Chapter 20: A Sleepless Night

"Where is Jonny?"

The familiar and disgusting voice came to his ears. The apprentice rolled his eyes and looked up at Lansi. "You can't call the boss by his name directly. You can call him Boss, or Boss!"

"And you didn't come back during the peak period at night. The boss is very angry. He wants to deduct a large sum of money from you!"

When saying these words, the apprentice also had a gloating smile on his face.

His own life was actually already very miserable. He had been an apprentice for more than half a year, and except for kneading dough, he hadn't learned anything.

The fat boss is a very careful person. In terms of protecting his formula, until now, except for roughly what things will be put in the flour, the apprentice doesn't know how much, the order, at all!

In the past half a year, he only learned how to knead dough hard, make dough pieces, and put the dough pieces into the oven.

As for others, he didn't master anything.

But he just had an inexplicable sense of superiority, especially when facing Lansi.

Of course, he could also find some psychological comfort from Lansi, which is also the reason why he often did this.

However, since his mother came last time, this sense of superiority seemed to be fading, or rather, his "pretending" had been seen through, and he had nothing to be proud of anymore.

But the habitual practice, as well as the inexplicable hostility toward Lansi, made him keep doing this subconsciously, including now.

Lansi didn't take the apprentice's words to heart at all, and even didn't forget to give him "a knife."

"It's not because he fucked your mother, so you treat him as your father. If I were your father, I would feel sad."

"At least in terms of frequency, he is not qualified enough!"

The apprentice was stunned for a moment. He swore that he had never heard such dirty, vicious, and stinging words in his life.

Lansi walked past him directly, and didn't forget to add another knife. "You'd better mop the floor clean before he appears, otherwise your mother will suffer again."

After a few seconds, the apprentice reacted. He turned around and looked at Lansi, shouting his name.

Lansi's footsteps paused slightly. He turned sideways and looked back. "If I were you, I would shut up now and lick the floor clean, instead of being impotently furious."

To talk about viciousness, Lansi is definitely the most proficient. After all, he has accepted things far more than this apprentice who only knows how to mock.

He shook his head and continued to walk toward the inner room. The apprentice stood in place, his face originally flushed with anger, suddenly inexplicably pale.

In fact, things were worse than imagined.

He had been an apprentice here for nearly half a year, not only failing to learn how to make a good cake but also making the already not-rich family worse. A considerable part of the family income every month was sent to the bakery.

The last time the apprentice's mother came here, she provided a blowjob to the fat boss because she hoped that the tuition fees given every month wouldn't have to be paid.

But what kind of person is the fat boss? He couldn't possibly agree.

So they exchanged opinions and changed a condition: every month she would come to provide at least four blowjobs to the fat boss, at least once a week, and the apprentice wouldn't have to continue paying tuition fees.

From a certain point of view, this business was actually profitable for the fat boss. After all, even the cheapest stripper at the port would charge 5 dollars to do this.

Four times a month converted is 20 dollars, but suddenly changing the style from something that could be solved with hands made him feel a bit unhappy that he had 10 dollars less income every month.

After all, compared to 10 dollars, blowjobs or handjobs, he would rather choose money.

But if he refused, this free labor might leave, so he finally chose to compromise.

He knew these things from the quarrels with his mother after the apprentice went home.

Their family could no longer support the investment of more funds into the craft that he would never learn.

The more it reached this situation, the more he couldn't leave here. He couldn't let his hard work for more than half a year, the money that had already been taken out, and his mother's various sacrifices become sunk costs!

He must learn something here to prove that these efforts are meaningful and valuable.

He couldn't think like an adult and know how to give up something. Even adults might not be able to do this. The only thing he could do was to realize the wish he had when he came here—learn to make delicious bread.

Only in this way could he calmly face those unfair payments...

Regardless of the apprentice's daze, Lansi patted the fat boss's door. Not long after, he opened the door wearing a sweat shirt with a hole in it.

When he saw it was Lansi, his expression suddenly became slightly distorted, a bit too forceful. "Damn maggot, you missed our busiest time tonight. I will deduct 3 dollars from you today."

"You've only been here for a few days this month and you already owe me 15 dollars. Starting today, I'm going to calculate interest with you..."

Lansi didn't give him so much nonsense time and told him straight to the point. "I quit."

"You... what did you just say?"

"You quit?"

"Haha!"

The fat boss couldn't help laughing. "Except for the tolerant and merciful me, who else would accept the work request of an illegal immigrant?"

"If you knew the situation outside now, you should understand that the whole city is boycotting you thieves and criminals from the Empire!"

"Except for me, no one else will be willing to give you a decent job!"

Lansi could see that he was actually a bit nervous.

"I worked for about a week this month. Plus last month's income, you only need to pay me 20 dollars."

The fat boss raised his voice. "Are you kidding me?"

He said and paused, then lowered his voice. "I know you are angry, Lansi, but these things are indeed your problem..."

"How about this, you still owe me the money, and I'll give you 5 dollars, counting as your salary for last month. This money is enough for you to have some face in front of your friends. Don't make it difficult for both of us, okay?"

Lansi shook his head, turned, and walked toward the outside, saying while walking, "You really make me feel disgusted, Jonny."

"When we meet next time, I hope you can still maintain this state."

Watching him about to leave, the fat boss chased him for two steps. He didn't want free labor like Lansi to leave.

It was too difficult to find free labor who could work, was hardworking, and obedient!

He couldn't not recruit people, which meant that if he couldn't find the next free labor, he would have to spend at least 20 or 30 dollars every month.

Originally, this 20 or 30 dollars was his, but now it had to be given to others. His heart ached so much that he could almost not breathe.

The apprentice was mopping the floor in the front hall. He was just about to say something when he was scolded by the fat boss. "You're not a telephone pole; what are you doing standing in the middle blocking me?"

"Get out of the way, and also, if you haven't mopped the floor clean before going to sleep, get out of my bakery tomorrow!"

After he finished speaking, he chased past the apprentice, but only saw Lansi get into the car and then start the car.

Only at this moment did he realize that he might really be about to lose Lansi.

He didn't even know how to keep this free labor. At least Lansi had a car to drive, while he could only ride a bicycle.

He stood on the sidewalk and said loudly, "I will call the police and say you stole my money."

Lansi just looked at him calmly through the car window. Meeting Lansi's calm gaze, inexplicably, Jonny shivered and finally didn't dare to mention this again.

Looking at the car getting further and further away, the fat boss cursed Lansi for being unlucky, and at the same time began to have a headache about where to find free labor tomorrow.

These damn, ungrateful bugs.

He didn't notice that the apprentice was staring at his back with red eyes, and he didn't even notice that his fingernails had pinched into his palms.

It seems tomorrow he will have to recruit people again.

These damn, ungrateful bugs.

He didn't notice that the apprentice was staring at his back with red eyes, and he didn't even notice that his fingernails had pinched into his palms.

Lansi found a hotel near the dock, 1 dollar a night, and there was free but limited hot water.

There was a dull, rotten smell in the house. Wooden houses near the sea are like this if maintenance measures are not in place.

The bed was a soft bed. Lansi wasn't used to this. What was even more terrible was that from the second half of the night, there were all kinds of moaning sounds from front, back, left, right, up, and down.

Unconcealed loud screaming, as if they were competing.

It was hard to stop after screaming for a few minutes, and it started again after a while.

It could be heard that even in the middle of the night, some people were struggling to ride on this road full of thorns in life. ===== CHAPTER 21 =====