Chapter 5: The First Failure

“Right, the cellphone.”

Just as she lifted her foot to step out the door and put on her shoes, she suddenly remembered there was one important thing left on the bed.

If she found a job, she needed to leave a contact number or something; an employee who didn’t even know their own phone number was doomed from the start.

Thinking this, Su Xiaoxiao immediately went back to the bed and stuffed the cellphone into her pocket.

The pocket of her school uniform pants wasn’t very big, but it was just enough to hold the phone.

“Alright!”

“This time, I’m really setting out.”

She cheered herself on silently as she stepped outside.

“Squeak~”

Looking down the somewhat dim hallway, its blackness stretching endlessly, Su Xiaoxiao reluctantly closed the door slowly.

Although it was a little eerie, being afraid of the dark was not an option.

From now on, she would be living alone.

In the days ahead, the only companions she would have were a roll of quilt on the bed or maybe a small pillow.

Oh right, she might also count on the moonlight after school in the afternoon.

During the night shifts, Su Xiaoxiao might only be able to admire the quiet moonlight outside.

“Hm?”

Prepared in her heart, she reached out to the door, but found there was nothing to lock it with.

The key wasn’t with her!

“Ah, how could I forget something again.”

She took off her shoes and hurried back into the room.

Foolish!

After a troublesome round of fussing, she finally locked the door and arrived at the staircase.

“…I thought there’d be some sensor lights or something.”

Su Xiaoxiao held onto the iron railing, carefully extending her foot step by step down the stairs, afraid that she might miss a step and fall flat on her face.

As she descended the floors, she gradually began to hear sounds coming from outside the building.

Judging by the number of turns, the Original Owner likely lived on the Sixth Floor of this building, which was probably the top floor.

“It’s almost summer, why does it get so dark so quickly?”

After stepping out of the floor that had no working lights or where the lights were broken long ago, she looked up at the sky, only a thin sliver visible through the eaves.

“This kind of long-lost feeling.”

“Beep~”

She skillfully aimed the small round object on her keychain at the sensor on the door and opened it.

Outside, she didn’t see anyone.

Even if there were people, their expressions weren’t very pleasant, which only emphasized the gloomy atmosphere of the place.

The lighting was still poor, and the alleyways were too numerous to count.

Hopefully, she wouldn’t get lost…

“This should be the right way.”

Looking at the narrow passage, Su Xiaoxiao followed a relatively long and wider path.

After walking for about a minute, she spotted a few small shops.

Only then did she see some people, who were inside eating dinner.

“Let’s see what they have. I can eat here later too.”

She walked closer to check the store names and found a Sha County Snacks and a Mala Tang stall.

Although she didn’t eat Mala Tang, the Sha County Snacks looked pretty good.

She’d tried it occasionally before, and she really liked the little steamed buns and the mixed rice noodles.

Further ahead, there was a small shop shining with lights that didn’t look like an ordinary store.

“This…”

She approached and realized this shop was different from the others and quite novel.

There were no staff, and the lighting inside was dim.

There was a small sliding wooden door that was open, as if inviting her in.

Su Xiaoxiao glanced around, confirmed no staff were around, and then stepped inside.

“A vending machine?”

It looked like one of those machines where you could insert coins to grab a toy or buy water, but on second thought, it didn’t quite match that.

It was more like the drink vending machines she’d seen in anime.

But she didn’t recognize any of the items inside.

“This looks fun.”

Some things were spherical, others cylindrical, and the strange shapes made Su Xiaoxiao mistake them for toys.

Well, no money; she’d come back to try once she got a job and earned a salary.

“Let’s go.”

As she left, she glanced back inside, thinking that when she had money, she’d come try it.

After all, she’d never seen anything like this before, and her parents never bought her toys.

Thinking about a better future sparked Su Xiaoxiao’s determination to find a job.

“Hmm…”

As she stepped outside, she bumped into a few tall adults who looked at her strangely as she came out.

The young girl who had just stepped out immediately sensed their gazes.

When it came to reading people’s eyes, Su Xiaoxiao was second to none.

Her father’s belt had taught her well—he was far more complicated than this.

She had to admit, back then she was a master at dodging the belt; a few lashes never hit.

But after that, things weren’t so good.

Her backside and back would be covered in bruises.

Ahem, putting that aside for now—she needed to run.

Their expressions were clearly unfriendly.

“Little girl, what are you buying coming out of there?”

They didn’t know why, but still came up to ask with smiles on their faces.

“Nothing!”

With danger sensing activated, Su Xiaoxiao immediately dashed past them and ran away.

Thankfully, their drunken, meat-laden bodies were slower than her youthful reflexes.

“These people are definitely trouble!”

Thinking that while running, she didn’t dare look back.

After running along the main road for about three or four minutes, she finally reached a place that looked more like a proper street, crowded with people.

“Huff~ huff~”

The petite white-haired girl’s whole body was now radiating heat, and a faint fragrance wafted from her.

“Huff, I didn’t realize I could run this much.”

Leaning against the wall, she began to replay what just happened.

She’d instinctively run, feeling like someone was about to hit her.

“Huff~ Although I’m tired, at least I made it to the street.”

Su Xiaoxiao slowly adjusted her breathing and raised her head to look around.

“Uh, the shop’s here, but I still haven’t seen a convenience store.”

She’d keep looking.

Then, she slowly weaved through the street, faint streetlights casting a gentle glow on her small frame, as if cheering her on.

“Found it, Xidonghui.”

Lucky, she spotted her target in no time.

She’d seen a convenience store with this name before.

Now all that was left was to ask if there were any night shift vacancies.

But it would be dumb to ask outright, and with nowhere else to find hiring info, she had no choice but to try.

***

“Sorry, we’re not hiring at the moment.”

“And we can’t accept you either.”

“Alright, thank you…”

Obviously, the first interview failed.

Su Xiaoxiao slunk out of the store.

But she wasn’t one to give up easily.

Before, she didn’t want to work but was forced to; now she wanted to work to improve her life and earn some money—was that not allowed?

“I don’t believe I can’t find a job. For survival,

for those delicious buns,

I’ll give it my all!”

After the first failure, Su Xiaoxiao didn’t get discouraged but immediately pumped herself up and continued searching for her next opportunity.

Though she looked confident, having zero experience in job hunting, how could she find a job so easily?

***

“Sorry, we can’t hire child labor. Little girl, please go home.”

This was the nth shop owner to say the same thing.

Counting up, it was at least ten stores, all giving similar responses—no child labor allowed.

“Thank you…”

Su Xiaoxiao smiled politely.

Though she had been full of fighting spirit at first, after repeated setbacks, she grew tired.

Leaving this shop, her weary eyes gazed toward the far end of the street and the constantly passing pedestrians.

Her mood felt as if it was about to be drowned out by them.

So cold.

“Do I still have to keep looking…”

She thought about finding a chair to sit down—her legs were already sore.

Of course, her heart was even more exhausted.

“Ugh, does this mean I won’t have anything to eat?”

On the way back, Su Xiaoxiao lowered her head in disappointment and felt the only thing accompanying her—her cellphone in her pocket.

She unlocked it and found nothing.

Maybe she should go to a shop to ask for something to eat. Maybe there would be kind people…

For some reason, such a strange thought popped into her head.

No.

Had she just thought something totally unrealistic?

She would never do something like that, no matter what.