The First Guest

"Of course my mommy is beautiful." Mengmeng puffed out her cheeks and said, "My daddy is handsome too. Daddy, Daddy, you've never bought Mommy any clothes before. This outfit is so pretty. Buy it for Mommy, okay?"

Hearing this, Zhang Han glanced at Mengmeng several times before finally saying helplessly, "Then let's buy the one I'm holding..."

In the end, Zhang Han left the mall carrying a brand-new fur coat.

He gave up on trying it on. He felt that his plan for the day had failed.

"Manager, your eye really is sharp. I never thought that person would casually buy clothes worth twenty-eight thousand yuan. At first, I thought he had just come in to look around." The saleswoman sighed repeatedly.

"You need to learn more. No matter what it is, you have to observe carefully. Look at that adorable, beautiful little girl. Could an ordinary person give birth to her? And that gentleman—one look and you can tell he came here to have fun. People like that are usually major figures with nothing better to do. If you offend someone like him badly, think about the consequences." The manager earnestly instructed her.

"The manager is right."

By the time they returned to the restaurant, the sky was almost dark.

Zhang Han planned to cook for Mengmeng for the first time.

Just as he was about to start cooking the rice, Zhang Han paused.

"Mengmeng, we still have to go back to New Moon Mountain." Zhang Han spoke up.

"Huh?" Mengmeng paused briefly, then was overjoyed. "Yay, yay! We can go play with the doggies."

Thus, Zhang Han brought Mengmeng to New Moon Mountain.

The reason was that Zhang Han had remembered something—the water for cooking the rice!

Zhang Han did not want to use tap water to cook. After thinking it over, he decided to use Spirit Water instead. Although the rice was already top quality, using Spirit Water to cook it would still be icing on the cake. But Zhang Han wanted to use Spirit Water, simply because he could be that willful!

Under the Thunder Sun Tree, Zhang Han circulated his Spiritual Power and connected with the tree. A branch extended horizontally from the tree before him, like a faucet, drawing Spirit Water up from the underground winding cavern and letting it flow out through the branch.

Zhang Han filled two large milk buckets with Spirit Water and called out to Mengmeng, but the Little Princess was having too much fun to hear him.

Seeing this, Zhang Han let Mengmeng play for another ten minutes. The glow of dusk gradually dimmed.

Normally, at this time, places with lots of grass on the mountain would have plenty of mosquitoes, but there was no need to worry about that on New Moon Mountain.

The functions of Fragrant Grass were not limited to looking beautiful and giving off a pleasant fragrance. It also repelled insects. Whether mosquitoes, flies, or herbivorous insects, it would drive them out of New Moon Mountain by releasing a scent targeted at them.

How did Fragrant Grass distinguish these pests? It was because this territory belonged to the Thunder Sun Tree. When the territory was established, Zhang Han's thoughts had defined what counted as a "pest."

Standing beneath the Thunder Sun Tree, Zhang Han swept his gaze over the area where the vegetables were planted. They had been planted a few days later and had not matured yet, so he could only wait before eating them.

The ingredients available now were rice, eggs, a little green onion, and condiments bought from the supermarket, such as carrots, onions, and tomatoes.

What should he make for dinner?

Eggs fried with onions? Eggs fried with tomatoes?

After thinking it over, he realized that eggs were the only thing available to eat right now. Zhang Han pondered for a moment before deciding to make Egg Fried Rice for dinner.

Egg Fried Rice was a common dish that most people knew how to make.

Sometimes, after finishing a meal, a little rice would be left over. The next morning, one could make a serving of Egg Fried Rice. It was economical, practical, and delicious.

The method was relatively simple too. Once the ingredients were prepared, Egg Fried Rice could be finished in just a few minutes. And it was not only Egg Fried Rice—other fried rice dishes were also very convenient, such as Yangzhou Fried Rice, Soy Sauce Fried Rice, Red Sausage Fried Rice, and Shrimp and Vegetable Fried Rice.

There were even roadside vendors who specialized in selling fried rice, and it was very popular.

However, Zhang Han wanted to make something better for Mengmeng. The ingredients available now did not allow him to choose freely, and the plants on New Moon Mountain were still only beginning to take shape, far from being fully developed.

After making his decision, Zhang Han rose and walked to Mengmeng's side.

"Mengmeng, it's getting dark. We should go back and eat." Zhang Han smiled lightly.

"Oh, all right then. Bye-bye, Xiao Hei, Da Jin, Xiao Jin, Da Ha, Xiao Ha, Da Song, Xiao Song, Da Qiu, Xiao Qiu..." Mengmeng said goodbye to the dogs one by one.

The dogs were very accommodating too. They gathered in front of Mengmeng and responded by wagging their huge tongues.

Xiao Hei personally escorted Zhang Han and Mengmeng down the mountain. Only after the Jeep disappeared from his sight did he turn and head back up the mountain.

Perhaps before Zhang Han helped him undergo his transformation, he had regarded Zhang Han as just a passerby. But after transforming, he regarded Zhang Han as the master he would serve for life—the master he firmly believed he had to protect for the rest of his life.

Back at the restaurant, Zhang Han placed the Little Princess on the sofa and turned on the television to a children's channel. He himself began making the Little Princess's first meal.

First, he began heating the fresh milk.

He took out the rice cooker. Zhao Kai had bought it for him, figuring that since Zhang Han ran a restaurant, he would need one with a relatively large capacity.

