The Sleeping Barmaid

...hic, I'm not drunk.

...hic, so many people.

Waking up comfortably from her dream, Jiang Han stared blankly at the large number of empty bottles in the wine room.

What have I done... She took a deep breath, trying her best to make her expression look natural and calm.

She mechanically turned her head to look at the elegantly designed clock in the wine room; it was 5:30 AM.

...Haha, ha, almost time to get off work... ha... ha... The laughter in her heart became guilty. Perhaps because she had consumed so much, Jiang Han also felt she needed to use the restroom.

She summarized her current situation:

Basically, she started her shift around 11:50 yesterday.

A particularly wealthy guest, Lin Qiang, triggered her eyes, and as an apology (or to express affection), she ordered a very expensive and potent bottle of wine.

Then, she and the guest had likely shared that very expensive and potent bottle of wine.

After that... cough, she might have been a bit drunk and fallen asleep.

Waking up, the guest had already disappeared, and it was already time to get off work.

...Ahhh, Miss Jiang Han! No matter how you look at it, this is grounds for being fired, right? Save Miss Jiang Han! Miss Jiang Han doesn't want to be kicked out, forced to survive the next few months on 50 yuan of pocket money, all while having to find another job as relaxed and simple as this one! She doesn't want to, not at all!

She covered her mouth and let out a sound of poverty and desperation.

Just then, she heard a voice that was slightly soft, yet rhythmic and unhurried:

"Are you awake, Miss Jiang Han?"

Jiang Han turned her head, and Qin Shunying, with a face full of smiles, appeared at the doorway of the wine room.

The owner of the Witch House walked in, half-squatted to move two wine bottles aside, and then sat down, watching Jiang Han with an overwhelming gaze.

Seeing Jiang Han's face slowly turn red, Qin Shunying let out a soft laugh, looking her up and down with a playful expression.

That gaze was slightly aggressive, yet carried undisguised affection.

"You closed a big deal in your sleep; that lady surnamed Lin clearly has extraordinary patience for you." She recounted what happened after Jiang Han got drunk in the tone of telling a story.

After our Miss Jiang Han got drunk, she clearly showed early signs of difficulty breathing and an allergy to her clothes.

When she hoped to get oxygen from the guest via mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, Ms. Lin Qiang gently refused her.

When she hoped to take off the clothes she was allergic to, Ms. Lin still gently stopped her.

And after she said in a very aggrieved voice that 'my mouth is so dry, so thirsty', Ms. Lin ordered two bottles of high-priced wine to quench her thirst—both tea wine and medicinal wine—which is why she fell into such a peaceful sleep.

After she fell asleep, Miss Du from the shop had intended to wake her up; after all, it was a bad look for a wine-selling girl to be sleeping on her own in front of a guest who had specifically requested her company.

But sometimes, luck is more important than following the rules.

Miss Jiang Han's luck was particularly good; Miss Lin seemed to have triggered some kind of maternal instinct, stopping others from waking her up and saying to Store Manager Qin, who had come up to apologize:

"I think the wine-selling girls at your Witch House are truly unique. A few years ago at the Jianye branch, I met one who gave me the middle finger and still successfully sold me wine. This time, I met one who fell asleep right in front of me and still successfully pushed wine on me."

Then, she happily ordered a bottle of high-priced 'Chester Girl', a type of Mushroom Bubble wine made from a mixture of deep-sea eternal ice and brandy.

The exterior was composed of dozens of incredibly beautiful ice-colored hues.

Speaking of this, Qin Shunying glanced at Jiang Han's eyes and gave a slightly playful smile.

Before Jiang Han's face could turn any redder and reach the point of embarrassment-induced anger, Qin Shunying finished the story—

"...Miss Lin Qiang has booked the exclusive use of this wine room for two months and has paid your request fee in advance."

Although the request fee sounded strange, it was indeed a legitimate income.

Jiang Han also received a receipt, and after one look, she was nearly frightened.

"Your wine commission from yesterday, plus the point rewards, will be issued next Saturday when salaries are paid... though I think you should take a look." Qin Shunying smiled with extreme kindness.

Seeing the 1900 yuan wine commission at the top of the receipt, Jiang Han knew what was going on. She had earned nearly two weeks' worth of salary in today's work, which also meant that the woman named Lin Qiang had spent 19,000 on drinks.

The further down she read, the more terrified Jiang Han felt...

The wine commission of 1900 meant Lin Qiang had spent 19,000. In this era, that was equivalent to playing at the top-tier clubs for two days... well, maybe one.

The 30% request fee of 500 meant Lin Qiang had spent 1500 just to request her... a wine-selling girl who had only been working for a week asking for a 1500 request fee—this black shop of Qin Shunying's really dared to ask, and Lin Qiang really dared to pay.

The 5% of the wine room's monthly deposit, 200, meant the two-month deposit was 4000.

Following that were various other commissions.

Jiang Han had earned 3200 yuan, three weeks of salary, and 315 Witch House points, though the commission wouldn't be in hand until Saturday.

And this also meant she had created at least 30,000 yuan in net profit for the Witch House.

It was no wonder Miss Qin Shunying was looking at her with the eyes of a parent looking at a well-behaved daughter...

Wait, the description 'well-behaved daughter'... Jiang Han shivered, not knowing whether she should feel happy or afraid.

My god, over thirty thousand...

Thirty thousand-plus in this era...

Miss Lin Qiang had squandered it as casually as if she were folding paper airplanes out of banknotes.

In the future, this woman would absolutely be considered a price-gouger, and what was even more terrifying was that she hadn't even slept with her yet. Although Jiang Han was grateful for that, it didn't change the fact that this was extremely terrifying.

Today I finally understand why some streamers organize offline meetups for their big spenders... Looking at the frightening receipt, Jiang Han felt as if every word on it was written in gold—no, in liquid gemstones—no! In adamantine and mithril!

Qin Shunying was also in a fantastic mood, personally picking up the wine bottles. Every time she picked one up, she would explain the type of wine to Jiang Han.

There were high-priced ones, mid-priced ones, and low-priced ones.

She described them with an unmistakable smile, looking at the still-dazed Jiang Han as if she were seeing a Cinderella from the countryside.

It wasn't meant in a derogatory way, but as a compliment.

She praised her inwardly:

"Such a beautiful face, a petite figure, ice-colored eyes filled with a naive mist... This cute girl is still wearing a standard-issue Witch robe; I can tell at a glance, and there's that sweet magic power faintly radiating from her body. Miss Jiang Han is a natural for this business... A 'work of art' that satisfies me even more than Jing Zhitong or Du Ningzhuang, one that makes witches drool even while still in the polishing stage."

Descriptions that would make one's skin crawl if spoken aloud kept surfacing in Qin Shunying's mind, making her gaze toward Jiang Han grow increasingly tender.

In fact, when facing someone who could make her a fortune, any amount of praise was within the realm of normalcy.

"Your alcohol tolerance might need some training." She looked at Jiang Han, feeling a slight tinge of regret; it would be even more perfect if Miss Jiang Han could hold her liquor better.

But shortly after, she felt the excitement of encountering a challenge. Imperfection was good; only through imperfection could she personally carve and polish her.

Qin Shunying was an expert in this field, and every year, new store managers from the Witch House headquarters would come to her to learn the ropes.

"Alcohol tolerance... I'll try... I'll do my best." Jiang Han nodded obediently, but she felt a bit guilty and answered with little confidence.

She had been able to train her alcohol tolerance in her past life, but she didn't know if she could do the same in this one.