"If Teacher Crassus hasn't eaten, then of course I should make it for you." Mai Ge replied with a smile, then looked at Yulian and asked, "Teacher Yulian, would you like one too?"
"Is this alright?" Yulian asked hesitantly.
"Of course, no problem. Consider it a sample of the new dish, but only the new dish can be eaten." Mai Ge nodded with a smile.
"Then I'll have one serving too." Yulian nodded, carrying his birdcage into the restaurant.
"Hello, Master Half Beard, hello, Master Turtle Shell." Amy greeted the two, and both she and Ugly Duckling stared at the birdcage in Yulian's hand. She said with a surprised look, "Black Charcoal, you've changed."
"I never thought that even though I hid myself so well, you still discovered that I've become even more handsome and dashing. Forgive me, forgive me." Black Charcoal sighed, raised its neck, and adopted a posture of contemplating life.
"No, Black Charcoal, it's because you've grown hair and become even darker." Amy said earnestly, shaking her head and pointing at Black Charcoal.
"Hmm?" Black Charcoal looked down and jumped up, exclaiming with exaggerated joy, "My royal robes are finally growing back! Sure enough, if I want to wear the crown, I must bear the weight. This must have been a test for me, but I have finally made it through!"
"Aisha, could you please help put out the fire and clean up the bloodstains at the restaurant entrance?" Mai Ge asked Sally, who was also standing at the door, before entering.
"Okay." Sally nodded in agreement, raised her hand, and cast a level one water ball spell on the still-burning carriage, extinguishing the fire instantly.
Then, she used two water spells to wash away the pools of blood at the entrance. The smell of blood disappeared instantly, and the ground became exceptionally clean, as if nothing had happened.
"Boss, can we clean up the restaurant now?" Yabemia asked Mai Ge.
"Okay, you can clean it up now." Mai Ge looked at the chaotic restaurant, smiled and nodded. Since that guy was a vicious serial killer, then there was no problem at all. He turned around and went into the restaurant, rewrote a notice and posted it next to the doorpost, changing the wording: The restaurant has been vandalized by thugs and is undergoing emergency repairs. It will be closed for one day. New dish will be available tomorrow!
"Did you see that? The people from the Gray Temple didn't arrest the restaurant owner?"
"Yes, one of the troublemakers died, but surprisingly, all those arrested were the troublemakers, while the restaurant owner got away scot-free."
"What's so strange about that? If they come here to cause trouble and don't have any skills, they deserve to be beaten to death. This is a regulation issued by the Gray Temple and the City Lord's Mansion."
"That's true, but not everyone can solve this so easily. I think this boss must have someone backing him, otherwise, after such a big incident, he would at least have been taken away today, and the restaurant would have to close for a while."
The onlookers, witnessing this scene, began to discuss it amongst themselves, speculating about who was backing Mai Ge so that such a matter could be resolved so easily.
Crassus and Yulian both turned around and glanced at Sally standing at the door. They exchanged a look, then looked away and sat down in their usual seats.
Amy had already placed the Black Charcoal birdcage on the ground and was watching it from both sides.
"Meow meow~" The Ugly Duckling meowed twice at Black Charcoal, stretched out its little paws and poked at the birdcage, trying to squeeze through the gap to grab Black Charcoal, but unfortunately its legs were too short and it couldn't reach it at all.
"Hmph, short legs, look at you, you think you can even touch me?" Black Charcoal said with some disdain, looking at the Ugly Duckling.
"Meow!" The Ugly Duckling immediately became defiant, shaking the cage vigorously with its little paws, as if it wanted to pull open the cage and go inside to fight Black Charcoal.
"Come here!" Black Charcoal, inside the cage, called out smugly to the Ugly Duckling.
"Is this the cage door?" Amy suddenly asked curiously, pointing to the small door next to her.
"My dear Amy, I don't think this looks like a door. How about we talk about something more cheerful, like singing?" Black Charcoal's voice suddenly became obsequious.
"No, Black Charcoal, your singing is awful, I don't want to listen. I want to see you fight with the Ugly Duckling." Amy shook her head, stretching out her little hand and struggling to pry open the latch on the door. The Ugly Duckling also ran over, looking eager to try.
"Then we can talk about dancing! Actually, I'm a little prince of dance! I can dance any dance you can think of!" Black Charcoal's voice carried a hint of despair.
"I don't want to watch a featherless bird dance." Amy shook her head again, studied it carefully for a while, then her eyes lit up. She gently pressed the latch in, and with a soft click, the latch popped out by itself.
"Princess! I'm just a bird! Why should I fight with a stupid cat? This isn't fair!" Black Charcoal stretched its neck, opened its mouth, and bit the small door, crying out in despair.
"Meow!" The Ugly Duckling excitedly grabbed the door with its claws and slowly pulled it out, preparing to crawl into the cage and fight that annoying little bird.
"Let's talk about why this stupid cat has gotten so fat again!" There was a hint of despair in Black Charcoal's voice.
Thud.
Amy's hand suddenly pressed against the small door, which the Ugly Duckling was about to open, but then it closed again, the latch locking automatically. She nodded and pointed at the Ugly Duckling, saying, "Right? You also think the Ugly Duckling has gotten fat?"
"Yes, it's gotten fatter." Black Charcoal breathed a sigh of relief and quickly nodded in agreement, "And it's not just a little bit fat, it's extremely fat. If it continues to get this fat, I guess you won't be able to carry it in a while."
"Ugly Duckling, did you hear that? It's not just me saying you've gotten fat, everyone can see it. So tonight before you go to bed, you have to run ten laps around the restaurant, and you're not allowed to eat anything tonight." Amy said seriously to the Ugly Duckling, then pulled out a small dried fish from somewhere, took a bite, and happily ate it.
"Meow meow~" The Ugly Duckling looked up at Amy with a wronged expression, its bright blue eyes watery. Running was bad enough, but even its dinner was stolen, and then it was called fat...
Mai Ge carried two servings of Braised Chicken Rice out of the kitchen. He smiled as he watched Amy, who was eating small dried fish while giving the Ugly Duckling a serious lecture. The little girl didn't know about the murder, and he didn't intend to let her know. He put down the two servings of Braised Chicken Rice and smiled, "Teachers, this is a new dish that the restaurant will be launching soon—Braised Chicken Rice."
"Braised Chicken Rice?" Crassus and Yulian looked at the chicken in the clay pot bowls in front of them. The tempting aroma made their eyes light up, and they swallowed hard.