Ye Xu snorted: "Let's take turns, I'll wipe one, you wipe one."
"That's too much trouble, you'll have to keep changing the rags. How about you wipe ten rags, and then I'll take over?"
"You have to wipe it first, otherwise who knows if you'll renege on your promise?" Ye Xu was not going to fall for it.
Mo Bei thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, I'll go first."
He was thinking that he had already picked three peaches from Ye Xu, and if they continued to take turns picking one, he would still have the advantage overall. So it didn't matter who went first or last.
However, Mo Bei forgot one thing: there were only about a hundred tables in total, and the robots were much faster than them. Plus, the meticulous Han Yingchen was also wiping them. By the time Mo Bei finished wiping ten tables, there probably wouldn't be many left. Ye Xu definitely wouldn't need to wipe all ten.
Mo Bei is still a long way from trying to take advantage of Ye Xu.
While things seemed to be going at a feverish pace on one side, the efficiency was actually incredibly slow. The robot on the other side, on the other hand, worked quietly and efficiently, cleaning the entire set of tables and benches in one go, while Ye Xu hadn't even finished cleaning a single table.
Mo Bei, engrossed in his work, was completely unaware of the problem. He laboriously scrubbed and cleaned, while Ye Xu leisurely stood beside him, resting with a clean rag. He had to wait for Mo Bei to finish before he could start, and cleaning the table in one go wasn't intentional laziness.
Jiang Yuexuan glanced sideways, said nothing, pretended nothing had happened, and continued directing the robot to work. At the same time, her hands didn't stop; she picked up a broom and swept up the trash on the ground.
Ye Xu realized he seemed to be the most idle person in the room, and when he accidentally met Sister Xuan's gaze, he shrank back guiltily. Fortunately, Sister Xuan always favored him, and when she swept the floor and passed by his side, she not only didn't scold him, but also secretly slipped him a individually wrapped small twisted dough stick to eat, hehehe.
The mini twisted dough sticks are fried until fragrant and crispy, coated with a thin layer of sugar, allowing you to enjoy both the fried and sweet flavors at the same time—simply amazing! Unfortunately, they're so noisy to eat; crunching and popping sounds are enough. Sneaking one is fine, but eating too many will give you away, and it wouldn't be good if Mo Bei found out.
Ye Xu decided to finish her work and eat slowly when she got back; she would just have to wait it out for now.
"Finally, I've finished wiping one table." Mo Bei breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a slight ache in his back from bending over for so long.
Ye Xu snorted: "I wiped three sheets in a row and didn't complain about being tired, so what are you being so dramatic about?"
Mo Bei glared at him, and Ye Xu glared back. After glaring at each other for a moment, they both turned their heads away and let out a loud "Ha!", full of sarcasm.
"Childish," someone muttered under their breath.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out in the kitchen. A farmhand came running out, waving a broom, seemingly chasing after something.
A huge black shadow flashed by, almost half the size of an adult cat, unusually fat and terrifying. Everyone looked over, and with their excellent dynamic vision, they could see clearly what it was—a huge black rat with glossy fur!
"Awooo!" Seeing the rat running towards him with a ferocious expression, Mo Bei instinctively yelled and jumped onto the table.
A question mark slowly appeared above Ye Xu's head. Why would a phoenix be afraid of mice? Isn't it a bird like an owl? Owls eat mice!
His urge to complain was extremely strong, but that didn't stop Ye Xu from instinctively dodging. He knew all too well how powerful the giant rats in the south were; they were strong, had huge front teeth, and a bite was no joke—it could not only tear off a piece of flesh but also potentially infect someone with various bacteria and viruses.
The big rat had been holed up in the kitchen for who knows how long, and it was very familiar with the area. Several farmhands chased after it in a panic, but it remained calm and composed, slipping through the cracks and dodging left and right in the dining area. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't catch it.
Seeing that the situation was about to become chaotic, Han Yingchen quickly flipped over an empty bamboo basket that was originally used to hold things and turned it upside down to put the rat inside.
As luck would have it, the rat happened to be passing by Mo Bei's vicinity for the second time. Seeing the big rat carrying the bamboo basket on its head still charging forward, causing the basket to move along with it, Mo Bei almost fainted. She hugged herself tightly, feeling weak and pitiful. If she hadn't still had some reason left, she would have almost turned back into a fat chicken on the spot.
Ye Xu rushed over and held down the bamboo basket to prevent the rat from overturning it and escaping. But when the rat realized it couldn't escape, it became very fierce and started climbing up the basket, trying to bite Ye Xu's hand through the gaps. Ye Xu was so frightened that he quickly let go.
