Bozai Coffee

When Wuling returned to the dorm, he was the only one there. Calcharo and Lingyang's academic buildings and dorms were relatively far away, though not too far; on foot, they would only arrive about five minutes after him.

Wuling turned on the air conditioner and plopped down in a chair, letting his arms hang as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

Everything he needed to do was done, and everything that needed cleaning had been cleaned. There really wasn't anything left to do.

After thinking for a few minutes, Wuling suddenly remembered something. He sat up and opened the laptop on his desk.

Wuling deftly entered his password and decided to look for part-time work around the school. Although they probably wouldn't have to worry about food or shelter for the next decade or so, they still had to make some preparations for the future.

Wuling stared at the screen, looking through the listings one by one, but most of them were unsatisfactory.

He didn't give up, though, and after about two and a half minutes, he finally found a fairly promising job.

[Coffee shop staff wanted]

Our cozy boutique coffee shop is hiring full-time and part-time servers. If you love coffee and have a friendly personality, we'd love to have you join us!

[Responsibilities]

1. Welcome customers, show them to their seats, and promptly serve drinks and food.

2. Prepare basic drinks, wash cups, and carry out daily cleaning and tidying of the counter and the shop's common areas.

3. Maintain shop displays and properly handle customer inquiries.

4. Assist the manager with daily stock preparation, inventory checks, and other tasks.

[Requirements]

1. Aged 18–35, patient and polite. Applicants with a clean, presentable appearance are preferred.

2. Experience not required; paid training available for beginners. Applicants who can prepare basic drinks are preferred.

3. Hardworking and attentive, with good service awareness, comfortable around strangers, and able to communicate clearly.

4. Able to work with the shop's schedule; morning and evening shifts are adjustable. Full-time applicants must be able to work steadily long-term.

[Pay and benefits]

Full-time: base salary of 3,200–4,000 yuan plus sales commission and an attendance bonus; four days off per month.

Part-time: 22 yuan per hour, with flexible hours that students can fit around classes.

Benefits: paid training, free coffee drinks in the shop, and holiday benefits.

Contact number: XXX-XXXXXXX

Shop address: XXXXXX

Wuling looked it over briefly. It was pretty good: the shop wasn't too far from school, and its reviews were excellent. Of course, the main reason was that the pay was a little higher than other part-time jobs. Money was the most important thing, after all.

Once Wuling made up his mind, he didn't hesitate. He immediately picked up his phone and called.

The shop's owner answered. Neither of them wasted words, and they quickly agreed that he would come by now to have a look. If things worked out, he could start tomorrow.

After hanging up, Wuling saw that Calcharo and Lingyang still hadn't returned. He turned off the air conditioner, sent them a message, and left the dorm.

The sun at three in the afternoon was naturally fierce, but fortunately, the past few afternoons had been overcast, so it wasn't too uncomfortable.

After leaving the school gate, Wuling followed the route marked in the job listing, passing through the shopping street beside the main entrance. After about fifteen minutes, the coffee shop finally came into view, tucked behind the greenery lining the street.

The shop was especially elegant, its exterior walls covered in emerald vines. Floor-to-ceiling windows kept the heat outside, and he could smell the faint, mellow aroma of coffee beans from a distance.

"Bozai Coffee? What a strange name."

Wuling pushed open the glass door, and a cool blast of air instantly swept away the summer heat around him. The air conditioning was set just right, and the scent of milk and caramel wafted toward him. Quiet, soothing music drifted through the shop, a world apart from the noisy, sweltering street outside.

There weren't many customers inside. They sat in small groups at tables by the windows, most of them students from Star Torch Academy. Behind the front counter stood a middle-aged woman in an off-white cotton-linen apron, her features gentle. She was presumably the owner he'd just spoken to on the phone.

When the woman saw Wuling enter, she immediately set down the cloth she'd been using to wipe cups and came over with a smile.

"Hello, what would you like to drink?"

"Oh, no, I'm here to apply for the job."

Wuling hurriedly waved his hands, afraid she'd misunderstand.

"Oh, I see. You're the student who just called about the job, right? Have a seat."

The owner handed him a glass of cooled boiled water. His fingertips brushed the cold glass as he thanked her and sat down on a wooden chair in front of the counter.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the owner got straight to the point and went over the details of the part-time job with him.

Knowing Wuling was a student at Star Torch Academy, she made a point of asking about his usual class schedule to see whether he could work the shop's morning and evening shifts.

The coffee shop ran two shifts: the morning shift from ten to seventeen and the evening shift from seventeen to twenty-two. He had to work at least four hours per shift, and the heavy weekend traffic meant he would need to be there all day. Fortunately, part-time hours could be adjusted around his timetable, so they wouldn't interfere with classes. He could also give advance notice and adjust his shifts for the military training a week later, without having to force himself to make time for work.

"You don't need any coffee-making experience here. The job listing says otherwise, but we actually have staff in the back who make the coffee. Still, in case anything unusual comes up, I'll teach you how to pull espresso shots and froth milk before you start."

"Your daily work will mostly be carrying trays, clearing tables, stocking, and cleaning. It's not too tiring, but you'll need to be quick during peak hours."

As she spoke, the owner turned sideways and pointed to the work counter behind her. Different kinds of coffee beans, syrups, and dessert molds were neatly arranged on the shelves.

"The pay is twenty-two an hour, just like the listing says. Your hours are recorded at the end of each day, and everyone gets paid at the end of the week. You can have as many drinks from the shop as you like while you're on duty, but don't waste them."

Wuling listened quietly, weighing it up. The hourly rate was much higher than other part-time jobs nearby, the hours were flexible enough to fit around his studies, and the shop was close to school, with a quiet, comfortable atmosphere. There was hardly anything wrong with it.

