Chapter 07

Chapter 07

Despite being left unattended for half a year, the rooms on the third and fourth floors were actually cleaner than those on the first floor. Especially the one that Chen Jian had carefully selected and tidied. Although the bathroom wasn’t usable, it was clear that someone had cleaned it.

So when Liu Wu suggested taking a shower in the room he was planning to sleep in on the first floor, Shan Yu refused.

"I’m going to wash in 307. My luggage is all in that room," he said.

"The third floor, huh?" Liu Wu frowned.

"There’s power now," Shan Yu turned to look at Chen Jian, "The elevator should work now, right?"

"No," Chen Jian moved quickly, pulling out a roll of tape from under the water stand, tearing off a strip with a hiss, and sticking it on the elevator door, "It hasn’t been used for too long. We should wait for maintenance. I’ve only got one good leg left. I need to take care of it."

Shan Yu looked at the tape, then at Liu Wu.

Sure enough, Liu Wu’s voice, filled with alarm, was heard, "Dude, am I seeing things? Where did you get that?"

"What’s wrong?" Chen Jian looked at him, puzzled.

"Isn’t that the… the… the tape from the door of the room on the third floor?" Liu Wu pointed at the tape, "Did you take it off?"

"Can you read?" Chen Jian asked, genuinely impressed by Liu Wu’s imagination, which seemed to have skyrocketed in fear.

"Huh?" Liu Wu was taken aback.

"Why don’t you check what’s written on it?" Chen Jian threw the remaining tape roll at him.

Liu Wu caught it hurriedly and checked, "Caution… Under Construction?"

"Your courage is so small…" Chen Jian sighed.

"My courage isn’t small. You just have abnormally large courage," Liu Wu said.

Without the elevator, Shan Yu would have to slowly climb up the stairs step by step, and Liu Wu would have to carry the wheelchair up...

Chen Jian stood by the stairs, watching Shan Yu.

"We need to carry him up," Liu Wu suddenly said.

Oh, Liu Wu looked quite refined, but he could carry Shan Yu up to the third floor. Then he’d have to carry the wheelchair himself... Chen Jian thought, only to realize Liu Wu hadn’t moved and was just looking at him.

"Huh?" Chen Jian reacted, "Me?"

"Aren’t you his personal assistant?" Liu Wu said.

Food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

This probably fell under "transportation."

But facing someone like Shan Yu, once Chen Jian started helping him, he was worried that Shan Yu might not even use crutches anymore, let alone sit in a wheelchair.

"Well actually..." he hesitated, walked to the elevator door, and quickly peeled off the tape he had just stuck on, muttering in a low voice, "It was inspected once a month, but it’s never had any issues since it was installed. No one has come in to cause trouble in the last six months... It should be fine to run a couple of trips..."

"No issues because it’s barely used?" Shan Yu asked.

"Probably," Chen Jian recalled, actually, before the incident on the third floor, Zhenxi’s business, among the relatively high-end guesthouses in the town, wasn’t the worst. It’s just that most of the guests stayed on the first floor.

Thinking about it, the business had indeed been a bit lackluster.

The elevator seemed to have no problems, and the door opened smoothly.

Chen Jian peeked inside and looked up and down, not much dust, and all the lighting seemed normal.

Shan Yu unfolded his crutch and walked in, then turned back, "Everyone, get in."

"Can’t you wash by yourself?" Chen Jian asked.

"Come in to share the risk," Shan Yu took his time, "I’ve only got one good leg left. The two of you coming in lowers the risk of breakdown."

Chen Jian and Liu Wu walked in together.

The elevator was reliable, all the way to the third floor, without any issues.

However, as soon as they stepped out of the elevator, they saw a ceiling light on the third floor flickering.

"What’s wrong with that light?" Liu Wu stopped at the stairway entrance.

"Loose connection," Chen Jian pressed the switch on the wall a few times, but the light continued to flicker, "It hasn’t been turned on for half a year."

"It’s still flickering," Liu Wu said.

Shan Yu sighed, raised his crutch, and poked the switch, turning off the light with a snap, "No more flickering."

