Mai Ge's question caught her off guard, causing Sally to pause in surprise. Looking at the sincere expression on Mai Ge's face and the expectant look on the little girl beside him, she felt a complex mix of emotions.
This adorable half-elf girl was Mai Ge's daughter, meaning he had once had an elven lover.
Given the long lifespans of elves, it was rare for them to choose to be friend humans. The feeling of watching a friend die while they themselves continued to live was too painful.
Becoming lovers was even rarer, because the pain of separation and death would be doubled.
But love is such an irrational thing, so the world has seen the emergence of half-elves, beings who are half human and half elven.
Elves are a proud race, believing that half-elf blood is no longer pure. While they wouldn't do anything drastic to half-elves, they also didn't acknowledge them as part of the elven race and forbade them from entering the Wind Forest.
Humans are more accepting of half-elves because their lifespan is only two hundred years, which is closer to that of humans. However, their pointed ears, which are different from those of humans, often become the subject of gossip.
It could be said that half-elves are destined for a life of hardship from birth, unless their parents are powerful enough to provide a strong protective shield between their races. However, it seems no one has ever accomplished this.
The man kneeling in front her, looking at her earnestly as he asked this question, seemed to intend to do just that. The unwavering determination in his eyes moved her slightly.
Beside him, the little girl in an adorable bear costume had an expectant expression on her face. Her silver hair was dazzling, the pure silver color only possessed by elven royalty. It reminded her of someone she hadn't seen in a long time—of course, there was absolutely no connection between them.
However, the little girl was indeed very beautiful, inheriting the best features of her parents. After a moment's hesitation, Sally smiled at Amy and nodded, saying, "Yes, you'll be as beautiful as me when you grow up."
"Really? Daddy, can I really be as beautiful as sister when I grow up?" Amy's face was filled with surprise and disbelief. She raised her little hand to cover her slightly open mouth, looking at Mai Ge, seemingly unable to believe it was true. "Of course it's true. Sister said it herself. Little Amy will be incredibly beautiful when you grow up, even more beautiful than a white swan." Mai Ge nodded, looking into her eyes.
"Yes, I also think the little girl will be very beautiful when she grows up, even more beautiful than an elf." Mo Bai, holding a spoon in one hand, looked at Amy with a simple, honest smile and said.
"That's wonderful! Little Amy is so happy! Little Amy wants to grow up quickly and be as beautiful as sister!" Looking at the smiles on the three adults' faces, Amy completely believed them. She would be beautiful when she grew up, not the monster other children described. She happily ran around the restaurant with her arms outstretched.
Mai Ge looked at the happy Amy, a relieved smile on his face. Nothing was more important than Amy's happiness. He hoped that what he had done could slowly make up for the hurt she had suffered before. He then looked at Sally gratefully and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Sally looked at the smiles on the father and daughter's faces, and her mood improved considerably. At least he was a good father. She nodded to Mai Ge and said, "I'll have a Yang Zhou Fried Rice too."
"Okay, please wait a moment." Mai Ge nodded and thanked Mo Bai again.
"What are you thanking me for? I'm telling the truth. Boss Mai has such a lovely daughter; you're so lucky." Mo Bai waved his hand, somewhat envious.
"Please enjoy your meal." Mai Ge smiled and nodded, then turned and went into the kitchen to start making a new plate of fried rice. Yes, he also felt incredibly lucky; otherwise, how could he have such a lovely daughter?
"Hello, Dwarf Grandpa Mo Bai." Amy happily ran around the restaurant twice, greeted Mo Bai, then climbed onto the chair opposite Sally, rested her chin on her hands, and asked curiously, "Sister Elf, what's your name? Where are you from?"
If someone else had asked Sally, who was on the run, this question, her first reaction would have been to grip her longbow. But looking at the curious expression on the adorable little girl's face, she couldn't help but whisper, "Sally, I'm from the Wind Forest."
"Sister Sally, my name is Amy. The Wind Forest is a place where lots and lots of elves live, right?" Amy's eyes lit up, full of anticipation. "There must be many beautiful sisters there, just like you, right?"
"Yes, many." Sally smiled and nodded. Being called beautiful by the little girl made her much happier than hearing it from anyone else.
Mai Ge, listening to Amy and Sally's conversation from the kitchen, smiled. It seemed that although she didn't usually say it, the little one still had a lot of curiosity about elves.
Sally wasn't impatient or overly arrogant; on the contrary, she answered every question patiently, even those about the Wind Forest.
"Your Yang Zhou Fried Rice." Mai Ge brought out a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and placed it in front of Sally, smiling as he spoke.
"Thank you." Sally replied politely, her eyes completely drawn to the Yang Zhou Fried Rice in front her. The aroma of eggs mingled with the fragrance of various ingredients, even more intense than before, making her involuntarily swallow. At this moment, she no longer cared whether this violated her usual learning etiquette.
Elven cuisine is relatively simple, consisting mostly of various spiritual fruits. Even when cooking, each ingredient is prepared separately to avoid overpowering the flavors of others.
She had never tried cooking seven or eight ingredients together with oil, stir-frying them directly. She had never even eaten oil other than that used for meat itself.
But now, looking at the Yang Zhou Fried Rice in front of her, although it glistened with oil, it didn't feel greasy at all.
What amazed Sally even more was Mai Ge's knife skills. He had chopped all the ingredients into rice-grain-sized pieces, including green peas. This level of skill could not be achieved without thousands of hours of practice.
Before even tasting it, Sally was already filled with anticipation for this Yang Zhou Fried Rice. She had never seen anyone prepare a dish so exquisitely, with the ingredients arranged so harmoniously.
"Sister Sally, try some! Daddy's rainbow fried rice is amazing!" Amy sat opposite her, looking at her expectantly, and added softly, "I can hear your stomach rumbling."
Sally blushed slightly, feeling incredibly embarrassed, but she couldn't resist picking up a spoon and scooping a spoonful of fried rice into her mouth. The sweet aroma of the fried rice filled her mouth, and she unconsciously closed her eyes, letting out a soft moan: "Mmm~"