23
[Today’s Tasks]
[1. Confess your feelings to the affection-starved cub once.]
[2. Let the cub do a small favor for you.]
Ye Susu’s eyes widened instantly.
Huh? What kind of tasks are these?
She held her forehead, suddenly wanting some peace and quiet.
Confessing? A proud cat like her had never done such a thing.
“Ah, today I’m just a useless kitty again.”
Ye Susu ruffled her hair in frustration.
“Boss Lady?”
The trio asked cautiously.
Ye Susu snapped back to reality with a soft “Ah,” let out a faint sigh, and opened the cookbook in her hands.
“Don’t rush.”
The trio blushed slightly.
Today, the boss lady was wearing a puffy skirt with a pale gray, beaded sweater—still bursting with adorable energy.
Her ruffled hair wasn’t lying smooth behind her back like yesterday; instead, a few stray strands stuck up on her head like bedhead. Her expression was still a bit dazed and confused, like a spirit who had just arrived in the human world.
Ah… so adorably anime-like!
Just as the trio was marveling, they suddenly heard a clear, crisp voice reading from the cookbook.
“Clean the fish, split it open from the belly and flatten it, make crisscross cuts on both sides, evenly coat with seasoning, massage gently to let it absorb the flavor… sprinkle cilantro on the surface…”
“Hmm, I see.”
The trio stared, dumbfounded.
Only when Ye Susu walked to the front counter to write the day’s menu on the chalkboard did they snap out of it.
[Today’s Menu:]
[Little Mouse Sorghum Buns (for kitties with indigestion) ¥10]
[Fermented Bean Grilled Fish (for kitties with dull fur) ¥60/jin]
[Shrimp Paste Water Spinach (for kitties with constipation) ¥30]
After writing, Ye Susu headed to the back kitchen to prepare the day’s dishes.
The little mouse buns had already been placed in the steamer—she’d finished kneading the dough as soon as she arrived at the shop.
The water spinach, delivered by Evergrande Logistics that morning, was mostly prepped and just needed to be stir-fried.
The trickiest part was handling the grilled fish.
But that didn’t stump Ye Susu either. After reading the recipe, the entire cooking process felt completely familiar in her mind, as if she’d done it countless times.
“Um, Boss Lady, we’d like a grilled fish, a large one—enough for three people.”
“Water spinach, and rice…”
“No rice today.”
Ye Susu, behind the glass partition of the back kitchen, didn’t even look up.
Xiao Chen, the designated orderer from the trio, nearly bit his tongue.
“No rice? Then… congee?”
Thud!
Ye Susu planted the kitchen knife in her hand firmly onto the cutting board. The blade sank halfway in, the cold steel gleaming sharply.
“Only little mouse buns today.”
“It’s all written outside.”
“Uh, yeah, yeah, it does say that. Alright then, just the buns.”
Xiao Chen’s legs inexplicably felt weak.
“Um, Boss Lady, can we pick our own fish?”
With rice, one large fish would have been barely enough to fill the three of them.
But now, that might not be the case. They’d probably need two.
As Xiao Chen thought this, he also looked toward the aquarium behind the glass partition.
Along the right wall, two large tanks stood side by side, taking up at least four or five square meters.
Inside, catfish and Qingjiang fish swam carefreely.
Ye Susu put down the knife and wiped her hands.
Following his gaze to the fish tanks, her eyes instantly lit up.
“What kind do you want?”
Fish, so many fish.
Indeed, this was a life where victory was handed to her on a platter.
She could make dried fish and eat them for days.
Ye Susu fought back the saliva unconsciously pooling in her mouth, rolled up her sleeves, and slowly reached into the water.
“Around two jin each, two fish.”
“Less bones… the one on the left…”
Before Xiao Chen could finish, he saw Ye Susu roll up her sleeves. Her slender, fair arm reached unhesitatingly into the tank.
Her agile fingers moved so fast they were almost a blur, lightning-quick as she grabbed the tails of two fish.
In one second, she slammed the two still-thrashing fish onto the cutting board.
Smack!
The fish hit the board and went still, not even struggling.
So ruthless!
Xiao Chen’s remaining words finally made it out of his throat, “…on the left… is pretty good, yeah.”
