Mai Ge quickly finished preparing a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and brought it out.
"How beautiful! Is this Yang Zhou Fried Rice?" Sally's eyes lit up when she saw the tray in Mai Ge's hands. The golden yellow eggs coating the rice, the various ingredients cut into tiny pieces, all mixed together in a dish without any sense of clutter. Instead, it looked like a carefully arranged work of art, refreshing and appetizing.
As Mai Ge carried the fried rice past her, a rich aroma wafted over. She couldn't help but take a deep breath; it was the fragrance of eggs, combined with the aroma of various ingredients, making her already ravenous stomach feel even hungrier. She still couldn't resist turning her head to look in Mo Bai's direction.
"Your Yang Zhou Fried Rice." Mai Ge placed the fried rice in front of Mo Bai, placing a spoon on the edge of the plate.
"Okay." Mo Bai stared intently at the Yang Zhou Fried Rice in front of him, his gaze completely fixed on it. He couldn't resist taking a deep breath of the enticing aroma. Although he had eaten four servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice at noon, he wasn't tired of it at all; on the contrary, he wanted another serving. So, after finishing his work in the afternoon, he quickly washed up, changed his clothes, and came over.
He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of the rich flavor of the fried rice, and chewed it slowly. The delicious combination of various ingredients blossomed in his mouth, like a warm current sliding down his throat. Mo Bai felt a warm glow spread throughout his body, quickly erasing the slight fatigue he had accumulated in the afternoon. He felt so comfortable that he almost wanted to cry out.
"Delicious! I could eat it a hundred times and it would still be delicious!" After swallowing one bite, Mo Bai couldn't help but scoop up a second, one bite after another, unable to stop.
However, compared to the ravenous eating at noon, he savored each bite of this Yang Zhou Fried Rice, appreciating the fresh and savory flavors of every ingredient. This way of eating greatly satisfied his taste buds, making it even more delicious.
Sally heard herself swallowing and felt a pang of panic. Fortunately, Mai Ge had already gone back into the kitchen to start making a second serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, while Mo Bai, completely absorbed in the fried rice in front of him, didn't notice what she was doing.
"Is it really that delicious?" Watching Mo Bai scoop spoonfuls of colorful fried rice into his mouth, his face beaming with happiness, she felt a little skeptical.
The enticing aroma in the air stirred her heart, and her expression became conflicted. She instinctively gripped the purse at her waist, which contained only twelve dragon coins and eight gold coins. Reason told her she couldn't afford to spend money recklessly anymore.
But...it smelled so good.
And watching this burly, bearded dwarf, whom she always considered rude, eat, she actually felt a strange urge to take a bite of his fried rice. This feeling made her feel somewhat ashamed.
She's a noble elf! How could she have such strange thoughts? Sally clenched her fists, but her gaze remained fixed on the plate of fried rice. It was so painful!
Mo Bai finally finished his Yang Zhou Fried Rice, leaving not a single grain on the plate. He put down his spoon, still somewhat unsatisfied, and looked up to meet Sally's gaze, who had been watching him eat. He paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Miss, Boss Mai's Yang Zhou Fried Rice is really delicious. You'll regret it if you don't try some."
"Hmph." Sally turned her head away. Her elven pride prevented her from accepting food recommended by a dwarf. But looking at the menu, she was conflicted:
"May be he just hasn't eaten anything really good, that's why he thinks it's so delicious?"
"My nanny said humans handle food directly with their hands when cooking. Can food touched by that man really still be eaten?"
"Even if it costs 600 copper coins, it shouldn't be a problem, right? I still have twelve dragon coins. I can just be careful with them from now on."
Ignored, Mo Bai shrugged, not taking it to heart, and continued to eagerly await his second serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice.
Elves have this habit, always thinking they're superior to other races. Judging from her hair color, this elven girl is from one of the royal families; the fact that she tolerated sitting in the same restaurant as him was already a sign of good temper.
Having eaten four servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice for lunch, Mo Bai felt as if his body had been cleansed, completely refreshed. However, perhaps because he ate too much at once, he felt a little full; two servings for dinner would be just right.
…
"Daddy…" Just then, a childish, slightly confused voice came from behind the counter.
Mo Bai's eyes lit up instantly, his gaze fixed expectantly at the counter. That little girl was just too adorable. Although she'd looked down on him several times at lunch time and had half-tricked him into eating four excessive portions of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, just hearing her voice made all those things seem insignificant.
The reason he'd rushed to close up shop, shower, change, and come to the restaurant that evening was partly because he wanted to eat delicious Yang Zhou Fried Rice, and the other half, he had to admit, was to see that lovely little girl.
Sally, somewhat surprised by the voice, looked towards the counter. The voice sounded like a little girl, and perhaps the owner's daughter?
Just as Sally was thinking this, a little girl in a purple, fluffy outfit emerged from behind the counter. She turned to look outside, her gaze pausing when it landed on Sally. As if thinking she was seeing things, she rubbed her eyes, then looked again, her eyes widening in surprise. She turned and called out towards the kitchen, "Daddy, look! Such a beautiful elf sister!"
"So cute!" Sally felt her heart skip a beat. The way the little girl in the purple bear outfit rubbed her eyes was incredibly adorable, as cute as a little bear.
No, she was much cuter than a bear. Her fair, sweet face made one want to pinch it, and her excited exclamation made Sally blush slightly. Children say the darndest things, but why did she feel so happy?
"Is this little girl a half elf?" However, Sally's eyes quickly fell on Amy's small, pointed ears peeking out from beneath her long silver hair, causing her to show a hint of surprise.
Mai Ge just brought out the second serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, placed it on the Mo Bai table, brushed off a stray hair from her head, and said with a smile, "Little Amy woke up so quickly."
"Yes, Little Amy woke up, and then got hungry. I wanted to eat Daddy's rainbow fried rice, so I came downstairs myself." Amy nodded, still excitedly pointing at Sally, "And that elf sister is so pretty! It's the first time Little Amy has ever seen such a beautiful young lady."
"Little Amy will grow up to be as beautiful as sister." Mai Ge squatted down next to Amy, whose mouth was slightly agape, and smiled at Sally, saying, "Guest, don't you agree?"