Zhang Heng could understand why Xu Qian would stand up for the girl in the short skirt. What happened outside the restaurant earlier probably reminded her of all the grievances she had to endure when working as a waitress. She must have very likely gone through what the girl experienced.
At that time, Xu Qian could only endure it silently, like what the girl intended to do. So, she had to bite the bullet and keep the matter to herself. Instead of saying that she spent three thousand credits to make the man apologize to the girl he pushed, it was better to say that she was buying the long-overdue life and apology that she deserved.
…
The waitress, on the other side, quickly took the menu and asked respectfully, “What do you want to eat? We have Cantonese, Sichuan, and Huaiyang delicacy in the restaurant. If you don’t like Chinese food…”
Xu Qian, however, interrupted her halfway. “I want Chinese Yam in Hot Toffee, squirrelfish, stir-fried snow peas, and a pot of fruit tea. Get rid of the yam skin. Also, tell the chef not to use dead squirrelfish. Oh, and don’t you serve me leftover fruit tea.”
The girl in the short skirt looked baffled. “Have you… Have you visited our restaurant for a meal before?”
“Oh. I’ve dined here a couple of times before,” Xu Qian said.
The girl in the short skirt had misunderstood what she meant, thinking that she was just a regular customer. Hence, she quickly apologized, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I haven’t been working here for long, and I still can’t recognize all of the regular customers.”
Xu Qian had no intention to explain the whole thing to her. Instead, she waved her hand to signal her to leave her alone. After that, she started to look around the restaurant.
“How is it? Anything’s changed since you left?” Zhang Heng asked.
“There are some. However, most things remain the same.” Xu Qian curled her mouth and pointed at a stain on the wall. “I still remember this particular spot. I wiped it with disinfectant for an hour after the restaurant closed for business. Unfortunately, I failed to clean it. The lady boss scolded me after that before proceeding to deduct half month’s salary. I remembered I cried the whole night. Then, there was another time when a customer ordered the wrong dish, but they refused to admit that they did. So, I was forced to pay for it in the end. I happened to have to pay the rent that day…”
Revisiting the restaurant reminded Xu Qian of the darker days of her life.
“No wonder you are so reluctant to come back here.” Zhang Heng took two pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick box and rinsed them in the teacup.
Xu Qian then sat up straight. “So, you brought me back here just to hear about my tragic past?”
“Well, I really want to know more,” Zhang Heng said while handing Xu Qian a pair of washed chopsticks.
At the same time, the girl in the short skirt brought the Chinese Yam in Hot Toffee and fruit tea to them. She also fetched Zhang Heng a new cup of tea.
“You can always ask me. Coming all the way to the first level is completely unnecessary.”
Zhang Heng made no comment. Instead, he asked, “Is that so? How much do you believe in your memory?”
“What do you mean?” Xu Qian raised her eyebrows, “I don’t deny that human memories change over time. Some of the good memories will be further enhanced, and some of the bad memories would worsen. There might be some deviations in the details. But… Our memories are generally credible. Otherwise, why would we need them then?”
Xu Qian seemed to have thought of something when she said that. She paused and continued, “Oh, I’m sorry. I know you must have suffered a lot during this period of time. However, I don’t know which memories are true and which are fabricated. If this happened to me, I think I will break down.”
“Really? I don’t think it’s that serious.”
While the two chatted on, the waitress in a short skirt also brought over the dishes Xu Qian ordered. When the last dish, the squirrelfish, was served, the owner, who had been cooking, walked out of the kitchen in his apron. He then wiped his hands and said with a smile, “I heard that a regular customer is here today. I had to come out of the kitchen to say hello.”
He walked to the table where Xu Qian and Zhang Heng at. However, he was taken aback when he saw them.
Saying nothing, Zhang Heng picked a piece of toasted sweet potato and put it in his mouth as if it had nothing to do with him.
Xu Qian sneered, “Why? Never thought I’d come back?”
“You are…”
The boss seemed a little overwhelmed.
