25 Baking with Norma I

Yuliang's solution to his financial problems was to apply for part-time work.

Lucky for him, the bakery he had passed on his way back from shopping had been hiring. They had even been desperate enough to hire Yuliang on the spot when he had shown up at the end of the week without even asking for a resume.

Yuliang's first day at his part-time job at the bakery had almost ended in disaster because he had gotten into an argument with a disrespectful customer who had cursed quite rudely at his co-worker, Mina.

Mina was also a UMedina student. She was in her third year of studying traditional medicine and had worked at the bakery for a little over a year now. Mina was demonstrating to Yuliang how the cash register worked when she made a small mistake with the customer's change. She had caught onto it quickly and had attempted to rectify her error immediately, but the customer was having none of it and proceeded to tear into the young woman cruelly.

Yuliang could not stand for this injustice and returned fire, barely restraining himself from resorting to violence.

Thankfully his employer, a kind woman named Norma, had intervened and requested the customer to leave under the threat of getting the authorities involved.

Yuliang had been prepared for the worst after that, but instead of firing Yuliang on the spot or scolding Mina for her mistake, Norma prioritized their health and safety. She understood that the customer had been the instigator of the situation and did not criticize them for handling it that way, but she had lost faith in Yuliang's suitability to work the front counter.

"You wouldn't happen to have any experience baking, would you?" Norman asked, eyeing his appearance doubtfully.

Yuliang scowled under her brown-eyed stare.

"I do. Not sure if it's up to standard, but I have some experience baking things like bread from scratch. We have fruit orchards back home, so when they're in season, I am in the habit of baking a lot of pies, cakes, and other desserts to make use of the produce that doesn't get exported."

Norma looked pleasantly surprised, "Well, that's unexpected. I'd have never been able to tell you were a baker."

What was that supposed to mean?

Why on earth would Yuliang want to work at a bakery if he didn't know how to bake?

"How wonderful. Come with me, Yuliang. Mina will be fine watching the counter. I want to assess your skills."