A strangely profound smile spread across Ye Susu’s little face. She took a deep sniff.
“The one on the left is younger, tenderer meat. The one on the right has firmer meat—older, but chewier.”
After saying this, she placed the fish on the nearby scale.
The digital numbers instantly jumped—4.01 jin.
Xiao Chen was stunned.
Was that a coincidence?
He’d asked for two fish of about two jin each. This was way too precise.
He’d watched the whole process. She never once weighed the fish in her hand.
How did she do that?
Surely it was just luck, right?
As Xiao Chen was thinking this, Ye Susu lifted her fair, delicate face and gestured with an open hand.
“Please pay at the front counter.”
“Sure, how much?”
Xiao Chen was unbelievably docile, immediately pulling out his phone.
“Hmm, please calculate it yourself.”
“……”
This truly was a remarkably self-service, uniquely styled restaurant.
As Xiao Chen turned to leave, he thought numbly to himself.
Meanwhile, Ye Susu glanced at his back as he tapped on the calculator, secretly nodding to herself.
Noble kitties don’t do arithmetic.
Mm, such fragrant fish.
She resisted the urge.
By noon, as the aroma of grilled fish gradually wafted from the back kitchen, the trio had starved into a state of desperation.
An hour’s wait—in any other restaurant, they would have slammed the table and complained about the slow service long ago. Yet, in this Meow Meow restaurant, while connected to Wi-Fi watching videos of cute streamers and keeping an eye on the back kitchen, they felt… reasonably content.
“If the boss lady did livestreaming, I’d definitely tip her.”
“Yeah right, don’t you hand over most of your salary to your mom every month?”
“Sigh, that’s my future wife fund.”
Since their boss wasn’t around today, it didn’t matter if they returned a bit later.
But others weren’t so lucky.
Many who heard the grilled fish would take at least half an hour to arrive felt suffocated.
Yet, the savory, fragrant scent of the grilled fish gradually permeated the shop, making it oddly difficult for people to tear themselves away.
So, what if they’re late!
Those about to leave couldn’t help but think this.
As time ticked by, Ye Susu finally emerged from the back kitchen.
“Your grilled fish.”
“Little mouse buns and water spinach.”
“That’s everything.”
Everyone’s eyes locked onto the baking pan in her hands.
Vibrant red chili peppers were generously spread over the flattened fish, with glimpses of crispy, taut skin beneath.
The entire fish belly was submerged in a rich, shimmering red sauce, scattered with bright green scallions, cilantro, and a layer of soft, tender fish tofu soaking up the flavors.
A small flame flickered beneath the pan, and white steam rose with a gentle sizzle from the fish.
The aroma instantly filled the air.
In the not-so-large shop, the sound of swallowed saliva rose one after another.
Those who had been hesitating and watching from the counter immediately found the nearest table and sat down.
“Xiao Chen, Xiao Li, it’s you guys! Mind sharing a table?”
“Can we squeeze in? There’s just two of us!”
Two men standing nearby attempted to make their way toward the trio.
But Xiao Chen, the one addressed, automatically tuned out the surrounding noise.
Share? Share what?
This fish was for the three of them alone!
He picked up his chopsticks, parted the layer of chili peppers on the grilled fish, and tore off a piece of fish right next to him.
The skin was golden and crispy, while the flesh inside was as white as jade, with clear, delicate fibers.
Xiao Chen swallowed his saliva, rolled the fish piece in the fermented bean sauce beside it, letting it drip with oil, and along with a sprig of fresh green cilantro popped it into his mouth.
Instantly, his whole body gave a slight tremble, and his eyes lit up with unprecedented brilliance.
His chopsticks hurriedly reached for the grilled fish again.
The firm, savory fish, wrapped in the dual stimulation of fermented beans and chili, allowed the crispy skin and tender flesh to fully unleash their natural sweetness and freshness. It almost instantly intensified the body’s sense of hunger.
The other two at the table, seeing him like this, immediately understood.
“Dammit, sneaky, Brother Chen! You’re jumping the gun on eating the fish too?”
“Real brothers fight over food, got it?”
“Dammit, dammit, dammit!”
The trio’s chopsticks instantly moved like blurs.
