Miss Assassin is heavily addicted

Chapter 139, Section 13: Someone's Going to Get Forcibly Kissed Again (Part 1)

—Mori no Kawa Apartment, Room 301—

He Ye was wondering if she should hire a maid for her home.

It was an ordinary morning, two days after the award ceremony. He Ye was leaning on a mop, pondering the layout of his house like a philosopher.

This 215㎡ house, approved by the logistics department, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a study, a balcony, a living room, and a kitchen. It is a sunny and desirable house that every middle-class person dreams of.

But it's a bit too big for two people.

Having been in Parsons City for a full week, He Ye is gradually getting used to the retired life without missions. Work and espionage have all faded away. Recently, he has been enjoying life without any distractions, living the life of a carefree couch potato.

"Sir, you're not allowed to slack off."

Just then, Nicole passed by carrying a basin of murky sewage. Her pouting and scolding expression seemed to be one of doting affection.

He Ye had no choice but to change his lazy attitude. Instead of holding the mop, he gripped it with both hands and began cleaning the floor, adopting Brooke's mopping technique.

Let's get back to my recent troubles.

For the first two days after He Ye arrived, she stayed home cleaning, wiping away the thick layer of dust in the room with Nicole. Because this floor had been uninhabited for a long time, everything had to be mopped and wiped clean to get it spotless.

Only a week later, we had to clean again.

Although it wasn't a deep clean like before, the floors still needed mopping. Just mopping 200 square meters of flooring was enough to make my back ache.

So now, He Ye is seriously considering whether to hire a maid to come to her house to clean every week.

"Nicole, what do you think about hiring a maid?"

At this moment, He Ye started to slack off while mopping, feeling that this matter was urgent. He looked at Nicole, who was squatting in front of the storage shelf in the living room. Her back looked so busy, but her small arms and legs were more diligent than his own.

Nicole was wiping the vase when she turned to look:
"what?"

He Ye looked at the girl with short black hair and noticed that she was sweating a lot. She was still wearing the same few shirts and dresses as before, and the cuffs of her clothes were slightly white from washing.

While considering whether or not to take Nicole out to buy clothes, He Ye recounted what had just happened:

"I'd like to hire a maid to help us clean, so we won't have to mop the floor every week and can spend our time on more meaningful things... like taking walks, reading, or listening to music?"

To be honest, He Ye couldn't think of anything more meaningful, after all, she had only recently started to enjoy life.

Nicole stood up, a little worried, and asked:
Hiring a maid must cost a lot of money, right?

“Don’t worry about that…” He Ye said, adding that there were still 50,000 livres in that bank card.

“Alright, sir, if you find housework tiring, then you can hire a maid…” Nicole sighed slightly, put her hands behind her back, and muttered to herself, feeling the pinch of the expense, “Actually, I can clean it all by myself…”

He Ye was speechless for a moment. He had brought the mop to help Nicole because he was worried she would get tired. He knew the little girl was hardworking and might even be more efficient than the hired maids, but he couldn't treat her like this, could he?
"I don't want you to get tired, after all, cleaning alone is too hard." He Ye paused for a moment, coughed, and corrected her, "Also, remember to call me brother."

Nicole initially felt a sweet, honey-like happiness upon hearing the first half of the song, and she was already chuckling sweetly—but the second half, with the honey falling to the ground, left her with a bittersweet feeling of happiness that wasn't sweet at all.

This past week, my husband seems to have really started treating me like a little sister; Nicole's silent protests have been ineffective.

Although her husband still treated her gently, the underlying feelings between them filled her with a fear she could not bear to part with!
Honestly, she'd rather be a maid than a younger sister!

In the end, Nicole pouted but couldn't say anything, deciding to ignore He Ye. Her little face puffed up like a hamster as she huffed and puffed as she worked, turning her frustration into motivation.

He Ye didn't notice her dissatisfaction and casually mopped the floor, thinking that since she had already agreed, she could rest after tidying up the living room. The maid could take care of the rest of the house, and she could also take the opportunity to inspect it.

The living room was quickly tidied up.

He Ye put down the mop and went to the bedroom to change his clothes. He had already told Nicole that he was ready to go out and that he could finish cleaning the living room.

About two minutes later.

He Ye slipped his arms through the sleeves to change into casual clothes suitable for going out. He looked into the closet compartment where the black trench coat, the long sword, and the medal were displayed.

