The Scheming Ex-Husband's Courtship
Chapter 196 - 186: French Restaurant

Chapter 196: Chapter 186: French Restaurant

Guo Jun is the headwaiter of the French Restaurant, Qi Meihui is the manager here, and Gu Qili is fully aware of which side Guo Jun stands on.

Therefore, there’s no need for unnecessary arguments, no amount of explanation can change anything, it’s just a bonus after all, she doesn’t want it then so be it.

After Guo Jun finished giving his lecture, everyone dispersed, some came over to pat Gu Qili on the arm to comfort her, after all, having a bonus deducted on the first day of work was tough to take, and Gu Qili accepted their sympathy.

After the meeting, Gu Qili went to her assigned position, the wash station behind the bar, where there were many wine glasses and coffee cups arranged on the shelf, with specialized cleaning tools on the counter.

A woman wearing a taupe apron was washing cups.

"Hello, I am the new server, Gu Qili." Gu Qili went over to greet her.

The woman looked up and smiled back at her: "Hello, my name is Kang Hongxiu."

The woman appeared to be in her thirties, but nowadays you can’t always tell someone’s true age by their face, so Gu Qili tentatively asked: "Can I call you Sister Kang then?"

"Sure," Kang Hongxiu nodded, "You look so young, are you here on a work-study program?"

"I will be graduating from university in half a year, I’m already officially working now," said Gu Qili as she put on an apron.

"University? I thought you were only in high school," Kang Hongxiu said in disbelief, shaking her head, "You look so young, ah, it’s nice to be young."

While talking, Kang Hongxiu added detergent to the glass washer, placed the cups in the machine’s washer, and pressed the start button; the machine began to buzz and operate.

Gu Qili had learned how to use the glass washer during training, but this was her first time seeing the actual machine.

Seeing that Gu Qili was observing very seriously, Kang Hongxiu explained: "This machine is not hard to use, but you have to be careful and meticulous, check the water temperature before washing, too hot may shatter the glass, too low won’t have the oil-removing effect, and also, before placing the cups in the basket, you have to check if there’s any residual debris inside the cups, such as stirring sticks and straws."

Gu Qili nodded eagerly: "I remember, Sister Kang."

While the glass washer was running, Gu Qili brought over some more cups; as per the restaurant’s rules, even the cups that were washed the day before had to be washed again before opening for business to ensure that all the cups were clean, so as not to affect the taste of the wine.

"Sister Kang, are these cups all for drinking wine?" Gu Qili noticed that the cups placed here were of various shapes, there were long ones, short ones, big ones, small ones, and she thought they were chosen according to the guests’ preferences.

Kang Hongxiu patiently explained: "These cups all have their specific uses, for example, this cup, a bit like the shape of a tulip, with a round belly and narrowed rim, this design can concentrate the wine’s aroma and prevent dispersion, it is basically used for drinking red wine; this one, smaller than the previous, is to accommodate white wine that must be drunk cold, small body, reducing temperature rise; now look at this one, flute-shaped, it’s for drinking Champagne, as the long body allows for a clear view of the rising bubbles."

In light of Kang Hongxiu’s explanation, Gu Qili felt like she was seeing a whole new world, never expecting that so much care went into a small wine glass; the culture of wine is indeed profound and deep.

At this time, the wine glasses in the washer were done, and Gu Qili helped put in the second batch of glasses.

After the washed glasses were taken out, the two began to wipe them down with a clean wine cloth.

After washing cups and plates all morning, Gu Qili’s arms ached, and she could barely lift her phone-holding arm.

However, she still snuck into a corner to send a WeChat message to Mu Shuoqian during her meal break.

"I washed hundreds of glasses today. It’s tiring, but I’m happy because I now know that each glass has its specific use and isn’t for casual use. I can now tell which type of wine you’re drinking from the glass you use on a daily basis, isn’t that impressive?" After typing this, she added a smug emoticon and then sent the message.

Mu Shuoqian is in France, the time there is different from here, right now, he might be sleeping.

Gu Qili thought for a while, then started typing on the screen again: "Don’t skip breakfast, remember to take your medicine on time, and don’t work more than twelve hours."

"If you’re still staying at the hotel from last time, when you leave, take a left turn at the second street, there’s a Chinese porridge shop, I asked them, they can deliver breakfast, remember to have Xiao Ran help you order the delivery."

"Alright, won’t talk more, I need to get back to work."

After sending these messages, Gu Qili put away her phone and returned to the locker room; it’s against restaurant policy to use phones during work hours.

