Me! Cleaner!

Chapter 24 Coffee and Desserts (Two in One)

"Hey...it's a little cold..."

When it was just dawn, Leon, a hard-working migrant worker, got up, yawned and walked on the way to work.

After being blown head-on by the cold late autumn wind and his mind clearing up a little, Leon subconsciously shrank his neck and stretched out the big scarf Anna knitted. Then he unconsciously remembered what happened last night...

In the end, he did not give an answer to Melanie's question. Instead, he vaguely said something like "You will understand when you are older," and barely managed to get past it.

Even if you tell Melanie, she may not be able to understand it at just a few years old. However, the less ordinary people know about the "other world" information about the cleanup bureau and abnormal objects, the less likely they are to encounter it, so Of course, I can still hide it if I can.

However, although Melanie's question ends here, it does not seem to be completely meaningless. At least it answers a small question for Leon - what exactly has the director lost.

…

According to the information given by [Materialist Soul], people who possess the abnormality [Memoryless Love] will definitely lose one of the three items: "Parental Love, Children's Love, and Partner's Love".

Looking at it now, what she lost should be the love from her children, and judging from her performance yesterday, she should like children very much.

After all, although the Veterans Alley where I live is not a slum, it is not a good location. In addition to various noisy and dirty companies, there is also a prison where many serious criminals are imprisoned. The number of residents is not large in the first place, and the children are There are fewer, and naturally there will be no small shops selling candy.

So the candy wrapped in colored paper that she bought for Melanie and the others had to be sold in a department store four or five blocks away, and she was willing to go such a long way to give it to two people who had just met. If a child buys candies and eats them, he will naturally not be a hater of children.

Hmm... For people who particularly like children, it doesn't matter if they can't have children of their own. If after having children, they will continue to be forgotten by their own children, maybe it's really cruel.

After shaking his head with some sympathy, Leon was about to hurry up and rush to the cleanup bureau, then take the black goat with him to visit the nurse who was suspected of having an "abnormality", but he was stopped by a sweet burnt aroma. .

There are trolleys with benches and tables, huge tin hot water boilers and copper faucets, charcoal stoves with red flames, low tables and stools made of several sets of sawhorses...

Amidst the aroma of coffee that filled his nose, a small space that was tightly wrapped in old canvas, protected from the cold wind of late autumn and filled with warmth, suddenly caught his eye.

Coffee stall...

Looking at the warm stall that looked particularly attractive in this gray and cold morning, Leon couldn't help but stop. After much hesitation, he was defeated by the alluring sweet fragrance and huddled in. He entered the confines of the tent and found a table near the inside to sit down.

"Boss, a cup of coffee and two slices of bread."

"Okay!"

He took out a cup with a broken handle, shook the coffee powder in neatly with his hands and feet, then wrapped his hands in a rag, unscrewed the copper faucet that was smoking white, poured in hot water, picked up the stirring rod with three fingers and turned it twice. A cup of steaming black liquid was placed in front of Leon.

"Guest, do you want to brush the 'Liangbo' with butter? If you are interested, I also have ham slices here. They were fried just before I left the stall in the morning and are still warm."

"Um...how much does it cost to add ham slices? Is it expensive?"

“Not expensive, not expensive, very cheap!”

After wiping his hands on the black apron, the boss, who looked to be in his early fifties, smiled innocently and raised a dark finger.

“If you don’t add the ham slices, there will be one copper wheel. If you add the ham slices, there will be a total of two copper wheels!”

Two copper wheels... If you add a piece of ham, you will need to pay for another copper wheel? Why don't you go and grab it? If I go to a department store and buy a whole one, it only costs less than a silver wheel, okay?

Gazing speechlessly at this seemingly honest but actually extremely cunning coffee stall owner, Leon couldn't help but curl his lips and said:

"Forget the ham, just brush the bread with butter...remember to brush it thickly!"

"Okay!"

The promotion of extra items failed, but the boss didn't show any disappointment on his honest face. Instead, he took out a long piece of toast with a smile, and cut two thin slices with two swipes of his knife. It was too small for polishing leather shoes. After the brush was dipped twice, he threw it on the stone slab above the charcoal stove and started roasting.

Japan... I asked you to do this business, but it’s too bad.

Looking at the two slices of bread that were too thin to put into the Lan X beef noodles, Leon couldn't help but screamed that he had been fooled, knowing that he might have met a master of robbing people.

But after all, he was here, and he couldn't bear to part with the bright fire in the stall. In the end, he didn't raise any objection, but picked up the hot coffee and took a cautious sip.

Hmm...it feels so good...it feels like I'm alive...

As his hands were warmed by the cup and his empty stomach was warmed by the coffee, Leon couldn't help but squint his eyes in comfort, and the profiteer boss also brought "Lan X bread slices" to him in time.

