I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 79
On the second floor of the cafe, there is a pervasive scent of ‘bought a lot of new things but not many people live here regularly.’
There is the woody fragrance of cat-climbing frames, wooden tables, and chairs, the faint green tea scent of new cat litter in the litter box, and a hint of milk fragrance probably from powdered milk or milk tea packs.
The layout here is somewhat like a milk tea shop, with a circular worktable in the middle, displaying many semi-finished food items such as coffee, milk powder, and cold desserts, as well as machines like sealers and computers. I guess that when they open, customers should be able to scan and place their orders outside the counter or at the nearby tables and chairs, and the people at the worktable will make the coffee and milk tea on the spot.
Similar to the first floor, the layout here follows a minimalist style, and some tables and chairs give off a ‘post-modern’ artistic vibe. There are tables for three, tables for two, and solitary one-person relaxation areas scattered around.
In addition, there are many small sofas and beds for relaxation, adorned with various potted plants, small decorations, and cat climbing frames. There are also corresponding chargers and network cable interfaces nearby.
The most beautiful part is that almost all the walls on the second floor are transparent, allowing you to see the nearby sea and the Shenzhen River directly. Behind that is an under-construction commercial street.
I can already imagine what it would be like in the scorching summer. The coffee shop will turn on the air conditioning, and a large group of people who have been scorched by the hot sun for half a day will find this cool and cat-loving haven. “Please have a seat.”
With that, the lady took me to a place by the window on the second floor, where you can see both the sea and the Shenzhen River at the same time. She slightly pulled the curtain and walked towards the central service counter. ‘Would you like milk tea or coffee?'”
“Coffee.”
I turned around and said, “Not too much sugar, please.”
“Latte?”
“Yes.”
“It’ll be very bitter without sugar, you know.”
“It’s okay.”
After a few minutes, the lady dressed in black stockings and an office uniform came over to my table with a tray carrying coffee cups. She sat down across from me and handed me one of the cups.
“Thank you.”
I took a small sip.
It was so bitter…
“You see.”
Perhaps noticing my obvious expression of distaste, the lady smiled slightly and asked, “Just graduated from school and looking for a job?”
“Not exactly,” I thought for a moment, deciding to fabricate a bit about my past, “I’ve been working for a long time, had many jobs.”
“Oh?”
This curvaceous lady in work attire seemed genuinely interested, “Just turned 18?”
“Almost 19.”
“I thought you were 10 years old. My classmate’s 12-year-old daughter is already 1.6 meters tall, and you…”
The lady looked me up and down for a while and asked, “Are you at least 1.4 meters tall?”
Almost reflexively, I replied, “Yes!”
Considering my messy hair, I certainly met that height requirement.
“As long as you’re over 16 years old.”
She took out a document from her bag and said with a serious tone, “Did you bring your resume?”
Um…
“No,” I said somewhat awkwardly, “I didn’t see any mention of that on the flyer.”
Actually, when I was getting ready to go out in the afternoon, I did consider whether to spend some time making a resume and then get it printed at a nearby copy shop for backup. But I thought about how I usually applied for jobs like “waiter” in a casual way, and the boss would chat with you for a few minutes. Even if I had a resume, it wouldn’t be necessary. Plus, my current identity and “sudden appearance” were no different, and I didn’t know what to write on the resume.
I couldn’t write… “18 years old, high school graduate, 2 years unemployed, proficient in urban and fantasy fiction, seeking a job as a café’s maid,” right?
This is one of the awkward things about being a novelist and a freelancer. If I ever wanted to switch careers, there was basically no way to include it on a resume.
Moreover, with all the experience I’ve gained as a waiter under my uncle’s supervision, “interviewing” for a waiter position doesn’t require a resume. The boss doesn’t care about what you did in the past, they just want to know if you’re honest, how well you can work, and how well you handle pressure. Of course, if you have prior experience as a waiter elsewhere, that’s a plus, but that’s something that can be discussed verbally, and there’s no need to print it out.
