I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 88

 

In the southern part of Shenzhen City, in the Nanqi District, there’s a cat cafe called “Shangjing Cat Cafe.” The preparation method for the “Medicinal Steamed Chicken” here gives me the feeling of steaming mantou (Chinese steamed buns). Sprinkle with special seasonings, allowing half of the chicken to soak in the “medicinal water,” heat and simmer for 15 minutes, then add wolfberries, ginseng, and other ingredients to continue simmering before serving.

 

Ouyang Xue says the most important aspect of this dish is to let customers see the wolfberries, ginseng, and various medicinal herbs in the chicken soup. So, when plating, use a small shovel to scoop up these ingredients and drizzle them onto the chicken to present it well.

 

A whole chicken, accompanied by two pairs of disposable gloves and two bowls, also the by-product of chicken soup from the braising process is poured into soup bowls. Add to that the “Meow Meow Cat Paw Egg Tart” prepared by Chef Wang. All these items placed on the dining tray add up to quite a weight. At least, holding them with both hands, I can feel the obvious exertion.

 

This cat cafe, even if placed nationwide, belongs to the type of very large restaurant — being able to house more than fifty cats on the first floor while still accommodating customers. The restaurant area is certainly not small. It is said that this shop was originally built with the concept of “allowing every customer to interact with at least one cat.”

 

Moreover, perhaps considering that cats would shed fur in the future, and there would be a need for a large number of cat litter boxes, cat climbing frames, cat toys, etc., the cat living area and the customer dining area are separated. The circular mushroom house is divided into two halves by a small fence: one side for dining and the other for the cat living area, with the counter in the middle for ordering and handling various matters.

 

“Your steamed chicken and egg tarts!” Returning to the positions of the two young men with a tray, I carefully placed the steamed chicken and egg tarts on the table, put the gloves in the middle, and pressed the small condiment bottle containing chili sauce: “Please enjoy your meal.”

 

“Hey, when was this place built?” The guy wearing a duckbill cap seemed very interested in me.

 

“How long have you been working here?”

 

“The café just opened recently,” I replied politely with a smile. “I’ve only been here for a few days myself.”

 

“This place looks too luxurious, but I see it’s so deserted around here… Will anyone really come?” Another guy questioned with doubt. “You see, it’s early morning, and there are only two customers. Don’t you have any promotions or events?”

 

“Well… because our store hasn’t officially opened yet, we’re currently in the trial operation phase,” I explained. “The grand opening is on May 10th, and we’ll definitely have activities by then.”

 

“May 10th? What’s the date today?” The guy took out his phone, glanced at it, and said to his companion, “Can we come on the 10th?”

 

“Why? Are you into Lolis?” The other guy didn’t even lift his head, taking the disposable gloves from the table. “Interested in someone else’s Loli maid?”

 

“I’m just asking!”

 

“If you want to come, I can accompany you,” the guy talking seemed entirely focused on the chicken. “Smells so good, with the aroma of herbs. It reminds me of when I was a kid in the countryside… covered in bugs, and my grandma would use something with a similar scent for my bath.”

 

“Phew, we’re eating here, what are you talking about?” The other guy retorted. “It’s breakfast, can’t you say something nice?”

 

“I’m not good at talking, talk to the maid over there yourself.”

 

The guy with the gloves tried to grab a chicken leg, but instantly pulled his hand back, scalded. “Hiss—”

 

I quickly warned, “Be careful, it’s hot.”

 

“Doesn’t this café have the kind of service… where someone helps shred the chicken?” The guy looked up. “Like, could the maids help hand-shred the chicken?”

 

“At the moment, we don’t have that service,” I said in a formal manner. “But it’s something we’ll consider.”

 

“Did you make these egg tarts?” Seeing that the chicken was too hot, the guy opened a nearby box. “Wow, eight egg tarts for 60 yuan.”

