After observing from the entrance for a while, the few passersby who glanced at the restaurant's decor, so different from the surrounding shops, didn't seem to notice anyone wanting to try it out.
Back in the restaurant, Mai Ge cleared the table and went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. Amy, meanwhile, sat on a high stool behind the counter, enthusiastically playing with a blue purple flame on her hand, muttering a bunch of incomprehensible spells.
Mai Ge finished cleaning up the kitchen and, seeing that there were still no customers, sat down on the chair next to Amy, watching her play with fire.
"Daddy, if I throw this fireball, will it be like a mage's magic spell?" Amy suddenly turned to Mai Ge and asked, raising her hand as if to throw it.
"No, no, no!" Mai Ge hurriedly waved his hands. If that fireball was thrown, even if it didn't burn the restaurant down, several tables and chairs would definitely be damaged. Given the system's stingy nature, he didn't know if the remaining 2700 copper coins would be enough to cover the expenses.
"Don't worry, Daddy, I won't really throw it." Amy chuckled at Mai Ge's nervous expression and waved away the blue-purple fireball in her hand.
"If you can throw it and hit it accurately, then it should qualify as a fireball spell." Mai Ge breathed a sigh of relief, thought about Amy's question, and nodded.
"But I can't do that." Amy shook her head somewhat uncertainly.
"That's alright. Before you become an apprentice, your Daddy will practice with you every morning. No one is born knowing how. It's already amazing that our Little Amy can conjure a fireball. I believe in you." Mai Ge said with a smile, looking at Amy with encouraging eyes.
"Yes, yes, I'll try my best." Amy nodded vigorously, then looked towards the door, a little troubled, and said, "But Daddy, why isn't anyone coming in to eat? Your rainbow fried rice is so delicious."
"Because they haven't tried it, so they don't know how delicious it is. Later, there will definitely be a lot of people wanting to line up to eat it." Mai Ge said with a smile, feeling a little helpless. Six hundred copper coins is indeed an astronomical price for ordinary people, but the Chaos City is never short of wealthy people. Regardless of race, there's always a small group of rich people who enjoy thrills, frequently visiting the Chaos City, or even settling there permanently.
After all, here, with money, dwarves can enjoy the service of beautiful human girls, trolls can hire demon dancers, and even goblins might find a half-elf to accompany them for drinks… Here, money truly can buy anything.
"If there are many guests, then Little Amy can help Daddy." Amy said, her eyes shining as she looked at Mai Ge.
"What can Little Amy do?" Mai Ge asked with a smile.
"Little Amy can help Daddy collect money. I learned arithmetic from Teacher Luna a few days ago, and Teacher Luna said I did very well." Amy said, somewhat boastfully.
"Teacher Luna…?" Mai Ge thought for a moment, then quickly remembered. She was a teacher at the Chaos Academy under the Gray Temple. In his memory, she was a young woman who liked to wear dark green dresses. She was usually a bit aloof, but when she was with children, she was a completely different person, becoming very kind and approachable, and deeply loved by the children.
Amy wasn't eligible to enroll because he couldn't afford the tuition fee, but she often went to the Chaos Academy and watched them have classes by peeking over the wall. Teacher Luna liked her very much, often calling her in to listen to the lessons, sometimes even teaching her arithmetic individually and giving her treats. So, the original owner's memories had a fairly good impression of her.
"Yes, and also, if they don't pay, then Little Amy will yell at them and scare them with fireballs." Amy nodded.
"Yell at them? Would Little Amy yell at people?" Mai Ge asked skeptically.
"Of course I would! I've seen the dwarf grandpa in the next door shop yell at people before." Amy nodded earnestly, then raised her small fists to her face, stared wide-eyed at Mai Ge, and said, "Give us the money, or I'll kill you all."
"Daddy, do I look extremely fierce like this?" Amy asked Mai Ge, still in the same pose, her eyes full of anticipation.
"Absolutely adorable!" Mai Ge felt his heart melt, but seeing Amy's expectant expression, he could only suppress a laugh and nod. "Yes, extremely fierce."
"Then from now on, the task of collecting money will be handled to Little Amy. I guarantee I'll complete the task." Little Amy lowered her hand and said happily.
"Okay, then I'll have to trouble our Little Amy from now on. But when we have time, Daddy will teach you how to look even fiercer." Mai Ge nodded with a smile, not refusing Amy's request. However, she looked just too cute right now; he'd have to train her properly when he had time, otherwise she wouldn't be able to hold her own.
Then, under Amy's persistent pestering, Mai Ge told her the story of the Little Match Girl. Although it was a version with arbitrary additions and omissions, the little girl listened with great interest.
"Daddy, was that roast goose really that good?" Amy asked Mai Ge with anticipation after hearing the last part of the story.
"It was probably quite good." Mai Ge nodded, then suddenly felt something was off. Was the focus of the story really the roast goose in the shop window?
The story was over, and the two of them, somewhat bored, leaned on the counter, chins resting on their hands, lost in thought, their expressions and movements almost identical.
Mai Ge knew it would be difficult at first, but to his surprise, all morning, apart from two demon children peeking through the window for a while, not a single customer came in.
"Daddy, Little Amy is hungry." Amy said, turning to Mai Ge at noon.
"I'll cook." Mai Ge nodded with a smile, getting up and going into the kitchen. He couldn't do anything about it if no one came; he couldn't bring himself to stand at the door and call out to customers.
As for his attitude towards customers, he had roughly figured it out while he was daydreaming. Although it was his first time being a restaurant owner, he had eaten at so many restaurants in his previous life that he knew more about customer experience than many restaurant owners.
A warm attitude would make people feel valued, but it could also make some customers who didn't like to interact with people uncomfortable. On the other hand, an overly arrogant and aloof attitude would drastically reduce the dining experience for most customers. The saying "too much of a good thing is bad" was quite apt here.
Moreover, Mai Ge's restaurant currently only has him and Amy. Amy is already doing well enough to collect money, so he naturally has to handle the customer service. Therefore, based on his experience and the current situation of the restaurant, Mai Ge decided to adhere to three words regarding the attitude towards customers: kindness, distance, and equality.
Kindness is a basic respect for guests, ensuring they have a good mood before their meal. As for distance, it's Mai Ge's choice to improve efficiency and also to make guests who don't prefer an overly enthusiastic style of service feel more comfortable. The final principle of equality is equality for all races. Mai Ge believes that everyone who enters the restaurant and chooses to consume is a guest, regardless of race, and he will treat everyone equally.
Just as Mai Ge had prepared the ingredients for two servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and the rice was cooked, the doorbell rang…