The Conquered Foodie

Compared to this, Wang Long's Egg Fried Rice was truly worlds apart!

After a few bites, Liang Mengqi picked up the chopsticks beside her and carefully examined a grain of rice.

The grains were round, plump, snow-white, and translucent. She tried biting into one, and the firm texture made her sigh repeatedly:

It seems the owner really was telling the truth. Even if Thai fragrant rice were dried for a hundred years, it still couldn't compare to his rice.

She then picked up a small piece of egg and tasted it. To her surprise, she felt as though she had never eaten an egg before.

It was the diced carrots that finally brought her back to her senses.

"This carrot is the real deal." Liang Mengqi's gaze drifted slightly as she finally tasted a hint of a flavor she was familiar with in the carrots.

"This Egg Fried Rice really is worth fifty thousand. The owner only sells it for two hundred and eighty yuan—he's truly a conscientious businessman."

Liang Mengqi sighed. Thinking of the two girls who had left, she figured they would regret their decision if they knew how the Egg Fried Rice tasted!

Liang Mengqi began eating bite after bite. As she continued, she forgot everything else. Her eyes held only the Egg Fried Rice in front of her!

Even after she had finished everything, Liang Mengqi subconsciously kept reaching her spoon into the meal container. When she realized there was no food left, a faint sense of loss unexpectedly welled up in her heart.

She turned and glanced toward the inner side, where Mengmeng and Zhang Han had already finished eating. Little Princess was praising her daddy's food for being super yummy.

"Boss." Liang Mengqi called out softly.

"Hmm?"

"Um..." Liang Mengqi spoke a little bashfully. "I'm not full yet. I'd like another serving of Egg Fried Rice and some milk."

"Mm."

Zhang Han nodded and walked to the kitchen counter. There was still nearly a plate's worth of Egg Fried Rice left. He served it for Liang Mengqi and poured her a glass of milk. He was about to bring them over when he discovered that the girl had actually followed right behind him, staring at the food eagerly.

So Zhang Han placed everything on the small bar outside the kitchen. Liang Mengqi looked as if she had found a treasure and carefully carried the food over.

"Daddy, Mengmeng wants to eat too, but, but I'm already full." Mengmeng sat at the dining table with a conflicted expression.

A third of her plate of rice was still left.

"If you're full, you can't eat anymore. Daddy will make some for you tomorrow morning." Zhang Han came over and smiled as he rubbed Mengmeng's little head.

"Hmph! But why can that big sister eat two servings?" Mengmeng asked with a soft snort.

"Because people eat more once they grow up."

"Then, then when will Mengmeng grow up? Mengmeng wants to eat too." Mengmeng pouted, her eyes never leaving the Egg Fried Rice on the plate.

"You'll grow up slowly." Zhang Han said this, took away the plate, and placed it in the sink.

Only after she could no longer see the Egg Fried Rice did Mengmeng's longing lessen by a third.

Zhang Han carried Mengmeng to the small sofa beside the piano.

"Daddy, why are we sitting here? Mengmeng still wants to go play with her toys." Mengmeng asked curiously.

"You need to rest for a while after eating. Listen to Daddy play two piano pieces. After that, you can go play." Zhang Han smiled faintly.

Some people said that taking a hundred steps after a meal would let one live to ninety-nine. Little did they know that this saying was incorrect. Under normal circumstances, one needed to rest for half an hour after eating, sitting quietly for a while before exercising. Exercising immediately after a meal would affect digestion.

Mengmeng had initially pouted upon hearing that she couldn't play, but when she heard that Zhang Han was going to play the piano, she immediately became interested and raised her little arms to welcome her daddy's performance.

Zhang Han sat on the piano bench, opened the lid, and ran his fingers from the left side of the keys all the way to the right.

Listening to the piano's tone, Zhang Han nodded in satisfaction.

The tone had been adjusted very well. It seemed Zhao Kai's friend really was a professional.

