Pats Little Shrike's Tail - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Shan Ling didn’t stand on ceremony. She made two more egg pancakes, ate breakfast with Shen Qingyi, and then started unpacking her suitcase.

Shen Qingyi sent Nuonuo a message, saying that she and Shan Ling would arrive a little later and asked her to manage the customers for the time being.

Nuonuo replied quickly.

After taking leave for the two of them, Shen Qingyi got up to help Shan Ling pack. She had specifically cleared half a cabinet in the bedroom two days prior to hang Shan Ling’s clothes.

Of course, that included the gift Shen Qingyi had prepared for Shan Ling.

“Huh?” Shan Ling looked at the familiar coat in the closet, took it out curiously, and confirmed that it was the two-thousand-yuan coat she had liked before. A bad feeling instantly arose in her heart.

When Shen Qingyi walked in, she saw Shan Ling staring blankly at the coat.

“What’s wrong?” Shen Qingyi said. “You don’t like the gift I gave you?”

“Gave me???” Shan Ling was greatly shocked, her hands holding the coat began to tremble.

Two thousand! This coat in her hand cost two thousand yuan!

Shan Ling’s monthly salary was only a few thousand yuan. It would take her three or four months of not eating or drinking to afford this coat. Shen Qingyi actually bought it and gave it to her just like that?

And called it a gift?

What an expensive gift!

“How can I accept something so expensive?” Shan Ling shook her head like a rattle drum. “No, no, you should return it quickly.”

“I can’t return it,” Shen Qingyi looked at her a little innocently: “It’s been more than seven days. I can’t return it without reason.”

Shan Ling looked at her in confusion: “When did you buy this coat?”

Shen Qingyi smiled: “I bought it the same day you tried it on.”

Shan Ling genuinely didn’t know what to say. She knew Shen Qingyi must be rich, but she couldn’t just buy a coat worth several tens of thousands of yuan on a whim, could she?

“Then you wear it,” Shan Ling said. “How dare I wear such an expensive coat.”

“I can’t wear it. The shoulders are too narrow,” Shen Qingyi looked at the coat and said to Shan Ling, “And this coat is your size. It won’t fit anyone else, so just keep it. Besides, without you, I wouldn’t have completed Miss Ji’s request. She gave me a pretty good reward. Buying you a winter coat is nothing.”

Shan Ling asked when she heard this, “How much money did Miss Ji give you?”

“Want to know?”

“Mhm…”

Shen Qingyi smiled, her beautiful eyes curving like crescents: “Wear this coat to work today, and then I’ll tell you.”

Shan Ling had no choice. She felt Shen Qingyi was just looking for an excuse to give her something, so she could only accept this priceless ‘joining gift.’

After systematically packing the items she brought from the amusement park, it was just past 9 o’clock.

Shan Ling was a very punctual little bird, so she quickly went to the coffee shop with Shen Qingyi, ready for her first day of work.

The new coat was truly exceptionally warm, much warmer than her padded jacket. And she didn’t feel cold while driving. Shan Ling finally understood why Shen Qingyi always wore a cashmere coat in the middle of winter—it really wasn’t cold.

When the car parked outside the coffee shop, Shan Ling saw Nuonuo taking out the trash. Nuonuo was stunned when she saw Shen Qingyi’s car. She stood at the door with a broom, watching the car stop from a distance.

Upon seeing Shan Ling, Nuonuo happily waved her broom. When the two got closer, she smiled: “Xiao Ling, you really came today?”

“Of course, I really came,” Shan Ling was also happy to see Nuonuo. She smiled at her and said, “We’re colleagues now.”

Nuonuo was very excited. She pulled Shan Ling and said to her, “Come on, I’ll take you to change into your uniform. The Boss bought a new one for you. It’s been in the locker for a long time since you didn’t come sooner.”

When Shan Ling changed into her new uniform, Nuonuo crossed her arms, stroked her chin, and looked her up and down, saying, “As expected, Xiao Ling, you look best in our uniform.”

Shen Qingyi had also changed her clothes by now. She looked back at Shan Ling and thought it was a perfect fit. She agreed with Nuonuo for once: “It suits you very well indeed.”

Shan Ling was a little embarrassed by their compliments. She touched her apron and said, “Does it really look good? Is there a mirror here?”

“We don’t have a full-length mirror, only this small one,” Nuonuo took out a small, palm-sized mirror from her locker and held it out for Shan Ling from a distance: “What do you think?”

Shan Ling squinted: “It’s too small, I can’t see clearly.”

“Then go look outside,” Shen Qingyi told the two of them. “The glass outside the coffee shop can be used as a full-length mirror. It’s clearer there.”

Nuonuo quietly stuck out her tongue, smiled, and pulled Shan Ling aside for a whisper: “Xiao Ling, don’t mind her. The Boss speaks like that; she’s not polite to anyone, but she has a good heart and doesn’t exploit her employees. Just work here with peace of mind. Although the salary here won’t let you buy a car or a house, it’s pretty comfortable.”

Shan Ling nodded: “I wasn’t planning on buying a car or a house in the city. I can’t afford it.”

Nuonuo said, “Me neither, hahahahaha!”

While the two were chatting and laughing, Shen Qingyi called out from the back: “Medium-sized Oat Milk Latte, less sugar, for takeout.”

