Chapter 8

The freshly cooked fried rice was still steaming, and the aroma of eggs mixed with scallions wafted in the air. Amy couldn't resist taking a deep breath, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the fried rice in front of her.

Each grain of rice was coated with golden eggs, shining as if they were emitting light. Not only gold but also green, red, white... various colors mixed together. Unable to control her salivation, she looked up at Maige with curiosity and asked, "Father, did you pluck the rainbow and stir-fry it?"

"Huh?" Maige, who had just sat down across from her, was momentarily taken aback. Looking at the colorful fried rice on the plate, it did resemble a chopped rainbow. The innocence of a child is truly fascinating. He smiled and nodded, "Yes, this is Rainbow Fried Rice. Amy, go ahead and taste it."

"No, Father should take a bite first, and then Amy will eat." Amy shook her head and scooped a large spoonful of fried rice, struggling a bit as she handed it to Maige.

"Amy, you should eat first. Father is not hungry. I'll make another portion later." Maige smiled and shook his head.

"No, Father woke up early to make breakfast for Amy. You must be hungrier than Amy." Amy pouted and said, holding the spoon in mid-air, slightly trembling due to her weak strength, but showing no intention of retracting it.

"Alright, then I'll take a bite first." Maige smiled and took a bite of the rice from the spoon. As the delicious fried rice went down his throat, he felt a warm and contented feeling. Although Amy had secretly swallowed her saliva several times, she insisted on letting him eat first.

This feeling of being cared for was truly wonderful.

Maige couldn't help but smile. The little girl's thoughts were truly innocent. He propped his chin on his hand, looking at Amy with anticipation, feeling a bit nervous.

Although he thought this Yangzhou fried rice was incredibly delicious, it was still a dish from Earth, with a completely different culinary style from this world. He didn't know if Amy would like it or if it would suit her palate.

As soon as Amy put the fried rice into her mouth, her eyes lit up. Her little pointed ears, partially concealed by her silver hair, twitched. The tender rice wrapped in fragrant eggs, the succulent shrimp, the savory ham, the sweet tender tree mushrooms, the crisp bamboo shoots—everything was mixed together in this mouthful of fried rice, perfectly fused. The texture was so delicate, and the rich, sweet flavor melted in her mouth. It was so delicious that she didn't know how to describe it.

The sweet and crispy cakes that used to be her number one favorite seemed like stones in comparison to this fried rice. They were no longer worth mentioning, and she probably wouldn't want to eat them anymore in the future.

After taking a bite, she couldn't help but immediately take a second, and then a mouthful after another. She couldn't stop, feeling that this was the happiest moment.

"Rainbow fried rice is so delicious. Father is amazing..." Amy mumbled a bit unclearly in between bites. However, her gaze never left the plate. After saying that, she lowered her head and continued to devour the fried rice, without any intention of taking a break.

"Take your time while eating," Maige said, getting up and pouring a glass of water to place beside her. He watched the cute movement of her little pointed ears and his face was filled with a satisfied smile. Amy's reaction said it all. She was very pleased with this fried rice. The monotonous repetition in the Divine Chef Space had reached its peak, but at this moment, she received the best reward. Just watching her enjoy her meal made everything worth it.

"I guess I'll quickly fall in love with the feeling of cooking," Maige thought to himself silently. Watching the little one enjoy the meal gave him a great sense of accomplishment. However, the little one was enjoying it so much that he started feeling a bit hungry himself.

It wasn't until Amy finished all the fried rice in the plate, licking the plate itself and not leaving behind a single shrimp at the bottom, that she put down the plate and eagerly said, "Father, I want more. Xiao Mi wants to eat Rainbow Fried Rice. It's super delicious."

"More?" Maige was a bit surprised as he looked at the empty plate without a grain of rice left. He had cooked an adult-sized portion, and yet the little one had finished it all and still wanted more.

"Yes, yes, Xiao Mi wants more," Amy nodded, blinking her big eyes and looking at Maige with anticipation. However, after a moment's thought, she glanced towards the kitchen and hesitated, saying, "But Father, you haven't eaten yet. Do we have enough rice at home? Xiao Mi doesn't have to eat."

"Of course, we have enough rice, and Xiao Mi's fried rice was already tasted by Father," Maige smiled and tousled Xiao Mi's hair. The little one always thought of him, so considerate.

After checking his memory, although Xiao Mi was only four years old, he could eat two bowls of rice in one meal, almost like an adult. It was the first time she had tasted such delicious fried rice, so she definitely wanted another bowl. However, it was still early in the morning, and Maige didn't want the little one to overeat. Giving her a small bowl later would be enough.

"Okay, Father, you're amazing at cooking today," Amy said, clapping her hands and looking at Maige with admiration in her eyes.

Maige got up and collected the plates on the table, preparing to go into the kitchen.

"The free ingredient usage benefit has ended. From now on, all ingredients provided by the system must be purchased by the host before they can be used. The following is a price list for ingredients. Please refer to it," the system's voice suddenly sounded.

"Purchase?" Maige was taken aback, suddenly recalling that when he completed the tasks in the Culinary Trial of the Divine Chef earlier, the system mentioned something about acquiring permission to purchase ingredients. However, at that time, his attention was completely drawn to the Yangzhou Fried Rice, and he didn't pay much attention to it. He assumed that the ingredients were provided by the system for free, but he didn't expect that he would have to buy them.

Focusing his gaze on the price list, Maige's eyes widened. "Oh my, System, are these prices marked correctly?"

"The prices are marked correctly," the system calmly replied.

"These jumbo prawns are 50 copper coins each, that's fine, but you're selling each green pea for 1 copper coin... Are you trying to extort money?" Maige raised an eyebrow. The list clearly stated the required ingredients for one serving of Yangzhou Fried Rice:

Jumbo prawns - 2 prawns at 50 copper coins each

Eggs - 2 eggs at 30 copper coins each

Ham - 1 piece at 40 copper coins

Shiitake mushrooms - 1 mushroom at 30 copper coins

Bamboo shoots - 1 piece at 30 copper coins

Rice - 1 bowl at 30 copper coins

Green peas - 5 peas at 1 copper coin each

Green onions - 1 stalk at 1 copper coin

Total: 296 copper coins.

"With the price of ingredients for this serving of Yangzhou Fried Rice, I could eat 296 sweet and crispy cakes!" Maige was speechless. How could anyone do business like this?