"Oh crap, we're done for," Chen Ze looked at the empty freezer and shelves in the basement, feeling like he was about to keel over right then and there.
"Although I knew it already, a restaurant that hasn't been in business for a year shouldn't have any food left," Chen Ze helplessly walked back upstairs, where the girl named Rose was curiously looking at the restaurant's decorations.
Chen Ze sneakily glanced over; by now he had basically figured out that the girl before him was indeed not some chuunibyou, but a real elf.
Chen Ze scratched his head; there really were no ingredients in the kitchen.
Should he grab a knife? Chen Ze held the hefty kitchen knife in his hand and fell silent for a moment.
Then he looked at Rose, whose scepter was resting on the table.
"What are you trying to do?" Rose narrowed her eyes at Chen Ze, her hand already gripping the scepter, which flickered with a faint purple glow.
"Cough cough, there are no ingredients left, I thought of going out to buy some vegetables," Chen Ze awkwardly put down the kitchen knife.
I'm absolutely not doing this because I can't beat her! It's definitely not because I saw that she can use magic that I put the knife down!
Chen Ze silently comforted himself in his mind.
"Oh? A restaurant actually has no ingredients?" Rose said with a playful smile.
"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you go out and snitch?" Rose weighed the scepter in her hand.
"Although I'm only an Intermediate Priest, killing you wouldn't be much more troublesome than stepping on a bug," Rose's words were full of threatening undertones.
Chen Ze's mouth twitched; for some reason, at that moment, he suddenly remembered a roommate from his university days.
"If it were him, he'd probably shout 'Please step on me!' or something like that..."
Chen Ze returned to the kitchen, and the situation was pretty clear now; he had no other choice but to serve her a satisfying meal.
If making the news headlines the next day was also considered a choice, that is.
Chen Ze looked at the instant noodles he had bought after coming out from the law firm—seemed like that was the only choice left?
Chen Ze sneakily took the instant noodles to the kitchen, tore open the package, and pulled out the noodle block.
Life needs a sense of ceremony, especially in places like a restaurant.
That was a quote Chen Ze had just come up with.
Basically, most foods, with just a bit of exquisite processing and decent plating, can be sold at an unreasonable price.
That was the biggest impression Chen Ze had after he and his roommate went out for a meal of French cuisine.
"What is this?" Rose appeared out of nowhere, startling Chen Ze as he was preparing to boil the noodles.
Chen Ze glanced at the instant noodle cup next to him; it was his favorite flavor, sauerkraut.
"This is some food I scrounged up, very cheap, 3.5 yuan a cup." If I said this out loud, I'd be dead, right?
So Chen Ze changed his phrasing.
"Miss Rose, this is a dish I meticulously prepared especially for you, called Purple Clouds Over Golden Fields. It is considered a high-end dish around here," Chen Ze said with a straight face as he tore open the sauerkraut packet and squeezed the contents into a small bowl.
"Really?" Rose sniffed, a strange smell wafting through the air.
"By the way, Miss Rose, you don't have any dietary restrictions, do you?" Chen Ze asked as he turned on the fire to heat water.
If Rose really was an elf, could there be some special customs, such as not eating animals?
If she found out there was beef in it and just so happened to abstain from it, I would still make the news headlines tomorrow.
"What do you mean by dietary restrictions?" Rose asked, picking up a nearby cup of instant noodles and looking at the strange characters on it, even more puzzled.
"I mean, is there anything you can't eat?" Chen Ze asked as he watched the water boil and tossed the noodle cake into it.
"I'm a Grey Elf, there isn't anything I can't eat. In fact, when food was scarce, I've eaten ones like you," Rose shook her head, unable to understand the writing.
"Then please wait a moment, I'll bring it over after the dish is ready," Chen Ze said, flipping the noodle cake with chopsticks without looking back.
Chen Ze observed the slightly softened noodle cake, scooped it out, drained the water, and placed it in a bowl. Then he poured out the noodle water and started boiling another pot.
I wonder if the method I saw online is reliable, Chen Ze thought as he waited for the water to boil, glancing at his phone.
Originally, he wanted to seek help, but then he realized at some point his phone had lost its signal.
"Haha, maybe I'm the first chef who doesn't even know how to make fried rice," Chen Ze looked at the bowl of pickled cabbage beef noodles he'd carefully prepared, his mouth twitching a few times.
Chen Ze took out a tray, placed the noodles on it, and then brought it over to Rose, who was sitting in a chair, lost in thought.
Rose looked down at it, a dish she completely did not recognize, with reddish soup, yellow noodle-like strands, topped with some dark vegetables.
Rose sniffed, the aroma was very unique, without any suspicious smells.
She extended her finger, and with a flash of purple light, she nodded in satisfaction and picked up a fork nearby to start tasting this unique dish.
Chen Ze stood by uneasily, unsure if the pickled cabbage beef noodles suited Rose's taste, knowing that not everyone on Earth liked instant noodles.
Even though there wasn't much in one bowl, Rose ate slowly, but still finished it in less than five minutes.
"The taste is average, but it's fine for alleviating hunger. Is this considered a high-end dish in your world?" Rose said with a bit of disdain.
"Honestly, your dish doesn't compare to the food I've had in the Temple, and it doesn't even have meat," Rose continued to belittle Chen Ze's cooking.
"Only those dark vegetables tasted surprisingly crisp," was Rose's final comment.
Chen Ze could only offer an awkward smile in response.
"Alright, even though this dish is mediocre, considering you still served something edible, I'll trust you this time," Rose stretched, picked up her scepter, and stood up.
Chen Ze blinked, unclear on how the elf came into his restaurant, and now it seemed she was leaving, he had to see clearly.
"Also, next time tell your restaurant's magician to be careful not to just open a Magic Portal anywhere," Rose dropped a silver coin, then pushed open the door and walked out.
Chen Ze froze for a moment. He had seen clearly that outside the door was a wilderness.
No one was there, only a few trees were noticeable under the red light.
And in the sky, there was a gigantic red object, glowing.
Chen Ze rubbed his eyes. The door was now closed, and if not for the soup still in the bowl next to him, Chen Ze might have thought he was having a mental problem.
"Did I… get transported to another world?" Chen Ze hurried over and opened the door.
Outside was the familiar sight of K City, the coming and going of vehicles, and couples walking hand in hand.
Even the phone signal had returned to normal.
Chen Ze closed the door and opened it again to no change, which was a relief.
"Forget it, forget it, just go back to sleep," Chen Ze rubbed his head. He had already brought his luggage over and checked out of his room; there really was nowhere else to sleep.
"Hmm… maybe I just didn't open the door right," Chen Ze concluded.