“Alright, the vaccination issue is settled.” Wos checked his watch.
“It’s three in the afternoon. Let’s see if we can find any other work opportunities.”
The three of them strolled slowly down the street, with Wos carefully studying every shop.
“How about that restaurant?” Wos pointed at an Italian restaurant.
“The police said private venues don’t need a permit for performances.”
They walked into the restaurant.
The decor had a lot of atmosphere, and since it was afternoon tea time, there weren’t many customers.
“Hello, how can I help you?” A waiter walked over.
“I wanted to ask if your restaurant needs any performers,” Wos said, getting straight to the point.
“We can perform magic and acrobatics for your guests.”
The waiter looked at Tom and Jerry, a bit puzzled.
“Performers? You mean having these two animals perform?”
“Yes, they’re very talented,” Wos introduced them enthusiastically.
“Sorry, sir, our restaurant doesn’t need that kind of service.” The waiter politely declined.
After going through five or six restaurants and cafes in a row, they got the same answer every time.
Either they didn’t need performances, or they thought animal acts weren’t appropriate.
“Why is this so hard?” Wos sat down by the roadside, feeling a little dejected.
Tom and Jerry were let down too.
They had just experienced the joy of being recognized by an audience, and now they were hitting wall after wall.
Still, it was understandable.
Businesses that could afford to open in a prosperous part of New York really didn’t need the little bit of traffic Tom and Jerry could bring.
“Forget it, let’s look for other opportunities.” Wos stood up and patted the dust off his clothes.
The three of them kept wandering down the street, with Wos’s eyes constantly scanning the hiring notices in various shops.
Suddenly, his footsteps stopped.
“Holy crap!” Wos’s eyes went wide, locked on the help-wanted notice at the entrance of an upscale restaurant ahead.
It was a European-style restaurant called “The Blue Danube,” with an extremely luxurious interior.
Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, they could see dazzling crystal chandeliers and guests in formal attire dining elegantly.
On the notice at the entrance, written in gold lettering, were the words:
[Urgently Hiring: One Pianist]
[Requirements: Strong classical music foundation, able to perform live]
[Pay: $500 per hour]
[Interested applicants, please interview directly]
“Five hundred dollars an hour!” Wos rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
“Isn’t this how you get rich? Eight hours a day is four thousand dollars!”
Tom and Jerry came over to look at the notice too, and the moment they saw $500 an hour, the two little ones’ eyes instantly turned to gold ($_$).
“Wait, I can’t play piano.” Wos calmed down.
“With pay this high, they must require a very high level of playing.”
Just as he was about to leave disappointed, he suddenly remembered something.
He turned to look at Tom, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Tom! You can play piano, right?”
Tom froze for a moment, then nodded.
“Great!” Wos was so excited he almost jumped.
“I remember you played piano many times in your world, and you played it really well!”
Jerry hopped up and down excitedly beside him.
He remembered that Tom really did have an astonishing talent for music.
“But…” Wos hesitated again.
“Would a high-end restaurant like this let a cat play the piano?”
Hearing this, Tom put his hands on his hips, a bit indignant, as if to say: Don’t underestimate me!
“Yes, yes, yes, I shouldn’t doubt your ability.” Wos patted Tom’s head.
“Besides, we don’t have any other options right now. Might as well give it a shot!”
The three stood at the restaurant entrance for a good while, with Wos taking deep breaths to psych himself up.
“Okay, let’s go in!” Wos pushed open the restaurant’s glass door.
Immediately, elegant classical music and a faint scent of perfume washed over them.
The inside of the restaurant was even more luxurious than it looked from outside, with exquisite silver tableware and fresh flowers on every table.
“Sir, do you have a reservation?” A waiter in a tailcoat walked over, and when he saw Tom and Jerry, his brow furrowed slightly.
“Um, I’m here to apply for the pianist position,” Wos said, a little nervous.
“Pianist?” The waiter looked Wos up and down.
