ebookland Chapter 241 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 12
Chapter 241 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return 12
In the end, they still couldn't leave in time.
The news of the maritime ban came suddenly.
When the news spread, Shen Shuwan was washing dishes in the kitchen of a restaurant when she vaguely heard the conversation outside suddenly become more intense.
However, she didn't have time to care about these things.
According to the landlady, washing dishes for an afternoon earns 5 copper coins. (Based on the calculation that one silver dollar is approximately 1400 copper coins)
However, breaking a bowl will result in a deduction of 2 coins.
She's already broken two bowls today; she can't afford to mess this up too.
Before, at home, I was pampered by my parents, uncles, and sisters.
Although she had read a few lines about the hardships of life in books and occasionally glimpsed the struggles of ordinary people on the street, she always felt that with what she had learned, she couldn't be too bad off.
But once you get to the bottom, you realize that all your previous thoughts and ideas were just empty talk.
Not to mention that I only cared about having fun when I was in school, and I just did my homework casually. I didn't graduate and didn't get a diploma.
Given her status as an unregistered resident from out of town, she would never be offered any of the easier jobs.
She had also considered making a living by selling paintings, after all, according to her mother, she had quite a talent for painting.
However, she lacked the ability to "realize" her talent, and no one took her seriously. Moreover, the money she had left wasn't even enough to cover the cost of the paints she used when she was learning to paint.
As for other things, she had no connections.
Even the dishwashing job was given to her by the restaurant owner out of pity.
Seeing that she had smashed two bowls in a row, the proprietress was filled with regret.
If this bowl breaks again, not only will all the washing before be for nothing, but we'll also have to pay extra to make up for it.
Shen Shuwan sighed silently, stretched her stiff back slightly, and unexpectedly met the eyes of the boss's wife who was eating sunflower seeds and supervising the work. She quickly smiled apologetically and continued to work hard.
It wasn't until the waiter, Xiao Zhang, brought in another stack of dirty bowls, along with the news she had overheard outside, that Shen Shuwan realized what had happened.
"pat-"
The last bowl, in the end, couldn't be saved. It smashed on the ground with another crisp sound, and shards scattered everywhere.
"A sea ban?" Shen Shuwan couldn't think of anything else. She grabbed Xiao Zhang's arm and asked, "You just said a sea ban? Is it really a ban? How long will it last?"
Xiao Zhang frowned and brushed her wet hand away: "Of course it's true. Who would joke about this? As for how long, who knows? It'll be at least a year or two, but it has nothing to do with us. Why are you making such a fuss?"
Although she already knew about this from the system, now that it had come to this, Shen Shuwan could no longer deceive herself that she could leave before the sea ban by working hard, and that she would have to stay alone in the port for quite some time afterward. So she burst into tears.
This crying startled the landlady, who had been looking fierce and ready to argue with Shen Shuwan about how much wages to deduct, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
Seeing that she was crying harder and harder and couldn't stop for a long time, the boss glared at her, put her hands on her hips and said to her, "Alright, alright, I won't deduct your wages for this bowl. If you cry again, you can leave!"
"Really...really not going to deduct?" Shen Shuwan sobbed, stopping her tears, and asked pitifully with her red and swollen eyes.
The proprietress emphasized, "We won't deduct from this one; the two that were broken before will still be deducted."
Shen Shuwan wiped away her tears and pursed her lips shyly, "Then, can I still come tomorrow?"
Too bad.
The proprietress glanced at the broken bowl on the ground with a heart-wrenching expression, then looked at Shen Shuwan, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and waved her hand: "If you break another one, don't come back!"
"Thank you, Auntie!" Shen Shuwan bowed to her with tears streaming down her face.
"Hurry up and sweep the floor clean yourself."
Seeing Shen Shuwan's awkward movements, the proprietress left, wanting to avoid further annoyance.
She really brought this trouble upon herself; her momentary soft-heartedness brought her such a nemesis.
……
It was still dark, but people were already up and working on the street.
Shen Shuwan also squatted outside the printing factory early, waiting for today's newspaper with the others, and also taking the opportunity to have breakfast.
She dared not eat too well, for fear of attracting attention, so she always deliberately flattened the steamed buns before bringing them along.
While eating, one must constantly be aware of whether the paper mill will open early, lest one is late and someone else "accidentally" takes the front seat.
In this kind of newspaper selling job, the sooner you get the newspapers, the faster you can sell them.
Of course, the location in front is relative. Further ahead, the area closest to the gate requires an extra fee, so getting up early won't help.
Only when you're all alone do you realize that you really have to spend money everywhere.
If you want to be at the front and get your newspaper early, you have to pay.
If you want to sell your wares in a bustling area, you have to spend money.
Occasionally, you might run into a street boss, who is really just a bunch of thugs and hooligans, and you still have to pay them money.
If it weren't for the lunchbox left by the system that saved her daily food expenses, and the fact that the landlady she initially met was kind-hearted despite her cold exterior and provided her with a place to sleep, she probably wouldn't have been able to save 2 silver dollars in a year.
And this was after she had already worked three jobs.
They would get up before dawn every day to queue for the day's newspapers, sell them until noon, then go to restaurants to wash dishes. After finishing that, they would sell the remaining newspapers and then rush to the Paramount to sell cigarettes.
Paramount is a famous nightclub in the area, and there are also gambling halls and private rooms upstairs.
To get in, you not only have to pay an entrance fee, but you also have to pay a monthly commission. Of course, if you sell well, the profits will be much higher than those of a nightclub.
However, Shen Shuwan only dared to sell cigarettes on the edge of the dance hall. Going up to the gambling hall, the place was even more chaotic and filled with all sorts of people, so she was still a little afraid.
I'm getting a little tired from squatting.
Shen Shuwan stood up, leaned against the wall, and slowly swallowed the last bite of steamed bun. The printing paper factory also opened its doors.
After receiving the package, she first glanced at a few important sections, but didn't see what she wanted. Only then did she start hawking her wares along her usual daily route.
It has been almost a year since the ban on maritime trade began.
Initially, there was a lot of discussion about when the ban would be lifted, but now it's almost nonexistent.
Even if there were, they would only be vague platitudes, without any clear explanation.
However, recently, while selling cigarettes, she had occasionally heard people mention that the Huo family was still working hard to reopen the port, and it seemed that they were close to success.
I heard that the Huo family owns three-fifths of the major ports in Hong Kong, which is also one of the Huo family's main sources of income.
With the port closed, cargo from the port city can't get out and is stuck in warehouses. Goods from other places can't come in either. This isn't a solution, and dragging it out any longer won't be good for long-term development.
In short, she felt that even if it was just to minimize the financial loss, the Huo family head should put in more effort to expedite the process.
She could also take advantage of his connections to get home sooner.