“Because it’s cute!”
Ruan Mian’s answer was matter-of-fact.
“Catgirl maids, different-colored stockings—aren’t these all classic elements? Don’t you like them?”
“I was just asking.”
For these things, Qi didn’t say much.
After all, she was here to work.
She could have opinions, but she couldn’t expect everything to go her way.
Besides, this maid outfit didn’t have any problems, except maybe a little flashy?
It’s a maid uniform, so it’s understandable.
“Since there’s no problem, should I go ahead and order the production? Once it’s made, no changes allowed.”
Qi didn’t answer immediately.
She thought for a moment before asking:
“What material are the stockings made of?”
“We chose a thicker style. To keep the black and white colors more pure, we didn’t use a sheer design. Do you want to change that here?”
“No need. This is perfect.”
The black-haired girl nodded, having no other objections.
Seeing the discussion go so smoothly, Ruan Mian was in a good mood.
She put away the tablet and led her further into the shop.
“This is the kitchen. Although our shop is called a coffee shop, we still provide some culinary services.”
The store manager brought Qi into the kitchen.
When she passed by earlier, she had taken a quick glance.
The space inside was quite spacious, with all kinds of cooking utensils.
Theoretically, whether it was cakes, desserts, fried goods, or stir-fries, everything could be made in this kitchen.
But right now, the ingredients stored inside were very sparse, and only the area for making coffee drinks was operational.
This kitchen was also the part of the shop that left the deepest impression on Qi, because it was separated from the main hall by only one wall, and the upper half of that wall was a layer of glass.
What happened inside the kitchen could be clearly seen by the customers outside.
She had seen similar designs before, where some restaurants used the cleanliness of the kitchen to attract customers.
Was Ruan Mian thinking the same?
“Qiqi, can you cook?”
the store manager suddenly asked.
“I’m not very good at it.”
The black-haired girl answered honestly.
She stepped closer to take a look.
The stove was a bit high for her current height, but it wouldn’t affect her use.
Below the stove, there was a small stool placed.
“Try standing on it?”
Ruan Mian said with a light laugh, motioning.
“I can reach it.”
Qi was a little dissatisfied.
Although she was much shorter than before, she wasn’t at the point where she needed to stand on a stool to use the kitchen.
“I wasn’t asking if you can reach it. Only by standing on the stool can your upper body be fully exposed, making it look better from outside.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask—does our café need maids to cook personally?”
“Of course!”
Ruan Mian’s tone was firm.
“Every maid in our shop must have at least one signature dish of their own. That’s how we boost consumption.”
“But I really don’t know how to cook.”
The black-haired girl was very resigned.
“It’s okay. You can learn a simple dessert. It doesn’t require much cooking skill and is hard to mess up. Besides, I wouldn’t recommend stir-fries, since it’s not good for a maid to have too much cooking oil smell on her. At most, something like fried rice or omurice, which can be made with low heat.”
Since it had come to this, Qi had to try learning one dish.
She wondered if she would get commissions or something if her signature dish sold well.
“As for coffee and drink recipes, just try making them once when the time comes. No need to memorize them specifically.”
The store manager led her to the beverage area.
At the center was a screen.
Tapping it would show the specific steps for making each drink, which was very convenient.
“For non-signature drinks like these, customers can ask any maid to make them. You can also improve these drinks and design your own upgraded version, which can also count as your signature dish. But you still need to have a food dish.”
The black-haired girl glanced at the prices of various drinks.
The average price was around twenty yuan, with the cheapest being an iced lemon tea at eleven yuan.
For Qi, the price was a bit expensive, but in this area, it was quite cheap.
Even she could afford it.
The shop had a digital ordering system.
According to Ruan Mian, customers could specify which maid to make their order.
The glass wall in the kitchen probably existed for that purpose.
Since there was a specifying option, there should be commissions.
Besides the base salary calculated by work hours, there was also extra commission based on the number of dishes completed.
She just didn’t know how much commission per order.
“Alright, that’s it for now. We’ll talk more when you officially start work~”
The store manager stretched, looking much more relaxed.
“Oh, have you had lunch yet?”
“Not yet. I came straight after class.”
Qi was waiting for this.
She hadn’t eaten much all day yesterday, and this morning she only had a piece of bread.
She was very hungry now.
“Then I’ll take you to eat. What do you want to eat?”
“I’ll eat anything, but I don’t want too much meat, and not too heavy on oil and salt. Other than that, anything is fine.”
“Your requirements are quite specific.”
After lunch, Qi bid farewell to Ruan Mian and left.
But she wasn’t in a hurry to go back to school.
Instead, she strolled slowly along the path.
Recently, to cool down her relationship with Jiang Wanli, and because of that incident on the forum, Qi felt she needed to keep some distance from Jiang Wanli, at least avoid contact in public places at school.
But she couldn’t come to Ruan Mian’s place to freeload every day.
She still had to find a way to get her campus card back.
However, since Jiang Wanli went to see Bai Qiaoyu that time, the latter hadn’t contacted Qi on her own initiative.
Could it be that she had to seek out Bai Qiaoyu herself?
The black-haired girl was torn.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t take the initiative, but it depended on who it was.
Bai Qiaoyu was a dangerous person, and she instinctively wanted to avoid her, still the same now.
Qi was staring at her phone screen, conflicted, when she noticed the grass beside her sway slightly.
A black cat’s head poked out from the grass, making eye contact with the black-haired girl.
The cat looked cautious, but it didn’t immediately turn and run away.
It didn’t seem afraid of Qi.
In the maid outfit design she had just seen, the cat ear headband was black, and now she had encountered a black cat.
Feeling a bit restless, Qi simply crouched down in front of it and carefully reached her hand toward the cat.
Just as her palm was about to touch the cat’s head, the cat shrank back a little, but still didn’t flee.
It let Qi’s hand brush against it.
“It seems you don’t like having your head touched either.”
The black-haired girl’s lips curved into a faint smile.
Right next to them was a convenience store, so Qi got up and went inside to buy a sausage.
But when she came out, the cat was no longer there.
In its place stood Jiang Wanli, exactly where she had been.
“Qiqi, come to me.”
The girl’s expression was serious.
Jiang Wanli’s eyes were fixed on Qi, but it seemed she was also looking past Qi, staring intently at something behind her.
“Sister Xiaoli…”
The black-haired girl was confused.
Why was Jiang Wanli here?
Then she heard a voice from behind her as well.
“Are you that wary of me?”
Qi quickly turned around to face Bai Qiaoyu, who had a faint smile on her face.