Chapter Fifty-Four Part-Time Job Was Settled

  "Working hours are arranged every Friday and Saturday from 6 pm to 9 pm, Sunday from 3 pm to 9 pm. Do you have any problem with this working hour?" Liu Xiaoting asked Chen Chufan.

  It's already two o'clock in the afternoon, and the scorching weather in W City has brought a booming business to Di Ka Ice Cream Shop. Not only is the counter crowded with people, but also more than ten double tables inside the store are packed with customers. Fortunately, the two of them arrived early and occupied one of the positions.

  "No problem, I don't have classes at these times!" Chen Chufan nodded and replied.

  "Your salary is temporarily set at 100 yuan per hour. If your work involves customers requesting specific songs, we charge 500 yuan per song and you can get 200 yuan, with the remaining 300 yuan going to the club. Do you have any questions?" Liu Xiaoting asked again.

  "What if the customer orders a specific song that I don't know how to play?" Chen Chufan said with some anxiety, he was very satisfied with his salary, but it seemed that he could only play a few songs.

  "If there's a piano score, can you play it fluently? I mean without special practice!" Liu Xiaoting asked in response to Chen Chufan's question.

  "If it's not a particularly difficult piece, I'll be fine." Chen Chufan still had this confidence, after a month of music theory study, he was already very familiar with the piano score, and with his super-fast reaction now, as long as there was a score, he really had the confidence to handle it.

  "Don't worry then, the piano scores at the club are very comprehensive. There are pure piano scores, popular music, classical folk songs and so on." Liu Xiaoting continued to explain.

  After listening to Liu Xiaoting's explanation, Chen Chufan nodded and said: "Hmm, that's no problem! It's just that the workplace is a bit far away."

  This is the only place where Chen Chufan was criticized, the Qing Shuiwan Club on the Yangtze River side of work, from school to go past need to transfer two buses, estimated to take 2 hours, back and forth is four hours, too much time-consuming.

  "Uh, you can just take a taxi to work then. The transportation fee will be reimbursed in full, is that okay?" Liu Xiaoting said after considering for a moment.

  Chen Chufan didn't think that his casual remark would bring him another benefit, and he felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly opened his mouth to thank her: "Then thank you, Aunt Liu."

  "Alright, that's settled then. However, you'd better arrive at the club two hours early on Friday to sign the contract, get your work uniform, and also rehearse with the other musicians so you can develop a rapport!" Liu Xiaoting concluded.

  "Huh? You have your own band?" Chen Chufan was somewhat surprised.

  "Of course, sometimes the club will also invite some singers to come, without their own band, how can others dedicate songs?" Liu Xiaoting explained, looking at the big boy with a surprised face.

  "So that's how it is!" Chen Chufan had thought he was going to be soloing by himself.

  "Alright, see you on Friday then. Just take a taxi and come over directly. Don't forget to ask the driver for the receipt, or else the fare can't be reimbursed!" Liu Xiaoting reminded her one last time.

  "Thank you, Aunt Liu. I'll head back to school now!" Chen Chufan sincerely thanked Liu Xiaoting again before preparing to leave. He was extremely happy, as his weekly salary of 1200 yuan would not only make him rich but also allow him to send some money back home to help alleviate the burden on his family. It was almost too perfect, and he couldn't wait to share this good news with his parents and friends.

  "You go back first! Remember to arrive early on Friday!" Liu Xiaoting finally instructed.

  Some slightly excited Chen Chufan ran into the first phone booth he saw on his way back to the dormitory. He was going to call his parents to share the good news. To say that Chen Chufan had been a well-behaved child since childhood, even during his rebellious period, he just got through it calmly and didn't cause any trouble for his family. Even if he did get into some kind of trouble, Chen Chufan never wanted his family to know about it.

  "Hello? Who is it?" My mother's familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

  "Mom, it's me!" Chen Chufan replied softly. Chen Chufan was not a sentimental person, but every time he made a phone call home, he would unconsciously think of the small mountain city in S City and involuntarily soften his voice.

  "Fang Fang, is there something wrong? Is it that your living expenses are not enough?" Mother asked with concern.

  This is probably a common problem for boys, who generally do not like to call home frequently, and it's more often that the family calls the dormitory. And as long as they make a phone call back home, it's usually to ask for living expenses. Chen Chufan was no exception. So every time he initiates a call back home, his family would always ask the same questions. Although the family is not wealthy, and can even be described as poor, if Chen Chufan really had a request, his parents have never been stingy.

  "Not really, mom! I have some good news to tell you. I found a part-time job near school and I can earn about 3,000 yuan per month! From now on, you don't need to send me living expenses anymore! I can completely support myself. And I guess my tuition fees won't be your worry either." Chen Chufan said excitedly.