Resumes are more tailored for formal jobs, like white-collar positions and technical roles such as programmers. If you’ve done similar work at other companies or if you bring your own clients, then having a resume gives you an advantage during the application process.
“Ah, sorry, I forgot this was a maid recruitment.”
After hearing my words, the lady across from me looked a bit embarrassed and said, “I got used to the formal interviews back at my previous company, and I thought… this was a regular interview. So, have you worked in a similar role before?”
As she spoke, she lifted her head, crossed her arms, and raised one foot, saying, “Let’s not dwell on that. Can you communicate with customers effectively?”
This gesture left little to the imagination about her curvaceous figure. Her legs, encased in black stockings, her slender waist, ample chest, and that neat short hair – at this moment, the Office lady sitting across from me appeared to be no more than thirty years old, wearing very mature glasses, with fair skin and the demeanor of a no-nonsense female leader you might see in a TV drama.
While her face might not be as exquisitely beautiful as an anime character, it was very pleasing to look at. There was a mole near the corner of her right mouth, and her features were well-defined, enhanced by subtle makeup.
Though I didn’t want to admit it, I had to acknowledge that in terms of presence, I was completely outmatched by the woman before me.
At this moment, I was sitting at the table in a cute and youthful outfit, exuding a soft and innocent aura from head to toe. If you were to classify it using the levels from “Digimon,” I would either be in the “Child” or “Rookie” stage. However, the woman across from me, who seemed to be the “store manager” here, wasn’t just in her “Mature” or “Ultimate” stage, she might have already reached the standards of an “Ultimate” level Digimon.
“Normal communication should definitely be fine.”
In response to the mature lady’s “interrogation,” I answered truthfully, “I’ve worked as a waitress before.”
“You’ve worked as one before?”
She seemed somewhat surprised or perhaps felt the atmosphere was a bit tense. The lady picked up her coffee cup and said, “I couldn’t tell. Haven’t customers complained about child labor?”
“Um… maybe they thought I was the owner’s daughter.”
I continued with my fabricated story, “I used to help out after school.”
Similar situations did exist.
When I worked as a waiter at a small restaurant before, it was the same way. The restaurant was located in a remote urban village, and all the staff, except for me, were family. The father and uncle cooked in the kitchen, and the mother served the dishes to customers. I, an outsider, handled the bills and washed dishes. Their elementary school-aged daughter would come to help at the restaurant after school, only having time to do her homework when there were no customers.
“Ahem, well, let me get straight to the point.”
Perhaps seeing that I was a bit nervous, the mature lady on the other side of the table pushed the documents on the table towards me.
“I’m the manager of this café, Ouyang Xue. You can call me Sister Ouyang like the young man here, or you can just call me the manager.”
The young man here?
“They were all temporarily transferred from the company to help out, and they weren’t originally part of this project. They’ll go back once we hire more people in the future,” explained the self-proclaimed manager, Ouyang Xue. “To put it bluntly, little sister, I’m very satisfied with you.”
Huh?
“Our standard for hiring maids here… First of all, you need to have a good appearance, at least above-average among girls. You are the cutest girl I’ve ever seen in my life, without a doubt. So, I really hope you can join this Café.”
The manager said earnestly, “Besides appearance, your work attire will be a maid costume, a little skirt, and long stockings. Your physique should also be acceptable, with not too thick legs. You perfectly meet these standards, or I should say, you exceed them by a large margin.”
Huh?
“After meeting the appearance and physique criteria, the only things we need to assess are the applicant’s speaking ability and courage. You can learn what you don’t know, but if you are too timid or hesitant, it will give customers a bad experience and affect the café’s reputation.”
The manager took another sip of coffee, “But I feel that you’re an exception. With your appearance and figure, I believe that even if you were a bit clumsy, customers would still find you cute.”
Hmm?
What are you implying?