At this moment, Ye Xu had long forgotten how strong the defense of his dragon body was. Let alone a mouse taking a bite, even a tiger wouldn't be able to break through a layer of skin.
"Get out of the way!" At the critical moment, a cold, sharp female voice jolted everyone awake. Ye Xu looked up and saw Sister Xuan stride over, stepping on the bamboo basket and weighing it down completely.
Jiang Yuexuan didn't even glance at the raging, powerless rat inside after stepping on the shoe, letting it gnaw at the sole. She didn't know what material the shoe was made of, but after a long time, not a single tooth mark was left; its quality and hardness were astonishing.
Ye Xu suddenly remembered that Sister Xuan was a spirit, so her clothes might also be made of spirit power. Even if they weren't, they were probably some kind of magical robe from the cultivation world, so it was normal that mice couldn't gnaw through them.
Jiang Yuexuan ignored all of that. She glared at Mo Bei, who was squatting on the table, and said with exasperation, "Useless! It's one thing for a phoenix to not even be able to catch a mouse, but to be chased by a mouse and forced to climb onto the table. What kind of behavior is this?"
"Everyone has something they're afraid of—" Mo Bei's voice went from being full of energy at the beginning to becoming softer and softer as he became extremely guilty.
Ye Xu couldn't help but feel relieved that his performance had been relatively normal and not too bad, so he wouldn't be dragged into the criticism now. He quickly ran to Sister Xuan's side and asked eagerly, "What should we do with this rat? Just kill it?"
Jiang Yuexuan glanced at him but didn't say anything. She reached out and patted his head, saying, "Give it a quick death. Get me some rat poison, the kind that won't harm the soil."
In the past, rats caught in the orphanage were drowned because there were no better methods, although drowning seemed too cruel. They generally didn't buy rat poison, mainly because they were afraid the children in the orphanage would accidentally eat it. Some of the children had intellectual disabilities, so telling them not to eat it was useless, and the adults didn't have time to watch them all the time.
Ye Xu still remembers that their usual method back then was to use rat cages with a small piece of food hanging inside to lure the rats in. But catching them didn't mean they were safe. Often, when they picked them up, the rats would seize the opportunity to push open the cage door and escape. It was then that Ye Xu gained a direct understanding of how strong rats were.
At this moment, Jiang Yuexuan said she was going to use medicine, and Ye Xu asked curiously, "Is it to wrap rat poison in food and let it eat it?"
"It's no use. Such a big rat is too clever for its own good. It won't fall for it." Jiang Yuexuan shook her head. Once it's caught, it won't eat the food in the basket. It's not that stupid.
Ye Xu was puzzled, but he still exchanged the rat poison and handed it to Sister Xuan.
But the next second, Sister Xuan suddenly pulled her foot back and moved the bamboo basket aside. As the mouse darted out, she grabbed its head and lifted it up. Her grip was perfectly positioned, forcing the mouse to open its mouth. In the next instant, the small pill was stuffed into the mouse's mouth, and it swallowed it.
"Done." Jiang Yuexuan threw the rat into the basket. The rat poison produced by the system was extremely effective, killing it instantly. The rat twitched twice and then fell silent.
Mo Bei breathed a sigh of relief, forgetting all about the scolding he had received from Jiang Yuexuan earlier. He jumped off the table, steadied himself, and took three steps back to get away from the rat carcass.
Who says a phoenix can't be afraid of mice? So many grown men are afraid of cockroaches! Mo Bei didn't think he was ashamed at all; it was Sister Xuan who had too high standards and was biased against men!
"How could a girl like her dare to catch a mouse with her bare hands?" Mo Bei whispered in Ye Xu's ear from behind.
Ye Xu pushed him away with disdain: "Why can't girls catch mice with their bare hands? Are you being sexist?"
Mexico is speechless.
"Go find a place to bury the rat carcass. I'm going to wash my hands first," Jiang Yuexuan instructed, then turned and went to the kitchen. Catching rats was one thing, but having her OCD kick in afterward was another; she now wished she could scrub her hands thirty times.
The commotion in the cafeteria attracted many passing students to peek in. The heroic feat of the female warrior catching a rat with her bare hands inevitably left the students speechless, and a crowd gathered at the entrance, drawing in other people who were unaware of the situation to come and watch the excitement.
Xiao Shanzhang, who rarely goes out for a walk today, noticed a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the cafeteria. He walked over in confusion and asked, "What's going on? What happened?"
