Su Ling and Su Yao were startled when they saw the receptionist lock the door.
‘Is this… is this a legitimate shop?’
Hajimi, sitting in the cage, had a look of nostalgia on its face.
It had been years since it was last here.
Seeing the receptionist disappear, Su Ling and Su Yao began to scan the interior of the shop.
It was actually quite beautiful, though a bit deserted. Compared to the maid cafes outside, it felt like a completely different world.
“Huh? You’ve had too much to drink. Where would you find a mother and daughter who look like sisters?”
Just then, a yawning voice came from the back room, sounding as if the person had just woken up.
Su Ling and Su Yao looked toward the source of the voice and saw a woman with a high ponytail.
The moment the woman saw the two of them, her sleepiness vanished instantly.
“Whoa!”
Like a hound catching the scent of a bone, she suddenly flashed in front of them.
“This hair color, these eyes, and… oh, you smell so good. Are you two really not sisters?”
“Of course not,” Su Ling replied, a bit speechless.
“Then you’ve maintained yourself incredibly well, haha,” the woman laughed.
It was Su Ling’s turn to be confused.
‘Maintain? Me?’
“No, no, my name is Su Ling. This is my mother, Su Yao.”
Su Ling pulled the giggling Su Yao over and couldn’t help but glare at her.
‘She’s still laughing.’
Realizing she had made a mistake, the woman looked a bit embarrassed.
“Sorry, sorry.”
“My name is Cheng Cheng, the manager of this shop.”
Cheng Cheng took a closer look.
While Su Yao didn’t seem as composed as Su Ling, she definitely possessed a gentle, maternal aura.
Such a contrast instantly made Cheng Cheng incredibly excited.
What was the difference between this and money falling from the sky?
“Keke, quick, get the contract!”
Looking at the locked door, Cheng Cheng couldn’t stop praising her employee in her heart.
This Keke was usually as dumb as a rock, but she had actually been smart today.
Yes, the door should be welded shut!
Keke had already prepared everything.
Su Ling was a bit stunned as the contract was shoved in front of her.
At the same time, she kept muttering to herself.
‘Is this really a legitimate shop?’
“Don’t worry. We aren’t like the Witch’s Hut. A maid’s duty is just to charm those innocent little Witches, sell them those ridiculously expensive meal sets, and drain their wallets dry,” Cheng Cheng said with a grin.
She summarized the essence of a maid cafe in a single sentence.
To entice those innocent little Witches to part with their money, the maids’ appearances had to be top-tier.
Because of this, every maid cafe in Xinbai was in a fierce competition.
When everyone’s physical appearance was roughly the same, gimmicks became especially important.
Gimmicks like “A P43 executive from The Company went bankrupt and was forced to become a maid,” or “An academy teacher lost everything in the stock market and needs to pay off debts,” or “Twin Sword Immortals from next door who practice the Path of Heartlessness…”
These gimmicks were more tempting than the last, always aiming for someone’s specific tastes.
Their shop simply didn’t know how to create gimmicks.
Their maids had either left or been scouted by other shops, and they were on the verge of closing down.
The appearance of Su Ling and Su Yao was practically their salvation.
“The monthly salary is 12,000 Moni after tax. Of course, that’s 12,000 for each of you. There will be a year-end bonus, and you can keep any tips given by customers.”
“If there are no issues, please sign here.”
Cheng Cheng watched them with longing, though she was feeling very guilty inside.
Keke tugged at her sleeve.
‘Boss, isn’t this the most basic pay grade?’
Maids were categorized into different tiers.
The highest tier could even own a portion of the shop’s shares.
While Su Ling and Su Yao might not necessarily be at the highest tier, they certainly shouldn’t be at the lowest.
Cheng Cheng knew this, but she had no choice.
The shop could barely afford to keep the lights on.
Hearing the salary, Su Ling glanced at Su Yao.
Although her expression remained calm, her heart was racing.
‘How… how much?’
‘12,000? And that’s after tax?’
‘I can’t laugh. I absolutely cannot laugh. Mouth, stay still, hold it in.’
The salary of 12,000 was completely beyond her expectations.
She had thought 5,000 or 6,000 would have been quite good.
