Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Ever since Shen Qingyi suggested that Shan Ling could work for her, Shan Ling took the matter to heart. She didn’t hide it from Xu Wentao and told her about her idea.

“Miss Shen wants you to work for her…”

Xu Wentao leaned against the cash register and said to Shan Ling, “Do you know anything about Miss Shen’s family situation?”

Shan Ling thought for a moment and said, “She has a younger sister, and her father seems to have remarried. She should be living alone right now.”

Xu Wentao blinked: “And then?”

“And then?” Shan Ling looked at her in confusion: “What else?”

“Her monthly income, the coffee shop’s revenue, her father’s job, her properties,” Xu Wentao counted them out for Shan Ling. “Miss Shen’s car is low-key, but I checked online. That car costs at least seven to eight hundred thousand yuan—it’s not cheap. Also, didn’t you say she lives alone? Is it her own house, her parents’ property, or is she renting?”

Shan Ling scratched her head: “I’m just going to work for her. Do I need to know all that? As long as she pays me a salary, shouldn’t that be enough?”

“Are you stupid?” Xu Wentao said helplessly. “Do you think Miss Shen genuinely just wants you as an employee? She’s interested in you; she wants to date you.”

“That’s impossible,” Shan Ling said. “I didn’t see any sign that Shen Qingyi likes me. You must be mistaken.”

Xu Wentao shook her head and said seriously, “You don’t understand. My eyes are almost never wrong. Shen Qingyi really likes you. Otherwise, why would she run over here every day? It takes an hour round trip. What better things doesn’t she have to do?”

Shan Ling was left speechless by this and could only look down and ponder quietly.

The amusement park was relatively busy. After Xu Wentao slacked off for a while, she saw the boss approaching, quickly warned Shan Ling, and hurried off.

Shan Ling also quickly snapped out of her thoughts and greeted the boss: “Hello, Boss.”

“Mhm.” The boss was a middle-aged woman, tall and thin, with deep nasolabial folds that made her look quite stern.

In fact, she was indeed very stern.

The female boss glanced at Shan Ling. She had just seen Xu Wentao and Shan Ling whispering to each other. When she appeared, Xu Wentao ran off, leaving only Shan Ling.

This young girl worked very diligently. In the month or so she had been at the amusement park, she hadn’t made a single accounting error, unlike the clumsy employees who messed up the calculations for even a few hundred yuan, which gave her headaches.

Despite this, the female boss had no intention of praising her.

In her opinion, employees should not be praised, as they would become complacent.

“Let me look at the accounts,” the female boss told Shan Ling. “You go help the others in the play area.”

“Okay.” Shan Ling didn’t argue. She looked around and went to find Xu Wentao. The two worked together to tidy up the tables that the children had messed up.

The boss patrolled the area all day and didn’t leave until after 9 PM. By this time, the mall was also preparing to close.

Xu Wentao really disliked the boss, and only dared to approach Shan Ling after she left. They chatted briefly until it was time to clock out.

In the cold wind, Shan Ling shivered severely and had no desire to grab a late-night snack. She went straight back to the dorm and dove into her quilt, feeling slightly better.

Tucked into the quilt, feeling the hard board bed and thin blanket, Shan Ling felt a little nostalgic for the soft, large bed at Shen Qingyi’s house.

She came to the city primarily to accumulate good karma. Helping children at the amusement park and helping elderly women on the street seemed to be the same kind of activity. Other than increasing her income, she wasn’t making any progress.

If that was the case, why shouldn’t Shan Ling just go to Shen Qingyi’s side?

That way, being together day and night, the daily karma would definitely not be low. Plus, Shen Qingyi said she would pay her a salary. Wouldn’t that be the most ideal work-life situation?

Shan Ling seemed to have no reason to refuse.

As for what Xu Wentao had said, she wasn’t planning to consider it for now.

Why should a little bird spirit worry so much? She should just take things one step at a time!

The next day, Shan Ling woke up early and called Shen Qingyi.

“Hello?”

Shen Qingyi was still asleep. When she received Shan Ling’s call, she was a little dazed and her head took a moment to clear.

“Are you… awake?” Shan Ling stood on the balcony, looking at the familiar view of the community outside the window, holding the phone and saying, “I’ve thought about the thing you asked me about before.”

Shen Qingyi blinked, lying in bed with the back of her hand covering her forehead, asking uncertainly, “Are you referring to coming to work here?”

“Yes. You haven’t changed your mind, have you?” Shan Ling asked anxiously. “I just made up my mind yesterday, woke up early, and called you. If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll pretend I never made this call.”

Despite saying that, Shan Ling didn’t hang up immediately, waiting for Shen Qingyi to continue speaking.

A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone, causing Shan Ling’s ear tips to flush.

“When have I ever gone back on my word?” Shen Qingyi said gently. “I’m genuinely happy that you’ll be coming.”

“Then I’ll take that as you agreeing,” Shan Ling was also happy. Holding the phone, she said, “I also agree to the part-time job you mentioned. As long as I can be with you.”

