Sister, can I become a maid too?

Chapter 15 The Girl Hidden in the Dark

Ring ring—

The familiar sound of wind chimes rang out at the entrance of the bookstore.

Because it was Friday, the store was busier than usual. Some people were picking out notebooks and pens in front of the stationery shelves, and several junior high school students who had finished school early were gathered in the comic book section, excitedly flipping through the newly arrived serials.

The proprietress remained seated behind the counter, glancing up as she saw her enter.

"You're here? Perfect timing, a new batch of books arrived this afternoon, and I haven't had time to organize them yet."

She pointed to several unopened boxes of books piled up in the corner: "Here, take these boxes in too. Put the best-selling series outside. Come back to me for your wages after you're done organizing."

Lin Jianxia nodded, avoiding the gaze of the customers in the store, and carried the book box into the backstage area.

Although the job didn't pay much and was purely physical labor, Lin Jianxia cherished it.

Firstly, Sisyphus Bookstore is not far from Lin San Middle School; it's within walking distance. Secondly, the bookstore's location is secluded enough that few students from the school would make a special detour to it.

More importantly, her work area was almost entirely in the small back-end warehouse.

Even if a familiar face occasionally walks into the bookstore, she has ample time to avoid it, minimizing the possibility of bumping into them.

It wasn't that she felt ashamed of working odd jobs outside, but rather that she was worried about her classmates overhearing her talking to the shop owner in the store...

It would be quite a troublesome thing for her.

Lin Jianxia carried the boxes of books into the back room and realized that the amount of goods that arrived this time was much larger than usual, almost forming a small mountain.

Normally, in this situation, the landlady might let her come back the next day to clean up, but with the weekend approaching, it seems there's no way to avoid it today.

After everything is sorted out... I'll probably be busy until 7 or 8 pm.

The only thing that gave her some comfort was that she had replenished her sister's snack box with plenty of food over the past few days, so at least she didn't have to worry about her sister going hungry tonight.

Looking at the mountain of books before her, Lin Jianxia pursed her lips, hung her schoolbag on the shelf beside her, and silently began to organize it.

Unpack the kraft paper, tear off the plastic seal, flip through the pages to check, sort by category, and shelve each book one by one...

She would repeat these seemingly simple actions for hours on end.

When her back started to ache so badly that she couldn't stand it anymore, Lin Jianxia would lean against the bookshelf for a while, then grit her teeth and bend down to continue.

By the time the last novel, titled "How Did I Get a Childhood Sweetheart After Rebirth?", was gently placed on the bookshelf, the daylight outside the small window had completely faded.

In the small warehouse, only the dim incandescent light overhead provided a little illumination.

Lin Jianxia straightened up and let out a long sigh of relief.

I looked up at the clock next to the door, and the hour hand was pointing brightly to eight o'clock in the evening.

After looking around one last time to make sure no books were left behind, she picked up her backpack and left the small warehouse.

At 8 p.m., the bookstore was nearly empty, with only two or three people still quietly browsing.

Lin Jianxia walked to the counter, her tone finally relaxing: "Aunt Zhao, everything's done."

The proprietress, who was watching a show behind the counter, glanced at her, pressed pause, but didn't say anything. She simply got up and walked towards the small warehouse.

Lin Jianxia was taken aback.

Should we check this out?

She didn't think much of it and just stood quietly waiting.

But the proprietress took much longer than she had expected.

Lin Jianxia couldn't help but look at the wall clock several times, watching the minute hand slowly move from "12" to "2" before the boss lady finally appeared at the warehouse door.

"Aunt Zhao..."

She was about to speak when she was interrupted.

"I just went in and looked," the proprietress said, her brows furrowed and her tone clearly displeased. "Several new books have dents on their covers, and two books have dust on their spines that you didn't clean."

As she spoke, she casually pulled out a few books she had specifically chosen earlier and slammed them down in front of Lin Jianxia:

"How can I possibly sell something like this?"

Lin Jianxia was stunned and subconsciously looked down at the books on the table.

