第二章 面试

At noon the next day, Lucas stood at the entrance of the milk tea shop and glanced inside. The glass door was bright inside, and a sweet smell floated in the air.

"I'll just go in and ask," he said to himself. "Let me first see what this shop is like."

Pushing open the door, a girl in a green apron looked at him: "Welcome! What would you like to drink?"

"I... I don't want to drink." Lucas was a bit nervous. "I'm here for an interview."

"Interview?" The girl's voice was gentle. "Wait a moment, I'll call the store manager for you."

"You're the student who was taking pictures in front of the bulletin board yesterday, right?" A woman with short hair came out from the back. She spoke quickly. "I'm the store manager. Just call me Sister Wang. Sit down, don't stand."

Lucas sat down, his two hands on his knees, like he was in class.

"What's your name?" Sister Wang asked.

"Lucas."

"Lucas." Sister Wang repeated. "Which country are you from?"

"I'm German," Lucas said.

"Germany?" Sister Wang's eyes lit up. "My daughter also wants to study in Germany. Germans speak German, right?"

"Yes, we speak German," Lucas said.

"Then who did you learn Chinese from?" Sister Wang asked.

"I learned it at school," Lucas said. "I've studied for over two years."

"Being able to speak like this in over two years is not bad." Sister Wang nodded. "Have you ever worked before? Like selling things, cashiering, or something?"

Lucas thought for a moment: "I... helped my mom cook."

Sister Wang laughed: "Cooking doesn't count as working. I'm asking, have you ever worked in a shop?"

"No." Lucas shook his head honestly. "This is my first time."

"The first time doesn't matter," Sister Wang said. "Many of our college students are also here for the first time. As long as you're willing to learn."

Sister Wang took a menu from the counter and pushed it in front of him. "Here's what we'll do: read it aloud and let me hear your Chinese."

Lucas took the menu, took a deep breath, and began to read:

"Pearl milk tea... lemonade... mango pomelo sago..."

When he reached the third item, he stopped.

"Yang... zhi... gan lu." He read it not very fluently. "This character is..."

"The yang from the poplar tree, the zhi from tree branches," Sister Wang said. "Mango pomelo sago is made from mango and it's delicious."

"Mango pomelo sago." Lucas read it again and kept it in mind.

"That's enough." Sister Wang nodded. "You'll need a few days to memorize the menu. But since you have no problem recognizing characters, you'll learn quickly."

Lucas felt relieved inside.

"Alright." Sister Wang took the menu away. "Let me ask you an important thing: What visa do you currently have?"

"Visa?" Lucas was taken aback for a moment. "I have a passport... and a residence permit."

"Right, a residence permit." Sister Wang said. "You're a student, so you have a study-type residence permit, right?"

"I suppose so." Lucas was not too sure. "It says study on it."

"For students working here, you need to complete a procedure first," Sister Wang said seriously. "Go to the school to get a certificate, then go to immigration to add the annotation 'work-study' to your residence permit. Once the annotation is done, you can come to work. Without it, I can't hire you."

"Add annotation... work-study..." Lucas repeated in a low voice. This was the first time he had heard this term.

"Don't worry, it's not complicated." Sister Wang waved her hand. "It's just a few trips. Once you've done the procedures, come find me anytime. You seem honest, I like you."

Lucas nodded, feeling both happy and a little worried.

What made him happy was that the interview was passed.

What worried him was that he didn't even fully understand what "add annotation" meant.

Walking out of the milk tea shop, Lucas looked up at the sky.

"It seems that earning my first cup of milk tea money is a bit harder than I thought." He smiled.

But it didn't matter.

Tomorrow, he would go to school to ask for clarification.