I Can Talk to Cats C26

Chapter 26: Hiring Staff (Part Two)

Translated by Lime

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At three in the morning, Song Xinmin finally finished organizing his belongings in the basement.

The singular room was not very large and had been simply decorated. When he first opened the door, the clean and tidy room had a bed, a desk, and a chair. The interior was mostly left empty, but Song Xinmin was more pleased with the room than expected. After a while, the space was filled with his belongings.

The bedding was organized, the desk had been filled with daily necessities, and a wire grid ^{_{(T/N: Photo below this chapter)}} had been hung from the wall. By far, the most eye-catching item in his room was that wire grid. Many large and small photographs were attached to the wiring by small clips. The content were not of landscapes but of animals. There were also a few photos of humans, but most of them were taken from behind, from far away, or of specific body parts.

In the past few years, he had travelled far and wide. All the photographs were taken on his journey and he considered them his greatest achievement. He had even won a few awards, and with the reward money, he was able to fund his journey.

Suddenly, a gust of chilly, night wind blew inside from the only window. The pictures on the wall faintly ruffled up and Song Xinmin shivered.

“Rumble…” His stomach took the opportunity to complain. 

“Right now is not the time to think about luxuries and daydream about my passion. I need to find work so I can pay for my future travel expenses.” He rubbed his stomach as he forced a smile and hastily stepped on the chair to latch the window closed.

Since he lived in the basement, the window was very close to the street outside. Looking through the mesh security screen, he was able to catch a glimpse of the surroundings. There was a small and neat garden with a wooden walkway. Luckily, it was illuminated by the hazy glow of a nearby street lamp, and he craned his neck to look further. He discovered that a row of what appeared to be flower beds were located on the left side. But instead of flowers, there were faint green sprouts. To the right, he saw a charming set of a table and chairs.

In his imagination, Song Xinmin pictured the owner leisurely lounging there, drinking tea and casually reading on a clear day. The relaxation inside the picturesque garden must be heavenly.

Suddenly, the shadow of a weird-looking lump appeared on the wooden floor. Something was probably left on the glass ceiling of the garden and blocked the light of the street lamp. The sudden appearance gave Song Xinmin a scare. Out of curiosity, he bent his knees to obtain a better view of the item on the ceiling. What he saw was a fluffy lump shrouded in shadow swinging its tail as it trotted across the glass.

“It turned out to be a cat…” Song Xinmin released a sigh of relief and sat back on his bed. The sight of the kitty reminded him of an earlier incident in the day.

After touring the building and signing a contract with the landlord, he happened to see a recruitment poster in the window of the cat cafe.

He thought about the remaining money left in his bag; he was in serious danger of not being able to pay next month’s rent on time. Recalling all the odd jobs he had taken for the sake of travelling in the last few years, Song Xinmin instantly made a plan to check out the place the next day.

Cozily sleeping on the third floor, Lin Lan had no inkling about the potential employee. She only felt that her stomach was a bit heavy and that there seemed to be something moving beside her ear. These disturbances caused her dazed state of mind to clear up.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she was greeted with the sight of a Ragdoll kitty intensely staring at her with her head tilted. This seven month old kitten had no clue about her own weight, almost crushing her own sh*t shoveler to the point where she couldn’t breathe. She probably thought that she was still that little cutie who could be picked up with one hand. 

“Sapphire,” Lin Lan weakly muttered, “Why are you not sleeping in the middle of the night, instead sitting on me and staring at me?”

“Miaow,” The Ragdoll kitty meowed cutely. Her voice was lovable and pleasant to listen to, but what she said almost angered Lin Lan to death. (Mom, you were still for a long period of time. I thought that you were dead, so I came over to observe you.)

“Get down.” Lin Lan told the foolish kitty who had nothing else other than good looks to scram. Exhausted, Lin Lan spoke, “I was sleeping, not dead. In the daytime, you are selling meng to customers. Are you not tired at night?”

