Xun Wan still continued to use the method mentioned earlier to fall asleep, but the effect seemed to be counterproductive. Why do I say this? Because after I turned on the iFlytek voice, it played continuously and loudly. If I say I didn't sleep well, why was I able to easily enter the dream world? If I slept well, why did I wake up in the dream and end up lying on the bed, seemingly hearing a voice similar to a news commentary that I could hear but no one else could? It was simply inescapable. Then I woke up around seven in the morning and realized I had placed my phone too close to my ear, but why was the content I heard in the dream inconsistent with what I wrote? And why did the sound feel no different?
After getting up around seven, I went to the bathroom for a convenience and then realized I hadn't rested enough. Plus, the alarm I set on my phone hadn't gone off yet, so I went back to bed. The reason I set the alarm was that my parents had mentioned earlier that my mother's classmate from her teacher training days would come to visit the store and taste my drink-making skills. They were arriving earlier than usual compared to when I opened my stall, and my mother even helped clean up, washing the fragrant green grapes I bought yesterday to entertain the old friends.
Later, I received a WeChat message from my father informing me that the group of old friends had arrived, so I prepared to head out and go to work. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I put on my shoes and socks, packed my keys, phone, and access card, and went down to the parking lot to pick up my mode of transport, then drove to work.
When I arrived at the stall, I opened the door and found that the aunties were already seated. Then the five of them ordered three cups of hot ginger milk, one hot caramel macchiato, and a large hand-brewed coffee, totaling 84 yuan for the five drinks. After that, my father also ordered a set meal, and everything was served on large plates. The dishes included boiled white clams in salt water, pan-fried fish, boiled red shrimp, a dozen steamed oysters, salty glutinous rice balls with mud worms, stir-fried beef with ginger and scallions, and soup with cabbage hearts—almost everything was served in clear plates, and we ate until we were full. However, no one took the initiative to settle the bill, and the meal was treated as my parents' hospitality. But with the drinks averaging 16.8 yuan each, it was a joke that none of the five, all retired from the education system, could afford it.
Speaking of which, before this, whether it was my father or mother, the workers or old classmates they brought along all automatically paid for their consumption. Those who returned from the beautiful country or the maple leaf country, earning enough money, would feel embarrassed to ask for a discount. People working in the education sector, although they earn the circulating RMB in the country, compared to my business, their monthly income is not only stable but also much more abundant than mine, right? Yet these people also "eat lavishly," and besides not understanding, they are also looked down upon by others.