Chapter 12 Encountering The Boss

• Chapter 12 Encountering the Boss
• It had been two days since Ladapha stopped just sitting idly at home, as before. After finishing her late breakfast, she hurriedly packed her belongings into boxes in her room to make moving easier in the next few days. Then, in the afternoon, the young woman took a bath, changed clothes, and went out to look for a part-time job.
• “May I have your name and contact number first? The manager isn’t in today,” the staff said.
• The young woman smiled, took the note to down her information, handed it back, and then walked out of the shop. Today was the same as before—waiting for a callback.
• Sigh... Maybe I’ll have to dip into my old savings to get by during this unemployment period.
• “That shop over there isn’t hiring part-time staff anymore, and neither is this one. Where else can I look? I’ve asked almost every shop around here,” Ladapha mumbled to herself as she walked, glancing at the stores with a deeply disappointed expression, even though she had already researched online beforehand.
• “Jobs are hard to find, but I need money. Should I just go back home for now?” Ladapha froze after unintentionally shouting out loud. She looked around and hurried away. However, a middle-aged woman approached her and greeted her warmly.
• “Are you looking for a job, dear?”
• She looked at the woman and nodded, a bit confused.
• “Uh, yes, just temporary work.”
• “Then would you like to work with me? My employer is looking for someone to take care of his son, but I’m going back home next week. So I want to find someone to replace me in taking care of him, doing some cleaning, and as well...”
• “I accept! Um... how many days, and what’s the hourly wage?” the young woman asked softly, feeling a bit hesitant but also worried about potential scams.
• “It should be about a week. But if you’re free during this time, I’ll let you know so we can hire you to take care of his son.”
• “Really?” the young woman said excitedly, feeling lucky.
• “Then can I have your number? I’ll call you later,” Phorngrampai said with a relieved tone. Judging from the young woman’s appearance and her demeanor during the conversation, there shouldn’t be any problem. Besides, there’s no time left to find someone else to take care of matters at home in her stead.
• Ladapha didn’t hesitate to give her contact number immediately. After a brief chat, they parted ways. She felt relieved that she wouldn’t have to sit idle while waiting to be called for work. However, she still wasn’t fully confident because the aunt’s employer might not accept her.
• “Let’s take a break today,” she said to herself.
• She glanced at a restaurant, and as her stomach growled in protest, she quickly stopped to buy dinner to eat at home before immediately catching a ride back.
• Not long after getting back, Ladapha received a call from the aunt she spoke to that afternoon about the part-time job. The aunt confirmed the employment, which would cover the next month while Ladapha was still available. The young woman agreed without hesitation. It took almost half an hour to finish their conversation, during which they also discussed the start date, which would be the coming week.
• After hanging up, she walked to the kitchen to heat up the food she had bought and then sat down to eat. Ladapha finished her meal in less than ten minutes and quickly cleaned up the kitchen. She noticed she still had some time, so she went upstairs to bring her belongings down, almost all of them, and did not forget to text her sister asking to borrow her car to help move her things out of the house.
• On Sunday afternoon, when she had an appointment with her new employer for her first day as a child-minder, Ladapha asked her sister to help drive her things to her new apartment in the morning. They then parted ways because her sister had other commitments and would not have time to drop her off at the employer’s house.
• The young woman got out of the taxi as soon as it stopped in front of the village gate. Initially, she had intended to have the taxi drop her off right at the house, but the security guard at the village gate told her that the house number she was looking for wasn’t far from the gate. So, she decided to pay the fare and get out right there.
• Ladapha walked into the village, scanning the house numbers of the large mansions she passed until she stopped in front of a blue gate. She stepped in, double-checking the house number before pressing the doorbell.
• Soon enough, Aunt Phorngrampai came out, and Ladapha raised her hands in greeting. “You’re just in time. I was about to start preparing dinner, and after that, I’ll be on my way,” Phorngrampai said while opening the door for Ladapha to enter.
