"Yes, we need to hire a waitress, but we don't have anyone in mind yet. You said you've worked in a restaurant before?" Mai Ge smiled and nodded. What Amy said was exactly what he was thinking, but he didn't immediately agree to let Yabemia stay. The restaurant didn't need pretty faces or unnecessary staff.
"Yes, I started helping out in the kitchen of the restaurant with my mother when I was nine years old. My mother passed away when I was twelve, and I continued to help out in the kitchen of that restaurant until a few days ago…" Yabemia nodded, feeling a little nervous and excited when she heard Mai Ge's question, but her expression slowly turned somber as she spoke, as if she had some unspeakable secret.
"That's quite a lot of work experience, but the workload for the waitress I'm hiring for might be quite heavy. The main duties will be greeting guests, taking orders, serving food, clearing tables, and cleaning the restaurant. It will be very busy during opening hours. Are you sure you can handle it?" Mai Ge didn't ask further, looking directly into Yabemia's eyes.
"Greeting guests?" A flicker of panic crossed Yabemia's face, but also a hint of anticipation. For so many years, she had been like an invisible person, hiding in the kitchen.
Once, the chef asked her to serve a dish to a customer. She served the dish carefully, but when the boss saw it, he angrily hit her on the head with a spoon, causing her to bleed profusely. She was only thirteen years old at the time. From then on, she never dared to step out of the kitchen during the restaurant's business hours.
She also longed to wear clean and beautiful clothes, serve dishes to guests with a smile, and quickly clear the table amidst their admiring gazes. But these things were simply impossible for a half-dragon like her, no restaurant would hire a half-dragon as a waitress.
"I've never done this before, and if I serve the food, it might upset the guests..." Yabemia said without confidence.
"If you're worried that the guests will be unhappy because of your identity, that's not a problem in my restaurant. I use Amy's back as the restaurant's symbol; she's my greatest pride. In my eyes, your racial identity is no different from Amy's, and it won't be a burden to the restaurant." Mai Ge said with a smile, taking a bag of Rou Jia Mo from the side and gently placing it on the table.
Seeing the girl's self-abasement appearance, Mai Ge suddenly thought of Amy from a few days ago. It's just that Yabemia has experienced more, so she was hurt more deeply, which made him feel some pity.
Yabemia stared at Mai Ge with her mouth slightly agape. This was the first time she had heard such words, the first time someone had told her that her half-dragon identity wasn't a problem.
Her gaze fell on the bag on the table, which depicted the back of a half-elf girl—the same adorable little girl sitting opposite her. Mai Ge had actually used this as the restaurant's logo; what a bold and risky move!
Two years ago, in Aden Square, a drunken demon smashed up a restaurant because there was a half-orc waiter. The owner was beaten into a cripple and died not long after, and the once-thriving restaurant was forced to close down completely.
Although the demon was later punished by the Gray Temple and is currently imprisoned for reformation, the blame for this incident has been placed on the half-orc waiter.
Almost overnight, all the half-human waiters in Aden Square lost their jobs. Even a kitchen helper like her, who worked in the back kitchen and never saw the light of day, had her salary cut in half, leaving her with not even enough for daily expenses.
Mai Ge used the back of a half-elf as the restaurant's logo, and now he even said he didn't mind her identity. This made her feel the greatness of Mai Ge's fatherly love for Amy, as well as his true respect for them, these half-races.
Treating everyone equally is more precious to them than pity.
"So, what I need to test is whether you have the ability to do this job and the courage to try." Mai Ge continued.
After hesitating for a moment, Yabemia finally mustered up her courage and nodded, "If possible, I'd like to try."
"That's right! Daddy is very easy to talk to, Sister Mia, don't be afraid!" Amy encouraged, holding the Ugly Duckling's little paw, her little face full of anticipation. If Sister Mia worked at the restaurant, then she'd have someone to play with.
"Mmm-hmm." Yabemia nodded. This was the first time someone had encouraged her since her mother's death, and she felt a strange warmth in her heart.
"Very good." Mai Ge smiled. He didn't want to give her a job out of charity, but rather wanted her to earn a job she could handle with dignity. This would make her happier and more confident.
"Let's begin. Since the restaurant gets very busy when it's open, we need to be quick in taking orders and serving food to improve efficiency. Remembering what each customer ordered and what their requests are is a basic requirement. Of course, if you can read, you can write it down in a notebook, but I hope this takes as little time as possible." Mai Ge said, looking at Yabemia.
"My mother taught me to read when I was little, and I have a good memory. If it's just remembering the order in which each customer ordered, that shouldn't be a problem." Yabemia thought for a moment and nodded.
"Okay, let's give it a try." Mai Ge hadn't expected her to be so confident, but he didn't rush to conclusions. He walked to the counter, took out a small notebook and a pen, placed them aside, tore four sheets of paper into sixteen small pieces, labeled them with numbers, and then wrote down two or three customers' requests on each piece. He then placed the sixteen pieces of paper randomly on sixteen tables.
"The first table by the entrance is table number one, and the tables in a row are number two, number three, and so on. The numbers on the paper indicate the order of ordering. Each customer's request is listed on these pieces of paper. You have ten minutes. Whether you memorize them or write them down in the notebook, memorize these things." Mai Ge glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "Begin."
Yabemia glanced at the paper and pen on the table next to her, and without any hesitation, walked towards table number one empty-handed.
"I'm ready." Five minutes later, Yabemia stood in front of Mai Ge, her eyes full of confidence.
"Then let's go through the order of the orders." Mai Ge was a little surprised, but he didn't bother collecting the papers. He'd won first prize in a shorthand competition back in middle school, so he naturally remembered everything he'd written.
"Table three ordered two Rou Jia Mo…" Yabemia watched Mai Ge calmly reciting each order, pausing briefly but quickly continuing, finishing the orders fluently.
"Daddy, is it all correct?" Amy asked Mai Ge, full of curiosity.
Yabemia also looked at Mai Ge with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. This was a test, and also the first time she had ever been respected by someone else.