Ha Beng's story was straightforward and simple, yet its plain narration evoked a sense of melancholy.
"It's a sad story." Mai Ge said softly after a moment of silence.
"Yes, Marcus hasn't been seen in the Stone Rock Tribe for years. I never expected him to lead an attack on the gold mine. My big brother will probably settle things with him when he gets back." Ha Beng nodded, his expression complex. As a child, he had always followed his big brother and Marcus, who had been quite kind to him. But now, because of the conflict between the two tribes and Grace's death, they had become enemies.
"Never mind, they'll have to make a decision sooner or later. From the moment Grace fell, I knew one of them would die." Ha Beng picked up his spoon again, scooped up a spoonful of fried rice, and ate it without saying anything more.
"Boss Mai, the bill, please." Kang Di, sitting nearby, smiled at Mai Ge.
"Okay, that's three Rou Jia Mo and nine gold coins. I'll deduct it directly from the crowdfunding coupons." Mai Ge said with a smile and a nod.
"Okay." Kang Di stood up, picked up the long sword on the table, and gently patted Ha Beng's shoulder from behind. "Brother, he'll win."
"Mm." Ha Beng replied, continuing to eat his fried rice.
Kang Di glanced at the counter and, seeing that Amy didn't seem inclined to come out to greet him, turned and left, a little disappointed.
Ha Beng finished his Yang Zhou Fried Rice and left, carrying his spiked club. Mai Ge could clearly sense his frustration.
Soon, other customers arrived. Hearing about the new items, some expressed interest in trying them. At 300 copper coins, it was significantly cheaper than the 600 copper coins for the Yang Zhou Fried Rice, though still expensive.
Mai Ge was used to the strange noises and slightly embarrassed expressions that customers made after taking their first bite of the Rou Jia Mo. In any case, they couldn't resist the temptation of the food and continued eating.
The hour and a half of breakfast passed quickly. Mai Ge went to the door, flipped the sign, and then took all the plates from the table back to the kitchen, quickly washed them in the dishwasher, and was about to wipe the table.
"Daddy! Come quick! Is the Ugly Duckling about to hatch?" Amy suddenly shouted, her voice filled with excitement and surprise.
"Now?" Mai Ge asked in surprise, walking behind the counter and squatting down beside Amy. The Big Egg, wrapped in a small blanket, still made a rustling sound, but compared to yesterday, it was clearer and more urgent, as if a little life was eager to be born.
"Little Amy, what did you say to it?" Mai Ge asked Amy curiously. The baby was still an egg, but it seemed quite frightened and eager to be born.
"I'm encouraging it." Amy nodded earnestly.
"How are you encouraging it?" Mai Ge's expression was a little strange.
"Little Ugly Duckling, be good and come out, or I'll set it on fire! I'm super fierce!" Amy said seriously, clenching her little fist.
Mai Ge couldn't help but chuckle. What kind of encouragement was that? It was blatant intimidation! No wonder the little guy inside was scratching its shell so hard; it was probably terrified.
"Daddy, does it think I'm lying to it? That's why it won't come out even after I've been calling for so long. Can I really burn it?" Amy looked at Mai Ge, bombarding him with questions one after another, her little face full of confusion.
"If burn it with a fireball spell, they could really peel it open and eat it like a roasted egg." Mai Ge thought to himself, pondering how to make Amy more patient, when the Big Egg suddenly made a soft cracking sound.
Amy and Mai Ge froze, their eyes widening as they stared at the Big Egg with a tiny crack appearing on its shell.
"Ugly duckling, come out quickly! I know you're ugly, but I'm beautiful!" Amy gazed expectantly at the Big Egg.
"She really has the flair I had back then. I guess that's genetics." Mai Ge looked at Amy, whose sharp tongue was a natural talent, a true prodigy.
It can be said that she is a top quality rough gem waiting to be polished. With just a little guidance and nurturing, her cute appearance and soft voice can be so sharp-tongued that she can choke people to death without making them angry. It's simply too satisfying.
After being transmigrated to this world because of his sharp tongue in his previous life, Mai Ge has become much more well-behaved in this life. At most, he will argue with the system, and he views this world with tolerance and love.
Otherwise, this world and its various races offer far too much to criticize and be sarcastic about, and he fears he'll soon be sent to another world by the system. He couldn't bear to part with Amy.
But Amy is different. While her sharp tongue is satisfying, those who are criticized don't hold grudges and forgive her quickly, so there's no need to worry about that.
"It seems it's time to put the 'sharp-tongued teaching' on the agenda." Mai Ge nodded slightly at Amy. She had memorized the nine nine multiplication tables completely in the past two days, and was also learning decimal addition and subtraction and simple two-digit multiplication. She should be able to learn the calculations that she could use in daily life in no time. Amy's learning ability was quite good.
The cracks on the eggshell spread, from one to many, starting from the top and spreading across the entire surface. The fine cracks quickly covered the entire eggshell.
Mai Ge watched with some anticipation, wondering what would hatch from the egg. It was oviparous and on a cliff face, so the most likely possibility was some kind of bird. But such a large egg was definitely not an ordinary bird; it might be some kind of magical beast.
"Ugly duckling, I'll count to three. If you don't come out obediently, I'll set it on fire!" Amy's patience quickly wore thin. She spoke with her big, bright blue eyes, her hand already outstretched.
"Pop~"
With a soft pop, a fluffy little head, propped up by half an eggshell, peeked out of the Big Egg. Its half-open, half-closed eyes looked around, a mixture of confusion and fear in them, before finally settling on Amy. It opened its mouth and let out a soft meow: "Meow~"
"Orange…orange cat!!!" Mai Ge stared wide-eyed at the tiny creature with an eggshell on its head, its little head peeking out of the egg. It was an orange and white kitten with its eyes not fully open yet, its fur still covered in egg liquid. It was half-closing its eyes as it looked at Amy, and it was absolutely adorable.
"Wow! So cute!" Amy blinked in surprise and reached out to pet the little orange cat, but then pulled her hand back halfway. Looking at Mai Ge with some confusion, she asked, "Daddy, didn't you say that the ugly duckling would grow up to be a white swan? Why does it look nothing like a roast goose?"