"We don't usually work overtime here. If you do need to work overtime, you'll have to submit an application."

"You have to apply to work overtime?"

Wuling was utterly puzzled.

"Of course. Otherwise, how would I pay you overtime?"

The owner spoke as though it were obvious.

"There's overtime pay too?"

"That's illegal if I don't pay it."

The owner looked at Wuling in mild shock. That's what the labor law says. It's not as though I can break the law, is it?

"Overtime is paid at one and a half times your wage, Saturdays and Sundays at double, and public holidays at triple."

"What? You pay me extra too?"

"That's illegal if I don't."

The shock in the owner's gaze gradually turned to pity as she looked at Wuling. Poor child, just how much hardship has he been through?

Wuling froze, feeling as though it still wasn't quite real. He really hadn't expected something he'd only encounter in a novel to happen to him.

"Oh, right. Sorry, ma'am."

"It's all right, child. Just call me Auntie Bo from now on. If you run into any difficulties, be sure to tell me."

Auntie Bo patted Wuling's shoulder with a trace of pity, then turned and pulled a neatly printed employment agreement from beneath the counter. She laid it flat in front of him. The hourly wage, overtime calculations, and rules for adjusting shifts were all clearly set out in black and white.

"I've had this shop for almost five years. Most of the people I've hired have been Star Torch Academy students. I only decided to recruit again because two of my previous student workers graduated. Studying is demanding enough for you children; I can't let you be taken advantage of on top of that. Even if you're part-timers working your way through school, you still get the terms you were promised. You won't be shorted a single cent."

Wuling lowered his head and read the agreement carefully, word by word. It specified overtime pay at one and a half times the usual rate on weekdays, double on weekends, and triple on public holidays. It also stated that shifts could be adjusted without penalty during military training and midterm and final exam weeks, with no deduction of working hours. Free drinks while on duty were also written clearly in the benefits section, leaving nothing ambiguous.

"Student part-timers don't have to contribute to the five social insurance programs or the housing fund. I wanted to make that clear upfront."

Auntie Bo wiped the glass beside her, her tone calm and candid.

"Work-study jobs for enrolled students don't count as formal employment relationships, so social insurance contributions can't be required. I've bought additional accident insurance for every part-time student here, so any injuries you get at work can be covered. It's an extra layer of protection."

That addressed a concern Wuling had. While looking up part-time work earlier, he'd come across the rules about social insurance for student workers and had been privately worried about having nothing to fall back on if an accident happened on the job. Auntie Bo had already taken it into account.

"I don't have any experience in the service industry. What if I'm slow to learn and cause you trouble?"

Wuling closed the agreement and looked up at Auntie Bo, speaking candidly.

"That's all right. I'll guide you through the practical work for the first three days."

Auntie Bo smiled and pointed to the equipment on the counter. "I'll teach you the ordering system, clearing the counter, helping with simple preparations, inventory, and stocking, step by step. Three days is enough to get the hang of it. Our customer traffic is spread out pretty evenly. It's only busy for the two hours after classes end in the evening; the rest of the time it's fairly quiet. You'll have no trouble keeping up with your studies."

"Thank you so much, Auntie Bo."

Wuling thanked her sincerely, but she suddenly remembered what Auntie Bo had said earlier and couldn't help asking.

"By the way, Auntie Bo, you said you were hiring again because two students graduated. Does that mean you've already hired another person?"

Auntie Bo looked at Wuling with mild surprise. She hadn't expected him to be so perceptive. She'd planned to tell him a little later and hadn't expected him to figure it out so quickly. But now that he had, she had no intention of hiding it.

"That's right. Another student came in before you, a young girl. She's already agreed to start tomorrow. She'll be a server too, just like you. Come to think of it, I believe she goes to the same school as you. I think her name was Kusaba Chisaki."

Wuling searched his memory carefully but found that he didn't recognize the name at all.

"She's probably a first-year in my class, but I haven't heard of her."

Wuling nodded gently, his tone calm.

Auntie Bo paused, then smiled in realization.

"That's true. Star Torch Academy is huge, with thousands of new students. People in different departments really wouldn't know each other. It's fine, you're both honest, well-behaved kids. You'll be working together tomorrow, so you'll get to know each other in time."

She sounded reassured and went on to tell Wuling a little more.

"That girl seemed quiet and quite introverted. She doesn't talk much, but she's careful and efficient. I saw that when I interviewed her. She's steady and reliable. You're both first-years, and your schedules are mostly general education courses, so your hours should line up. I'll try to put you on the same shifts. You can help each other out when it's busy, and it'll be much easier."

Hearing that, Wuling felt a little more at ease.

He'd been worried that, as it was his first service job, he'd be flustered trying to get started on his own. Now he had a partner who was also a first-year. Even if they didn't know each other, they could look out for one another, so he wouldn't feel quite so awkward and helpless.

After Auntie Bo gave him a brief tour of the coffee shop and showed him how to use some of the equipment, Wuling decided it was time to leave.

"Everything's good, Auntie Bo. I'll be here on time tomorrow."

"All right."

Auntie Bo smiled and nodded, then handed Wuling a bottled iced Americano to take with him.

"Thanks for making the trip today. Get some rest when you get back. When you come in tomorrow, I'll teach you both from the beginning. Don't be nervous; you're new, so just take it slowly."

"Okay, Auntie Bo."

Wuling accepted the drink, thanked her, and said goodbye to the owner before turning and walking out of Bozai Coffee.

On his way back to the academy, he was about to take out his phone to check for messages when he reached into his pocket and felt another long, narrow object.

Curious, Wuling pulled it out and saw that it was none other than the dorm's air conditioner remote.

"Holy crap, why did I bring the air conditioner remote with me?"

Meanwhile, back at the dorm, Calcharo and Lingyang: ( ✘_✘ )