The savory scents of sizzling dumplings and steaming vegetables filled the bustling restaurant, where the clinking of dishes and lively chatter filled the air. The kitchen's warm hum of chopping and sizzling sounds enveloped her. Long Mingxia, stationed at the counter, beamed with pride as the lunch crowd swelled. Lately, there has been an upturn in the number of customers in the restaurant. The recent surge in customers had become a double-edged sword – increased earnings but also exhausting hours. Her extra hours translated to extra wages, bringing her closer to renting a new apartment. Her cat, Bo, was recovering well from vet treatments. The hostile behavior of the other waitpersons towards her ceased because of Xiao Xuan. They didn't want to be on her bad side and they always wanted to be on Xiao Xuan's good side. Long Mingxia felt she was living in a dream, with everything going surprisingly smoothly for her.
'What if all these moments of peace are figments of my imagination? What if this serenity is a prelude to a storm?' She thought and she felt hollowness seep into her heart.
"Girlie, focus." Lok's voice cut through the chaos, her piercing stare softening slightly as she handed Long Mingxia a tea tray. Lok's sharp tongue and piercing stare intimidated others, but hints of kindness flickered in her eyes when she interacted with Long Mingxia these days. Long Mingxia was nicknamed 'Girlie' by Wang Lok because she was older than her appearance, she was no chicken.
[To be no chicken – To be older than what one says, or appears to be]
"Take this tea to the old man in light blue, treat him well. He is the boss's uncle and he can be quirky at times." Lok explained and kept the tray containing sweet-scented tea.
"For sure, I was going to do just that." Long Mingxia said as she grabbed the tray and waitlist and headed to the tables to take orders. The aroma of freshly brewed tea and dumplings enveloped her as she navigated the bustling restaurant. Her gaze danced between tables, ensuring each customer received attentive service.
Her hands steadied, pouring the steaming liquid with precision. The soothing scent of chamomile tea enveloped her, carrying her to a tranquil realm.
"Thanks a lot." The old man's smile accompanied a generous tip, his coin clinking into her palm.
A warm smile spread across her face as the shiny coin landed in her palm. That was a whooping Huacoin! She thanked him with sincere gratitude, her words tumbling out in appreciation.
"Any other thing, sir?" She asked and the old man shook his head. She went away to give the old man some space to enjoy his chamomile tea.
In the corner, a dark shape blended with the shadows, only the faint glint of eyes betraying the presence of a silent observer. She shivered despite the warmth in the restaurant, and scanned the room, but the chattering snapped off her attention. Her mind began to race. Who was that person watching her? She felt her heart quicken, her palms grew sweaty. Stress and fatigue crept in, amplifying her anxiety. Suddenly, every glance from a customer seemed suspicious, every noise made her jump.
'Stop it, Mingxia. Focus,' She told herself firmly. 'You're overthinking. It's just your imagination running wild. Focus on work, not fantasies.' She took a deep breath, forcing her muscles to relax. Yet, the feeling of unease lingered, refusing to be shaken off. Some customers beckoned on her to serve some more dumplings, soups and tea.
As Long Mingxia approached a vacant table, a young man caught her attention. His gainly figure was sat coolly in a comfy chair, as if unbothered about the world. His all-black ensemble, complete with shades and a nose mask, seemed incongruous. Long Mingxia's curiosity was piqued – was he hiding from the law or craving attention? Should she call the cops? For some strange reasons, she found him a bit familiar, as though they've met some time ago.
"Welcome sir, please, what can I get for you?" Long Mingxia's voice was gentle and she had a guileless smile on her face. She noticed that the all-black-clad man had a tattoo on his arm which looked attention-grabbing because he had an extremely pale skin like hers.
The man's piercing gaze lingered, its intensity making her skin prickle.
"Water." He replied gruffly. She wondered if the man's gruff demeanor hid a sore throat or flu.
"Just water?" She probed as she scribbled on the waitlist.
The man turned his head, his eyes narrowing at her.
"Don't this restaurant have drinking water?" He was already irritated.
Long Mingxia panicked, "We have drinking water in this restaurant."
"Then, warm water will do." He said and waved his hands at her, as if signaling to her to leave his space.
As she walked away, she sensed his intense stare. The man's peculiar behavior lingered in her mind. Long Mingxia went to another table, distressed by the man's tetchy attitude towards her. Most customers ordered for chilled water because of the hot weather, and they ordered for snacks or food. If he wanted to blend in with the customers, he could have ordered for a light snack. He made himself too conspicuous by wearing an all-black outfit, as though trying to gather attention to himself. She puzzled over why anyone would opt for warm water on such a sweltering day.
