The moment this thought popped into her head, it was like releasing a demon from a bottle. The delicious taste of Yang Zhou Fried Rice slowly rose from the bottom of her heart. Just lingering on the memory made Sally swallow hard, even though she had just eaten a big bowl of vegetable noodles that morning!
"No! If I eat one, all the money I've earned from working these past few days will be gone. I still need to save money to go to a place further away!" Sally shook her head vigorously, trying to banish the thought from her mind.
But the more she tried to drive it away, the clearer the memories became. The savory ham, the melt in mouth eggs, and especially the rice with the fragrance of the Fountain of Life, made her, who was traveling far from home for the first time, feel a longing to go home.
Although her father and the clan elders who wanted to force her to marry were quite annoying, but her mother was still very good to her. She suddenly missed those afternoons when she would snuggle in her mother's arms and take a nap.
If she hadn't run away from home, as the noble daughter of the clan leader, she wouldn't have needed to do things like folding blankets. Moreover, she only received a dozen copper coins for tidying up more than a dozen rooms, which was something she couldn't have imagined before. It used to take her many days to earn even one gold coin.
"Suddenly I'm so hungry..." Sally suddenly lay back on the bed, her eyes glazed over, her mind filled with images of plates of rainbow fried rice, like an elf who had lost her dreams.
"I wonder if that restaurant has any new dishes yet? That little girl... she's so cute..." Sally's murmured voice echoed in the room.
...
"Sorry, all the Rou Jia Mo we had this morning sold out half an hour ago, and we're now closed. If you'd like to have a meal, please come back earlier at the next meal time." Mai Ge said with a smile to the dozen or so customers standing outside the restaurant.
"Boss Mai, I just want a serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. I overslept this morning, so please make an exception. I'm so used to your food, it's really hard to find anything to eat this early in the morning." a tall, thin man said with a smile to Mai Ge.
"Yes, Boss Mai, I took a half hour carriage ride to get here. It's fine if I missed out on the Rou Jia Mo, but at least I should have a serving of Yang Zhou Fried Rice, right? You wouldn't be so heartless as to let me go back hungry, would you?" A fat man nearby chimed in, looking somewhat unhappy.
"Exactly, exactly…"
The other customers chimed in, all agreeing. Although they had missed their time, but they felt that with so many of them, Mai Ge might be hesitant to make them feel uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, the restaurant operates strictly according to its opening hours, so please leave." Mai Ge shook his head without hesitation, flipped the sign on the door, looked at the crowd who still wanted to speak, and spread his hands, saying, "If I continue to make Yang Zhou Fried Rice for you now, I won't be able to prepare the ingredients needed for lunch, which is unfair to the customers who come to eat at noon. Please come earlier next time."
"Alright, then I'll come back for lunch." Seeing that Mai Ge showed no sign of backing down, the tall, thin man had no choice but to turn and leave helplessly.
"Boss Mai, you do...have some principles." The fat man glanced at Amy, who was carrying the Ugly Duckling and walking slowly behind Mai Ge and his half-spoken threat took a natural turn. He chuckled twice and turned to get into the carriage parked not far away.
The other guests, seeing that Mai Ge had no intention of negotiating, could only leave helplessly. When it came to restaurant rules, Boss Mai was indeed very strict.
"Boss Mai is really different from other bosses." Yabemia stood inside the doorway, looking at Mai Ge's profile. Bathed in sunlight, his lean, handsome face seemed very approachable, and the two mustaches at the corners of his lips added a touch of mature charm. It was truly lucky to have such a boss.
Mai Ge stretched. This morning alone, they sold over two hundred Rou Jia Mo and the number of new customers reached ninety five, which is usually the daily volume. He could imagine that there would be an even larger peak in customer traffic at noon and in the evening. The restaurant was officially starting to fill up.
"Daddy, can we hear the Mushroom Little Elf sing a new song today?" Amy asked Mai Ge, holding the Ugly Duckling and looking at him expectantly.
"Boss Mai, wait!" Mai Ge was about to close the door to answer Amy's question when a weak voice came from afar.
"Hmm?" Mai Ge looked in the direction of the voice, puzzled. A frail figure came running from a distance, his wooden clogs clattering on the ground. His loose clothes billowed like waves against his small frame, making him look as if he might be blown away by the wind at any moment. It was Visenio, who had just bought two Rou Jia Mo.
"Excuse me, this guest, the restaurant is temporarily closed." Mai Ge shook his head with a strange expression as he looked at Visenio, who had run up to him, bent over, and rested his hands on his knees.
In less than an hour, the young man's face was even paler than before. When he ran over, his steps were unsteady, almost as if he was floating. His physical condition was probably similar to Mai Ge's.
In contrast, Mai Ge, though lacking in strength and somewhat thin, had a good complexion and spirit, with bright and spirited eyes.
However, Visenio looked so weak, almost like he would collapse at the slightest touch; who knows what happened to him in the past hour.
"Not selling anymore?" Visenio's voice suddenly rose a few decibels, seemingly somewhat disappointed, but his eyes quickly brightened again, and he nodded with lingering fear, saying, "That's good, that's good."
"Hmm?" Mai Ge looked at him with some confusion. Had something happened to him? Why did he seem to be talking incoherently?
"Boss Mai, help....help me up." Visenio reached out his hand to Mai Ge, but halfway through, his legs gave way and he knelt down in front of him with a thud.
"Um…this guest, we still have Rou Jia Mo for lunch. Even if you couldn't get it in the morning, there's no need for such a big gesture. We're really sold out." Mai Ge paused, looked at Visenio kneeling in front of him, and withdrew his hand halfway through, saying with a strange expression.
Visenio glanced at his knees and was stunned for a moment, but he really didn't have the strength to get up. Kneeling like this was more comfortable. He looked up at Mai Ge with a face full of grief and indignation and said, "Boss Mai, are you selling that kind of medicine?! My wife is so lazy in the morning, but after eating two of your Rou Jia Mo, she immediately became energetic and almost tore me apart alive!"