"Guest, your meal is ready, please give me a bronze wheel."

Looking at the almost "translucent" slices of bread in the small plate, although Leon finally paid for it honestly, he was still a little dissatisfied in his heart. He couldn't help but sarcastically said:

"Boss, you are so good at cutting bread, you must make a lot of money, right?"

"Haha, it's okay, just barely making ends meet."

It is estimated that there are many customers like Leon who say weird things. The boss was not angry when he was ridiculed. Instead, he pointed at the stove behind him with a smile and said with a smile:

"Look at my stove, it is burning the best charcoal fire, and it is always filled. It ensures that no matter when guests come, the coffee brewed will be the hottest. The money for the charcoal fire is also a cost!"

This is true... but with your reputation for selling a piece of ham for a copper wheel, and your bread-cutting skills that are comparable to Master Lan If you double your earnings, you will definitely earn as much as you deserve.

"I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. For morning commuters like you who go to work in the municipal district, what matters most is not the benefits, but the actual temperature."

It seemed that he wanted to develop Lyon into a mature customer. Seeing that he didn't seem to care about his words, the boss pointed across the street and explained patiently:

“The coffee here may not be sweet enough or strong enough, but the temperature is definitely the best, and the fire is also the hottest, and it can be heated all the way to the outside of the tent.

Even to make it easier for you to avoid getting burned when you warm your hands, I even use thickened ceramic cups here, instead of thin iron cups that can only be held once and have to be put down after being burned. I guarantee that no matter how you come, you will be Can leave warm from the inside out.

Otherwise, you see, there are so many stalls over there, why do I have the most people here? That's because what I sell you is much more than just a cup of coffee, and also a piece of warmth on a cold morning. Do you think this is true? "

"Oh, by the way, don't tell anyone else what I'm telling you!"

It seemed that he suddenly realized that his words had revealed a lot of "business secrets". The boss with a silly look quickly waved his hands and said shyly:

"I plan to pass this small coffee stall on to my daughter in the future, so that no matter how she lives outside, she can make a living when she comes home. If others learn these tricks, then she will have Trouble!"

“…”

I believe you! You are such a shrewd person, how can you just talk to people about anything?

Apart from anything else, your coffee is not sweet at all, but I just followed the sweet smell, so there must be some tricks in your pot. If I really imitate you, I'm afraid I will have to pay for it. Good for pants!

Tsk... But having said that, even though you are very stingy when selling things, after all, you have put so much thought into it, so you really deserve the money you earn!

Frustrated by the coffee stall owner's value-added business, Leon couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. He quickly finished the bread and drank the coffee, then stood up and hurriedly left in the direction of the cleanup bureau.

And not long after he left, a baby-faced girl wearing a professional skirt followed the sweet scent of the street and came over.

After seeing the honest and honest coffee stall owner, the girl's watery eyes couldn't help but light up. She ran over in a hurry, grabbed the owner and complained: "Dad! You are in good health, why are you here secretly again?" Out of the stall? Mom was so angry when she found out!"

"Hmph! Why should she be angry if I set up a stall?"

After hearing what the baby-faced girl said, the kind and honest boss just twisted his nose, turned into an unreasonable and stubborn old man, and asked angrily:

"What? You don't like my little coffee stall? Let me tell you, if it hadn't been for this little coffee stall, our family of three would have starved to death. How would our family be where we are today?"

"Oh! No one looks down on your stall! But do you have to set it up today?"

Looking at her father who suddenly had an awkward moment in front of her, the baby-faced girl said helplessly:

“Our gas company’s pipeline burst, and we just paid out a large sum of money. Then something happened to our water company, too. It was a time of trouble.

Mom is so angry that you are still running around at this time, not taking care of the company's affairs, but actually running out to set up a stall so early in the morning..."

"What's there to do? Earn what you should earn, and pay what you should lose! What's the point of fooling around? Also, do I have to take care of a stall that only lasts two hours a day? If the company is gone, can't I transfer it? "

The coffee stall owner became even more angry when he heard this, blew his beard and glared:

“Besides, I said at the beginning that these municipal projects should not be touched!

Check out the 16-9 book bar and see the correct version!

Although I can make money quickly and steadily by doing this, and I can basically get a large sum of money into my account every year, the power of the main issue is not in our hands. In the end, I can only make suggestions but not decide what to do. Is this okay?

I knew from the beginning that with the way those grandsons did things, something would happen sooner or later! It's better to continue working in our department store honestly. Although the risks are high and the profits are thin, at least I can keep an eye on it and solve it easily if something goes wrong.

But your mother is stubborn! Unless it's because of our family's reputation, people have to be more restrained when doing things. They just focus on getting in, and I can't even hold them back!