Xu Qian then took off her sunglasses. “Now, I don’t need to introduce myself anymore.”
As a result, the boss had gotten even more confused. He then smiled and said, “If it’s not too much trouble, do you mind introducing yourself to me?”
“Have you become so old that you forgot about me? Don’t you remember me?” Xu Qian snorted.
“Should I… remember you?”
The dispute between the two had attracted the attention of the lady boss at the counter. The latter looked at them suspiciously, causing the owner to panic even more. With a wry smile, he said, “Miss, please don’t spout nonsense. This is really my first time meeting you.”
“Interesting. Who was the one that hinted to me as long as I am willing to sleep with you, I’m allowed to do only half of the work in the restaurant?”
When the boss heard what she said, the hairs all over his body stood up. He could feel his wife was giving him the gaze of death from behind him. He was so anxious that he quickly coined something up. “I am the owner of a small restaurant, and I’m that capable. Usually, I tease my waitresses, but I would never dare say such a thing to you. Besides, I don’t think you are from the first level. I can’t afford to do that to you.”
Before he could say a word more, the lady boss furiously bellowed, “Okay! I saw you flirting with those two bitches earlier! Are you cheating on me?!”
“No. No. I just told you that the most I would do is to tease.”
The owner realized that he said something wrong, so he quickly defended himself.
But at the moment, the lady boss was completely soaked in wrath. As the owner had said, the lady boss did not believe that her husband would dare to provoke a woman dressed so fancily. However, the way Xu Qian dressed made her think twice about throwing a tantrum. Zhang Heng was sitting beside Xu Qian too, and unless she were blind, there was no reason she’d allow the owner to take advantage of her.
In the end, the waitress in the short skirt had to take the blame. The lady boss threw a teacup at her without thinking twice. Although it did not hit her, the shattering glass shocked her immensely, and she quickly hid in the corner. She was trembling, but the lady boss had no intention to let her go. The enraged woman rushed over and tried to grab the waitress’s hair. In the end, the whole restaurant became a hot, piping mess.
Zhang Heng could understand why Xu Qian would stand up for the girl in the short skirt. What happened outside the restaurant earlier probably reminded her of all the grievances she had to endure when working as a waitress. She must have very likely gone through what the girl experienced.
At that time, Xu Qian could only endure it silently, like what the girl intended to do. So, she had to bite the bullet and keep the matter to herself. Instead of saying that she spent three thousand credits to make the man apologize to the girl he pushed, it was better to say that she was buying the long-overdue life and apology that she deserved.
…
The waitress, on the other side, quickly took the menu and asked respectfully, “What do you want to eat? We have Cantonese, Sichuan, and Huaiyang delicacy in the restaurant. If you don’t like Chinese food…”
Xu Qian, however, interrupted her halfway. “I want Chinese Yam in Hot Toffee, squirrelfish, stir-fried snow peas, and a pot of fruit tea. Get rid of the yam skin. Also, tell the chef not to use dead squirrelfish. Oh, and don’t you serve me leftover fruit tea.”
The girl in the short skirt looked baffled. “Have you… Have you visited our restaurant for a meal before?”
“Oh. I’ve dined here a couple of times before,” Xu Qian said.
The girl in the short skirt had misunderstood what she meant, thinking that she was just a regular customer. Hence, she quickly apologized, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I haven’t been working here for long, and I still can’t recognize all of the regular customers.”
Xu Qian had no intention to explain the whole thing to her. Instead, she waved her hand to signal her to leave her alone. After that, she started to look around the restaurant.
“How is it? Anything’s changed since you left?” Zhang Heng asked.
“There are some. However, most things remain the same.” Xu Qian curled her mouth and pointed at a stain on the wall. “I still remember this particular spot. I wiped it with disinfectant for an hour after the restaurant closed for business. Unfortunately, I failed to clean it. The lady boss scolded me after that before proceeding to deduct half month’s salary. I remembered I cried the whole night. Then, there was another time when a customer ordered the wrong dish, but they refused to admit that they did. So, I was forced to pay for it in the end. I happened to have to pay the rent that day…”
Revisiting the restaurant reminded Xu Qian of the darker days of her life.