“Miaowow!” (I’m not tired! Whenever I’m sleepy, I lay on those humans’ legs and rest. They will immediately stop moving and let me sleep in peace!)

Lin Lan: “…” 

Towards cats, those people lost all their morals! They even thought that being a fleshy, human heater was an honor…they really disappointed her.

While she was speechless, the doorknob of the closed door rattled and the door cracked open. Another white kitty squeezed inside and jumped onto the bed with familiar motions.

Lin Lan was unsurprised and directly asked, “You came back so late. Where did you run off to in the middle of the night?” She reached out and patted the kitty’s head a couple times before continuing, “Snowflake, let me warn you, the weather forecast predicted snowfall for the next two days. You are not allowed to go out. If you return home and step inside with just one muddy paw, your grandmother will be infuriated. Don’t blame me if I don’t speak up for you.”

Snowflake lowered her head to nudge Lin Lan’s hand and meowed: “Lan Lan, I went over to Cat Boss’ place to play. There are many, many cats over there.”

“Hmph.” Now that there are more friends to play with, he doesn’t want to come home anymore?

Lin Lan truly wanted to make Snowflake reflect on his own identity as a house pet and stop turning more and more wild. Right then, Snowflake meowed: “Miaowow!” (Lan Lan, there are a few cats over there that said they wanted to enter your territory to hunt. They wanted me to ask you if you were interested in letting them.)

She thought for a moment: “So you’re saying, kitties who did not use to be house pets want to join?”

“Miaow!” (Yup. Several cats from Cat Boss’ place came over to sneakily take a look. They discovered that all the cats in your territory were successful in hunting canned cat food from humans. They said that they can as well.)

They had even secretly snooped around? Those sneaky little cats.

Thinking for a bit, Lin Lan quickly realized why. When she first asked cats to join her, the stray cats… actually, Cat Boss was still wary of her. In the beginning, he was reluctant to fully trust this human and was skeptical that she would be able to successfully lead these cats to food.

Now that her cafe opened and business was pretty good, the first pet kitties were easily able to obtain anything they wished for. Humans were eager to serve them, not to mention that they were safe from harsh weather and hunger. Cat Boss was able to put his worries to rest and let those kitties who wanted to join approach Lin Lan.

Of course, these kitties were not from prestigious breeds, but were common domestic shorthairs that people like Qian Xuan did not hesitate to look down upon.

_{^{(T/N: We haven’t seen her for a while- Qian Xuan is that one tenant who owns the British Shorthair and said some rude things about Snowflake.)}}

But people who have raised this kind of cat all knew that they were extremely clever. Their bodies were sturdy and they were easy to take care of. They were smart and strong, aloof and adorable. They could act cute and also catch a mouse. This type of cat was well-balanced and versatile, especially the Li Hua cat. It was the only Chinese domestic shorthair cat to be recognized internationally. Overseas, the price of a pureblooded Li Hua cat was not low either. However, Chinese locals saw them everywhere, so they paid them no special attention.

Lin Lan was willing to accept these common cats at her cafe, but she went through the similar process of hiring an employee and set certain requirements.

“A few cats can come. Snowflake, you need to tell them this: I will only receive the kitties that are the best looking from the perspective of a two-legged creature.”

Boss Lin was realistic in this aspect. She had just opened a shop, so the kitties must be attractive for customers to be lured in and spend money.

“Miaow, miaow” “Miaowow!” Instantly, both Sapphire and Snowflake frantically meowed. Translated, it became: (I’m the most beautiful!) (Both humans and cats think I’m beautiful!) 

“Yes, yes, yes, you both are very pretty!” Lin Lan sensed that if this continued, she might not be able to continue sleeping so she scooped up one kitty in each hand and placed one on the left and right sides of her pillow: “Right now, both of you need to sleep. If you wake me up again, I will banish you both to the living room indefinitely.”

Sigh, the Lin family’s eldest cat and second-eldest cat were just too clingy.

