Yabemia looked at the father and daughter sitting by the door, a smile on her face, but a hint of envy in her eyes. She silently cleared the plates from the table and walked towards the kitchen, muttering to herself, "When will my father come back? My mother said he would definitely come back, but year after year has passed, and he still hasn't appeared. This year, he probably won't come back either..."
Mai Ge made Amy stand up straight in front of him, and looked at her with a serious and earnest expression, saying, "Little Amy, starting tomorrow, you will officially begin taking magic classes with Master Crassus. Remember, during class, you are not allowed to call him Master Half Beard, you must call him Master Crassus. This is the most basic respect a student and apprentice have for their teacher, understand?"
"But he's the Master Half Beard, isn't he? I like that title." Amy looked at Mai Ge with some hesitation.
"Little Amy, everyone has their own preferences, but we can't just act according to our own, because that might hurt others. Words can sometimes be a sharp weapon, more hurtful than a knife." Mai Ge shook his head, his expression still serious, and continued, "Respecting teachers is something a student should remember from the beginning of their schooling. Master Crassus and Master Yulian may only have you as their disciple in their entire lives, so you must listen to them obediently in class and respect them, understand?"
"Okay, I understand." Amy looked into Mai Ge's eyes, nodded obediently, thought for a moment, and then her eyes lit up again. "Then when I'm not in class, can I call them Master Half Beard and Master Turtle Shell?"
"When you're not in class, do whatever you like." Mai Ge opened his mouth, looked at Amy who was full of expectation, and since Crassus and Yulian didn't seem to mind, he smiled and nodded.
"Okay." Amy nodded happily, peeked out the window, and shook Mai Ge's hand, saying, "Daddy, come with me to see the stars. You haven't taken me to see the stars in so long."
"Okay, let's go to the balcony and look at the stars. We're closer to them from there." Mai Ge nodded at Amy. He had been busy with the restaurant since it opened. He would get up before Amy woke up everyday, and after he finished his work, Amy would fall asleep on the counter. He rarely had time to spend with her, and he felt a little guilty.
Holding Amy's little hand, Mai Ge looked at Yabemia and said, "Mia, go back early after you've finished cleaning up the restaurant. Be careful on the road. Don't come too early tomorrow morning. I have to take Amy to school and won't be back until around 6:50."
"Okay, Boss." Yabemia nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "But, would you like me to massage your shoulders now?"
"No need today. You're tired. Hurry up and finish so you can go back and rest." Mai Ge smiled and shook his head.
"Take care on your way, Sister Mia! Goodbye!" Amy waved to Mia.
"Meow~" The Ugly Duckling also made a symbolic meow. After these days of interaction, the Ugly Duckling's attitude towards Yabemia still carried some hostility. However, as it slowly grew up under Amy's threats, it had almost eliminated that hostility, but it still couldn't become close to her.
"Okay, goodbye." Yabemia nodded with a smile, looking at Mai Ge, Amy, and the lazy Ugly Duckling, feeling a warm glow in her heart.
"Daddy, may we bring the Mushroom Little Elf along?" Amy asked, glancing back at the music box in the counter as they reached the stairs, looking up at Mai Ge.
"Of course." Mai Ge smiled, reached for the music box, and took Amy's hand as they went upstairs.
When the system first helped him renovate the restaurant, under Mai Ge's persuasion, it also renovated the second floor. The third floor had a small empty room and a large balcony. The balcony was surrounded by white ceramic railings, and the floor was covered with gray and white non-slip tiles. It faced Aden Square, with open views on both sides. Apart from the balcony being empty and too lonely, everything else was simply amazing.
"Wow! Our rooftop is so nice now, it's flat!" Amy jumped out as soon as the door opened, a light in the doorway turned on, and she looked at the empty balcony with delight. The Ugly Duckling was put on the ground and ran around the balcony with her, looking quite happy as well.
"This is a great place. If there's another person in the future, we can have a barbecue on the balcony, eat skewers, and drink beer. With a balcony like this and a sky full of stars, it would be heavenly." Mai Ge was also pleasantly surprised. The back room was empty, but it could be used to store things like barbecue grills, parasols, and lounge chairs.
"System, I need a recliner." Mai Ge thought to himself. Of course, stargazing requires a comfortable recliner, lying on the ground would be too shabby. Mai Ge was a hedonist.
"Host, please note that this system determines that reclining chairs would alter the restaurant's layout to some extent. Therefore, this system does not provide reclining chairs. Please upgrade your restaurant to level 2 as soon as possible. The upgrade gift pack will include two high-grade reclining chairs." The system's serious voice rang out, carrying an air of unquestionable authority.
"System, I have a question for you. Will guests come to the balcony?" Mai Ge asked calmly.
The system was silent for a moment, then replied, "Probably not."
"Wrong! It's not just 'probably not,' it's 'definitely not.' I won't let any guests into any area outside the first floor, including Mia. Therefore, the area above the second floor is a living area, not a restaurant." Mai Ge said decisively, a smile appearing on his face. "So, putting a reclining chair on the balcony has absolutely nothing to do with the restaurant's layout. Your judgment is completely wrong."
"..." The system silently displayed an ellipsis, seemingly speechless.
"Are you selling the recliner or not? In short, if not, I'll go buy one myself tomorrow. I can even have it custom-made to my size. I don't care if the price is a bit high, as long as it's comfortable." Mai Ge's lips curled up, his tone somewhat indifferent.
"This system must admit that there was a slight bug just now, which caused an error in the calculation. Adding a recliner on the third floor will not affect the layout of the restaurant." The system was silent for a moment, then changed the subject with a hint of self-reproach: "This system can provide thousands of recliners for the host to choose from. For an extra fee, you can upgrade to a massage chair, custom-made to your needs, perfectly fitting your curves. It is an essential premium product for home and travel!"
"Very good, I like your service attitude." Mai Ge looked at the rows of recliners that appeared in his mind and nodded in satisfaction.
___
[Mini drama: On Earth, a group of chefs gathered together, watching the live broadcast on the TV on the wall, and were so angry that they beat their chests and stamped their feet.
"Hey! What kind of system is this? Does it have no principles? No bottom line?!"
"Yes, I bet the programmer who made this system imported the wrong template! How could they create such a money-grubbing system?!"
"Is this punishment? This is practically sending this guy to enjoy a life of luxury!"
A series of sighs suddenly filled the small room.]