Cleaning Up the Problem Solver

Because he'd found a part-time job—well, no, it was basically full-time, since it covered all three meals a day—most of his time had to be spent at Problem Solver. But that didn't stop Yang Xiao from training his physique and personality; he could make good use of his time after work.

Today, like usual, Yang Xiao started with a full physical workout: a five-kilometer run, thirty pull-ups in one go, over a hundred and fifty push-ups in a single set, and squats numbering in the hundreds. In short, after months of this, his physical fitness had surpassed the average person.

Maybe the progress seemed exaggerated, but if someone spent months exhausting all their strength on training every single day, anyone would see astonishing improvement.

The main thing was that Yang Xiao's Holy Light could flow through his entire body. This energy soothed physical fatigue, making his training twice as effective with half the effort.

It was like drinking protein powder before and after a workout at the gym—it helped exercisers get nutritional replenishment in the shortest time, relieving muscle soreness so they could keep going for the next session.

The next morning, Yang Xiao arrived at Problem Solver right at eight o'clock. Clearly, Wu Shiyin hadn't gotten up yet and was still sleeping in.

Yang Xiao knocked on the rolling shutter several times before Wu Shiyin woke up. For a moment, he'd forgotten he'd hired someone and cursed a few times before opening the door, only to realize it was Yang Xiao reporting for duty.

"Haha, sorry about that! It's been a while since anyone applied, so I'm still used to living alone. Don't mind me." Wu Shiyin laughed and immediately put on a friendly smile.

Yang Xiao didn't take it to heart. He glanced around Problem Solver and asked, "What's the workflow here? What do I need to do?"

Wu Shiyin didn't even think before replying, "No rush on anything else. First, clean up the dirt and trash at the front door. Oh, and get rid of the pee those brats left behind, and the graffiti too. Yeah, start with that."

Yang Xiao felt a headache coming on. It finally hit him—this Gin-san was too lazy to clean himself, so the first thing he hired someone for was housekeeping. How...

Wu Shiyin caught the look on Yang Xiao's face and chuckled. "Can't help it. It's hard to work in such a dirty, messy environment. Clean this up first, and then we can open for business."

Yang Xiao thought to himself in exasperation: If a dirty, messy environment makes it hard to work, why don't you clean it yourself? This place has clearly been a wreck for ages—it's practically ingrained—and now you're saying this?

Still, as an employee, this probably counted as part of the job, since Gin-san was covering his meals.

"So, Gin-san, you clean inside, and I'll handle outside. That work for you?" Yang Xiao looked at Wu Shiyin. No way he was doing it all alone.

"No problem. You start outside; the tools are inside." Wu Shiyin nodded and turned to go back in.

Yang Xiao didn't overthink it. He went inside, grabbed the tools, and began cleaning. The outside was indeed filthy, almost like a garbage dump. Several plastic bags were stuffed with trash, and the smell had already seeped out.

Yang Xiao picked up the bags and headed out. At the end of the alley was a large trash area, specifically for the residents and shops on this street.

Back and forth, Yang Xiao cleared out all the garbage. Next, he used water to wash away the stench under the utility pole. The smell was pretty bad, but he quickly rinsed it all clean.

By the time Yang Xiao had finished cleaning the storefront, about an hour had passed. He still hadn't eaten breakfast.

"You haven't done anything?" Yang Xiao stepped inside to find the place still a chaotic mess, with Wu Shiyin fiddling with something in a corner.

Wu Shiyin saw Yang Xiao come in and gave an awkward smile. "I was looking for some stuff—things we need for work. I didn't get around to cleaning. How about you help out with it?"

Yang Xiao just stared at him. He was starting to get a clear picture of this boss: lazy, passive, the type who talks a good game but doesn't follow through.

"Boss Wu, I haven't even had breakfast yet. Can I eat first before we talk?" Yang Xiao rolled his eyes.

"Right, right, breakfast hasn't come yet," Wu Shiyin said, slapping his thigh. "I'll call him now. That guy said he'd deliver on time, but it's been an hour and he's still not here."

Yang Xiao figured the delivery guy and Wu Shiyin were two of a kind—each had their own special brand of useless.

Still, Wu Shiyin gave the delivery guy a nudge, and the guy said something had delayed him on the road. Luckily, the food arrived ten minutes later.

When Yang Xiao opened the bag, a fragrant smell wafted out. Inside were steamed buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks—a Chinese-style breakfast.

Wu Shiyin noticed Yang Xiao staring at him, smiled, and pulled out a fried dough stick. "I prefer Chinese food. You're not used to it, are you?"

"No, it's fine. I like it." Yang Xiao was originally from Huaxia, so Chinese food was perfect for him.

But the next moment, Yang Xiao was a bit speechless. He'd assumed the steamed buns were filled with meat, but they turned out to be vegetarian. How stingy—the whole breakfast was all vegetarian.

Wu Shiyin, on the other hand, ate happily, not minding at all.

After they finished breakfast, they got back to work. Of course, Yang Xiao did way more than Wu Shiyin. The inside was much messier and harder to clean. After an hour and a half of working together, Problem Solver finally looked "splendid."

"All done!" Wu Shiyin placed stacks of documents on the desk and surveyed the tidy interior with great satisfaction. Hiring someone really hadn't been a waste.

A few others had applied before, but they'd all bailed as soon as they heard they'd have to clean Problem Solver. Only Yang Xiao had stayed and agreed to do the chores.

For that alone, Wu Shiyin decided to treat Yang Xiao to a good meal once a week. It was the simplest way to repay him.

"Boss Wu, anything else? Might as well get it all done today." Yang Xiao didn't want to come back tomorrow only to clean again. If Wu Shiyin said there was still more inside to tidy up, he'd rather just bang his head against the wall.

"No, no, that's it. You've worked hard today. Problem Solver is officially open now. We just wait for customers to show up." Wu Shiyin said casually. There really wasn't anything left to clean. His own room had some stuff he didn't want Yang Xiao to see, so he let it slide.

"Then I'll rest a bit. Let me know when a customer comes." Yang Xiao was exhausted. This wasn't like training—compared to this work, exercise was a breeze.

"Don't worry, someone will be here soon." Wu Shiyin was in a good mood. With a helper, everything would fall into place. Problem Solver used to be one of the top ten economic drivers in this alley, but things had gone downhill later, leading to its current state.

Now, with Yang Xiao as a capable and hardworking assistant, Wu Shiyin could get back to being the House Owner. Life was sweet.

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