Chapter 87

Chapter 87: First Day on the Job

Back in his bedroom, Ji Huan immediately spotted the snoozing horned demon on the bed and Hei Dan flipping through an alphabet book.

At the sight of Ji Huan, Hei Dan promptly raised his little paw that was holding the book, chirping "Jiujiu" affectionately. He stretched out his tiny arms, yearning for Ji Huan's embrace.

The bracelet on his left wrist seemed quite heavy; his left arm drooped slightly lower.

Ji Huan hurried over to scoop up Hei Dan, praising him as he did so, "Good boy, Hei Dan. You've put Grandpa to sleep again."

Hei Dan giggled.

Ji Huan smiled too.

Well, it seemed that Grandpa truly wasn't fond of reading. Back when he was young, reading storybooks to lull himself and his older sister to sleep often ended with him dozing off first. Now, it appeared to be the same with Hei Dan.

Tucking the blanket around the horned demon, Ji Huan carried Hei Dan on his back to prepare dinner.

During dinner, Ji Huan announced that he had found a job.

"A staff member in the Testing Zone! Sounds like an office job!" Ajin's eyes lit up as he held a bone tail between his teeth.

"Although it involves sitting, but..." Ji Huan pondered. "There's no roof over there, so I guess it doesn't count as an office."

"What if it rains without a roof? No, it doesn't rain often here, but it would be scorching hot under the sun! Anyway, bring an umbrella tomorrow just in case!" Ajin promptly advised.

Ji Huan agreed and added "carry an umbrella" to Ajin's list of new employee tips.

As the grandfather and grandson conversed, Hei Dan sat on Ji Huan's lap.

With his little ears perked up and chin raised, he appeared to be listening attentively.

Noticing that his little mouth had stopped moving, Ji Huan picked up a small spoon from the side, scooped some porridge from Hei Dan's bowl, and smeared it into his mouth, making the child's mouth start moving again.

The trio continued their meal.

The next morning was a bright sunny day. After preparing breakfast, Ji Huan left early.

"Ajin, I've put Hei Dan's lunch in the pot. Warm it up for him before you go hunting. Oh, and add more vegetables before heating it," he reminded Ajin before departing.

Grandfather nodded, assuring that he would fulfill the task.

Sitting in Grandfather's embrace, Hei Dan also gazed eagerly at his uncle with his white-ringed eyes.

After some thought, Ji Huan assigned him a task as well: "Afternoon today, when you return home, Black Egg, continue reading storybooks with Grandfather and then help lull him to an afternoon nap."

Hei Dan... It was unclear if he understood or not, but he still nodded seriously.

Before he learned how to shake his head, he probably would nod to anything he encountered.

=-=

"Send my regards to Little Grey Demon," he instructed before grabbing an umbrella and donning a large cloak. With that, Ji Huan set off for the talent market.

Yesterday, he had approached with trepidation, but today his feelings were entirely different – this would now be his workplace.

When Ji Huan arrived, the old monster was already there, clad in trousers embroidered with small frogs. He was practicing a very slow set of punches in the courtyard, reminiscent of the Tai Chi from his previous world.

"Good morning," Ji Huan greeted the old monster upon entering the yard, then refrained from disturbing him. He noticed an additional chair beside the one where the old monster usually sat by the testing area entrance. Presumably, that would be his designated seat from now on.

The sight of that chair brought Ji Huan even more reassurance.

The workplace was already prepared, and he genuinely had a job now.

Just as the ancient monster finished his leisurely set of exercises and began searching for his new employee, Ji Huan was crouched at the entrance, wiping chairs.

He used cleaning tools he had brought from his old home, which he had packed with the intention of showcasing his proficiency in housekeeping, as Ajin had advised him to bring some cleaning supplies.

Due to the lack of water, the task proved challenging, so Ji Huan huffed warm breath onto the chair while continuing to scrub.

