"I SAID—! SUGAR FREE!!!"
Me: I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. 😭
"Are you deaf or something???"
Me: Sorry…
...…
Yeah, that was me, being scolded by the customer who I accidentally served with a cup of coffee of extra concentrated milk.
Let me make this clear, it's not that I didn't hear him — his voice was extremely soft like someone ready for the final stage of cancer. 🙄
AI: I can record it for you next time.
YOU SHOULD'VE DONE THAT!!! 😭😭😭
Oh, where am I? — I was asked to help out in Uncle Chang's restaurant.
I've told Cindy that I might be busy today, as I usually spent the rest of my Sunday fixing the bug or doing the house chores, but —
"Uncle Chang is not feeling well these days, you wanna see someone who took so much good care of you suffer from the work?"
— she said.
AI: I already provide you the excuses, and you just ignored me… 😏
Oh, you want me to tell her "Sorry, I need to go shopping with Yumeko, she needs new clothes" or "Sorry, I have to take my cat to the vet…", it seems like you don't know her well. 🙄
Well from some perspective she's correct.
Uncle Chang took care of me ever since I moved in next door for study, he's also my client as he required me to develop a website for the restaurant.
But from the reasonable perspective, whether if he'll suffer from his business — Is Out Of My Business…😭😭😭
Cindy: Hey!
Me: Ouch—!
The tray got smashed onto my head. 😭
Me: What's that for?
Cindy: For the wrong order you took, don't you dare waste more ingredients after this.
She pointed her index finger at my nose while she was in the apron with the logo of the restaurant on it — yeah I got the same one on me as well.
It was a chubby puppy holding a bowl and chopstick smiling at the customer like what creepy mascots would do to children — don't ask me, she designed that, and somehow her dad approved. 😒
Me: Lesson learned. 🥲
She walked away after a hmph.
Uncle: Haha, you got more to suffer in the future.
Uncle Chang, who was sitting at the counter enjoying the milk tea with the newspaper in his hand teased me with the most toxic laughs.
Since he's not feeling well, he basically did nothing since morning.
Me: Sorry, not for long.
Uncle: Don't be fooled by her attitude, Rin. She'll be the best wife material...like her mother.
After speaking, Uncle Chang picked up the family photo at the edge of the counter.
Yep, Uncle Chang is a single parent who took care of Cindy alone after Cindy's mother passed away from a car accident when Cindy was 10.
Me: So, how's your back?
Uncle: Getting better now.
Me: Then get up to work.
Uncle: Aww—don't ruin the vibe. I was enjoying the scene.
Me: Of what?
Uncle: You two run the restaurant like husband and wife.
Me: Ha—ha—, very funny. 🙄
Uncle Chang burst out laughing like a crazy old man at the counter after I said that, after that I got back to work.
After suffering for 6 hours, the restaurant finally closed for clean ups.
Cindy: Hey, you hungry?
Me: Nope.
We were washing dishes in the kitchen, she remained silent like she should be after I replied.
Me: You hungry?
Cindy: No.
But then I heard her stomach rumbling like a storm inside and she heard it too, she looked away as I looked at the liar.
Me: You skipped breakfast?
Cindy: I...I have no option.
Me: Want some noodles after this?
Cindy: I'm good.
And her stomach rumbled again.
After putting down the last plate, I put on the apron, turned on the fire on the stove and started to prepare her YangChun Noodles.
Minutes later….
Me: Here you go.
Cindy: Aren't you supposed to say something?
Me: Seriously?
Cindy: Uh huh, quick!
Me: Fine...
I stood up and bowed with my left hand at my front while the other at my back.
Me: Enjoy Your Meal, Dear Customer.
Cindy: Hmm…that's more like it.
Then she started eating while I continued my work at the opposite table.
Cindy: Hey, what about you?
Me: Huh?
Cindy: Your—ne…nevermind.
AI: Dude, she's checking if you're hungry.
