Chapter 40: I’m good at eating.

“Not bad, not bad. As expected, Miss looks super cute in this outfit~”

The white Lolita dress Xia Shuangshuang had prepared for Su Mengdie, paired with the adorable braids she had done for herself, made her look like a lively little princess from some fairytale kingdom.

Su Mengdie shyly clutched her braids, a faint blush spreading across her soft cheeks as she replied sweetly,

“Shuangshuang, thank you for the gift~”

Just looking at her made everyone present feel a strong urge to protect her.

This feeling was… not good.

Xia Shuangshuang hurriedly looked away, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it might jump right out of her chest.

“I-It’s nothing, as long as Miss likes it~ Um… Boss, do you have any coffee that helps people stay rational? I’ll have a cup!”

“Me too! Boss, please~!”

Jin Can’er chimed in.

Was it really that exaggerated?

Seeing their reactions, Su Mengdie looked a little unconvinced and turned to glance at Penelope beside her.

Penelope didn’t say a word.

She crouched down and gently hugged her.

Eh!?

Not only was Su Mengdie startled by the sudden hug, even the other two waiting for coffee stared at them in shock.

How could Su Mengdie dare to make such a move?

Their expressions seemed to be asking exactly that.

Sensing something was off, the shop owner cleared his throat, trying to interrupt their intimacy.

“Ahem—Su Mengdie, make these two cups of coffee. Let me see how you’ve been doing lately.”

“Okay~!”

Hearing the request, Penelope seemed to snap back to her senses.

She quickly let go of Su Mengdie and walked behind the counter.

Following the method the owner had taught her, five cups of rich, fragrant coffee were soon placed in front of them.

The owner took a sip first, then turned to the others sitting by the counter.

“What do you think?”

“Not bad, it’s really good~! Didn’t expect Su Mengdie to be not only great at housework, but also so good at making coffee. I’m kind of jealous now,” Xia Shuangshuang praised.

Jin Can’er nodded in agreement.

“Then you all drink up. I need to talk with Xiaodie… and Miss about something.”

The owner nodded and set down the cup he had only taken one sip from.

***

After the three of them went into the back kitchen, the owner spoke frankly.

“Su Mengdie, I’ll be honest. Xiao Pu’s current level is definitely passable, but if she wants to earn the approval of the head maid at your house, three days probably isn’t enough.”

“It’s because she’s not good enough with the details,” Su Mengdie said bluntly, hitting the nail on the head.

She knew Penelope too well—

Because she hated trouble, she tended to skip steps whenever possible and always did things in the most convenient way.

But a maid’s job wasn’t like that.

It required meticulous attention to detail.

“Since you know, do you have any good ideas?” the owner asked.

Su Mengdie shook her head and, without avoiding the topic, pointed out Miss’s flaw right in front of her.

“No… Miss is terminally lazy. She’s probably beyond saving, unless there’s some kind of work that can actually interest her…”

Like games.

Miss loved games, so in order to get stronger, she would actively study even the tiniest details.

But work?

Who actually likes working?

Su Mengdie didn’t like it either.

She was only good at it because she’d built up habits over time—but that took time.

A lot of time.

“Miss, is there any kind of work you like?” the owner asked anyway, with a “might as well try” attitude.

“Su Mengdie called me terminally lazy!”

Penelope replied, arms crossed and puffing her cheeks in annoyance.

“Huh?!”

The owner and Su Mengdie looked at each other in confusion at her completely off-topic answer.

Then the owner gave Su Mengdie a look, signaling her to hurry and coax Penelope.

She had only told the truth—how did Miss end up holding a grudge over it?

Su Mengdie sighed inwardly, then walked up to Penelope, tugged at her clothes, and spoke in a spoiled, pleading tone.

“Miss~ I was wrong earlier. I shouldn’t have said bad things about you in front of others. You’re so generous, can you forgive me?”

“I can, but you have to answer one question.”

“Okay~ As long as you forgive me, forget one question—even a hundred would be fine!”

Su Mengdie hadn’t expected Penelope not to push her luck and make things difficult.

Just one question—what kind of request was that?

After hearing her agree, Penelope finally answered the owner’s earlier question.

“Cleaning and stuff is too troublesome. Even if I make everything spotless, it’ll get messy again soon, so I’m not interested… But if it’s something food-related, where I can feel satisfied after finishing, that’s different.”

“You mean cooking? Miss can cook?”

The owner was giving her way too much credit.

Forget cooking—she didn’t even know how much water to use when steaming rice…

“I can’t cook, but I can eat! The head maid and Su Mengdie both make really delicious food~!”

Penelope looked like she could already smell the aroma, drooling with a blissful expression.

Su Mengdie took out a handkerchief, stood on tiptoe, and wiped her mouth for her.

“Boss, how about teaching Miss how to cook? With her memory, she can memorize a recipe just by looking at it once. You just need to guide her a bit.”

“Alright. Then let’s start now.”

After glancing at the sky outside, the owner turned on the kitchen lights and handed a well-worn recipe book to Penelope.

“Take a look and see what you want to eat. Today I’ll teach you how to make your favorite.”

“Eh~ Cooking sounds like such a hassle. Can’t I just wait to eat?”

“What do you think?”

The owner and Su Mengdie stood on either side of her, boxing her in.

Today, she was cooking whether she liked it or not!

“Fine~ But if it tastes bad and something happens, don’t blame me! You’re the ones forcing me!”

“It’s okay, I’ll watch you. Xiaodie, go keep Shuangshuang and your friend company. Invite them to stay for a simple meal. I’m here—nothing will go wrong.”

With the owner’s assurance, Su Mengdie felt a lot more at ease.

But as soon as she walked out of the kitchen, her heart tightened again—

A strange figure rushed toward her at full speed and suddenly threw herself into her arms.

Who is this now?

Su Mengdie looked at Xia Shuangshuang and Jin Can’er in confusion.

But their faces showed the same bewilderment.

Clearly, they didn’t recognize this green-haired girl either.

Seeing that Su Mengdie didn’t react, the girl tilted her head, poked her lips with a finger, and asked in confusion,

“Mom, don’t you recognize Yilian anymore? I’m Yilian~”

Eh!?

Since when did Miss have an illegitimate daughter???