The last sentence was a little ambiguous, so Shan Ling quickly changed the subject and said, “But I need half a month to wrap up my current job. Can you wait that long for me? I want to receive this month’s salary.”

Since the person was coming, would Shen Qingyi care about a few days?

Of course, she agreed immediately.

“You can focus on finishing up your work there. When you’re done, you can come straight to the coffee shop to start your job,” Shen Qingyi’s voice was cheerful, and she was completely awake now. She told Shan Ling, “I’ll take Jiao Jiao to see you in the next couple of days.”

“Okay.” Shan Ling smiled happily, her eyes curving. She glanced at the bathroom. Xu Wentao had finished washing up and came out. Shan Ling then told Shen Qingyi, “I need to brush my teeth and wash my face and head out. Wait for my good news today~”

After hanging up, Shen Qingyi lay in bed. Although she thought the conditions she offered were quite generous, she hadn’t expected Shan Ling to agree so quickly.

It seemed that besides considering buying a new uniform, she also needed to add more items to her home.

From now on, it would be two people living there.

The matter of changing jobs was simpler than Shan Ling had expected.

Since she had only worked for two months, Shan Ling was still in her probation period. The boss had no reason not to let her go, only requiring her to work a full month, which was what Shan Ling intended to do anyway.

That afternoon, Shan Ling went upstairs and bought milk tea and drinks, planning to treat her colleagues as a farewell gesture for the two months they spent together.

And coincidentally, An Xin was there that day.

Since Ji Lingyao had smashed An Xin’s porridge shop, “A Bowl of Porridge” had not opened again and remained closed.

An Xin herself was not planning to continue working at the mall. The rent was expensive, the space was small, and the foot traffic wasn’t particularly high; the main source of customers was takeout. It would be better to rent a separate storefront. Although it would cost a lot of money initially, at least the shop would be her own, and the space would be larger than what she had now.

“Sister An Xin?”

Shan Ling called out when she saw An Xin’s back. When An Xin turned around, Shan Ling said in surprise, “Why are you here?”

An Xin smiled when she saw Shan Ling: “I came to tidy up and finalize the contract with the mall management. I plan to stop renting entirely when the contract expires at the end of the year.”

Shan Ling didn’t quite understand the details of the mall contract but found it awkward to talk while standing. She followed An Xin into the porridge shop.

When the light turned on, the layout of the shop was the same as when An Xin left.

Only a thin layer of dust had settled.

“It’s only been half a month, but it feels like everything has changed,” Shan Ling placed the milk tea on a table in the shop, grabbed a clean cloth, wiped a chair, and told An Xin, “Sister An Xin, which milk tea would you like? Feel free to choose.”

An Xin looked at the four or five cups of milk tea in surprise and asked, “Why did you buy so many? Did someone treat you?”

Shan Ling smiled: “I’m treating.”

An Xin looked at her confusedly.

Shan Ling then told her about her resignation.

“Is that so?” An Xin sat across from Shan Ling and said helplessly, “If you leave, won’t only Tao Tao be left?”

“Tao Tao says she has no plans to change jobs yet. She says the salary at the amusement park is higher than elsewhere, and with food and accommodation covered, she can save money.”

“It’s not easy to save money in this city. Her idea is a good one.”

An Xin chose the cheapest oolong tea and said to Shan Ling, “Shen Qingyi… is the girl who was always with you before, right? She seems to value you a lot. Working at her shop should be pretty good.”

Shan Ling propped up her head and blinked, asking, “Sister An Xin, how are things going with Miss Ji? Is she still bothering you?”

“…She’s much more sensible,” An Xin inserted the straw and said, “I always used to think she was rash and never thought things through, never considering other people’s feelings. But in the last few days, I’ve noticed she seems to be starting to control her emotions. She’s much more mature than before.”

An Xin looked troubled, her internal struggle apparent: “Sometimes I’m not sure if I should say yes to her.”

“Actually, when you’re uncertain, it’s best to follow your heart,” Shan Ling said. “Sister An Xin, you said yourself that Miss Ji is changing, right? You have to give her some time.”

“I hope so,” An Xin sighed wistfully: “I feel like I’m raising a child.”

Shan Ling smiled. She then noticed that An Xin’s complexion wasn’t good, looking noticeably more worn out than before.

“Sister An Xin, are you feeling unwell?” Shan Ling asked. “You need to take care of your health.”

“Huh?” An Xin was momentarily stunned and said, “Do I look unwell?”

“Yes, your glabella is dark,” Shan Ling said seriously. “You should really go see a doctor. Is it because you’ve been too busy and stressed lately?”

“Maybe,” An Xin touched the space between her eyebrows, imagining her “dark glabella,” and said somewhat helplessly, “It’s probably because I’ve been looking at storefronts recently. But you’re right, I should definitely rest.”

Shan Ling stood up and told An Xin, “Then I won’t bother you anymore. I’m heading downstairs now.”

An Xin also waved at her: “Go on and be busy. When the new shop opens, I’ll invite you and Tao Tao to the opening.”

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