Let Me Ruffle Your Fur a Little

Chapter 73.1

Act Tough against Those Who Mistreats Others

Translated by boilpoil
Edited by boilpoil

The next evening, footsteps hop into the kitchen. Bai Yao waits, and sees Mu Mu’er poking his head in, spotting him, and approach him with a smile.

“Yaoyao, what’s for dinner today?”

It’s barely 4 in the afternoon, and the restaurant isn’t even open for business just yet, and the little thing is already looking forward to dinner like he didn’t just eat lunch.

Perhaps, to the boy, there is nothing more important than a full tummy. He’s clearly got his eyes on the wide countertop full of ingredients.

He wants his seafood fried rice, and scallops, and dried fish, and desserts.

He wants to eat anything and everything. Just thinking about them makes him drool. His mind is now conjuring an entire table of a feast.

The dumb look on Mu Mu’er’s face amuses Bai Yao to no end. He lifts his head up by the chin to look more closely.

He teases him, “we are eating dirt today.”

Mu Mu’er’s eyes widen in response, “dirt… is not tasty.”

He shakes his head meekly, confused. He knows Bai Yao is good at cooking, but dirt…? Can it…?

His daily tease of the little sea otter complete, Bai Yao caresses his hair with a smile.

“Have you tried any before?” Bai Yao asks, raising his brows.

Mu Mu’er thinks for a few seconds, “mm~ No.”

Then Mu Mu’er starts murmuring, “Mu’er is hungry.”

Says the little sea otter who finished his dessert of a big peach and two egg tarts half an hour ago. Hungry? He’s simply hungry for the taste, not substance.

Bai Yao finds his act hilarious. He pokes Mu Mu’er on the tummy, wondering, “hungry? Is this the part that’s hungry? Yaoyao feels it is full, though.”

“Hungry! Very hungry! Is not full!” Mu Mu’er quickly contracts his tummy, and pats on it to ensure it is flat.

Bai Yao, chuckling, grabs the banana bread he made yesterday to give him a slice, and pours him a glass of chocolate milk.

Mu Mu’er does not like milk by itself, but loves chocolate milk. Enough that he wants some every day. He quietly goes to sit in a corner sofa to eat his snacks, and watches Bai Yao’s busy work without interrupting.

It’s time to open the restaurant, and Bai Yao opens the door to let customers in. Business as usual.

Mu Mu’er finishes his dessert, and seeing Bai Yao busy tending to the stoves, he moves to his back and declares, “Mu’er wants to help!”

Bai Yao is going to answer ‘Mu’er can go play, Yaoyao can handle this,’ but he hesitates.

Although he’s touched that Mu Mu’er feels like helping, he can’t help but worry Mu Mu’er might think he’s not being useful again, that he is suggesting to help. Bai Yao scrutinises Mu Mu’er’s expression to see if he is asking out of shame or simple curiosity.

Mu Mu’er seems to be looking around the kitchen curiously rather than hanging his head low. Bai Yao is relieved.

That said, he does not think it safe to let him handle cutlery without his constant supervision, so nothing like chopping vegetables and such.

Maybe washing leaves, then? He’s done the prep work already, though. Outside of making meals and getting bills, another thing beyond Mu Mu’er, he might be able to deliver dishes to customers.

“Alright. Want to try giving customers their meals?”

Simple enough; no conversation needed. Just put the meal onto the customer’s table.

“Watch, you hold the plate and carry it outside. This plate is for the outermost table on the right, that one, you see?” Bai Yao points from the kitchen’s window to show him, “Mu’er can put the plate down on the table, and say ‘enjoy your meal.’ You don’t have to listen for an answer, and come back directly.”

Mu Mu’er looks less than enthusiastic about the task, looking wary of the restaurant area. The restaurant is more than half-filled by now, and the chatty atmosphere isn’t exactly quiet.

While he has become comfortable enough to sit quietly outside, he has never talked to anyone there before.

Bai Yao also becomes less confident seeing his reaction, and offers Mu Mu’er reassuring strokes on the back. This may be of inconsequential difficulty to normal people, but Mu Mu’er, who has barely ever spoken independently with strangers before, that might not be the case.

Bai Yao regrets suggesting this. This is the first time Mu Mu’er has offered to help in business hours; if anything were to happen, he might not be there for him immediately.

He’s about to pass the suggestion off for when Mu Mu’er becomes more confident, but the boy has tugged at Bai Yao’s clothes.

He’s clearly not comfortable, but he appears as brave as he can, making his serious face a little cute in turn, “Yaoyao, can Yaoyao show Mu’er?”

Bai Yao ends up agreeing to it, just for how sincerely Mu Mu’er looks.

“Alright,” Bai Yao plates the chestnut chicken that table ordered, and takes it outside as Mu Mu’er follows.

The table is a young couple who’s currently busy talking to one another. Bai Yao puts down the plate and tells them to enjoy their meal. The girlfriend responds with a simple thanks. They didn’t even bat an eye to look at Bai Yao, or even notice Mu Mu’er standing behind.

Back in the kitchen, Bai Yao holds Mu Mu’er’s hand tightly, asking, “do you want to try?”

Bai Yao can see Mu Mu’er is still little scared, so he will give him some time to make the decision.

It’s not as scary as Mu Mu’er imagined, as the customers are simply here to eat, not to look at them or cast judgement.

Mu Mu’er also saw that, and isn’t as scared as before. When the next meal is done, he elects to go alone, “Mu’er will try.”

He walks outside carefully with the plate of grilled cod, walking to the table Bai Yao pointed to him.

His ‘enjoy your meal’ was about as quiet as a mouse. He did not look at the customers at all, but turns around and quickly moves back into the kitchen, hiding behind Bai Yao, looking carefully at the kitchen door like he’s worried the table of customers would come after him with a knife.

The customers was a family with a young child. They were too busy caring for their young to even notice Mu Mu’er putting their meal down.

Bai Yao looks on with a smile, allowing Mu Mu’er to stay behind him, hiding for a while, so that he understands there is nothing to be scared of.

All turned out well, so Mu Mu’er straightens up a little, and his smile is back on, “Mu’er can keep going!”

The customers are generally polite. Even the few that noticed Mu Mu’er’s unique disposition have not made a fuss about it or treat him differently. They continue whatever they were doing without batting an eye.

It’s allowed Mu Mu’er to become much more at ease. He handled delivering plates for most of the evening, while Bai Yao only needed to leave when a customer needed their bill, easing his workload, thankfully.