 

“Not pleased? Those foreign brand egg tarts cost ten yuan each, and these are new, plus you get the cute maid service. Not bad.”

 

“Indeed, and there’s chicken soup included. Haha, lots of wolfberries, this is a big supplement…”

 

After a brief chat with the two guys, I returned to the kitchen.

 

“Here.” Ouyang Xue, who was munching on chicken legs and popcorn chicken, pointed to the table with pre-cut Orleans roasted chicken and a few egg tarts. “Eat up. The main office says the cat-themed vehicle has set off, it’ll be here in half an hour.”

 

“Alright.”

 

I took a small chair and sat down, accepting the plate of roasted chicken. Just as those two guys mentioned, the current area in Nanqi District is quite desolate. Unless it’s a holiday, the people who come here are mainly “riding buddies” who enjoy cycling around the world or those who have temporary breaks from work and wander around.

 

This group of people is not large, and those who see the mushroom house and come in to spend money are even fewer. So, before the café officially opens, I won’t be particularly busy. But if it opens…

 

I can already imagine how much busier I’ll be then. The café is very large, extremely large. On one side is the territory of the cats, and on the other is the domain of people. It’s divided into two floors. Breakfast and early afternoon are fine, but during meal times, especially from 11 am to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 7 pm, I estimate that the number of customers coming in will increase exponentially.

 

If, at that time, there’s only me as a maid in the store, it will be absolutely exhausting. The shop hasn’t officially opened yet, and the service counter in the middle of the first floor is not operational. If a customer comes, I have to go over to take the order. Once it’s open, customers entering the shop can simply scan a QR code to place their orders directly. I imagine I’ll be running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining tables.

 

“The first batch of cats that were delivered includes 30 cats, many different breeds. Their personalities are mostly lazy, not the type to enjoy crowds. But it’s possible that they might show interest and seek interaction with people once they arrive.”

 

While eating, Ouyang Xue gestured towards the first-floor barrier separating the people and cat areas: “Those things can’t restrict cats. Now, approaching summer, the biggest problem for cat cafes is cat hair. Except for the Sphynx cat, Nuo’er, remember, wherever you see cat hair, clean it up, and when you have time, pluck the fur, especially from long-haired cats. Try not to let them shed in the dining area.”

 

“Understood.” I nodded. “What is a Sphynx cat?”

 

“In plain terms, it’s a hairless cat.”

 

Ouyang Xue sprinkled some chili powder on her fried chicken and then handed me the bottle. I quickly shook my head, indicating that I couldn’t handle too spicy food.

 

“I used to not like spicy food. I read studies saying chili is bad for the stomach, but the latest scientific research shows that capsaicin can inhibit Helicobacter pylori, has anticancer properties, and effectively lowers the risk of gastric diseases… Ah, it’s like Pluto. Today, they say it’s a planet, tomorrow they kick it out again.”

 

Ouyang Xue still had that big sister demeanor. “But it’s true that spicy food can refresh your mind.”

 

I smiled, “It feels like Ouyang Xue has been through a lot.”

 

“Indeed… who hasn’t? Nuo’er, you must have experienced a lot too, right? I haven’t seen a cute and pretty girl like you choosing to work as a waitress in such a remote place.”

 

Finishing the spicy chicken and popcorn chicken in three bites, Ouyang Xue grabbed the nearby bottle of water and took a big gulp: “Girls like you, just casually start a live stream, shout ‘brother’ a couple of times, and your income would probably be higher than doing this every day.”

 

“Sister Ouyang.”

 

On the other side, Chef Wang laughed heartily, “Are you trying to persuade the young girl to quit her job?”

 

“She won’t, Nuo’er isn’t the type to use her looks to make quick money. I can see that she works hard. I noticed that about her during the recruitment yesterday.”

