"Although what Amy said makes a lot of sense, but why does it sound a little sad…" Xi Xi looked at Amy. Usually at this time, no customers would come to buy magic potions, especially on the restaurant's rest days. After the flow of people dropped sharply, it was usually very quiet except for regular customers.
"Then I'll take it as Sister Xi Xi agreeing to come. Will Big Bear come too?" Amy asked with a smile.
"If I come, he'll definitely come too, but it's a children's gathering. Won't he scare the kids? Although I think he's quite handsome." Xi Xi said with a hint of worry.
"It's okay. Although he's ugly, but he's also a bit silly, so he's not scary." Amy shook her head, not caring at all.
"That makes a lot of sense…" Xi Xi's eyes lit up, but then her expression turned strange. "But… Little Amy, you're being too honest."
"Really? Daddy said I should be an honest child, so I can grow up to be as pretty as Sister Xi Xi." Amy said earnestly, looking at Xi Xi.
"Yes, I love your honesty, it's so cute." Xi Xi smiled and gently rubbed Amy's cheek, a happy smile spreading across her face.
"Goodbye, Sister Xi Xi! Remember to bring Big Bear when you come at 11:30!" Amy said happily, turning to walk out of the shop.
"Okay, I'll definitely come! For my braised chicken!" Xi Xi nodded solemnly.
"Daddy, Sister Xi Xi and Big Bear will be coming too! Have we invited everyone?" Amy said happily to Mai Ge as she came out of the shop.
"Yes, we've notified everyone. You're doing great, Little Amy! Now we should go back and prepare to welcome our guests." Mai Ge said with a smile, patting Amy's hair.
"My dear Princess Amy, may I join your party?" Black Charcoal poked its little head out and asked Amy with great anticipation.
"And me? Am I fortunate enough to receive an invitation?" Green Bean also looked at Amy expectantly, then said a little shyly, "I've never been to a party before."
"If it's Green Bean, of course! I'd love to introduce you to my friends, they've never seen a talking bird before." Amy said with a smile and a nod.
"What about me?" Black Charcoal asked.
"Black Charcoal, you can't." Amy shook her head.
"Why! I can talk too!" Black Charcoal's voice suddenly drew out, and half of its body peeked out from the gap in the birdcage bars, continuing, "And I can sing too, I can sing lots and lots of beautiful songs! I'm amazing!"
"But you're ugly. What if you scare the children?" Amy shook her head, a little worried. "Uncle Blue Fatty will be bringing his unborn little daughter with him. It wouldn't be good to scare the little kids."
"Thud~"
Black Charcoal fell straight down to the edge of the birdcage, rolling its eyes, unwilling to accept reality.
"Meow meow~" The Ugly Duckling, having recovered, meowed happily in the bicycle basket, brimming with pride.
"Alright, then you can go too." Amy stared at the Black Charcoal for a while, then shrugged helplessly. After thinking for a moment, she added, "But I'll cover your cage with a black cloth, okay? That way you won't scare the children."
"Okay, I definitely won't run away!" Black Charcoal immediately revived, jumping up and down with immense joy.
"Then let's go home first. Sister Mia and Sister Aisha are waiting for us." Mai Ge said with a smile. Some of the hair on Black Charcoal's body that Amy had burned off had grown back, which was much better than the original single hair, but... it was still ugly.
"Okay." Amy nodded, walked to the basket of the bicycle, reached out and picked up the Ugly Duckling, and walked towards the restaurant. As she walked, she called out to Yabemia and Sally, who were standing at the restaurant entrance, "Sister Mia, Sister Aisha, let's dance Spring Is Here one more time, just one last time."
Sally wore a gold-trimmed cheongsam today, showing off her long, snow-white legs and elegant demeanor, while Yabemia wore a black maid outfit with cute white stockings, exuding youthful energy.
"Okay, actually I'd like to practice again. It's my first time dancing in front of others, I'm so nervous." Yabemia nodded.
"I'm fine with anything." Sally smiled and nodded, appearing quite calm.
Mai Ge pushed his bicycle over, greeted the two of them, and opened the door for them to go inside.
"Boss, what's the new dish you're making today?" Yabemia asked curiously as soon as she entered.
"Yes, Daddy, what's that delicious dessert you mentioned?" Amy asked curiously as well, while Sally looked at Mai Ge.
"You'll see when it's done. You all go dance first, I'm going to prepare the food for the party. We have quite a few guests today." Mai Ge said with a smile, shaking his head as he headed towards the kitchen.
"No matter what it is, anything Daddy makes is guaranteed to be delicious!" Amy said confidently.
"That's what I think too. The Boss has never let us down." Yabemia nodded in agreement.
"Let's have one last rehearsal, and then set up the space. Dancing requires an open area, and we don't need so many tables and chairs." Sally said with a smile.
"Okay!" Amy nodded, put the Ugly Duckling on a chair nearby, and ran behind the counter to get the music box.
Yabemia and Sally began setting up the venue, clearing out an open space and then putting several tables together to form a semicircle, which perfectly enclosed the area in the middle.
The music started, and Amy stood in the center, with Sally and Yabemia on either side, beginning their final rehearsal of Gokuraku Jodo.
Mai Ge was in the kitchen preparing food for the upcoming lunch gathering. Seventeen people had been invited, not many compared to usual, and most were children, so the amount of food needed was minimal.
…
"Amy! Are you home? Ignaz and I are here." A knock on the door was accompanied by a childish voice.
At the restaurant entrance, Daphne, dressed in a light green floral dress, was knocking on the door with her little hand raised. Next to her, the chubby little devil with a bean sprout on his head stared wide-eyed at his reflection in the floor to ceiling glass, sucked in his stomach, then released it and giggled, the tender green bean sprout on his head trembling.
A tall, middle-aged man stood behind the two of them, a smile on his face. He looked up at the restaurant's sign with a hint of surprise.
"Daphne, and Ignaz, you're finally here!" The door jingled open, and Amy exclaimed in surprise. Her eyes lit up when she saw the middle-aged man standing behind Daphne. "Grandpa Tiger, what brings you here? Are you here for the party too?" she asked in astonishment.