31: Chapter 31 The Store Managers' Stories (Part 10): Mike

Mike is the chef at the Orange County Store.

He is thirty years old, white, and transferred from another restaurant.

He doesn't talk much, works efficiently, and fries chicken better than anyone else.

But there is one strange thing — he never smiles.

It's not the "doesn't like to smile" kind of thing; it's that he truly never smiles.

When customers praise his fried chicken, he doesn't smile, just nods.

When Lisa pays his salary, he doesn't smile.

When Tommy tells him jokes, he doesn't smile either.

Tommy asked Lisa: "Sister Lisa, is it possible Mike doesn't know how to smile?"

Lisa thought about it and said: "He must know. How could a person not know how to smile?"

Tommy said: "Then why have I never seen him smile?"

Lisa fell silent.

— — —

It was Sofia who first discovered the thing about Mike.

One evening after closing, Sofia forgot something and returned to the store.

She saw Mike sitting on the kitchen floor alone, holding his head, his shoulders shaking.

Sofia froze.

She walked over gently and crouched down beside him.

"Mike?"

Mike looked up; his eyes were red, and his face was covered in tears.

He saw Sofia, paused for a moment, and hurriedly wiped his face messily.

Sofia didn't speak; she just crouched there, keeping him company.

After a long time, Mike spoke up:

"I'm sorry."

Sofia shook her head: "No need to say sorry."

Mike was silent for a second, then said:

"The owner of the restaurant I worked at before was a jerk."

Sofia listened.

Mike continued: "He scolded me every day. He scolded me for not frying the chicken well, for being slow, for being incapable of anything. He scolded me for three years."

He lowered his head:

"Later, I believed him. I really felt like I couldn't do anything right."

Sofia looked at him, her eyes turning red.

Mike lifted his head and looked at her, his voice very soft:

"I escaped here. You are all very good to me. But I still... can't smile."

— —

Sofia told Tommy about this.

Tommy then told Lisa.

Lisa thought about it and said: "Leave him alone. Just do what you need to do."

Tommy was stunned: "Leave him alone?"

Lisa said: "He doesn't need people to manage him. He needs people to wait for him."

Tommy didn't understand.

Lisa said: "Wait for the day he wants to smile himself."

— — —

From then on, the people in the store were a little nicer to Mike.

It wasn't the deliberate kind of "being nice to you," but the normal, natural kind of nice that didn't put pressure on him.

Every time Lisa paid his salary, she would add: "The fried chicken was good this month."

Every time Tommy passed by the kitchen, he would shout: "Mike, the fried chicken smells so good today."

Every time Sofia returned from serving plates, she would say: "The customers praised your fried chicken again."

Every time Lao Zhang mopped to the kitchen, he would nod at him.

Every time Lao Zhangs son came, he would say: "Mike, my dad says your fried chicken tastes better than what he makes."

Mike would nod every time without speaking.

But he fried the chicken even more carefully.

— — —

One day, three months later, a little girl came into the store.

She was seven or eight years old, with her mother.

She sat in the corner and ordered a portion of fried chicken.

While eating, she suddenly ran to the kitchen entrance and peeked inside.

Mike was frying chicken, and when he looked up, he saw her.

The little girl stared at him for three seconds and then said:

"Uncle, the chicken you fry is the most delicious I've ever eaten!"

Mike was stunned.

The little girl continued: "It's even better than what my mom makes!"

Mike didn't know what to say.

The little girl smiled at him and ran back.

Mike stood in place, still holding the fried chicken ladle.

Then the corners of his mouth moved.

It was light and short, but it definitely moved.

— — —

Sofia saw it.

She ran over and asked in a low voice: "Mike, did you smile?"

Mike paused and touched his face.

"Did I... smile?"

Sofia nodded vigorously: "You smiled! You really smiled!"

Mike was silent for three seconds.

Then he lowered his head and continued frying chicken.

But Sofia saw that while he was frying chicken, the corners of his mouth remained turned up.

— — —

After closing that night, Mike took the initiative to find Lisa.

Lisa was calculating the accounts and looked up at him: "What's wrong?"

Mike stood in front of her and was silent for a long time.

Then he said: "Sister Lisa, I want to tell you something."

Lisa put down her pen: "Go ahead."

Mike took a deep breath:

"I smiled today."

Lisa was stunned.

Mike continued: "A little girl said my fried chicken was delicious. And then I smiled."

He looked at Lisa, his eyes a little red:

"It's been three years. The first time."

Lisa stared at him for three seconds.

Then she stood up, walked over, and gave him a hug.

It was light and short.

Mike froze.

Lisa let go of him and smiled:

"Mike, welcome back."

— — —

On the weekend, Lin Feng came to the Orange County Store.

He crouched at the door, chewing on a straw, looking inside.

Mike was frying chicken, his mouth turned up.

Sofia was serving plates, smiling.

Tommy was at the register, smiling.

Lisa was doing accounts, also smiling.

Lao Zhang was mopping the floor, his mouth turned up.

Lao Zhangs son was wiping the window, also turned up.

Everything was quite good.

— — —

Lin Feng watched for a while and asked Lisa beside him:

"What's up with Mike?"

Lisa smiled: "You noticed?"

Lin Feng nodded: "The corners of his mouth are turned up."

Lisa told him about the little girl.

Lin Feng listened and was silent for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

"Lisa, do you know —"

Lisa looked at him.

Lin Feng said: "You are a better store manager than me."

Lisa was stunned: "Why?"

Lin Feng pointed at Mike:

"You let him wait for it himself."

— — — —

Before leaving, Lin Feng went to the kitchen to find Mike.

Mike was scrubbing a pot and stopped when he saw him.

"Boss."

Lin Feng leaned against the door frame, looking at him.

"Mike, let me ask you something."

Mike nodded.

Lin Feng said: "When that little girl praised you, how did you feel?"

Mike thought for a moment and said earnestly:

"I felt... like someone saw me."

Lin Feng was silent for a second.

Then he smiled.

"Mike, do you know —"

Mike waited.

Lin Feng said: "Your previous boss was a jerk. But your current boss is also a jerk."

Mike was stunned.

Lin Feng continued: "But I am the kind of jerk who can make other jerks smile."

Mike stared at him for three seconds.

Then he smiled.

It wasn't just the corners of his mouth turning up.

He truly smiled.

A smile from the heart, overflowing from the depths of his eyes.

[Chapter 31 End]