The fish had few bones. Without rice, they devoured the piping hot grilled fish, sweating profusely and flushing with pleasure in no time.
“Right now, all we need is a cup of fizzy soda.”
“Pure bliss…”
“Feels like I could eat three whole fish.”
“Share a table? Forget it, Lao Liu, just wait for a seat.”
The eating power of otakus was fierce. Two medium-sized fish were quickly picked clean, leaving only bits of meat clinging to the bones.
The colleague who wanted to share their table was completely forgotten.
Only after Xiao Chen had sucked the sauce clean from the fish tail did he finally let out a long, satisfied sigh and reluctantly moved his chopsticks toward the little mouse buns.
No rice—they had to fill up with these instead.
The cute and soft boss lady really had a peculiar temper.
“Can we have some rice tomorrow, Boss?”
The acne-faced Xiao Li at the same table voiced a soulful plea.
Spicy oil paired with rice, fermented beans wrapped around rice—that was top-tier deliciousness.
Yet, as he picked up a little mouse bun, he noticed the cute cartoon figure’s cheeks seemed to puff out a bit, its two little sesame seed eyes looking even rounder.
Without thinking much, he bit right into the middle. A burst of black sesame paste flooded his mouth, wrapped in an incredibly fluffy dough—sweet and fragrant, soft and comforting, filling his entire tongue.
His eyes widened instantly.
The slightly spicy, savory grilled fish—a strong, salty flavor—was now perfectly balanced by this soft sweetness.
It instantly delivered the ultimate satisfaction of a sweet treat.
“My god…”
Xiao Li couldn’t help but open his mouth in awe.
Hot air immediately rushed from his open mouth into the cool air, condensing into a white mist.
The smooth black sesame paste started flowing from the half-bitten, snow-white bun, threatening to drip down his chopsticks. Xiao Li quickly leaned in and sucked it up in one go.
“Bursting filling… these buns… four for just ten yuan.”
What a saintly boss lady!
“Another order of these buns.”
“No, two orders!”
The three men grew more enthusiastic the more they ate.
Ye Susu had already moved on to preparing grilled fish for the next table, not even looking up from the kitchen.
Acne-faced Xiao Li patted his forehead. “Alright, guess we’ll self-service and pay first.”
Such a uniquely-styled boss lady!
In less than half an hour, more and more people came to pay, and the cash register chimed with payment notifications one after another.
Only after serving all the customers did Ye Susu wipe her hands and step out from the back kitchen.
“Tomorrow’s staple and main dish will depend on my mood.”
Passing by the trio’s table, she dropped this line airily.
The three froze, especially Xiao Li, who had asked about rice earlier. He turned around in surprise.
He saw Ye Susu flip the “Open” sign to “Closed,” and she had already curled up like a lazy cat on the sunny ledge by the shop window.
Basking in the sun, her radiant little face seemed to glow.
“She actually heard what I said?”
Xiao Li glanced at the four or five meters between the back kitchen and their table, separated by a glass wall.
Puzzled, he stuffed a second bite of water spinach into his mouth.
“Whoa, mama! Such a refreshing vegetable flavor!”
“Hey, Boss Lady, can we get another order of little mouse buns here?”
“Another order of greens?”
Curled up on the sunny ledge, Ye Susu yawned comfortably. “We’re closed for today.”
Everyone in the shop looked at the clock, collectively stunned.
It wasn’t even 1 PM yet…
Ye Susu pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced lazily at the screen.
[Xiao Ningmeng: What? You opened a shop?]
[Xiao Ningmeng: On Yili Road? Aww, I want some, I want some, I want some!]
[Xiao Ningmeng: Damn boss, dragging us into meetings until now… I’m starving like a dog… barely hanging on.]
Ye Susu curled her lips and brought the phone close to her mouth. “Send me the address, I’ll deliver.”
Taking a step, she remembered something else. “Oh, right, help me think of a way to confess to a boy.”
The trio of otaku guys nearest to her instantly felt their hearts shatter.
So, the boss lady wasn’t married after all. The “little one” was indeed just a cat or dog… but she already had a boy she liked…
**
Susu: Confessing? Unworthy men don’t deserve it. Only my little one does!