The result? In order to save some money on filtration, those grandsons poured the excrement water from the Tama Sewage River directly into the public water pipes! The medicine for treating diarrhea in the whole king was sold out! They restrained themselves! ***It’s so shameless! "

After muttering a few words of curses and seeing that the temperature was slowly rising after the sun came out, and the customers were almost gone, the coffee stall owner raised his hand and knocked on the stove, extinguished the charcoal fire, put away the tent cloth, pushed the cart and walked away angrily with his daughter. , and continued to ask as he walked:

"What happened to the gas pipe break? Did you apologize to them properly and compensate them?"

"Give it, give it! There's just one family who doesn't seem to want it. They said they weren't seriously injured. Just pay for the bandaging for them."

"They don't want it to be his fault, but if something goes wrong with our company, compensation must be paid... By the way, what's the name of that family?"

"I can't remember my last name clearly... Ah! Lane! Yes! Leon Lane! Although he doesn't have much money, he always smiles gently and is a good man who is very gentle to his sister!"

…

"You ask about the new guy in our bureau? His name is Leon, Leon Lane."

In addition to the father and daughter at the coffee stall, there were two other people talking about Leon's situation at this time.

"Ryan?"

Hearing this familiar surname, the little woman in the golden mirror blinked, took a bite of the sponge cake in her hand, and asked curiously:

"A member of Duke Lionheart's family? Don't you hate nobles very much? Why did you admit him into your maiden bureau?"

"It's just the same last name. It's actually two words."

After briefly explaining Leon's surname, looking at the woman putting down the cake in the golden mirror and chewing the pastry tart, the red-haired director couldn't help but frown and said:

"Why are you asking him? Want to poach someone?"

"That's a bit of an idea."

After admitting her plan without hesitation, the little woman in a black and white skirt picked up a torte ring, licked the sweet almond powder on it, and then said with a smile:

"I have read the file you reported. This is a [forced intelligence acquisition] ability that is higher than that of the Great Devil. It is amazing if you use it well. What director can't not worry about it?"

“…”

Looking at the suddenly narrowed eyes of her best friend in the mirror, the little woman ate the cake ring in one bite, then picked up a small piece of camellia pancake, brushed strawberry jam on it, and explained:

"But don't worry, I really don't want to poach him this time, but I want to make a small deal with him...Has the abnormality of the hospital director been taken out?"

I see...are you thinking about that anomaly that absorbs patients?

After looking at the sculpture of a lion pulling a dung ball on the golden mirror, the red-haired director thought for a moment, and a flash of understanding suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Within the jurisdiction of the Lions Bureau where Beverly is located, there is a port occupied by out-of-control infected people. Nearly ten thousand residents in more than ten nearby villages and towns have been forcibly given some kind of disease that cannot be eradicated. As long as the out-of-control infected person When the Infested dies, everyone dies with them.

Although the people from the Lion Bureau responded quickly enough and blocked the port in time without causing greater trouble, there was really nothing they could do against the out-of-control Infectors who kidnapped nearly 10,000 people, and it was difficult to use their trump cards for such a medium-sized incident. , I had to let it go for the time being.

But it’s different now. The hospital director who was killed by Leon had the ability to absorb patients, and he happened to be the nemesis of the out-of-control infected person. According to the rules of the Cleanup Bureau, those who completed the cleanup task would have priority to apply for extraction. The powers that come out of the anomaly.

So she suddenly contacted herself through the [Celestial Sphere Mirror] today, not because she wanted to connect with her best friends after a long absence, but because she wanted to communicate with herself in advance and ask Leon not to **** this abnormal object from her...

After staring at the good sisters who were eating cheese pudding again in the golden mirror, the red-haired director blinked his charming fox eyes and said with a somewhat embarrassed expression:

"This... I understand that this thing is very important to you, but during the cleanup process, Leon witnessed the power of the out-of-control impregnator with his own eyes, and he was also very interested in this abnormal object, so..."

"Tsk! Stop talking nonsense!"

She couldn't be more clear about her best friend's character. Beverly on the other side of Jin Jing rolled her eyes and said angrily while chewing coconut pine bread:

"Tell me directly, how much money do you want to borrow from me this time?"

"Oh, this isn't about money."

The red-haired director waved his hands and said with a smile:

"Leon, a newcomer who just joined the company, completed his first task with great difficulty, and finally obtained his first abnormal object.

Can you feel comfortable that something with such a commemorative significance is taken away by you just like that without giving him a good thing? "

“…”

When she heard this, looking at her best friend's malicious fox eyes, Beverly's body stiffened slightly on the other side of the golden mirror, and she felt that the orange cream pie in her mouth no longer tasted good.

After finishing the snacks in her hands in two bites, Beverly showed the momentum that a director of the Lion Cleaning Bureau should have. She reached out and slammed the table, widened her eyes like a lion and asked angrily:

"Hurry up! What do you want?"

"I want you to give him the witch's broom."

"Bah! You're dreaming!"

(End of chapter)