Chapter 143

Insert Page Two: The Work of a Maid (One)

[September 13th, Saturday]

The security department of Bìyáng Girls’ School also conducts patrols on weekends. My older sister left early in the morning for work.

She really enjoys her job. While the high salary is one aspect, seeing cute girl students every day is what truly motivates her.

I didn’t sleep too late since I had to go to the manga café for work today. I needed to be at the store by ten o’clock to change into my uniform. It was eight now, and I had plenty of time to walk from home to the Balance Commercial District, saving some transportation money.

While tying my shoes at the entrance hall, my youngest brother, Lǐ Mǎnxīng, ran out from inside the house and asked, “Are you going out again today, brother?”

“Yes, I have part-time work today. Mǎnxīng, take care of Dad and your younger sister while I’m away.”

“Eh? When can I start working?”

Because of our family situation, he started insisting on getting a job outside after just starting junior high school, saying that as a man, he should take responsibility for the family.

It’s admirable to have such spirit, but he seems inclined to drop out of school, which is completely opposite to my thoughts.

“Before you start working, you’re still a student. You can’t give up on your studies. That’s very important.”

He pouted and ran off, seeming unwilling to understand me.

Opening the door to the flat under the bridge was difficult. Rusty keys and locks made it challenging to align them properly, and the damp smell of mold filled the air when I finally opened it—the humidity near the riverbank was heavy.

I dialed a number.

“Cháng Kǎi, classmate? Oh, sorry, were you still sleeping? Yeah, I need to work today. Yes, I’ve arrived at the ‘dressing room.’ Can you contact Xiǎo Lěi for me?”

Miracles do exist. A mysterious, dazzling white light obscured my vision, and I momentarily lost my sense of self. Some transformation was occurring within me.

Though hard to admit, having experienced becoming a girl several times, I had become quite adept at wearing women’s clothing. The female body no longer felt mysterious, and I could look at my chest without blushing.

Before leaving, I looked at this old room with only a wooden bed and wardrobe, wondering why the senior student mentioned by Cháng Kǎi would rent such an empty place.

Before reaching the shop, I saw a large bald head like a light bulb at the entrance. I greeted, “Good morning, shopkeeper! I’m here!”

The shop door was already open, but there were no customers. Old Shopkeeper Yǔwén, resembling an old man selling newspapers at the community entrance, sat on a stool outside reading the paper—some passing customers lost interest upon seeing him.

“Oh, Xiao Saki? Today, Xiǎo Jiū will arrive in the afternoon. Is it okay for you to work alone in the morning?”

“No problem.”

As Younger Brother Cháng Kǎi said, such generous pay requires demonstrating corresponding value and deserving the maid outfit.

After changing into the maid uniform, Old Shopkeeper Yǔwén put away his stool and went through the back door behind the bar—I wasn’t allowed in there, not knowing what was inside.

Right after he left, a customer came in.

“Welcome back, masters—uhh!”

A group of three entered. The first was a chubby man wearing a headscarf. Despite his appearance, he moved quickly, startling me with his sudden approach. His fierce demeanor made me step back.

“Ah, so you’re the new maid!”

“Yes.”

He circled around me three times, pulling out a DSLR camera, which I recognized from my work at a photography studio. This thing was expensive.

“Can I take a photo of you? After post-processing, I’ll return it to you, guaranteed to be beautiful…”

Before he finished speaking, the man with a ponytail behind him kicked him into a sofa, scolding, “What? You think she’s not pretty now? Look how nervous she is!”

“Commander! DSLRs are expensive!”

The chubby man protected the camera, curling into a ball.

Called Commander, the ponytailed man had narrow eyes, making him resemble a fox. He sat next to the chubby man, glancing at my name tag pinned on my apron.

“Your name is Xiao Saki?”

“Yes!”

“We’re regulars here. We saw on the official social media that you hired a cute new maid, so we came to check…”

This shop has an official social media account? Who maintains it?

He stroked his chin, leaning in with a unique fragrance.

“As expected, you’re truly stunning. You’re barely wearing any makeup… no, you’re not wearing any makeup at all?”

“I haven’t worn any makeup before.”

But it reminded me that makeup is essential for maids… no, for service industry workers! I should ask my older sister about it later.

“Tsk, your skin looks good even without makeup…”

I sensed a hint of jealousy in his words.

“Your hair is beautiful. Is it dyed? Your voice is nice too, different from Xiao Jiū’s.”

Being praised unexpectedly made me feel elated. I apologized, “Master, please don’t joke with me.”

“Not at all, Xiao Saki. You’re like a naturally precious gemstone, destined to become an excellent maid.”

The chubby man nodded in agreement with the Commander’s words.

The shop operates on a pre-payment system for seats, with drink costs deducted from the seat fee. The seat fee is the minimum consumption standard.

The seat fee is 158 yuan, seemingly high but equivalent to three to four drinks.

There are also special items not covered by the seat fee.

For example, this “cute maid LoveLove egg fried rice,” where the maid uses ketchup to write on the egg fried rice to infuse it with “magic energy”… This item costs the full 158 yuan! Masters, don’t buy it! I’d feel guilty!

But that’s not the worst. The most exploitative item is the “cute maid refreshing shaved ice” priced at 78 yuan.

At first glance, it seems half the price of the egg fried rice…

But it’s just ice and food coloring! In short, it’s mostly carbohydrates! I used to sell it for 8 yuan on the street and still make a profit! Is it the master’s heart or wallet that’s being cooled down?