• “Um... And what about me?” Ladapha asked, feeling a bit unsure. Her primary duty, aside from occasionally helping with housecleaning, was to take care of the owner’s son.
• “Come in first. I’ll go call Mr. Peng down,” Phorngrampai said.
• “Mr. Peng? Is he a foreigner?”
• “Yes, but he speaks our language quite well,” Phorngrampai explained briefly, addressing Ladapha’s curiosity as they walked into the house.
• “Wait in the living room while I get Mr. Peng,” she said.
• The young woman nodded and walked to the living room, awkwardly glancing around until a small voice sounded behind her.
• “Who are you, Auntie?”
• Ladapha wasn’t thrilled to be called ‘auntie.’ She adjusted her expression and turned around, her gaze freezing in surprise.
• “The auntie who threw the round ball,” the familiar voice and face of the chubby boy stunned her for a moment, but it also diminished her irritation.
• “You... live here?” she asked.
• The boy eyed her warily and backed away. Ladapha noticed the book in his small hands, so she approached him and knelt down in front of him.
• “Do you want me to read it to you?” she offered.
• The boy looked at her and said, “Ayu can read.” Then he walked over to the sofa, sat down, and opened the book. Ladapha watched, sighing but also chuckling as the little round fellow gazed at the book, as if trying hard to decipher the words.
• “Do you want me to read it to you?” she asked again, looking at the boy affectionately. His chubby cheeks were just too adorable.
• “Ayu can read, but I’m sleepy now,” the boy said before slowly handing the book over to her. Ladapha already had a soft spot for this child, and seeing him again only made her feel even more affectionate, despite his somewhat peculiar personality.
• Ladapha sighed deeply after reading halfway through the story. When she looked up, she saw that the little one had already fallen sound asleep on the sofa.
• Well, kids are like that…
• She smiled softly, gazing at the boy with affection. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder—who his father was, what he looked like, and how he managed to have such an adorable child.
• Standing up from the sofa, Ladapha stretched to ease the stiffness from sitting for so long. It had been almost an hour, yet her employer still hadn’t shown up. As she stretched, she glanced over and froze in shock.
• It couldn’t be! Was that… Mr. Peng?
• The same man who had commented on her mistake in the bathroom at her elder sister’s wedding? She stood there in disbelief, her eyes wide, before slapping her own cheeks lightly a few times, thinking her eyes must be playing tricks on her.
• “Is it too late to back out now” she muttered under her breath, nervously glancing back at the man.
• Yin Yue entered the room, his expression calm but betraying a hint of surprise. Of course, he remembered her—they had met twice before. Without a word, he walked over and sat on the sofa in the living room.
• “Papa…” Ayu stirred, rubbing his eyes before sitting up.
• Ladapha wanted to vanish into thin air. If she hadn’t grown fond of the boy and wanted to spend more time with him, she would have declined the job on the spot. Facing this man every day was going to be unbearable.
• “Please, sit,” Yin Yue said.
• “Um, yes… here are the documents,” Ladapha replied, placing a brown envelope on the table as she nervously sat on the sofa beside him. She avoided looking at him altogether, too embarrassed by their prior encounters. She hadn’t expected to see him again—much less in the capacity of her temporary employer.
• Yin Yue picked up the envelope, opened it briefly to check the contents, and then resealed it. Without saying another word, he stood up and left the room, leaving Ladapha baffled by his silence.
• She stood up and walked out of the living room, scanning for Phorngrampai. Upon spotting her, she approached immediately.
• “Auntie, is there anything I can help you with?” she asked politely.
• Phorngrampai, who was carrying a tray of refreshments, handed it over to her.
• “In that case, could you please take this to Mr. Peng? He’s on the second floor, last room on the right after you turn.”
• Ladapha nodded, taking the tray from her and heading up the stairs as instructed. Reaching the designated door, she knocked several times but received no response. Hesitant but unsure of what else to do, she decided to push the door open and step inside.