Chen Jian, following Shan Yu’s instructions, grabbed a plastic chair from the gym on the third floor and placed it in the bathroom of room 307. He also tested the showerhead and such, all in good condition, with toiletries all new, sporting Zhenxi’s stickers, clearly taken from the third-floor storage room.

Although Shan Yu was a paralyzed boss, his strong will likely led him to explore the entire building.

Chen Jian was about to head downstairs when Liu Wu, who had already retreated to the stairway entrance, looked at him, "Where are you going?"

"Downstairs," Chen Jian said, "I need to rest for a bit, and then I have to contact people to get some work done in the afternoon."

"Aren’t you going to wait until my brother finishes his shower?" Liu Wu said.

"Do I need to dry him off too?" Chen Jian asked.

"His leg needs disinfecting," Liu Wu said, "He can’t do it himself. I’ll teach you. After I leave tomorrow, for the next two months, you’ll have to help him disinfect."

"Come here," Chen Jian waved him over, opened the storage room door, and walked in, "I’ll give you something."

"What?" Liu Wu didn’t come in, just poked his head through the door.

Chen Jian turned on the light in the room and pointed to several walkie-talkies lined up on a shelf by the door that were charging. "Every floor has one, the channels are already set, no need to touch them. Just come and grab one when you need to find me."

"Give me one now, it should’ve charged for a while, right?" Liu Wu reached out.

Chen Jian sighed, took one, unplugged the charging cable, and handed it to him.

Not sure how long Shan Yu would take in the shower, Chen Jian hadn’t slept well last night. He was woken up early by Shan Yu and had been busy since then. Right now, he just wanted to lay his head on the table and nap for a bit.

But just a few minutes after laying down, just as he was starting to feel drowsy, the surroundings slowly darkened, and his phone rang from his pocket.

"Ugh," Chen Jian took out his phone somewhat irritably and saw that it was Zhao Fangfang calling. He answered, "Sister Zhao?"

"Yeah, it’s me," Zhao Fangfang’s voice came through, "Where are you?"

"At Xixi," Chen Jian said, knowing why Zhao Fangfang had called, so he asked, "Aren’t you at the fertilizer factory anymore?"

"Not working there anymore, my body just couldn’t handle it. Unloading was too tiring, and the smell was bad," Zhao Fangfang said, "How’s the new boss?"

"Don’t know the person well. Just know the mouth isn’t great. He’s alright, I just met him so I don’t know much," Chen Jian said.

"Are you reopening?" Zhao Fangfang asked, "Are you hiring?"

"Not sure what the plan is yet, right now we’re getting people to clean up," Chen Jian casually picked up the notebook he had been using to inspect the rooms and flipped through it, "Vacuuming, washing sheets and covers..."

"I can do that. I used to clean," Zhao Fangfang said.

"Then come over," Chen Jian said, "The place has been empty for half a year, it’s not light work. If you know someone else, bring them along."

"I’ll go first." Zhao Fangfang said.

Chen Jian guessed she didn’t want to split the money, so he didn’t say much. People would see how the boss arranged things.

Shan Yu must have been having trouble moving around because it took almost an hour before Liu Wu called Chen Jian upstairs on the walkie-talkie.

Liu Wu had already spread out a first aid kit on the coffee table in the room. Shan Yu was leaning against the head of the bed, wearing loose linen pants. His left leg was stretched out on the bed with the pant leg pulled up to his thigh, only then did Chen Jian see the injury on his left leg.

He thought there was just an external fixation brace, but now that the leg was exposed, he understood why there was an external fixation—because there was an open wound.

"Fuck," he muttered, walking over.

"Scary, huh?" Liu Wu said smugly.

"Why are you so proud of it?" Shan Yu said.

"Is the brace stuck into the flesh?" Chen Jian asked, leaning closer.

"Yeah, that’s how you fix the bone," Liu Wu’s tone indeed carried the pride of "I can’t believe you’re scared too," "That’s why it needs disinfecting."

"How do you disinfect it?" Chen Jian asked, looking at the cotton swab in Liu Wu’s hand, "Stick it in the hole?"

"You might as well kill me first and then disinfect," Shan Yu said.