Haha, only if that's true. 🙄
If she really cared about me she would've guilt-tripped me with her dad's health condition.
AI: But you compromised at the end.
I suggest you shut down from now, I'm really annoyed. 🙄
Cindy: Are you free after this?
Me: Why?
She came to the side of my table and pulled my sleeves while she asked, I looked at her and she looked away.
Cindy: We…we need to ....prepare the in…ingredients for to…tomorrow…
Me: We?
Cindy: For…forget it!
And then she ran away.
The moment I was thinking what's wrong with her, Uncle Chang giggled from afar at the counter.
Me: What?
Uncle: Haha, nothing.
AI: Yeah, he's right, it was nothing, haha. 🤣🤣🤣
What's wrong with you two???
Uncle: She'll be procuring the ingredients after this, she needs someone to carry for her, the ingredients are heavy.
Me: She should've told me, why's she….
Uncle: Well…I don't know, haha.
He focused back onto the newspaper that he read for the whole day.
I ran out from the restaurant and saw Cindy on her way to the wet market. I ran towards her to keep up the pace as she was fast.
Me: You should've told me earlier.
Cindy: Hmph–!
And she accelerates.
After the procurement, we carried the ingredients back to the restaurant's kitchen.
We distributed the work to handle the ingredients. She marinated the pork bellies, I washed and cut the vegetables, and she boiled the broth...
In case you didn't know, I encountered the most classic kitchen accident — I cut my hand. 🥲
I immediately cleaned up the wound with water after ensuring my blood didn't drop onto any ingredients.
Cindy: What's wrong?
Me: Nothing.
Cindy: You cut yourself? Let me take a look.
Me: I'm good.
I'm not leaving any dirt so that she could mock me in the future.
Cindy: I'm worried.
...
Uh?
Me: It's not April Fool's today, stop it.
After hearing what I said, she smashed the scoop down to the floor and rushed out of the kitchen.
AI: Seriously? Come on….😒
What???
Someone who hated me the most suddenly worried about me, don't you think it's illogical behind this?
AI: If she hates you, she wouldn't have asked you out for morning work out or asking you to help out in her family business...are you dumb or something???
...
You mean I did something wrong…again?
AI: You think?
...
...
I came out from the kitchen after picking up the scoop on the ground, Cindy was sitting on one of the booth seats.
AI: Get her some drink.
You sure?
AI: Just do it.
....
I picked up the hot tea and poured it into the cup with full cream milk, the fragrance spread around the restaurant which grabbed Cindy's notice.
She glared at me for a second and looked away angrily.
I served the milk tea on her table and sat down in front of her.
Me: I'm…sorry.
She glared at me again, I can see her eyes were red and she snobbed when she looked away.
Me: I…um…I…used to solve my problem…I'm sorry….
...
After a few minutes of silence, she picked up the cup and took a sip.
Cindy: Too plain.
...
Cindy: Stop…stop staring, we…we still have work to do.
Me: Uh?
She stood up and rushed back to the kitchen while I noticed Uncle Chang was holding his phone recording stealthily at the counter.
Me: You better delete that.
Uncle: Oh, you see, the phone's not working….ah…dang it….
He pretended like the phone was broken by gently smashing at the screen.
Without arguing with the old man, I returned to the kitchen and continued the work with Cindy.
After a few hours, we were on the way home.
Uncle: So, how was it?
Me: How was what?
Uncle: Don't you feel anything?
Me: Of what?
Uncle: Any…thing?
I looked at Uncle Chang like staring at a crazy old man trying to show me some magic trick with his hand shaking around for nothing.
Me: Get some rest, uncle.
After that we all headed home while I'm still figuring out what's wrong with this family.
Daughter with nonsense and barbaric attitude and the father with crazy speeches, am I going to deal with them for the rest of my life?
AI: I don't know, but...there's one more thing you too take care of tomorrow, remember? Monday?
...
…..
...
Almost forgot. 🥲