He turned on the tap and gulped down several mouthfuls of water, leaning against the edge of the sink using both hands and taking a deep breath. Only then did Mai Ge feel like he was alive again.
He had been incredibly thirsty when he woke up without drinking any water, and that sweet crispy biscuit had almost choked him to death. His throat still felt a little sore.
If this was his previous life, he would have written a thousand words denouncement and forced the owner to close down the shop. Was this stuff even fit for human consumption?!
"Daddy, are you alright?" Amy had come over at some point and was pulling on his clothes, asking worriedly.
"Yes, Daddy is fine, I just choked a little." Mai Ge quickly looked down at Amy, reached out and stroked her hair, a smile returning to his face. This feeling of being cared for and depended upon warmed his heart, and his resentment towards the sweet crispy biscuit lessened considerably.
He was just an ordinary father now, and he didn't want to relive those things from his previous life. He certainly didn't want to transmigrate a second time.
"Daddy, you have to eat slowly. Although the sweet crispy biscuits are delicious, you can't rush. You have to take small bites so you don't choke." Amy said, letting out a sigh of relief as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, then she put on a serious face and started lecturing Mai Ge.
"Yes, Little Amy is right." Mai Ge nodded seriously, looking into Amy's eyes. Only then did the little girl return to her seat, satisfied.
Mai Ge didn't rush out, but instead looked around the kitchen.
The kitchen was long and narrow, about ten square meters, quite spacious. There were four built-in gas stoves on the counter, a silver side-draft range hood, and a large double door refrigerator next to it.
It was a very professional modern kitchen, but most of the areas were still empty. Only a wide Chinese cleaver hung on the knife rack; there were no pots, pans, or other utensils.
"System, did you forget to put in the appliances and cookware when you renovated? The refrigerator is also empty?" Mai Ge closed the empty refrigerator, his idea of cooking something to eat thwarted.
"The host does not yet have permission to use those appliances. They will be unlocked gradually after completing the tasks. At this stage, only the ingredients needed for the recipes the host has learned are provided, and the host needs to purchase them before use." the system's voice replied.
"They really went to great lengths to make me learn how to cook properly..." Mai Ge hesitated for a moment, feeling a little helpless. It seemed there was no way to eat anything else today, and the system said that future ingredients would need to be purchased. Would the system directly provide the necessary ingredients?
After wandering around the kitchen and confirming that there was nothing to eat, he had no choice but to pour two bowls of plain water and carry them out of the kitchen. It seemed that completing the task as soon as possible was very necessary, otherwise, he would have a mountain of gold but nowhere to spend it.
Moreover, after eating those terrible tasting sweet crispy biscuits, he was very much looking forward to Yang Zhou Fried Rice. Whether it was to let Amy taste the delicious food from Earth, or to conquer the whole world with a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, it was an interesting thing to do.
Mai Ge reread his previous body's memories. In this world, due to the thousand years long racial wars, the human diet was somewhat similar to British cuisine, with simple and crude cooking methods, mainly boiling and roasting.
When cooking, they didn't add any seasonings, and only added salt and pepper and other seasonings according to personal taste when eating. The main purpose was to eat until full and have a balanced diet, after all, there weren't many conditions to be picky about during war time.
Although there had been a hundred years of peace, the diet had developed to a certain extent, but the chefs' thinking was severely rigid. Even if they tried hard to improve, the dishes were still simple, and there weren't many refreshing cooking methods and dishes.
Humans who enjoy studying food are like this, let alone other races. The elves' food mostly comes from nature, mainly various wild fruits; the dwarves eat more casually, eating anything as long as it's cooked; as for demons and orcs, they even eat their prey raw...
"This is like a virgin land of delicious food, waiting for me to cultivate it." Mai Ge said, pouting slightly, looking at Amy, who was happily munching on a sweet crispy biscuit, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He wasn't very interested in the grand ideal of spreading food culture, but he wanted his daughter to eat real delicious food and live a comfortable life. Thinking of this, learning to cook wasn't such an unacceptable thing after all.
Because he was truly hungry, Mai Ge could only soak the biscuit in plain water, waiting for it to soften before eating it. He could barely swallow it.
Amy, however, had excellent teeth. She bit into the biscuit with a loud crunching sound and finished it in no time. She picked up the bowl with both hands and took a big gulp of plain water, letting out a satisfied burp. Looking at Mai Ge, who was still using chopsticks to poke at the mushy biscuit in his bowl, she smiled and said, "Daddy, isn't the sweet crispy biscuit super delicious?"
"No, this can only be considered something that barely fills the stomach, Little Amy. In future, I'll make you a full banquet of delicious dishes - Manchu-Han Imperial Feast, just for you to eat until you're full." Mai Ge shook his head, reached out and gently flicked Amy's delicate little nose, and said with a smile.
"Manchu-Han Imperial Feast? Is it really even better than sweet crispy biscuits?" Amy's eyes lit up completely, but then she looked at Mai Ge, and a conflicted expression appeared on her little face. Her father's previous cooking had tasted so strange; could he really make something a hundred times more delicious than sweet crispy biscuits?
"Of course it's true, and the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast isn't just one dish, but a grand banquet composed of one hundred and eight delicacies from land and sea, enough to eat for three days straight." Mai Ge nodded seriously, naturally guessing the little girl's thoughts. In her mind, sweet crispy biscuits were the most delicious thing in the world. And his previous cooking skills were truly terrible, about the same as his current level, which probably left a psychological scar on the little girl.
"One hundred and eight delicacies from land and sea?" Amy counted on her fingers, her little head trying hard to imagine a table full of things even more delicious than sweet crispy biscuits, and the scene of being able to eat them for three days straight. Her eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a happy smile appeared on her face. She jumped down from the chair and happily exclaimed to Mai Ge, "Yay! Little Amy wants to eat the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast! Daddy, please make the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast for Little Amy! Little Amy wants to eat it right now!"
"Uh…" Mai Ge looked at Amy's expectant gaze and suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He couldn't even make a single serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice right now. However, he did have a Chef God Training System, so a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast would definitely be no problem in the future. But looking at the little girl's expression, wanting to eat it immediately, it seemed he had boasted a little too soon.
"Of course, I also want to cook for Amy, but our restaurant isn't open yet, and we don't have enough ingredients in the kitchen to make so many delicious dishes." Mai Ge said, reaching out to pat Amy's head, a little apologetically.
"Is that so..." Amy was a little disappointed, but she quickly looked up, holding Mai Ge's hand with her little hands, gently patting the back of his hand, and comforting him, "It's okay, Daddy. Little Amy thinks the food before was also very delicious. When Little Amy grows up a little more, I can go and earn money, and then I'll buy lots and lots of delicious food for Daddy, so Daddy can make a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast."
Looking at the serious expression on Amy's little face, Mai Ge suddenly felt a little choked up. He sniffled, smiled, and shook his head, saying, "I'm different now than before. Of course, earning money and supporting the family is my responsibility. I will definitely keep my promise to make a full Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. This is our promise, and it's also my promise." After saying that, he extended his little finger to Amy.
Amy looked up at Mai Ge, blinking her eyes. Today, her father seemed truly different. He seemed taller and more approachable. Looking at his little finger, she also extended her own little finger and hooked it with his, smiling happily, "Yes, Little Amy believes Daddy can definitely do it."