The Urban System That Gives a Hundredfold Cashback
Chapter One: Redemption at the Convenience Store on a Rainy Night
The downpour in Jiangcheng showed no sign of letting up. Fat raindrops pounded on the metal awning of the old apartment building, their sharp patter grating on the nerves. Lin Mo huddled beneath the eaves of Huimin Convenience Store, his soaked jacket clinging to him. He was so cold he shivered three times in a row. In his hand, he clutched two crumpled ten-yuan bills, their edges damp with sweat.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a voice message from his landlady, Sister Li, her tone full of impatience: “Lin Mo, if you still haven’t paid the rent by ten tonight, pack your things and get out. Don’t make me bring people over to clear you out.” He stared at the screen and swallowed, but couldn’t manage a reply. That morning, while delivering takeout, a red-light-running truck had smashed his electric scooter. The two orders he had to reimburse the customers for had wiped out his deposit. The twenty yuan in his pocket was all he had, and he’d borrowed even that from a coworker.
His stomach growled. Lin Mo looked up at the convenience store’s glass door. Under the warm yellow lights, the bread and instant noodles on the shelves seemed to beckon to him. He hesitated for three minutes, then pushed the door open and went inside. The air-conditioning mingled with the smell of food, easing his taut nerves a little.
“Xiao Lin, hiding from the rain again?” The woman behind the counter looked up and smiled, handing him a tissue. “Look at you, soaked through. Here, wipe yourself off.” The shopkeeper, Auntie Zhao, lived in the same apartment complex as Lin Mo. She knew he was struggling. Whenever he came in for a three-yuan pork bun for breakfast, she would always slip him an extra packet of pickled vegetables.
Lin Mo took the tissue and wiped the rain from his face. His voice was a little hoarse. “Auntie Zhao, I... I”
