July 28 Quick Notes

By 7:20 PM, the most urgent tasks for today were mostly done. There were still a few non-urgent orders I simply couldn’t finish, so I made a list and left it for Monday. I’d already braced myself for weekend overtime anyway—if I can take a day off, I’ll take it. This whole week has been nothing but nonstop busyness, and every day I’ve stayed an extra hour or more. The only real break during the day was the short lunch break, and I’m exhausted. After sitting in the chair for over six hours straight, constantly thinking, my head started throbbing faintly as I walked out of the office. I’m genuinely worried one day I’ll just drop dead at the keyboard.

Weige called me at six, asking me to bring some groceries home on my way back. It was his way of reminding me that I’d promised to cook for them tonight—something I’d completely forgotten. Around 7:40, I bought twenty yuan worth of cold pig ears and half a duck. The duck was only thirteen yuan and weighed more than the pig ears. Is pork really more expensive than duck, or is it just the ears? As expected, when I got home the rice cooker was the only thing warm—apparently if I didn’t come back, they weren’t worried about starving to death. Following their habit of always having soup with meals, I quickly made a pot of seaweed and egg-drop soup, tossed in a few dried shrimp, and served it.

I washed the dishes too, and I didn’t mind. Their kitchen-cleaning habits drive me crazy, so I’ve learned to look the other way. They were very obedient though—when I told them to wash the dishes, they did. But for fuck’s sake, who leaves a pot caked with egg and seaweed sitting on the stove? They never clean the drain strainer either; you could scoop out half a bowl of rice from it at any time. I seriously wanted to mix that leftover rice with seaweed and shrimp, roll it into sushi, and stuff it back into their mouths. On top of that, none of these guys mop the floor or take out the trash. They just complain about the smell while staying glued to their computers. I’m losing my mind. Last night I bagged up the garbage and left it right in the middle of the doorway. This morning I figured it would be gone, but fuck—no, the bag was still sitting there exactly where I’d left it. Did those two gods I live with fly out the window to work? Multiple reminders have had zero effect. Life is full of hardships; all I can do is sing my sorrows away.

After washing the dishes, wiping the table, and mopping the floor—and while I was at it, cleaning the fridge—I put two more bags of trash by the door…