One Hundred and Thirty-Ninth Page Culinary Showdown (Part 2)
[14:20]
In this battle that was about the dignity of maids, an unrelated character popped up.
“Miss Fēi! Eh, why are you working at ‘Peach Cat’?”
Miss Fēi, who usually keeps to herself, working at a maid café seemed as unnatural as “a war-themed shooting game suddenly having a gal-game heroine full of love and peace join in, wielding a gun alongside American soldiers fighting Russians.” From any angle, there was no reason for Miss Fēi to be wearing a heavy space suit representing “Peach Cat.”
Was it for money?
Senior Lóngkuí did indeed take on a part-time job at “Kamehameha” to help with household expenses, but Miss Fēi was different. Aunt Huāyíng would not hesitate to spend money on her. The likelihood of her working for money was extremely low;
Secondly, she had the intense academic workload of senior year. Miss Fēi’s grades were not great, after all, she used to just be a cook. According to Lǐn Huā, she had been putting in extra effort to catch up with her studies recently. Senior Lóngkuí, on the other hand, had good grades and often helped her;
Finally, and most importantly…
I leaned close to her ear and asked, “Isn’t Aunt Huāyíng counting on you right now? How come you still have time to work here?”
Although I complained, honestly, I had no right to talk about this either.
After all, Xiao Kǎi should also go visit the sick. At this moment, he should be sitting by the bedside, peeling apples for his grandmother, but fate led him to become a judge, leaving this troublesome task to me.
Miss Fēi, with her usual icy expression, managed to squeeze out four words in a voice even smaller than a mosquito’s.
“This is a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I didn’t want to work.”
Miss Fēi, who rarely spoke, couldn’t clear my doubts.
I pointed at Xiàlù and asked, “If you didn’t want to work, then were you forced by this little hothead?”
“What are you saying?”
Xiàlù, feeling offended, stood up and refuted, “Don’t portray me like a kidnapper. I confirmed with her!”
Lin Zǐyè noticed something strange and walked over.
“Huh? What’s going on? Has the competition stopped?”
Putting my hand on Miss Fēi’s shoulder, I said to Lin Zǐyè, “Competition? Miss Fēi says she didn’t come to work!”
Lin Zǐyè blinked in confusion, “What do you mean? Apollo… Miss Huángfǔ Fēi didn’t come to be a maid?”
Following Miss Fēi’s current setup, I explained, “Come on, she’s the eldest daughter of my aunt. How could she possibly come to be a maid? There aren’t many people surnamed Huángfǔ, don’t you have any imagination?”
Xiàlù ran to Miss Fēi’s side, holding her arm and pulling her behind her, like a protective mother hen.
“But she was loitering at the shop entrance for a long time this morning. When I asked her, she said she wanted to find a part-time maid job.”
The problem returned to Miss Fēi, who struggled to explain clearly.
“Miss Fēi! Please say more than ten words. What’s going on?”
The ongoing showdown hit a snag. The pajama maid, as the host, went to calm down the audience demanding the continuation.
“Miss Fēi… she… probably came to find me.”
Senior Lóngkuí stepped forward to explain.
Although she was equally cold, at least she was someone who could communicate.
“Why did she go to ‘Peach Cat’ to find you?”
“I only told Fēi that I worked as a maid in the commercial area. ‘Kamehameha’ is called a comic cafe, while ‘Peach Cat’ is more like a maid café.”
I guessed what might have happened and sighed helplessly.
“So Miss Fēi meant to find the part-time maid in the shop, and Xiaolu dragged her in. She accidentally showed off her cooking skills, was hired by Lin Zǐyè, and ended up participating in this maid showdown.”
I glanced at Xiaolu.
This troublemaker knew she had done something wrong and avoided my gaze nervously.
“She was just peeking from the shop entrance, speaking hesitantly. How could I know what was happening!”
Lin Zǐyè reconfirmed, “So Miss Fēi didn’t intend to work part-time?”
Miss Fēi nodded and whispered, “I… came… to… find… someone.”
“Today, we agreed to go shopping together. She wouldn’t refuse anyone, so I thought you were coerced, unsure how to refuse.”
Senior Lóngkuí’s tone was calm, and Lin Zǐyè apologized with squinted eyes, “I see. I had you pick out maid outfits… Since that’s the case, let’s consider this round a loss for us.”
He admitted quickly. The pajama maid was about to announce the results when…
“Wait!”
The one who called out was Shopkeeper Shēnyáng, “Are you not going to eat my food?”
Xiàlù said, “Shopkeeper, didn’t you understand? Because Miss Apollo isn’t from ‘Peach Cat’, Zǐyè conceded. Today’s showdown goes to ‘Kamehameha.'”