I suddenly felt like I was being teased. What does “even if you’re clumsy, customers would still find you cute” mean?!
“However, judging by the fact that you dared to come here alone for an interview, it seems like you have no problem communicating with strangers, right?”
“No problem.”
Although I was somewhat displeased with the manager’s teasing right from our first meeting, I realized that I was currently in the role of a job applicant conversing with her. So, I nodded in agreement and emphasized, “I’ve worked as a waitress, a store clerk, and a delivery driver, so I’m fine.”
“Alright, that should work.”
The manager gestured to the documents on the table, then stood up, picked up her coffee cup, and walked away. “These are the salary and benefits standards for our maids here. Take a look, and if you have any questions, ask later. I’m going downstairs to talk to the two girls who won the prizes.”
“Okay.”
I watched the manager as she left, and then cautiously picked up the documents on the table.
“Currently, we have 3 chefs, 1 (crossed out) 2 janitors, and 1 manager.”
“Shangjing Cat Café is expected to open officially on May 20th, and we will be hiring at least 1 head maid, 3 maids, 2 store clerks, and 2 delivery drivers…”
As expected, it’s quite a big restaurant, and the details are complicated…
I shifted my focus to the job descriptions related to “maids” in the middle of the document.
“Basic job duties for in-house maids: Assist janitors in cleaning the cat litter, feeding the cats, brushing the cats, taking care of potted plants in the cafe, cleaning the tables, and any areas dirtied by customers, and more.”
“Since janitors only work from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., the remaining operating hours are handled by in-house maids, with a lower priority than customer requests…”
“During store operating hours, maids are responsible for welcoming customers into the shop, recording customer orders and relaying them to the chefs or front counter, serving food to customers, and have the duty to engage in play with customers and the cats…”
Hmm… In simple terms, it’s not much different from a regular waiter’s job. It involves basic cleaning, approaching customers when they come in, asking them what they’d like to eat, noting it down and informing the chefs, serving the food, and that’s it. I’ve done this kind of work many times before.
The only difference here at the cat cafe compared to a typical restaurant is the requirement for maids to play with the customers and the cats. That part might be a bit beyond my “skill set.”
I’ve worked as a waiter, and I’ve had the opportunity to interact with the orange cat that the building management in the apartment below my tiny dwelling has been raising for the past few years. But having me play with customers… that’s an area where I lack experience.
However, considering this is a cat cafe, it’s somewhat reasonable. If the job here combines regular waitstaff duties with cleaning and being a “play-with-cats employee,” it falls within my acceptable range.
Some larger brand stores and restaurants do require their employees to wear uniform attire. It could be a suit, an office lady (OL) outfit, or, in the case of a cat cafe like this, a maid costume. There’s nothing particularly strange about it, as long as it’s not the kind of maid outfit that’s barely covering anything and is only seen on less reputable apps. As long as the attire consists of proper clothes, a skirt, and stockings, I don’t see any issue with it.
Just like the “JK” uniforms, Gothic Loli attire, and Hanfu, often referred to as the “three pitfalls” in some cultures, some people wear these outfits regularly, while others dress up as “bonus princesses.” Some even use it as a gimmick to make money. It’s not fair to label these outfits as automatically linked to illegal activities.
“The shop has a preset of 52 cats on the first floor, with 53 litter boxes, and 28 cats on the second floor, with 29 litter boxes…”
“Maid staff work in a three-shift rotation, while chefs are divided into morning and evening shifts…”
Let’s set aside these plans for now and look at the benefits and compensation.
I reached for another document next to the table.
“Maid staff work 8 hours a day, and they can negotiate overtime with the manager, with extra hours paid accordingly. They get 8 days off per month, triple pay for holidays, and strictly follow the national statutory holiday standards. For example, May Labor Day has a 3-day holiday, making it a total of 3+8 days off that month, and National Day with a 7-day holiday makes it 7+8 days off in October.”
