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墨書 Inktalez
Standing in the elevator with the Tang Suit Man heading to the top floor, Shi Mo felt a bit dazed.
Just as the other man finished speaking, a rumbling sound echoed from two rooms nearby, startling two service staff members so much that their legs went weak; one even fell to the ground before he could take a step. Fortunately, the young girl on their side reacted quickly, rushing over to help him up and guiding him back to the table in the middle.
The Tang Suit Man resumed his indifferent demeanor, gesturing for Shi Mo to follow as he turned the corner. Shi Mo glanced back three times, wanting to see what was happening in those rooms, but he didn’t get any answers before the elevator doors closed.
He noticed that the display showed the top floor was the seventeenth, but he had only counted sixteen floors earlier. Did he miscount? The elevator was slow, with people constantly entering and exiting, and he stood at the back corner with the Tang Suit Man, feeling the stops and starts of the ride.
The people entering mostly ignored them, all dressed in similar outfits with slight variations in detail. There were mostly men, though occasionally a female staff member would appear. Shi Mo remembered clearly that only one person who entered on the twelfth floor raised an eyebrow at the Tang Suit Man as a greeting and then glanced at him with a friendly smile.
This man was tall and thin, with long hair tied back and dyed red at the tips. He toyed with a dark glass bottle and pressed the button for the fifteenth floor upon entering. Shi Mo noticed something odd about his legs; beneath his straight trousers, they appeared empty. A prosthetic limb, perhaps? Shi Mo speculated before the man exited the elevator without further examination.
The elevator continued without stopping for two more floors. When the doors opened again, Shi Mo couldn’t help but rub his eyes at the sight outside. This was the top floor of the building; the ground was neatly paved with blue bricks. To his right was a half-meter-wide green belt, while to his left were several buildings of varying architectural styles lined up neatly. The first building after exiting the elevator resembled a common rural red-brick house, its slanted roof covered with gray tiles from which rainwater flowed down like a column.
Seeing it was raining, the Tang Suit Man effortlessly bent down to retrieve two umbrellas from outside the elevator doors. “Today’s main purpose is to show you around your workplace and environment and to give you the Employee Handbook. Your official start date is July 20th; you need to prepare your belongings by then. We will send a car to pick you up that day.”
“July 20th?” Shi Mo asked in confusion. “Today is already August 15th; it can’t be next year’s July…” His confidence waned as he spoke, opening his umbrella and stepping out of the elevator alongside the man.
The Tang Suit Man didn’t look back but continued walking slightly ahead as he slowly replied, “Of course not. Here we are accustomed to using the lunar calendar to count days; you’ll need to get used to it. According to the lunar calendar, today is July 14th, giving you five days to prepare. Now let’s go see your accommodation; please follow me.”
Shi Mo awkwardly nodded in agreement and followed behind him slowly. He realized that this area represented each floor's specific layout: at each corner were two small rooms, an elevator, and an enclosed stairway entrance. In between were two rows of closely aligned single-story houses—eight in total.
The eight rooms were of equal size but varied significantly in style. Behind the red-brick house was a Jiangnan-style imitation Huizhou house with flying eaves and lattice windows galore. The third room was a modern-style ordinary house with white-painted walls that looked quite square. The fourth room was particularly interesting; it resembled those chambers seen in historical dramas where wealthy young ladies would reside.
Curiously observing these rooms, Shi Mo unknowingly lagged behind the Tang Suit Man by quite a distance. When he snapped back to reality, he found that the man was already waiting at another corner. Realizing his rudeness, he hurried over to apologize and felt relieved when he received a reassuring response that it was no problem at all.
His residence was one of the corner rooms, diagonally opposite to another room that looked identical to the ones on the first floor. A stainless steel sign hung on the door, reading "Kitchen." The man raised his hand and pointed to it, saying, "This will be the kitchen where you will work. Fresh ingredients will be delivered daily, and if you need anything, just let me know. This room is yours; you can rest and live here. If you need daily supplies or have any special requests, feel free to tell me."
The man didn’t give him a chance to ask questions. After finishing the introduction, he opened the door and stepped inside. Shi Mo held back his questions silently and couldn’t help but exclaim "Wow" as he entered. Although it was just a one-bedroom with a bathroom, the restroom had a separate door, and outside stood an expensive-looking washer-dryer combo. The room was equipped with bookshelves, a computer, and even some greenery.
