"Big brother, I just casually commented a few things. Although my words were a bit sharp and harsh, and I did cause dozens of restaurants to close down... but do you really have to create a whole system just to force me to become a chef?!!!"
Thinking about being supervised by a system to learn how to cook, Mai Ge felt a little broken down. If it was just cooking everyday meals, that would be fine, but the system said he had to become a chef god!
A chef god? Are you kidding me?! Mai Ge wanted to curse.
"Daddy, are you feeling unwell anywhere?" Amy reached out and touched Mai Ge's face, asking worriedly. She felt that her father seemed a little different today, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what was different.
Feeling the warm touch on his face, Mai Ge snapped back to reality, tried to calm himself down, and forced a smile. He recalled something, took out the last two copper coins from his pocket, and placed them in Amy's hand. "Little Amy, go buy two crispy sweet biscuits. We won't be cooking tonight."
"Really?! Little Amy loves sweet crispy biscuits the most!" Amy's face instantly lit up with a surprised smile. Clutching two copper coins in her little hands, she climbed off the bed, hugged Mai Ge's face and gave him a kiss, then hopped off the bed on her short legs and put on her shoes, and scurried towards the door.
Mai Ge watched Amy disappear through the doorway, feeling a pang of sadness. Sweet crispy biscuits were a type of coarse grain biscuit, costing one copper coin each. However, for the past two years, he and his daughter had barely managed to survive on the meager income Mai Ge • Alex earned from odd jobs at the guild. He only bought Amy a sweet crispy biscuit on special occasions.
Amy was also very well-behaved and sensible; although she wanted to eat them, she never asked for them.
But where did that system go after saying that random thing?
Mai Ge propped himself up on the bed and stood up, dragging his worn straw sandals to a broken copper mirror on the wall, and examined his reflection.
Because of malnutrition and prolonged sun exposure, his skin was a little yellowish. His appearance was about seventy to eighty percent similar to his previous life, but his long, curly brown hair was draped behind his head, and he had a full beard, making him look a little disheveled.
"This is a complete waste of a good foundation." Mai Ge couldn't help but complain. "You'd scare little kids if you went out looking like this! You have such a cute little girl at home, and you don't even bother to clean yourself up a bit."
After that incident, his previous body had almost given up completely. If it wasn't for Amy's existence, he might have chosen to end his life of glory that night three years ago.
"This little one has suffered a lot because of you. Let me make it up to her now!" Mai Ge clenched his fists, but felt a sense of powerlessness.
His broken limbs were weak; Mai Ge felt like a cripple, even clenching his fist was difficult.
And now, the situation at home could only be described as utterly destitute. There was only one bed in the room, and the only small blanket on it was what Amy used to cover herself when she slept.
Forget about being a chef god; after spending the last two copper coins, even eating tomorrow would be a problem. It seemed the key to solving the problem still lay with the system.
"The system has issued the first task: Own a restaurant of your own. The host only needs to provide the land for the restaurant, and the system will handle the overall renovation of the restaurant according to the style chosen by the host. The task is time-limited to three days. There will be a reward upon completion, and a penalty for failure." At this moment, the system's neutral voice sounded again.
Own a restaurant? Mai Ge was stunned for a moment, but hearing the rest of the system's message, his face lit up with joy. He suddenly felt that this system wasn't so unreliable after all.
Although his previous body had a rather miserable life, the most sensible thing he did was buying this two-story building after arriving in Chaos City. Although it was an old two-story building, located in the furthest corner of Aden Square, the entire building belonged to him.
And although the location was a bit remote, the first floor was still suitable as a storefront. Someone had even inquired about renting it before, but his previous body, that stubborn fool, had refused. Otherwise, he wouldn't have ended up in a situation where even a copper coin's worth of sweet crispy biscuits was a luxury.
Mai Ge slowly went downstairs, leaning against the wall. The wooden floor creaked due to its age, and several steps were even broken; it was practically a dilapidated building.
Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Mai Ge gasped for breath. His physical condition was simply too poor. He used to be able to tear apart orcs with his bare hands, but now he had to stop and rest after walking just a few steps. Mai Ge suddenly understood why his previous body had chosen to give up on life. If it was him, he probably wouldn't have the courage to live either.
"System, will there be a reward to improve my physical condition after completing the task?" Mai Ge asked inwardly, unconsciously clenching his fists.
"Not at the moment." the system's cold voice replied.
If it's not available now, does that mean it might be available in the future? Mai Ge's eyes lit up. If he had to continue living in this body, he wasn't sure how long he could last, but if the system could restore his body, even if it couldn't reach the level of a First Knight, being able to live a normal life would be enough.
In his previous life, money, women, power... he had it all. He was born at a height that others couldn't reach even after a lifetime of effort. So for a long time after he turned thirty, he began to ponder life, trying to figure out what he truly wanted, but he couldn't find a goal.
At that time, reviewing food and restaurants was the thing he enjoyed most, even to the point of being overly critical and addicted to his sharp tongue. But it was just a momentary indulgence; looking back at those reviews afterward only made him feel more empty.
But now it's different. He has a lovely daughter, and he lives at the bottom of society. Whether it's restoring his body or giving his daughter a better life, learning to cook and opening a restaurant are all things that require long-term effort.
His dreams and goals suddenly became clear, making Mai Ge feel like his heart had suddenly started beating again.
Nobles stomping their feet in long queues, elves disregarding their manners while eating skewers, dragons holding slotted spoons gathered around a hot pot, demons eating cute little dumplings... Mai Ge imagined this scene and suddenly found it even more interesting.
The space on the first floor was quite large. Removing the half wall in the middle, there was nearly eighty square meters of space. The floor was piled with miscellaneous items like wooden planks, and there was a dark, rudimentary kitchen at the back.
"Such a large space is left vacant and he won't even rent it out? They can't blame God for being poor..." Mai Ge shook his head. However, as the saying goes, "one plants the tree, another enjoys the shade." at least the conditions for the first task were met. He said inwardly, "Provide a restaurant space."
"The system has detected that the property rights of this building belong to the host, and the geographical location meets the conditions for opening a restaurant. Task completed. Please select a restaurant decoration style."
The system's voice sounded, and at the same time, a row of 3D images suddenly appeared in Mai Ge's mind: Chinese classical style, pastoral style, western restaurant style... Basically, any style available on the market could be found there, making Mai Ge a little dizzy.
"Since it was the resentment of those chefs that brought me here, I'll definitely be learning their dishes. It will definitely be mainly Chinese cuisine, but I've also been to many western restaurants and various trendy restaurants. I just don't know how many more will appear in the future." Mai Ge didn't rush to choose.
After careful analysis, Mai Ge felt that he shouldn't commit to a specific style. Otherwise, a quaint Chinese restaurant serving a steak with a knife and fork would definitely be something he would criticize mercilessly in previous life.
Simple and comfortable, and able to accommodate more customers, would be best. He was already looking forward to the scene of the entire restaurant being full of customers.
This is it!
Mai Ge looked at a restaurant with a somewhat classic European style and his eyes lit up. The overall color scheme of the restaurant was predominantly brown, decorated with some exquisite patterns, and hung with European-style lamps. The tables were simple brown wooden rectangular tables for four people, with matching wooden chairs without armrests. There was also a long single table along the counter, easily accommodating sixteen chairs, clearly able to seat many people.
Behind the long counter was a semi-open kitchen. Transparent glass allowed visibility from the kitchen to the outside, but the height of the glass was just right to block views of the stovetops.
The overall style was simple yet grand, suitable for any cuisine; even sitting there eating skewers and chatting wouldn't feel out of place.
"Perfect!" Mai Ge nodded with satisfaction, and just as he was about to finalize the decision, he hesitated again and asked, "System, does the restaurant renovation include the second floor?"