Although swamped, Tang Nannan managed to handle it all without a single mistake.
The supervisor reported to Manager Ma, who then called Mrs. Gao from his office.
"You know, this girl is actually quite capable. It's hard to find any fault with her for now. I've thought of every trick, and continuing like this makes the targeting too obvious. It'll reflect poorly on you, Mrs. Gao. I suggest we find other ways."
Mrs. Gao hadn't expected the pampered Tang Nannan to adapt so quickly. She had no choice but to pull out the ultimate trump card.
On the third day, Tang Nannan finally calmed down a bit.
Manager Ma no longer assigned her any bizarre tasks. She quietly sat at her workstation and spent more than half the day reviewing documents. She nearly devoured the information on several major ongoing projects at the company. As the end of the workday approached, Manager Ma called her into her office.
"Xiao Tang, you can leave early today. Come to my house."
"It's my son's 15th birthday today, and I'm hosting a birthday banquet at home with a few of his classmates. The household staff are overwhelmed, so I need you to help out."
"Don't worry, your trip won't be in vain. Take a taxi there, and you can claim reimbursement tomorrow."
Having been at the company for a few days, Tang Nannan was finally hearing something she wanted to hear and felt a bit happy.
On the way, she messaged Hu Jiasheng, saying she might have to work overtime again that evening. Hu Jiasheng acknowledged it and told her to call him after she was done, and he would pick her up.
Tang Nannan arrived at Manager Ma's home and indeed, several nannies were busy as bees.
The kitchen was filled with all sorts of dishes, displayed one after another, resembling a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast.
There was even a dedicated pastry chef.
"Young Master loves Chef Li's extra-long potato strips the most. The longer, the better, so prepare plenty of mashed potatoes."
"Xiao Tang, go wash these potatoes, cut them into strips, and then we'll make them into mash. Time is short, hurry up! Otherwise, Manager Ma will be unhappy if she sees nothing is ready when she returns."
As she spoke, an auntie "plop" threw half a sack of muddy potatoes in front of her.
They were the kind just bought wholesale from the market, carried in mesh bags with large holes.
There were dozens of them.
Tang Nannan also liked eating shredded potatoes, but washing potatoes and peeling them was always a tedious task, so she had eaten them less frequently over the past two years.
Today, however, it fulfilled her desire, making up for two years' worth.
Seeing everyone diligently at their posts, busy as anything, she didn't feel it was appropriate to complain.
She dragged the potatoes to an open space behind the kitchen, turned on the tap, poured them into a large plastic basin, and began washing them.
Rubbing off the dry mud from each potato by hand was too slow, and her hands hurt from scrubbing so many.
She thought about borrowing a brush from the chefs, but they all told her:
"Miss Ma and Young Master are extremely strict about hygiene. They detest it when we use all sorts of tools. We usually wash and prepare everything by hand. It's best if you clean them thoroughly, or she'll throw a fit."
There were no suitable small stools for her to sit on, so Tang Nannan squatted on the ground, washing them one by one.
When her legs went numb, she stood up to stretch.
After washing them once, she had to dump the muddy water and refill the basin to rinse them again.
Just washing the outer skin left her back aching.
Then, she had to peel each one.
Time flew by. Tang Nannan, afraid of slowing everyone down, peeled with great speed, not minding if the thickness was inconsistent.
This had its advantages and disadvantages, the most significant being that it was easy to cut her fingers.
The web of her left thumb quickly received several cuts.
Ignoring her own injuries, she hurriedly finished peeling the potatoes, washed them again, and then began shredding them.
When Manager Ma returned home, she saw Tang Nannan with a few strands of her long hair falling onto her forehead, diligently working with her head bowed. She sneered and took a photo to send to Mrs. Gao.
Soon, the young master returned, bringing a few wealthy friends of the same age.
The setting sun cast a beautiful afterglow through the distant mountain peaks.
They were playing on the lawn, drinking beverages, chatting, and having a great time, a stark contrast to the busy scene in the kitchen.
Looking at their vibrant figures, Tang Nannan was momentarily stunned.
Back then, she too had been one of these carefree youngsters.
She didn't have much time to dwell on sadness because shredding potatoes was also a task that easily injured one's hands.
A moment's distraction, and her hand was poked again.
She rinsed the shredded potatoes clean, put them in a basin, and painstakingly moved them into the kitchen. Someone then directed her to put them into a steamer, monitor the time, steam them until soft, and mash them.
In short, Tang Nannan was busy non-stop until the meal was ready, not pausing for a single second.
When all the preparations were finished and she finally stopped, her hands were numb.
Both her arms ached severely, feeling completely alien.
She took out her phone to check the time; it was already past eight o'clock in the evening.
It had been a full four hours since she arrived at four in the afternoon.
Tired and hungry, she wanted to stop for a drink and a rest when Manager Ma, dressed in a haute couture gown, her hair up, and wearing beautiful makeup, gracefully appeared at the kitchen doorway.
"Xiao Tang. Why are you hiding here slacking off? We're short-handed in the main hall, come and help!"
Tang Nannan: "..."
"Look how dirty your clothes are. How can a young girl be so sloppy?"
Because of the mud from washing the potatoes and moving the dirty water back and forth, many mud splatters had landed on her, and there was yellow mud on the soles of her shoes.
Manager Ma looked her up and down with disdain and urged:
"Quickly wash your face, wipe off the dirt on your clothes with a towel, and come with me."
Tang Nannan consoled herself internally: I'll endure, I'll tolerate, I'll persevere! Once I've gained enough experience at your company, I'll jump to another one, and I won't stay here for a single extra second. This is truly too much!
She hurried outside, washed her face quickly, tied her hair up again, patted the mud off her clothes, and wiped the soles of her shoes clean before heading to the main hall.
As soon as she entered, she was met with the scent of perfume and adorned hair, the clinking of glasses, and the sound of music. The entire room was filled with young men and women toasting and conversing.
The immense environmental contrast made her feel like a clown.
Tang Nannan lowered her head and walked along the wall, reminding herself that she was just a server, and no one would notice her. All she had to do was serve drinks, and then she could leave.
Unexpectedly, Manager Ma watched her the entire time, bossing her around.
"Tang Nannan, come here, take these drinks, and follow me."
"What are you standing there for? Go and get two more glasses of champagne for Mr. Yang and Mr. Wang."
"Tang Nannan, come over here!"
"Tang Nannan..."
With so much attention directed at her, naturally, people started noticing her.
A young couple stood directly in front of her, scrutinizing her, and then asked Manager Ma:
"Why does Manager Ma's assistant look so familiar? Her name sounds familiar too. Do I know her?"
Tang Nannan lowered her head even further, wishing she could burrow into the ground.