I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 89

 

The same as predicted by the store manager Ouyang Xue, compared to the quiet and chilly morning, there was an explosive growth in the number of people coming to dine in the restaurant starting from 11 in the morning.

 

It was as if, in the first ten minutes, this place was a remote restaurant on the brink of closure with hardly anyone visiting, but after ten minutes, it instantly transformed into a trending hot spot, like a firecracker.

 

The job of a restaurant waiter is similar to some white-collar professions, it’s particularly idle during idle times – mornings, afternoons, and late nights when few people eat during these hours. Waiters can do almost anything during these times, like playing with their phones or taking a nap. Of course, at the moment, this café is still in the preparatory stage before opening, and during idle times, I can’t rest since I have to take care of the cats and handle various miscellaneous matters.

 

“Hey, maid! Over here! Over here!”

 

“Waitress! Add a serving of Meow Meow Cat Paw Egg Tart! Meow Meow Cat Paw Egg Tart! 20% off!”

 

“Maid sister, do you have Sweet Flower-Brewed Chicken or Wolf Claw Grilled Meat Pie?”

 

“Bring a serving of Butter Crab!”

 

“Why is the coffee at your café so bad? I’m leaving.”

 

“…”

 

From 11 o’clock onwards, various people gradually occupied the tables on the first floor. The composition of these individuals seemed to be mostly college couples, dormitory buddies, and close friends, as today was not a holiday, and those who could come out to play were mostly college students or special workers on leave. They were mostly attracted by the neighboring scenic Shenzhen River and came to the café after experiencing activities such as boating or fishing on the river, wandering around.

 

I noticed that quite a few people even came in carrying fishing gear and asked us to help handle the fish they caught.

 

“Hey waitress, fry this one for me, and I’ll tip you for your effort!”

 

“I have a small one here, can I feed it to the cat?”

 

“No? Why not? Isn’t this a cat café? Don’t cats eat fish?”

 

“Parasites? Well, then, boil this small fish first, make it well-cooked, and then feed it to the little cat. Haha.”

 

Various customers, various strange requests, keeping me incredibly busy. According to Ouyang Xue, the first-floor hall’s tables and chairs could theoretically accommodate 80 to 100 customers for dining. If needed, the second floor could accommodate around 30 more. However, at this peak lunchtime, the twenty customers in the store were already keeping me too busy: taking orders, adding meals, requesting photos, asking maids for conversation, wanting to pet the cats, and so on.

 

I can’t imagine how busy I would be in the future if this store is well-promoted, the surrounding commercial street is developed, and the number of people increases. If I’m still the only maid in the store, I’ll be incredibly busy. However, amidst the busyness, receiving customers also brings me great joy. Because it’s all about the money.

 

Ouyang Xue has a complex calculation method for the “maid receiving customer commission” in the store. I haven’t looked into it in detail, but I can roughly understand that this commission is positively correlated with my “diligence” or “effort.” In other words, every time I serve a customer, get them to place an order, or entice them to pet the cats and give snacks to the kittens, I receive a commission.

 

Currently, there’s only me, a maid, in the café. Almost all the expenses from customer orders are calculated as my commission. Ouyang Xue is generous; even though she helps me serve more than half of the customers, those customers are still considered part of my “performance.”

 

By the way, taking a “photo with the maid” gives me a 100% commission. Each photo is worth one yuan, and all of it contributes to my salary commission.

 

When customers specifically request to take a photo with me, and I hear the “click-click” sound of the cameras, I stand beside them, making cute gestures, and all I can think about is—

 

“One yuan, two yuan, three yuan, five yuan, yay!” Then I can naturally show a big smile.

 

The number of “photos with the maid” on the bill is counted, but neither Ouyang Xue nor I will actively ask customers how many photos they took. It all relies on their conscious payment. After all, photography is not prohibited in the café, and even if someone takes photos secretly, no one will stop them.

 

“So many cat breeds here… Are they not afraid of people?”