She remembered very clearly that she was very careful when sorting them, but the creases on the covers of these books were already there before they were opened, obviously caused during transportation.

As for not wiping off the dust....

Her job is to categorize and shelve books. If she had to carefully wipe every single book in the warehouse, she probably wouldn't finish even by midnight.

Moreover... she has been organizing according to the same standard for the past month, and Aunt Zhao has never said there was a problem.

Why today of all days, before payday, do they suddenly start nitpicking these minor details?

Just as a hint of doubt arose in Lin Jianxia's mind, what she heard next made her breathe a sigh of relief.

"Alright, I won't hold it against you this time," the proprietress said, her tone softening as she turned and rummaged through the cash register. "Come and collect your wages."

The words of explanation swirled in her mouth, but in the end, Lin Jianxia simply pursed her lips and whispered:

"Okay, Aunt Zhao, I'll be more careful in the future."

The landlady took a thin envelope from the drawer and pushed it in front of Lin Jianxia: "Here, this is your salary for this month. Go home early, it's getting dark."

Lin Jianxia took the envelope, but stopped abruptly after taking a step.

She pursed her lips, but still opened the envelope on the spot and started counting the letters by the light from the counter.

One, two... When she finally finished counting, her fingers stopped, and her heart sank.

The agreed-upon monthly salary was 1,200 yuan, but now the envelope only contains six 100-yuan bills, a full half of what was promised.

She looked up, her voice hesitant, "Aunt Zhao, this amount... seems a bit off?"

Upon hearing this, the proprietress's relaxed expression vanished instantly. She sighed, and her tone became troubled:

"Xiao Lin, it's not that Aunt Zhao is deliberately making things difficult for you. As you can see, business at the shop has really been bad lately. These books are piling up, and the rent has gone up... We're just really struggling to make ends meet."

Lin Jianxia gripped the envelope tightly, her voice slightly hoarse: "But Aunt Zhao, we agreed on 1,200, and I did everything you asked."

"Agreed?" The proprietress suddenly laughed. "Xiao Lin, do you really think I wouldn't know you were secretly looking through books in the back warehouse?"

"With so many books, who can say for sure if one or two are missing? I didn't hold it against you and still paid you your salary; that's already more than enough."

Lin Jianxia's face turned pale instantly: "I have never taken any books from the store! You can see the purchase order, and I always do it after I've finished my work..."

"After you're done?" the proprietress interrupted her, her tone turning sharp. "I'm already being accommodating by letting you do this; do you really want to be picky?"

"Did we sign a contract? No, right? Then I'll give you whatever amount I want."

She waved her hand impatiently, as if trying to shoo away something unlucky:

"Get out of here. This is all the money I have. Take it or leave it. Don't come back next week either. My little bookstore can't accommodate someone as important as you."

The argument between the two gradually grew louder, attracting the attention of the few remaining customers in the store.

Lin Jianxia stood blankly in front of the counter, clutching the thin envelope, when suddenly she felt a chill run down her spine.

She opened her mouth, but found that she didn't even have the strength to refute it—in the face of blatant denial and malice, any reasoning seemed so pale and powerless.

Lin Jianxia didn't know how she got out of that bookstore.

A night breeze blew, leaving her face feeling cold, and only then did she belatedly raise her hand to wipe it.

She clutched the last six hundred yuan tightly, as if it were the last fragile straw she was grasping at while drowning.

But this little bit of money... isn't even enough to cover this month's rent.

I've lost my job. What about next month? Where will I get the money for rent, living expenses...?

She bit her lower lip hard as she walked through the alley under the dim streetlights, her steps growing heavier and heavier, as if filled with lead.

My vision blurred and then cleared, cleared and then blurred again.

The night wind swept through the empty alley, carrying a few withered leaves. Occasionally, car headlights would flash by in the distance, lengthening and shortening her shadow.

Finally, the slender figure slowly squatted down in a secluded corner, burying his face in his arms.

It's as if this way, all the grievances, anger, and confusion can be hidden in this small patch of darkness.