Nuonuo quickly walked out with Shan Ling. As they walked, Nuonuo said, “Work first, work first. I’ll make you tea later. I guarantee it’ll be sweeter than first love!”

Walking out from the back, Shan Ling self-consciously stood beside Shen Qingyi, giving the customers a slight smile.

Shen Qingyi took orders expressionlessly and told Shan Ling, “Pack these two takeout orders. This one goes to table 7, and they also want a slice of Tiramisu.”

Shan Ling quickly followed Shen Qingyi’s instructions, handling the tasks one by one, moving swiftly and efficiently.

Shen Qingyi had been worried that Shan Ling might not adapt well on her first day, but seeing her running up and down, doing things steadily and quickly, genuinely surprised her.

The number of customers was manageable today, giving Shan Ling a chance to adapt. She made no mistakes throughout the day’s work, which mostly consisted of simple tasks like serving drinks, delivering water, and clearing trash.

At 5 PM, after sending off the last customer, Shen Qingyi hung up the “Temporarily Closed” sign.

In the changing room, Nuonuo had already changed, and Shan Ling had taken off her apron and was removing her shirt.

“Boss,” Nuonuo stood with her hands in her pockets, smiling at Shen Qingyi, “Since we have a new employee, shouldn’t we go out and grab a big meal?”

Shen Qingyi smiled: “Of course. What do you want to eat? Dinner is on me tonight.”

“That’s great!” Nuonuo happily pulled Shan Ling and asked, “What do you want to eat? Hot pot? Barbecue? Grilled fish, or Western food and pasta?”

Shan Ling didn’t know much about these things. Before, she had time but no one to dine with. Later, she had people but no time, so she wasn’t sure what would be best to eat.

“Anything is fine,” Shan Ling said. “As long as it’s not pigeon or any kind of fowl, anything else is okay.”

“Xiao Ling doesn’t eat fowl,” Nuonuo thought for a moment, then turned to ask Shen Qingyi, “Then should we have hot pot? It’s best for a crowd and feels lively.”

Shen Qingyi naturally had no problem with that. Her gaze instinctively fell on Shan Ling’s face.

Shan Ling met her eyes, then lowered her head a little shyly, continuing to take off her shirt, and said, “Sure, let’s have hot pot then. We should get a half-and-half pot.”

Since they agreed on hot pot, the three of them didn’t waste any time. Shen Qingyi drove them to a nearby mall, found a well-known hot pot restaurant, and took a table for four.

Nuonuo figured three girls wouldn’t eat too much, so she booked a 2-3 person set meal and then ordered a few more side dishes.

The food came quickly. Nuonuo pulled Shan Ling aside to mix dipping sauces. Discovering that Shan Ling hadn’t seemed to have eaten this kind of hot pot before, she began teaching her how to mix the sauce.

“Before, our dorm had an induction cooker and a pot, and my colleagues and I would eat together in the living room,” Shan Ling looked at the dipping sauces, her eyes sparkling. “I didn’t even know you should use dipping sauces with hot pot.”

Nuonuo immediately burst into laughter. She told Shan Ling, “Follow me from now on. I guarantee you’ll eat a lot of things you’ve never had before. In this city, there isn’t a restaurant I don’t know!”

Shan Ling found Nuonuo truly amazing. If she could meet Xu Wentao, the two would definitely have a lot in common.

They were like ordinary girls in the city: they liked to eat and drink, had stable jobs, and were young and curious about everything.

When Shan Ling first came to this bustling metropolis, she only noticed the crowds and cars, similar names everywhere, identical-looking cars, and even the pedestrians on the crosswalk seemed both familiar and strange.

At that time, Shan Ling didn’t know how to survive alone. The money she had was dwindling, which eventually led her to rely on Shen Qingyi to maintain her human form.

Thinking about it now, it turned out to be a blessing.

The three finished their hot pot and wandered around the mall for a bit. Shen Qingyi bought a new pair of warm slippers and several clean towels, as well as a set of toiletries. By the time they parted ways, it was already past 9 PM.

Shan Ling sat in the passenger seat, hugging the items in her arms. She sorted through them, looked them over, and finally asked Shen Qingyi, “Are these… for me?”

“You can use all of them,” Shen Qingyi didn’t hide it. “We need to keep some spare items at home for changing. Things like toothbrushes and towels should be replaced every three months.”

“But this seems like a lot, and it’s quite expensive,” Shan Ling looked at a towel in her hand. The tag was still attached, marking it at ¥59 a piece.

The towel looked like a marshmallow—soft and beautiful—but it was honestly too expensive. Shan Ling believed she could buy several good-quality towels for ¥60 at the supermarket.

Shen Qingyi didn’t mind the cost. She told Shan Ling, “As long as the items are comfortable to use, and the price is manageable, there’s no need to worry over saving a few dollars.”

Shan Ling glanced at her and sighed: “I can’t let you manage the household finances in the future.”

Otherwise, if she only bought things for comfort and price wasn’t a concern, how much money would the coffee shop need to earn to cover the expenses?

Shen Qingyi paused slightly when she heard this, then seemed to realize something. She looked at Shan Ling and said, “Speaking of which, I need to discuss our household expenses and what we’ll eat and wear.”

Shan Ling then became serious, her eyes shining brightly as she looked at her: “That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about too.”

Support