Chapter 12 Car Washer
There were a lot of people coming to the car wash on Saturday. Outside the not-so-big shop, there were several cars parked on the side of the road waiting to be washed or repaired.
There are only three workers washing the car, and there are also technicians repairing cars in the shop. The division of labor is very clear.
He Shu actually has some social phobia. Long periods of independent and isolated campus life have made him more and more withdrawn.
But his only advantage is that once he sets a goal, he will work hard to achieve it, just like studying, he can stick to it no matter how boring it is.
After taking a few deep breaths to ease his inner tension, He Shu walked up and asked the aunt who was washing the car who was the boss.
The boss was repairing a car inside, wearing a work suit covered in oil. When He Shu entered the shop, he was still tightening screws under the car.
"Boss, are you hiring a car washer?"
When the boss heard that the person was applying for a job, he came out, but when he saw He Shu, he was a little disappointed.
"You want to do it? You can't. This job is tiring."
"Boss, I'm not afraid of being tired. Why don't you let me try? I'll help you today. If you think I'm not doing a good job, you don't have to use me."
The boss found it interesting when he heard it. Anyway, he was short of staff, so he smiled and asked how old He Shu was.
“I’m 18.”
"18? No?" The boss waved his hand and called someone over, not really caring about He Shu's lie about his age.
In the past, there were apprentices in his shop who had just graduated from junior high school. Normally, no one would come to check on them. Even if someone did, they would just say they were their relatives or their children.
But He Shu is fair and clean, and doesn't look like someone who can endure hardship.
"If you want to give it a try, then give it a try. You won't get paid today. I'll find someone to teach you. If you can't do it well or feel like you can't handle it, just tell me early. You don't have to come tomorrow."
"OK."
He Shu didn't even ask about the salary first. He was happy as long as he could stay.
The person who came to teach He Shu how to wash the car was the aunt he had questioned before. She looked to be in her forties and was wearing high boots and gloves.
He Shu was first taught how to use a water gun, and was asked to flush away the dust from a nearby car that had not yet been cleaned up.
Of course, it is impossible for a novice to wash the car directly, and it would be a trouble if it was scratched.
The aunt was quite enthusiastic. She told He Shu the steps and asked him to try first. If he didn't understand, he could ask her. Then she hurried back to her own work.
It was not until later that He Shu realized that the reason they were so anxious and acted so quickly was that in addition to the fixed salary, they also received a commission for each car washed.
He Shu didn’t have any wading shoes or gloves. He was still on probation and had no work clothes to change into.
As soon as the water gun was turned on, the water splashed all over He Shu's body, and soon his clothes were wet.
Fortunately, the weather is getting warmer now, so touching cold water is not too uncomfortable.
He carefully rinsed off the corners and edges that were easily covered with dust and mud, and the aunt then taught him how to make foam and how to clean the car.
He Shu studied hard and scrubbed very carefully. His arms started to ache before he even finished washing a car.
Naturally, his speed was much slower than those three old employees.
Fortunately, the aunt who took care of him was a kind-hearted person. After finishing her own work, she came to help him and taught him many tricks.
The owner of the car wash came out to smoke and watched for a while. He saw that He Shugan was doing a pretty good job, although a little slow, but practice makes perfect.
His car wash shop is not big, but it has a good reputation. Most customers are satisfied with their cars after they are washed, and he never fools around.
So even though his store is not big, there are still many people coming to wash their cars. It’s just that this business is not easy and many people can’t stick with it, so there is always a shortage of staff in the store.
He checked the washed car and found it was in good condition. He even knew how to pick out the small stones in the gaps between the tires.
He was busy until 12:30 noon. After washing three cars with the help of the aunt, He Shu's arms were so heavy that he could hardly lift them.
The other employees had started to eat lunch, but He Shu didn't bring any lunch with him. He didn't know what to do and could only endure the hunger for the time being.
At this time, the boss came over with a box lunch and a bottle of mineral water: "Here, no salary today, but a lunch will be provided."
"Thank you, boss."
"Haha, find a place to sit and eat, and start working at one o'clock."
He Shu nodded, walked to the aunt who had been there before, found a place to sit down, and lowered his head to eat.
"Are you tired?" The aunt was eating the lunch box she brought from home. He Shu took a look and saw that it only contained white rice and some pickles.
"good."
"How old are you? Don't you go to school anymore?"
"Go to school. I... I'm 18." He Shu was still being stubborn, fearing that people would not want him if he said he was too young.
Another uncle at the side laughed and said, "You are not 18 at all. I think you are only 15 or 16 years old."
He Shu paused, did not explain that he would soon be 17, just lowered his head and ate his meal.
"Hey, you're still looking for work when you're in school?" Auntie looked at He Shu, who was as , and guessed something in her mind: "Is your family in financial difficulty?"
"Yeah. I want to earn some money for tuition." He Shu asked, "I want to come over here to work on Saturdays and Sundays. Is that okay?"
"Boss, if you want to hire someone, you must be hiring someone who can work long term. But we are too busy on Saturdays and Sundays and we are short of people. If you talk to us later, it should be possible."
After hearing this, He Shu finally felt relieved.
He Shu couldn't eat any more after finishing half of the lunch box. He Shu didn't have a big appetite and he was too tired this morning to eat.
After lunch, everyone started working again and continued until five o'clock in the afternoon.
He Shu's clothes were wet and dry, his shoes made a crackling sound when he stepped on them, and his hands were wrinkled from blisters.
The boss called him over and saw that he had worked for a day and was a hardworking kid.
"You did an okay job, and it was thorough enough, but it was too slow."
He Shu pursed his lips, feeling a little nervous. It was too slow. Was that not okay?
"I heard you can only come on Saturdays and Sundays?"
He Shu nodded: "Holidays are coming soon, I can come during the summer vacation."
"Okay, you can stay and work, but you're a newbie and your work is too slow, and you can't come every day, so I can only give you commissions, not a guaranteed salary. I'll pay you 7 yuan for washing a car, and I'll provide a meal at noon."
"If you become proficient in this job, we can talk about salary later. Your commission can be increased to the same level as that of the old employees."
He Shu was not sure how much the monthly salary and commission of the old employees were, but he was quite satisfied with the salary.
Just like today he washed five cars in total, which is thirty-five dollars. He will definitely earn more in the future.
And that lunch box costs at least ten yuan.
"Boss, can I bring my own lunch?" He Shu asked the aunt when they were eating before, thinking that the store did not provide lunch.
But the aunt said that it was provided, but they were willing to bring their own food, and the boss could add the money they saved on lunch to their salary, so they could get an extra 300 yuan a month.
Those who choose to do such hard work are all people who are short of money . It turns out that the adult world is not easy either.
The boss didn't care: "Then I'll give you an extra ten dollars a day, and you can take care of your own meals."
It was agreed that he would come to work before 8 o'clock tomorrow, and He Shu went back happily.
Although it was a tiring day, he was finally able to earn money without missing school, which made him extremely excited.
If he continues like this, after the summer vacation, he will have enough money to choose a better cemetery for his mother.
