I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 110
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- Chapter 110 - My Heart is Like a Little Rabbit, Bouncing Around With Joy as I Wait for You
Chapter 110: My Heart is Like a Little Rabbit, Bouncing Around With Joy as I Wait for You
Vaguely remembering, I met Pipi a long time ago when he already had a daughter. However, at that time, the daughter was in the age of “waking up and making a fuss at any time in the night,” making Pipi speechless with bitterness.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, this little one has grown so big.
“Sunbathing?”
Taking the coupon handed over by Pipi, I roughly glanced at the contents: “Shenzhen Blue Sea Silver Beach… Couples’ 60% off coupon? Couples?”
Do I… have a partner?
No, what I mean is, well… let’s consider the one who plays with the scythe as my lover, but will this Blue Sea Silver Beach accept us as a “same-sex couple”?
I know the Blue Sea Silver Beach near Nanqi Pier in the Nanqi District of Shenzhen City. It is located at the mouth of the second “Shenzhen River” and is a well-known tourist attraction in Shenzhen. Personally, I’m not a big fan of swimming and sunbathing. However, during my university days, there was a guy in our dorm who loved going to the beach during holidays. Because he was good-looking and had abs, he was warmly welcomed by the girls on the beach. He often mass-posted pictures of himself flirting with girls near the beach and various scenic views in our dormitory group.
From those photos, I roughly understood that “Nanqi Blue Sea Silver Sand” is a semi-open place. The beach is specially processed, removing various sharp debris and large stones. Entry is free, but activities like “gathering seafood” or engaging in destructive or illegal activities are not allowed.
Near the beach, there are designated rentals for beach chairs, umbrellas, swimsuits, and swim trunks. There are also lifeguards stationed for observation. In the vicinity, there are stalls selling barbecue, seafood, and beverages. It’s considered a small-scale project managed by the government, attracting investment through external partnerships.
At that time, looking at the pictures my roommate sent, my only impression of this “Blue Sea Silver Sand” was… there are really a lot of crabs. My roommate also mentioned that besides swimming and sunbathing, almost all the kids on the beach were catching crabs, especially the tiny ones. The “crab holes” are only the size of a pinky finger, and once you get close, they disappear. Unless you’re Connor[1] even if you catch them quickly, they’re too small to eat.
At this moment, the two “coupons” in my hand show that they are valid from today until May 10th.
May 10th is the official opening day of the café and also the day when the “old salty fish” in my readers’ group come to Shenzhen for an offline meeting. If I were to go to the beach, I definitely couldn’t choose that day.
“Aren’t you and Xiamo in the video a couple?”
Seeing me in a daze, Pipi put on a “I understand” expression and said, “Nuo’er, I didn’t expect it. I’ve been imagining how outstanding a man would be worthy of a girl like you. It turns out you already have a girlfriend. Well done.”
“What are you talking about!”
Before I could react, the woman next to Pipi directly slapped him on the back and said, “Corrupting my daughter.”
“Haha, just kidding, just kidding. They have a very close best friend relationship.”
Pipi seemed used to joking like this with his wife. He gestured in my direction, saying to the woman, “I told you before, Yin Nuo’er. We always thought she was a middle-aged man. It turns out this mischievous ghost uses a voice changer all year round to chat with us. It wasn’t until the offline author meetup that it was exposed. She’s really naughty.”
“Hello.”
Introduced by Pipi, the woman walked over to me. Pipi quickly introduced her, “Nuo’er, this is my wife, Huang Mei.”
“Yeah!”
I crossed my hands over my abdomen, closed my legs, and put on a “good baby” appearance, saying, “Hello, Sister Huang.”
Huang Mei and Li Jianfu—both names felt quite nostalgic.
It’s that kind of… how should I put it, like the “A loving family” WeChat group set up by parents, where uncles, aunties, and cousins use names like “Prosperity and happiness” or “Be good as water.”
“Ah, your words are so sweet.”
Perhaps happy to hear a “young” girl like me call her sister, Pipi’s wife laughed and casually picked up the menu on the table, saying, “All fried chicken?”
