Chapter 342

Page One Hundred and Fifty: The Showdown Ends

The guests participating in the “Snack Buffet” enjoyed their tea time under the enthusiastic hospitality of Senior Chāngpú. Although there were only a few types of snacks and rough matcha tea, with no decent tables or chairs to sit on and they had to be watched by others, they did not complain much.

As the first ones to queue up, these guests understood that two maids were currently competing. Although they spent some money, their mindset was more like guests appearing on a show rather than participants in a snack buffet, so they lowered their expectations as much as possible.

However, Xiǎo Lěi also managed to sneak in, and after eating several loaves of bread, she almost got her money’s worth back. Was this idiot planning to help Senior Chāngpú lose money?

— “Five hundred eighty yuan, Senior Chāngpú’s revenue has surpassed? Ling Xiaoye only saw the benefits brought by Okonomiyaki but overlooked the low productivity. The son of a merchant buried himself with his own cleverness.” —

… I also had higher hopes for Okonomiyaki sales, and indeed, Okonomiyaki sold more.

With less than five minutes left, Ling Xiaoye knew she had lost and gave up trying to promote further. She took her six-leaf brother’s hand and returned to the central circular square. The latter realized he had followed the wrong person, looking around anxiously for his sister, with a flustered look on his face. Then, Ling Xiaoye handed him over to Senior Chāngpú.

“This cute little guy must be your younger sister, right?”

“Oh! Thank you!”

Senior Chāngpú came over, picked up Six-Leaf brother, kissed him, and asked, “Yes, he’s my brother. When did you notice?”

“About your family situation, I’ve already talked to Xiàlù…”

“Brother?”

Ling Xiaoye looked incredulously at the pink and chubby eight-year-old girl, while Xiàlù pinched Six-Leaf’s nose.

“So cute, you told me he’s your brother?”

Handing Six-Leaf over to Tusu and Dianxin behind her, Senior Chāngpú said apologetically, “There are some inconvenient reasons to talk about now, you guys shouldn’t ask too much. Miss Xiao Ye doesn’t plan to continue increasing revenue anymore?”

“There’s no hope of winning, why didn’t you use such a trump card from the beginning?”

Ling Xiaoye shook her head, but Xiàlù still urged her, “Xiao Ye! Don’t give up so soon! If you sell snack buffet coupons, you can also sell Okonomiyaki buffet!”

“No way, we only have one electric griddle. It’s better to make more Okonomiyaki than let guests do it themselves.”

Ling Xiaoye sighed, scratching her head as she looked at Senior Chāngpú.

“I lost in this round of appeal competition, it’s no wonder Miss Xiao Saki is impressive. There’s so much for me to learn from you.”

Appeal was secondary; it was more about who would be better at selling and capturing customers’ hearts.

“Oh! Miss, you don’t need to worry. Even if our competition is over, you can still eat. This is my promise.”

Senior Chāngpú poured a warm cup of matcha tea for a female guest before shaking her head and asking, “I admit it’s a bit of a gamble. Though I’m selling snack buffet tickets, if guests haven’t finished eating when the time is up, can it still be considered a successful transaction?”

Old Man Tuohai, who was a judge, replied, “Of course, you’re selling an all-you-can-eat opportunity, not just bread. Since guests can continue enjoying snacks, the transaction is naturally valid… Without a doubt, this is truly your victory.”

Ling Xiaoye nodded with a bitter smile, while only Xiàlù clenched her teeth.

By the way, Manager Senka and Fēi Jiě were still making the remaining Okonomiyaki, so even Ling Xiaoye and Senior Chāngpú’s revenue would be slightly reduced.

I pointed at the thermos containing matcha and orange juice (instant drink) and asked Xiàlù.

“Speaking of which, where did this tea come from?”

“It’s because we were worried you’d get thirsty, so we got it from the night market merchants.”

“Oh? It’s for us to drink?”

Neither of us had heard of it, and both Old Man Tuohai and I were still drinking the coffee brewed by Senior Lóngkuí.

“I didn’t expect Xiao Saki to use it as free drinks, although it was originally meant to be complimentary…”

Xiàlù looked quite reluctant. I asked, “If you were so unwilling, why didn’t you stop it?”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“How could I do that? If the Tianping Night Market gets a reputation for being petty, it wouldn’t be worth it.”

Did she really think she was petty?

No matter what she did, she would lose. She could only watch as Senior Chāngpú used the limited afternoon tea buffet to turn things around.

“Time’s up.”

The pajama maid holding the stopwatch took the microphone from Senior Chāngpú, her other hand holding the tally sheet.

“Cough, cough, sorry for keeping you waiting! Did everyone enjoy the fluffy snacks or the delicious Okonomiyaki? The third round of the competition is over. Here are the revenue records of the two maid ladies… Ah! Guests who bought the snack buffet can continue eating until they’re full! Drink less free beverages and eat more snacks to make it worthwhile!”

Did she really think that eating more snacks would make Senior Chāngpú lose?

Those snacks were solid cakes, and it would be difficult to eat enough to make back fifty-eight yuan.

I urged, “Okay, just say the results.”