 

“Hey, Chen Zhi, this cat is so ugly. It has no fur, huh?”

 

“Can I feed them? Wow, so many snacks? And canned food too?”

 

“What kind of canned food does this ugly cat like?”

 

“…”

 

While entertaining customers who have eaten and drunk and guiding them to the back cat living area to play, I also noticed a strange phenomenon. Almost every first-time visitor is attracted by the four hairless cats, and then, with surprise, they approach to touch them.

 

The hairless cats, clever and cute, don’t seem to mind being touched. They lazily lie on the ground, letting customers pamper them.

 

Every time I see this scene, I sincerely sigh that these cats, who have seen the world and come from a cat café, truly know how to please guests. If it were any stray cat or the orange cat that Yang Kun, the previous apartment manager, used to keep, not to mention touching, they would instantly run far away if you approached them.

 

“Don’t touch it, this cat is really ugly, no fur makes it so unattractive. I prefer the fluffy ones. Let’s look at another one.”

 

“The texture feels so strange, why is it licking me…”

 

“Is this the Beerus from the Dragon Ball series? Or is it the God of Destruction? My goodness.”

 

“Haha, I just love these ugly cats. Maid, bring a can for this one!”

 

And so on.

 

From the hairless cat Sphinx, these customers’ opinions start to diverge. The hairless cats are adept at pleasing people. When touched, they either roll over or lick the customer’s hand, earning them a lot of cat treats and canned food. However, those customers who don’t like hairless cats would observe them curiously for a while and quickly shift their attention to other breeds.

 

At this point, the first cat that often catches their eye is the largest one in the cat group—the Maine Coon.

 

Currently, there are two Maine Coon cats in the store, one named Dingman and the other named Nian Gao. Both are three-year-old adult male cats with weights exceeding thirty kilograms and lengths surpassing half a meter. If you include their tails, they are almost as large as me. They belong to the “giant cat” category, with fluffy fur and a mane-like “collar” under their necks. Paired with sapphire-like eyes, they exude a particularly majestic aura.

 

Next, there are several Ragdoll cats and Norwegian Forest cats in the store. Ragdoll cats are currently the most popular cat breed on the market, named for their resemblance to ragdoll dolls. They are predominantly white, with sky-blue eyes. The appearance of the Norwegian Forest cat is similar to that of the Maine Coon, but their fur is more “wild,” giving the impression that these cats might live in the forest.

 

In addition to these large cats, many customers also like some of the more popular breeds, such as the British Shorthair, which is the prototype of Tom in “Tom and Jerry,” as well as the American Shorthair with patterns resembling a python and the “big-faced bowl” exotic Shorthair, also known as the Garfield cat.

 

Various breeds of the “Chinese countryside cat,” found everywhere in China, are also well-loved by customers. Examples include the black-and-white cow cat, the dirty gray tortoiseshell cat, and the long-haired countryside lion cat.

 

However, among the Chinese countryside cats, the most popular is the orange cat—I really don’t quite understand why orange cats are always so chubby. Is it because they naturally carry a chubby gene, or is it because humans love orange cats and end up overfeeding them, making orange cats fatter than other cats?

 

To be honest, personally, when it comes to work, my favorite cats are the four hairless Sphinx cats, followed by the short-haired countryside cats. Because they require minimal grooming, don’t shed much hair, and don’t need to be brushed.

 

As for the hairless cats, there’s no need to say much. These four little guys have great personalities, they enjoy being petted, hugged, and kissed. The only male, Miaomiao, even turns back to lick your hand after being petted. Apart from the fact that they are hairless and resemble the Dragon Ball character Beerus, which may not appeal to everyone’s aesthetic, they are perfect cats in my opinion.

 

The same goes for the countryside cats. The amount of hair on these cats is quite ideal—strong and not excessive shedding, within an acceptable range.

