Sally felt she had walked into a sea of gourmet food, and was overwhelmed by a good taste and a warm feeling.
The eggs covering the rice were so tender; the flavorful ham, the crisp winter bamboo shoot, the sweet green pea… The taste of each ingredient was very distinct, and yet they were perfectly combined together.
She tasted shrimp; its sweet and delicious flavor spread out in her mouth. She seemed to have tasted the ocean.
Even in the Valley of the Wind, this kind of shrimp was not easy to come by. As for the shrimp that were kept alive by magic, their taste was not as good. Even she had only once had the privilege of eating shrimp this fresh when she'd gone to the shore north of the Wind Forest with her grandfather two years ago, but still, their taste had not been as fresh and tender.
Where did he get these fresh shrimp? If he had shipped them to Chaos City from the shore, the price of one shrimp would have been more than five gold coins.
One plate of fried rice has more than one shrimp, but it only sells at 600 copper coins! The owner here… he must be dumb. A flicker of confusion flew across her mind.
When she bit into the tender egg and touched the sweet rice with her tongue, she froze for an instant suddenly, and then she opened her eyes.
This taste!
It's the taste of the Spring of Life!
She was not a royal family member, but her clan was also very noble among elves, so she had been baptized in the Spring of Life several times. She had even had a small glass of water from the Spring of Life during her coming of age ceremony, so she was very familiar with and sensitive to the taste of their holy spring.
Much to her surprise, in this Chaos City, she had tasted the Spring of Life in a restaurant owned by a human! For a moment, she didn't know what to think because of this weird turn of events. She even started wondering if her homesickness had made her unable to think straight.
As she chewed on the rice, the taste of the rice and various ingredients was tickling her taste buds ceaselessly; among it, the exclusive feel of the Spring of Life was very distinct, confirming her suspicion again and again.
When she had swallowed it, a warm current spread all over her body through her meridians, rapidly dissolving her fatigue and hunger from days of travel.
It's definitely the Spring of Life!
Sally was very certain. Her senses were telling her that she should draw her bow, point the arrow at this human male, and ask him how he got his hands on the water from the Spring of Life.
However… this Yangzhou fried rice was so good that she wasn't able to make herself put down the spoon and pick up her bow!
Her family had the best cook in her entire clan. She had attended many dinner parties in the palace, and she had even tried the food cooked by the royal chef when the king of the Roth Empire came to visit the elves with his chef.
However, compared to this Yangzhou fried rice, those dishes that seemed very exquisite in appearance were very bland.
Moreover, this delicious Yangzhou fried rice was made by a human—a human male!
Take another bite?
Sally felt a devil in her heart tempting her, and she didn't want to resist it. Her spoon clattered on the plate again, and the second spoonful was already in her mouth. She closed her eyes again, tasting the flavor of every ingredient carefully.
At that instant, the holy spring and the responsibility of elves were all put aside by her; all she had in her mind was: eat, eat, eat!
She took one bite after another. Her deep-rooted manners were keeping her from gobbling down her food, but she was still eating quickly, unlike her usual self, completely forgetting about her suspicion before.
Mag watched as she ate her fried rice. He smiled. He felt proud and satisfied while looking at his customers indulging in the food he made. Perhaps it did feel good to conquer others' taste buds, even better than conquering women.
Amy was very proud too. This was her father's doing—he could make the best rainbow fried rice under the sun. Even the elf big sister had fallen in love with the taste after just one bite.
Sally finished her fried rice as if there were no one else but her in the restaurant. When she put the spoon on the plate to get another bite, she realized there was nothing left—not even one rice grain.
I have finished the entire plate? Sally froze for an instant, feeling as if she had just started. She looked at the plate that could almost reflect her face and felt a little ashamed. She hadn't been very graceful in others' presence, but the good thing was that she held back her impulse to lick the plate.
With food this good, one plate was clearly not enough for her. Sally looked up at Mag and said expectantly, "Owner, please give me seconds."
"Okay. Please wait a moment, Miss," answered Mag, smiling. He walked to the kitchen, thinking that even the graceful elves could not resist the good taste of this Yangzhou fried rice.
He had his worries, though. The rice was irrigated with the water from the Spring of Life, and if she could taste it, there might be problems.
"It's really so good," exclaimed Mobai satisfyingly. By then, he had put down his spoon. Two plates of fried rice were just enough. The weariness all over his body was nowhere to be found. He hadn't felt this comfortable for a very long time. He really felt very good.
"Dwarf grandpa Mobai, would you like two more plates?" asked Amy with anticipation.
Mobai looked at Amy's big expectant eyes and almost nodded. He waved his hands quickly. "No, two plates are just enough for my dinner today, and I can drink a little when I get back. What a wonderful day!"
"Okay. You have had two plates. Two six twelve. Twelve gold coins, please." Amy was a little disappointed, but her smile returned quickly. She jumped off her chair, walked to Mobai, and held out her two hands. "Pay your bill, please."
"You are much quicker tonight." Mobai was a little surprised. He counted 12 gold coins and put them on Amy's little hands.
Mobai arose from his chair and said to Mag in the kitchen, "See you around, Mag." Then he turned to Amy, and said, "Bye, little girl."
"See you." Mag smiled in his kitchen.
"One, two, three… Bye, dwarf grandpa Mobai." Amy was counting the coins with shining eyes. She didn't even raise her head when she answered.
"This address…" Mobai pursed his lips. It sounds a little strange. He smiled and walked out.
Who is this man? Sally looked at Mag who was working in the kitchen. Though she could only see his side face through the glass, she was attracted by his focus and concentration.
A grand restaurant, great fried rice, fresh shrimp, the Spring of Life… And he has a beautiful half-elf daughter. He seems normal, but how many secrets does he have?
Or, how many stories?
Sally showed her curiosity towards a man for the very first time.