By the way, the cheapest item on the menu is the “cute shopkeeper LoveLove egg fried rice” at 28 yuan, but it goes unnoticed.

There were surprisingly many customers, indicating the shop was doing well.

By noon, customers were no longer satisfied with just drinks and snacks.

“Xiao Saki! One order of the cute maid LoveLove egg fried rice!”

Here it is! Finally, someone ordered this! But does anyone really order it? It’s 158 yuan!

Looking in the direction of the voice, it was the “Commander” with the fox-like appearance among today’s first batch of customers.

The egg fried rice brought out by the kitchen was unevenly mixed. Though the wrapping was decent, the protruding whites were unattractive… amateurish!

Remember! My egg fried rice soul!

“Shopkeeper! Can you keep this for my lunch? I’ll personally make the egg fried rice for the masters. Okay?”

The shopkeeper looked up from making coffee and said, “Sure, do as you wish.”

“Oh oh! Did you hear that, Xiao Saki is going to personally make egg fried rice for me?” The fox man exclaimed excitedly behind me, “That’s truly, the real deal, the cute maid LoveLove egg fried rice!”

… Let’s pretend we didn’t hear that.

The true challenge of egg fried rice is wrapping the fried rice with the egg skin, but it’s not a problem for me. During my time working in the restaurant kitchen, I was dubbed “the hope of the egg fried rice world” because of my skill. True, though I’m not a professional chef, when it comes to egg fried rice, I’m top-notch!

Once in a lifetime opportunity, just flip the pan at the right moment… perfect, flawless egg fried rice! Egg fried rice G!

“Dear master, this is the cute maid LoveLove egg fried rice you ordered. What would you like me to write on it?”

Not only the Commander but also the surrounding guests gasped in surprise and even came closer to take photos… as if the dish was glowing.

“The egg fried rice made by Xiao Saki! Write ‘Xiao Saki loves Xiao Wu.’ Ah, I am Xiao Wu. If possible, I hope Xiao Saki will feed me…”

“Will you… feed me?”

Feeding a man seemed a bit awkward, but I agreed.

“Understood, then let me be the master’s hands!”

At that moment, Old Shopkeeper Yǔwén ran over, added a charge to the menu with a sticky note, and handed it to Xiao Wu, the Commander.

[Special Service: Maid Feeding Experience, 100 yuan per session]

… Shopkeeper, isn’t this outright robbery?

“It’s too cheap! Feed me!”

Eh? Eh!!!

Postscript

Ding dong ding dong, ding dong!

This is the author, pretending to smile while writing despite the burden.

First, thank you to the readers who have stuck with me until now!

My plot ideas and jokes are dwindling, but my belly is expanding. I feel a strong sense of crisis, so I’ll focus more on the main storyline and speed up the pace slightly.

If you were surprised by the “postscript” after not noticing the “last page” title in the previous chapter, don’t worry. I divide chapters by month (causing the third volume to be much longer than the first two). Thus, the last page of the third volume can also be seen as the beginning of the fourth.

The next victim… I mean, the next blessed character, is clear. It’s the cool-masked-spiky-haired Lǚ Yuè, a key member and informant under Thunder Tiger’s command.

His appearance can be referenced to Eastern JoJo with a flower-patterned mask.

Lǚ Yuè’s cleft lip condition was hinted at in the first volume but was recovered late… You can review [Volume One, Page Forty-Seven] for a slight mention of surgery.

Initially, he became a spy for Far Month’s elder sister partly due to goodwill, hoping to bring Brother Thunder Tiger back to his family instead of becoming a gangster, but mainly due to financial need.

Though it sounds mercenary, he urgently needed this money for cleft lip repair surgery at the time.

In the end…

He used the money to establish the support club for Thunder Meow-Meow and declared himself president.

This money served as initial funding and was used to print the first batch of support uniforms. Most members of the growing support club were originally Thunder Tiger’s subordinates.

This reflects Thunder Meow-Meow’s charisma, I guess.

Regarding the targets for the third month, Huángfǔ Fēi and Li Chāngpú, their stories have been mostly told in the volume, with nothing significant to add. However, “Kamehameha” and the seven Li brothers clearly have potential for further storytelling, even though they’re unrelated to the main plot. I want to explore some side stories, as more side stories mean more beautiful girls.

That’s all.

Readers can skip the following, which is the author’s confession.

In summary, why I thought of writing this novel.

It’s not a complicated reason. After quitting a game, I wanted to find something meaningful to do.

Writing has become a habit over these months. Every night, I spend two to three hours crafting around 2,500 words…

Is it meaningful to write such a poorly written, melodramatic, awkwardly funny, and shallow novel?

I’ve thought about it, and I believe it is.

I anticipated poor results, given my experience reading many novels. By rereading my own work, I realize I have many shortcomings, a gap in skill that I cannot easily bridge.

Yet, people still read it, comment in the discussion area, and even criticize it. That’s meaningful.

Even though there are random trolls… I’d like to know what specifically caused reader dissatisfaction.

Initially, I wrote what I wanted to see, playing with tropes.

Now, I want to write a novel that everyone enjoys, even though it’s difficult for a dead fish like me. I hope readers continue to follow along and provide suggestions if possible.

Thank you once again to the readers. I will stop here.

See you in the fourth volume.