"Over there, there's water. Fetch some to clean with," the old monster couldn't bear to watch his frugality and pointed towards the west, instructing him.

Ji Huan thus approached, now fully aware of how precious water was in this place. The well in Ajin's courtyard was an exceptionally rare commodity!

When the creature mentioned the presence of water, Ji Huan had imagined a cup or a basin of it, never expecting to see what lay in the direction the old monster pointed—

A running water pipe!?

Ji Huan's lips parted slightly in surprise.

Gently turning the tap, he watched as water gushed out. Promptly, he turned it off again.

Ah!

While Ajin's family was still relying on a well for water, the old monster had already installed piped water – this, this, this, this–

Regaining his composure swiftly, Ji Huan fetched some water with the basin he carried for cleaning, dampening the towel slightly before returning to wipe the chairs anew.

In no time, both chairs were spotless. The old monster seemed content and promptly sat down on his own chair; however, with the chair now clean, the grime on his cloak was particularly noticeable. As he sat, mud from the cloak rolled onto the chair, soiling it once more!

The old monster looked at Ji Huan rather awkwardly.

Ji Huan extended a hand towards him.

Thus, in the next second, the old monster found himself sitting bare-bottomed on the pristine chair, while the rest of his clothes were in Ji Huan's possession. Filling a large basin with water, Ji Huan began scrubbing the garments vigorously.

These clothes were incredibly dirty! They even harbored insects.

Collecting the bugs with great care, Ji Huan meticulously washed every corner of the garment.

"What are you doing collecting those insects?" the old monster asked, his bony legs dangling off the chair.

"Eat," Ji Huan said. Chickens in his household loved devouring all sorts of insects, so he had grown accustomed to collecting them whenever he saw them.

The old monster wept again. "My wife... also adored eating the bugs on my body..."

Ji Huan: ...-_=

After rummaging through the old monster's storage for quite some time, Ji Huan failed to find any rope. Eventually, he stumbled upon a metal chain that seemed suitable. He hung the freshly laundered clothes on it, and they dried quickly.

The old monster took the opportunity to bathe as well. By the time he changed into the newly dried clothes and sat back down in his chair, he looked like an entirely renewed creature.

As they finished their tasks, the first customer arrived at the testing area.

This monster seemed to have done his homework about the testing area beforehand. Although illiterate, he was not fooled by the old monster's five-finger trick and skillfully avoided all extra fees. Just as he was about to leave after receiving his results, the old monster called out to him.

"Would you like a résumé?" the old monster asked.

"A résumé? Does it cost extra?" the monster asked cautiously, speaking for the first time since entering.

"Ten Bone Coins," replied the old monster.

"No." The demon shook its head and walked away.

Ji Huan, who had been standing by, was taken aback. He quickly turned to the old demon.

"It's alright, wait for the next group."

After idling by the entrance for a while, Ji Huan finally greeted the second batch of customers. This time, there were three of them. Like before, they weren't fooled by the old demon's extended finger and, after receiving their test results, were about to leave when they too were stopped by the old demon to ask if they needed a resume.

Only one demon requested a resume – probably out of curiosity about what it was – while the other two declined – understandable, since most demons here only bought necessities.

Following the method he used to create resumes for himself, Abu, and Little Grey, Ji Huan meticulously drew up a formatted resume for this demon.

"Thank you for your business, Mr. Zabu." This time, he added a name section to the resume and, in asking for the customer's name, learned it naturally.

Carrying over the habit from his previous job at the garage where he would say "thank you for your business" as customers left, Ji Huan instinctively expressed his gratitude.

Apparently, this wasn't a common practice here. The demon was momentarily stunned but eventually accepted the form drawn by Ji Huan. It then tossed ten shimmering coins into the jar in front of Ji Huan.

Before leaving, the old demon stamped the form with a black seal that seemed intricate in design.

The creature carefully held the paper it had exchanged for ten bone coins and left.

