Mai Ge was genuinely surprised. While Yang Zhou Fried Rice was delicious, this portion was quite generous. Even someone with a large appetite would be full after two servings. Could it be that dwarves simply have larger appetites?
Though harboring these doubts, Mai Ge showed no sign of it on his face. He nodded and said, "Okay, please wait a moment." He cleared the empty plate from the table and turned to go into the kitchen.
Mo Bai, head down, ate one bite after another, increasingly delighted with each bite. This delicious food actually had an effect surpassing that of an intermediate level recovery potion. If he continued to nourish himself like this, Mo Bai even felt that his body might be able to recover to its peak condition, allowing him to work for decades more without any problem.
"Wow, Dwarf Grandpa, you're amazing! You can actually eat three servings!" Amy exclaimed, her mouth slightly agape, looking at Mo Bai with a mixture of envy and admiration.
Mo Bai looked up at Amy, feeling a sense of honor that he wasn't being looked down upon by the little girl for the first time. He unconsciously sat up straighter, took another big bite of fried rice, and said, "I could eat four plates of fried rice like this, let alone three!"
"Really? You can really eat four plates?" Amy's expression became even more adoring, her eyes practically sparkling.
Mo Bai hesitated for a moment, looking at Amy's adoring gaze, but couldn't help nodding, "Of...of course it's true."
"Daddy, Dwarf Grandpa said he wants four servings. Could you make him another one, otherwise he won't have enough to eat." Amy immediately called out to the kitchen.
"Hmm?!"
Mo Bai looked at Amy, who turned around with an innocent smile, and felt something was off.
"Is that so, guest?" Mai Ge turned to Mo Bai, his expression calm, though he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. If he didn't know Amy's personality, he might have suspected she was cunning.
"Well…" Mo Bai looked a little embarrassed. Although he ate more than the average person, two servings of fried rice already made him feel full, and three would definitely be enough. Another serving would probably make him stuffed.
"Dwarf Grandpa, you told me yourself you could eat four servings. If you don't keep your word, Little Amy won't like you, okay?" Amy said earnestly, resting her chin on her hand.
Mo Bai wanted to slap himself inwardly. How could he have so easily blurted out such a boast? If it was anyone else, he would have just said it without a second thought. But looking at the girl's expectant and earnest expression, he couldn't bring himself to say it. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and looked at Mai Ge, saying, "Yes, one more serving."
"Wow, it's true! Dwarf Grandpa is so awesome!" Amy clapped her hands happily, her smile completely genuine.
"Never mind, it's rare to eat such delicious food. Eating until I'm stuffed is a kind of happiness too." Mo Bai comforted himself. Looking at Amy's bright smile and somewhat adoring gaze, he felt his vanity was greatly satisfied. What's one more serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice!
"Okay, please wait a moment." Mai Ge nodded, rinsed the rice again, and started cooking the third serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. He glanced back at Amy's back, his eyes full of doting affection. The little one had played a crucial role in successfully retaining their first customer and selling four servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice today.
Mai Ge finished cooking two servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and brought them out. Amy watched as Mo Bai devoured the remaining two servings.
When Mo Bai put down his spoon, he let out a satisfied burp. Four plates of Yang Zhou Fried Rice had warmed him up, and he wasn't as full as he'd imagined. A sense of contentment rose from the bottom of his heart, and he felt as if life itself had reached its perfect conclusion at that moment.
Mai Ge, watching as his creation was happily devoured, leaving not a single piece on the plate, felt a surge of accomplishment. His mood improved considerably; being a chef wasn't so bad after all.
"Dwarf Grandpa, if you're satisfied, the total is... 2400 copper coins. Please pay." Amy had somehow appeared at the table, stretched out her small hand, looked up at Mo Bai, and said with a somewhat serious expression.
"Alright, but I don't have that many copper coins, so I'll give you twenty four gold coins instead." Mo Bai said with a smile, pulling a money pouch from his pocket.
"Gold coins?" Amy paused, turning to Mai Ge with some confusion. "Daddy, which is more, twenty four gold coins or 2400 copper coins?"
"They're the same. One gold coin can be exchanged for one hundred copper coins." Mai Ge said, smiling at Amy. He was already surprised that the little one could do addition with thousands of digits, but it seemed she didn't quite understand currency conversion.
"Is that so…" Amy nodded thoughtfully.
"Here you go, twenty four gold coins." Mo Bai carefully placed a handful of glittering gold coins onto Amy's hands, piling them up like a small mountain.
"Wow, such beautiful gold coins!" Amy's eyes lit up completely. She slowly walked to the side, carefully placed the coins on the table, and began counting them one by one.
"The Yang Zhou Fried Rice the boss makes is delicious. I don't know what to call you?" Mo Bai shifted his gaze from Amy, picked up the heavy hammer that was placed aside, stood up and looked at Mai Ge.
"Mai Ge." Mai Ge said with a smile. This customer, though a bit arrogant and fiery, was actually quite easy to get along with, straightforward and unpretentious.
Mo Bai glanced at Mai Ge with a hint of surprise. It was rare for someone to introduce themselves without their surname, but in this Chaos City, many people hid their identities for various reasons, and he was one of them. He didn't take it to heart, smiling and nodding. "Then I'll call you Boss Mai from now on. My name is Mo Bai, you can call me Old Mo. I'll come again."
"Okay, goodbye." Mai Ge nodded with a smile.
"Little girl, from now on you should call me Grandpa Mo Bai, not some Dwarf Grandpa." Mo Bai said, glancing at Amy as he turned to leave.
"Okay, Dwarf Grandpa Mo Bai." Amy replied without looking up, engrossed in counting gold coins.
"This girl…" Mo Bai shook his head, turned, and went out. This little one always left him speechless, yet upon closer inspection, her words were surprisingly reasonable. And, most importantly, she was so adorable; there was truly nothing he could do with her.
Mai Ge cleared the table, watching Amy counting gold coins over and over, her eyes shining. It seemed the little one not only loved food but also money. A little foodie and a little miser—she was undeniably adorable. He carried plates and spoons into the kitchen to prepare lunch for himself.
Not long after, Mai Ge came out carrying a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. Amy, who had just been enthusiastically counting gold coins, was now slumped on the table, looking rather listless. Hearing the sound, she looked up at Mai Ge with a sad expression and said, "Daddy, is Little Amy really useless? I can't even handle money properly and can't help you."