I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 122
Chapter 122: Gulu gulu, gulu lu.
At a relatively formal “family portrait” table in the café, I helped arrange the table for a few people and handed two menus to Lu Xinjian and the mother of that talented girl.
“Xinmeng’s health is okay, right? Anything is fine to eat?”
When Lu Xinjian looked at the menu, I reminded him, “There are a lot of fast food options here, which may not be very suitable for children, okay?”
I’m not a professional, and I haven’t been a doctor, but I have some basic knowledge of medical care. As an orphan without parents, I have many “brothers and sisters” in the welfare institution. If someone falls ill, we usually need to help take care of them.
Generally, there are two types of children sent to welfare institutions. The first type is healthy children who are mostly abandoned due to unexpected pregnancies, parents not wanting to raise them, or parents passing away, leaving behind an orphan with no known relatives. If these children can’t find adoptive parents after a few months at the police station, they will be sent to the welfare institution.
I belong to this type.
According to the director of the welfare institution… I was just born not long ago, and I don’t know who left me near the welfare institution. Passing medical workers found me and brought me back.
Children like me make up more than thirty percent of the orphans in the welfare institution, with a slightly higher proportion of female infants. At that time, the quality of the people in the suburbs of Shenzhen City was not high. When they had a baby and saw it was a girl, they would abandon it. Or it was because the parents impulsively got into trouble, couldn’t afford an abortion, so they secretly wrapped the baby and left it at the welfare institution gate.
In addition to this, more than half of the children in the welfare institution have congenital diseases or are “imperfect” in some way, leading to their abandonment by parents.
A rather harsh reality is that the probability of children in the welfare institution surviving to adulthood is not very high. After all, there are many children here who suffer from serious illnesses, and their parents cannot afford the medical expenses.
This means that ordinary, healthy children living here have, to some extent, taken care of their peers from childhood to adulthood, witnessing many separations and farewells.
For instance, during holidays and weekends, I often accompanied children from the welfare institution to the hospital and took care of them. Over time, although I am not a doctor, I have gained some basic medical knowledge about patient care.
For major surgeries like heart transplants, there are many things to pay attention to during the recovery phase, especially regarding eating. Firstly, it is crucial to avoid spicy and stimulating foods such as ginger, chili, cumin, and alcohol, as they can increase the burden on the heart.
Given these restrictions, many fast foods in the café are forbidden for Lu Xinmeng, as Chef Wang unavoidably uses ingredients like ginger and cooking wine, which, although low in alcohol content, still pose a significant burden on the patient’s liver.
Secondly, fried and grilled foods are also off-limits, so items like fried chicken and grilled sausages in the shop are out of the question. Lastly, if I recall correctly, foods high in sugar and oil are also not allowed. Therefore, some snacks in the shop, such as egg tarts and milk tea, should not be considered.
Taking everything into account, the options are reduced to basic breakfast and steamed chicken. However, the steamed chicken cannot be the one with ginseng.
Items like xiaolongbao, meat buns, and dumplings, paired with a serving of steamed chicken and chicken soup, should be acceptable. Unfortunately, the shop does not sell fruit. Otherwise, after eating oily buns for breakfast, a couple of apples would have been good. How about sending them a watermelon? At least watermelon is available.
In the past, when my friends in the welfare institution were seriously ill, I often bought fruits for them, especially apples. Apples are the best choice as they are affordable, available all year round, and provide a certain amount of sugar and rich vitamin C. However, many people don’t like to eat them with the skin, so as a caregiver, I had to peel them.
“It’s okay, Xinmeng had something to eat at the hospital before coming here.”
Under my gaze, Lu Xinjian took the menu and carefully scanned it. “Is this really a café? Why do you have fast food and xiaolongbao?”
I smiled and explained, “The business of the café has expanded recently, and there are many food options now.”
In fact, I have always wanted to complain about this.
When I applied to work at this café, I thought it was just a simple and upscale place where you could drink coffee and pet cats. Similar to some luxury brands abroad, where you pay tens of dollars just to enter, and then a cup of coffee costs several hundred dollars. “Upper-class individuals” come in with their laptops, sit down, order a cup of coffee, and write a 2000-word paper on the spot.
This way, even as a maid, I should have a very easy job.
For a café, referencing Chino Kaf? from “Is the Order a Rabbit?” who stands at the service counter with an Angora rabbit on her head, making coffee when customers arrive and being cute when there are no customers, the job should be particularly easy.