 

However, the remaining cats, especially the long-haired ones—yes, specifically naming the Maine Coon, Ragdoll, Norwegian Forest, and the blue cats over there—you are simply demons. The hair on these cats falls as if it were free. Even though I saw no customers in the hall for the past ten minutes, I grabbed a Ragdoll cat, brought it over, and combed its fur for five minutes. A small bag full of hair was collected, and I thought this cat wouldn’t shed more today. However, as soon as the cat excitedly jumped out of my arms, flipped over the railing, its massive body rubbing against the sides, a loud “whoosh” and a large clump of cat hair fell down. Now, I have to chase after it, picking up hairballs while calling its name, making sure it doesn’t run into the dining area where customers are seated.

 

Before having such close contact with cats, I genuinely thought that YouTubers and bloggers joking about cats shedding hair on video platforms were just kidding. Also, not all cats enjoy being brushed. Some cats see me picking up the brush and immediately want to run away, while others think I want to play a cat-catching-mouse game with them. When I approach, they happily retreat, and if they get too excited, they dart over to the customer area.

 

As a result, throughout the day, my job is essentially welcoming customers, swiftly taking orders, rushing to the kitchen, and bringing the dishes back at lightning speed. When I spot hairballs, I dash back to pick them up. If a long-haired cat is shedding, I chase after it, pick it up, bring it back to brush its fur, and then use a special lint roller to remove any cat hair stuck to my maid outfit and stockings before returning to serve customers.

 

There’s a low fence between the customer dining area and the cat area. Some cats are not only unafraid of people but actually love strangers. After all, these cats all come from a cat café, and in their eyes, strangers are equivalent to cat food and snacks. So, it’s common for cats to sneak out into the hall to charm customers. Apart from the hairless cats, I need to catch these escapee cats and bring them back to their designated area.

 

However, for some reason, customers who come here to eat seem to really enjoy watching me catch the cats. They sit in the hall, munching on chicken legs, and every time they see me chasing after a cat or struggling to catch an escapee cat, bringing it back with a strained expression on my face, I can always see the happy smiles on their faces. Many of them even take out their phones to snap photos.

 

At this point, I have to hurriedly and somewhat clumsily adjust my skirt, then pick up the cat. But some cats are particularly heavy, like those Maine Coon and Ragdoll cats. Without preparation, I lift them for a short while and end up getting tired and unsteady.

 

Why in the world are there cats that weigh over thirty kilograms?! Are they practically small tigers?!

 

“Look at that maid girl, she can’t even lift a cat.”

 

“Haha, so cute. Is her strength really that weak?”

 

“Probably didn’t eat properly when she was a kid!”

 

“I have to admit, that cat is really huge. What kind of cat is it?”

 

What’s most infuriating is that these customers even laugh out loud while watching me being tossed around by the cat, discussing and commenting on this side.

 

Ugh…

 

If I were still the old man I used to be, a few thirty-kilogram cats… This tough guy could lift them with one hand!

 

During the busiest time at noon, I basically didn’t get a second of rest. I continuously shuttled back and forth between the kitchen and the customers, delivering items. When I had a moment, I had to check on the cats, groom them, remove hair, and clean.

 

I stayed busy until around three in the afternoon. After the lunch rush, I finally got an hour of break time.

 

“Go eat something and take a nap. I’ll handle the afternoon customers.”

 

Ouyang Xue was quite responsible. She had the chef prepare some dishes for me and sent them to the “staff dormitory” on the second floor. She handed me a towel, her face full of concern. “Look at you, covered in sweat.”

 

I smiled. “Thank you.”

 

Looking at the situation, I figure I’ll probably just need to work on toning my abdominal muscles at home. The amount of exercise in a day at the restaurant is almost ten times more than my usual morning run. No need to worry about getting fat.

 

“To be honest, you don’t have to work so hard. If the cats run out, they run out. The notice outside has already marked this place as a cat café. Generally, customers won’t cause trouble because of this.”

 

Using a handkerchief to wipe off the sweat on my forehead, Ouyang Xue explained, “As long as it’s not a situation where cat hair is flying everywhere, it’s okay.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I asked Ouyang Xue to help me wipe the sweat off my head. “Dingman is really mischievous, always thinking about going outside.”