"I’ll teach him. Don’t interrupt," Liu Wu suddenly became serious, like a diligent student.

Shan Yu made a zipping motion in front of his mouth and fell silent.

"First, disinfect the needle site and the surrounding skin, then the steel needle. The order for the steel needle is like this, watch..." Liu Wu demonstrated, "Start wiping from near the needle site and go outward. You need to change the cotton swab with each step, can’t rub back and forth... Understand?"

"Understood." Chen Jian said.

"You try it." Liu Wu stood aside.

Chen Jian took an alcohol wipe to clean his hands, recalled the steps in his mind, then changed swabs, changed swabs, changed swabs...

"Steady hands," Liu Wu complimented.

"It’s not like threading a needle, no need to shake," Chen Jian put down the last swab, "Is that it?"

"Yeah, that’s it." Liu Wu nodded.

To be honest, the injury made Chen Jian wince just looking at it, especially the cut on the side of the calf that extended downward.

"Was the person who hit you aiming for your Achilles tendon?" Chen Jian said.

"Oh," Shan Yu said as he pulled down his pant leg, glancing at Chen Jian, "Experienced? Have you cut tendons or had yours cut?"

"There’s a sister coming over soon to clean. She can start working right away. I only had time to introduce her as Zhao Fangfang."

"You talk to her about the pay." Chen Jian said.

"Yeah." Shan Yu slowly stood up from the bed, his shirt buttons not fully done up. As he turned, Chen Jian saw injuries on his waist, both new and old, in more than one place.

After Shan Yu left the room, leaning on his crutch, Chen Jian quietly asked Liu Wu, who was packing up the first aid kit, "Was your brother mixed up with some bad crowds before?"

Liu Wu, maybe having been lectured by Shan Yu, kept his mouth shut tight today and didn’t even answer the question directly, "His mouth is a bit harsh, but he’s a good person, loyal."

"Oh." Chen Jian nodded.

Whether Liu Wu said it or not, it was already pretty clear that Shan Yu wasn’t exactly a law-abiding citizen, at least not in the past.

The second employee at Xixi, aside from Chen Jian, arrived half an hour later. It was a thin, somewhat shabbily dressed sister.

Chen Jian only had time to introduce her as Zhao Fangfang.

"I used to clean here. I did all the cleaning up and down. I know where everything is, and I know all the tricky spots that need attention..." Zhao Fangfang said in a loud voice despite her small frame.

"Um, then you..." Shan Yu tried to interject but couldn't find a gap.

"Chen Jian knows, I work efficiently, and I always see what needs to be done!" Zhao Fangfang said, "I've been working here for almost a year and never made a mistake..."

"Alright, then you..." Shan Yu tried to interject again but failed.

"Get to the money," Chen Jian reminded him in a low voice from behind.

"Money," Shan Yu said.

Chen Jian was startled, paused, and looked up at him.

The way Shan Yu interjected was odd, but it actually worked. Zhao Fangfang stopped her eager self-introduction.

"I'm in a bit of a hurry, and everything needs to be done within three days. Your job will be to clean the dust, change the bedding, and clean the floors. You don't need to do the washing," Shan Yu said, "Start from the first floor, and when more people arrive, we'll assign you to the upper floors. As for the payment..."

"I can do it all, no problem," Zhao Fangfang said, "Kind-hearted boss, no need to find anyone else. I can finish a room in less than two hours. Thirty-two rooms, I can finish in three days."

"boss Shan," Chen Jian wasn't sure if Zhao Fangfang was doing it on purpose, "His surname is Single, not Kind-hearted."

Shan Yu didn't say anything.

"The payment will be a bit more than the usual cleaning fee since it's dirtier than usual. It used to be fifty per room," Zhao Fangfang said.

Before Chen Jian could remind Zhao Fangfang that it might be too tiring to do so much, Shan Yu had already made the decision: "Alright, one hundred twenty per room, and two hundred for corridors and non-guest rooms."

"Okay," Zhao Fangfang nodded, "Thank you, boss Shan."

"That room on the third floor," Shan Yu looked at her, "If I pay extra, can you do it?"

