To the other three employees working at the teahouse, Wang Jiayi's little incident wasn't really a big deal. As seasoned working adults, they knew that while such customers could be annoying, they weren't actually difficult to deal with.
The little kid who had been running around had stopped crying after receiving a cake. Happily wearing his still-damp clothes, he was led out of the teahouse by his parent. Seeing the child had quieted down, the parent also stopped making a scene. While leaving, they didn't so much as glance back at the shop, but could be heard scolding the child, "Can't even have a milk tea without causing trouble? These new clothes have only been on you for a few days and now I have to wash them." Muttering complaints, they dragged the child away into the distance.
The other customers had only watched the commotion for a few minutes. Seeing the male employee step forward to efficiently clean up the mess on the floor, they all went back to their own activities. The atmosphere returned to exactly how it was before.
During the New Year holiday, everyone was out to relax and have fun. No one wanted to hear about the rights and wrongs between a customer and a server, nor were they interested in playing judge.
Handling it quickly like this, as if nothing had happened, was the best way.
"What about the young miss?" Tang Xiaoya asked as she saw Lin Lan come out. Song Xinmin also looked over.
Having suffered such an unfair accusation, with her delicate temperament, she probably wouldn't get over it easily.
The manager's answer surprised them: "She said she's going upstairs to change her clothes, and then she'll come back down to help."
"I thought she'd say she quit," Song Xinmin blurted out. "I'm actually a bit impressed."
Tang Xiaoya didn't speak, but the surprise on her face was equally hard to conceal.
"I thought the same," Lin Lan shared the sentiment and couldn't help joking, "Maybe the young miss really will stay and work at the teahouse until she moves away."
Although this girl was a bit naive and delicate, she was actually a good person who tried her best to follow through on what she said. Not to mention her willingness to keep going after just being wronged, even during these past few days of Tang Xiaoya's brutally honest training, she never once talked back. Lin Lan had noticed all this and quite approved.
After their brief chat, the three of them got busy again. The other customers in the teahouse, alerted by the earlier incident with the child getting his clothes dirty, became more careful. Parents started keeping a closer eye on their kids, not letting them run around wildly. The shop's order improved even more. When the young miss, having changed her clothes, rejoined the team, everything proceeded smoothly until closing time.
"Jiayi." As they were getting off work, Lin Lan called out to the young miss, who had taken off her apron and was about to leave.
Wang Jiayi looked up at her. After today's events, her mood was still quite low. Moreover, it was already the ninth day of the Lunar New Year, with only one day left until the tenth. The young miss had her own internal scale. Given her performance these past days, passing the probation period seemed like a long shot—she was bad at everything and had almost gotten into an argument with a customer. Thinking about this made her feel even more defeated.
Maybe, just as Tang Xiaoya herself had said, she was just better at the lottery of birth than others...
"Jiayi, are you interested in learning how to make milk tea from me?" Lin Lan's words made Wang Jiayi look up sharply. She saw the other woman pointing at the drink counter and smiling at her. "I heard before that you studied tea art and even won some competition awards. Want to give this a try?"
Lin Lan had taught this skill to Song Xinmin before, but he only reached the level of the previous manager, Xiao Zhang. She had to continue handling it herself, so now teaching this young miss wasn't a burden—as long as she could make it taste better than Xiao Song's.
It was also a way to give this intern a change of scenery and role.
Lin Lan didn't think much of it, but Wang Jiayi's lips trembled, and she almost cried on the spot.
"I studied it! My parents and my brother all praised my tea as the best. I can do it well!" The thoroughly discouraged young miss repeatedly promised. The thought that, stripped of the advantages her parents gave her, she couldn't even pass the probation for a server's job was utterly unbearable. She absolutely did not want to fail like this.
Wahhh, Lanlan, you're such a good person!
Unaware that she had received a second "good person card" from the young miss, Manager Lin soothed her, officially closed the shop, and took her little team home to rest. The next day, she was startled by the young miss, who seemed to have ignited a burning passion within.
This surprise wasn't just due to her seriousness and speed in learning to make milk tea, but also because...
"The taste is unexpectedly really good!" Holding a disposable paper cup, Song Xinmin widened his eyes as he gave his review. "Can't believe this is your first day learning!"
"More than that, it's even better than what I make!" Lin Lan, also tasting from her cup, was astonished and couldn't help laughing. "Jiayi, who would have thought? So your talent points are all allocated here!"
"I just made a slight adjustment to the ingredients in the tea..." After four consecutive days of heavy blows, the young miss had finally learned some humility. Her tone was cautious, seeking approval. "When I was bored at home before, I also learned flair bartending. After learning milk tea from Lanlan, I had a sudden inspiration. I'm so glad you think it tastes good."
That's what she said, but Wang Jiayi's eyes were fixed on Tang Xiaoya, who had remained silent. She still had some lingering fear of this training instructor who attacked with sharp words whenever she didn't do well.
