Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 935: Fortunate and Unfortunate (2)

Apart from the bowls and plates in the large basin, there were also numerous dishes, cups, and chopsticks waiting to be cleaned on the nearby table. Judging by the number of these utensils, it was clear that business here was quite good, though there was also considerable waste.

Nearby, there were several bags filled with meat, likely chosen by Yuna from untouched dishes, perhaps intending to take them with her later.

Yuna washed the dishes slowly, even clumsily, her red rubber gloves often unable to grip the plates firmly. She couldn’t even properly wipe her sweat, merely smearing it off with her arm.

"That won't get them clean."

Just as she lost her grip on a plate, letting it slide into the water, a familiar voice sounded behind her. She instinctively turned to see a young man standing there—a glance told her who he was.

It was the talkative waiter who had brought the dim sum cart to her in the teahouse.

"It's you..." Yuna remarked, surprised—mostly because Red Mansion was a high-end establishment, and a teahouse server's salary would hardly cover even the minimum cost here.

Luo Qiu merely smiled casually, walked over to Yuna, squatted, rolled up his sleeves, and picked up a cloth and a plate. "Watch closely."

Yuna noticed he wasn't wiping the plate randomly but in broad, systematic strokes that covered the whole surface without overlapping.

"This detergent works quite well; it doesn't need rinsing. Just a quick wipe with a cloth will do. Also, consider washing the large plates first and stacking them, then the bowls. Don’t wash one at a time—it saves space that way. Since it's cramped here, stacking improperly makes it easy to knock things over... Oh, leave the chopsticks for last.""Are you a dishwasher, too?" Yuna looked at the young man, who seemed adept at dishwashing. Only then did she notice his clothes, which looked far from cheap—the embroidered logo on his clothes hinted at a high-end brand, though she couldn’t tell if it was authentic or a replica.

"Just a habit from washing at home, so I picked up a few tricks."

With that, Luo Qiu placed the only cleaned plate aside and shook the water off his hands. He hadn’t planned to help Yuna wash everything, only to give her some pointers... a gesture he felt showed respect toward her.

As Luo Qiu stood, Yuna, intending to rise as well, awkwardly thanked him and explained with a faint smile, "My sister used to do the dishes at home... You know, I often have difficulty moving around, so she wouldn't let me near the kitchen."

"Do you work here full-time?" Luo Qiu glanced around at the surroundings.

Yuna shook her head, picked up a plate, and, imitating Luo Qiu’s movements, started wiping it. "No, I just started today. I can't really... well, we all need to make a living."

She looked up suddenly, a clean smile on her face. "It's a bit grimy here, but the hourly pay is decent, and, most importantly, they were willing to hire me."

"Not bad." Luo Qiu nodded. "Then I won’t bother you any further."

"It’s no bother," Yuna replied with a smile.

This guy seemed to bring a peaceful air with him—the tedious and tiring task somehow felt lighter with his presence.

"By the way, I don’t know your name yet," Yuna asked politely.

Luo Qiu had already reached the door, but he bent down, picked up a cane that had fallen to the floor, and placed it against the wall.

"Next time we meet, I’ll tell you."

With that, he left without any reason to linger or to prolong the conversation, as if he were a passerby glimpsed in a moment before moving on.

Yuna exhaled, checked the time—it was lunchtime now. She grabbed her cane, picked up some bags filled with food, and pushed open the door of the cleaning room to leave.

Outside the door was a small alley. She had seen this spot earlier when she arrived for work. Now, she looked around, seemingly searching for something.

Soon, she heard a sound.

Her worn face brightened with a smile, and she hobbled toward a pile of baskets. Carefully, she pulled one of the baskets closer and peered inside, where a few tiny eyes looked back at her.

The sound of mewing—a soft, kittenish cry.

Three small kittens surrounded a mother cat. They were stray animals living here, whom Yuna had found earlier that morning.

Yuna’s eyes lit up, and her smile grew even brighter. She opened one of the bags, emptying some food onto the ground. Clearly, she intended to feed the mother and her kittens.

The mother cat couldn’t resist the food’s allure. She gingerly stretched her head forward, sniffed a piece of fish on the ground, and then cautiously bit into it. Instead of eating it, though, she carried it back to the basket for her kittens. The three young ones huddled together like fluffy dandelion seeds.

Yuna sat against the wall, her hand resting on the basket as she quietly watched them. A sense of peace and tranquility filled the moment.

Click.

In the distance, a camera shutter clicked—a sound that didn’t reach Yuna. She remained unaware that her serene expression was now captured in a golden Hasselblad camera.

