As Mai Ge went upstairs, he heard the egg wrapped in the blanket make two rustling sounds again. He glanced back, a slight smile appearing on his face, perhaps still shaken by Amy's earlier words.
After a good night's sleep, Mai Ge was woken at 5 a.m. by the alarm clock tucked under his pillow. He quickly turned it off, quietly got up, changed his clothes, washed up, and went downstairs to start making braised pork.
Braising the pork required two hours, so he had to get up early. Although Mai Ge's dough-kneading skills had improved, kneading two large portions of soft dough still took considerable time.
Having practiced countless times in the Chef God Trial Grounds until he could create a La Zhi Rou Jia Mo that even satisfied his most discerning self in his previous life, Mai Ge was extremely dedicated.
The pork belly, which had been marinating overnight, was still a little short on time, but this morning, besides what he and Amy would eat, he only planned to make a few for Mo Bai and the others to try.
For a dish to be officially listed on the menu and sold to the public, everything must be perfect.
Maintaining consistent flavor is a fundamental requirement for Michelin-starred restaurants, and it's also a requirement that Mai Ge applies to his own restaurant.
Of course, he still needs to collect the money; letting them taste the new product in advance was one of the conditions of the previous crowdfunding campaign.
With an apron tied on, Mai Ge's face was serious. He deftly picked up a large chunk of marinated pork belly from the pot and meticulously followed the optimal steps, timings, and proportions of various seasonings and spices he had figured out the day before. After simmering it over low heat, he began kneading the dough.
Kneading dough was indeed strenuous work, but fortunately, Mai Ge had gradually figured out a slightly less strenuous method in the training grounds that still allowed him to knead the dough properly. Even with two breaks in between, it still took him an hour to knead just two balls of dough.
After setting the raw dough aside, Mai Ge didn't rush to bake it. He glanced at his watch; it was already 7:05.
The braised pork would probably need another fifteen minutes, and Amy, who was usually up by now, was still asleep. He washed his hands, took off his apron, and went upstairs.
Mai Ge entered the room; Amy's eyes were closed, as if she was still asleep.
However, her slightly trembling long eyelashes and the barely suppressed laughter on her lips suggested that things weren't so simple.
"Hmm? It seems there's still a little fairy who hasn't woken up yet. How can we wake her?" Mai Ge stood by the bed, suppressing a laugh, his expression somewhat troubled.
Amy peeked at Mai Ge through a crack in her eyes, then immediately closed them again, turning her head slightly to the side as she said, "The little fairy says she'll only wake up if Daddy gives her a kiss."
"Oh, I see. Then wake up, our little fairy." Mai Ge looked enlightened, walked over, and gently kissed Amy's cheek.
"Little fairy's awake!" Amy opened her eyes wide, wrapped her arms around Mai Ge's neck, and giggled as she stood up, her eyes filled with joy and anticipation. "Daddy, is the food that's a hundred times tastier than the sweet crisp biscuits ready?"
"Almost, but it tastes best fresh out of the oven. Little Amy changed clothes, washed up, and came downstairs; it should be ready soon." Mai Ge nodded with a smile, feeling happy all morning. He glanced at the little black dress beside him and thought, "System, I want to buy a purple dress, a cute one, cash only."
This time, the system didn't even say a word. Mai Ge's mind conjured up a page of hundreds of dresses, ranging in price from 1 to 500 gold coins.
"The ten gold coins one, please." Mai Ge glanced at the dress studded with amethyst and priced at five hundred gold coins. He really didn't appreciate that style, so he chose a small purple dress with a gold and red bauhinia flower embroidered on the chest and a layer of tulle over the dress.
"Okay, Little Amy will change right away." Amy's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly.
"I've prepared new clothes for Little Amy, see if you like them." After hearing the system confirm that the clothes were in place, Mai Ge smiled as he walked to the wardrobe, turning back to look at Amy.
"Really?" Amy's little face was full of anticipation.
Mai Ge opened the wardrobe, took out a little dress hanging inside, walked to the bedside, held it up in front of her, and smiled, "Do you like it?"
"It's so pretty, and it's purple! I love it!" Amy looked at the dress, her eyes filled with surprise. She jumped up and down on the bed a few times, then tiptoed and kissed Mai Ge's cheek.
"Come on, let's try on your new clothes." Mai Ge was also very happy and helped Amy change into the new dress.
The bodice has some pretty patterns, and the golden-red bauhinia flower on the chest is eye-catching. There is a layer of purple tulle over the hem of the pleated skirt.
Amy twirled around on the bed, looking down at the purple tulle fluttering, her expression full of wonder. She played for a while before stopping.
Mai Ge looked at Amy, who looked as adorable as a little angel in her little dress, and smiled as he reached out to pat Amy's head. "Come on, put on your shoes, then go wash up. Daddy will come downstairs to make you some food."
"Okay." Amy nodded obediently, went down the small stairs, put on her white shoes, and went to wash up.
Mai Ge secretly peeked at Amy squeezing toothpaste, realizing he wouldn't have to worry about Amy's daily washing routine anymore, before going downstairs himself.
Mai Ge turned off the heat on the braised meat, which had been set just right, and placed the prepared dough pieces on the preheated oven. After a moment's thought, he placed sixteen pieces, filling the entire oven.
A short while later, Amy, having finished washing up, came downstairs and peeked into the kitchen. She could already smell the rich, enticing aroma of the braised meat. She sniffed deeply and asked curiously, "It smells so good, Daddy! What is this? It smells completely different from rainbow fried rice."
"Little Amy, sit down first. You'll find out in a little while." Mai Ge said with a smile, keeping her in suspense.
"Okay, then I'll go check on the Ugly Duckling first." Amy nodded, turned, and went behind the counter to squat down. She listened for a moment, then gently patted the small blanket. "Ugly Duckling, get up quickly! Come out obediently today, otherwise I'll roast and eat you right now."
"Shh...shh..." Suddenly, a sound came from inside the quiet egg, sounding somewhat anxious.
"Yes, that's more like it. Keep it up!" Amy nodded encouragingly.
The rustling sound grew more rapid, as if afraid it would be roasted and eaten if it didn't try harder.
In the kitchen, Mai Ge smiled and shook his head. Although he thought her daughter was very cute, but he also felt sorry for the little creature inside the Big Egg.
A thin knife slid along the edge of the freshly baked Bai Ji Mo, and a piece of braised pork was scooped from the pot, chopped on a cutting board, and stuffed into the slit of the bun. A small spoonful of braised pork sauce was poured over the meat, and an authentic La Zhi Rou Jia Mo was ready.
"Little Amy, the La Zhi Rou Jia Mo, a hundred times tastier than the sweet crispy biscuits, is ready! Come and try it!" Mai Ge walked out of the kitchen, holding a Rou Jia Mo in one hand and a plate in the other.