“Rest schedules are determined at the beginning of each month to ensure that there’s always a maid on duty every day…”
Is this for real?
After closely examining the information on “employee benefits” and “overtime” on the table, I felt that my view of the world was a bit off.
Isn’t this leave system and “doing charity work” almost the same thing? Based on any upcoming holidays, you get 8 days off plus the holiday’s duration? And on holidays, you get triple pay?
While I’m aware that this work schedule is actually reasonable and legal according to labor laws, I haven’t encountered any company that offers “8 hours of work every day” with “weekends off and normal holiday breaks” since I graduated from college. Some companies might offer weekends off, but when it comes to holidays, almost all companies opt for “make-up days.”
For instance, in May, labor laws dictate a 3-day holiday. If it’s close to the weekend, they’ll shift the weekend days to create a mandatory 3-day holiday for Labor Day. If it happens to fall on the weekend, then they’ll consider it a symbolic gesture and give a day off on Friday or Monday, creating a consecutive 3-day break.
As for the service industry, with my experience, I can tell you there’s absolutely no such thing as “taking holidays” in this line of work. During holidays, when so many people are out for leisure, you want me to close the shop and rest? How much revenue would I lose? No, absolutely not. You all have to come back to work, and we can talk about taking time off after this busy period.
As for after this busy period… What? Holidays? Not familiar with those. Perhaps a slightly more conscientious boss might arrange a token activity after the holidays, like taking all the employees out for a trip, camping, or a picnic. But remember, while you’re having fun, don’t forget to promote the company. “Hey, let’s make a company logo during the camping trip, and when we’re out barbecuing, let’s hang up a banner to boost the company’s visibility. I want the whole world to know I’m a great boss, and we’re having so many company activities to build team spirit!”
See, you’ve had your holiday, right? I took you all out to have fun. No more talk about taking holidays. Afternoon, back to the office for more overtime.
Little do they know, what everyone really wants is not outdoor activities or team-building exercises. They just want to lie comfortably on their own beds, free from impromptu calls from the boss or clients and customers bothering them, to enjoy a good meal and have a peaceful sleep.
In this kind of work environment, receiving the document handed to me by the cafe manager named “Ouyang Xue,” I initially felt like I was being scammed. But then I thought, this cafe is affiliated with Tongmeng, right? Su Yunjin said we could contact him directly if we encountered any issues. It couldn’t be a scam, could it? So, I patiently continued reading…
“Base salary of 4000 yuan, with commissions and bonuses calculated based on sales, including commissions for cat food and cat snacks. Specific commission rates can be found in [Appendix 1]…”
“One-month probation period, with a salary of 3000 yuan during the probation period, and social insurance contributions in accordance with labor laws…”
3000 yuan during the probation period and 4000 yuan as a base salary? That’s quite high.
In my mind, I recalled the various part-time jobs I had in the past. In terms of population and scale, Shenzhen City was considered a large or even super-sized city, but there were significant differences in wage levels among different areas.
For example, the “Craftsmen District,” known for its high salaries, was the city’s technology hub. Almost all the workers there were top-notch technical professionals, with monthly salaries of two to three thousand being very common.
However, within Shenzhen City, there were some outlying areas without high-tech parks or the backing of real estate and major bosses. Areas like Xinxi District and Shuiming District, and even parts near the urban villages in the central district, where an average salary of 3000 yuan would be considered good.
In this context, a base salary of 4000 yuan after the probation period at this cafe was actually quite good. If they truly had eight days off every month, only worked eight-hour shifts each day, and strictly followed labor laws for holidays, with the possibility of earning triple wages for overtime, the 4000 yuan base salary would seem like charity.
Keep in mind that there were also commissions. While I didn’t thoroughly examine the document related to commissions, I could roughly estimate commission and bonuses from the base salary. Generally, in a large restaurant like this, commissions could easily exceed 1000 yuan, and with effort, two to three thousand was possible. Add in attendance bonuses and meal allowances, and a total income of 6000 yuan or more should be achievable.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz…”
In the quiet café on the second floor, I continued to sip my coffee and read through the various introductions on the document when my phone in the pocket of my skirt vibrated.
