Chapter 109: Paid Leave and Club Recruitment Tomorrow
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: Paid Leave and Club Recruitment Tomorrow
When I arrived at the bakery, I noticed that there seemed to be a lot more customers than usual today.
"Senior Sister Ying Shiqian, I’m here to see you~"
As soon as I walked in, I saw Senior Sister Ying Shiqian busy at work. Tang Yihan was probably in the back. It was getting late; surely she wasn't still working on some new product?
"Eh? Xiao Han? Isn't today freshman enrollment? Why do you have time to come here?"
"Oh, I just went to check out the excitement, then wandered back this way in the evening," I explained, leaning in toward Senior Sister Ying Shiqian. "But there seem to be quite a few customers today. Are things starting to pick up?"
"Yeah, with the freshmen arriving, the nearby dorms will probably be full soon. Naturally, there are more customers. I can't even slack off anymore," Ying Shiqian lamented, putting on a look of utter exhaustion.
"I see. I was wondering why there weren't many customers before. So it was just because not many people lived around here?"
Since there weren't many people nearby, there weren't many customers. Now that the freshmen were enrolling and the upperclassmen were returning, business was booming.
Sigh, it was a bit of a pity. My own classes were about to start, so I wouldn't have much time to come here for my part-time job.
"Of course. This year's freshmen just happened to be assigned to the dorms in this area. There's no helping it; I can't loaf around like I used to," the senior sister grumbled helplessly.
"Not being able to slack off is a good thing, isn't it? You can earn more funding for the club."
"Funding? The money we're making now probably isn't even enough to cover what Yihan burns through on her own. Baked desserts are supposed to be high-profit items, but once they pass through Tang Yihan's hands, we're practically paying people to take them," Ying Shiqian complained with a pout.
It seemed this bakery only continued to exist because it was being propped up by the shopkeeper’s wallet and private stash.
She really had it rough, having to pay the salaries of three employees on top of that.
"Oh, right, Xiao Han. Today was the start of the semester. You went to the registration point, right? Was it lively? I didn't have time to go see it. What a shame."
"It was definitely lively. In fact, it was even more grand than when I enrolled. I’m feeling a bit of an imbalance in my heart."
"Sigh, I'm jealous. But Xiao Han, would you be interested in keeping me company for a bit tomorrow?" Ying Shiqian continued, though her tone was somewhat tentative.
"Huh? Keep you company? For what? I'm going to be very busy now that the semester has started."
"Eh? What's there to be busy with at the start of the term? I just want you to come with me to the registration area tomorrow. Ugh, the shopkeeper started making trouble out of nothing again today." Ying Shiqian looked as if she had just remembered something unpleasant.
"What happened? What did the shopkeeper do now?" I asked curiously.
"She went to the freshman greeting area today too. Then she saw a bunch of clubs recruiting right there where the freshmen enroll. So, she contacted us and told us to go recruit tomorrow and the day after. She really just acts on every whim," Ying Shiqian said with a helpless sigh.
"Ah? Club recruitment? So, you're the one going in the end?"
"Yeah. Tang Yihan and I played rock-paper-scissors, and I lost. She won't even come with me, saying she has to watch the shop. Honestly, what would happen if this place closed for a few days?" Ying Shiqian complained to me. "Oh, right. For the sake of recruitment, she even specifically set up a Red Velvet Baking House group chat. Let me pull you in."
"Eh? Alright. I am a member of the club, after all." I took out my phone and was quickly added to a group by Senior Sister Ying Shiqian.
The group name was simple: "Red Velvet Baking House." Besides the shopkeeper and the two senior sisters, Tan Han was also in there. However, there were already over a dozen people in the chat.
As soon as I joined, I was greeted with a warm "Welcome, newbie!" Even Tan Han followed up with a "+1."
Seeing this, I froze instinctively. After all, I had promised Sister Bai that I wouldn't have any contact with Tan Han.
Whatever, I'll just give her the cold shoulder—just like I do with my "girlfriend."
Time makes you forget everything.
"Xiao Han~ Since you don't have anything to do anyway, come with me for the next two days of freshman enrollment~ It's too boring by myself~" Ying Shiqian transformed into a pitiful creature, clinging to my forearm with a look of utter sorrow.
"Sigh... This... Senior Sister Ying Shiqian, don't be like this. I'll go with you, okay?"
"Great! It's a deal!" Ying Shiqian instantly dropped her act, looking like she had just pulled off a successful heist.
"But if I have things to do, I won't be able to stay. I really do have work to do," I said quickly, seeing her expression.
"It's just the start of the term~ What could a freshman possibly be busy with?" Ying Shiqian said dismissively.
"Today was class assignments. I was assigned to Class 14, and I even met my counselor today. As luck would have it, I was appointed Class Monitor of Class 14. There's a lot to do."
"Huh? You're already the Class Monitor?" Ying Shiqian was visibly shocked by my words.
Class Monitor on the first day? Back when her class chose a monitor, the competition had been incredibly fierce!
"It's just Class Monitor, it shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?"
"It's Class Monitor! The head of the class! You'll get all sorts of benefits from the class. Compared to those perks, the responsibilities are trivial!"
"I doubt it's that extreme. Regardless, there's a lot of work. I don't even know who's in the class yet, but the counselor told me to set up a class group and pull all the students in." I immediately began to vent.
"That... that really does sound like a hassle..."
"By the way, Senior Sister, how did your Class Monitor get you into the class group back then? Give me some tips." I asked her.
"Eh? That... I almost forgot. I think my Class Monitor just added me directly. I don't even know how I suddenly ended up in an extra group. Sorry, I can't really offer much advice," Ying Shiqian said apologetically. "But you can come with me to the club recruitment. Who knows, maybe you'll run into your Class 14 classmates there? Right?"
"The odds of that are way too low! And weren't you just saying it was a pity you couldn't go see the freshman enrollment scene?" I retorted immediately.
However, I remembered the counselor saying she would give me Class Monitor permissions, which might allow me to view the students' basic information. I wondered what that "basic information" included.
Would it include things like Talents?
Prying into other people's privacy was unethical, but the temptation was always there. Besides, if I was given permission, it wasn't "snooping"—it was "getting to know my classmates' data!"
I didn't know how many people would be in our class. I hoped it wasn't too many; I didn't usually pay much attention to these things. Based on my past experience, thirty or forty people per class was the limit. Memorizing everyone's names one by one was going to be a mental chore.
Just thinking about it made me feel tired.
"Anyway, I don't care. You promised, Xiao Han. I want to see you tomorrow morning. If I don't see you, I'm calling. Just come keep this lonely senior sister company, okay?"
"You? Lonely? Fine, I'll see if I can get up tomorrow."
"Mm-hmm! You have to come! I'll help you clock in. You're working for the Baking House, and the shopkeeper won't forget your hard work. I'll give you half of my double-pay tomorrow~"
In the end, I agreed. After all, who can say no to money?
So Ying Shiqian was getting double-pay tomorrow. Even if she gave me half, getting paid to slack off in a different location did sound pretty sweet.
After staying a while longer, I prepared to head back to the dorm. I needed to have a talk with Guan Qiuling. Bringing a dangerous senior sister into the villa without warning—no matter how you looked at it, that was reckless behavior!
This problem child needed a proper education.