 

“It has had three owners before, and it even wandered for a while. It was only discovered by a pet blogger in the neighborhood and sent to the cat café. Perhaps its experiences from the first two times made it think it had done something wrong and was abandoned. So, it’s very affectionate and afraid you’ll abandon it again.”

 

Ouyang Xue had a worldly-wise expression. “Most pet cats lack combat abilities in the wild. Despite being a Maine Coon with a large size, the cats that come out of catteries are generally educated not to fight with their peers or humans. This makes them unable to beat the stray cats outside, and they end up starving.”

 

“Meow…”

 

Just as she was speaking, the slightly ajar door to the dormitory was pushed open, and a large gray-and-white cat stuck its head in from outside, looking like it wanted to come in but was hesitant to move.

 

“Hey, little Dingman.”

 

I waved to her.

 

The little cat gathered its courage and pushed the door open a bit more. Then, cautiously, it walked inside, leaving one paw print after another. Occasionally, it cast glances at me and Ouyang Xue, as if confirming whether I would chase it away.

 

For some reason, as I watched this timid Maine Coon with a small expression that seemed to “please its owner,” an image of a young demon from a previous dream surfaced in my mind. Their expressions seemed surprisingly alike—both displaying fear of offending someone, loneliness, helplessness, yet a strong desire for help, friendship, and a fear of being abandoned.

 

Currently, there are over thirty cats in this shop. Dingman, despite being the largest cat, is not the leader of the cat group, and its status seems particularly low. However, it is currently the cat with whom I have the best relationship. It almost follows me wherever I go, coming out with me when I serve customers. Even when carried back, it peeks over the railing to watch.

 

As for the other cats, there are those like the lively and energetic barn cats from ‘Building 3’, very independent and self-sufficient, indifferent to people. Then, there are those that have completely “laid flat” and let themselves be touched or carried, such as the hairless cats and Ragdolls.

 

“Well, rest well after you finish eating. If you’re worried about being disturbed, just close the door.”

 

Seeing me sit down by the small bed and placing the lunch on the table to start eating, Ouyang Xue tactfully walked out of the room, saying, “If you need anything, just come find me.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Watching Ouyang Xue leave, I picked up the chopsticks and looked at Dingman beside me. “Do you want to eat?”

 

“Meow…”

 

Dingman responded with a hoarse meow, lifting its right paw, licking it with its tongue, then bowing its head to scratch its cat ears, making a contented “gululu” sound, looking quite satisfied.

 

I walked over and partially closed the open door.

 

“If you’re hungry, remember to eat.”

 

Looking at Dingman, whose smooth fur I had spent almost the entire noon grooming, I sighed and picked up the chopsticks to start my lunch.

 

With the peak period of lunch orders and income from various photoshoots, I earned around fifty yuan in commissions. Currently, the café mainly caters to the traffic from the nearby, yet-to-be-completed commercial street, various tourism activities near the Shenzhen River, and the flow of people from the Nanqi market in Shenzhen City. If the number of customers remains the same at night, I could earn over 100 yuan in commissions in a day.

 

One hundred yuan a day, eight days off per month, the monthly commission is 2200 yuan. Taking into account the base salary, it’s over 8000 yuan, while an ordinary maid earns just over 6000 yuan.

 

However, obviously, following this trend, the café’s evening traffic won’t be as high as at noon, just more than less. Because the commercial street only gets crowded in the evening, and various tourist activities along the Shenzhen River, such as fishing or couples taking boats for water activities, are more lively at night. Not to mention the evening seafood gathering, who goes gathering seafood at noon? People usually go in the late afternoon or evening.

 

If my estimation is correct, the evening traffic at the café is likely to be twice that of the noon rush. And this is only during the off-season, without considering the flow of passersby and casual customers when the café is fully operational.