I did see similar shops before. I stood in front of the entrance of that upscale café for a long time. The first impression of such a shop was — how luxurious.
However, for some reason, these shops are no longer visible now.
It’s like slowly… many shops have made adjustments and compromises to adapt to the faster pace of society.
During my college days, I remember there was a hotel near the school, next to which was a fast-food restaurant. The hotel didn’t serve fast food, each dish cost at least 50 yuan, and reserving a table incurred a table fee of at least several tens of yuan. Then there were fees for utensil disinfection and service charges, adding up to quite a sum. If an average person invited a few classmates, ordered two vegetarian dishes, two meat dishes, and a soup, a meal wouldn’t cost less than 500 yuan.
At that time, many classmates in my class who were in relationships or engaged in activities as “big spenders” would go to that restaurant. I was also pulled along to play the role of a “strongman.” Back then, the common rule in society was… men split the bill, and women could come for free.
I still remember that the restaurant was once exposed for “discriminating against fast-food guys” by its staff. The incident roughly went like this: a student intended to eat at the fast-food restaurant next to the hotel, took the wrong turn, ended up in the hotel, and told the waitress, “I want two meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes.” The waitress arrogantly replied, “You poor guy, don’t you see where you are? We don’t serve fast food, it’s for the lower class.” This incident quickly spread across the campus, and the hotel was mockingly referred to as the “upscale hotel that doesn’t serve fast food.”
More dramatically, as the pace of society accelerated and food delivery became popular, the number of students dining at big hotels decreased. The so-called “high-end hotel” began laying off employees. The year I graduated, I heard that they were struggling to survive and eventually switched to selling fast food. They even joined online delivery platforms, and now you can order a meal with two meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes for less than 30 yuan from them.
“It’s quite good, I was worried there wouldn’t be anything to eat here. You don’t know about hospital food… really, they can’t use cooking wine, green onions, ginger, or sugar. I’ve lost my appetite.” Lu Xinjian looked at the menu for a while and then turned to Li Denghua and her mother. “What would you like to order? It’s okay, order anything. I’ll foot the bill this time!”
Li Denghua glanced cautiously at her mother. “It’s fine, you can order.”
Her mother was easygoing. “As long as it’s not spicy and lacks nutrition, anything will do.”
“I want this one! The kitty egg tart!”
As I expected, Li Denghua, being a little girl in elementary school despite being a genius from a young age, still had the temperament of a child. “And this one… the cat hamburger, and two chicken legs!”
I silently jotted down these orders on paper. The café had an automatic ordering system. For those with Alipay or WeChat, they only needed to scan the QR code on the table, enter the mini-program, quickly select the items they wanted, and place the order. The entire process didn’t require the involvement of the maids. After ordering, there was detailed information on the table about when the food would be ready, and when the waiter would bring it over. It was convenient for both customers and us.
However, such mini-programs were generally more suitable for teenagers. For some older customers, instead of spending time teaching them how to use these things and make online payments, Ouyang Xue suggested that we should just go up and take their orders with pen and paper.
“Get us two servings of xiaolongbao and the steamed chicken.”
Lu Xinjian said, turning to his wife next to him, “Dear, what would you like to eat?”
“I won’t have xiaolongbao, it’s too greasy.”
Lu Xinjian’s wife took the menu and glanced at it. “How about a serving of lean pork and mustard greens congee?”
“Sure.”
I quickly noted down these orders. “Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“Wait a moment, you can enjoy the scenery or watch TV, play with the cat if you’d like.”
Placing the note on the table, I bowed slightly to the group and hurried to the kitchen.
“This one, add a serving of watermelon and an orange juice.”
Passing the note to Chef Wang in the kitchen, I whispered, “My friend.”
“Got it.”
Chef Wang understood without saying much, giving me a nod of acknowledgment.
Returning to the dining area, I saw Li Denghua and Lu Xinmeng curiously staring at a few cats that were slowly gathering around due to the arrival of guests.
Both of them were curious about the kittens but refrained from making any unnecessary movements due to the presence of their parents.
“This one is called Nen Bao, an American Shorthair.”
Seeing the intrigued expressions on the two little ones, I walked over and picked up one of the cats. “The American Shorthair cat has a rounder face, typically has black and white markings, and has a snake-like pattern on its back. Their eyes are mostly green, like this one.”
