Chapter 40: Chapter 40: A Wilderness
The suppressed gasps coming from the half-closed door made the apprentice's nails dig into his palms, and blood oozed out bit by bit from the gaping wounds.
The dark crack in the door seemed to contain everything that made him hate so much!
He clearly hated it and wanted to rush in and punch that fat man in the face, but he was too cowardly to dare to vent all his hatred in his heart.
Sometimes he doesn't understand what's wrong with the world and why it seems that all the misfortunes happen to him!
His parents have divorced, and the man who he once regarded as his life goal and role model left LOS City with a woman who was seven or eight years younger than him.
He was awarded to his mother because he was a minor and his father had clearly expressed his unwillingness to be his guardian.
After a brief consultation with a lawyer, he moved in with his mother.
In recent years, more and more illegal immigrants have come here. It is difficult to find a job and the salary is not high. Everyone is talking about the development of LOS City and the developed economy here, but as a local native of LOS City, he only feels huge competitive pressure.
More than half a year ago, his mother suddenly told him to learn a skill. At that time, he had already graduated from high school. After some "investigation", he learned that Johnny's bakery had the best business in the area.
Earning one or two hundred yuan a month is an astronomical figure for a child from a single-parent family.
Then he was sent here, and for half a year he spent most of his mother's meager income but learned nothing.
Apart from kneading the dough and making the dough, he doesn't know anything about how to make the bread delicious, how to match the ingredients, or even the production techniques of some high-end breads!
Not only did he have to work for free at a high intensity, but he also had to pay Johnny ten dollars every month.
He hated everything that happened here, hated this store, hated Johnny, and even hated himself.
Now, there is one more person to be added, his mother.
In order to save that little bit of money, she was helping Johnny relax in the room. He knew what was happening but couldn't do anything.
A few minutes later, she came out while adjusting her torn shirt.
Seeing her son's frightening eyes, her expression also changed slightly.
Without saying anything, she gave a slight nod and started to leave, but the apprentice chased after her.
"Why?", he asked.
In the alley behind the bakery, the woman stopped and turned to look at him. "Because Johnny's craftsmanship is the best. If you learn his bread-making skills, at least you will have a way to make a living in the future. This is also your own decision."
The apprentice didn't understand, but still asked, "Why?"
"Why do you... do those things?"
The woman remained calm, "Because we have no money left."
The apprentice fell silent for a moment, but the woman did not stop talking because of his silence. She knew that the boy hated her. "You don't have many choices now. Either you leave here, find a job, and support yourself first."
"He promised me that he would let you stay here for at least three months."
The apprentice wanted to say something but didn't know how to start. He had used up the little money the family had, and she had also made sacrifices so that she could continue her studies.
At this time, letting him leave is no longer as simple as a question of whether to leave or not. It seems that there are two choices, but in fact there are not so many choices.
He didn't know what sunk cost was, but he knew that if he left now, all his investment would be wasted.
Seeing that her son was silent again, and thinking back to his eyes that were full of suppressed anger and frightening, the woman's expression changed slightly.
"You have grown up. There is something I haven't told you. I am also planning to leave here."
The apprentice suddenly looked up at her, "When...when are we leaving?"
She shook her head. "It wasn't us. It was me. I met a man at work, a tourist from outside the city. He wanted me to go with him, and I agreed."
"So...you don't have much time left."
After saying this, the woman left. She might have thought this was the best option. She had already given enough for her child.
Time, youth, money, even dignity, now she should live for herself.
The apprentice didn't say a word until her back disappeared in the alley. He was completely dazed.
First his father, and now her.
After a busy day in numbness, he mopped the floor twice and lay exhausted on the bed thinking about how he could change the current situation and how... he could learn Johnny's bread-making technique.
He thought he would be able to learn it one day, but now it seems that he was too naive.
In a daze, he was thinking, if Johnny couldn't make bread himself, could he make bread for him and learn the recipes and techniques?
I fell asleep with this thought in my mind. In my dream, Johnny was injured and disabled. He couldn't make bread, so he had to ask me to help him.
He learned all of Johnny's recipes and techniques, and then opened his own bakery, selling more affordable and better sales. Soon Johnny and his damn daughter lost their income and ended up on the streets...
Early the next morning, when the apprentice woke up and looked at the simple ceiling, he realized that everything was a dream.
Today is Thursday and business is starting to pick up, so Johnny will make the bread himself today.
After finishing his work in the morning, he stood in the kitchen waiting for Johnny to come. Not long after Johnny came in, he began to prepare the ingredients.
But as soon as he started to work, he suddenly turned around and looked at the apprentice, "What are you still doing here?"
The apprentice punched Johnny hard in his dream and in his mind, but in real life, he was timid and said, "I... I think I might be able to help you finish the job."
Johnny sneered, "Want to steal my skills?"
"Get out, little bastard. Don't think I'm going to teach you these just because your mother gave me a smack."
"I didn't even sell my skills to people who offered me 500 bucks. Your mother is only worth 5 bucks at most!"
"Now, before I lose my temper, get out of this room and close the door!"
The apprentice clenched his fists tightly, but Johnny was not afraid at all. He knew the situation of the apprentice and the woman, and he was sure of his victory over these two people.
"You still want to hit me?" He walked over and slapped the apprentice on the head with his floury hands. "Either pack up your things and get out of here, or get out and fill the boiler with water!"
Finally, the apprentice compromised and unclenched his fists, "Yes, Boss." He was also asked to call Johnny "Boss". Then he left the room, but his hatred continued to grow.
From now until the afternoon, it is Johnny's "working time". He will prepare all the recipes and then make some more advanced breads or cakes. The rest will be left for the apprentices to do in the afternoon.
So the apprentice had two or three hours, and while he was adding water to the boiler, he thought of the dream he had in his half-hearted state the previous night.
Ten minutes later, he changed his clothes and left the bakery.
The advantage of being a local apprentice is that he has some friends. Although he is very busy at work, he sometimes chats with some people.
He actually knew everything that had happened in LOS City recently, the hatred of the locals towards immigrants, and the violent crimes that had evolved into robbery and vandalism.
A few days ago he heard from a friend that they smashed up an immigrant's store and stole a lot of valuable things.
Originally, he just treated this matter as a joke. After all, he could not do such a thing, nor did he dare to do it. But now he felt that this was an opportunity.
In the afternoon, the door of the bakery kitchen was finally opened, and a large number of ready-made bread doughs were placed on the shelves for proofing.
Johnny came out shirtless, sweaty all over, and his thick body hair made him look like a bear!
"Go in and keep an eye on the bread on the proofing rack. When they're almost done, push them into the oven. If they're over-proofed or under-baked, you know the consequences!"
He said with a lewd smile on his face, "Although your mother looks ordinary, she lives a really good life!"
He was a little surprised. Whenever he said this before, the apprentices would express suppressed anger. He liked to see the apprentices' helpless and furious expressions. This gave him a sense of... pleasure in controlling the fate of others.
Even though he was just a small person, he also pursued this kind of pleasure.
Today the apprentice did not show the look of being full of hatred but having to bow his head. He just looked at him twice and turned to go into the kitchen.
Johnny felt it was boring and went back to rest.
After being tired all afternoon, he needed a good sleep.
Business is good today. Although the city is still a little chaotic, it is generally moving towards stability again.
There are already some people who stay in the bakery to eat bread, drink coffee and chat, so his business is naturally not too bad.
In the evening, Johnny sat at the dining table eating fried chicken and counting the money in the cash box with his greasy hands.
The apprentice was mopping the floor. When he reached the door, he quietly opened the bolt.
In the shadows, his eyes flickered with hatred and pleasure...
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