“Of… of course, there’s also—”
“I’ve signed it.”
Su Ling signed her name at lightning speed.
Su Yao did the same.
At this moment, the mother and daughter were surprisingly in sync.
Their small faces were perfectly calm.
However, neither of them dared to look at the other, fearing they would burst out laughing the next second.
This left Cheng Cheng and Keke at a loss for words.
Keke opened her mouth to speak, but Cheng Cheng gave her a fierce glare.
‘If you dare say a word, I’ll tear your mouth apart!!!’
“Haha, then it’s a pleasure to work with you.”
“A pleasure. When should I come in?”
“No rush. Come back in three days. we need to make some preparations as well.”
Cheng Cheng and Su Ling were being very polite to each other.
However, both of their mouths were twitching uncontrollably.
‘Mouth, hold it in!’ Both were screaming in their hearts.
“Fine. It just so happens we need to find a place to rent.”
After exchanging contact information, Su Ling and Su Yao prepared to leave.
They hadn’t expected to find a job so quickly.
This was the benefit of a big city; jobs were everywhere.
“Oh, are you a freshman, Junior?”
“Yes. My situation is a bit special, and the academy doesn’t provide a dormitory for me. So, I came a month early to settle my job and housing.”
Su Ling waved her hand and pulled Su Yao away.
‘Quick, let’s go. We have to leave before the manager realizes what happened.’
The moment the shop door closed and they were out of sight, both sides completely lost it and burst into laughter.
“Haha, what a steal!!”
“Um, Manager, didn’t you notice anything?”
Keke asked, feeling a bit speechless as she watched Cheng Cheng act as if she had just picked up 100,000,000 Moni.
Cheng Cheng was in a wonderful mood.
She was already planning how to use Su Yao and Su Ling over the next few days to bring her shop back to life.
“Notice what? All I know is that I’m going to be rich. Heh heh, a mother-daughter donburi who look like sisters… those single-dog little Witches who don’t even have girlfriends won’t be able to handle such a critical hit, haha!”
“Gosh! She said she’s a freshman, but the academy won’t provide her with housing. Do you have any idea what kind of situation leads to the academy withholding a benefit like housing?”
Cheng Cheng finally realized.
Her expression froze instantly.
“A… a Recommendation Letter?!”
“Exactly. Manager, you’re really bold. If she’s a genius recommended by a Great Witch and you dared to take advantage of her… well, you should probably start preparing your funeral.”
Keke sighed.
Students recommended by a Great Witch were either geniuses or from extremely wealthy and powerful families.
They couldn’t afford to offend either type.
However, Cheng Cheng’s eyes sparkled.
“Whoa, there’s even more unexpected joy? A genius, a mother and daughter, fake sisters… Haha, by The Original, I’m really going to hit it big!”
Cheng Cheng started dancing around the shop in joy.
Keke watched her like she was an idiot.
‘She really values money over her life.’
But… her lips curled up slightly.
‘Only this kind of capitalist is fit to be my boss!’
‘Genius or whatever, who cares? As long as we can make money!’
***
Su Ling pulled Su Yao and quickly moved away from that shop.
“Ling Ling…”
Su Yao and Su Ling looked at each other and both burst into laughter.
“Wow, 12,000! Ling Ling, we’re rich!”
Su Yao’s eyes were full of stars.
She had never seen that much money in her life—excluding her dreams, of course.
She often dreamed about owning a palace, and those dreams had become more frequent lately.
But those were just dreams.
“Heh heh.”
Su Ling couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from turning up.
Now that the job situation was settled, the next step was renting a place.
But… Su Ling and Su Yao looked up at the towering skyscrapers, their eyes full of confusion.
Where was there a place to rent around here?
“Ling Ling, look!”
Just then, Su Yao spotted a tricycle on the side of the road that looked very familiar.
The two of them walked over and found it was Tao Tao.
The little thing hadn’t left yet.
“Why is she asleep?”
Su Yao leaned against the window and looked inside.
Tao Tao seemed to be sleeping very soundly.
‘What great sleep quality.’
However, Su Ling’s expression was a bit strange.
“No… she’s fainted!”