Mai Ge paused for a moment, then asked, "That's it?"
"That's the only comment you made about Häagen-Dazs on Weibo in your past life, host." the system replied earnestly.
"So you f**king forced me to make ice cream here for three days? I didn't even give a proper evaluation in my previous life! There were no standards at all!" Mai Ge said, feeling like he'd been tricked.
"No, the host's short sentence contains a wealth of information. After analyzing it, this system has come to the following conclusion:
While the word "f**k" was a misspelling in the host's context, but it was generally considered a phonetic loan character in ancient times. Although half of humanity possessed such a thing, but once it was brought to the surface or presented as a written word, it evoked disgust. Using it to describe ice cream, due to its shape and the way it was eaten, carried an even more negative connotation and implication.
The word "is - 贼" literally means a person who steals, but in this context it is used as an adverb, meaning "very," strongly expressing the host's dissatisfaction.
Therefore, Häagen-Dazs ice cream differs greatly from the host's ideal ice cream in terms of taste and shape, this is the standard for this particular ice cream."
The system answered seriously, and then asked curiously, "However, there's something I don't quite understand: what does the fact that the ice cream is too sweet have to do with his mother?"
"System, you're awesome!" Mai Ge exclaimed in awe, clapping his hands and looking on with admiration. "If you were to do those Chinese reading comprehension exercises, you could probably get full marks. I didn't have as much potential as you do back then."
"Host, you flatter me. The Chinese language is profound and complex. This system has studied it in depth for over half a month, and there are still many things I don't understand." The system said modestly, then continued, "Also, you haven't answered my question yet. What does this have to do with his mother? Even if the ice cream doesn't taste good, its mother should be innocent, right?[1] Moreover, according to biological principles, ice cream cannot reproduce, so it doesn't have a mother. What you said earlier, host, was a logical fallacy. Even if you were referring to the beneficial bacteria in the ice cream, their reproduction rate is too fast, making it extremely difficult to find their mother..."
"System, I suggest you watch A Chinese Odyssey." Mai Ge interrupted the system, frowning.
"A Chinese Odyssey? Isn't that just an entertainment film? Entertainment makes people lose their dreams, and this system doesn't need entertainment!" The system refused, then continued, "I prefer to watch works with historical and literary merit. It allows me to understand humanity and the world more quickly, gain more knowledge, and learning makes me happy! Host, I can recommend some good programs to you. CCTV in China has many excellent programs, such as 'National Treasure,' 'A Bite of China,' and 'China's Mega Projects'..."
"I'm not telling you to watch entertainment, but I want to teach you a lesson: if you're too talkative, you'll get beaten up." Mai Ge said, pursing his lips. He didn't know why the system had suddenly become so verbose, talking so much that Mai Ge was a little uncomfortable.
The system fell silent for a while before coldly saying, "Host, please watch your words. If you do not pay the rent, you will be automatically expelled from the Chef God Trial Ground in three minutes."
"Expel me then, it's perfect, I can finally get a good night's sleep." Mai Ge shrugged nonchalantly, glancing at the four ice creams beside him with a smile. Amy should like them, right?
With a flash of light, Mai Ge's spirit returned to his body. He opened his eyes, glanced at the sleeping Amy, smiled, and closed them again.
The next day, after sleeping until he naturally woke up, Mai Ge glanced at the alarm clock which was pointing to 7:30, got up, walked to the bedside, and gently kissed Amy's forehead, who was still asleep. The little one had been attending magic classes for a week and seemed a bit tired.
Mai Ge went downstairs to make breakfast for Amy. As usual, he glanced out the floor to ceiling windows and saw a familiar figure pacing back and forth outside the restaurant. A little surprised, he walked to the door, opened it, and said with a smile, "Lord Dix, so early?"
"Mr. Mai Ge, I'm here on the orders of the City Lord. The City Lord has agreed to postpone the meeting until tonight and has also agreed to the three conditions you raised. However, the matter of renting the open space in front of the restaurant still needs to be negotiated with the Aden Square Management Office. I arrived early this morning, and they haven't started work yet, so I may have to reply to you later, and there's no guarantee that it will be successful." Dix looked at Mai Ge and got straight to the point.
"Alright, in that case, I will prepare for the meeting tonight. However, I need to know how many people will be attending so I can make the necessary preparations." Mai Ge was a little surprised that the City Lord had agreed to all the conditions, after all, this was a high level meeting between the two races. However, he did not show it on his face and continued calmly, "Furthermore, I will only provide food up to 3,000 gold coins. If it exceeds that, please have the city lord's mansion cover the excess. The prices will be based on the restaurant's menu."
"There will be 10 people at this meeting. Mr. Mai Ge, it would be best if you could rearrange the tables in the restaurant. If there are any difficulties, the City Lord's Mansion can send someone to help with the arrangements. As for the money, Mr. Mai Ge, you don't need to worry. The City Lord's Mansion will definitely not owe you a single copper coin." Dix said with a smile.
"No need for help with the arrangement. I trust the City Lord's Mansion's sincerity. See you tonight then, I need to go make breakfast for the little one." Mai Ge nodded with a smile. He liked working with efficient people.
"You're such a good father." Dix paused for a moment, then smiled helplessly and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer. I also need to bring my son a scallion pancake, but he can only eat it at noon."
"Okay, see you later." Mai Ge nodded, turned and went into the restaurant. Although the City Lord's Mansion did not guarantee that he could rent the open space in front of the restaurant entrance, but it was at least much more reliable than him having to go to the Aden Square Management Office to rent it himself.
As for tonight's meeting, Mai Ge was actually quite interested. Those who could attend the meeting should all be people of high status from both races. Listening to the bigwigs speak would also give him a chance to learn about the current situation of the entire Nolan Continent. There were some things that even he couldn't necessarily buy with money.
In the kitchen, a brand new ice cream machine was placed in the corner. Mai Ge adjusted it for a bit, but instead of making ice cream, he made Braised Chicken Rice for two people.
"Daddy, which dress should I wear today? What kind of hairstyle should I wear? And, can I dance 'Spring Is Here' again before I go out?" Amy had somehow come downstairs carrying the Ugly Duckling, stood at the kitchen doorway, her little face full of confusion.
[1] According to what Mai Ge said in his past life, "This Häagen-Dazs is f**king awful, it's way too damn sweet!", the word "damn" in Chinese is a literal translation of "his mother," which is why the system couldn't correctly understand the deeper meaning of his statement. The system can only analyze statements based on the surface meaning of the sentences.