Chapter 23

Yang Kang smiled and said, "Boss, you're joking. This job is really too easy." He thought about it seriously and felt that Boss Shao had only handed over the Ruyi Workshop to him to take care of for a while, without actually assigning him any work, at most just some socializing.

"So that's why I pay you less!" Boss Shao said with a chuckle.

"Boss, didn't you spend a lot of money on the random things you bought for me today?" Yang Kang's smile was somewhat bitter as he said, "You remind me of my father. When he was around, he used to do the same, always buying me a lot of things..."

"Your father was happy," Boss Shao said straightforwardly without letting him finish, "He worked hard to earn money, didn't he, to provide for his wife and children? And me..." At this point, he couldn't help but shake his head lightly.

Yang Kang was a bit surprised and asked in confusion, "Do your children and daughter not like it when you buy them things? That's not very likely, is it?"

Boss Shao glanced at him and said, "I have a friend, a famous tycoon in Southeast Asia. Once, when he was drunk, he said something to me. At the time, I felt like I wanted to buy a block of tofu and bash my head in."

Yang Kang was stunned. What did his friend ramble about? He thought to himself but still comforted him, "Boss, when people are drunk, they talk nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

"He was talking nonsense when he was drunk, but he hit the nail on the head, very insightful," Boss Shao sighed. "He said to me, 'Old Shao, look at you. Why do you earn so much money? When we talk business, you haggle over every penny. Do you have enough money to spend? Is there anyone to help you spend it? Look at me, I have two beautiful daughters and two wasteful sons. The money flows out like water. They enjoy spending, and I enjoy earning. Isn't that great? Your father must have felt the same. He worked hard so you could live a good life.'"

"Yes!" Yang Kang nodded, thinking of his father, "That's exactly how he was." As he spoke, he was a bit curious and asked, "Boss, don't you have... children?"

Boss Shao glanced at him. His cigarette was already finished, so he lit another one and said, "I had a child a long time ago, but later... he died... If he were still alive, he would be about your age and would be spending my money for me."

"Sorry, Boss!" Yang Kang hurried to apologize. He really didn't expect that Boss Shao didn't have any children.

"It's nothing. Seeing you makes me a bit happy," Boss Shao's face showed a gentle smile as he said, "Finish your coffee. It's not good when it's cold. I'll take you back in a bit."

"Okay, thank you, Boss!" Yang Kang hurried to thank him.

Yang Kang hadn't slept so soundly in a long time. When he woke up the next day, he saw the sun shining through the curtains, casting a golden glow. He quickly reached for his phone to check the time—it was 8:30 AM.

Last night, after Boss Shao dropped him off, he gave him the keys to the front door and the safe, which was empty, as Boss Shao didn't have any antiques.

He then helped him organize his clothes in the wardrobe and even made the bed before leaving.

After taking a shower, Yang Kang got into bed with Boss Shao's Apple laptop to read. He didn't know how long he read before he dozed off.

In a daze, it felt like he was back in the past, when his father was around, and he could lie in bed and read comfortably...

After sitting on the bed for a while, Yang Kang got up, went to the bathroom to wash up, and got dressed. He went downstairs, remembering that Boss Shao had instructed him to work from 9 AM to 4 PM, and it was now 8:45 AM.

As he went downstairs, Yang Kang was stunned for a moment. The door to the Ruyi Workshop was already open, the sun was shining brightly outside, and the air conditioning inside was set just right, neither too cold nor too hot, making it very comfortable.

"Boss Shao?" Yang Kang smiled bitterly. It was his first day at work, and he wanted to make a good impression, but the boss was already there, and he had slept until the sun was high in the sky.

The key to the Ruyi Workshop was only with him and Boss Shao.

At that moment, Boss Shao, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen. Seeing Yang Kang in a silver-green shirt that he had bought for him the day before, he seemed very happy and said, "Ah Kang, you're up. I was just about to call you."

"Uh..." Yang Kang just smiled awkwardly, "Boss, didn't you say to start work at 9 AM?" He had planned to go to the street corner to have some soy milk and fried dough for breakfast.

"Yes, so let's have breakfast first," Boss Shao said with a chuckle. "Come and have some soy milk, I just boiled it!" He gestured for Yang Kang to sit at the dining table, then went back to the kitchen and brought out a large cup of soy milk and a plate, which he handed to Yang Kang.

On the plate were two perfectly fried sunny-side-up eggs, sprinkled with sauce.

Yang Kang was deeply moved. He took a sip of the soy milk, which had just a bit of sugar, making it slightly sweet and refreshing. The eggs were cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, three parts raw and seven parts cooked, with a smooth texture.

Boss Shao also poured himself a bowl of soy milk and sat opposite him, smiling as he watched him eat.

"Ah Kang, for lunch, we'll have spare rib and winter melon soup, spicy shrimp, and stir-fried green beans and loofah. How does that sound?" Boss Shao said with a chuckle. "Or, is there anything you want to eat? I can go buy it later."

Yang Kang was a bit stunned and asked curiously, "You can cook?" However, judging from the quality of the fried eggs, Boss Shao's cooking skills were probably quite good. He had heard that although frying eggs was simple, doing it well wasn't easy.

Boss Shao smiled and said, "I can do regular home-cooked dishes, but I can't handle more professional dishes."

"I can't even do simple ones," Yang Kang shook his head.

"Ha ha..." Boss Shao laughed heartily.

After finishing breakfast, Yang Kang hurried to clear the table and wash the dishes. Although he didn't like washing dishes, there were only he and Boss Shao in the place. Since Boss Shao had made breakfast for him, he couldn't let Boss Shao wash the dishes.

"Don't, leave it alone," Boss Shao hurried to say, "Don't touch my things!"

"Uh?" Yang Kang was stunned and said, "Boss, I'll clean it up and wash it."

"I'll wash it. I don't like others invading my kitchen!" Boss Shao said as he stood up to clear the table.

"What should I do then?" Yang Kang asked. At this moment, there was no one else in the Ruyi Workshop, and he had nothing to do. Should he just sit and watch the boss work?

"Go turn on the computer and brew a pot of Pu'er tea," Boss Shao said.