It's good to have a disciple, you don't have to prepare the initial work of the ingredients yourself.
Liu Ming lazily slumped on the chair in the hall, holding the cute Kanna in his arms, one person and one dragon, watching the children's animation being broadcast on TV with great interest.
As for Thor, he arranged for her to go to the back garden. He planned to plant some melons and fruits there, and Thor was busy loosening the soil. Anyway, she has a lot of strength, and Liu Ming wouldn't feel embarrassed.
Liu Ming took a beef jerky stick from the snack bag and put it in front of Kanna.
Kanna opened her mouth wide, took a bite, chewed a few times, "These are not as delicious as what Xiao Ming makes."
"Hehe, when I have time, I'll make some snacks, eat these first now"
Liu Ming rubbed her little head and continued the daily feeding operation.
"Isn't Xiao Ming very free now?" Kanna turned her head and looked at him with her head tilted.
"Now is rest time," Liu Ming had to say.
"Oh" Kanna didn't pursue it, and lowered her head to continue watching the children's animation.
Liu Ming repeated the previous action, occasionally taking out some snacks and handing them to Kanna to eat.
Time passed like this, unconsciously.
"Ding Ding" This is the sound of the bell above the door when the door is opened.
"I'm sorry, we haven't started business yet."
Liu Ming didn't turn his head to look and directly stated the situation loudly.
"Hmph, but I already placed an order."
The voice sounded a bit familiar, and Liu Ming couldn't help but turn his head.
"Oh, it's you. Why are you here so early? Isn't it not even business hours yet?" Liu Ming asked curiously.
"Being early is my philosophy for dealing with people; it shows respect for others and for myself."
Chitawara Natsume stood with her arms crossed, looking at Liu Ming haughtily.
"You really are quite the slacker. It's almost business hours, yet you're still sitting there leisurely. Aren't you afraid your cooking won't satisfy me?"
"Your mouth is on your body. If you insist it's not delicious, there's nothing I can do."
Liu Ming wasn't intimidated at all and remained seated comfortably. Since it wasn't business hours yet, he couldn't even be bothered to greet her.
"I, Chitawara Natsume, wouldn't do something so despicable. Delicious is delicious, and not delicious is not delicious."
Chitawara Natsume found an empty seat and sat down, her gaze fixed on Liu Ming.
"I was just joking; you don't need to be so serious." Liu Ming rolled his eyes. Why were all the people he met so easily offended?
No one even bothered to retort his jokes; it was a bit frustrating.
"Ding ding!" The door opened once again.
Liu Ming looked up and saw another familiar, yet not-so-familiar, person.
"Teacher Liu, I came to return your clothes and have dinner while I'm at it." Natsuno Kirihime's face showed a hint of unnaturalness. She clutched her bag tightly, not daring to meet Liu Ming's gaze.
"You didn't actually move, did you?" Liu Ming asked in surprise.
"Is there a problem?"
"You're asking me if there's a problem? How long has it been since you left? You found a new place so quickly?" Liu Ming took the clothes, his tone a bit exasperated. It seemed she had come specifically for dinner, and returning the clothes was just an afterthought.
Could she also be a food lover?
"Xiao Ming, should I help you take the clothes back to your room?" Kanna suddenly asked.
"No need. Someone might need them later."
Liu Ming's gaze involuntarily fell on Chitawara Natsume, who was currently wearing a light white dress.
"Which dish did you order?" Natsuno Kirihime looked at Chitawara Natsume strangely, her gaze more focused on the clothes she was wearing. As if recalling something embarrassing, a faint blush appeared on her pretty face.
"Is there a problem with that dish?" Chitawara Natsume didn't understand what Natsuno Kirihime meant.
"I advise you to prepare another set of clothes." Natsuno Kirihime kindly reminded her.
"What do you mean? Are you mocking my fashion sense?"
Chitawara Natsume misunderstood her meaning, her tone a bit stiff. What about beauties? Was she not a beauty? And her figure was clearly superior to the other person's.
"If you don't think it's necessary, then forget it. And…"
Natsuno Kirihime glanced at the clothes in Liu Ming's hand and didn't continue. She looked around and chose a table by the window to sit down.
Chitawara Natsume wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. She found that in this restaurant, not only was the owner strange, but even the customers were so peculiar.
"Xiao Ming, have we started business yet?" Just then, Tohru also returned. Despite working for so long, there wasn't a speck of dust on her.
Liu Ming looked up at the wall clock. It was exactly 5 PM.
"Then let's start business. You help take orders. If you're hungry, just tell me in the kitchen, and I'll make something for you first." Liu Ming put Kanna down and patted his wrinkled clothes.
Chitawara Natsume gave him a white eye. Saying that in front of her, a customer, truly wasn't afraid of causing misunderstandings.
Back in the kitchen, Liu Ming didn't disturb Tadokoro Megumi, who was practicing her knife skills.
He walked to his dedicated stove and began cooking the first dish of the evening—Mystical Mapo Tofu.
"I already made a reservation." Chitawara Natsume, seeing Tohru looking at her, had to explain.
"Oh, really? What about them?" Tohru pointed to a secretary and two bodyguards standing behind her.
"You don't need to worry about them."
Tohru looked at them with pity.
The taste of being able to look but not eat was not pleasant, especially here.
"What do you want to eat?" Facing Natsuno Kirihime, Tohru didn't have such a good temper, asking in a stiff tone.
"The one I had at noon today, Mystical Mapo Tofu."
Natsuno Kirihime looked at Tohru blankly. She didn't know how she had offended her; Tohru's tone always had a sting when she spoke to her.
However, thinking about being able to eat that dream-like dish again soon, she felt that these were all minor matters.
"Did you make a reservation?" Tohru's expression was a bit gloating.
Special dishes couldn't just be ordered casually. Liu Ming had repeatedly instructed earlier that not only did they require advance reservations, but they also had limited daily servings.
It definitely wouldn't work if she ordered directly without a reservation.
'Serves you right, for tempting my Xiao Ming,' Tohru thought triumphantly.
"Do I still need a reservation? I could order it directly at noon, couldn't I?" Natsuno Kirihime was dumbfounded. She had been looking forward to it all afternoon, even bringing an extra set of clothes.
"Because noon was the tasting phase, you could order it. After it's a finished product, you have to make a reservation in advance." Tohru recited Liu Ming's fabricated reason with a straight face.
"Is there any restaurant that uses customers to test dishes like this?"
"If you don't like it, you don't have to come. I'm not forcing you." Tohru said indifferently.
"You!" Natsuno Kirihime was choked speechless. She really wanted to scare the other person with scissors, but she was afraid Liu Ming wouldn't cook for her. To know, she had specifically moved houses just to be able to dine here every day.
"Then I'll order a Twice-Cooked Pork." This was what Hiiragi Suzuna, the editor, had eaten at noon. She had seen it with her own eyes, and the taste should be very good.