“Then my food was made in vain?”
“That won’t change the result. Let’s try it…”
The ordinary omelet rice at the shop’s menu was the cheapest, aiming to help customers who were short on cash. For the relatively expensive ‘Kamehameha,’ it was a public service, a kind gesture from Master Kame.
Despite this, few ordered it.
“Do you want to eat?”
Xiàlù shook her head, but Sister Lěi was very interested, “I’ll eat! I’ll eat!”
“Let me try.”
French-style seafood omelet rice.
Shopkeeper Shēnyáng’s self-proclaimed masterpiece. Although it looked similar to regular omelet rice, with an oval-shaped egg skin wrapping golden rice like treasure inside… presumably.
I picked up the spoon to break the egg skin, but Master Kame stopped me.
“Wait!”
He held a ketchup bottle, “The most important part of enjoying a maid-made omelet rice is adding Love magic. Don’t you understand?”
He rarely treated Xiao Kǎi like a man.
Maid Love magic simply meant writing or drawing with ketchup on the golden egg skin.
For otaku, that was the value of the omelet rice. Though I agreed, I didn’t want to eat omelet rice blessed by an old man wearing a Katya hat.
I turned the plate sideways to prevent the omelet rice from being spoiled.
“Skip this step. Your omelet rice will get cold, and it won’t taste good!”
I poked through the egg skin with the spoon, revealing rich cheese aroma and steam. The fried rice with green and red peppers, clams, and shrimp, along with semi-thick cheese, formed elastic threads when pulled by the spoon.
“This looks really delicious.”
It might even surpass Miss Fēi’s curry-themed Apollo omelet rice.
“Since the competition is over, let me try first!”
The hungry fool rushed over, snatched the spoon, and shoved it into her mouth.
“Oh! It’s… it seems ordinary?”
Her excited expression quickly cooled and turned into doubt.
“Ordinary? It looks pretty good though?”
“Mm, you should try it yourself, Chairman.”
Taking the spoon from Sister Lěi, I tasted it.
Seems like because I indirectly ate her saliva, this fool felt a bit embarrassed… why wasn’t she embarrassed when she licked Xiao Kǎi’s lips?
“Indeed, it’s quite ordinary.”
My opinion matched Sister Lěi’s.
Xiàlù immediately said, “Oh! Not tasty? Looks like ‘Kamehameha’ lost this round!”
“It’s not bad tasting, and the presentation isn’t bad either, but it’s not outstanding. Probably just ordinary level, lacking compared to the Apollo omelet rice.”
“Calling it ordinary… I haven’t cooked in a while, my skills must have declined! No, it must be the induction cooker’s settings…”
“Shopkeeper, making excuses like that is too obvious? Miss Fēi used an induction cooker too…”
Sister Lěi tasted the Apollo omelet rice and comforted, “Delicious! It’s definitely Miss Fēi’s higher skill! But it’s not shameful. Miss Fēi is a master chef. Ordinary people can’t match your level, Shopkeeper. Besides, we’ve already won the title of ‘Balance Commercial District’s Top Maid Café’!”
“Such false victories are not worth it!”
Shopkeeper Shēnyáng flicked his sleeves and turned away.
“Youngster Lin! This round, I concede. Let’s decide in the third round!”
What? Another round?
I felt exhausted. This farce-like “maid showdown” was going to continue?
It was already past two. Regardless of whatever luxurious meal Miss Grizelda invited us to, Zi and AJ should have finished eating. I needed to pick her up and return to the research institute. I didn’t have much time to waste here. Ending the showdown sooner would be better.
But for Lin Zǐyè, it was different.
With a chance for a rematch, he naturally wanted to fight. And this show was a publicity event for both cafes. The effect could be seen from the bored spectators around…
Ultimately, it was the charm of young girls. With so many beautiful maids gathered in the square, even without such competitive events, they still served as excellent advertisements.
“So, what’s the final round about?”
I asked impatiently.
Sister Lěi held the Apollo omelet rice plate and answered while poking, “I remember the shopkeeper suggested… a test of appeal?”
Did she not realize she might be next?
Shopkeeper Shēnyáng rubbed his bald head and removed the Katya hat.
“Old man thinks, for a maid café, appeal equals customer attraction. But since we’re not in the shop, let’s change the competition format.”
He pointed to the still-unscattered audience.
“Each side selects one contestant. Within ten minutes, whoever gains the most support from the audience proves their maid has more appeal. Okay?”
It sounded reasonable. A ten-minute limit was within my tolerance. I might as well waste some more time.