"...I can do it," Zhao Fangfang hesitated for less than half a second and nodded.

As soon as Shan Yu agreed, Zhao Fangfang skillfully retrieved the previous cleaning supplies from the cleaning room and ran upstairs swiftly.

"Can she finish it all?" Shan Yu watched her leave and turned to ask Chen Jian.

"How would I know?" Chen Jian looked at him, "I thought you knew."

"Weren't you two colleagues before?" Shan Yu asked.

"She did cleaning, and I was in charge of the storeroom, kitchen chores, and various errands. I have no idea how she managed her work," Chen Jian said softly.

"Then what should we do?" Shan Yu also whispered.

"Where's your Liu Wu?" Chen Jian said.

Shan Yu laughed, "It's fine, let her do it. If she can't finish, she'll definitely find someone to help. Just give them a smaller share, and she can take the larger portion."

"She probably wants to stay and work long-term, showing off her abilities," Chen Jian said, "It's hard to find work in small places."

"What about you?" Shan Yu asked.

"What about me?" Chen Jian looked at him.

"Before you came here," Shan Yu asked, "What were you doing in the last six months?"

Chen Jian paused for a moment, "I've been idle for almost two months, helping out at a repair shop just to get by. Before that, I was working at a restaurant in the town."

"Do you have to struggle for meals now?" Shan Yu thought for a moment, "Don't you have any savings?"

"None," Chen Jian answered very straightforwardly.

"Did you spend it all on perming your hair?" Shan Yu asked again.

"What are you thinking..." Chen Jian was amused by his question and reached up to scratch his head, "I permed it myself."

"What about your parents?" Shan Yu continued to ask.

Chen Jian paused, looked at him for a while before asking back, "Why are you asking this?"

"I need to understand the background when hiring people," Shan Yu said, "In this place, I haven't met many normal people since I arrived. It's only natural to be cautious."

"Why didn't you ask Sister Zhao just now?" Chen Jian said.

"She's quick to respond. As soon as she opened her mouth, I felt like I was being swept by gunfire. There was no chance to ask," Shan Yu said, "Why don't you give an introduction?"

"Her husband is disabled, and she has a daughter," Chen Jian said, "Her life is quite hard."

"Hmm," Shan Yu responded, "What about you?"

"My mom is dead, and my dad is working outside," Chen Jian answered simply.

"A left-behind youth, huh." Shan Yu leaned back in his chair and looked at him without saying anything more.

"Is there anything else you want to ask?" Chen Jian stood up, "I still need to contact someone for bedding cleaning and yard maintenance..."

"Find a few more people to work on the exterior walls and remove the sign that says 'Pillow Stream.' We need to make a new one," Shan Yu said.

"We need to change the sign too?" Chen Jian was surprised.

"Yes, it's not auspicious," Shan Yu said.

"What should we change it to?" Chen Jian looked outside.

"Leave it empty for now. I haven't thought of a new one yet," Shan Yu slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked outside, "We can hold off on hiring servers for now since there's no business anyway."

Knowing there was no business, but spending twenty thousand upfront.

Chen Jian looked at him, "boss Shan, I have a question."

"Hmm?" Shan Yu turned his head and looked him up and down, "Seems pretty normal, what's the issue?"

"……Although we've only just met," Chen Jian said, "We're going to have to work together..."

"You're the one who needs the work," Shan Yu said.

"Yes, I do need to work here," Chen Jian said, "And I'd like to feel more at ease about it, don't you think?"

"Suddenly so polite," Shan Yu said, "Are you wondering why I'm here?"

Although he did want to ask that, Shan Yu guessing it directly made Chen Jian unsure how to respond, feeling like the question might be a bit abrupt.

"I'm here to find a place to stay and heal my wounds," Shan Yu said.

Okay then.

It was an answer, but it felt like no question had been asked.

"Oh." Chen Jian gave up and turned to leave.

"Boss Qian owes me money," Shan Yu said, "And he gave me this losing proposition to settle the debt."

"How could you get scammed by him like that?" Chen Jian turned around in shock.

"What, can't I experience a fool's life for once?" Shan Yu said.