The afternoon’s work was still washing glasses; albeit monotonous, Gu Qili found it very fulfilling to listen to Kang Hongxiu share some knowledge about wine, making the time fly by unnoticed.

She worked the day shift, which ends at five o’clock, while the evening shift runs from five to three because the restaurant turns into a cozy bar after eleven, focusing on wine tasting and listening to music, with live mixologists performing the cocktail mixing; it’s said that the mixologists from the French Restaurant are quite famous and have a mysterious background.

Gu Qili returned to Jing Mountain. The room was pitch-dark and without a trace of human presence, for Mu Shuoqian was not at home, and the place suddenly felt extremely empty.

She turned on the light, and wearily headed to the kitchen to quickly fix something to eat and fill her stomach. But after a few steps, she saw a small figure crouched at the doorway.

"Little guy, what are you doing here?" Gu Qili’s heart nearly melted as she saw the Pug’s cute demeanor, "Didn’t I prepare some bread and water for you? Don’t you like it?"

The Pug looked at her helplessly as if to say, "Sis, I don’t need bread; I need dog food. Have you ever seen a dog grow up eating bread?"

It really wanted to bark twice, but it was too hungry to muster the strength. This dog also had its principles; apart from dog food, it couldn’t swallow anything else.

The Pug listlessly nestled into her arms, looking as if it were on the brink of death.

Gu Qili hurriedly called Chen Yishu, who kept two Golden Retrievers at home. He would surely understand.

Chen Yishu was elated to receive her call, as it had been a long time since he had seen her.

"Yishu, I picked up a little puppy, but it won’t eat or drink. Could it be sick? I gave it bread and ham, but it wouldn’t touch either," Gu Qili stroked the Pug’s head, asking with concern.

Chen Yishu said, "Try getting some dog food. Some dogs get used to dog food and refuse to eat anything else."

"I see, I’ll go right now."

"I have dog food at home. I’ll bring some over for you. It’s so late, you might not be able to buy any."

Gu Qili was just about to agree but then she suddenly remembered that Mu Shuoqian before leaving had sternly told her not to see Chen Yishu, and she couldn’t comprehend why he was so prejudiced against Chen Yishu.

She thought it over and decided not to go against his wishes, and would discuss it with him when he returned.

"No need, Yishu, there’s a pet store nearby."

"Oh, alright then," Chen Yishu hid the disappointment in his voice, "Be careful when you go out at night."

"Mhm, I know."

With money and phone in hand, Gu Qili went out with the Pug, only to find the nearby pet store already closed. Just as she was wondering what to do, an old man who was walking his dog nearby generously went home to fetch some dog food for her. Gu Qili couldn’t thank him enough and cheerfully returned home with the Pug.

Although the cheap dog food wasn’t his preference, the Pug reluctantly ate it to appease his hunger for the time being.

Looking up, he saw the woman who was staring intently with her chin propped up on her hand, still muttering to herself, "So you do like this stuff, huh? You really are a weird dog."

The Pug rolled his eyes, thinking, "You’re the weird one."

After taking a shower, Gu Qili reluctantly held the Pug in her arms.

"I wonder what Shuoqian is doing, whether he’s working or resting?" Gu Qili hugged her phone and daydreamed, "I really want to give him a call."

She let out an excited whoop, nearly scaring the focused Pug enough to wet himself.

Her fingers trembling, she clicked the green answer button.

The screen flashed for a moment, and then Mu Shuoqian appeared. He was dressed casually, sitting in front of a desk. It seemed he hadn’t expected the video call to connect so quickly, he was in the middle of adjusting his posture and fixing his hair. Thus when Gu Qili’s face suddenly appeared, he paused mid-gesture with his hair, then shook his head casually, fanned himself with his hand, and said, "Lots of mosquitoes here."

Gu Qili: "..."

In such a luxurious hotel he was staying at, could such a rare creature as a mosquito even exist?

"Have you had dinner?" Gu Qili asked cheerfully as she sat cross-legged on the bed.

"I’ve had mine, what about you?" Mu Shuoqian, facing the camera, suddenly noticed the dog in her arms. His expression immediately darkened, "Throw it away."

His attitude changed so abruptly that Gu Qili was stunned for a moment, realizing he was talking about the Pug. She instantly pleaded affectionately, "Can’t you have a bit of compassion for small animals? It’s really pitiful being all alone. I promise I’ll find its owner soon. By the time you come back, you won’t even see a single dog hair."