22: Chapter 22 The Store Managers' Stories (Part 1): Maria

Maria stood at the entrance of the new store in East Los Angeles, clutching the keys Lin Feng had given her, stunned for a long time.

Lin Feng had handed her the keys himself, just yesterday.

"This store is yours to manage now," he said, squatting at the entrance, chewing on a straw without even lifting his eyes.

Maria thought she had misheard him at the time.

"What?"

Lin Feng looked up at her: "Store manager. You're it."

Maria stared at him for three seconds, then laughed: "Are you crazy?"

Lin Feng nodded: "I know. Are you going or not?"

Maria didn't say anything.

She clutched those keys the entire way.

Now, she stood at the store entrance as the sun rose from the east, shining on the new sign—

[Joe's Fried Chicken · The Boss Is More Miserable Than You · East District Branch]

Below it was a line of small text: Store Manager: Maria

She stared at her own name for a long time.

Then, she pushed the door open and walked in.

The store was empty and hadn't started renovations yet.

Construction materials were piled on the floor, the walls were half-painted with white paint, and the air smelled of a mixture of cement and paint.

Maria stood in the middle of the empty store, suddenly not knowing what to do.

Had she ever run a store?

No.

What had she done in her life?

Marriage, having children, children getting sick, children leaving.

Then, just working at that fried chicken shop, frying chicken, frying chicken, frying chicken.

She hadn't even graduated from high school.

Now, they wanted her to be a store manager?

She squatted down—imitating Lin Feng's posture—squatting in the middle of the empty store, burying her face in her knees.

Her phone vibrated.

She took it out and saw a message from Lin Feng:

[Is squatting helpful?]

Maria stared at the words, stunned for three seconds.

Then she replied:

[How did you know I was squatting?]

Lin Feng replied instantly:

[Guessed.]

Maria couldn't help it and let out a laugh.

She stood up, patted her pants, and started working.

In the first week, Maria finished overseeing the store's renovation.

She woke up at six every day, took a ninety-minute bus ride to the store, finished work at ten in the evening, and took another ninety-minute bus ride back.

By the time she got home, her legs were like jelly.

But at six the next morning, she got up again.

In the second week, she started hiring.

Standing at the entrance, she would hand a cola to any unlucky soul passing by.

"Do you want to work after you're done crying?"

She had heard Lin Feng say this before; now it was her turn to say it.

The first person she hired was a girl in her early twenties named Sofia, of Mexican descent, who had just been kicked out by her landlord and was squatting at the entrance crying.

Maria handed her a cola.

Sofia looked up at her, her eyes red.

Maria said: "Come in, I'll teach you how to fry chicken."

Sofia followed her inside, dazed.

In the third week, the store began its soft opening.

On the first day, seventeen people came.

On the second day, thirty-one people came.

On the third day, fifty-eight people came.

Maria stood behind the counter every day, frying chicken, handling the register, greeting customers, so tired she couldn't even straighten her back.

But she didn't stop.

One night in the fourth week, after closing, she sat at the store entrance, squatting in Lin Feng's style, looking across the street.

Sofia walked over and squatted beside her.

"Sister Maria, you fried four hundred portions of chicken today."

Maria nodded.

Sofia whispered: "Doesn't your hand hurt?"

Maria looked down at her own hands—oil burns, knife cuts, swollen like buns.

She smiled: "It hurts. But I'm used to it."

Sofia was silent for a second, then asked: "Why are you pushing yourself so hard?"

Maria thought for a moment and said earnestly:

"Because someone entrusted this store to me."

She paused, looking at the streetlights across the street:

"When my daughter passed away, I felt like I didn't deserve anything. Didn't deserve to live, didn't deserve to be loved, didn't deserve to have anything."

She turned her head to look at Sofia:

"But now, someone has told me that I do."

Sofia's eyes turned red.

In the fifth week, Lin Feng arrived.

He squatted at the store entrance, chewing on a straw, watching the busy Maria and Sofia inside.

Maria saw him, walked out, and squatted beside him.

The two of them sat in silence, looking across the street.

After a long time, Lin Feng spoke:

"Not bad."

Maria was stunned for a moment: "You watched?"

Lin Feng nodded: "Every day. I watched all the videos you posted."

Maria lowered her head and smiled.

Lin Feng continued: "Sofia is the one you recruited?"

Maria nodded.

"There are three more coming next week."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow: "So fast?"

Maria looked at him and said earnestly: "There are many unlucky souls around here. I can find them every day."

Lin Feng stared at her for three seconds, then laughed.

"Maria, you are the best at picking up people I've ever seen as a store manager."

Maria laughed too.

A smile that welled up from the bottom of her eyes.

Before Lin Feng left, he handed her an envelope.

Maria opened it and was stunned.

It was a payslip.

It was three times more than she had expected.

She looked up at Lin Feng: "What is this?"

Lin Feng squatted there, chewing on a straw, his eyes looking across the street:

"Bonus. You earned it."

Maria clutched that payslip for a long time.

Then she spoke, her voice a bit raspy:

"Lin Feng, do you know—"

Lin Feng turned to look at her.

Maria's eyes were red, but the corners of her mouth were turned up:

"For the first time, I feel like living is actually pretty good."

Lin Feng was silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Then live well. And keep an eye on the store while you're at it."

Maria nodded.

Lin Feng stood up, brushed off his pants, and walked toward the car.

After two steps, he turned back and said to Maria:

"Oh right, there's a new person coming next week. You're responsible for training them."

Maria was stunned for a moment: "What kind of person?"

Lin Feng blinked: "The same kind as you, someone who thinks they don't deserve anything."

He turned around, got in the car, and left.

Maria stood at the store entrance, watching the car disappear around the corner.

Then she turned back and went inside to continue frying chicken.

That night, Sofia asked her: "Sister Maria, what did the boss say to you?"

Maria thought for a moment and said earnestly:

"He said, let me continue being the store manager."

Sofia smiled: "Then are you happy?"

Maria looked at her and smiled.

That same smile that welled up from the bottom of her eyes.

"Happy."

[Chapter 22 End]