 

Once the café officially opens, the nearby commercial street is developed, and delivery services are initiated, the customer flow here could easily triple or even quintuple. In other words, even for an ordinary maid with a base salary of 4000 yuan, with some effort, normal customer service could earn a commission of five to six thousand, resulting in a monthly income exceeding ten thousand.

 

In a place like Shenzhen City, having a monthly income exceeding ten thousand would allow anyone to live quite comfortably. With a casually rented apartment costing a thousand yuan, spending a thousand yuan on food, and allocating another thousand for living expenses, groceries, and snacks, there would still be savings of eight thousand yuan.

 

Most importantly, this job comes with eight days off every month, and there might be more during popular holidays, providing enough time for relaxation, learning, and self-improvement.

 

Saving eight thousand yuan every month amounts to eighty thousand yuan a year. In three to five years, you could accumulate the down payment for a house and afford a mortgage. This calculation doesn’t even account for potential future salary increases or the prospect of increased customer traffic due to planned developments in Nangai Bay.

 

In places like the Beiyang District of Shenzhen City, which was once a desolate wilderness over a decade ago, the increase in wealthy residents led to developers building a plethora of villas. This development boosted the local economy, turning it into a super district with a significant increase in customer traffic. No one can be certain that the current Nangai District is impoverished and lacking people, as it may change in three to five years.

 

Such a job is conscientious, healthy, and offers hope for ordinary people. Oh, wait… I forgot, meals and accommodation are included here, so it seems like food expenses can be waived if you want to save money.

 

In my room, I took out my phone, illuminated the screen, and, while eating what was said to be a chef’s special “Little Loli Growth Nutrition Meal” supposedly poached from a high-end restaurant, I read the comments and critiques on novels.

 

?Updates are too slow.?

?Those from the group, encourage Yin Yin to write faster!?

?Why do you all call this author Yin Yin? Isn’t he an uncle??

?He is an uncle, and Yin Yin is the female protagonist in his previous work. Check out Honeydew’s subdivision if you’re interested.?

I read through the comments and critiques of the book several times but didn’t find any frustrating reviews. Satisfied, I opened QQ—

 

?Quick, take a look! There’s news about that mysterious little loli again. Last time, it was the editor, and this time, it’s the maid.?

?Forwarding message?

?Wow, this is so cute, isn’t it? The legs are so thin. I remember that white silk stockings are a test of leg shape. She is so thin, even in white silk stockings, so she must have a particularly good figure?

?Just no breasts?

?What do you mean? What kind of breasts does a loli want? You cultist, eat a forkful of it from me!?

 

What makes me amused and bemused is that, just like the “loli editor” incident from a couple of days ago, I, as the “loli maid,” am once again gaining attention in various anime and book lover groups. The only difference is that there are a lot more photos this time.

 

I’m wearing a white maid outfit, holding a cat, silly smiling at the camera. There are photos of me chasing cats with a small comb, and then, as I was chasing a cat that suddenly disappeared, a photo of the cat ambushing me from the table. Even I don’t understand how these tourists managed to capture so many strange photos.

 

Moreover, these people… I don’t know if it was planned, but all the photos released about me are particularly silly. It’s that kind of image where my intelligence is completely overshadowed by the cat – a clumsy, awkward loli maid. Add to that my short stature, the youthful style of the maid outfit, a hairstyle like a little girl, and the size 32 round-toed shoes on my feet that accentuate the smallness of the master’s feet. It makes me look like a foolish loli in this pile of photos.

 

Even my own book lover group has many people reposting these photos—

?@UncleLovesLoli Uncle, your loli has arrived?

?@UncleLovesLoli Quick, look at the new data from that maid cafe, there’s a real loli maid?

?When will it be available on May 10th? I also want to see the loli maid?

?Where’s the uncle? Why is he silent at a time like this? Could he be generating electricity while looking at these maid photos??

 

Generate electricity, my sister! Those are me! Am I generating electricity in front of my own photos? Perpetual motion princess?