Li Denghua was curious, “Is it called Nen Bao?”
“Yes, she’s a female cat, 2 years old.”
I placed the American Shorthair cat on Li Denghua’s little lap. “Nen Bao is very gentle and affectionate. You can pet her anywhere on her body. This type of cat is commonly used by farmers in the United States to catch mice. They have a lively nature and are very fond of humans. You can hold her, it’s okay.”
Perhaps experiencing such close contact with a cat for the first time, Li Denghua placed her umbrella aside and cautiously touched the back of the American Shorthair cat.
“It seems like she’s purring?”
After petting for a while, the little girl exclaimed, “What’s wrong? Did I hurt her?”
“No, purring continuously means she’s comfortable and that the cat likes you a lot.”
I smiled, “Since we’re a cat café, all our cats are well-trained.”
“Cough, cough, from a young age… from a young age, having contact with cats, interacting with pets is indeed good for children.”
Perhaps concerned that Li Denghua’s mother might have objections about cats and dogs, Lu Xinjian explained, “I have a primary school classmate who is a hospital director. He talked to me about similar things. Children who often come into contact with cats from a young age have a much lower probability of developing asthma when they grow up compared to their peers. Because they build resistance to cat fur from a young age, the incidence of allergic rhinitis and similar conditions is also much lower. Children who play with cats also show a significant reduction in the incidence of heart disease, and they develop stronger resistance to various colds.”
Lu Xinjian’s wife found it a bit strange, “Is there such a saying?”
“Yes, Dr. Wang told me about it.”
Lu Xinjian turned to his wife, “Also, the purring sound of cats can have a certain auxiliary effect on the recovery of certain illnesses, such as fractures or the healing of major surgeries. In the natural world, when cats get injured, their companions rely on this purring sound to aid in the healing process.”
Li Denghua’s mother listened with a surprised expression, “Brother Lu, are you joking or serious?”
“Serious, why would I lie to you.”
Lu Xinjian became a bit anxious and took out his phone, “Here, I’ll look it up online right now.”
“See, the purring sound of cats has three main effects… First, it can make people feel happy, relieve emotions, and when one’s mood improves, recovery from illness speeds up. The second point… the wavelength of purring sound is generally 25 to 30 Hertz, a frequency that helps promote cell regeneration and alleviate pain. Some Western hospitals have devices that mimic this vibration wavelength to promote the recovery of patients with fractures. Cats provide this naturally.”
Li Denghua’s mother leaned in, “Let me see… is that true?”
“So, do you now understand why I agreed to let Xinmeng come here…”
Lu Xinjian wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to a cat not far away, “Well… Nuo’er, why is that cat so ugly?”
“That one?”
I followed Lu Xinjian’s gaze, “Oh, that’s a Sphynx cat, also known as a hairless cat. It’s generally suitable for people who love cats but are allergic to cat fur.”
I walked over, picked up the cat from the floor, and placed it on Lu Xinmeng’s lap, “This one is named Qiaoqiao.”
From this angle, you could clearly see that Lu Xinmeng still had a lot of bandages around her chest, but she seemed to be recovering well.
“Qiaoqiao…”
“The cat purrs.”
I’m not sure if it’s because of the air conditioning being a bit cold these days or if it’s due to too many people feeding the cats snacks, but Qiaoqiao’s meow has a raspy feel, as if it has a “smoky voice.”
“Ah…”
This “meow” made Lu Xinmeng laugh, “Not only does it look ugly, but it also sounds ugly.”
“If you want something pretty with a nice sound, I suggest checking out the Ragdoll cats later.”
I proposed, “But Ragdoll cats are quite large, and you might not be able to lift them.”
Speaking of Ragdoll cats… how should I put it? They are genuinely pure little elves.
This breed is called the “fairy cat” for a reason. They look beautiful, have long fur, are all-white, have a cute face, and their noses and paws are pink. While Dingman, as a Maine Coon, is also a large and long-haired cat, Dingman’s paw pads are black. Moreover, Maine Coon cats are usually gray and black, with some color combinations similar to calico cats, which don’t quite fit the definition of “fairy” in people’s minds.
But Ragdoll cats are different. This fellow has a big face, blue eyes like an elf, and a very large fur collar. The fur is smooth and bright, and it’s very good at acting cute. When it sees people, it lies down, showing its belly for a pet.
