The next morning, Rui Mengmeng woke up first. By the time Zhang Da Ye and the others came downstairs, she had already wiped all the tables and chairs. This was a rule she had learned working in restaurants: besides cleaning tables immediately after guests leave, everything must be wiped before opening and after closing.
New employees often show extra enthusiasm in their first few days. Some quickly assimilate into the existing work culture, while others maintain their peak energy until the end of the probation period. Rui Mengmeng was likely still in this initial stage.
Zhang Da Ye watched her diligently: "No need to get up so early. We don't open until around eleven."
"Oh, it's fine, boss! Today I feel like I have endless energy!" she replied, flexing her arms.
She didn't bother correcting him on the "boss" title—maybe it suited her better.
Tom came in from outside with milk and newspapers, tugging at Zhang Da Ye's sleeve, pointing to three milk bottles and then gesturing to the tavern's occupancy.
"Right, we'll pick up an extra order from Miao Ke during the morning run," Zhang Da Ye said, patting Tom on the head. He turned to Rui Mengmeng: "We run every morning. Want to join?"
Rui Mengmeng noted the morning tasks—picking up milk and newspapers—then looked at Zhang Da Ye and Artoria in their tracksuits. She nodded: "Morning run? I'll change quickly."
She seemed to treat the run like a team-building exercise or part of the "company culture," similar to morning routines at barber shops or hotels.
Zhang Da Ye's yellow-and-black striped tracksuit resembled Bruce Lee, occasionally shouting "Ah-da~" for fun.
Artoria wore blue, Rui Mengmeng black, and Tom his classic red. If a fifth person joined wearing green, they could mimic the Five Lucky Dolls.
Zhang Da Ye's stamina had improved drastically; he could run nearly ten kilometers in half an hour without going full out, almost challenging world records—a fitting "Rampaging Da Ye."
Tom, as usual, shirked early and ended up as Zhang Da Ye's shoulder weight.
Artoria had no problem with the exercise. Rui Mengmeng, despite just becoming a super soldier yesterday, ran ten kilometers without issue.
Her stamina made sense—she had been punished by Reina to swim 50,000 meters freely after fighting on the Azure during the Giant Gorge voyage.
Since Miao Ke wasn't available, they went directly to the milk station to pay and add an order.
Breakfast was prepared by Tom, with Rui Mengmeng assisting. She was eager to learn.
The whole morning, Rui Mengmeng stuck close to Teacher Tom, unsure what to learn beyond cooking from the wide range of courses available at the Tom Education Base.
Tom wasn't always in the mood to teach; sometimes he'd make Rui Mengmeng serve tea, massage shoulders, or rub legs.
If Tom were human, it might have been considered a "perk system," but in reality, anyone seeing this would just think Rui Mengmeng was petting a cat.
Both of them benefited immensely, while Zhang Da Ye sweated profusely practicing swordsmanship.
By noon, the tavern opened, and customers arrived gradually. Rui Mengmeng carried trays, serving drinks.
Some familiar patrons sat at the bar. One, holding a cup, asked: "Da Ye, where did you find this waitress? She's beautiful."
"Why do you all ask that? She just joined yesterday," Zhang Da Ye replied vaguely. "Our guard sits here daily, yet no one praises her like this. Isn't she beautiful?"
"Tsk," the man sipped his drink, glancing at Artoria: "Artoria-chan is pretty, but… forget it, you wouldn't understand."
He wanted to say Artoria had looks but lacked other qualities, making it hard for them to approach. Rui Mengmeng, on the other hand, seemed both pretty and approachable.
Afraid of retaliation, he wisely kept silent.
Zhang Da Ye glared at him: "I'm telling you, don't get any ideas, or you'll be responsible for the consequences. I won't cover your medical or funeral expenses."
"No need for that, I'm harmless."
Yes, just a harmless old pervert with no courage. Zhang Da Ye ignored him and said to Rui Mengmeng: "If anyone tries to bully you, just defend yourself. Don't hold back."
"Huh?" She had never seen a boss allow employees to hit customers and hesitated.
Zhang Da Ye reassured: "If you can't strike, kick them."
"…That's even harsher, isn't it?" But she understood his meaning—defending herself justified full effort.
With Rui Mengmeng on board, Zhang Da Ye found himself much freer, almost able to relax at the bar, sipping tea and watching the register.
Yet he still paid attention to customers' conversations.
Two men discussed the Celestial Dragons' visit to Shabody yesterday. It was fine to talk about their grandeur openly, as long as they didn't complain.
The topic soon became oppressive, so they switched.
The chubbier one asked mysteriously: "Did you hear? There was an explosion in the lawless area yesterday."
Zhang Da Ye perked up—this was the information he wanted.
The slimmer one scoffed: "So what? Explosions happen all the time there. Big news would be if nothing exploded. Those guys do anything when fighting."
The fat man hesitated: "Well… true, but this one's different. It seems a 'Human House' exploded, the whole building went airborne."
"'Human House'?" the thin one became interested. "Not a good place anyway. Tell me more."
The fat man grinned: "Your treat first."
"Fine, now spill!"
"Hehe, that place was ruined. No one knows how much explosives were used. The building flew for ten minutes, landing with not a single intact piece of wood left."
The thin man doubted part of the story: "Ten minutes in the air is exaggerated. The explosion must have been huge, but what about the people inside?"
The fat man nodded vaguely: "They're all dead. Four wore collars, two didn't—slaves, staff, or guests. Their bodies were charred…"
"Doing that kind of business, they deserve it. Except the four slaves, unlucky. Wait, just four slaves?"
"Apparently, some were rescued. Maybe the house had valuable slaves, and the owners' relatives retaliated by blowing it up."