"Good afternoon, welcome to Sichou Yan Restaurant. Please, what do you care for?" She greeted the couple at another table. It seemed like they were tourists.
"Sorry, we haven't decided on what to eat. Please, give us some more time." The husband spoke up with an apologetic smile. That was the third time they had turned down the waitresses who came up to them to ask for their orders.
"Oh please, sir, take your time and decide," Long Mingxia said hurriedly.
The wife gloated, "Tomoko, why are you saying sorry to this piddling waitress? I don't know what you see in this lowly restaurant? If this restaurant is not good enough, we could go to my brother's five-star restaurant." She said loudly and eyes turned to look at them. Long Mingxia's face flushed, and she felt a familiar sense of awkwardness wash over her. She avoided eye contact, her gaze drifting to the glistening marbled floor.
Tomoko turned to his wife with puckered brows, "I am comfortable in this restaurant, and I can afford anything provided by this restaurant. Plus, the foods in this restaurant are delish, you should try them out." The man's words were like spears jabbing at her weak points. Long Mingxia didn't need anyone to tell her that the woman was a bad cook, and that her brother's five-star restaurant's services were exorbitant, and they served mediocre dishes.
"I heard from my colleagues that the dumplings in this restaurant are uniquely made and they taste so unique," Tomoko probed Long Mingxia with a witty grin.
"That is true, sir. Dumplings and wontons are our signature dishes." Long Mingxia nodded. Tomoko's wife wanted to talk but she clamped her mouth and watched the interaction between the two.
"I would like vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, I want that…ASAP!" She interrupted and Tomoko frowned.
"Rhoda dear, we had that last week at your brother's five-star restaurant," He reminded his wife. "Aren't you on diet? Order for something good for your health."
Rhoda shrugged as she paid no heed to her husband, "I have been craving for something sweet lately. I want rice pudding and the best fruity wine in your vault."
Tomoko had a heartfelt smile as he was delighted to eat something palatable, "Very well then, I would like Crispy Crab Rangoon, Wok-Fried Beef Tenderloin, Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings and Sweetened Walnut Cream."
Rhoda's eyes flared, "Tomoko, overfeeding is not a healthy habit. These foods are too much for you."
Tomoko paid no heed to his wife.
"Right away, sir." Long Mingxia scribbled on her waitlist.
"How much do all these cost?" Rhoda asked Long Mingxia.
"The rice pudding, fruity wine, crab Rangoon, beef tenderloin, dumplings and walnut cream cost twenty-five thousand Yunbits."
Rhoda stood up and slammed the table with a disappointed look, "That is outrageous! Twenty-five thousand Yunbits for mere pudding, dumplings, fruit wine and Rangoon? This is robbery in broad daylight!"
That scene drew the attention of the other customers. The other waitpersons stood at a side, watching Long Mingxia take care of another difficult customer.
Long Mingxia got flustered, "Ma'am, you forgot to include the wok-fried beef tenderloin and sweetened walnut cream. The best fruity wine in our vault is quite expensive, it costs fifteen thousand Yunbits. Ma'am, we also accept other currencies like the Huacoins and Huayun Tokens."
That was when Rhoda's anger subsided.
"Why are you making a mountain out of a mole hill? You shouldn't fret over this small change when you are able and capable of spending over three hundred thousand Yunbits in your brother's five-star restaurant in a day…" Tomoko jabbed his wife and Rhoda clumsily sat down when she heard the whispers and subtle laughter of the other customers.
"We will be paying in Huayun Tokens." Rhoda grunted, passing her bank card to Long Mingxia.
To be able to spend more than three hundred thousand Yunbits, which is equivalent to three thousand Huayun Tokens, at a five-star restaurant and make a complaint in a three-star restaurant because of twenty-five thousand Yunbits which is equal to two hundred and fifty Huayun Tokens, Long Mingxia sighed and took the bank card for the payments.
"That would be two hundred and fifty Huayun Tokens." Long Mingxia replied, not minding the woman's impudence. She was used to such treatments. Compared to the really difficult customers she has come across, Rhoda could be considered to be no hassle.
She took the orders of some other customers, and when she was about to rest at the counter, she caught sight of some of her high school classmates who were dining and reveling as if they had no worries in life. They were celebrating Su Bao's birthday and it caught the attention of some of the customers. She didn't know if she should be pleased or worried about meeting with them. She recognized Bernard Ling, her former classmate, and his fiancée, Chu Xiuying. Their eyes met, and Long Mingxia's heart dropped.