Drinking the milk tea, Tang Xiaoya's expression was also complicated. She had thought the manager's tea drinks were already very good, as evidenced by customers often asking to take several cups to-go every day. But she never expected this universally acknowledged clumsy, spoiled brat to have such skill...
"Why are you looking at me? I'm not your trainer anymore," Tang Xiaoya said grumpily when she noticed Wang Jiayi's gaze. "The person teaching you says you've surpassed the master. I certainly have no objections."
Although it wasn't direct praise, it was enough to make the young miss, who had been constantly negated, break into a happy smile.
With this skill under her belt, the young miss's official hiring was beyond dispute. On the last day of her probation, she got her wish.
Even though it was just an ordinary server job at a teahouse, with wages that couldn't compare to a fraction of her allowance, Wang Jiayi was incredibly happy. This was a job she earned through her own efforts, not something she got by asking her parents. The meaning was completely different.
One was eager to learn, the other eager to teach. Within three days, the young miss learned how to make all the signature tea drinks on the menu, and even had time to improve the taste of a few.
With a new tea master at the drink counter, the taste surpassed before, and customers praised it highly.
"Boss, the milk tea tastes even better now!"
"Newly hired tea master? This Longjing tea is brewed quite authentically, almost on par with those proper tea houses!"
"Boss, I want five cups of milk green tea to go!"
Every piece of positive feedback from the customers boosted Wang Jiayi's confidence. The more people praised her, the more she enjoyed herself, throwing herself into researching new teas with even greater enthusiasm. She became the earliest to arrive and the last to leave every day, rivaling the title of the teahouse's most diligent employee.
"Don't rush to study new recipes just yet, there are other things to learn," Lin Lan reminded her at the right moment. "The beverage counter isn't just about tea drinks; you also need to know how to make small cakes and cookies."
"Okay, Manager Lan Lan, I'll work hard to learn quickly!" The young lady, having gotten a taste for it, was more proactive than anyone. She even pulled out her phone, scrolling while muttering, "I remember a classmate's family runs a major cake brand. They must have lots of delicious recipes for small pastries. Getting some materials from them shouldn't be a problem."
...No, it's just about making some simple snacks to pair with the drinks.
Shop Manager Lin really wanted to say that, but seeing the other's enthusiastic drive, she gave up on trying to dissuade her.
After Wang Jiayi learned to make those small pastries and could officially handle the beverage counter entirely on her own, Lin Lan, as the boss, formally stepped back from making tea and snacks.
In the main hall, Song Xinmin alone could handle the work of two people; at the beverage counter, there was Wang Jiayi; and on weekends, part-time worker Sister Tang would come to help... Lin Lan suddenly found herself with a lot of free time.
Was she... finally starting to look a bit more like a real boss?
This was really... so delightful!
The idle shop manager looked around, then, under the helpless gaze of her employee Xiao Song, snickered and carried off a beanbag chair from a corner... and moved it into the window display area originally meant for the cats to attract customers.
The winter wind remained piercingly cold. People on the street, gradually getting into their workday rhythm, hurried along. The sunlight cast from the sky offered no perceptible warmth under the winter wind's blow, making people hunch their shoulders and quicken their pace even more.
At this time, anyone passing by the Cat Tea House would see that the meticulously cleaned cat display window had been transformed into a cozy spot where someone was comfortably lounging on a beanbag chair, playing on their phone.
The winter sunshine, which kept the cold wind at bay, brightly illuminated the entire display window, shining on the person semi-reclining in the chair. She had her long legs crossed leisurely as she scrolled through her phone, forming a stark contrast to the office workers on the street rushing to catch buses and subways.
A beautiful Ragdoll cat jumped onto her lap, found the most comfortable spot on its owner, curled up, and fell asleep. Thus, the person on the phone switched to one-handed scrolling while using the other hand to pet the cat.
"Damn!" A corporate slave calculating the time to dash to the subway station couldn't help but mutter resentfully. Looking at the cat cafe owner's heavenly life, and then at his own... the office worker stomped off even faster in frustration.
This one left relatively early. Later passersby, every few minutes, could see that the lounging, phone-scrolling boss either had another cat on her knees or had a few more furry balls added around her feet, also basking in the sun and snoring away.
Around this time in the morning, the tea house basically had no business, so the kittens were free, and the employees were also quite idle.
Maintaining an expression of speechlessness, Song Xinmin entered the display area for the third time, just to add two or three cushions to the left and right sides of the boss's beanbag chair, allowing the cats to sunbathe more comfortably.
"Thanks, Xiao Song," Lin Lan thanked him with a smile during this. "Mo Mo and the others all say you're very considerate."
It's because you, Manager, are being too comfortable. You just became a hands-off boss and are already so adept at it.
Silently scoffing to himself, Song Xinmin simply smiled. As he was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and stopped.
"Manager, next time you go to deliver food to the stray cats, can you call me along too?"
Lin Lan looked up at him, her eyes asking for an explanation.
Song Xinmin was a bit embarrassed: "Well... I still want to take a few photos of the head cat. Please, help me out?"