But He Ye wasn't there to find them. These empty titles couldn't compare to that black bank card—he reached into the drawer of the wardrobe compartment and took out the bank card. There were still 50,000 livres in the card, and according to the logistics department, there would be an additional 20,000 livres every month, which meant he could spend 70,000 livres this month.

Seventy thousand livres is already a huge sum of money.

After changing into her outdoor clothes, He Ye went to the entrance hall. Nicole had only cleaned her hands and hadn't changed her clothes, but she looked very good in the dress. Who knows who might be eyeing her as she walked down the street.

Thinking about this, He Ye felt a little melancholy when he realized that Ni Ke would get married later. Most older brothers would feel the same way.

"Let's go."

"Yes, yes~" Nicole clapped her arms in frustration to make up for the unpleasantness just now. She glanced at He Ye, who was more than 10 centimeters taller than her. He was dressed in casual clothes and looked just as dignified. She hoped that no one would have any designs on him when they were out.

The two had just opened the door and entered the hallway when they ran into their neighbor who lived across the street.

Are you two getting ready to head out?

The old woman smiled warmly, carrying a bamboo basket filled with fluffy little bread rolls.

She was his neighbor across the street, whom He Ye called Ms. Louise. Ms. Louise was over fifty years old, with slightly graying temples and wrinkles around her eyes. She owned a bakery downstairs, whose delicious bread was famous far and wide.

Her granddaughter was inside helping to make bread.
Having lived in this upscale apartment for a week, He Ye has become familiar with his neighbors on this floor. Their family relationships are more or less connected with the municipal government—like this Ms. Louise, who appears to be an ordinary retired grandmother, but in reality, her son is the deputy minister of the Water Resources Bureau.

The people living in this apartment are all wealthy and influential.

When He Ye met them, he did not reveal his identity, only saying that he used to work at the police station.

"Yes, we're getting ready to go out." He Ye greeted with a smile. "Are these breads in the baskets new? I can already smell their sweet caramel aroma."

Grandma Louise smiled sweetly, because He Ye's way of speaking easily made people feel good. She took out two fluffy little breads with her hands: "Yes, would you like to try some? I'll give you two."

"You're too kind, ma'am."

"It's alright, after all, you've been quite supportive of the bakery." "No, it's not that I'm deliberately being supportive, it's just that your bread is really delicious." He Ye didn't forget to offer a sincere compliment, making the old woman smile even more brightly.

Simple chatter was bringing neighbors closer, but it made Nicole, who was biting into her caramel bread, feel a little worried. She could even make her grandmother, who was over fifty years old, laugh. She was afraid that Nicole would be having countless affairs in the future!
As they chatted, He Ye remembered something and decided to ask the knowledgeable old woman for some advice.

For example, how to find a maid.

"By the way, where can I find a maid?"

"A maid? Which kind do you mean?"

"It's just regular house cleaning."

"Let me think about that..."

Ms. Louise quickly understood He Ye's needs and explained several directions. She said that her family also hired a maid to clean, but the kind of job that He Ye described, which "only requires a few hours of cleaning per week," was not called a maid, but a cleaning hourly worker.

The maid in Ms. Louise's household was a live-in maid, meaning she lived in the employer's home and provided services such as cleaning and serving tea and water. Because her son rarely came home, only she and her granddaughter lived at home.

As for how to find it...

“This maid was recommended to me by an acquaintance. I don’t know many other maids. Maybe I can ask her, but it doesn’t match your needs… Oh, I think you can only try looking in employment agencies, church agencies, charities, or the classifieds section of newspapers.”

Ms. Louise spoke methodically.

"Uh... I think I understand." He Ye showed a polite but embarrassed expression. Actually, he didn't have a specific memory of it, but since that was how it was explained, he had no choice but to nod.

Soon, after exchanging a few more words, He Ye ended this chance encounter in the stairwell.

He Ye led Nicole out of the apartment building. The guard at the entrance was reading a book, indicating the peaceful atmosphere. The street was also quite bustling, with all sorts of shops, and it was very close to the park and department store, less than a ten-minute walk away.

"Sir, you can't hire a live-in maid."

Nicole suddenly said something out of the blue, tugged at He Ye's sleeve with a hint of resentment, as if she was about to catch him cheating.

