"Slurp."
The slippery noodle was sucked into Mai Ge's mouth in one gulp. The spicy sauce paired with the smooth and chewy noodle was simply explosively delicious!
When eating grilled fish, Mai Ge could skip other side dishes, but he absolutely had to have some noodles, to him, they were just as important as the fish.
"Daddy, what's that bouncy thing? I want some too, I want some too!" Amy's eyes lit up, and she said in a slightly coquettish tone.
"These are noodles, they're delicious too." Mai Ge said with a smile, placing two noodles into Amy's bowl.
Amy picked up a noodle with her chopsticks, blew on it, and then, imitating Mai Ge, slurped it into her mouth. She chewed it happily, nodding and saying cheerfully, "The noodle is really delicious, just like fish!"
Despite a few hiccups, lunch ended in a cheerful atmosphere. Sally and Yabemia, both covered in sweat, each held a glass of ice water, took a big gulp, and breathed a satisfied sigh of relief, having completely forgotten the awkwardness from before.
"Daddy, may I keep this fish bone? I want to show it to Daphne." Amy asked Mai Ge expectantly.
"Of course you can, and on our days off, you can invite your friends over. I'll make you all some delicious grilled fish." Mai Ge nodded with a smile. Daphne and Amy were good friends, and Amy had never invited any children over before.
"Really? Daphne loves fish, and Jessica has never had fish before. Can she come too?" Amy's eyes lit up as she looked at Mai Ge.
"Of course, anyone Amy wants to invite is welcome." Mai Ge nodded with a smile.
"That's great! Daddy, you're so kind." Amy hugged Mai Ge's arm and shook it, her little face full of happiness.
Sally and Yabemia watched this scene with gentle smiles. Mai Ge doted on Amy so much, having such a father was truly a blessing.
"Then I'll help you collect the fish bones." Mai Ge stood up and carefully removed the fish bones from the plate with chopsticks. This fish only had one main bone and some large, hard bones evenly distributed along it. The fish meat had been eaten very cleanly, even the head only needed to be rinsed with water to make a complete fish skeleton specimen.
…
"The smell of fish is wonderful, Boss Mai. Could it be that the new dish for tonight is related to fish?"
"Yes, it's not just the fish-fragrant flavor, it also has a rich spiciness. The aroma is absolutely amazing, I want to eat it!"
"I also love spicy food. I thought Boss Mai's cooking was mostly mild, but it seems I'm in for a treat this time."
As the restaurant opened for business and customers entered, some quickly noticed the odor lingering in the air and began to ask questions.
"Yes, tonight's new dish is related to fish, but you'll have to wait until tonight to find out exactly what it's like." Mai Ge nodded with a smile, revealing little more about the new dish.
...
"Father won't be home for dinner tonight. It shouldn't be a problem if I sneak out for a meal, right?" In the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion, Vivian, now dressed in a magnificent blue men's robe, looked around. Her beautiful long hair was casually tied up with a strip of cloth, and she had a neat mustache on her upper lip, making her look like a handsome young master.
Seeing no one around, Vivian stepped onto a large tree beside the courtyard wall, then lightly touched the wall itself, landing outside the high walls of the City Lord's Mansion. She quickly walked a few steps away from the wall before casually strolling down the main street.
There were few pedestrians on the street, and no one noticed Vivian climbing over the wall of the City Lord's Mansion. She took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, and since it was still early, she leisurely walked towards Aden Square.
"Huh? Who is he...?" At the second floor window of a restaurant on the street, Shawnard, dressed in a magnificent red robe, swirled his wine glass and squinted at Vivian. He had personally witnessed this guy scaling the wall from the backyard of the City Lord's Mansion. His gaze lingered on Vivian's face for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up, and he muttered to himself, "Isn't this Miss Vivian? I was wondering which guy was so bold as to scale the wall to enter and leave the City Lord's Mansion. It seems Miss Vivian was dressed as a man and out for a stroll."
"I didn't get a chance to say more than a few words to her at the party a few days ago, but today is a good opportunity. It's getting dark soon, so may be I can find a chance to take Miss Vivian home. Perhaps I can leave a good impression on the City Lord and let my father see that his son is not just a playboy." Shawnard put down his wine glass, said goodbye to his group of cronies in the private room, and went downstairs.
Shawnard's father was the ambassador of the Los Empire to the Chaos City, so he sneaked into the city lord's banquet a few days ago with his father. He fell in love with the beautiful Miss Vivian at first sight, but she seemed to have little interest in him. She only exchanged a few polite words with him and then had no further contact with him.
These past few days he had asked his close friends about Vivian, but most of them told him to give up as soon as possible. Miss Vivian was a well-bred young lady raised in seclusion by the City Lord, and she rarely went out, much less had any contact with other men.
"A woman who dares to dress as a man and jump over the wall isn't some sheltered young lady afraid to interact with men, perhaps she's a wild horse?" Shawnard, hiding behind a tree, watched Vivian looking around in the distance, a smile playing on his lips. If he could win the favor of this City Lord's only daughter, he could finally hold his head high in front of his father, who had always looked down on him. His family was well-off thanks to their trade between the two major cities.
…
"Is this the place? It looks pretty good, but it's so lively. Looks like I'll have to share a table with all sorts of weirdos..." Vivian stopped outside the Restaurant Mai Mi, looking through the floor to ceiling windows at the restaurant packed with people. There were still people queuing in the middle aisle. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. Although she did not discriminate against any race, but she was still unwilling to sit at the same table with unfamiliar men, especially unclean dwarves and orcs.
"Should I go in?" Vivian hesitated for a while. Suddenly, a guest opened the door and came out. A rich aroma of fish mixed with spicy flavor wafted out, only to be cut off by the automatically closing door.
"Gurgle~"
Vivian swallowed hard, then strode towards the restaurant. As she grasped the doorknob, she told herself, "I didn't come in because of the smell of the fish. Uncle Robert said it was a shame such a restaurant was underappreciated, so I came to check it out."
"So she's out looking for a good meal. But since it's a restaurant, it's easier to show off my gentlemanly manners." Shawnard said, a confident smile on his face. He straightened his clothes and entered the restaurant.