The students on the periphery, equally bewildered, quickly bowed and respectfully replied, "Reporting to the Headmaster, we were also unaware; we only just gathered here ourselves."
Master Xiao nodded slightly: "I will go in and take a look."
The crowd quickly made way for her. Just then, the group at the very back, who had finished watching the commotion and were about to leave, were stuck in the middle, feeling quite flustered and confused. When they saw the headmaster approaching, they assumed he had come to take charge after seeing the crowd, and their eyes lit up.
After a brief, misunderstanding, the two sides finally figured out what had happened. Dean Xiao was somewhat helpless; these students were probably overwhelmed by their studies and their lives were exceptionally dull and boring, which was why they were so enthusiastic about anything exciting. He couldn't be too harsh on them.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, let's call it a day." After saying that, Xiao Shanzhang walked into the cafeteria.
She had only just heard that the kitchen had hired outside help with cleaning free of charge, and as the headmaster, she felt she had to go and say hello. It would be impolite for her to simply walk away when others were offering their help; she should express her sincere gratitude.
Inside the cafeteria, Jiang Yuexuan spotted the person who had entered. Her eyes flickered slightly, and she suddenly turned to Ye Xu, saying, "I think there should be a UR card in the academy. Why don't you try using an Encounter Ticket?"
Ye Xu was taken aback. Although he didn't know why Sister Xuan suddenly brought this up, he still subconsciously obeyed and readily opened his backpack to take out the encounter ticket. The next moment, a familiar down arrow appeared above Xiao Shanchang's head as he entered.
Chapter 45 Siblings
Jiang Yuexuan suddenly said that she could use the Encounter Ticket, and after using it, she immediately found a UR Card. Even if Ye Xu was stupid, he could tell something was wrong. He looked at Sister Xuan in surprise, waiting for an explanation.
Jiang Yuexuan blinked and mouthed to him, "Parallel universe."
Ye Xu was puzzled, and it took him a moment to understand.
Jiang Yuexuan encountered "Ye Xu" and herself from a parallel universe in another dimension. Given that, it's reasonable that she also met other people. This Xiao Shanzhang might have appeared in that parallel universe. When Sister Xuan saw that she looked familiar, and considering her own situation, she thought she could try to see if the other person could also be pulled into the dimensional shop.
Ye Xu began to wonder what exactly Sister Xuan had encountered back then.
Headmaster Xiao said she was there to express her gratitude, so she genuinely found the person in charge and performed a formal, deep bow to express her thanks. She approached Jiang Yuexuan, since Jiang Yuexuan seemed too much like the one in charge of the overall situation. However, she was stopped halfway through the bow.
“I’m just a friend of the store manager. The store manager is this person.” Jiang Yuexuan gestured for her to look at Han Yingchen.
It was Han Yingchen's idea to come and help, and Han Yingchen is also the branch manager of this fast food restaurant; it has nothing to do with her. Even if she doesn't thank Han Yingchen, she should thank Ye Xu.
Ye Xu refused such a grand thank you and quickly slipped to the back of the crowd. Jiang Yuexuan couldn't find him for a while.
Han Yingchen felt a chill run down his spine: "No need, no need."
Why make such a big fuss? He's just here to help with a small matter. This Headmaster Xiao is being too serious; it's really unnecessary.
Fortunately, the other party wasn't really that inflexible; after expressing their gratitude, they stopped. Seeing everyone working enthusiastically, the headmaster rolled up his sleeves and said he wanted to join in too.
No one seemed to think anything of it, and they nodded and handed over a rag. They weren't people from a proper feudal dynasty or ancient times, and they didn't quite understand the aloofness of scholars. Generally, people of noble birth like Headmaster Xiao felt that their hands shouldn't touch anything other than books, otherwise they would lower their status.
With one more person joining in, the speed wasn't much faster, since Xiao Shanzhang was also a novice. By the time the cleaning was finished, her forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat, but looking back, she realized she had only wiped two tables.
Mo Bei was counting on his fingers how many tables he and Ye Xu had each wiped, and the more he counted, the more unacceptable it became. The foolish little chubby bird finally realized belatedly that he had been tricked.
Seeing that another battle between dragon and phoenix was about to unfold, Jiang Yuexuan stepped on Mo Bei's instep to calm him down, then smiled and turned to Xiao Shanzhang, saying, "Shanzhang should be familiar with the matter of the dimensional system. Why don't we sit down and discuss it in detail?"