Frightened by the warning, both kitties did not dare to disturb her again. Forming two lumps, they quickly started to emit soft snores. Between the two, Lin Lan gradually fell asleep.

The next day, the weather was a bit gloomy, but it did not seem like it would snow.

At 9:30 A.M., Lin Lan opened the entrance and delivered the cats inside the cafe. She routinely began her daily tasks and tidied the space. The fated tenant that had moved into the basement opened the door and entered.

“Hello. May I ask if you are still hiring full-time workers? I am able to work until the end of the year. I won’t go back for Chinese New Year’s so I can keep working during the holiday.”

_{^{(T/N: Family, such as a son/daughter, usually goes back home for CNY or goes to attend a family gathering.)}}

From Lin Lan’s perspective, this person was desperately lacking money, to the point where they did not want to return home for the holiday just to earn some more money.

Although she did not expect for her cafe’s first full-time employee to be her family’s tenant, Lin Lan still meticulously inspected his identity and background.

Song Xinmin, 24 years old, graduated from a famous university, current occupation was a wandering photographer, he had little fame— oh, it was the kind where people only had a tiny bit of recollection when they saw him in their social media feed, meaning that he had limited means to make money.

He had been wandering around the country in search of inspiration and worked hard to gain recognition. Once he ran out of money, he would immediately find a full-time job at a random store and work there for one to two months. When he pooled together enough money, he would continue travelling and repeat the process.

This explained his shoddy and weary appearance; he turned out to be a person that gave up a safe and stable lifestyle in order to chase his dreams.

Lin Lan both admired and envied these sorts of people, but if she were to actually live their lifestyle, she would definitely choose not to. She was a pretty simple person. Now that she had her own shop and was surrounded by kitties, her days were carefree. There was no need for her to be a wandering traveler pursuing a passion.

Lin Lan was not concerned with Song Xinmin’s habit of quitting after working for two months. After all, he had already assured her that he would work for her through the New Year.

“Okay, let’s settle it then.” He earnestly handed over his identity card, graduation certificate, and even a few of his photographs. Lin Lan was speechless at his diligence. It seemed like he was interviewing for a white collar job at a newspaper or magazine company. “Let’s agree on something. The wages and bonuses are already written on the poster. I won’t be more lenient on you just because you are renting from my family. The wages I pay you are separate from the rent you pay to my family, and they will stay separate.”

“I understand. If we do that, the situation will become messy and difficult to handle.” Song Xinmin smiled to show his agreement: “Besides, the rent for an apartment and the business expenses for a cafe are two completely different things.”

Lin Lan nodded; this newcomer was thoughtful. “Then, Xiao Song, I’ll officially give this apron to you. Today can be your first day of work. Let me guide you through the routine we have our customers follow when they enter. I’ll also tell you a few things to look out for when taking care of the cats.”

The graduate from a famous university was quick to learn. Lin Lan only had to guide him through the process twice before he caught on. He was very skilled in welcoming customers due to his previous work experience and was even better than Lin Lan herself. While working, he did not lag behind and was worthy of the title of ‘skilled temporary worker’. Excluding the making of tea and pastries, all the other work was done by him alone.

At this moment, Lin Lan strongly felt that being a Boss was very convenient. Hiring workers was truly a brilliant idea.

On a weekday, there were not many customers who visited the cat cafe. Song Xinmin strongly felt that his new job was easygoing and that him applying for a job here was a truly brilliant idea as well. Not only that, his lunch was provided for by the shop, saving him his largest expense each day.

The landlord’s family delivered whatever they were eating that day to him. Song Xinmin resolved to treat these cats extremely well. Otherwise, he would really be unworthy of the wages and excellent treatment he received.

During their lunch break, before they changed shifts, Lin Lan asked Xiao Song to help her look after the shop because she would be leaving for one to two hours. Confused, he asked, “Boss, where are you going?”

