"?"
The whole bus of boys and girls was waiting to see a joke and never expected to hear such a remark from Marian, rendering the scene silent.
That box of sushi... was specially bought by Richard's mom for her son, just to give to Lisa?
Darn it!
Why don't I have such a mom??
The boys on the bus were about to go crazy, each determined to talk to their mom once they got home.
If not mom, then dad would do as well.
Lisa's little head drooped red, even her little ears exposed outside the strands of hair turned completely red.
Richard wasn't doing any better.
Faced with murderous stares from the whole bus, he hurriedly ran off the bus, awkwardly walking to his mom's side.
The school bus slowly started moving, with Marian's smile unwavering on her face.
Not until the school bus disappeared around the corner did she look at her son.
"Did you hold hands?"
"...Huh?"
"Boys shouldn't be so shy, be proactive, remember to try tomorrow."
Richard originally thought he'd get scolded, but nothing happened, and his mom even encouraged him to hold Lisa's hand tomorrow?
What is even going on??
"Dear Richard, it's nothing. You're at the age where you start liking girls; it's perfectly normal."
Marian led her son back while subtly inquiring about their progress.
After a while.
"Although mom supports you, there's something I'm very upset about."
"It was because you wanted sushi that mom spent a lot of money to buy it for you, yet you didn't eat it and gave it away to woo a girl. Do you think money is easy to earn?"
"Ugh... No, it's not like that, mom..."
Richard's breath caught, and he quickly shook his head.
"Here's the deal."
Without waiting for him to finish, Marian continued, "From now on, your allowance will need to be earned from helping me, like washing dishes, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, mopping, etc."
"As long as you earn your own allowance, you can spend it however you like, and I won't interfere."
"Moreover, since you lied to mom, you'll have to cook your own dinner tonight. Your bowl of noodles will be handled by me and your dad."
"What?! No! Mom, you can't do this!! That's my noodles!!"
Upon hearing this news, George looked overjoyed.
"Alright, alright, dear, sit down and teach this brat a lesson. I'll cook the noodles today!"
Without another word, he pressed his wife into a chair and dashed into the kitchen, pulling out the hidden empty box and throwing two packs of noodles into the pot to heat.
Luckily, the son pulled this stunt at this critical moment, or the truth would've been exposed come breakfast tomorrow!
...
Originally planning to meet at noon at Angel's Kiss Restaurant, but due to some unavoidable circumstances, the gathering had to be rescheduled to the evening.
Jiang Shuqi and her two girlfriends dressed elegantly and exquisitely, with refined makeup and luxurious, sophisticated clothing, like young ladies from grand families, waited quietly at the restaurant entrance.
Soon, Lucas and the others arrived as promised.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the three so formally dressed, the three men exchanged awkward glances, while Jade and Lina's eyes lit up as they rushed over.
"Oh god, is this clothing from Great Xia? It's so beautiful, giving off the aura of an aristocratic lady!"
"The cut, the pairing, perfectly accentuates a woman's curves, so gorgeous! Where did you get it? I want to buy a few sets too!"
That's how it is among women, they can't stop talking once they start on beautiful clothes.
The group walked into the restaurant, sat at the reserved big table, with Lucas and Jade, the hosts, enthusiastically helping to order some signature dishes and different main courses that they could taste from one another.
"The seafood and meat dishes here are really excellent, a must-try!"
"Today they've got cream scallop soup, sweet shrimp snow crab tartare, butter garlic lobster, fantastic!"
It's Friday, typically a peak day for the restaurant industry, but for a usually busy restaurant, it doesn't make much difference.
Each chef only needs to work 40 hours a week, which breaks down to 5 days of 8-hour shifts.
Anderson is off today, leaving only Lin Chen responsible for the meat dishes.
With seven or eight different steaks sizzling on the iron plate on the left, fish fillets in the pan, and two large ribs along with lobster roasting in the oven.
Even managing multiple ingredients simultaneously, he handles everything systematically, controlling the doneness of each piece of meat precisely.
"Medium-rare filet mignon, table nine!"
"Medium-well T-bone, table thirteen!"
"Grilled lobster for table twenty-two!"
His dish delivery speed was extremely fast, with almost every minute seeing meat sent to the plating station.
The Head Chef personally directed several assistant chefs to plate together, while he himself checked on the ingredients and completed the final plating.
With each dish sent out, his smile widened by a fraction.
"Great job, Lin, keep up the momentum!"
"Perfectly cooked medium-rare steak, amazing!"
"The lobster grilled to perfection, the meat is springy and still dripping with juice, I want a bite myself!"
Based on previous experiences, whenever a master chef takes a day off, it's bound to lead to chaos due to being overwhelmed and tense.
But today, over twenty orders passed without Lin Chen making a single mistake, he even outpaced the garnish chef, simply incredible!
It's not just the kitchen, even the diners were full of praise for the delicious food today.
Jiang Shuqi cut a tender piece of bass, dipped it in the cream sauce, impatiently taking a bite.
Without any fishy smell, a faint ocean breeze accompanied by a rich savory aroma exploded in her mouth, as if a lively bass was dancing inside.
The fish easily melted upon a gentle nibble, with perfectly crisp skin, juicy meat, complemented by the rich cream sauce, it wasn't greasy at all, and grew more refreshing with every bite.
By the last bite, hints of citrus fragrance could still be tasted.
Trying her friend's grilled lobster, the medium-rare filet, and the lamb ribs and pork ribs cut by Jade and them, each meat dish hit her taste buds emphatically.
"Oh my god, how can a restaurant have every dish taste so good? No wonder the food truck guy recommended this place, indeed chefs share the same taste!"
Staying in the Romantic Country for several days, the three finally had a perfect western meal, nearly moved to tears, unanimously deciding to visit the little handsome guy's stall tonight to thank him in person.
Western cuisine is all about the experience, unless you order two or three main courses, you might not feel full.
While they didn't lack money, upon hearing this restaurant changes its menu every so often, they instantly dismissed the idea of ordering all the main courses at once.
After all, there's still time, they could come back every day if they'd like.