The enticing aroma made Luna swallow hard. Seeing the children completely absorbed in the food, she picked up the chopsticks, took a piece of chicken, and took a bite.
"What a rich and delicious chicken soup! The chicken meat is tender and smooth, it's so delicious!" Luna's eyes lit up. The delicious flavor spread in her mouth. She could taste that it was Flaming Chicken meat, but how could the chicken soup be elevated to such an extreme? It also contained an enticing savory aroma, a flavor she had never tasted before.
"What is this?" After finishing a piece of chicken, Luna picked up a shiitake mushroom. The rich aroma wafted up, unlike the subtle fragrance of ordinary mushrooms. This aroma seemed to want everyone to know, making no attempt to hide it.
"Perhaps the secret to enhancing the flavor of the chicken soup lies here." Luna put the shiitake mushroom in her mouth with great anticipation. With a gentle bite, the chicken soup overflowed from the fully absorbed shiitake mushroom. Although it was a dried shiitake mushroom, but the texture was not harsh at all, but still refreshing and tender.
The rich aroma of mushrooms raged in her mouth, and after swallowing, a lingering fragrance remained, a taste that was both unforgettable and intoxicating.
"It's so delicious! Mr. Mai Ge, your cooking skills are amazing!" Luna couldn't help but praise him. If the Yang Zhou Fried Rice Mai Ge made the first time brought her a pleasant surprise, then the Rou Jia Mo, tofu pudding, and now the Braised Chicken Rice, Mai Ge has been breaking his own mindset. Every dish brings an extraordinary enjoyment. This kind of talent can only be described as genius.
"Miss Luna, you flatter me." Mai Ge said with a smile. Being praised by a beautiful lady is always a pleasant thing.
Dinner ended amidst the children's laughter and chatter. Every box was completely empty, not even a drop of chicken soup remained. Only a child of about seven years old in the corner had half left. He carefully closed the box, looked at Mai Ge, and asked, "Uncle, can I borrow this box for the night? My sister hasn't eaten yet, and I want to take this delicious food home so she can try it too."
"Of course, this box is disposable. You can throw it away after you're done using it. You don't need to return it to me." Mai Ge smiled and nodded. He took one of the two remaining portions of Braised Chicken Rice from the bag and put it in the other bag. He handed it directly to the child and said, "Also, take this portion of Braised Chicken Rice back with your sister. Half a portion won't be enough."
"Throw it away? Uncle, can I keep it? I've never had such a nice bowl before!" Jessica looked at the smooth, soft, transparent bowl in her hand and asked Mai Ge with some anticipation.
"I want to keep it for meals too! My bowl cracked again yesterday and can't hold water anymore. This bowl is really great!" The other children chimed in, hugging their takeout boxes as if they were precious treasures.
As Mai Ge watched this scene, his heart suddenly tightened. The disposable hard plastic takeout bowls and boxes were like treasures in the eyes of these children. Poverty made them experience the hardships of life at an early age, and they struggled to survive in this world with their weak bodies.
"Okay, you can keep them all then." Mai Ge forced a smile and nodded.
"Yay! Thank you, Uncle!" The children cheered immediately, holding the boxes high above their heads as if they had received a tremendous reward.
"It's getting dark. Goodbye, Teacher Luna, Uncle, Amy, I'm going home." A child, clutching the bowl, said goodbye and ran off.
The other children followed suit.
"Amy, I have to go home now. My mother is waiting for me at home. Your little dress is so pretty today, and the Ugly Duckling is super cute too. I hope we can play together again next time." Jessica said to Amy, holding the meal box in her hands. Her smile was clean and lovely. She reached out and touched the Ugly Duckling's head, her eyes filled with expectation and a little reluctance.
"Jessica, is your mother still coughing everyday? How are her eyes?" Amy asked with concern, looking at Jessica with some reluctance.
"Yes, it seems to have gotten a bit worse in the fall." Jessica nodded with a slightly somber expression, but quickly smiled again and said, "But my mother said she'll be better by winter. Once her eyes are better, she can start sewing for others again, so I can stay home in the winter when it's warmer."
"Is her mother sick?" Mai Ge looked at Jessica's somewhat dirty clothes and the fine stitches on them. It turned out that her mother was skilled at needlework, but if she couldn't get out of bed now, she probably wouldn't make it through the winter.
Looking at the little girl's innocent smile, Mai Ge frowned. Jessica was probably in a similar situation to Amy back then, but if her mother didn't make it through the next winter, no one would be there to take care of her and love her.
"Yes, it'll be alright." Amy gently patted Jessica's shoulder with her little hand, like a little adult, then felt in her pocket, took her fist out, and slung it behind her back. Looking at Jessica with a hint of mystery, she said, "Jessica, I have a gift for you. Guess what it is?"
"A pretty stone?"
"No."
"A heart-shaped tree root?"
"No, that's not right either." Amy shook her head, then suddenly pulled her hand out from behind her back, revealing a small yellow butterfly hair clip in her palm. She smiled and said, "It's a butterfly hair clip, your favorite yellow."
"Wow! It's so pretty!" Jessica's eyes lit up as she looked at the hair clip in Amy's hand with delight. However, after hesitating for a moment, she shook her head and said, "No, this is too pretty. I can't take it. It would look even better with your dress."
"No, it looks better on you. Let me put it on you." Amy shook her head, picked up the hair clip, stood on tiptoe, and put it in Jessica's hair. She nodded happily and said, "It looks really good, Jessica, you are so beautiful."
"Really?" Jessica smiled, straining her eyes to look up.
"Yes, Jessica is really beautiful." Luna said with a smile, touched by Amy's affection for her friend.
"Thank you, Amy." Jessica happily hugged Amy, gently touching her hair clip, her smile impossible to hide.
Mai Ge looked at Jessica, the yellow butterfly hair clip adorned her short, choppy hair, and paired with her clean, bright smile, she was indeed very cute. He hesitated for a moment, then reached into his pocket, pulled out a dragon coin, and quietly placed it between the boxes of braised chicken and rice.
"It's getting dark, Little Jessica, you should go home first, so your mother won't worry. Take this Braised Chicken Rice home for her." Mai Ge tied the bag and handed it to Jessica, smiling as he reminded her, "Be careful, the chicken soup is easy to spill."
"Thank you, Uncle. My mother will get better soon after eating your delicious food." Jessica said gratefully, taking the bag from Mai Ge.
"Eating a serving of braised chicken won't make her better. You must make sure your mother sees a doctor. Only when she's well can she work and you can have a warm winter at home." Mai Ge shook his head and earnestly instructed.
"Okay, I'll tell her." Jessica, being a sensible child, nodded obediently and waved, saying, "Goodbye, Teacher Luna and Uncle."
"Goodbye, Jessica." Luna replied with a smile.
"Goodbye, Jessica." Amy also waved.
"Goodbye, Amy." Jessica said to Amy, carrying the braised chicken and holding the box in one hand, and carefully walked away.
"When the children are a little older, they will be able to live independently, and I believe they will all be kind-hearted." Luna said with a smile, watching Jessica's retreating figure.
"Yes, you've planted a seed of kindness in their hearts, it will benefit them for a lifetime." Mai Ge nodded.
"Daddy, will Jessica's mother get better?" Amy looked up at Mai Ge, asking with some concern.
"She'll get better." Mai Ge smiled and patted Amy's hair, completely ignoring the system that kept popping into his head.