Chapter 23:To Eat Here Or Not?
Sally walked in and heard Mag’s voice when she was about to glance around the restaurant. She seemed a little surprised.
Clearly, he was a human male, but he looked much better than the ones she had met today, and were slovenly dressed with stubble all over their faces.
His short hair was very orderly, and there was no stubble on his chin. His mustache wasn’t an unpleasant sight, but instead made him look mature. His dark eyes seemed very deep.
His clothes were just black and white, but they were very well made, and more importantly, they were quite clean. She had a good impression of him.Besides, he might be lean, but he looked like a sword standing in its sheath. Only the human knight who’d come to the elves before had made her feel that way; he had a heavy sword like no other, which was very impressive.
However, the man before her was obviously different. He was not very aggressive, but rather reserved and steady, and didn’t look like he could carry a heavy sword.
Humans were relatively acceptable to elves—except the messy ones, of course.
Sally gave Mag a nod of acknowledgement, and continued to look around the restaurant.
Its decorations were very special, featuring humans and other species. For example, there was a valley painted in gray on the wall—the famous Valley of the Wind in the Wind Forest. Sally grew up there, so she recognized it at first glance.
Farther on was a big city of humans. She had seen a similar painting in her father’s study. It should be the capital of the Roth Empire—Rodu.
She could more or less recognize the other famous places in the paintings by guessing. These paintings alone were proof enough to her that the owner here was no ordinary man.The chandeliers were even more beautiful from up close. The carvings were so delicate as if they were like this from the very start.
Mag was also looking at the elf. It was the first time that he had seen a female elf. Her facial features were very distinctive and deep; her slim and long neck made her look like a proud swan.
Amy will be better-looking than her when she grows up, Mag thought. He pursed his lips and looked at this elf beauty in appreciation, and, of course, that was all he was doing.
Sally slid her finger across the table and didn’t feel anything greasy at all. They were just as clean as the ones in her home, which made her less nervous and out of sorts.
She couldn’t refrain from glancing at Mag. He was around 30. Humans could live several decades—it was so short compared to the elves’ lifespan, which could reach as long as 800 years. He was at such a young age, yet he was the owner of such a beautiful restaurant, which was very mysterious and made her curious.
On top of that, she could feel his eyes on her ever since she walked in, but he wasn’t making her uncomfortable, because she found nothing ugly in his stares, only courtesy and appreciation.
No beautiful woman would find handsome males’ appreciative gaze distasteful, and neither would Sally.
She put her bow and quiver down on the table and took a seat, and then she asked Mag politely, “What do you have here?”
“There’s a menu on the table. You can take a look,” Mag answered as he pointed at the menu beside her.
Sally picked up the menu and opened it. The fine material of the cover made her like the details of the restaurant more, but she froze for a moment when she dropped her expectant gaze to the menu. It’s … empty?
No, there’s a small line at the top. Such a big restaurant, with such exquisite decoration, but it only offers one dish?
Suddenly, Sally felt like she had entered a strange place. Could this be a human trick that the wet nurse often talked about?
Yangzhou fried rice—600 copper coins each? Sally was taken aback when she made out the small words. She looked closer. After she was certain that she didn’t misread the menu, she raised her head slowly to look at Mag. She narrowed her eyes to try to figure out whether he was a fraud or not.
She wouldn’t have been surprised if a dish were priced at 10 gold coins in such a grand restaurant. However, there was only one dish on this menu, and it was priced at 600 copper coins. That was not very cheap.
The hotel she’d stayed in last night only cost her 100 copper coins.
Besides, she had heard a lot about human-made food before. What’s this Yangzhou fried rice? Is it really worth 600? She tried to find the answer on Mag’s face.
However, she gave up quickly. Mag kept up his calm smile. He made her feel comfortable, yet he kept his distance. She couldn’t work out what was on his mind.
Sally wouldn’t care about those 600 copper coins if it were before, because this environment alone would have been reason enough for her to spend a gold coin sitting here for a while longer.
However, she only took a dozen dragon coins with her when she ran away in a hurry, and she had already spent some. She didn’t want to go back home soon on account of her financial problems, so she had to make every coin count.
It was a little extravagant for her to spend 600 copper coins on one meal; besides, since it didn’t seem large in volume, maybe one plate wasn’t enough for her.
At this moment, the ringing of the bells sounded again, and with it came Mobai’s loud and clear voice. “Mag, I’m here again. Give me two plates of Yangzhou fried rice. Please serve them up separately. It’s best to eat them hot.”
“Sure. Please wait a moment.” Mag looked at Mobai with surprise. He must have washed and changed his clothes. He was in a gray shirt and a pair of gray pants; his footwear was black cloth shoes, clean and tidy. The hammer that he had carried at noon was not with him. All of this made Mag feel touched.
“Right.” Mobai nodded, smiling. He glanced around the restaurant and was a little disappointed when he didn’t find Amy. He caught a glimpse of Sally, who was holding her bow vigilantly, and then he took back his gaze quickly and took his seat at a random table.
“Please take your time, Miss. You can call me when you’re ready to order,” Mag said as he looked at Sally who was still hesitating, and then he turned around and went into the kitchen. He started to prepare the fried rice. Regular customers were great as he had expected.
“Okay.” Sally nodded. She had been alert ever since Mobai came in. Seeing that he wasn’t staring at her like the rude dwarves in her impression, she relaxed her hand slowly.
Leave or eat here? Sally couldn’t make up her mind. She gave Mobai a sideway glance as he was sitting there, waiting for his food. He was very eager to order the fried rice when he came in, and now he is waiting with anticipation. Is this Yangzhou fried rice really that good?
Never mind. I’ll see what this Yangzhou fried rice really is first, and if it’s truly delicious… Sally clenched her fist and made up her mind.
