Stomach Problem
It is pretty late now, as night is already approaching, so I take the pink bank note ($100) given by Big Boss Lu and run hurriedly to the wet market before the stalls are closed. It is obvious that the vegetables and meat at this hour of the day are not very fresh, but the good news is that I only need to pay half the money to buy enough ingredients to cook the meal. I happily put the money saved in my pocket.
When I get back to the apartment, the sun has already set, the sky has become increasingly dark. The television is on in the living room showing CCTV news, but Lu Jun is not sitting on the couch watching it. Instead, he is sitting on a chair facing the kitchen and quietly flipping through an English magazine. When I open the door to enter the apartment, he doesn’t even bother to look up at me. With his focused look, no one will have the heart to disturb him.
Hence, I go directly into the kitchen with my shopping, trying to be as quiet as possible.
In truth, I am already rather hungry. While slicing the vegetable, my stomach keeps on growling. Thus, in order to eat dinner faster, I speed up my cooking pace. As a result, it can be proven you’ll destruct things through your enthusiasm. Because of my carelessness, I cut my fingertip with the kitchen knife. Fortunately, the cut is only a small one. In order not to disturb that man who is concentrating hard on reading, I am very calm and collected until I do not even utter a sound. I immediately put my bleeding finger into my mouth to suck the blood.
“There is band-aid in the left side of the drawer.” He suddenly says something so it frightens me. I look toward the direction of the kitchen doorway and by chance see Lu Jun frowning ……
I obediently take out a band-aid from the drawer. While wrapping the wound, I ask in confusion: “How do you know I cut my finger?”
He glances at me a bit unnaturally, then lowers his head to continue reading the magazine, clearly ignoring my question once again.
I am puzzled. Could it be that while he was looking at the magazine carefully just now, he inadvertently raised his head and just happened to see me cut my finger? Can’t be so coincidental, right ……?
Maybe, he was pretending to read a magazine, but in fact, has always been watching attentively at me in the kitchen? I feel a burst of cold air on my back ……
I use forty minutes to make exactly the same four dishes and one soup like last time. The dishes seem to smell, look and taste great, making me start to salivate.
I put the dishes on the light yellow dining table. While I am taking off my ap.r.o.n, I shout: “General manager, come over to have dinner.”
“Okay.” Lu Jun replies, then puts down the magazine, walks to the dining table and sits across the table from me.
I am so hungry now until I cannot stand it anymore, so I pick up my chopsticks and start to sweep away everything on the dining table. To my surprise, the one sitting opposite the table merely looks at the dishes on the table but remains unmoved.
Seeing that he is so polite, while I am chewing my big mouthful of food, I who is a guest start to act as a host and call out to him: “Eat la, eat la, don’t be so polite.”
Lu Jun seems to be struggling a bit, and finally picks up the chopsticks to take a few shredded potato and put them into his mouth. If the last time, he can be said to be eating politely and gracefully, this time, it can be said he is eating half-heartedly.
I can’t help being surprised so I ask: “The dishes are similar to last time, but you ate only a mouthful, then no more appet.i.te to eat?”
He shakes his head: “No, very tasty.”
I’m unconvinced: “Then, why aren’t you eating?”
Then he slowly and gracefully takes a few shredded potato and put them into his mouth, looking very relaxed and natural: “Am I not eating now?”
“Oh.” A drip of cold sweat drops down from my forehead. I will no longer bother about this weirdo and continue to immerse myself in eating as much as possible.
Since Big Boss Lu ate so little which could be disregarded, so even if I eat until my stomach protrude, I’ll also not be able to finish the food. Hence I wrap up the leftovers, intending to take them home to feed the little white cat.
‘General manager, if there is nothing else, I will go home! “After wrapping up the leftovers, I pack up, all ready to leave.
Lu Jun is leaning lazily on the sofa. All of a sudden, he uses an a.s.sertive tone of voice to say: You’ve eaten a lot tonight.”
I feel embarra.s.sed by what he said so I mumble: “I am aware of it ……” You don’t need to specifically emphasize this. It was you who didn’t eat your own share, yet blame me for eating more than my share?
He says in a leisurely manner: “After eating a meal, it is best that you move about.”
You are the boss so you are the biggest, I quickly flatter him: “What general manager said is right, extremely good to do some physical activities after a meal, never too old to live to ninety.”
“Ah.” He gives a satisfied nod, then points downwards: “Can you see the dust on the floor?”
I’m confused: “Yes, I can see.”
He smiles: “Then start doing your physical activities.”
I: “……”
Consequently that night, with great sorrow, I am reincarnated as a personal maid. I’ve to buy ingredients, then cook, wash the dishes and also to clean the house!
Hence, I once again learned a lesson from this incident, I absolutely cannot casually make a promise with Big BOSS Lu, because he is very serious with promises made by other people! That day, I merely said on the phone casually about these two matters, and today he made me fulfill my promises without even a bit of concession, tears flowing……
The next day, I bring the scallion pancakes to work as usual. In order to obtain the perfect attendance bonus, I leave the house earlier than before so I arrive in the office early as well. Once again like before, I put the breakfast I’ve prepared for the boss on the desk, then start to clean the office.
Thinking about it, this is truly sad. Last night, I’ve to prepare dinner for the general manager after working hours as well as clean the general manager’s private apartment. This morning, I’ve to prepare breakfast for the general manager during working hours as well as clean the general manager’s office……
While I am wiping the desk with a cloth, a female colleague who pa.s.ses by the office door, stops and greets me: “Little Xia, you are very hard working!”
I do not know her name, so I can only nod my head and smile foolishly at her.