“Little kitty…”
At this moment, perhaps noticing several cats in the cat living area behind me acting a bit suspicious because of the presence of a stranger, Pipi’s daughter kept glancing over there but seemed a bit afraid of being scolded by her parents.
“What services do the cats here offer?”
Pipi picked up his daughter: “Do you want to go see the cats?”
The little girl looked very happy: “Yes!”
“For now, there are only two services, feeding the cats and playing with them.”
I hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t mention the “Catnip” related “services.”
“Interacting with the cats, playing with them, all of that is free. But if you want to feed them snacks or rent a cat toy, you’ll need to pay. For the sake of the cats’ dietary health, we don’t accept outside food feeding!”
In addition to these, there have been quite a few customers in the past couple of days who have made outrageous proposals and requests regarding the “cat services.”
For example, some customers want to experience the feeling of “scooping up cat poop”. They want us to give them a scoop, try the “daily torture” of cat owners on video websites, and try the authentic “cat poop coffee”. When informed that our café uses automatic cat litter boxes and doesn’t require scooping, they complained, saying, “A cat café that doesn’t let you scoop poop isn’t authentic.”
There was even a nearby fishing enthusiast who specifically came to the café requesting to buy freeze-dried meat, claiming that the earthworms were not sufficient, and he needed some emergency dried food for the cats.
Anyway, there are all kinds of strange customers.
“Is petting the cats free?”
Beside the dining table, my statement surprised Pipi greatly, “Then how do you make money here? Cat café admission is free, and petting the cats is also free?”
“Well… mainly from selling food – fried chicken, burgers, fast food, or coffee and milk tea on the second floor.”
I explained, “Or various services. Don’t underestimate these services, even though they seem cheap, the daily total adds up to a considerable income.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Pipi crossed his arms, “Give me an example?”
“Like when you pet the cats, hug them, there will be cat fur on you, right? If a cat accidentally comes out and rubs against a customer, we provide free lint rollers, like this one.”
Walking to the side window, I took out a lint roller from above: “But if it’s the customer actively wanting to hold or play with the cat, that’s when renting one of these costs money, one yuan each time.”
Apart from lint rollers, when you play with the cats, you’d generally rent a cat toy, right? Cat toys, including those with multiple metal rods used to massage the cat’s head, the ‘soul extractor,’[2] cost one yuan each time.
One yuan may not be much, but the cats are adorable, and people who come to a cat café are cat enthusiasts. When a little kitten meows at you, you can’t resist renting several items, one yuan each, to play with them.
Once they’re engrossed in playing, would these people still not buy cat snacks? That’s unheard of.
Renting cat toys and lint rollers can almost be considered zero cost. Not to mention basic items like little combs and cat toys that won’t wear out easily. Even for lint rollers, most customers use just a few sheets to clean off the fur, and replacing the lint roller itself with a new roll of adhesive is only two yuan. Yet, it can be rented out to more than ten customers.
“You can sell like this? Though one yuan each time is indeed quite cheap.”
After hearing my introduction, Pipi looked at his daughter in his arms and asked, “Do you want to go see the cats?”
The little one almost instinctively replied, “Yes!”
“How about you and Mom go see the cats first? Dad and this sister will chat here, okay?”
“Okay!”
The little one pitifully extended a small hand towards her mom, saying, “Mom, I want to see the cats.”
“Is it okay?”
The mother nearby still seemed a bit worried. She pointed at several ragdoll cats in the cat living area, asking, “These cats are so big, do they bite?”
“All our cats are selected from various cat cafes, and they’ve all been vaccinated. They were vaccinated in March this year, and they usually don’t go outside. As long as you don’t hurt them, they won’t bite. Their nails are trimmed every day.”
I reassured the mom by waving my hand, “If you’re afraid, the larger cats in the cafe are gentler.”
“The larger the cat, the gentler?”
“Yes, the gentle ones in our café are the big cats. Domestic cats, Siamese cats, and American Shorthairs can be a bit mischievous… Dingman!”
As I spoke, I waved to Dingman on the side.