 

?Cough, well, um, all of that is fake, photoshopped, don’t believe it?

 

As I continued eating, I could only reply one by one: ?I am indeed in Shenzhen, but… anyway, just don’t come, don’t come to this cafe, trust me?

 

?Shenzhen is very tricky, high cost of living, expensive rent, and this cafe is in such a remote location in Nanqi District, don’t come if you can avoid it?

 

What leaves me helpless is that my words seem to have not dispelled the doubts of the group members. Instead, it made them even more curious:

 

?Understood, I’ll buy a train ticket for May 10th?

?Uncle tells us not to go, but I’m even more eager to go?

?I’m from the School of Information Engineering, I can prove these photos are not photoshopped?

?Stop talking, I happen to have the day off that day, I’m also going to buy a ticket, loli maid, wait for me!?

“…”

 

None of you are serious for a day!

 

I completely can’t figure out whether the group members are joking or serious, so I gave up on the idea of “advising them not to come.” Anyway, I haven’t leaked my phone number and address in the group, so even if you come, you won’t know which one is me. hahaha.

 

Closing my reader group, I glanced at the editing group and some novel groups. Seeing that they were all filled with information about “loli maids,” I sighed lightly and put away my phone.

 

It’s better to quickly finish eating and take a break.

 

“Um… the chef’s cooking is not bad.”

 

Feeling physically and mentally exhausted, I finished the nutritious meal prepared by Chef Wang in less than ten minutes. After quickly tidying up the table and the trash, I took off my maid shoes, sat on one of the small beds, and rubbed my slightly sore legs through the white stockings.

 

I’m sweating…

 

After giving a simple massage to my calves and feet, I hesitated for a while on the bed. In the end, I decided to just sleep in the maid outfit.

 

Considering my current routine, the nap time is usually around twenty minutes. Sleeping too much in the afternoon might make me feel tired and sleepy, and the nap itself is just for a brief relaxation of the mind and body. I’m worried that if I undress and cover myself with a blanket like at night, I might fall into deep sleep and have trouble waking up in the afternoon.

 

If I have to say, I find the maid outfit, especially the stockings, too complicated to take off and put on. It’s more efficient to just sleep in them.

 

Remember when I used to work at another grocery store? Not to mention a bed, even having a table to lie on for a while at noon would be considered a luxury.

 

“Dingman, play by yourself, don’t suddenly jump up.”

 

After a simple adjustment of my maid dress and smoothing out the wrinkles in the white stockings on my feet, I took the nearby towel and, looking at the enormous Maine Coon cat on the bed, casually said, “Dingman, you play by yourself. Don’t suddenly jump up.” Then, I lay down.

 

What made me helpless was that, after a moment of hesitation, Dingman “plopped” onto the bed and then carefully crawled to my right side. Resting its head on my hand, it made a purring sound and settled down.

 

“What’s wrong?” I pulled my hand out. “Are you resting here?”

 

“Meow…”

 

The fluffy cat in front of me made a pitiful sound, then shifted its body and licked my hand before snuggling up beside it.

 

What a strange habit—does it have to rest with a person’s hand to fall asleep?

 

Feeling the clearly audible heartbeat of the small creature from my palm, I hesitated for a long time but ultimately couldn’t bring myself to forcefully push the cat off the bed.

 

Forget it, let’s just sleep like this.

 

“All right, little Dingman, good afternoon.”

 

“Purr, purr…”

 

“…”

 

…

 

…

 

?Is this really okay? I’m an uncle, isn’t it a bit too close for comfort between you and a man??

?At least don’t press your body against me…?

?Do you really have to hug me to fall asleep??

?Why do I feel like you’re acting like a little cat??

?Forget it, forget it, it won’t happen again. But remember, if there comes a day when I’m not by your side, don’t get too close to other men…?

?It’s okay if I were a girl, you can do whatever you want to me. But I’m not a girl, and there’s no magic in this world that turns men into women. Don’t let your imagination run wild, you little fool.?

 

“……”