 

After saying that, Ouyang Xue stood up, “I’ll go set up the cat climbing frames and litter boxes. Nuo’er, when you’re done eating, come over to the cat area, and I’ll teach you some basic cat care knowledge.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Watching Ouyang Xue leave the kitchen, I hastened my pace of eating. How should I put it… I feel like Ouyang Xue is probably a very responsible and caring café manager? She’s not like any of the bosses I’ve encountered in my previous jobs, not the unreasonable “client,” more like… a considerate auntie who works in a big company next door. The kind who takes care of you like a big sister when you’re sick instead of your parents?

 

I wonder what type the manager of that Miss Grim Reaper’s shop is.

 

“I’m full!”

 

Having finished the roasted chicken and egg tarts in front of me, I patted my round belly, tidied up the trash on the table, and waved to the chef, “Chef Wang, I’m heading to work.”

 

“Sure, go ahead!”

 

Leaving the kitchen, I saw the two guys in the corner had taken out their phones and started playing games. The steamed chicken and egg tarts on the table seemed only halfway eaten, and at this rate, they probably wouldn’t finish in half an hour.

 

“Over here!”

 

Walking through the opened gate in the barrier to the cat living area on the opposite side, I found Ouyang Xue busy at work.

 

“These are things the cats used before. Set them up first to make this place familiar with their scents. This way, the cats will quickly adapt to the environment.”

 

Ouyang Xue gestured with her eyes towards some cat climbing frame parts not far away. “It’s like building blocks when you were a kid. Just assemble them in any way you like.”

 

“Can I make it any shape?”

 

“Any shape is fine, try to stack it high.”

 

Ouyang Xue explained, “Because there’s a clear hierarchy among cats, stacking the cat climbing frame higher allows the higher-ranking cats to lie on the top tier, helping them and us distinguish the hierarchy of the cat group… But don’t stack it too high, at least not taller than your head, so that you can still lift the cats down when needed.”

 

“This…?”

 

Curious, I asked, “Is there any benefit to dividing the cats into ranks among themselves?”

 

“The benefit is that normally we can clearly know who is the leader in this group of cats. As long as we maintain good relations with the top cat, or if there’s anything that needs to be done with the entire cat group, the purpose will be stronger. Of course, everything is not absolute, it just helps in distinguishing the personalities of the cats.”

 

“Oh…”

 

I somewhat understood, “Are these cats trained?”

 

“They were all brought back from a closed cat café. The youngest among them has already been serving customers in cat cafés for several months, and some of the top cats have been interacting with humans for five or six years. They won’t have significant stress reactions to people.”

 

How did we end up sounding like… we rescued a group of flower girls from a closed brothel and helped them find new jobs? You little furry ladies, are you scared? No tears?

 

“Let’s assemble the cat climbing frames first, and the cat litter boxes over there. There are markings on the floor, just arrange them one by one in the designated spots.”

 

Ouyang Xue pulled out several heavy bags of cat litter from the side. “After installing the litter boxes, be sure to check the battery levels. Charge the ones with red lights.”

 

“Litter boxes need to be charged?”

 

Now I was confused, “Are they fully automated?”

 

If I remember correctly, isn’t the cat litter box essentially a cat’s toilet? And it needs to be charged? An electronic toilet?

 

“Yes, fully automatic, with a sensor. The door opens when the cat approaches, and it automatically filters after use.”

 

Ouyang Xue pointed to the tables on the opposite side, “There’s no choice, the restaurant has to use automatic litter boxes.”

 

Why do I feel like the cats here are living better than I am…

 

With a somewhat gloomy mood, I walked towards the scattered pile of cat climbing frame parts. There are dedicated people to serve three meals a day, living in this two-story upscale restaurant. The area on the first floor alone is comparable to the mansions of wealthy women. There are even dedicated toys, and the toilets are fully automatic. This… makes me want to be a cat and just chill.

 

While thinking about this, I started picking up the parts of the cat climbing frame scattered on the floor.

 

As the name suggests, a cat climbing frame is something for cats to climb up and down, move around, and scratch their bodies.