  He just didn't expect his mother wasn't as happy as he imagined, but instead her tone was filled with worry.

  "Fang Fang, as a student, how can you earn so much money? It's not something illegal, is it? I'm telling you, although our family is poor, we still have no problem supporting your education. You mustn't sacrifice the big things for small gains!"

  "Mom, what's wrong with you? Do I look like someone who would do something illegal?" Chen Chufan said somewhat helplessly. He couldn't understand why a good thing was making his mother worried, but this reminded him that he needed to come up with a suitable reason to explain how he could make so much money. Should he say he's going to play the piano for someone? His family wasn't like his dorm mates, he couldn't just fool them, and besides, he had never touched a musical instrument before, let alone make money from it. He estimated that they wouldn't believe him, and would only worry more.

  As for explicitly saying that they have become geniuses now? They will probably be even more worried.

  "What can you do to earn so much money?" As expected, her mother asked this question.

  It's okay, Chen Chufan's brain is turning fast now, and he has already found a reason for himself: "I got a first-class scholarship this semester, didn't I? A classmate helped me contact several part-time tutoring jobs, and my price is very high, 50 yuan per hour!"

  "Oh? Doing a few tutoring sessions? Won't you be too tired?" Her mother seemed to still have some worries.

  Until Chen Chufan had to persuade his mother for over ten minutes, he finally let her feel at ease. After hanging up the phone, Chen Chufan even let out a long sigh, and the excitement from earlier was gone. He even felt a bit heavy-hearted. If his family knew about his current strange state, they would worry themselves sick. Chen Chufan didn't dare to think about it anymore.

  Or just keep pretending, Chen Chufan thought along the way, until he walked into the dormitory.

  Chen Chufan really had the feeling that he was a big shot, being thought of by people all the time. Before he could even tell the two about finding a pretty good part-time job for himself, Yang Tao grabbed him and scolded him severely.

  "Lao San, where have you run off to? If you don't come back, I'll have to go to the TV station and broadcast a missing person's notice! You're absolutely necessary for dinner tonight! Next time something like this happens, you must ask me for leave!" Yang Tao said sternly.

  Chen Chufan looked at Yang Tao in confusion, what did he mean by "absolutely necessary"? Was he just a prop? Moreover, it was only a little after four o'clock now, had the time to eat already arrived? Didn't they usually eat at six o'clock? What made Chen Chufan even more confused was that even Meng Wei, the big boss, seemed to agree with Yang Tao's words.

  "Old Two is right, Old Three you are too disorganized and undisciplined, you need to change!"

  "What's going on here! It's just a meal, isn't it? Must you make such a big deal out of it?" Chen Chufan couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. What a huge fuss over nothing! And besides, he didn't seem to have arrived late anyway.

  However, Chen Chufan did not choose to reason with the two of them. He simply remained silent and let the two of them fully express themselves. It was clear that neither Yang Tao, who loved to talk, nor Meng Wei, who had now become a different person after his brain injury, were people who would reason with him.

  After the two of them finished criticizing, Chen Chufan finally spoke up and said: "Alright, I was wrong. To show my apology, let me treat you to this meal today. Today I found a part-time job with good pay, so let's just consider it a celebration."

  "What part-time job? Tell me about it, brother will help you check if it's a scam or not!" Yang Tao asked curiously.

  "In a clubhouse as a pianist, the hourly wage is 100 yuan! A week's schedule has more than 10 hours of work time, mainly concentrated on weekends!" Chen Chufan introduced simply.

  "Wow, you! Old Three, that's impressive. Didn't he make a few thousand yuan in just one week? He's gone from poverty to wealth overnight!" Yang Tao congratulated with a big smile.

  "It's about time." Meng Wei added, "If it were earlier, Wang Linlin would probably be reluctant to part with you too!"

  Meng Wei's words left Chen Chufan bewildered. If it hadn't been for that heartbreak, would he still be like this now? Or was everything just fate?

  "Alright, no need to mention that woman, it's nauseating!" Yang Tao said, seeing Chen Chufan seemingly distracted, and glared at Meng Wei while speaking. Since Yang Tao started training Meng Wei, he had become increasingly impolite to his superior.

  Meng Wei also knew he had misspoken and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Chen Chufan, however, had calmed down and smiled, indicating that he didn't mind.

  "Come to think of it, I promised to treat Han Xiaoxi and her dorm mates to dinner together, but I've been dragging my feet until now. Why don't we just invite them all at once?" Chen Chufan said calmly.

  "Hey, I can tell you that Old Three is going to be furious with you! Are you trying to get Mars to collide with Earth or something?! Today, Chen Xi seemed to have a thing for you, and if you bring those two along, who knows what kind of situation will arise. Listen to me, brother, don't ever call them together!" Yang Tao exclaimed excitedly.