"Someone must have lived here before," Shi Mo observed, noticing a phone and eye drops placed next to the pillow, as well as various signs of life in the room. To avoid any misunderstandings, he chose to step outside and speak from under the eaves. Tang Suit Man nodded gently in response, explaining that some of these items belonged to the previous chef, who would officially leave on July 19th.
What a formal departure. Shi Mo couldn’t help but admire the boss's strategy of securing a new hire before the old one left. If someone decided not to come back after going home, it would surely offend many people in this building. He swallowed hard and pulled out two contracts from his backpack, asking Tang Suit Man whether he should sign them now or wait until the 20th.
"These two contracts are not the official versions. If you decide to stay for work, I can take you to sign them now. Your start date will be counted from today, with monthly paydays on the 15th; however, there are no specific amounts mentioned," Tang Suit Man replied as he took both contracts back and led Shi Mo towards the kitchen while speaking.
"What do you mean by no specific amounts?" Shi Mo had never heard such a strange phrasing before; countless failed salary collection cases flooded his mind. He wondered if this place intended to pay him with fruits and vegetables each month instead of actual wages.
"Our salary has three tiers: Tier One is for no complaints or returned dishes within the month, which pays 10 grams of yellow fish; Tier Two is for complaints but no returned dishes within the month, which pays 5 grams of yellow fish; Tier Three is for complaints and returned dishes, which pays 10 grams of white fish." The man's explanation left Shi Mo astounded; in all his years of work, he had never encountered a place that paid in gold bars.
He stopped Tang Suit Man from opening the kitchen door and took several deep breaths before summarizing his thoughts into questions: "Please wait a moment. Since you started discussing this job's details, I have some doubts: First, which aspect of dining am I responsible for? Is it for this entire building or specific individuals? Because I see that this environment is completely different from downstairs. Secondly, regarding this contract—according to my understanding, signing it today should count as my start date; however, since your old chef hasn’t left yet, signing today seems a bit off. Lastly about this salary—I don’t believe it."
As he spoke more confidently than before, Shi Mo truly felt that this place was too strange to describe adequately. "From what I gathered during the earlier test, it seems like you don’t prioritize food quality very much. To be honest, the ingredients I received were just a piece of steak with pre-packaged seasonings; I prepared it rare as requested but it still didn’t pass inspection. It’s really odd. Regarding this gold bar salary—how can you guarantee that it will be handed directly to me? Also, how should I address you?"
In response to his questions, Tang Suit Man remained exceptionally calm. Instead of opening the kitchen door, he led Shi Mo into an empty room. The man skillfully poured them both hot water and removed his mask under Shi Mo's watchful gaze.
"I apologize for all the confusion; it's my oversight," he said with a hint of regret in his voice as if taking responsibility for the earlier chaotic situation.
The man appeared much younger than expected—his face was oval-shaped with distinct features and skin so pale it seemed almost translucent as if untouched by sunlight. His thin lips were slightly pressed together, conveying an imperceptible seriousness that transformed into a gentle smile when he began to speak.
What stood out the most were his canine teeth, which became particularly prominent when he smiled or spoke softly. They peeked out just enough to give him a playful yet slightly childish air, contrasting sharply with his mature appearance. The presence of those canines made his smile seem even more genuine and approachable, as if he could easily bridge the gap between himself and others.
"I am the butler of Immortal-Retrieving Pavilion; you can simply call me 'Butler.' The chef you have applied for will accept orders delivered to you. He has two days off each month, on the first and fifteenth, and you may choose to stay in the building or return home, as long as you come back by ten o'clock the next morning. As for this assessment, its main purpose is to evaluate your adaptability; the ingredients and requirements are quite unusual, so I hope you won't mind.
Regarding the contract, your former restaurant's owner has a partnership with us, so we provided him with an informal version for communication purposes. As for your salary, rest assured that once you are successfully employed, I will deliver it to you on the fifteenth of each month. If you have any doubts, you may consider this visit merely a leisure trip; the driver will take you home afterward."
The butler spoke with a gentle smile, his eyes filled with calmness and sincerity. His gaze was much darker than that of an average person, showing no signs of evasion when meeting Shi Mo's eyes. This openness gradually eased Shi Mo's guard against him, allowing him to contemplate what his true intentions were.
To be honest, Shi Mo found these conditions quite tempting. After all, jobs that provide meals and accommodation are rare these days. Moreover, the living environment was quite nice; he could easily cancel his current rental and manage with simple meals. Given that this place was far from urban areas with shopping options, he had no hobbies to spend money on and could save a considerable amount.