This enormous Maine Coon cat immediately dashed over, stopping at my feet and continuously rubbing its head against my ankle, which was covered in white silk stockings.
“This cat is called Dingman, the gentlest cat in the café. You can touch him anywhere.”
Considering that the other party was a child, I dutifully provided guidance on the matter of “petting the cat.”
“You see, when a cat like him rubs you with his mouth, he wants to leave his scent on you, meaning ‘you’re my good friend.’ Cats have scent glands, specifically for secreting pheromones and marking objects.”
I lifted Dingman and showed Pipi’s daughter his fangs, saying, “Just about here. Come on, try extending your little hand.”
Although a bit hesitant, the little girl still reached out her chubby little hand toward Dingman.
After a brief hesitation, Dingman brought his head close and rubbed the soft flesh near his fangs on the little girl’s hand.
“Like this, now you and he are good friends.”
I placed Dingman in front of Pipi’s daughter, saying, “You can touch Dingman anywhere, it’s okay. But long-haired cats shed more fur, especially during the shedding season, so just be mindful of cleanliness.”
The little girl threw a “Can I touch it?” expression to her mom, who nodded, saying, “Just don’t hurt the kitty.”
“The sensitive areas of a cat are generally in these few places.”
During Pipi’s daughter’s time petting Dingman, I took the initiative to provide some guidance, saying, “The backside and the belly, these two areas are the most sensitive for cats. Try to avoid touching them. Also, be mindful of the tail and paws. A cat’s front paws are generally more sensitive than the hind ones. Don’t grab its whole paw, and don’t pull its tail.”
“In addition to these areas, as long as you’re not intentionally poking the cat’s eyes or pinching its flesh, and if you pinch too hard, cats usually won’t have a big reaction. The cats here all come from cat cafes and are already very familiar with human interaction. If you’re still afraid, touching the cat’s head and chin, these two areas, all cats won’t resist.”
Feeling like I had covered the important points, I crouched down in front of Pipi’s daughter, asking, “What’s your name?”
“Tell her.”
Encouraging from the side, Pipi said, “Tell the sister your name, and then you can go play with the cats.”
“Li… Li Xueqi.”
“So, it’s Little Xueqi.”
For some reason, despite not usually being fond of children, I suddenly felt a strange desire to “take good care of this little one” when I saw this little girl. I walked to the side and brought over two cat toys, saying, “Go ahead, go play with the cats.”
Watching the little one enter the cat living area with her mom, I turned to Pipi and remarked, “Feels like your daughter’s name doesn’t quite match your style.”
Li Xueqi, Li Xueqi—upon hearing this name, the first thing that came to my mind was Lu Xueqi, one of the most famous female characters in the online novel “Zhu Xian” (Jade Dynasty). She had that ethereal, elegant, and pristine vibe.
“Haha, I came up with the name.”
Pipi picked up the menu, saying, “Not bad, I fought for it for a long time back then. My wife insisted on naming her Li Zixuan. I thought, if I really registered that name, there would be at least three with the same name in the kindergarten.”
“It wouldn’t be that bad. There aren’t many kids in a kindergarten class now.”
I walked over to Pipi and asked, “What do you want to eat? Order something. I’m treating today.”
“Come on, with your meager income, you’re treating?”
Jokingly saying it, Pipi held the menu and said, “One order of beef rice noodle rolls, one order of crispy spare ribs, and one order of siu mai… Do you have anything suitable for kids here?”
“Something suitable for kids?”
I thought for a moment, “Is your daughter a picky eater?”
“Very picky.”
Pipi sighed, “That’s why I can’t make up my mind, I’m afraid she won’t eat what I buy.”
“Leave it to me.”
I thought for a moment, “How about a hamburger and egg tart? She should eat those, right?”
“Eat… not necessarily.”
Pipi chuckled, “You can order whatever you want, Uncle, you know me.”
“Yes, yes, I know you.”
Quickly jotting down the items Pipi wanted on the notepad I carried, I added “Cat Burger” and “Meow Meow Cat Paw Egg Tart” and “Cat Paw Milk.” I tore off the slip and handed it to Pipi, saying, “Sir, here’s your receipt. Please keep it safe.”