"Oh my! Did I just sight spastic?" Bernard Ling exclaimed and his other mates were surprised to hear that. Bernard Ling was a third generation rich kid. Nice looks, wealth and intelligence – he had all of them in spades. He was one of the few rich kids who could call the shots during their high school days.
In their high school days, students were categorized into four major statuses based on the wealth and influence of their families. High school social dynamics were dictated by wealth and influence, with students grouped into four distinct categories. The ultra-wealthy élite reigned supreme as they held the most power and influence, followed by rich kids who were known for having significant financial resources, trust fund kids had financial security but they weren't actively involved in wealth generation, and middle-class folks were the least because they had more modest means. Long Mingxia didn't fit neatly into any of these tiers, in point of fact, she was far below the least status. Hence, she was imperiled to ridicule and bullying. She persevered and was able to make it to college but she had to drop out because of the psychological effects from perpetual bullying and inability to provide the fees.
"Spastic? You mean…that jerk of a lass?" A girlish voice resonated. Her soft voice was laced with spite, it was obvious that her hatred for Long Mingxia was deep-rooted. She was Chu Xiuying, Bernard's fiancée. She was a trust fund kid when she was in high school and her marriage with Bernard was a contractual one.
Long Mingxia was always called spastic by her schoolmates and teachers because she had zero social connections. She trips over her tongue, trembles a lot, drops things often, spaces out and falls easily.
Long Mingxia paid no heed to them and she submitted the requests to the chefs in the kitchen.
"Welcome to Sichou Yan Restaurant. Please, what do you care for?" She said to her high school mates. She found out that the waitpersons were reluctant to attend to them, and she was forced by the maître d'hôtel to be the sacrificial lamb.
The group of friends laughed at her and that embarrassed Long Mingxia. She was sure that Zhou Yating was watching the embarrassing scene. What could she do? Walk away from there and be labeled as a scaredy-cat by Bernard Ling and his cohorts? She would be reported to the boss for being discourteous and her salary would be slashed, the boss always trumpeted that customers were right no matter what. If she stood there and faced Bernard Ling and his cohorts, they would mortify her beyond redemption such that she would never have the moral fiber to raise her head.
"Do you care for water or wine?" Long Mingxia asked, her voice was strained but broke at the end. Her shoulders trembled and she twiddled with her apron strings, trying to allay her anxieties. She suppressed a sob that was threatening to erupt, anxiety crept up her spine, her past mistakes and humiliations resurfacing like festering wounds. She was the youngest, lowliest and flimsiest among her mates then, hence, making her an easy target for ill-treatment.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Chu Xiuying sneered, her voice dripping with condescension. "The spastic waitress in a measly restaurant." She expressed her disappointment. She fluttered her hair and jeered at Long Mingxia. Her hair had a lovely coppery sheen which Long Mingxia used to admire when they were in high school.
Bernard Ling, with his charming smile and condescending gaze, seemed to revel in Long Mingxia's discomfort, his actions driven by a desire to assert his superiority.
"Still struggling, Mingxia? You're a waitron now? How the mighty have fallen. You used to be the gatekeeper's favorite and Gardener Ray's favorite?"
"Daiyu, do you remember when Mr. Gu Bai, our chemistry tutor that time, told her to distinguish the smell of methanethiol from phenylethyl alcohol, and she puked on him and all over the laboratory?" Chu Xiuying recounted the story to her friend, Su Daiyu.
Su Bao, Su Daiyu's cousin, chortled, "Of course, I don't think I can forget that day. Mr. Gu Bai made her to clean the entire lab block for a month because her vomit made him queasy."
"Hey spastic, did you finally find a job that suits your skills?" Su Daiyu mocked, her face glinting with a smug grin.
The Su Cousins laughed and the cruel words and laughter transported her to the helpless, assistanceless girl she once was. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill and her nose turned red from holding back sobs. A lump formed in her throat, making swallowing difficult. She could feel the intense stare of everyone at her and that made her lightheaded.
As tears threatened to spill, a warm hand enveloped her, pulling her into a comforting embrace.
"Hey, are you okay?" A gentle voice whispered.
"Yeah, I am okay, thanks." She mumbled and tears seeped from her eyes.
Long Mingxia's gaze met the man in black, his shades gone, revealing eyes that pierced with kindness.