 

Most of these structures are assembled with hemp ropes and rough wooden boards, which feel a bit prickly in my soft, delicate hands.

 

After a simple examination of the structure of these parts, I roughly understood how they fit together—it feels similar to LEGO blocks, except here, they are oversized blocks.

 

Cat climbing frames come in many varieties, including boards, cat beds, cat tunnels, round logs, and more. Each type of part has very simple joints or screws; you don’t even need a wrench or screwdriver, just twist them into the notches and holes.

 

I took a look and thought, well, this thing is detachable anyway, so let’s assemble it randomly.

 

After surveying the cat living area, I spent some time assembling a cat climbing frame over a meter tall and moved it to the entrance of the barrier.

 

Let’s place another one here, and one more over here.

 

With the efforts of both me and the store manager, we managed to arrange all the cat climbing frames and litter boxes in less than half an hour.

 

“Boss!”

 

At this moment, the voices of the two guys outside could be heard: “Boss, we want to buy the service of taking a photo with the maid!”

 

“Coming!”

 

While responding to them outside, Ouyang Xue led me out of the cat living area, holding the payment code with one hand, “One yuan per photo, how many do you want?”

 

“Can we do any poses?”

 

“Nothing too intimate.”

 

Ouyang Xue shook her head, “We are a legitimate cat café. Of course… if you’re talking about little kittens, the photos are free, and any intimate poses are not allowed, as long as the cat is willing.”

 

“It’s not a cat.”

 

The guy wearing a duckbill cap pointed at me, “Maid photo, give us five.”

 

As he spoke, he scanned the payment code, “Ding, received 5 yuan.”

 

I walked over as obediently as possible and stood with them.

 

“Click.”

 

“Click.”

 

“Here’s my phone, take two for me.”

 

“Click.”

 

After taking the photos, the guy with the duckbill cap took out his phone and seemed to tap on it: “To be honest, we are outdoor live streamers. Passing by here today was purely a coincidence. However, after trying the steamed chicken and egg tarts here, we found them really good.”

 

After speaking, he looked at me, “The maid girl is also very cute, hehe.”

 

“Outdoor live streamers?”

 

Ouyang Xue, experienced in this field, exclaimed, “Which platform are you outdoor streamers on?”

 

“Tongmeng Net. Usually, I travel around on my bike, live streaming local snacks from around the world. But today, I didn’t go live.”

 

The guy spoke in an inquiring tone, “Maybe we’ll come back in a couple of days, bring our live streaming equipment, have the steamed chicken and egg tarts again, and help promote your store. What do you think?”

 

Ouyang Xue crossed her arms, “Payment?”

 

“No, no, it’s free.”

 

“Alright then, feel free to come back. Just don’t say anything bad about the place.”

 

Ouyang Xue appeared very open-minded, “When will you come again?”

 

“Maybe tomorrow or the day after.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Ouyang Xue waved at me, “Nuo’er, go to the kitchen and get two bottles of our best cola. Consider it my treat as the store manager for the two young gentlemen.”

 

I understood, “Sure!”

 

The best cola? Don’t we only have one type of cola here? Sending me to get cola is a pretense, sending me away and handling the advertising matter with those two “outdoor live streamers” in her capacity as the store manager is the real deal, isn’t it? My store manager really doesn’t miss any opportunity for promotion…

 

In the kitchen fridge, I found two bottles with the lowest temperature, placed them on a tray, and returned to the café hall.

 

“That’s settled then. Come by tomorrow, it happens that the cats in the store will be here.”

 

As I returned, the store manager had just finished discussing the collaboration with the two young men. They both re-shouldered their backpacks and put on their hats.

 

“Alright.”

 

They each took a cola from the tray I held, saying, “Miss Ouyang, see you tomorrow. And to the maid sister, see you tomorrow!”

 

“See you tomorrow!”