The pajama maid smiled falsely and said, “Firstly, our intern maid Xiao Ye from ‘Peach Cat’ slashed down a revenue of 1,300 yuan in half an hour, truly impressive! Very hardworking!”

Although this number did not subtract the cost of Okonomiyaki production, it was still a considerable income. In half an hour, she sold nearly seventy portions of Okonomiyaki, a quantity that Manager Senka alone could never achieve. Both Ling Xiaoye and Fēi Jiě helped out a lot.

“Even though it’s called a night market, there are tourists even during the day.”

Hearing my question, Host Xiàlù explained, “Most people who come here are locals, so word-of-mouth is crucial for this night market. Tourists usually prefer the commercial center, rarely coming here.”

Even as a local, I hadn’t been here before. When going out with Old Zhao and others, we would only go to the underground shopping street.

“Next is Maid Xiao Saki from ‘Kamehameha’…”

As if to find fault, the pajama maid squinted and scrutinized Senior Chāngpú’s record sheet.

“…Ah, no wonder she’s a legendary maid, nothing to criticize.”

“You’re really nitpicking!” I couldn’t help but comment.

“Cough! According to the final calculation by the statistician, Miss Xiao Saki earned 1,409 yuan, barely winning by a hundred yuan, and thus temporarily winning this competition.”

This pajama maid really couldn’t speak human language. Annoyed, Xiǎo Lěi snatched the microphone from her mouth, her mouth full of snacks, and said, “So slow, best two out of three. In short, we won! Is it necessary to announce it so reluctantly?”

“The maid competition is a victory for ‘Kamehameha.’ That’s it, disperse!”

The pajama maid admitted dejectedly.

“Yay!”

The fool turned around, hugging Sister Qiūluó and jumping in place, saying it was because of victory, but it seemed more because Manager promised a red envelope.

“Phew, finally over, can I go now?”

It had nothing to do with me anyway. It was already past four o’clock, and dinner time was approaching. Yet, I still hadn’t gone to the research institute to visit Grandma.

Xiǎo Lěi asked, “Chairman, are you in a hurry?”

“I know what I have to do today, it’s almost evening! Lin Hua will definitely scold me!”

“Clearly, there’s still a ceremony for awarding prizes…”

“I’m sorry, it seems I wasted your time.”

Hearing my words, Ling Xiaoye approached with an apologetic look.

Although there was no official certification, she still prepared a plaque inscribed with “Commercial District’s Top Maid Café.”

“Don’t worry, I stayed voluntarily, so you don’t need to apologize for anything.”

Seeing me shake my head, Ling Xiaoye seemed reluctant, so she suggested, “If you’re in a hurry, I’ll have someone drive you?”

“No, I have a more convenient way.”

Though she didn’t know about the existence of the Spatial Jewel, she had seen Cherry Sauce perform teleportation spells.

“Ah, look at my memory, I forgot that Sister Lingmeng is a deity! Looks like I can’t treat you to dinner. Come to my shop another time, I’ll personally serve you~ Piu~”

She puckered her lips, sending a playful kiss.

But I dodged it with a tilt of my head.

Xiàlù and Xiǎo Lěi were watching on the side. Should I accept this kiss?

“Then you guys continue with the ceremony, I’ll take my leave. Though I didn’t do much, I had a pretty good time today.”

Of course, this was just polite talk.

Being watched by so many people wasn’t easy. Even if I sat there doing nothing, I would get nervous and sweat. Luckily, the fusion with my new self helped bear the pressure of the first two rounds.

“Yuzu, we should go.”

“Oh! Alright! Xiao Kai, do you want to eat?”

Yuzu handed me a sticky rice cake with sweet filling.

“How come you’re eating too? Everything here costs money.”

Senior Chāngpú and the others were just reselling, unsold items would have to be returned to the night market vendors.

Ling Xiaoye hurriedly said, “It’s fine! Sister Lingmeng can take whatever she wants, I’ll cover it!”

This generous attitude made her forget her character setting. Even though snacks weren’t expensive, Ling Xiaoye wasn’t a spoiled lady.

But Xiǎo Lěi looked regretful.

If she had known bread was free, she wouldn’t have wasted money on the snack buffet.

“Senior, I’ll take my leave now.”

Saying goodbye to Senior Chāngpú, I bent down and patted the little head beside her.

“See you another day, Six-Leaf brother.”

“Mm, see you later, sister.”

This shy little girl spoke for the first time, making me happy. Out of some empathy, I liked her quite a bit.

Even though I wished she would call me brother…

— “Xiao Kai, Zǐ Jiàng and the others are here.” —

I had just stood up when the warning from Cherry Sauce forced me to lower my head again.

— “No need to hide, she and AJ have been watching for a while.” —

Had I been discovered long ago?

Didn’t you say you would keep an eye on AJ’s movements?

— “We were standing far away, near the entrance of the square, so I didn’t notice them.” —

The square was slightly lower than the pathways, so one could see the situation from the entrance.

Cherry Sauce pointed out the direction. Two conspicuous tall girls were standing on the steps in front of the pathway, and AJ waved at me.

Tsk, looks like I can’t avoid it.