“800 copper coins can buy four bowls of tofu pudding,” a woman whispered.
“I secretly saved 500 copper coins, but clearly it’s not enough,” said a young man.
It’s not very expensive for me, but I’ll wait and see what this is, Harrison thought, and was not in a rush to order it.
The chicken was giving off a wonderful aroma, but no one was ordering it because of the price.
“I’d like a braised chicken and rice please,” Carl said as he seated himself.“Okay. Coming right up!” Mag said. He smiled encouragingly at Sally, and strode into the kitchen.
“Don’t worry. You’re doing great,” Yabemiya whispered to Sally, and started taking orders.
“You don’t seem to be bothered by the price, Carl,” said Jimmy, who listened to the old man’s stories growing up. His family owned a little shop.
Now, most people who wanted to order the new dish decided to wait and see if it was worth the money.
“I trust Mag. The higher the price, the better the food. He wouldn’t risk losing customers,” Carl said.
Jimmy nodded his agreement. Still, his monthly pocket money was only a couple thousand copper coins, so he wasn’t willing to spend 800 on a dish.
Mag was not worried. He was only able to make 48 bowls of braised chicken in the morning, and he was convinced he could sell them all out. If they are willing to pay 600 for a Yangzhou fried rice, another 200 isn’t too much to stop them.After they all sat down, some people started chatting in whispers, and others were admiring the pretty waitresses. The sweet tofu pudding guys and savory tofu pudding guys stopped arguing; they didn’t want to ruin everyone’s appetite.
Many people ordered tofu pudding, and then waited for Carl’s braised chicken and rice.
“What do you think of this braised chicken, Gjergj?” asked Harrison.
“Mag doesn’t cook anything but delicious food, and I heard chicken soup is very nutritious. Miranda has a good appetite these days, maybe because of Yangzhou fried rice. I was going to buy some fire chicken for her. But, if this braised chicken has soup too, I won’t need to have our cook make chicken soup. She doesn’t like our cook’s cooking.”
“Your marriage is so sweet, it will give me diabetes!” Harrison said, envious.
By then, Yabemiya had walked out with a tray, on which were a brown earthenware bowl and a bowl of rice.
The braised chicken was giving off delicious aroma as she moved between the tables.
“Smells good!”
“Yeah, and the smell is so strong! I never made such aromatic chicken.”
“I think I smelled something strange but intoxicating.”
The customers were all staring at the braised chicken on the tray.
“Your braised chicken and rice. Enjoy your meal,” Yabemiya said, putting the food in front of Carl.
Carl’s eyes were glued to the dish. The inviting smell from the brown chicken and the thick soup made him close his eyes and take a deep sniff.
“It has shiitakes in it?!” Carl said, looking at the shiitake sticks in the bowl.
The other customers looked confused.
“Shiitakes? What is that?” Jimmy asked.
“It’s a precious ingredient,” Carl said, excited. “It’s divine. Many years ago, I was lucky enough to eat shiitakes in the Wind Forest. It was my first time, but I still remember the taste! Then I tried to buy them from elves, and occasionally, if I was lucky, I could buy one or two. Considering the time and effort that went into buying them, I think it’s safe to say that each one cost me around 100 gold coins. I use only a piece when making soup.” He picked up a shiitake stick. “But the shiitakes I bought are nothing compared to this!”
The other customers gasped in surprise. They were wondering who this storyteller really was.
Of course, what surprised them even more was that the shiitakes that Carl had been eagerly looking for were right here!
They had been cut into sticks, but apparently there were more than one shiitake in the bowl. They were rare to find, and their rarity made them priceless.
Carl’s remarks brought a smile to Mag’s lips. Never thought he would recognize the shiitake; he must be a foodie. I should have priced it higher since shiitakes are so rare in this world.
“Let me try it,” Carl said, and brought a piece of shiitake into his mouth while the others were gazing at him.