If I have to point out a flaw, I think the biggest issue with the Ragdoll cat breed is that they are “too scheming.” They have a high level of intelligence, which leads them to be quite skilled at “maneuvering” and “feeling jealous.”
I’ve seen Ragdoll cats more than once on the camera, causing trouble on the cat tree and blaming it on other cats. One moment, they are fighting aggressively with other cats for territory, and the next moment, when either I or Ouyang Xue comes over and they sense our presence, they willingly give up the territory they just won back to the other cats. Other cats might be afraid of being scolded, and the Ragdoll cat would lie there with a pitiful and innocent look, meowing as if asking you to “judge fairly.”
I’ve been deceived by the high-level acting skills of Ragdoll cats many times. Every time I hear some noise in the cat living area and go to check, I see the Ragdoll cat lying on the ground, rolling around with a pitiful and submissive appearance. I would think the Ragdoll cat had been bullied again, scold the other cats, and go back. The more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems. Ragdoll cats are large cats, and logically, they shouldn’t be bullied by Siamese or American Shorthair cats. After checking the camera, I understand… it’s the Ragdoll cat bullying them and playing out the drama of an emperor’s harem and the struggle for favor. Their acting skills are truly unparalleled.
The “flaw” and “petty” nature of Ragdoll cats seem to be best addressed by “only raising one cat.”
“After we finish eating, I’ll take Xinmeng to have a look, hehe.”
It’s evident that Lu Xinjian is in a good mood today. He looks around the lively café and says, “Your business is doing so well today.”
“It’s the grand opening ceremony today.”
I neither confirm nor deny, saying, “The manager has put in a lot of effort online.”
Ouyang Xue really falls into the category of giving her all for the café. Despite some things appearing simple, like organizing events on Tongmeng Net and distributing coupons, once you actually get down to doing it, there are various issues, and it can be quite complicated.
“Would you mind discussing tutoring as well?”
Perhaps noticing that people around were either playing with the cats or engrossed in their phones or tabletop games, Lu Xinjian lowered his voice and said, “Lately, the regulations have become strict, and they don’t allow tutoring centers anymore. Plus, Denghua’s eyes… cough, cough. Well, you can discuss it. Nuo’er is a novelist, and your Chinese should be good. As for English… Nuo’er, how’s your English?”
“It’s okay,” I hesitated for a moment. “I have passed CET-4.”
“You see, passing CET-4 means you can certainly teach elementary school English. The most important thing is that this child looks similar to you. You seem close in age, maybe you’ll get along well, have common ground, and it’ll be easy to talk to…”
Lu Xinjian’s words left me speechless. What do you mean I look similar to Denghua? I… I’m much older than her!
“Is it okay?”
Following Lu Xinjian’s suggestion, Denghua’s mother looked at me. “Young lady, do you have time to help with tutoring?”
“I… I’m not sure…”
“Money is not an issue.”
“Huh?”
“…”
After a brief conversation, I roughly understood the situation of Li Denghua, the girl who received a corneal transplant from Yin Shiren. She came from a very privileged family. Her mother was an aerospace engineer, and her father, a physicist in the craftsman area, rarely returned home. He had published countless papers and worked less than fifty meters away from the only particle collider in Shenzhen City.
Li Denghua grew up in such an environment. Whether it was due to inheriting her parents’ scientific genes or the influence of her parents’ high-end professions and the abundance of related books at home, Li Denghua completed the junior high and high school mathematics and science courses by the third grade of elementary school. She displayed an extreme fascination with mathematics and physics, often spending her time at home, alone, devouring various advanced books provided by her parents. Mathematical and physics competitions in elementary school were a breeze for her.
In the eyes of other children, Li Denghua was a “freak” who only knew how to read strange books at home. She had no friends from childhood, didn’t like making friends, and besides delving into books on aerospace and advanced physics at home, she also enjoyed tinkering with various devices.
As a trade-off, this little girl’s Chinese and English were abysmal. She couldn’t even write a good message, and her English compositions were as basic as “Li Hua writes a letter to a good friend.” However, she could understand advanced science books.
In this environment, Li Denghua became “introverted” by the sixth grade. She wrote a “paper” related to ion collisions with sentences that were not very coherent, sometimes even using pinyin instead of characters, astonishing the group of old experts and professors in the craftsman area.
Perhaps because she was too much of a genius, half a year ago, fate took away her eyesight.
As the saying goes, “Genius on the left, madness on the right.”