Carrying the photocopy paper with the labels to the kitchen, I handed it to Chef Wang inside and then went to the baking room on the other side.
Kids, being picky eaters, just need a bit of cajoling. Soon, she and the cats would surely have a great time playing. At this moment, as long as I made the food look like cats too…
‘Meow Meow Cat Paw Egg Tart’ was simple, I had made it before. Just place a piece of cat paw-shaped chocolate in the middle of a regular egg tart. Cat Paw Milk was even simpler, I could take a cup with cat ears and fill it with hot milk. Cat Burger was a bit challenging, but not impossible…
Using a knife in the kitchen, I cut out two cat ear-shaped slices from a piece of bread, glued the cat ears slightly above the burger using a bit of edible glue, then used chocolate sauce to draw cat eyes and whiskers. I followed the same method to create the four short legs of the cat, “installing” them underneath the burger.
Especially for the little girl, I intentionally made the burger smaller and added plenty of meat filling.
“Thank you for waiting!”
Back in the restaurant, I placed the breakfast prepared by Chef Wang and my own creations on the table. “Sir, here’s your beef rice noodle rolls, spare ribs, and siu mai!”
“Such cute little cats!”
Seeing my creations, Pipi was surprised. “Did you really make these?”
“Who else?”
I proudly declared, “You know, I used to cook for myself.”
“No wonder, the little cat Nuo’er.”
Pipi waved towards his wife and daughter in the cat area. “Come have breakfast!”
“Xueqi! Come see the cat burger Sister made for you!”
Soon, the mother and daughter walked over. Pipi’s daughter couldn’t contain her excitement upon seeing the cat paw burger and cat paw egg tart on the table. She eagerly pulled a small plate towards herself, looking very happy.
“Take your time!”
Her mother seemed anxious, saying, “Don’t burn yourself.” After that, she turned to Pipi and sat down on a chair, saying, “I didn’t expect to find beef rice noodle rolls here.”
“That’s right, your favorite, and it’s still hot. Eat up,” Pipi naturally remarked. “How about it, my dear wife, am I treating you well enough?”
“Enough of your talk.”
Pipi’s wife gave him a glance. “Stop just talking. Take some practical action. You’re doing the dishes this month.”
“No, no, dear wife, can I sweep the floor this month? Is that okay?”
“……”
For some reason, dressed in a maid outfit next to the dining table, I looked at Pipi’s family happily enjoying their meal, and I inexplicably felt a strange emotion. Can I… have a family like this in the future?
I know about Pipi’s family. We often chat about these things in the game, and he has confided in us about not really wanting to get married. However, because the girlfriend was introduced by relatives, both sets of parents were satisfied, and they held the wedding after knowing each other for less than half a year, which led to the birth of their daughter.
Both Pipi and his wife, Huang Mei, are seriously incompatible in terms of personality and temperament.
Pipi’s wife is a more traditional woman who values the idea that a woman should take care of the household after marriage. She believes in living a simple life with her husband, focusing on basic necessities. Her mindset is relatively conservative, and she holds a “non-discriminatory but not fond of” attitude towards Pipi’s profession and “otaku culture.” She is not very familiar with the nature of Pipi’s job but knows that her husband doesn’t need to go to the office and can earn tens of thousands or even millions of income each month by sitting in front of the computer.
Pipi, being an honest person with a personal interest in otaku culture, particularly gaming, doesn’t have many common interests with his wife. However, due to being the main breadwinner of the family and earning a substantial income, his opinions carry weight at home.
In his own words, everything can be managed, but there’s no flavor, like plain water.
“Ding dong! Welcome to our café.”
In a trance, the sound of detecting customers at the entrance made me reflexively turn around.
“Welcome!”
“Do you sell any beverages here?”
Two middle-aged men entered, one complaining, “It’s so hot.”
“Yes, we do. Would you like cola, corn juice, milk coffee, or perhaps milk tea and fruit juice as well?”