 

Waving goodbye, I watched them leave until their figures disappeared along the roadside outside the door. Then, I turned my face and curiously asked, “What kind of streamers are they?”

 

“They do outdoor adventure live streaming, with over 400,000 followers. I have a bit of an impression. They like exploring pitch-black caves or going to remote places with few footprints.”

 

Ouyang Xue yawned, lazily sitting in the seats the two young men had occupied earlier. “I guess they passed by the café this time to gather material around the Shenzhen River.”

 

Outdoor adventure streamers? Adventurers? It’s not easy to find such a profession in a super-modern city like Shenzhen.

 

“Ding, ding, ding, ding—”

 

After returning to tidy up the cat living area and checking the cat litter box and automatic feeder, making sure they were in good working condition with sufficient power, around ten o’clock, the honking of car horns echoed outside the café door.

 

“The cats are here.”

 

Ouyang Xue, who had been resting at a table on the first floor, immediately stood up. “Nuo’er, come and help with the cats.”

 

“Coming!”

 

I hurriedly ran out of the cat living area, and the round-toed, hard-bottomed maid shoes made a “clattering” sound as they met the floor.

 

“The city center is congested.”

 

The driver was the male staff member who had greeted me yesterday when I entered the shop. He was driving a large truck, parked in the open space outside the café. After jumping down from the driver’s seat, he walked to the parking spot and opened the rear door.

 

“Meow…”

 

“Even though there’s the café door and the car door between us, I faintly hear intermittent cat meows coming from inside.”

 

“Fortunately, the temperature isn’t too high today, so the cats shouldn’t have any problems. Next time, let’s use a car with air conditioning for transportation and make a few more trips.”

 

With practiced ease, the driver unloaded two airline carriers from the car, then hopped back into the driver’s seat.

 

“Sphynx cats, also known as hairless cats.”

 

Taking the two carriers handed to me, Ouyang Xue briefly glanced inside and started introducing the cats to me. “The one on top is called Miaomiao, 1.5 years old, male, born on January 9, 2021. The one below is called Qiaoqiao, female, also 1.5 years old, born on January 8, 2021, 10 minutes younger than Miaomiao.”

 

What?

Upon hearing this, I showed a somewhat fearful expression. “These… these are…”

 

“You need to remember them all.”

 

Ouyang Xue gave me an affirmative answer. “Names and ages, memorize them. You have two months, no problem, right?”

 

Memorize the names and ages of fifty… no, eighty cats in two months?!

I recalled my own university days.

 

I wasn’t very familiar with university girls, but living and studying with male classmates for two months, I couldn’t remember the names of the entire class.

 

At that time, we had just over twenty people in one class in college. Don’t even talk about one or two months, even after a whole semester, I couldn’t remember all the people in the class. And now you’re asking me to memorize the names, birthdays, and genders of eighty cats?

 

“Don’t show that expression. Cats are easier to remember than people, and you’ll be interacting with them almost every day for the next few months. You’ll quickly remember.”

 

Probably sensing my inner shock, Ouyang Xue reassured me, “Cats are not like humans. We have many different breeds in our shop, like these two hairless cats, Sphynx. There are only four of them, and the names of the four Sphynx cats follow the same format—Miaomiao, Qiaoqiao, and…”

 

At that moment, the driver came over again, carrying two more airline carriers. Through the cracks in the carriers, you could see two more hairless cats inside.

 

“Here, these two, Beibei and Jiajia, both females. Beibei is the third sister, and Jiajia is the fourth sister. All from the same litter. Four hairless cats, one male, three females. That’s it. You should be able to remember these four names, right?”

 

Ouyang Xue then headed toward the back door of the truck. “Nuo’er, you first move Miaomiao and Qiaoqiao inside. Once inside, open the carriers directly for them and let the cats get familiar with the environment.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Thinking about it, it does make sense. If there are many breeds of cats, and I interact with them every day, even if I only remember the names of four cats each day, I could remember a hundred cats in a month.

