Work for Me, Junior

Chen Yijun pulled Lin Zhihong into the kitchen, and the curtain fell behind them.

Xia Mo stood still, not moving. His grandmother glanced at him but didn't urge him.

There were no other customers in the restaurant, only the dusty piano in the corner, the half-finished glass of water on the bar, and the faint aroma of braised pork rice in the air.

About three or four minutes later, the curtain was lifted again. Chen Yijun came out first, a smile on her lips—not smugness, but the kind of composure that says, "I've already reached an agreement."

Lin Zhihong followed behind her, his expression much more complex. His brows were still slightly furrowed, but it no longer meant rejection.

"Junior." Chen Yijun waved to him, her tone as casual as if she were calling him over to look at a math problem.

Xia Mo walked over and stood in front of the bar. Chen Yijun leaned against the bar, her hands in her pockets, tilted her head and glanced at him, then at her father.

"It's like this," she began, speaking at a measured pace, "My dad definitely won't let you work. You're too young; if he finds out, the fines are no joke."

Xia Mo's heart sank. He glanced at his grandmother, whose lips pursed slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"However—" Chen Yijun changed the subject, her eyes darting around, a smile playing on her lips, "If you'd like, you could teach me privately. I'm learning Japanese, and I'm also somewhat interested in the piano. If you teach me, it wouldn't be child labor, would it?"

Xia Mo paused for a moment. He looked at Chen Yijun, then at Lin Zhihong.

"You want to learn Japanese?"

"Hmm." Chen Yijun nodded. "The school's teaching is too rigid. I want to find someone who can teach me. You've lived in Japan, so your Japanese must be better than mine, right?"

Xia Mo was silent for a moment. He glanced at his grandmother. Her expression didn't change, but she nodded slightly, as if to say, "You decide for yourself."

"The tuition fee..." Xia Mo turned to look at Chen Yijun.

Chen Yijun didn't speak, but glanced at her father. Lin Zhihong leaned back against the bar, tapping his fingers lightly on the surface twice, and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"Hourly wage, calculated according to the hourly wage for restaurant servers." His tone was as if he were saying something reluctantly, each word harsh. "One hundred and three dollars. Take it or leave it."

Xia Mo did not answer immediately.

He knew he had no choice. This wasn't a business deal; his senior was helping him. Whether it was 103 yuan or 50 yuan, he couldn't say "no."

It's not because he lacks the confidence to negotiate, but because he simply doesn't have the right to negotiate.

"Okay," he said.

Lin Zhihong glanced at him and gestured with his chin toward the piano in the corner. "Play a few pieces for me first. You're teaching my daughter, so I should at least know what level you're at, right?"

Xia Mo walked over, removed the magazine from the piano lid, and sat down. He didn't hesitate for long before playing Debussy's "Clair de Lune." His fingers weren't fast, but the placement was extremely precise.

Then came a Chopin nocturne, slower and deeper than before. The sound of the piano spread throughout the quiet restaurant, like a watercolor painting slowly spreading with water.

Lin Zhihong leaned against the bar and listened, his expression not changing much, but he tapped his fingers lightly twice on the edge of the bar.

Chen Yijun stood to the side, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Xia Mo's hands.

This wasn't the first time she'd heard Xia Mo play the piano, but this time she was seeing Xia Mo's fingers fall on the keys up close, a completely different experience from what she'd seen from the audience at the school anniversary celebration.

After playing the second piece, Xia Mo stopped. Lin Zhihong didn't applaud; he simply pulled out a schedule from behind the bar, wrote a few words on it, and then pushed the paper over.

"That's settled then. Starting next week. You'll come and teach her on Saturday afternoons. Japanese and piano, paid per lesson, or you can pay separately. The hourly rate is as I said."

He glanced at his grandmother again and added, "Come during the day, it won't be too late."

Grandma came over, picked up the work schedule and looked it over. After confirming that there were no words like "overtime" or "night shift," she handed the paper back to Xia Mo.

She didn't say much, but from her expression, Xia Mo knew she was satisfied. He picked up a pen and signed his name on the schedule.

"One last thing, don't close the door when you're teaching, understand?" Lin Zhihong's tone was low; this was the biggest concession he had made.

Xia Mo paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

By the time we left the restaurant, it was completely dark. The streetlights along the Tamsui River were on, casting patches of orange light on the water. Xia Mo followed her grandmother home along the riverbank.

"grandmother."

"Um?"

"Tell me, is teaching like this considered a legitimate job?"

Grandma glanced at him. "Making money is what matters." She paused, then added, "Your senior helped you, so you should teach her well."

"I know," Xia Mo said.

Back home, Xia Mo went upstairs, sat down at her desk, and took out her phone.

There were two unread messages on the screen—one from Huahua and one from Feibiao. He thought for a moment and then opened Huahua's message.

"Are you there?" he typed.

send.

Hua Hua replied almost instantly: "Yes!!! Xia Jun, you finally contacted me!!"

Three exclamation marks.

It is in the style of painting pear blossoms.

"...I have something to tell you."

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" Hua Hua asked.

"That's a good thing. I found a temporary job teaching piano and Japanese."

"!!!" Hua Hua sent three more exclamation marks. "Teach someone? You?"

