Mai Ge was a little surprised. It seemed to be the effect of yesterday's Rou Jia Mo. People were already lining up early in the morning. He smiled and nodded in response, flipped the sign, and stepped aside to let everyone in.
"Boss Mai, looks like I'll have to come earlier next time. May be the line will stretch all the way to the other side of Aden Square." Mo Bai said with a smile as he entered first. "I'll have two servings of Yang Zhou Fried Rice; the Rou Jia Mo is better for those hot-tempered young people."
"Okay, please wait a moment." Mai Ge nodded.
"Boss Mai, I'd like a new item. What's it called again?" The small-eyed man who had followed Mo Bai in sat down at the next table and looked at Mai Ge.
"The new item is the La Zhi Rou Jia Mo. It's already on the menu." Mai Ge replied with a smile. The system had automatically added the La Zhi Rou Jia Mo and its price to the menu that morning, saving Mai Ge a lot of work.
Furthermore, on the back of the menu, Mai Ge had the system write down two restaurant rules in gold lettering: 1. Loud noises are strictly prohibited inside the restaurant; 2. All transactions are cash only, no credit allowed!
As for subsequent rules, he could add them later. After all, running a restaurant in another world, he didn't know what situations he might encounter, so it wouldn't be too late to add them when they arose.
Providing a comfortable dining environment is a fundamental requirement for Mai Ge's restaurant. Being disturbed by loud conversations while eating is an unpleasant experience.
Cash transactions are to avoid any messy situations like debt collection. After all, he opened the restaurant to make money and provide a better life for himself and Amy, not to run a charity.
Except for people like Miss Luna, who occasionally make him feel grateful and allow her to eat for free, everyone else naturally has to pay. The cost of ingredients for a single dish is not low, and it's impossible for Mai Ge, who is eager to save money, to pay for it out of his own pocket.
"I'll have one La Zhi Rou Jia Mo too, no, two. I was so envious watching them eat it last night." a fat man said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
The crowd that had been queuing entered, and many people looked at the menu. A La Zhi Rou Jia Mo costing 300 copper coins was half the price of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, and most ordered one to try.
After noting down the number of portions, Mao Ge turned and went into the kitchen.
The Bai Ji Mo were already baking in the oven, and the braised pork was ready, so all he had to do was stuff the meat into the Bai Ji Mo, and a La Zhi Rou Jia Mo would be ready.
"Good morning, Dwarf Grandpa Mo Bai." Amy, holding the Ugly Duckling, sat on a high stool and greeted Mo Bai, as well as some of the guests she had met in the past two days, mostly using rather peculiar nicknames.
For example, she called the man with small eyes "Squinty-Eyed Uncle" and the fat uncle over there "Big Squinty-Eyed Uncle" because his eyes were squeezed into slits by his fat, but he looked quite large, so she added a prefix to distinguish him.
Faced with Amy's unique way of giving nicknames, the guests could only accept it with a smile, though they felt helpless.
After all, Boss Mai's food is so delicious, and the little girl looks so cute. It's impossible to get angry in front of delicious food and an adorable little girl.
"Good morning, Little Boss." Mo Bai smiled and nodded, looking at the little duckling peeking out from Amy's arms, and asked curiously, "What's that you're holding, Little Boss? A cat?"
The others waiting for their food also looked curiously at the little creature Amy was holding. It was fluffy and somewhat resembled a cat, with orange and white fur that looked quite cute. However, the cats they usually saw were all solid-colored, mostly white or black; they had never seen a cat with such unusual colors before.
The Ugly Duckling, with its sapphire-like eyes, curiously observed everyone in the restaurant. Having slept almost all day yesterday, this was its first time seeing so many people. Seeing everyone staring at it, it instinctively bared its teeth and meowed twice.
"No, this is the Ugly Duckling." Amy shook her head, reached out and pressed the Ugly Duckling's head, earnestly instructing it, "Ugly Duckling, don't meow, don't disturb the guests' meal."
"Meow~" The Ugly Duckling immediately wilted, found a comfortable position and shrunk back into Amy's arms. It lazily yawned, glanced at the crowd out of the corner of its eye, too lazy to pay attention to them anymore, and closed its eyes to continue sleeping.
Everyone felt looked down upon by a cat; their expressions were all somewhat strange. They couldn't even get angry at a little girl, let alone a kitten.
"The Ugly Duckling?"
Everyone was puzzled by Amy's words. They couldn't see how this cute little cat was ugly or resembled a duck.
However, considering Amy's casual way of giving nicknames and her occasional sharp tongue, they understood. Ugly Duckling it is then; this was probably its fate to have such an owner.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Mai Ge first brought out the Rou Jia Mo everyone had requested, as it was quicker to make, before heading into the kitchen to start stir-frying Yang Zhou Fried Rice.
Mo Bai had no objections. Although he had arrived early, what did it matter if he waited a little longer for delicious food?
The small-eyed man smelled the aroma of the Rou Jia Mo, took a bite, and felt the delicious flavor raging in his mouth. After swallowing, he felt as if something was rushing out of his veins, and he couldn't help but close his eyes and let out a long sigh of praise, his face full of a happy smile.
"Is that all the self-control you have?" The fat Harrison glanced at the small-eyed man with a hint of disdain. Although he was also quite looking forward to the Rou Jia Mo, but he certainly wouldn't act as exaggeratedly as the man.
He took a big bite, and his eyes widened instantly!
Biting into the tender cured pork, the abundant cured juices overflowed, blending together with the soft and sweet Bai Ji Mo. This deliciousness made him feel as if all the fat in his body was trembling, as if it were cheering and jumping for joy.
The fact that he can eat his way to this size shows he's quite fond of food. With his family owning three money shops, money is never a concern for him.
Back in the capital of the Los Empire, he'd eaten lavish meals costing hundreds of gold coins, dishes made with all sorts of precious ingredients. At the time, he thought those were the most delicious things in the world.
But compared to this Rou Jia Mo, those other things were practically inedible. The flavor created by those spices can't compare to the rich and fragrant meat juice. Even the white Bai Ji Mo wrapped around it taste so sweet.
What's even more amazing is that after swallowing it, it felt like swallowing a mouthful of strong liquor, but without the throat-cutting sensation of strong liquor. His blood started to boil, as if it had suddenly become violent. He felt like the fat in his body was being burned and was trembling slightly. A few fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Ah—" The fat man couldn't help but let out a sigh of praise, much louder than the small-eyed man before. He opened his eyes wide and looked at Mai Ge, who was just coming out with a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, and exclaimed, "There is such delicious food in this world! Boss Mai, you must be a genius!"