“Regarding the tutoring issue, I cannot provide you with a precise answer at the moment because I haven’t worked in a similar capacity. After listening to Mrs. Li Denghua discussing her daughter’s situation, I personally suggest that Denghua return to school first. Communicate with other children and readjust to the school environment before considering further options.”
At this moment, a notification in their headphones indicated that their table’s dishes were ready.
“I’ll go get the food.”
I went to the kitchen to plate the dishes ordered by Lu Xinjian and Li Denghua’s family. Returning to the table, I skillfully arranged the food, placing each item on the table.
“The watermelon and orange juice are complimentary.”
Finally, I placed the sliced watermelon in front of Lu Xinjian and handed the orange juice to Li Denghua. Once again, I bowed slightly to the group. “Enjoy your meal.”
“Sister Nuo’er, does the dress I gave you before fit well?”
At this moment, Lu Xinjian’s daughter, Lu Xinmeng, asked me a somewhat awkward question: “We have many beautiful dresses at home. If it doesn’t fit, you can exchange it…”
“It fits perfectly, absolutely perfect.”
I quickly reassured her, “No need to exchange. I really like it. Thank you.”
Actually, I haven’t worn it yet.
That Lolita dress… I think it’s called Dreamland Playground. It comes with a small petticoat. I tried it on once at home, and without the petticoat, it felt loose, almost like a nightgown.
With the petticoat, though, the dress gives off a bit of a fairy tale princess vibe. It should look especially beautiful paired with crystal-toed shoes or high heels.
Of course, I haven’t had much time to wear such clothes recently—maybe I can use it for making videos?
“Really? As long as you like it, Sister.”
After hearing my words, Lu Xinmeng looked very happy. “Then, when I’m officially discharged, I’ll gift Sister a couple more outfits.”
Oh? More?
“I also have quite a few little dresses at home.”
I don’t know why, but after listening to my conversation with Lu Xinmeng, Li Denghua beside us seemed a bit dissatisfied. “I can also give Sister two pieces!”
“No need, no need, haha…”
“It’s necessary! It’s settled then. After we go back, I’ll pick clothes for Sister online!”
…..
After chatting with Li Denghua and the others for a bit, I took advantage of the time when they were having breakfast and casually found an excuse to slip away. I tidied up a few tables in the hall and then went to the cat living area.
“I’m exhausted…”
Yin Xiamo, in the living area, was using a small brush to groom the cats. Seeing me coming in all sweaty, she looked somewhat amused. “What happened to my princess? Do you want to switch shifts?”
“Switch.”
I took the brush from her hand. “Go and clean tables 12 and 18. I’m too tired to move. I’m all sweaty. What were you thinking when you designed this? Since you can edit the human body, why not remove or weaken the sweating function during exercise?”
“Elves are a race close to perfection. We can hardly see any dark side in them, including the little details of life.”
Yin Xiamo chuckled. “Do you know why I chose the skin of the elf race?”
“Why?”
“Humans sweat, and there’s a body odor, usually because sweat helps some microorganisms and bacteria, allowing them to ferment or multiply. But elves are different, the evolution of bodies in the other world far surpasses that here. Of course, it also has the function of inhibiting bacteria. Most elves are born from trees, and you can think of their sweat as juice… Well, when you, Nuo’er, eat watermelon or mangosteen, do you feel that the taste of those plants is very fresh and pleasant?”
As she spoke, Yin Xiamo came closer. “That’s your situation now. It’s okay to sweat more. Your sweat only has a positive cooling effect, different from regular people.”
Did you even consider this aspect!
“Momo…”
“Yes?”
“Did you work so hard to give me… this little girl’s body for some conspiracy?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
Yin Xiamo hands on her hips, “I have already seen our sweet life for the next ten years through divination. By then, Nuo’er will be completely pushed down by me, becoming my little wife, living a shy life every day. Since that’s the case, why not design your body as perfect as possible? Anyway, it will all be mine hehehe…”
I clenched my fist, “Aaa—”
“You guys are here.”
At this moment, Ouyang Xue, dressed in a maid outfit and also sweaty, appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She gestured to me and Yin Xiamo, signaling towards outside the cafe.
“The TV crew will be here in ten minutes. Get ready.”
“It seems to be the crew from the ‘Shenzhen Gourmet Program.’ They informed us at the last minute that they want to interview us for a live broadcast.”
“……”
……
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