He Ye thought for a moment and then explained, "I just want to find someone to clean my house, not someone to move in. Don't worry."

Nicole reluctantly nodded, and He Ye and she took a walk in the street. This was the first time the two of them had gone out together. There was no particular purpose; they just wanted to make their daily lives better.

The two first browsed a clothing store, and then spent money to buy a set of women's clothes. Nicole was a little embarrassed. If He Ye hadn't praised her for the beautiful knitted cardigan after she changed, she wouldn't have worn it, as it was completely inconvenient to move around in.

After buying the clothes, He Ye saw the sycamore tree at the corner of the street.

In summer, the sycamore trees form a natural sunshade with their huge canopies, allowing sunlight to filter through layers of overlapping leaves. By October, in autumn, this sycamore-lined avenue will be covered with fallen, yellow leaves.

He Ye snapped out of his thoughts and began to stroll.

Half an hour later, following Grandma Louise's directions, the two arrived at a nearby domestic help agency. The brass sign above the door was polished to a shine.

He Ye pushed open the door and entered.

The room was not spacious. A middle-aged man sat behind the counter. When He Ye came in, he immediately stood up and put on a professional smile that was somewhere between respect and calculation.

"Good day, sir. How may I help you?"

Nicole was a little disgusted by the forced smile, but He Ye was used to it and explained his purpose.

Under the arrangement of the middle-aged manager, He Ye, who was sitting on the sofa, soon received a thick manual.

Actually, this was his first time hiring a maid. In his mind, a maid was someone who did domestic service. Although maid outfits are considered a kind of fantasy in some cultural trends, in this era, maid outfits are perfectly normal servant attire.

Of course, in He Ye's eyes, this is also a kind of xP clothing.

He found it hard to say that he hired a maid out of altruism—after all, the house could be cleaned by two people working together, but he also wanted to enjoy the pleasures of daily life and see some nice things.

Flipping through the thick handbook in my hand, I found all sorts of information. Besides maids, I could also find cooks, tutors, drivers, stable boys, and so on.

Quite a few people registered.

As He Ye looked at the brochure, a strange feeling began to stir within him, because the maids depicted were quite different from what he had imagined. They weren't older women, but rather young girls who had come to the city to make a living; they came from the countryside, and even the middle-aged manager beside him was giving a vivid and engaging introduction while He Ye was looking at the brochure.

“These girls are from the Bavarian countryside. They all have good character certificates issued by the priest. Look, the girl on the left used to work on a farm. She's strong and can lift heavy things.”

"The one on the right worked at a professor's house for half a year. He can read and iron newspapers."

The manual records their age, name, basic information, physical description, and background.

He Ye remained silent for a long time: "These people..."

The middle-aged manager could see the embarrassment on He Ye's face; he seemed to have doubts about the contents of the manual.

Judging from He Ye's demeanor, the middle-aged manager assumed he was a well-educated young man who understood the prejudices of the upper class and could introduce the middle-class and upper-middle-class clients he served. Therefore, he explained quite naturally:
"Don't misunderstand, sir! Our job placement service helps them find jobs as maids—both city dwellers and rural residents can register with us! This is the 'right path' that can prevent them from going astray!"

As she spoke, the middle-aged manager stood up and pointed to the sign hanging inside, declaring firmly, "They only provide the services that maids should provide: cleaning, cooking, or baby care. They are absolutely not involved in anything illegal!"

He Ye was speechless for a moment. This was a means of making a living, just like the migrant workers who came to work on construction sites; he had been viewing it with prejudice.

It seems that in my past life, maids only existed in cafes in Akihabara; this is a proper profession.

"Ok."

He Ye stated her requirements, and then she and Nicole left the employment agency. The middle-aged manager said that it would take time to contact them, so he asked He Ye to leave her address and then the meeting ended.

On the way back, Nicole had a complicated expression. Although He Ye had taken her opinion into consideration when choosing a maid for commuting, why did she feel that he wasn't just doing it for the sake of cleaning?
Even when the middle-aged manager indicated that 'this maid is more diligent and experienced'—she was a capable 37-year-old maid—He Ye inadvertently moved his hand to another maid with the sound of coughing.

I just got rid of Sophia, could another one be sneaking around? Even though the maid only comes to clean the house once a week…

But isn't that how often a cat steals fish?
Nicole's eyes narrowed slightly.

(End of this chapter)