“I’ll take a large cup of watermelon juice. It’s so hot that I’m dying of thirst.”
“Sure, please have a seat and wait for a moment.”
“Ding dong, welcome!”
“…”
From these two middle-aged men onwards, the number of customers coming into the café gradually increased.
“Ding dong, welcome!”
“Hey, maid little sister, look here!”
“Aren’t you too cute? Is the café hiring child labor?”
“No, sir, I am already an adult.”
“I heard you also sell various breakfast items here, is that true?”
“Yes, we have a variety of breakfast items and snacks available in the café.”
“Ding dong—”
“Do you really have maid girls here? Is it the same as Rem? Uh, cough, do you know how to use a meteor hammer or transform into a ghost form?”
As time moved towards noon, the number of customers visiting the café increased, and I became busier, shuttling between customers and the kitchen.
“Nuo’er, we’re going back now!”
After having breakfast with his wife and daughter, Pipi’s family played in the cat living area for a while. As noon approached, they rented three lint rollers to clean the cat hair from their clothes. After saying goodbye to me, they left.
“I could tell from the video that she really likes you. Seize the opportunity, be proactive. She is just a girl. it’s okay. Go boldly!”
“Uh… well…”
“Xueqi, say goodbye to your sister.”
“Goodbye, sister!”
“Goodbye, take care!”
Watching Pipi’s family leave, I put the two coupons into the pocket of my maid outfit and started the daily busy work at the café.
……
Around 2:30 in the afternoon, a sweaty Ouyang Xue walked in from outside.
“It’s so hot.”
Looking like she just went through intense exercise, Ouyang Xue, drenched in sweat, entered the room.
“Nuo’er, nothing happened in the café while I was away this morning, right?”
“No.”
Curiously observing Ouyang Xue, who was wiping her sweat with a towel, she was still dressed in an office lady outfit, but most of her body was soaked, especially her black stockings. After being soaked with sweat, you could almost see the flesh inside, and the transparency had increased significantly.
Even though I wasn’t feeling great at the moment.
To prevent a significant temperature difference between indoors and outdoors that might make people uncomfortable or lead to catching a cold, the café’s air conditioning was set quite high. It was the type of place where sitting, eating, and playing with cats were comfortable. However, if you were wearing a maid outfit, especially one with sleeves and long stockings, running around for several hours would make you feel very hot.
“The matter with Xiamo is resolved. By the way, we also reached an agreement with the newly opened purified water store nearby and just brought in a barrel of water.”
Ouyang Xue gestured towards the door. “Go and bring the water in with Xiamo. I need to go out to get some documents.”
“Sure.”
I pushed open the door of the café and walked outside.
A wave of hot wind hit me.
The May afternoon sun felt like a giant oven, roasting the ground outside the café as if it were a molten lava field. Even with maid shoes on, I could distinctly feel the heat radiating from the ground.
“Nuo’er!”
Stepping out of the café, from a distance, I could see Yin Xiamo, dressed in a maid outfit similar to mine, riding a tricycle towards me on the main road. The girl on the tricycle, trying to control the direction on the somewhat bumpy three-wheeled vehicle, shouted towards me, “We’re rich!”
Huh?
Honestly, Yin Xiamo’s maid outfit and the tricycle she was riding really didn’t match at all. The originally elegant maid outfit, worn by her as she sat in the tricycle driver’s seat with legs apart, gave off a vibe of “Ultraman riding a bike.jpg” or “Dio riding a bicycle.” It was a plain and simple style.
But looking at it this way, Yin Xiamo’s legs are really long… also in white stockings. Paired with her relatively slender figure, she appeared quite tall.
Most importantly, Yin Xiamo has a bust.
She really has a bust.
The maid outfit designed for Yin Xiamo has a noticeable difference in the chest area compared to the one I’m wearing. Yin Xiamo’s clothes have something similar to a “bra” slightly lifting the chest, while mine has none.
With this comparison, I really seem… flat.
Why do I care about the chest so much…
Also, why did she come back directly wearing the maid outfit?
“Dadadadada…”
The tricycle came to a stop at the entrance of the café.