She also does not take offense and starts to chat amiably: “Work hard, I like you. You are different from the three secretaries before you, doing your duties only. Unlike the previous three secretaries who’ve always shamelessly courted favor with the boss. One brought breakfast to the office for general manager to eat. One also personally cooked for general manager to eat. Another one behaved like a vixen every day, trying to seduce general manager and appearing eager to follow the general manager home, really disgusting to watch!”
I slip on the floor and stagger. Luckily my hand props up on the desk to stabilize the body with difficulty. However, my heart is pounding like a drum. I not only brought breakfast to the office for someone to eat, but also personally cooked for someone to eat and furthermore I went to someone’s home! The previous three female secretaries, each did one thing but made this colleague to become this disgusted, whereas I, one person did all three things!
“Ya ……” Seeing that I almost fell, the female colleague cries out in alarm and comes into the office to help me: “How are you, are you all right?”
“I am all right, just that the floor is too slippery, hehe ……” I continue to giggle and look up at her employee ID pa.s.s hanging on her chest. At close range, I see the name on her employee ID pa.s.s, Liu Meng Xi.
“Look at you, so careless.” She smiles, then turns her eyes, suddenly points at something in surprise and asks: “How come there is such greasy pancakes on general manager’s desk?”
My heartbeat stops for a beat and I quickly quibble: “This is my breakfast which I’ve prepared to eat after I’ve finished cleaning the office!”
She says in a critical tone: “How can you put this kind of thing on the general manager’s desk? I think you better eat it as soon as possible, as it is not good to let general manager sees it later.”
I quickly nod in agreement: “Yes, yes, I’ll eat it right away!”
Liu Meng Xi gives a satisfied nod. All of a sudden, she takes out a rectangular box from her handbag and hands it to me, her face looking shy: “Little Xia, this is what I asked a friend to buy back from France, to be given to the general manager. But I feel embarra.s.sed to give it to him in person. Since you are the general manager’s secretary, can you help me to pa.s.s it to the general manager later?”
I slowly take it and under her amiable gaze, I agree: “Okay, I’ll certainly help you to give it to him.”
Liu Meng Xi happily nods her head and leaves with a smiling face after thanking me.
I look at her back and feel a bit confused. She just said that the three former secretaries “shamelessly courted favor with the boss”. Then her action in giving a gift to the general manager is called what……
Not long after Liu Meng Xi left, big BOSS Lu comes. As before, he dressed like an elite from head to toe, high-spirited, looking extraordinary handsome and making people think of a diamond bachelor.
He seems to look very hungry and immediately sees the scallion pancakes on the desk. He walks over, sits on the leather chair and picks up a pancake to eat very elegantly. While he is eating, he starts to frown and look thoughtfully at the scallion pancake in his hand, then he says: “This doesn’t taste as delicious as those you made last week’.”
“Impossible because this pancake is from last week!” I make a slip of the tongue.
He: “……”
I feel numb when he looks at me with his creepy eyes and quickly make amend: “Last time, you didn’t finish all the pancakes in the bag and I feel it is such a waste so ……”
While I am talking, big boss Lu’s facial expression is even more terrifying, so I tactfully shut my mouth.
He squints and asks: “Do you have a refrigerator at home?”
“Yes.” I rush to answer in an imposing manner. Then under his suspicious gaze, I weakly confess: “But it has broken down three months ago and I’ve no time to have it repaired ……” Actually, I am reluctant to spend money to repair it.
The moment I finished talking, Lu Jun stands up, walks out of the office and walks quickly toward the direction of the bathroom ……
I suspect that he must be looking for a place to vomit.
Although it is summer now, it is only early summer, so 20 something degree is not considered high temperature. Having the scallion pancakes for a few more days will become stale, so do you need to have such a big reaction?
The wealthy is just too difficult to serve, I cannot help but sigh ……
While I am continuing to organize the doc.u.ments, there is a knocking sound on the office door. I do not bother to look up when I answer the door by saying: “Please come in.”
A middle-aged fat man comes into the office. I’ve seen this man a few times in the company, he is the manager of the sales department, so I quickly and politely ask: “Manager w.a.n.g, what is the matter?”
He looks around the office, then looks at me and asks: “Where is general manager, as I am here to give him the medicine?”
I stop the work at hand, walk over, politely smile and say: “General manager has just gone to the bathroom. You give it to me and I’ll help you to pa.s.s it to him later!”
“Okay!” He nods his head, walks over and gives the medicine bag to me. I curiously look at it and casually ask: “How come all seem to be medicine for the stomach?”
Manager w.a.n.g sighs and looks puzzled: “Yes, general manager has stomach problem last night and called me to help him buy some medicine to bring to the office. This morning, he called me again to say that his condition has improved, so told me not to buy the medicine. Just a moment ago, he called me once again and told me to go to buy it and bring it to him immediately. ”
I am surprised: “General manager has stomach problem, moreover the stomach problem started last night?”
Manager w.a.n.g nods: “You are a newbie so you don’t know that general manager has stomach problem for a long time already, sometimes good and sometimes bad. When it is bad, he’ll vomit out whatever he is eating.”
After hearing this, I feel angry as well as ashamed.
I am angry because last night, big boss Lu was obviously having stomach problem and couldn’t eat anything. Yet, he lied to me that he was hungry, won’t let me go home and forced me to cook for him, why, why, why!? Could it be that enslaving me is so amusing!?
I am ashamed because last night, big boss Lu has stomach problem and did not eat anything. This morning, the sometimes good and sometimes bad stomach problem has improved. As a result, when he arrived in the the office, he was so hungry, he picked up the scallion pancakes to eat. The outcome is when he knew the pancakes are from one week ago, his stomach problem recurred due to being irritated by me?
All in all, am I the one who tormented him, or is he the one who tormented me?