I took out my phone, unlocked the screen, and glanced at the caller ID. It was a call from Editor Ai Luodi.
“Hello? Is this Miss Yin Nuo’er?”
As soon as I answered the call, I heard Ai Luodi’s lazy voice on the other end. “I’m done here and currently sitting in the car with that person. When are you coming to check out the house?”
I was puzzled. “With that person’s car?”
“It’s my boss, the former owner of Yae-Do.” Ai Luodi yawned and continued, “We should be there in about half an hour.”
“I’m in the middle of an interview at the café,” I replied.
I glanced in the direction of the commercial street behind me. “It would take me about twenty minutes to get there from here.”
At that moment, I heard the voice of Lu Xinjian from Ai Luodi’s side. “How about we just pick her up?”
“Directly pick her up?” Ai Luodi took back the conversation. “How is your interview going?”
“It’s going smoothly,” I replied. “I think it’ll work out.”
To be honest, I really wanted this job, as long as everything on this document was genuine. Eight hours of work, eight hours of sleep, and I would still have eight hours left to write my novel.
Not to mention having eight days off every month; it was so tempting that it made me, who had been exploited by unscrupulous bosses for nearly a decade, quite excited.
Besides, I was already wearing a skirt, so wearing a maid uniform for work every day didn’t seem like a big problem.
It’s just work attire… I could always take it off after work.
“So, let’s go to the cafe directly later. I’ll call you when we arrive.”
“Alright.”
As I was about to end the call, I suddenly remembered the issue of the girl who had been living with that wicked Miss Grim Reaper and Ai Luodi. I asked involuntarily, “Wait a minute, Editor Ai Luodi, I have something to ask.”
“What’s the matter?”
“It’s just… didn’t you say there was a girl living there for quite a while already? Do you know her situation?”
“What’s her situation exactly?”
Ai Luodi sounded somewhat puzzled, “She’s our old tenant, has been living there for quite a few years.”
Quite a few years? Old tenant? Our house?
“Editor Ai Luodi, is that… is that your house?”
“Yeah, my mom bought it over ten years ago. It was vacant for a while because it’s in a somewhat remote location. She only started renting it out a few years ago.”
Ai Luodi’s tone was very matter-of-fact, “This time, I was relocated to work there, so I decided to live there too.”
Oh my… So, if I end up living there in the future, Ai Luodi will not only be my editor but also my landlord? No, that’s not the main issue right now.
“What about the girl who’s been renting the place all this time… She…”
Originally, I wanted to ask, “What’s her name?” But I thought it might seem suspicious to ask someone’s name, so I changed it to, “What’s her personality like? Can you tell me briefly?”
“Are you worried about not getting along with other girls?” Ai Luodi seemed to misunderstand me. “Don’t worry, that girl is quite gentle. She’s usually very thrifty and seems to have been working at a small shop nearby. She goes to work every morning and comes back around 8 in the evening. From what I’ve heard from my mom, she hasn’t made any troublesome friends.”
Very gentle?! I was a bit dazed after hearing that word while sitting in the small chair. “She… is very thrifty?”
“At least she has been quite thrifty recently. I’ve seen her eating takeout dinners every night when she comes back, hardly buying cosmetics or new clothes, and she’s been using an old-fashioned phone for quite a while. Last month, when she was paying the rent, her phone took a long time to load. That’s when I realized how old her phone was.”
After a pause, Ai Luodi continued, “But this month, she has been coming back every day looking very happy. Maybe she’s saved up enough money to buy a new phone.”
Hmm…
“Today isn’t a holiday, so she probably won’t be back until around 8. If you want to find out more, you can wait here for a while.”
“Okay, thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll hang up now.”
