amazing efficiency. Shopkeeper Chen is a person who knows the goods. When he saw that An Yi's movements were not superfluous, he even used a screwdriver and a wrench. He used it very accurately and smoothly. He seemed to be able to pick up and put down the tools accurately without even looking at the tools next to him. He finished installing the machine in less than seven minutes. He used the soft cloth A Gan handed over to clean the machine head and other surfaces. Wipe it clean, then thread the needle and take a piece of cloth and press it on it. Shake the rotating wheel and the machine will immediately start to rotate briskly. The stitched lines are tight, smooth and flawless, leaving everyone in the circle dumbfounded and praising.
"Okay!" An Yi straightened up and wiped off the sweat with his sleeves, looking at Shopkeeper Chen with deep meaning.
Seeing the handsome Kang Ning and his beautiful skills, Mrs. Kuo also had a sweet smile on her face: "Brother, you are so good! Your accent sounds like you are from Chengdu, right? They are familiar with the Sichuan and Yunnan family. Watch it here.
I’m so happy to meet a skilled fellow! Brother, tell me, how long have you been working here?”
"This..." An Yi didn't know how to answer.
Shopkeeper Chen laughed: "Are you satisfied, madam? Haha... This is the little master in our store, from that technical college... By the way, he is an American engineer who studied at a university in Hong Kong, so don't look at him
He is very young but has a very high level, haha! Madam, are you satisfied?"
"It's okay!" Mrs. Kuo had no idea to answer Shopkeeper Chen, and she didn't know that he had deliberately elevated An Yi's identity as a technician and linked it to the United States on his own initiative. She smiled sweetly at An Yi: "Brother, what do you call me?
You?"
"My surname is An, and my name is An Yi, from Sichuan." An Yi answered truthfully.
Mrs. Kuo chuckled: "What are you ashamed of? We are all from my hometown. My eldest sister, my surname is Xu. You can just call me Sister Xu. Brother, eldest sister, thank you. When you are free, I will go to my eldest sister's place as a guest. Maybe this machine is needed.
Please help me. It’s not far from me, just to the left of the main entrance of the Dian Army camp at Dabei Gate. The most beautiful foreign-style building on the south side of the street is my eldest sister’s home. Do you remember it?”
"Uh... I remember." An Yi smiled sheepishly.
Mrs. Kuo nodded with satisfaction, and exchanged greetings with An Yi for a while, then walked out of the door with her head raised, got on a green cloth sedan carried by four people, and headed back home.
Shopkeeper Chen nodded and bowed to send this plague god away. He finally breathed a sigh of relief and entered the store. He said with satisfaction to An Yi who was squatting behind the door and wiping his hands: "You are a good boy. You are not talking big words. I'll think about it. I won't accept it."
I’ll give you a clear answer tomorrow.”
"Mr. Chen, I really want to do it here." An Yi begged anxiously.
Boss Chen had a look of displeasure on his face. Just as he was about to scold him, he saw the boss's secretary striding up the steps. The shopkeeper hurriedly greeted him with a respectful face. The tall, thin and elegant secretary whispered a few words in shopkeeper Chen's ear, and then
An Yi smiled at the overwhelmed An Yi and turned to leave.
Boss Chen watched the secretary leave, then returned to An Yi and said seriously: "You can come to work tomorrow. You will receive an apprentice's salary for the first six months, which is sixteen yuan per month. You can take one day off every ten days. Do you understand me clearly?"
An Yi was overjoyed: "I understand! It's clear!"
"Also, you are not allowed to wear beggar's clothes like this to work. Our business is not one of those low-level street vendors. We must not dress casually at all. Considering that you may have difficulties, we have made a contribution just now. Our boss...
I decided to go to Uncle Jiu in the accounting office at the back to advance half a month's salary later, so go quickly!" At this time, shopkeeper Chen showed his usual authority.
"Thank you Mr. Chen, I'll go right away."
"Stop! Come back!" Shopkeeper Chen pointed at An Yi's head: "What does such long hair look like? Like a madman! I order you to cut off your long hair tomorrow morning and make it the same as A Gan A Biao and others."
An Yi looked at A Gan and was startled: "What? You want me to cut such a disgusting rice shovel head? Or like A Biao's pot head? Mr. Chen, please spare me..."
"Nonsense! If you don't cut it, you won't be able to work, hum!"
Ten minutes later, An Yi, with eight yuan in his pocket, painfully came to Mr. Lao's fortune-telling stall and sat down, staring blankly at the rice shovel heads, pot lid heads and traitor-style middle-parted hair all over the street...