"I'll go make you breakfast. You two play for a while." Mai Ge said with a smile, turning to walk towards the kitchen. The Ugly Duckling's fear of heights is quite amusing, but it doesn't look like it can fly at all, so there's probably no need to worry about that.
Occasionally, customers would come by the restaurant, but seeing the sign on the door that read "Closed on Holidays," they would be disappointed and have no choice but to leave.
The guests had gradually figured out Mai Ge's temperament. While he was easygoing and kind, but he strictly adhered to the restaurant's rules, regardless of who they were. If they didn't follow the rules, Mai Ge had a blacklist that struck fear into the hearts of many.
After a quick breakfast, it was already nine o'clock, but the sun was shining brightly, making it perfect for flying kites.
"Let's go! Let's fly a kite!" Amy jumped out of the restaurant first, followed by the Ugly Duckling with its short legs, and Mai Ge, holding the kite high in one hand, also followed out the door.
The kite, not including its three colorful tails, was almost as tall as a person. Its vibrant purple was dotted with bright silver, the colors so vivid they looked like real feathers.
Although the kite was large, but it was surprisingly light to hold, almost weightless. The slender support poles possessed remarkable toughness and strength, making it seem as if one could soar into the sky simply by throwing the kite. This quality pleased Mai Ge greatly, and he almost couldn't help but praise the system.
Of course, praise was out of the question. If he did, the kite wouldn't have taken to the skies, but the system would likely have.
"Wow, what a beautiful kite! Little Amy, do you want to fly a kite with Boss Mai?" At the entrance of the magic potion shop, Xi Xi, who was feeding Black Charcoal and Green Bean, looked at the large kite in Mai Ge's hand, her eyes lighting up as she asked with a smile.
"Yes, yes, this is a kite Daddy made! Sister Xi Xi, would you like to go fly a kite together?" Amy said proudly, extending an invitation to Xi Xi.
"Although I really want to fly a kite, but Sister Xi Xi has to work, so I can't go with Little Amy today. Have fun with your Daddy!" Xi Xi glanced at the magic potion shop, smiled, and shook her head.
"Okay." Amy nodded, then looked at Black Charcoal and Green Bean, smiling, "Green Bean, Black Charcoal, do you want to come along?"
"No!" Black Charcoal refused decisively, looking at Amy with a hint of fear.
"I don't want to go either." Green Bean also shook its head, its red lips brushing against her soft green fur. "I can fly by myself, so I don't like flying kites."
"Don't worry, Black Charcoal, I won't use you to test the Flame of Extreme Cold next time." Amy comforted Black Charcoal.
But before Black Charcoal could even breathe a sigh of relief, she added seriously, "At least until Master Turtle Shell teaches me the second spell."
"My princess, this king... no, I was wrong, please have mercy on me! I'll do whatever you say from now on. Please don't freeze me with that ice anymore, it's too cold!" Black Charcoal's voice was full of grievance, its small black eyes looking at Amy, already brimming with tears.
"Alright, seeing how pitiful you are, I won't freeze you next time." Amy looked at Black Charcoal, thought for a moment, and nodded.
"Thank you, princess. From now on, Black Charcoal will be your most loyal servant. Please feel free to ask for anything you need." Black Charcoal was overjoyed, its voice trembling slightly.
"Then…" Amy looked down at the Ugly Duckling on the ground, staring at a butterfly, poised to pounce.
"Meow meow~" Seemingly sensing Amy's gaze, the Ugly Duckling's body stiffened instantly, and it kept shaking its head. Last night, it had also experienced the fear of being dominated by ice.
"This is wrong of you. So who am I supposed to use to test my magic?" Amy pouted, somewhat annoyed.
"It's wrong of Little Amy to insist on using the Ugly Duckling and Black Charcoal for your experiment. No matter what we do, we should consider other people's feelings. If they are friends, we shouldn't force them to do things they don't want to do." Mai Ge said to Amy, his expression serious and earnest.
"Is that so?" Amy looked up at Mai Ge, a little confused and conflicted.
"Yes, you see, the Ugly Duckling doesn't like you freezing it with magic, so it's scared. That's a bad emotion, it shows it's unhappy. We should make our friends happy, just like you want to make Jessica happy." Mai Ge nodded gently.
For Amy's age, behavior is often driven by whims, and that's when her father needs to guide her.
"Like I treat Jessica…" Amy's eyes brightened, and she looked at Mai Ge, nodding earnestly. "Daddy, I understand."
"Okay, good girl." Mai Ge smiled.
"Ugly Duckling, I won't freeze you with my Flame of Extreme Cold anymore." Amy said with a smile, looking at the Ugly Duckling.
"Meow meow~" The Ugly Duckling meowed happily, rubbing its head against Amy's little leg, its face full of joy.
"But Jessica never wants me to carry her, so I won't carry you anymore either. You're not little anymore, you need to learn to walk on your own." Amy continued seriously.
"Meow~" The Ugly Duckling's happiness vanished instantly. It looked up at Amy, raised its two little white front paws, and made a gesture as if asking for a hug.
"No, Daddy said I have to treat you like Jessica. If I were to carry you, I can't carry Jessica, and that wouldn't be fair to her." Amy shook her head, waved to Xi Xi, and skipped towards the square, where many kites were already soaring high in the sky.
The Ugly Duckling immediately wilted, looked back at Mai Ge, and reluctantly changed its target.
"I'm already carrying a lot of things, so you can walk by yourself." Mai Ge shrugged, carrying the kite in one hand and the kite reel in the other, and followed Amy. The little one shouldn't be spoiled, otherwise it will be too tiring to carry it when it gets fat.
"Meow!" The Ugly Duckling meowed a little sadly, trotting behind the two of them. Although it looked a bit strenuous, but it was keeping up.
In the square, many parents were flying kites with their children. The central area of Aden Square was a huge circular plaza with a flat, bluestone-paved surface—perfect for kite flying.
The children, naturally, compared whose kite was prettier, and whose father's kite flew the highest.
"Daddy, you're so awesome! Our kite flew the highest and was the biggest and most beautiful!" A little girl with a bun on her head clapped her little hands, chasing after a man dressed in black, her little face full of excitement.