From afar, Luo Qiu lowered his gaze from the camera, seemingly satisfied. His hand rested on the camera as he skipped the usual development process, a black-and-white photo materializing in his hand.

The monochrome palette erased the pallor from Yuna's face, leaving only her pure, sweet smile.

"An unexpectedly nice capture," he remarked.

...

The quality of the girls the madam had found was indeed quite good.

Song Haoran, who had encountered countless women, found that among the girls brought by the madam, one or two did catch his eye. Of course, it was only their physical appearance that did—who knew what lay beneath the surface?

"Chairman Bai, the best girls from the Red House are here," the madam announced proudly, as these girls had undergone rigorous training to exude the elegance of women from that era.

"Young Master, does this batch suit you?" Bai Shuitang, noticing Song Haoran’s interest, leaned in and asked.

Song Haoran casually pointed at two girls, saying indifferently, "Just these two, they can stay."

The selected girls, at the madam's gesture, walked gracefully to either side of Song Haoran. But he suddenly whispered to one, and she giggled, seemingly amused by his mischievous suggestion.

"My friend has a cool composure; I’ve never seen him flustered," Song Haoran chuckled, eyes gleaming. "If you two can get him flustered, I’ll pay each of you five million."

Song Haoran’s generosity lit up the girls' eyes, though Bai Shuitang frowned, mentally noting how extravagantly the young master spent his family’s fortune.

"Chairman Bai, your friend has returned!" the madam called out, spotting Luo Qiu approaching down the corridor. Song Haoran motioned, and the girls hid by the door, loosening their qipao collars, their allure on full display.

One… two… three… Smack!

To Song Haoran’s horror, the one who walked in was not Luo Qiu, but Song Ying! Her face froze as the two girls enthusiastically kissed her cheeks, each clinging to her arms and pressing closely against her.

"Ack…" Song Ying, startled by the sudden contact, heard a familiar voice from behind. She stiffly turned… and found Luo Qiu watching with mild surprise.

"Oh," he muttered, clearly understanding the situation.

"Oh, my…!" Song Ying gasped, then, with a scream, pushed the girls off, lunged at Luo Qiu, and grabbed his collar, roaring, "What’s with that look? Thinking something indecent? You think I'm into this? Really?"

"Need a wipe?" Luo Qiu calmly pulled out a tissue packet.

Song Ying glanced at her reflection, noticing two lipstick marks on her cheeks. With another yell, she raised her hand—smack!

Bai Shuitang, feeling uneasy, retreated to a corner. Meanwhile, Song Haoran leaned back with a smirk, contemplating his next move. Luo Qiu sat quietly, while Song Ying furiously scrubbed her cheeks, and a faint palm print marked Song Da's face as he stood by, wondering why Song Ying’s slap had landed on him rather than Luo Qiu.

The madam and her entourage had already been shooed out by Song Ying, who then glared at Song Da. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t you train with that martial technique? This shouldn’t hurt!"

“I… don’t practice it on my face, Miss,” Song Da muttered with a forced smile.

"Then start practicing on your face!”

"Fine, I’ll… work on it," Song Da resignedly agreed, clueless about handling women.

“Alright, young lady, what are you doing here?” Song Haoran laughed. “Don’t tell me you don’t know what this place is.”

"As your niece, I have a right to monitor your behavior!" Song Ying huffed, yanking his ear. "While I work my tail off, you’re out having fun?”

“Ah… I’ll step out for a moment,” Bai Shuitang excused himself, wisely slipping out the door.

Song Ying continued her tirade, poking Song Haoran’s forehead angrily. "You’re an executive at Song Dynasty Group! Not only do you skip work every day, but you’re also indulging while I’m working! Do you have any decency?"

Why mention her working hours twice? Luo Qiu, blinking, handed Song Da an ice-cold towel for his reddening cheek.

Perhaps if Luo Qiu and Song Ying swapped genders, they’d suit each other more, Song Da mused.

Just then, a waiter entered, holding a fruit platter and some drinks.

Song Ying allowed Song Haoran some dignity, releasing his ear as she pointed to the table. “Put it there.”

The waiter nodded, but as he bent to set down the tray, he suddenly looked up, eyes fierce. From beneath the platter, he drew a hidden dagger, lunging straight at Song Haoran!

Song Haoran’s quick reflexes kicked in; he clapped his hands to catch the dagger mid-air. “Finally! I thought you’d be more patient.”

The waiter, startled, dropped the dagger and drew a pistol from his waist, firing rapidly. Gunshots resounded in the room, sparking utter chaos.