That evening, Luo Bisheng's WeChat message popped up right on time.
It was a long list, followed by a message: "Brother Liang, this is tomorrow morning's order. Thanks for the hard work."
Wang Xiaoliang picked up a pen and paper and copied down each item, calculating the total in his head as he went.
Coke, Sprite, Iced Black Tea...
There were plenty of varieties, and the quantities were substantial too.
He did the math. The total cost of the goods actually came to over three thousand yuan.
The customers at Bugbug Internet Cafe really did have impressive spending power.
This time, Wang Xiaoliang had no more doubts or unease.
He picked up his phone and called his supplier, Brother Zhang, directly.
The call connected after two rings, and Brother Zhang's hearty laughter came through.
"Xiaoliang, need more stock?"
"Yes, Brother Zhang. I'll send you the list in a moment. Could you see if you can have everything ready first thing tomorrow?"
"No problem. I'll definitely give your order priority." Brother Zhang agreed readily.
Once they had finished discussing business, however, Brother Zhang did not hang up right away.
"Oh, Xiaoliang, there's something I should tell you."
"What is it, Brother Zhang?"
"Li Laifu called me this afternoon."
"He asked if you were ordering stock for Bugbug Internet Cafe."
"What did you tell him?" Wang Xiaoliang asked.
"What else could I say? I said yes. That fat guy started cursing over the phone, so I told him you were just working there, helping run errands."
There was a hint of disdain in Brother Zhang's voice.
"I told him it wasn't easy for young people to earn a living, so why was he sticking his nose into everything? Guess what he said?"
"What did he say?"
"He called you an ungrateful bastard.