“No wonder you are so reluctant to come back here.” Zhang Heng took two pairs of chopsticks from the chopstick box and rinsed them in the teacup.
Xu Qian then sat up straight. “So, you brought me back here just to hear about my tragic past?”
“Well, I really want to know more,” Zhang Heng said while handing Xu Qian a pair of washed chopsticks.
At the same time, the girl in the short skirt brought the Chinese Yam in Hot Toffee and fruit tea to them. She also fetched Zhang Heng a new cup of tea.
“You can always ask me. Coming all the way to the first level is completely unnecessary.”
Zhang Heng made no comment. Instead, he asked, “Is that so? How much do you believe in your memory?”
“What do you mean?” Xu Qian raised her eyebrows, “I don’t deny that human memories change over time. Some of the good memories will be further enhanced, and some of the bad memories would worsen. There might be some deviations in the details. But… Our memories are generally credible. Otherwise, why would we need them then?”
Xu Qian seemed to have thought of something when she said that. She paused and continued, “Oh, I’m sorry. I know you must have suffered a lot during this period of time. However, I don’t know which memories are true and which are fabricated. If this happened to me, I think I will break down.”
“Really? I don’t think it’s that serious.”
While the two chatted on, the waitress in a short skirt also brought over the dishes Xu Qian ordered. When the last dish, the squirrelfish, was served, the owner, who had been cooking, walked out of the kitchen in his apron. He then wiped his hands and said with a smile, “I heard that a regular customer is here today. I had to come out of the kitchen to say hello.”
He walked to the table where Xu Qian and Zhang Heng at. However, he was taken aback when he saw them.
Saying nothing, Zhang Heng picked a piece of toasted sweet potato and put it in his mouth as if it had nothing to do with him.
Xu Qian sneered, “Why? Never thought I’d come back?”
“You are…”
The boss seemed a little overwhelmed.
Xu Qian then took off her sunglasses. “Now, I don’t need to introduce myself anymore.”
As a result, the boss had gotten even more confused. He then smiled and said, “If it’s not too much trouble, do you mind introducing yourself to me?”
“Have you become so old that you forgot about me? Don’t you remember me?” Xu Qian snorted.
“Should I… remember you?”
The dispute between the two had attracted the attention of the lady boss at the counter. The latter looked at them suspiciously, causing the owner to panic even more. With a wry smile, he said, “Miss, please don’t spout nonsense. This is really my first time meeting you.”
“Interesting. Who was the one that hinted to me as long as I am willing to sleep with you, I’m allowed to do only half of the work in the restaurant?”
When the boss heard what she said, the hairs all over his body stood up. He could feel his wife was giving him the gaze of death from behind him. He was so anxious that he quickly coined something up. “I am the owner of a small restaurant, and I’m that capable. Usually, I tease my waitresses, but I would never dare say such a thing to you. Besides, I don’t think you are from the first level. I can’t afford to do that to you.”
Before he could say a word more, the lady boss furiously bellowed, “Okay! I saw you flirting with those two bitches earlier! Are you cheating on me?!”
“No. No. I just told you that the most I would do is to tease.”
The owner realized that he said something wrong, so he quickly defended himself.
But at the moment, the lady boss was completely soaked in wrath. As the owner had said, the lady boss did not believe that her husband would dare to provoke a woman dressed so fancily. However, the way Xu Qian dressed made her think twice about throwing a tantrum. Zhang Heng was sitting beside Xu Qian too, and unless she were blind, there was no reason she’d allow the owner to take advantage of her.
In the end, the waitress in the short skirt had to take the blame. The lady boss threw a teacup at her without thinking twice. Although it did not hit her, the shattering glass shocked her immensely, and she quickly hid in the corner. She was trembling, but the lady boss had no intention to let her go. The enraged woman rushed over and tried to grab the waitress’s hair. In the end, the whole restaurant became a hot, piping mess.