“Alright.”
Right after I hung up with Ai Luodi, the café’s manager happened to come up from the first floor and saw me still seated, looking at the documents. She naturally sat down across the table.
“How does it feel?” Manager Ouyang Xue greeted me with a very friendly smile. “Have you decided to join us?”
“I have a few questions,” I mustered the courage. “Are the claims in here, like having 8 days off every month and strictly following the holiday policy, all true?”
“It’s true,” the older sister-like manager gestured towards my phone. “You can start recording with your phone right now. If there’s ever a need for labor arbitration or something, you can just play it for evidence.”
This… She wants me to record it directly? I seemed to have encountered such a straightforward “boss” for the first time.
“But… if there are 8 days off each month, and then you add the holiday days on top…” I brought one of the documents over. “For instance, in October, there’s a 7-day National Day holiday, plus the original 8 days off, everyone has 15 days off for the month. Doesn’t that mean we only work for half of the month?”
“Yes,” the manager replied matter-of-factly. “Isn’t that right?”
“Wouldn’t it result in times when the café is unattended?”
“So there’s one condition: everyone needs to report to me on the 1st of each month about the days they want to take off that month. Then we discuss it together. If someone wants to take off from October 1st to the 15th, we’ll arrange other people to work those days to ensure that there’s always someone in the café.”
The manager pointed to another document and said, “Here it is, just this. One head maid, three maids, and two clerks, a total of six people. Months with many holidays like October are rare, and with six people, we can ensure that there’s someone in the cafe every day.”
So that’s what it means. It seems this big sister is genuinely determined to run this cafe well, with such a humane work schedule. I hope the formal opening goes smoothly in the future…
“I don’t have any issues, but I might not be able to start coming to work in these next two days,” I packed up the documents in front of me, stacking them together. “Is there any urgency regarding the work here?”
“If possible, I’d like you to start working tomorrow,” the manager is quite straightforward, seemingly unconcerned that I might take advantage of her kindness. “Honestly, I really like you, and I firmly believe that you will become the biggest asset for this café in the future.”
“Ahaha…” I felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. “But if I have to come to work tomorrow… tomorrow…”
“I can waive your probation period, or we can discuss any other conditions,” the manager took the documents and packed them in a bag. “If you feel the salary is too low, that’s negotiable too.”
Is this what it feels like to be “relied upon,” as they say? It’s different from any other company I’ve worked for in the past!
Those companies and businesses I interviewed with treated me with an attitude of “Love to work, work if you want, there are plenty of people who can do it” feeling. Ouyang Xue from the cafe is the first boss to express that “we can’t do it without you” meaning. And the reason they want me to stay and work is entirely because I look cute… In other words, everything I have is actually given by that Miss Grim Reaper. Without the body she gave me, there wouldn’t be the smooth job interview I just had.
“Alright, I can come to work tomorrow.” After struggling on the small chair for a while, I said, “But there are two conditions.”
The manager in front seemed to know what I wanted to say and spoke directly, “The basic salary here can go up to 6,000.”
6,000?! So, with commissions, bonuses, and overtime, could I potentially earn a five-figure monthly income too?
“Um… yes, there’s another request.” Since the other party was already so generous, I didn’t continue to haggle over the “salary” and instead glanced at my phone, organizing my words a bit, “Is it possible to prepay half a month’s salary in advance?”
“Hmm?”
The manager seemed a bit surprised, “Do you urgently need money lately?”
“Yes,” I nodded, “A friend of mine… has helped me a lot these days, and her phone is broken. I want to buy her a new phone as a gift. Is it okay?”
“No problem,” To my surprise, after hearing my answer, the manager seemed relieved, “New phones outside cost over 5,000 yuan, and half a month’s salary might not be enough. How about this? I’ll transfer your basic salary for this month directly to you.”
While saying this, she took out a contract from her bag.
“If you don’t have any issues with it, we can sign the employment contract right now.”
……