“May I ask if you have relevant performance experience?”
“Yes, yes!” Wos nodded quickly.
“We… I mean, my playing level is absolutely no problem!”
The waiter led them to the piano in one corner of the restaurant.
It was a black grand piano, shining under the lights.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll go get the manager.” With that, the waiter left.
Wos rubbed his hands together nervously, while Tom curiously circled the piano once, and Jerry had already hopped up onto the piano bench.
Soon, a middle-aged man in a refined suit walked over.
He had typical European features, and his hair was combed without a single strand out of place.
“I’m the manager of this restaurant, Mr. Franz.” He extended his hand.
“I hear you’d like to apply for our pianist position?”
“Yes!” Wos shook his hand.
“My name is Wos, and these are my… partners.”
Franz looked at Tom and Jerry, with a somewhat strange expression.
“Sir, this is a high-end restaurant. Pets are not allowed.”
“They’re not pets!” Wos hurriedly explained.
“They’re my performance partners, and this cat is our pianist!”
“A cat? A pianist?” Franz thought he had misheard.
“Sir, are you joking?”
“Absolutely not!” Wos said seriously.
“Tom’s piano skills are beyond anything you can imagine!”
“Sir, I understand that you may be very fond of your pet, but having a cat play the piano is really…”
“Then let us give it a try!” Wos cut him off.
“If he doesn’t play well, we’ll leave right away!”
Franz looked at Wos’s earnest expression, then at Tom.
This cat really was clever, and there did seem to be a glint of real intelligence in his eyes.
“Fine.” Franz shook his head.
“Though this is absurd, I’ll give you three minutes. If your… cat can really play decent music, I’ll consider it.”
“Great!” Wos turned to Tom excitedly.
“Tom, it’s your turn to perform!”
Tom walked up to the piano and gracefully hopped onto the bench.
He first flexed his paws, then lightly touched a few keys to test the pitch.
Franz and several waiters who had gathered around all wore looks of disbelief.
This cat’s movements really did look like those of a professional pianist!
Tom took a deep breath, and his paw gently pressed down the first note.
A melodious sound rang out.
It was Chopin’s *Nocturne*.
Franz’s eyes instantly went wide, and all the guests in the restaurant stopped eating and turned toward the piano.
Tom’s playing was unbelievably skilled, with every note perfectly accurate and the emotional expression delicate and moving.
His paws danced over the black and white keys as if the piano were an old friend.
“This… this is impossible… OMG, oh my God~~” Franz muttered to himself.
Jerry listened quietly beside the piano, his tiny eyes full of admiration for Tom.
Although the two were always squabbling, at a moment like this, Jerry felt immensely proud of Tom.
When the piece ended, the whole restaurant erupted in warm applause.
The guests were all stunned by the miraculous sight, and many raised their phones to take photos and videos.
“Unbelievable!” a female guest said excitedly.
“I’ve never seen such a talented animal!”
“This is even better than the concerts I’ve heard in Vienna!” another guest marveled.
Franz walked up to Tom, looking at this amazing cat with a complicated expression.
“Sir, I have to admit, I’m stunned,” he said to Wos.
“Your cat… no, I should say Mr. Tom, his playing truly has reached master level.”
“Of course!” Wos said proudly.
“I told you Tom was amazing!”
“But…” Franz hesitated.
“Having a cat perform in our restaurant is truly unusual. I need to consider how our guests will react.”
“Just look at the guests’ reactions!” Wos pointed around.
“They all love it!”
Indeed, the guests in the restaurant were still immersed in the shock of what they had just heard, and many were still discussing Tom’s brilliant performance.
Franz looked around and saw that the guests’ reactions really were very positive.
As a businessman, he naturally knew how much publicity such a unique performance could bring to the restaurant.
“Alright.” Franz finally made up his mind.
“I’m willing to give Mr. Tom a chance. However, I have a few conditions.”