"Aisha..." Yabemia murmured, nodding, "A very beautiful name."
"Thank you." Sally nodded slightly.
"Okay, then we'll call you Aisha. I'm Mai Ge, you can call me boss like Mia." Mai Ge nodded as well. It seemed Sally was well aware of her situation, but even in this situation, she still wanted to work as a waitress. It seemed the allure of the food was far greater than being taken back.
"Okay, Boss." Sally nodded. Her experience working at the Geya Hotel had made her used to this title, which she had initially found somewhat awkward. She glanced at the bags in her hand and looked at Mai Ge, saying, "So, can I leave now?"
"Of course, you just need to be at the restaurant before seven o'clock tomorrow morning." Mai Ge smiled and nodded.
"Okay, goodbye." Sally nodded to Mai Ge and Yabemia, then gracefully turned and left.
"Boss, Aisha looks like an elegant young lady, why is she working as a waitress?" As she looked at the closed door, Yabemia asked Mai Ge with some confusion.
"Everyone has their own difficulties. If she doesn't want to talk about it, we shouldn't pry." Mai Ge smiled and shook his head. This was more than just a young lady, she might even be the future Elf Queen.
"Mm." Yabemia nodded obediently and didn't say anything more.
After Sally left, Mai Ge changed into his chef's uniform and began preparing ingredients. He had already obtained the recipe for braised chicken and was just waiting to enter the Chef God Trial Grounds that night to learn it.
Around 4:30, Amy came home from school, the same time as the school at Chaos Academy. It seems that Crassus has adapted to local conditions to make it easier for Amy to adapt to the school rhythm.
The Ugly Duckling, who had been lazily lounging on the counter all afternoon, heard Amy's voice and slid down the edge of the counter, hopping along its short legs towards the door. It immediately ran to Amy's feet as she pushed the door open, rubbing its little head against her legs and meowing happily. It seemed that being a cat alone at home was quite boring.
"Ugly Duckling, I think you've gotten fatter again. Run ten laps around the restaurant before bed tonight, okay?" Amy picked up the Ugly Duckling, weighed it in her hand, and looked at it with some disdain.
"Meow!" The Ugly Duckling stared at Amy, its eyes widening as if it had heard something unbelievable.
"Run ten laps, not a single one less." Amy emphasized earnestly.
"Meow meow meow~~" The Ugly Duckling anxiously pointed to the two small bowls next to the counter, then to itself, then to Amy, mimicking Amy's gesture by drawing a circle, and then vigorously shaking its head.
"Yes, I told you to eat two bowls at noon, but I didn't make you run, did I?" Amy nodded and then gave a sweet smile: "But if you eat one bowl at night, you can still run ten laps. It's good for exercising before bed, which is good for weight loss."
"Meow—" The Ugly Duckling rolled its eyes and fainted in Amy's arms. This tactic was terrifying! Sure enough, it couldn't believe even the punctuation marks on its mistress's words.
"First day of school, are you happy?" Mai Ge, his hands covered in flour, asked Amy, who was standing in the doorway holding the Ugly Duckling, from the kitchen.
"Mmm, I'm so happy! There are so many kids, and they all think I'm a little mage and want me to play with them. So I need to study magic hard so I can become a real little mage." Amy said happily, nodding repeatedly.
"Well, as long as you're happy." Mai Ge said with a smile. He had been worried that Amy would find learning magic too boring, since Luna had mentioned this issue before, but now it seemed that his worries were unfounded. Amy enjoyed it enough and found fun in it.
"By the way, Daddy, did you hire any pretty young ladies today?" Amy asked Mai Ge expectantly.
"Yes, and it's the one you've met before." Mai Ge nodded.
"Really? Or have I seen her before?" Amy thought seriously for a moment, then her eyes lit up and she said, "Could it be Auntie in Floral Apron?"
"Auntie in Floral Apron runs her own restaurant, there's no way she'd come and be our waitress." Mai Ge shook his head with a smile, then kept her in suspense, saying, "You'll find out who it is when you get home from school tomorrow at noon."
"Okay, I'm sure she's a pretty girl just like Sister Mia." Amy nodded expectantly, without asking any further questions. She took out the music box while holding the Ugly Duckling and invited Yabemia, who also had nothing to do for the time being, to learn to dance together.
The blinds are already down, so there's no need to worry about prying eyes from outside.
Mai Ge glanced at the two little ones outside who were getting more and more into their dance moves, and a smile appeared on his face. He suddenly thought that if Sally joined in, they could make a trio and dance the Gokuraku Jodo. May be they could even perform on stage for the restaurant on Peace Memorial Day.
"With cheongsams, maids, and little lolis dancing to Gokuraku Jodo together, it would be hard not to win first place, right?" Mai Ge thought to himself, also thinking it would be a very interesting scene.
However, given Sally's aloof nature, she probably won't participate, so he'll likely miss out on the chance to see it.
That evening, Amy ate early with Mai Ge and the others. Since the tofu pudding was no longer a problem selling out, Amy didn't need to perform a mukbang for the customers, she could just wait until the new dishes were available.
The Ugly Duckling lay on the ground, looking rather dejected. It seemed to be already feeling the fear of being dominated by the ten laps around the restaurant before bedtime.
"Ugly Duckling, eat your food properly, okay? You need to eat well to have the energy to lose weight." Amy placed a small plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice and two pieces of meat in front of the Ugly Duckling.
"Meow~" The Ugly Duckling turned its head to the other side, as if to protest by going on a hunger strike.
"Anyway, you'll still have to do ten laps even if you don't eat, otherwise you can forget about getting into my bed." Amy said calmly.
"Meow meow~" The Ugly Duckling cried out in despair twice, then turned its gaze back to the tofu pudding, fried rice, and meat in front of it. It sniffed the food, but couldn't resist starting to eat. Its little paws gripped the edge of the bowl, and it became happier and happier as it ate.
"Daddy, Ugly Duckling and I are going to watch the fun. You two enjoy your meal." Amy quickly finished two bowls of tofu pudding and a plate of Yang Zhou Fried Rice. She gently placed her spoon on the plate, said this, and then slid off the chair. She picked up Ugly Duckling, who was still licking the plate, and carried a small stool toward the door.
During this time, Amy developed a habit of carrying a small stool to the door before the restaurant opened to watch the debate between the sweet and savory tofu pudding factions.
Should tofu pudding be sweet or savory?
This issue was completely ignited after both sides had tried the tofu pudding. Everyday, a heated debate over whether to choose sweet or savory pudding would erupt between the two long queues outside the restaurant, becoming a unique spectacle in Aden Square.