Chapter 104 - A Small Test
Mag nodded with a smile. “Yes. We need a waitress, and I don’t have anyone in mind right now,” he said. “You said you’ve worked in a restaurant before?” Amy had said what was on his mind, but he didn’t hire Yabemiya right away. He had to make sure she was qualified first.
Yabemiya nodded, nervous and excited. “Yes. I started working in that kitchen with my mother at the age of nine. When I was 12, my mother passed away, and I worked there until they kicked me out…” Her face darkened. It seemed she was hiding something.
But Mag didn’t want to probe into her past. “Your work experience is impressive. I need a waitress who can handle a heavy workload. You’ll have to greet customers, take orders, serve food, clear tables, and clean the restaurant. We’re very busy during opening hours. Are you sure you can do this job?” Mag asked, looking her in the eye.
“I’ll have to greet customers?” A flicker of alarm and expectancy crossed her face. All these years, she had hidden in the kitchen as if she didn’t exist.
Once, a cook had asked her to serve a dish. She had done it carefully, but the owner there bashed her on the head with a spoon when he saw her. She had lost a lot of blood, and she was only 13 at that time. She had never walked out of the kitchen during opening hours ever since that incident.
She wanted to wear clean, beautiful clothes, serve customers with a smile, and clear tables deftly as they watched with admiring eyes. However, all of this was impossible for her. She was a half-dragon, and no restaurant would hire a half-dragon as a waitress.
“I’ve never greeted customers before. And if I served food, they might be displeased,” Yabemiya said with uncertainty.
“You don’t need to worry that customers may not be happy to see you because of who you are. It’s not a problem in this restaurant,” Mag said, smiling. “I use Amy’s picture as our trademark. She’s the best thing in my life. You’re just like her. Your half-dragon identity will not be a liability here.” He put a kraft bag on the table.
This self-abased girl reminded Mag of the old Amy. Only, she had been through a lot more than Amy, so she had got wounded deeper. He felt sorry for her.
Yabemiya gaped at Mag, her mouth wide open. It was the first time someone told her that being a half-dragon was not a problem.
When she dropped her gaze to the bag on the table, she saw a half-elf girl’s back—the back of the cute girl opposite her. It’s too risky to use this as the trademark!
Two years ago, on Aden Square, a drunken demon had torn down a restaurant because the owner had hired a half-orc waitress. The owner had been crippled and then died not long after. His successful restaurant had shut down for good.
To be sure, the demon had got punished by the Gray Temple, and was still in prison, but somehow they blamed that half-orc waitress.
Overnight, almost all the hybrid waiters and waitresses had lost their jobs. Even Yabemiya, who worked in the kitchen—her salary had been halved. She had barely had enough to get by.
The fact that Mag used a half-elf as his trademark and that he didn’t care who she was helped her see Mag’s great love towards Amy and his respect for hybrids like her.
They needed sympathy, but they needed to be considered equal to others more.
“If you want this job, you’ll have to be brave and I’ll have to test your ability,” Mag continued.
Yabemiya hesitated for a moment before she mustered up her courage and nodded. “Yes. Test me, please.”
“Great! Don’t worry, Sister Miya. Father is very friendly,” Amy said, holding the kitten’s paw in her hand, expectant. I’ll have another playmate if she works here.
Yabemiya nodded. “Okay. Thank you.” Nobody had given her any encouragement after her mother died. She felt warm in her heart.
“Good,” Mag said, smiling. He didn’t want her thinking of this job as a handout, so he was giving her a chance to earn it with dignity. This will make her happier and more confident.
“Then let’s begin,” Mag said, looking at Yabemiya. “Our restaurant is very busy, so in order to improve efficiency, you’ll have to be fast when taking orders and serving food. You’ll have to remember clearly the orders and requirements. If you know how to read and write, you can put them down on paper, but try to be quick.”
Yabemiya nodded after she thought for a while. “My mother taught me how to read and write when I was little. I have a good memory, so I think I can remember the orders.”
“Good. Then let’s do it.” Mag was a little surprised to find her so confident, but he didn’t jump to conclusions. He found a pen and a notebook, tore four sheets of paper from it, and then tore each sheet into four pieces. He wrote a number and two or three customers’ orders on each piece, and put each on one table.
“The table by the door is table one, and then table two, three… Each piece of paper has a number to signify the order of their entry, and customers’ orders. You have 10 minutes to remember them or put them down on this notebook.” Mag took a look at the clock on the wall, and said, “Okay, start.”
Yabemiya took a glance at the notebook and pen, and walked towards table one without hesitation.
Five minutes later, Yabemiya walked over to Mag. “I’ve remembered them,” she said confidently.
Mag was taken by surprise. “Okay, then let’s see how you have done.” He didn’t collect those pieces of paper. He had won first prize at a memory competition in junior high school. Clearly, he had memorized what he had just written down.
“Two roujiamos for table three…” Yabemiya said unhurriedly as she looked at Mag. She had to pause once to remember something, but she managed to recite all the orders quite fluently.
“Father, how has she done?” Amy asked out of curiosity.
Yabemiya also looked at Mag, expectant and curious. It was a test, and also a mark of respect for her.