 

“Meow…”

 

Carrying the handles on the airline carriers, I jogged back to the café with the two little ones. Then, I entered the cat living area and placed the carriers under one of the cat trees, opening the doors.

 

Two hairless cats, resembling mythical guardians or extraterrestrials, cautiously stepped out of the carriers. Observing their surroundings, the one called “Miaomiao” extended its claws to scratch the scratching post.

 

It seemed like they weren’t afraid of me?

 

I tried gently petting Miaomiao on the head.

 

The little one turned around and licked my fingers with its pink tongue.

 

Prickly.

 

The rumor about cat tongues being covered in barbs was indeed true. However, the feel of this cat’s tongue was a bit… unpleasant.

 

All flesh, with many folds, and not a single strand of fur.

 

Hairless cats are probably only suitable for those who are genuinely fond of them or people allergic to cat fur, I thought.

 

Seeing that the two cats were gradually adapting to the environment, I returned to the café entrance and brought in “Beibei” and “Jiajia.”

 

Next were cats of different breeds.

 

“These ones are all British Shorthairs, like Tom from ‘Tom and Jerry.’ There are distinctions among them, such as British Blue, British Blue-White, and British Cream.”

 

“This one is called Pomegranate, and this one is called Pizza.”

 

“……”

 

“Next are the domestic cats, this one is Du Fu, and this one is Li Bai.”

 

“The patterns of domestic cats are easy to distinguish—just look at their colors and spots.”

 

“…?”

 

“This one is called ‘Building 3’, it has the worst temper among all the cats.”

 

“This one is called Mosquito Bite, and this one is called One Bite. Also, this one…”

 

“Why do the names of these domestic cats sound so strange?”

 

“That’s because some cat cafés take in stray cats from outside. For example, ‘Building 3’ was caught near a university’s Building 3, so it’s named ‘Building 3’. ‘One Bite’ got its name because it bit the glove when it was captured.”

 

“…”

 

Well, it turns out the cats are normal, and it’s the namers who are too casual.

 

With this, I listened to Ouyang Xue’s introduction while helping her move the cats into the café, spending more than ten minutes bringing all the cats inside. Suddenly, the once empty café was filled with life due to the arrival of these little spirits.

 

“Alright, there’s still a lot of leftover cat food from before. Your task today is to negotiate with the cat food suppliers near the harbor, try to get a lower price. We are a big customer, and there will be a significant demand for cat food in the future. However, no matter what, quality comes first.”

 

Amidst various “meow” sounds from the surrounding cats, Ouyang Xue spoke to the driver, “Cat food is of utmost importance, there can’t be any issues.”

 

“Don’t worry, Sister Ouyang.”

 

The driver brother had a very confident look, saying, “I guarantee the completion of the task.”

 

In less than ten minutes, the newly arrived cats quickly found their positions and began to “rule the roost,” just as Ouyang Xue had mentioned.

 

Some cats walked around to familiarize themselves with the environment, while others pounced on the automatic feeder as soon as they arrived and ate non-stop. A few agile ones leaped onto the top of the cat climbers, while some simply lay down on the floor, assuming a lazy posture like a salted fish.

 

“Ding dong! Welcome!”

 

Before I could start memorizing the names of the cats, there was another sound of someone entering the room.

 

“Boss? Is anyone here?”

 

This time, a young couple entered, both around twenty years old. If I guessed correctly, they were probably students from a nearby university out for some leisure.

 

“Wow! So many little cats! Is this a cat café? Not a place to eat?”

 

“Ding dong! Welcome!”

 

As the young couple just entered, two middle-aged men with briefcases came in from outside.

 

“Such a big mushroom house! Is there really food here?”

 

“Here comes the peak dining time, things are about to get busy. Leave those two uncles to me, you go serve the young couple.”

 

Ouyang Xue patted my shoulder, indicating that she would take care of the two middle-aged men, and I should attend to the young couple.