Chapter 120: I Won't Do It
“My brother got hit on the head. We came here to get him treated.”
“His head?”
The young girl frowned.
“Injuries in this area are always serious. How is he now?”
“The surgery is done. He’s currently under observation in the ICU.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
The girl thought for a moment.
“That must have cost quite a bit, right?”
“Yeah.”
Xu Fei had other things on his mind and wasn’t in the mood to chat with the girl. He kept looking toward the door, hoping An Lao San could find the lost wallet.
An hour passed in the blink of an eye before An Lao San walked in with his head down.
“How did it go?”
“No luck.”
An Lao San looked disappointed as he glanced at Xu Fei.
“I searched everywhere we went, but nobody saw it.”
“Even if someone saw a wallet, how many would wait around for you to come looking for it?” the girl shook her head.
“Did you check with security?” Xu Fei asked, still reluctant to give up.
“Yes, they said if anyone turns it in, they’ll notify us.”
“Those people won’t help you find it. If someone turned it in, it’s even less likely than waiting for you to find it yourself.”
Seeing the girl’s words, Xu Fei looked at her and said, “Little sister, can you call your boss over?”
“Okay, wait here.”
The girl turned and went to find the cook.
Xu Fei saw her head toward the kitchen. He then grabbed An Lao San.
“Let’s go!”
The two of them dashed out of the breakfast shop.
After fifty or sixty meters, they heard the cook shouting curses behind them.
Xu Fei didn’t have time to care about the insults.
They turned a corner and slipped into an alley.
After weaving through several streets, they finally stopped.
“It’s okay now,” An Lao San panted.
“What’s our next step?” he asked Xu Fei.
Xu Fei glanced behind them.
“We’ll have to pay for breakfast once we have the money.”
“Yeah.”
Xu Fei thought for a moment.
“Third Brother, how much did the doctor say tomorrow’s fees would be?”
“About 120 yuan a day. That’s a lot of money. Where are we supposed to get that?”
“Exactly.”
Xu Fei watched the bustling street.
This provincial capital was the seat of the province, far bigger than Donghai.
“We’ll earn it.”
“Earn?”
An Lao San looked at Xu Fei.
“Fei, that’s not 1.2 yuan, it’s 120 yuan!”
Xu Fei nodded.
“I know. There are plenty of opportunities in the provincial capital. As long as we want to, there will be a way.”
An Lao San had no choice but to agree.
Xu Fei asked a passerby and discovered there was a day labor market nearby.
They asked around and found the place.
The market was crowded with dozens of people looking for odd jobs.
Xu Fei and An Lao San found a spot near the front.
They grabbed a brick and wrote “Day Labor” on the ground.
Xu Fei squatted down.
“Fei, do you think this will work?”
It was An Lao San’s first time trying this, and he felt embarrassed.
“Don’t worry. As long as there’s work, we’ll take it. Day labor pays well; the two of us might just earn what we need in a day.”
“120 yuan?”
An Lao San still doubted it.
Xu Fei was full of confidence.
Just then, a man in a suit approached them.
“Comrades, looking for labor?”
Xu Fei stood and asked.
“Yes. What can you do?”
Xu Fei smiled, “Anything, as long as you pay.”
“Anything?”
“Yes, yes.”
The man sized Xu Fei up and down.
“Show me around.”
Xu Fei was taken aback.
“Comrade, working doesn’t depend on looks.”
“Don’t argue. Just do as I say.”
Xu Fei nodded.
“Okay.”
He turned around once.
“Hm,” the man nodded.
“Come with me.”
Xu Fei hurriedly grabbed the man’s arm.
“Comrade, I have a buddy with me. Can you take him too?”
The man glanced at An Lao San.
“Too old. No.”
“Huh?”
An Lao San glared at the man, displeased.
“Who are you calling old? Am I old, Xu Fei?”
“No, no. Brother An, you wait here. I’ll go ahead first.”
Reluctantly, An Lao San nodded.
“Be careful,” he warned Xu Fei.
“Got it.”
Xu Fei followed the man out of the day labor market.
They walked for over ten minutes until a school came into view.
Xu Fei saw it was an art academy in the provincial capital.
“Are you a teacher here?”
The man nodded when Xu Fei asked.
“Follow me. Don’t say anything.”
The man entered the campus.
Xu Fei thought it was some school job, so he didn’t suspect anything.
After walking a while, they arrived at a small three-room building.
The man opened the door and went inside.
Xu Fei followed.
Inside was an art studio.
Around thirty students sat in front of easels.
At the center was a round platform about a foot high, illuminated by a spotlight.
“What do you really want from me?” Xu Fei asked the man, sensing something odd.
The man pulled him to the platform.
“Look around.”
He gestured to the students seated all around.
“These are our art students—the future of our country’s art.”
“Oh,” Xu Fei nodded, uninterested.
“Unfortunately, our school strictly forbids figure drawing, but for an art student, mastering the human form is essential.”
Xu Fei sensed what was coming.
“You want me to pose as a model?”
The teacher hesitated, then laughed and patted Xu Fei’s shoulder.
“Isn’t that great? You have a refined artistic temperament.”
Temperament?
Xu Fei wanted to curse the man.
He asked what the job was earlier, but the man said nothing.
Now he was spouting high-sounding nonsense.
“I won’t do it!”
Xu Fei started toward the door.
“Wait! I’ll pay handsomely.”
The teacher panicked and called after him.
“One hundred yuan. Is that okay?”
Xu Fei stopped in his tracks at the mention of money.
“What did you say?”
“One hundred. We have sixty-seven students here; each will give one and a half yuan. We’re willing to pay a hundred yuan just to find someone willing to sacrifice for art. Can you help us?”
Xu Fei looked at the man’s eager eyes, then at the students’ hungry gazes.
“Pay first, or I’m not doing it.”