Zhang Han washed the rice twice with tap water. Two washes were enough; it should not be washed more than three times. If it was washed more than three times, much of the rice's nutrition would be lost, and its fragrance after cooking would also be reduced.

On the third wash, he added Spirit Water. The ratio of rice to water was about one to one-point-two. A simple measurement with one's finger was enough. Depending on the depth of the rice, the water should be slightly higher. Zhang Han had only recently learned these little tricks.

After all, now that he had Mengmeng, Zhang Han was learning about every aspect of life.

The milk soon finished cooking. Even though the range hood was very effective, a faint milky fragrance still filled the room.

"What a wonderful smell."

A guest entered through the door. After smelling the milky fragrance, she swallowed instinctively. She felt that she had never smelled milk so mouthwatering before. She did not particularly like drinking milk and had never imagined that it could give off such an irresistible fragrance.

"Boss, what do you have to eat here? Bring me some milk first... Huh? It's you?" As the woman spoke, she walked two steps inside. When she saw Zhang Han and the Little Princess on the sofa, her eyes widened.

She was Liang Mengqi, the beauty in the white bikini who had tried to give Mengmeng a cold drink at New Moon Bay's beach a few days ago. She did not have much of an impression of Zhang Han, but she remembered Mengmeng very clearly.

Mengmeng was unquestionably beautiful. That came from Ziyan's excellent genes. Even after Liang Mengqi returned home, Mengmeng's figure would occasionally flash through her mind: her big eyes, long eyelashes, and fair, tender face, like a little princess from a fairy tale.

"Who are you?"

Zhang Han glanced indifferently at Liang Mengqi. She had an oval face and large eyes, and wore casual clothes—a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Her legs were slender and long, and she wore sandals. There was no denying that she was a beauty rated above eighty-eight points. She was beautiful, but Zhang Han had no impression of her.

"Hey, uncle! I'm the beauty who kindly gave your daughter a cold drink a few days ago, only for you to refuse me." Liang Mengqi spoke loudly.

"Oh." Zhang Han responded indifferently, without the slightest interest on his face.

"H-hello, big sister." Mengmeng extended her little hand in greeting.

"Hello, little cutie." Liang Mengqi smiled and walked over to the sofa, wanting to sit down and play with Mengmeng for a while.

"The white chair by the window is for customers." Zhang Han said it indifferently.

Liang Mengqi's expression stiffened.

"Hey, why are you so unreasonable?" Liang Mengqi glared at Zhang Han.

Zhang Han ignored her.

"Hmph!" Liang Mengqi gave a soft snort to express her displeasure. In the end, she did not sit on the sofa. After all, since the owner did not agree, she would not force the issue. She turned and walked toward the small white dining table, asking along the way, "What do you have to eat? Let me see a menu."

"There's no menu. Today, we only have Egg Fried Rice and milk." Zhang Han replied.

"Egg Fried Rice and milk?" Liang Mengqi was stunned, her expression bewildered.

Never mind that the restaurant was decorated unlike a restaurant. It did not even have any food prepared? What kind of restaurant was this?

Liang Mengqi even felt like turning around and leaving, but the milky fragrance she had just smelled shattered that thought.

"Then give me one serving of Egg Fried Rice and some milk!" Liang Mengqi said irritably. She sat on the little chair by the window and took out her phone to play with.

"Wait a while." Zhang Han responded.

On the cutting board, he chopped two stalks of green onion into pieces. Then he took out four eggs about the size of goose eggs, beat them evenly in a large bowl, and set them aside. After thinking for a moment, he took out a small carrot and diced it.

The rice was ready too. Zhang Han opened the lid, and a wave of heat immediately rushed toward him as the fragrance of rice spread in every direction.

"Huh?"

Liang Mengqi, who had been playing a mobile game, suddenly caught the fragrance of rice and let out an astonished sound.

The milk was already incredibly fragrant. How could even the rice smell this good? That made no sense! Could she be hallucinating because she was too hungry?

Unable to understand, Liang Mengqi carefully surveyed the room. She immediately felt that Zhang Han had quite good taste. She knew that the Steinway piano and the jade television backdrop alone cost more than a million yuan each.

Can he play the piano? Probably it's just a decoration. Liang Mengqi muttered inwardly.

"Daddy, Daddy, it smells so good! Mengmeng's hungry. Mengmeng wants to eat." Even Mengmeng had been attracted by the fragrance of the rice. She turned toward Zhang Han and urged him in her childish voice.

"It'll be ready in ten minutes. Just wait a little." Zhang Han answered with a light smile.

As he spoke, he used a rice paddle to stir the rice, preparing to let it sit nearby for a while and disperse some of its heat.

Then Zhang Han took out the Heavenly Fragrance Wood. He channeled his sharp inner force into his palm and gently pressed it against the Heavenly Fragrance Wood.

Bang!

A faint, muffled sound rang out.

The Heavenly Fragrance Wood remained the same as before, without the slightest change.

However, when Zhang Han took out a rolling pin and lightly tapped the Heavenly Fragrance Wood with it, the entire piece instantly turned into powder.

Zhang Han rolled the rolling pin over the powder several times, then placed the Heavenly Fragrance Wood powder into a seasoning jar.

The Heavenly Fragrance Wood had no color or scent. Its function was to bring out the fragrance of ingredients to the greatest extent, enhancing the aroma of their essential qualities.