"A female student. She happened to be learning Japanese, so I taught her piano and Japanese, and her dad paid me an hourly wage."

"Siguo Yi, Xia Jun, you've become a tutor!" Hua Hua sent a thumbs-up emoji, followed by another comment.

"But don't overwork yourself. You're only in the first year of junior high, don't push yourself this hard. Know your limits, okay?"

"If I don't put in some effort, how will I be able to attend the handshake event?" Xia Mo replied immediately.

While waiting for Hua Hua to reply, Xia Mo exited Hua Hua's chat window and opened Fei Niao's.

Feiniao's message was sent a few minutes earlier than Huahua's; it was just one sentence: "Training today was exhausting, my legs are ruined again."

He stared at the line of text for two seconds, then typed: "I also have something to tell you. I've started working."

After a while, Asuka replied: "What part-time job?"

"Teaching piano and Japanese."

"???" Asuka asked a string of question marks.

Xia Mo briefly recounted what had happened—the senior's father owned a restaurant, and he originally wanted to work as a waiter, but he wasn't old enough. Later, the senior said he could teach her Japanese, and her father would pay her by the hour.

Xia Mo had just finished replying when his phone suddenly vibrated a few times—Hua Hua had added him and Fei Niao to a new group.

Xia Mo was stunned for a moment. He had never used this function before. After reading the introduction, he realized that it was a group chat function on LINE, which allows three people to talk at the same time.

"Now I don't have to run back and forth anymore!!!" Hua Hua sent a message in the group, along with a waving emoji.

"When did you do this?" Asuka asked, sounding as if she had been startled.

"Just now! Was it convenient?" Hua Hua sent another smug emoji.

As Xia Mo looked at the three people's nicknames side by side on the screen, she suddenly felt a little magical.

Three years ago, they were the three of them sitting face to face in Hua Hua's living room, eating watermelon, practicing Chinese, and watching AKB48.

Now one is in Taipei and two are in Tokyo, but the three of them have not grown apart at all.

"Xia Jun, please continue, about your part-time job," Hua Hua brought the topic back.

"There's not much to say. I just taught a senior student to play the piano and speak Japanese."

"Why did that senior student ask you for tutoring?" Asuka asked, her tone calm and without surprise.

"Huh? We just happened to run into each other."

"What's her name?" Asuka asked again.

"...Chen Yijun."

"How did you two meet?" Hua Hua, not to be outdone, joined the interrogation.

"She heard me play the piano during the school anniversary celebration and knew that I had returned from Japan. She happened to be learning Japanese recently, so she helped me with this," Xia Mo said.

"Oh—" Hua Hua uttered another meaningful, drawn-out sound.

"You didn't get this job by selling your body, did you?" Asuka asked suddenly, staring at their messages.

"How could that be? What kind of nonsense is that? We always keep the door open during class." Xia Mo felt wronged by this unfounded accusation and hurriedly defended herself.

"Besides, I went to work so I could attend your handshake event."

"I was just asking," Asuka said noncommittally.

"If you really don't have the money, I can give you a discount later, okay?"

"You have this authority?" Xia Mo asked curiously.

"...How stupid! Why don't you just give me the money directly? Why do you have to go to the handshake event?"

"Oh, amazing, you can do that?" Xia Mo expressed her incomprehension and great shock, and quickly sent a thumbs-up emoji in the group chat.

"So you're just skipping the middleman and making the difference, right?"

"What do you know? This is called a win-win situation!"

Hua Hua watched the two bantering and couldn't stop laughing: "Xia Jun and Fei Biao, have you two taken the wrong medicine today? How come you're talking so eloquently?"

"If you say so, then so be it." Xia Mo leaned back in her chair, looking at the three people's avatars on the screen, and said helplessly.

The Tamsui River flowed quietly outside the window in the night, and the lights on Guanyin Mountain were still on in the distance. The light from my phone screen shone on my face, making it a little bright.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore." Hua Hua's tone became more serious. "Xia-kun, don't overwork yourself. We're still waiting for you to come to Tokyo."

"I know," Xia Mo said.

"Do what you can," Asuka added. Four words, no period, no extra expression.

Xia Mo stared at the line of text for a few seconds, then replied with a single word: "Okay."

A little while later, Feiniao sent a message.

"I'm logging off. I have to get up early for training tomorrow."

"Me too!" Hua Hua said. "Goodnight, goodnight!"

"Goodnight," Xia Mo said.

The bird didn't reply, but the group chat showed "read". In the group chat list, three avatars were lit up side by side, one bright and one dark.

He stared at the screen for a while, then left the group chat and put his phone on his desk.

The desk lamp was still on, its white bulb slightly warm. He folded the work schedule twice and tucked it into the deepest part of the drawer, alongside the letter Asuka had sent him earlier.

Outside the window, the Tamsui River is still flowing, and Guanyin Mountain is still there.

The wind whistled from the arcade, like a melody without lyrics.

He lay down and placed his phone next to his pillow. The screen lit up again; it was a group message, all colorful.

"Xia-kun, your senior really doesn't have feelings for you, does she?"

Xia Mo stared at the words, his finger hovering over the screen for a moment, but he didn't tap it. He turned his phone face down, the screen extinguishing the light.

He was joking with him again, and I didn't want to reply.