Until the market was almost closing, Ji Huan had only served seven customers. Only one of them, a creature named Zabu, had paid extra for a resume, while the others still applied for jobs in the traditional way.

Ji Huan felt somewhat uneasy.

If this continued every day, wouldn't he be an unnecessary person?

Who would be willing to pay 500 bone coins a month to hire someone idle?

Would he lose his job right after getting it?

Just as Ji Huan was filled with anxiety, three figures suddenly rushed in from outside! They were the three creatures that Ji Huan had attended to in his second batch earlier that day. Among them was Zabu, the only customer who had purchased a resume today!

Could it be that there was a mistake on the resume, and they had come to settle the score?

Ji Huan grew even more uneasy. He quickly recalled the contents but couldn't remember any errors.

At that moment, the strongest of the three creatures suddenly slammed its hand down hard on Ji Huan's table.

"Hand me a resume!" After the massive palm lifted from the tabletop, ten shimmering coins were left quietly in front of Ji Huan.

Uh... So his action just now was simply to slap down payment.

"We three were hunting for jobs together today. Yet, it was Zabu who landed one. Despite having similar qualifications and arriving later than us just to wait for a resume, why was he chosen while we were rejected?"

"He had an extra resume!"

"Indeed! It must be because of the resume! I'll get one too!" Zabu stood cheerfully in the middle, while his two companions on either side were loudly voicing their complaints. The burly monster, after seeing the first payment, also placed ten gleaming coins on the table.

However—

"Ten isn't enough. You need twenty," the old monster suddenly spoke from the side.

"Huh!? Didn't Zabu pay ten this morning?" The muscular monster had asked Zabu about the price earlier, and Ji Huan also glanced at the old monster.

"The resume costs ten bone coins, and the other ten are for retaking the test. A day has passed, and with so many guests, who would still remember your test results?" The old monster replied leisurely.

Ji Huan: =-= I still remember!

And... they had only served seven customers! That's barely the count of one hand!

Ji Huan looked aside with a -= expression. The old monster's eyelids drooped, hiding any change in his gaze.

In response, Ji Huan also lowered his eyes.

Seeing the two staff members so calm, the other two anxious monsters hurriedly gathered to discuss.

"One of them has a point. With so many test results, I definitely won't be able to remember them all."

The outcome of their discussion was that both monsters gritted their teeth and each produced another ten bone coins.

After retaking the tests, Ji Huan finally drew up charts for the two of them. With the old monster's stamp of approval, the two monsters received their charts as if they were precious treasures and left with them.

Zab, who was the last to depart, waved his claws at Ji Huan and the old monster with a grin. After a moment, he pulled out a small magical beast from behind him and placed it on Ji Huan's desk.

The magical beast had suffered a gruesome death; when it was placed on the table, blood splattered across the entire surface.

"This is..." Ji Huan was stunned.

"This would be the extra income," the old monster said leisurely. "Take it back for your dinner."

Looking at the pitifully deceased magical beast on the table, Ji Huan swallowed hard.

It looked...

So delicious!

This magical beast seemed like the kind he could never catch on his own!

With a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips that he couldn't suppress, Ji Huan pursed them.

His self-made system had helped an average magical beast secure a job, and now he had earned extra income – a great start indeed.

Wiping the table clean, Ji Huan prepared to leave for home.

But before clocking out, he suddenly recalled Ajin's request. Counting eighty-seven bone coins from his bag, Ji Huan pushed them in front of the old monster.

"A friend of mine, upon hearing that I found work here, asked me to repay you. Here are eighty-seven bone coins in total. Please confirm the amount."

Trembling in the setting sun, the ancient monster seemed to ponder for a long while before finally remembering something: "That brat is still alive?"

"Mm."

"Tell him that returning the money in the wallet isn't enough; he needs to return the wallet to me as well." With that, the old monster threw all the bone coins into his money pouch and waved goodbye, departing.

Raking his fingers through his hair, Ji Huan felt as if an unpleasant association had taken root in his mind.