"Very well." Headmaster Xiao didn't seem surprised by their identities.
It makes sense; this group of people is really strange. If it weren't for the system's buff, their abnormality would have been discovered long ago. Since Xiao Shanchang had an agreement with the system, she probably wouldn't be affected by the buff, and naturally, she would be able to see that something was amiss.
The canteen was too busy, so Xiao Shanzhang invited them to rest in her courtyard. After the maid served tea and snacks, she was dismissed, leaving the empty courtyard for them to chat in.
Ye Xu simply had the robot waiter stand guard near the courtyard to prevent anyone from getting close, then obediently sat next to Sister Xuan to listen to how the big shot communicated with the UR card. However, Jiang Yuexuan didn't say anything, instead pushing him, the real store manager, out into the crowd.
“This is the manager of the interdimensional shop. Headmaster can talk to him directly.” Jiang Yuexuan acted as if to say, “I’m just an ordinary shop assistant, I don’t get involved,” which earned her a resentful look from Ye Xu.
I thought I could copy the expert's work, but the expert just gave up. Oh well, I'll just have to do it myself.
Ye Xu first introduced himself, then took the opportunity to inquire about Xiao Shanzhang's name and her thoughts on the interdimensional shop. Seeing that this Shanzhang seemed easy to talk to, he decided there was no need for any beating around the bush and would get straight to the point.
The other party clearly preferred a direct communication style and readily responded.
It turns out that this headmaster's surname is Xiao, given name Suguang, and she has a younger brother named Xiao Yige. Not only herself, but her brother also received an invitation from the system. She was very willing to follow the dimensional system to see the vast world outside, but the premise was that Ye Xu was willing to leave the two of them together.
"To be honest, my younger brother is a bit confused and quite a worry. I'm not comfortable leaving him alone," Xiao Suguang sighed.
Ye Xu naturally agreed. There were only three UR employees in the current plane, and Ji Ling had taken one spot, so the siblings should be the remaining two. Xiao Suguang offered to bring his younger brother along, which saved Ye Xu a lot of trouble; he was overjoyed.
Ye Xu was curious about the situation of that painter Xiao. If he was worried about his younger brother, why did he let him go out alone to sketch and paint? He remembered that the painter seemed to be traveling all over the country, right?
"It's just traveling within the territory of the dynasty, so there's naturally no danger," Xiao Suguang said with a smile. "Besides, I've sent dozens of servants with me, so there shouldn't be any problems."
The recent emperors of this dynasty have all been exceptionally wise, and there have been no bandits or outlaws causing trouble for decades. As long as Xiao Yige doesn't do anything reckless and run off to remote, uninhabited mountains and forests, he will certainly be safe with dozens of guards by his side.
Xiao Suguang said that her younger brother is well-behaved and sensible, so she doesn't need to worry about him running around. However, it's definitely different when the siblings are in the same plane versus being separated in different planes. She can't take care of him when they're far apart, so she inevitably worries.
Ye Xu could only remind her in advance: "I'm about to accumulate enough points to leave the system and become a free store manager. If you two follow me, you'll both go out and open your own stores later. At that time, the two of you probably won't be able to stay together. Unless one of you becomes the other's employee."
"That's fine." Xiao Suguang shook his head, clearly having consulted the system about the relevant issues beforehand.
Xiao Suguang's main concern was his younger brother's life being in danger, since he had always been rather unlucky. The system said that his brother had an unusual destiny, and that once he became the shop manager, he could have his destiny treated on credit.
Moreover, the shopkeepers and staff of the interdimensional shops all have their own protective shields, so they won't even encounter injury, let alone death. This is actually the point that really appeals to her. She has always worried about her younger brother's safety since she was a child, and with the contract system, she can finally rest assured.
There was nothing more to say then, and Ye Xu directly signed an employment contract with the other party. Xiao Yige wasn't present, but with his sister as guarantor, the system also helped facilitate the employment.
After the hiring was completed, everyone was added to the system chat group. Xiao Suguang was surprised to find that his younger brother was in the group, and the two of them could communicate remotely.
“This is great.” Xiao Suguang was overjoyed. “In the past, my younger brother and I could only communicate by letter. If my younger brother went far away, it could take half a year for a round trip, which would be a great inconvenience.”
Ye Xu simply taught her how to have private conversations with people, and then let the siblings talk privately. Since they hadn't met for a long time and had much to say, Ye Xu and his companions didn't want to linger, so they said goodbye and prepared to go back.
"Wait a moment," Xiao Suguang suddenly called out to them.