The aroma of chicken and mushrooms mingled together, wafting towards them, an enticing scent that makes them mouth water. The golden chicken and the strips of shiitake mushrooms blended together, creating a truly irresistible flavor.
"This meat…" Yulian frowned. He was still somewhat cautious about meat. Although he had eaten a lot of meat in the restaurant recently, but he had never tried chicken. After hesitating for a moment, he picked up his chopsticks, took a piece, and put it in his mouth.
The delicious chicken soup envelops the tender chicken meat. With one bite, the flavor explodes in his mouth. The chicken has no gamey taste at all, and the freshness is enhanced to the extreme by the mushroom flavor. The heat control is just right, and the chicken is at its most tender and delicious when it comes out of the pot. Any less and it will be too tough, any more and it will be too dry.
The sensation of his teeth cutting through the chicken was so wonderful. The rich and flavorful chicken soup was so enticing that he was immediately drawn in. The delicious flavor danced on his tongue, and he only swallowed it after chewing it carefully.
A warm sensation surged from his head down to his legs, and the heat within his body seemed to increase slightly.
"What is this?" Yulian's eyes lit up. The Rou Jia Mo had been somewhat effective in dispelling the chill, but he didn't expect the braised chicken to be even more effective. Although it only added a bit of warmth, but it was quite a rare treat for someone like him who was usually freezing.
"Is chicken really this delicious?" Yulian couldn't help but pick up another piece and put it in his mouth. For decades, he had completely forgotten the taste of chicken, but he was certain that the chicken he had eaten before was never this delicious. How could he forget such a wonderful taste!
After eating two pieces of chicken, Yulian shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth. The rice was fragrant and sweet, and the more he chewed it, the better it tasted. It was a perfect match for the delicious chicken. One bite of chicken, one bite of rice, and then some side dishes—it was so delicious that he couldn't stop eating!
"Is it really that delicious? Even this old man who doesn't like meat is eating it with such relish." Crassus glanced at Yulian, who was eating non-stop, and also picked up his chopsticks, took a shiitake mushroom, and put it in his mouth.
The shiitake mushroom, having absorbed the delicious chicken broth, bursts with flavor with a gentle bite. He felt as if he had fallen into a pool filled with rich, fragrant chicken broth, the wonderful taste making every cell in his body seem to open up and cheer with joy.
"What delicious mushrooms! And this chicken soup is absolutely amazing!" Crassus couldn't help but exclaim, immediately picking up a piece of chicken and putting it in his mouth, enjoying the feeling of the deliciousness melting in his mouth. His eyes narrowed involuntarily, and his face was full of a happy and joyful smile.
"Masters, let me tell you a little secret: pouring chicken soup over rice makes it taste even better. I don't usually tell this to just anyone." Amy said softly, turning to look at the two of them.
"Really?" Crassus and Yulian were skeptical, but since it was Amy who said it, they almost simultaneously picked up their spoons and scooped a few spoonfuls of the golden-red chicken soup onto the rice. After the rice absorbed the soup evenly, they scooped a spoonful of rice and fed it to their mouths.
"Mmm! This tastes amazing!"
Crassus and Yulian stared wide-eyed at almost the same time, looking at their bowls of rice in disbelief. The wonderful flavor of the chicken soup and rice blending together was simply indescribable. A dish with a bowl of white rice could be enjoyed in so many different ways, it was so delicious that they couldn't stop eating!
"Boss Mai, another bowl of rice, please!" Crassus and Yulian almost simultaneously put down their empty bowls of rice and said to Mai Ge.
"Okay." Mai Ge smiled, picked up two bowls, and walked towards the kitchen.
"Host, this system suggests you charge as usual and refuse the unreasonable request for extra rice. One serving of braised chicken with one serving of rice will help boost sales." the system's voice announced.
"System, do you have any friends?" Mai Ge asked casually as he served rice.
"This system doesn't need friends. If I needed them, I believe many people would be willing to be my friends." the system said confidently.
"No, a normal person wouldn't be friends with someone as stingy as you. Don't tell anyone I'm your friend when you go out." Mai Ge scoffed, turned off the rice cooker, and continued, "Besides, it's a normal and reasonable request for customers to ask for more rice. Do you see any braised chicken rice restaurant that doesn't allow customers to ask for more rice? Making money is fine, but you can't be obsessed with money (qian yan)[1]. That will greatly reduce the customer's dining experience."
"Let me correct your mistake, host. Money in this world doesn't have eyes.[2]" the system said seriously.
"Alright, let's set the unit price. All the ingredients consumed today will be charged to me. I caught the chicken legs myself." Mai Ge was too lazy to argue with this nonsensical system and said directly.
"The unit prices of the ingredients used for one serving of braised chicken are as follows:
Two agarwood shiitake mushrooms - 100 copper coins;
A quarter of a sweet potato - 10 copper coins;
One eighth of a mountain celtuce - 10 copper coins;
...
One eighth of a volcanic island Flaming Chicken leg - 100 copper coins;
One bowl of Moonlight Fragrant Rice - 25 copper coins;
Total cost: 400 copper coins!"
"Can't you make it any cheaper? It's hard for me to set a price like this." Although the price was already very reasonable considering the quality of the ingredients provided by the system, but Mai Ge still tried to ask.
"The prices of the ingredients are based on thorough market research by this system, offered to the host at half price, absolutely no bargaining!" The system's reply left no room for negotiation.
"Alright, let's do it this way." Mai Ge raised an eyebrow. With an ingredient cost of 400 copper coins, pricing the dish at 800 copper coins shouldn't be a problem. As for the customers wants to add rice, it costs fifty copper coins per bowl, and they can add as much as they want.
Yulian received the second bowl of rice, hesitated for a moment, then poured it all into the clay pot bowl and happily began to eat it with a spoon.
Crassus craned his neck to watch for a moment, then followed suit, his face beaming with happiness.
"Burp—"
The two of them put down their spoons almost simultaneously, then let out a burp, their faces showing satisfaction.
"Boss Mai, I think your day off was totally worth it. This new dish will definitely be a huge hit." Crassus gave Mai Ge a thumbs up, but after glancing at Amy, he shook his head and said, "However, you shouldn't ask for leave for Amy on school days in the future as this could easily slow down her learning progress."
"What's wrong with taking a day off? Studying requires a balance of work and rest. A mage who stays in the magic room all day will only become a magic idiot." Yulian said, pursing his lips in strong disapproval.
The two locked eyes, ice and fire seemingly clashing in an instant, their auras slowly escalating.
"Master Half Beard, Master Turtle Shell, please don't argue." Amy ran behind the counter, took the boar tusk from the basket, stood between the two men, holding the long boar tusk in her arms, and opened her other hand to reveal the eagle eye. She looked at them and said, "I want a magic wand. Which of you will make one for me?"
[1] Qian Yan: In literature, it is often used to describe greed or the pursuit of money.
[2] The word Yan in Qian Yan mean eyes in Chinese which is why the system interprets it this way. And Qian in Chinese means money. To explain the meaning of "Qian Yan," it's like money has eyes, one shouldn't be blinded by money, which also means one shouldn't be greedy or obsessed with money.