“Sister Ouyang’s legal team is too professional. I didn’t know that working like that was illegal before. There’s also compensation to claim,” Yin Xiamo said as she parked the tricycle.
“After discussing for a while, they offered a compensation of 15,000 yuan. I’ve never seen so much money before!”
“I can buy you a lot of things with this.”
Are they really willing to compensate so much? There might be something fishy about that store…
In my impression, many shop owners would rather argue with you and end the conversation with a defiant “If you dare, go to labor arbitration, I’ll accompany you in the process,” and that’s it. Being arrogant and all.
Or is it that Ouyang Xue’s legal team is indeed very professional?
“Let’s first bring in these waters.”
After getting off the tricycle, Yin Xiamo gestured towards the packed boxes of bottled water behind her.
Perhaps considering that both she and I, being girls, couldn’t lift heavy objects, these water barrels were in mini versions.
“Later, you just act like you’re doing something. I’ll handle the lifting,” Yin Xiamo said carefully, looking at the café. She effortlessly grabbed the water barrels from the tricycle, and at first glance, it seemed as if she were moving cardboard boxes.
“Come.”
She lifted one end of the water barrel to my face, asking me to hold the bottom of the barrel with both hands. Yin Xiamo exerted a bit of force, causing the entire weight of the water barrel to tilt to her side. “Let’s go!”
Knowing that Yin Xiamo had some magic or natural strength, I didn’t resist. Together, we maintained this posture and carried the water barrels into the café—one barrel, two barrels, three barrels…
Since Yin Xiamo did most of the work throughout, and I was just going through the motions, I didn’t feel very tired after more than ten barrels. This time, moving goods made me realize the differences between Yin Xiamo and ordinary people.
“Whew…”
After bringing in the last barrel of water and placing it next to the water dispenser, Yin Xiamo wiped the sweat off her forehead. “Finally done.”
Hmm…
Completely unexpected that Yin Xiamo would come back directly in her maid outfit, I found myself at a loss for words in the café for a moment.
The petite maid uniform, round-toed shoes, slender and elegant white stockings, the graceful maid skirt, and the flowing sleeves… Is this what people see when I wear a maid outfit?
Observing Yin Xiamo, whose temperament had softened quite a bit due to wearing the maid outfit, I took out the two coupons from my pocket.
How should I bring this up?
Would it be too straightforward to suggest going to the beach for a swim one day? Moreover, if we were to go swimming, these are couple’s coupons. Although there is no gender restriction on them, if Xiamo and I use them together, wouldn’t that imply that we are…
Is this considered a “date”? Does it count? A beach date? Do we need to buy swimsuits?
How do girls wear swimsuits again?
And, most importantly, the café might be busy until May 10… Would Ouyang Xue approve our leave?
“You’ve finished moving so quickly?”
I was still hesitating whether to speak up. Ouyang Xue, who had gone upstairs to get some documents, had come back down. She glanced at the ten or more water buckets beside Xiamo and me and said, “It’s okay, take a break. I’ll ask Li Chen to come and manage the café in a while.”
“Great!”
Upon hearing this, the girl in front of me swiftly turned around and hugged me.
“Nuo’er, Sister Ouyang said that in the afternoon, the café needs to rearrange the storefront, check the wiring issues inside the walls, and invite some workers to handle it. She’s giving us a half-day off!”
Holding me, joyfully rubbing her face against mine, Yin Xiamo said in a tempting tone, “How about going to the beach for a swim? The weather is perfect for swimming!”
“……”
“Huh?”
“……”
……
TL Notes:
Conner is a famous Chinese speedrunner who is known for his quick reflexes.
????? (língshén t?q?q?) is a Chinese phrase that literally means “soul extractor.” It is a humorous way to describe a toy that is used to massage a cat’s head. The toy typically has several metal tubes that are attached to a handle. The tubes are then used to gently massage the cat’s head, which is a very pleasurable experience for cats.
The phrase “?????” is often used in a joking or ironic way. It suggests that the toy is so relaxing and enjoyable that it can literally extract the cat’s soul.