Although he still felt skeptical about paying with gold bars, he thought it was worth a shot—if things didn’t go as promised, he could always take the contract to the police to demand his wages.
He lifted his head and looked directly at the butler with determination. "Alright, I’ll take the job. Let’s sign the contract."
On the way back, the rain had cleared up; thick clouds were parted by sunlight, casting golden rays on the road and creating a warm atmosphere through the glass. Shi Mo found himself sitting in the front passenger seat on the return journey, holding his copy of the contract along with an employee handbook that was as thick as a dictionary.
The moment he saw that handbook, alarm bells rang in his mind; had it not been for his name already written on the contract, he would have bolted. He wasn’t fond of reading or writing—he simply wasn’t cut out for school. Fortunately, the butler was considerate enough to mark certain sections in the handbook for him and told him those were all he needed to read.
Carrying his bag back to the first floor, he found only the girl who had been at his door earlier; the other two had emerged from their room looking lethargic as they leaned against a table with their chef hats askew. They didn’t react much upon seeing him—just stared blankly at the floor.
"A Yue, please see Mr. Shi Mo to his car. On July 20th at ten in the morning, go pick him up at the agreed location. Do you remember?"
"Yes," replied A Yue promptly as she approached Shi Mo and gestured for him to follow her. "Mr. Shi Mo, please."
“Not at all, not at all.” Shi Mo truly wasn't used to being treated this way. He waved his hand at the two and said, “Just call me Shi Mo. We’ll be colleagues from now on, so calling me ‘sir’ feels too strange and I’m not accustomed to it.”
“Alright,” the two replied in unison.
Shi Mo followed behind A Yue and noticed her inviting the two to leave together. The two of them seemed to have been hit hard, their steps unsteady and completely different from when they arrived. Shi Mo, having gained some advantage, didn’t dare to speak much, quietly walking ahead while hoping they wouldn’t strike up a conversation with him in the car later.
In reality, he worried for nothing. The moment they sat down, they both fell asleep, with the younger one even yawning three times in his sleep. The driver returned to his usual cold demeanor, only asking where Shi Mo lived before falling silent again.
On the way, Shi Mo intended to look over the contents of the manual but ended up dozing off before he could even glance at the table of contents. He was jolted awake midway by his phone vibrating and groggily realized it was a call from Xiao Zhi.
Considering there were too many people in the car, Shi Mo decided to arrange a small gathering with his brother that evening to also help review his contract. The result was that at the barbecue stall, he was met with a barrage of scolding from Xiao Zhi, who berated him for believing he could get paid in gold at this place and for actually signing his name.
Shi Mo felt utterly speechless under the scolding, shrinking back like a quail at the edge of the table and not daring to breathe. He waited until Xiao Zhi finished before raising his glass to clink with his, forcing a smile as he said that since there was nothing about breach of contract written in the agreement, he could always just run away if he discovered any fraud after working for a month.
As soon as he finished speaking, a shell hit him on the forehead. The person across from him yelled while clutching the contract, “You’ve got two eggs hanging under your eyebrows! You can only breathe but can’t read? Look at how long that breach of contract clause is on the last page! You’re just fixated on that little yellow fish! You’re as dumb as a slime mold! It drives me crazy!”
Xiao Zhi, usually known for his stable temperament, looked like this reminded Shi Mo of an incident back in school when he accidentally pulled down Xiao Zhi’s pants on the playground. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory, lowering his head to stifle his laughter while pinching his thigh hard. Fortunately, once Xiao Zhi finished scolding him, he calmed down and downed his drink in one go.
“Shi Mo,” Xiao Zhi said seriously, “if you feel anything off about this place after you go there, you need to run away that same day, alright? Call me immediately if there’s any problem; I’ll come pick you up even if it means skipping work. Forget about any yellow fish—nothing is more important than your safety. Over these next few days, take a good look at their lousy manual. If you find anything uncomfortable about it, quit right then and there. Got it?”
Xiao Zhi was two months older than him and always acted like an older brother; now he spoke earnestly with concern.
Shi Mo filled Xiao Zhi’s glass again; this time they truly clinked their glasses together. He wanted to say a lot but couldn’t find the right words, so he simply grinned like he did when they were kids and said to Xiao Zhi with a toothy smile, “Good brother, it’s all in the drink—bottoms up!”
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