What came was an even more confusing answer: “I’m probably going to bring back a few kitties.”

Bring back a few kitties? Where was she getting them from? What kind of cats?

Xiao Song’s questions were not left unanswered for long. His Boss brought back three stray cats: one orange cat, one tuxedo cat, and an American Shorthair cat.

Song Xinmin was able to understand bringing back the American Shorthair as it was a widely known breed of cat, but for the first two common cats, he was questioning her decision to bring them back to the cafe.

Xiao Song was afraid to speak up since he was newly hired and only watched silently as his Boss brought the cats to the neighboring animal clinic. After a while, she brought them back.

When he saw the neat and tidy cats that had been washed and groomed, Song Xinmin voiced his surprise, “These two common cats are really pretty!”

The orange cat was not completely orange all over. It had alternating orange and yellow orange stripes like a tabby. His neck and four legs had traces of white fur, especially the area from his neck to his chest. His four paws were snow-white. He appeared to be a gentleman, wearing a white bib and pretty little mittens.

The orange kitty was not plump like many people said. In fact, his build was thin and he looked delicate. As he lifted his head up inside the cage, he appeared handsome and graceful.

The tuxedo cat’s coloration was no inferior to any of those pet cats for sale. Its fur was jet black except for its snow-white chest and paws. The pattern on his head was more unusual. From the tips of his ears to his eyes, the fur was black and it looked like he was wearing a mask like Batman. His nose was a small ‘V’. The black and white fur on his entire body was very distinct, and giving him a special type of beauty.

The kitty was tilting its head to peer outside his cage and meowed at Lin Lan a few times. It seemed like he was curious about his surroundings and was asking many questions like an inquisitive little child. Then, Song Xinmin remembered that the “cow cat” was said to be a second “er ha”. 

_{^{(T/N: Er ha = nickname of the husky, but its actual meaning is ‘stupid’ or ‘silly’. The tuxedo cat is called the second version of this because apparently it acts silly sometimes.)}}

The remaining kitty, the American Shorthair, did not surprise Song Xinmin much. They were renowned for their adorable personality. Many girls envied the cats’ natural eyeliner. Ever since they were born with the jet black eyeliner, the color did not fade. This American Shorthair kitty had silver and grey stripes and both her front paws wore white mittens. Out of the three cats, she was the most calm and was lying on her side while licking her fur.

“They’re pretty, right?” Lin Lan gently patted the cage as if to brag to her new employee.

“Nice! Boss has a good eye!” Song Xinmin praised her. It probably wasn’t easy to find these beautiful kitties out of all those stray cats.

However, it was not certain that these stray cats would be able to adapt to living and working in the cafe. Xiao Song thought of this problem and was just about to voice his concerns when a loud roaring of a truck engine sounded.

Outside the building, the truck with a moving service logo parked.

Along with the movers, the bái fù měi who had rented the apartment yesterday also hopped out of the truck. 

_{^{(T/N: Baifumei = woman who has all the ‘best’ qualities: fair-skinned, wealthy, and beautiful.)}}

“It’s her.” They had coincidentally hired the same realtor, so of course Song Xinmin remembered her. Yesterday, she had arrogantly agreed to the price immediately without attempting to haggle. In contrast, he had bargained until he was almost out of breath just to save some money, leaving him feeling depressed.

Lin Lan silently eyed him before walking next to the window and looking outside.

The woman was wearing a reddish-brown leather overcoat. She dragged along a twenty-inch suitcase and with her other hand, pointed out the staircase to the movers. Lin Lan could faintly hear her voice.

“It’s on the second floor…the apartment on the very left…follow me…I’ll tell you where to put everything…” 

Her voice had a trace of arrogance, like those commonly seen spoiled Young Misses from a wealthy family.

Why did she suddenly move here right before the holidays?

The author has something to say:

Human employees, check.

Cat employees, new ones have arrived.

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Hope you enjoyed 🙂

The “wire grid”:

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