第五章 第一次当班

On the first day of officially starting his shift, Lucas arrived at the milk tea shop half an hour early.

Sister Wang was opening the shop. Seeing him, she smiled and said, "So early? Are you nervous?"

"A little," Lucas said honestly.

"It's normal to be nervous," Sister Wang said. "Today you're alone at the counter, and I'll be in the back. If there's anything you don't know, call me loudly."

Just after nine, the first customer arrived—a man in a hurry.

"A cup of pearl milk tea, to go," the man said.

Lucas was delighted: he knew this one well—he had just learned it yesterday.

He made the drink while silently reciting the steps in his mind.

"Your pearl milk tea." He handed the cup over.

The man took it, said nothing, paid, and left.

Lucas sighed with relief. The first order was done.

A moment later, a girl came in.

"A cup of lemon water, no ice," the girl said.

"Okay, a cup of lemon water, with ice," Lucas said.

"No ice," the girl repeated. "Without ice."

"Ah, sorry!" Lucas quickly remade it. "No ice, without ice."

The girl smiled with her lips pressed together. "You're an international student, right? It's fine, don't be nervous."

Lucas's face felt a little hot. "No ice" and "with ice" differed by one word, but meant completely opposite things.

At noon, an auntie came and bought two cups of milk tea.

"How much altogether?" the auntie asked.

Lucas lowered his head and pressed the calculator: "Two cups... twenty yuan."

The auntie handed him a fifty-yuan bill.

Lucas calculated in his mind: fifty minus twenty is thirty.

He counted out the change from the cash box and handed it to the auntie: "Here's your thirty yuan change."

The auntie took the money, counted it, and said with a smile, "Young man, this is thirty-five yuan. These two five-yuan bills were stuck together."

Lucas looked and indeed saw two five-yuan bills stuck together; he had only counted one. "Sorry, auntie! I didn't see clearly."

"No problem, no problem," the auntie returned the money to him. "You're new here, right? Take your time."

Lucas stood in front of the counter, a bit dejected. In just half a day, he had made two mistakes.

Sister Wang came out from the back and poured him a cup of water: "Have a drink of water."

"Sister Wang, am I too stupid?" Lucas asked in a low voice.

"Everyone has a first time," Sister Wang said. "When I first opened the shop, I was about the same as you. If you make a mistake, just correct it. It's no big deal."

"If there's anything unclear, just confirm it again," Sister Wang said.

"Confirm it again." Lucas remembered this sentence in his heart.

In the afternoon, there were more customers. Lucas began using "confirmation sentences."

"You wanted lemon water, no ice, right?"

"The total is fourteen yuan; you gave me fifty, so I owe you thirty-six, correct?"

Although it was a bit slower, he made fewer mistakes.

At nine o'clock in the evening, his first shift ended.

Lucas counted the money; it was exactly correct.

"How was today?" Sister Wang asked.

"I made two mistakes in the morning, but in the afternoon it was better," Lucas said. "I learned: if I don't hear clearly, just ask."

"That's right," Sister Wang nodded. "Making mistakes is not scary. What's scary is not daring to ask."

Lucas nodded.

After work in the evening, he walked out of the shop. The night breeze blew over, cool and refreshing.

The first day passed smoothly, thrilling but without danger.