During the period after the New Year, he had actually found time to visit that abandoned house himself. However, the cat boss never showed itself. Photographer Xiao Song, even with his DSLR, was useless, returning empty-handed every time.
After thinking it over, he still needed the help of the manager, who was practically fluent in cat language.
Lin Lan also remembered this matter: "Sure, I'll take you along next time. But same as before, if it doesn't want to, there's nothing I can do."
Xiao Song nodded repeatedly, satisfied, and returned to the tea house's main hall.
On his way back, he glanced toward the beverage counter. Inside, the young woman on duty, Wang Jiayi, was bustling about, baking the day's cakes and pastries. She was in such a good mood that he could even hear her singing a foreign-language song as she worked. Xiao Song listened carefully; it was actually a German nursery rhyme. With a complicated expression, he retreated.
It seemed just as the manager had said, the young lady's passion looked like it would last for quite a while longer; she definitely wouldn't get bored in the short term.
Freed from the daily work, Lin Lan basked in the sun in the display window with the cats and started reading a novel on her phone. It had been a while since she'd engaged in this entertainment. Back when she worked in Shanghai, she often used it to pass the time. She casually clicked on a story from the recommendations on a female-oriented website and was quickly drawn into the plot. Once immersed, she idled away the time from morning until lunch.
"Come and eat, everyone!" It was Lin's mother, who had cooked at home and delivered the food directly to the shop. Seeing her daughter installed in the area meant for cats was both exasperating and amusing. "Look at you, you can even use this spot to sunbathe. Have you been with cats so long you think you're one too?"
"What's the big deal? There's always room if you squeeze in a bit," Lin Lan said, completely unfazed, grinning cheekily at her mom. "And Blue Treasure, Mo Mo, and the others have no objections at all."
Wang Xiuzhi then saw the several cats at her daughter's feet all meowing at her in unison, as if in agreement, and couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "I can't argue with you, all you big and little cats. Come out and eat now!"
"Coming!"
Lin Lan got up from the chair and then stretched vigorously. Having been sitting still for several hours, her body felt a bit stiff.
At that moment, the cats at her feet also copied her example, arching their backs and stretching. The synchronized movements of one person and several cats struck Wang Xiuzhi as both amusing and funny.
"The food is delivered, I'm heading back. You all eat while it's hot."
After saying this, Mother Lin went back upstairs to eat by herself, leaving a few young people to find a table in the shop to have their lunch.
During that time, Lin Lan glanced at Wang Jiayi, who was also eating home-cooked food. As far as she remembered, this young lady’s three daily meals used to be takeout from upscale hotels. Now, holding a bowl and eating at the same table as everyone else, she showed no surprise and even looked back at Lin Lan with a puzzled expression.
"Lan Lan, why are you looking at me?"
"Nothing much, just feel like you've changed quite a bit since you started working."
Hearing Lin Lan say this, Wang Jiayi immediately smiled: "What change? I've just come to understand some things, realized what I should learn. Thinking about how spoiled I used to be, not doing or knowing how to do anything, and looking at myself now, I'm actually quite enjoying it."
"Then... haven't you contacted your parents yet?"
This question made Wang Jiayi pause, then she shook her head: "No, I still don't want to go back for now."
The young lady thought to herself, she had finally managed to become a waitress and learned some skills. She hadn't even worked a full month or received her salary yet, how could she just go back like this? Now she understood how hard it was to earn money. In her heart, besides feeling guilty towards her family, there was also a desire to turn her thoughts into action.
She wanted to save up more of her wages, to buy a gift for each of the three most important people in her family with her own hard-earned money, and then say sorry to them—for being so willful all these years and never thinking of being considerate.
How could she return home without achieving this goal? She would find it utterly shameful herself.
"But I have told Brother Yuze about my recent situation," Wang Jiayi confessed. "With Yuze relaying messages in between, my parents definitely know how I'm doing."
Cao Yuze—Lin Lan, of course, remembered him. He was the one who had taken the American Shorthair cat, an acquaintance and friend of Wang Jiayi's.
Hearing the young lady say this, Lin Lan set her mind at ease and didn't ask further, continuing with her meal.
At that moment, it never crossed Lin Lan's mind that the person discussed at noon would appear in the teahouse that very afternoon, and even bring a young boy along.
"It's been a while, Manager Lin," Cao Yuze greeted her with a smile. "My visit this time is not only to see Jiayi, who works at your esteemed shop, but also to ask for Manager Lin's help with a matter."
As he spoke, he ushered the boy behind him forward.
The boy looked to be about high school age. He was holding a fully enclosed carrier, his face full of worry. "Hello, Manager Lin. This is my cat, I've had it for a year. For a whole year, it hasn't let anyone get close and will scratch and bite. I can't bear to abandon it though. Could you please take a look for me?"
The box was placed on the table. The boy unzipped the cover, and Lin Lan saw a very beautiful Bengal cat. However, before she could even get close, the cat hissed, and a paw struck the cage with considerable force.
