âYou two are veterans, right?â Colonel Linâs interest was piqued. âDo you want me to test you two as well?â
Big Ke turned his back toward Colonel Lin. âNot interested.â
Ah Lu lowered his head and smoked, not even bothering to look at Colonel Lin. Clearly, he was also not interested in Colonel Linâs test.
Jiang Yao listened intently to the chat in the coffee shop. Her attention was not diverted until a male waiter approached with a platter of hot chocolate in his hands and mistakenly spilled it on her clothes.
âIâm very sorry, Madam. I donât know if it scalded you,â the waiter repeatedly apologized with a nervous expression.
Jiang Yao shook her head as she flung her sleeves. âItâs nothing.â
At that moment, a person who looked like the manager walked forward and scolded the waiter. Then, he found a waitress and insisted on helping Jiang Yao to the washroom. He wanted to know if the hot cocoa scalded her.
The manager was very enthusiastic. The waitress was even more passionate than the manager. After accompanying Jiang Yao into the ladiesâ room, she helped Jiang Yao take off her coat. She said, âCheck if your arm is burned. Please donât be angry with my colleague. He did not do it on purpose. He just came to work today, so he might not be used to it.â
Jiang Yao rinsed the coffee stain off her coat, but one could still see the coffee stain. It could not be washed off.
âThis is an expensive coat, right? What should I do? This canât be washed off.â The waitress hugged Jiang Yaoâs coat, looking like she wanted to cry. âOur monthly salary canât afford this coat. Why donât I ask my colleague to take your coat to dry-clean it?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âNo, itâs not a big deal.â Jiang Yao shook her head. âI didnât even get wet, so donât worry, I did not get burned.â
âYouâre such a good person! Iâve worked here for so many years, and Iâve rarely met a customer as easy to talk to as you. Once, I accidentally poured hot milk on a customerâs foot, and in the end, he kicked me. If my manager and colleagues hadnât come in time, he might have killed me.â The waitress patted her chest fearfully. âIf only everyone in the world was as easy to talk to as you. It is never our intention when we encounter accidents at work. But sometimes, thereâs no way to avoid it. When we saw the hot cocoa fall on you, we were very worried that youâd get burned.â
The waitress seemed to believe that meeting a customer who was easy to talk to and pleasant was unusual, so she became a little chatty. She asked, âWhat do you do for a living? You looked like a southerner. You do not resemble a northerner at all.â
When Jiang Yao did not respond, the waitress proceeded to ask enthusiastically, âYou seem so young. Are you still in school? Are you 20 years old? Youâre kind and beautiful!â
Jiang Yao finally smiled; she was in no hurry to go out. She leaned against the sink and looked at the waitress, who kept talking, wanting to see what she would say.
The waitress was probably scared by Jiang Yaoâs half-smile. She scratched her head and asked, âWhy are you looking at me like that? Itâs so creepy.â