"One piece of Canon Variations, dedicated to my adorable baby Mengmeng."

Zhang Han spread his hands. Before playing, he looked at Mengmeng and said this with a smile.

The words made Mengmeng overjoyed. In her childish voice, she said, "Daddy, you are the most handsome!"

"Hehehe."

Zhang Han shook his head with a faint smile. After taking a light breath, he pressed down on the keys.

A timeless classic, Canon Variations, began to play.

By then, Liang Mengqi had also finished her Egg Fried Rice. She patted her bloated stomach and shook her head with a sigh.

This Egg Fried Rice is way too delicious, isn't it?

Even with Liang Mengqi's picky palate, she had been able to eat two servings of Egg Fried Rice. This alone showed just how extraordinary Zhang Han's Egg Fried Rice was to a true foodie!

I really wonder how he made it!

Liang Mengqi took a small sip of milk, savoring its rich fragrance. Suddenly, a wave of piano music entered her ears.

She involuntarily turned her gaze toward him.

Huh? He can play the piano too?

Liang Mengqi felt somewhat curious.

What a surprise. He seems to play very well, too.

Liang Mengqi watched Zhang Han's profile. Her tongue had just finished enjoying one delight, and now her ears were enjoying another. For a moment, she was completely entranced.

The rhythm and score of Zhang Han's Canon Variations differed somewhat from the original. At times, the tempo sped up; at times, it slowed down. Although the melody remained Canon, the changing pace seemed to bring the piece to life. Sometimes it was lively, and sometimes it was melodious.

But no matter how he played it, it proved that Zhang Han's piano skills had already reached a certain level.

He's a piano master!

Liang Mengqi gazed at Zhang Han's profile and murmured inwardly.

She knew a little about the piano and enjoyed listening to many piano pieces. She knew that when someone no longer needed sheet music, controlling the rhythm of a piece instead of being controlled by the score, that person had already become a true piano master!

Just like the Lang Zong she knew of from Huaguo.

Lang Zong was a world-class piano master. Before returning to Huaguo, he had already conquered the conductors of the world's ten greatest symphony orchestras and every living piano master in the world, including his teacher, Gary, the dean of the Curtis Institute of Music.

The Curtis Institute ranked among the world's top three classical music academies. Yet ever since Lang Zong had become famous worldwide, Curtis had retained first place in the global rankings that year. Even after gaining all those honors, people back home still did not know who Lang Zong was. Once, when he returned to Huaguo, the organizers had asked him to be replaced because he lacked fame. That move had directly enraged the top-tier symphony orchestra and conductor accompanying him. They had publicly denounced the organizers for being blind enough not to recognize even the new leader of the world's piano scene.

Why do I feel like he's... even more impressive than Lang Zong?

The longer Liang Mengqi listened, the more this feeling rose in her heart. Even she found it astonishing. After all, Lang Zong was a world-renowned master!

If Zhang Han knew what Liang Mengqi was thinking, he would surely have given a faint laugh.

With five hundred years of practice, anyone could do it!

"I've finished this piece. Now I'll play Summer of Kikujiro for Mengmeng." Zhang Han chuckled.

"Daddy is amazing..." Mengmeng's face was filled with admiration. Although she was listening in a daze, seeing her daddy's fingers flying across the piano made her feel that he was incredibly impressive.

Liang Mengqi sat in her chair without any intention of leaving. She had become somewhat convinced by Zhang Han, even though their first meeting had not been pleasant.

Just as Zhang Han was about to begin playing, another wave of customers arrived at the restaurant.

This time, they were finally boys—four youngsters around seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Boss, what do you have to eat here?" one of the boys asked.

Seeing this, Liang Mengqi sighed inwardly. She felt that the arrival of customers meant the owner would have to get busy, so she was preparing to leave as well.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Han did not even turn his head. He merely replied indifferently:

"We're sold out for today."

"Oh." The youths turned around and left.

Liang Mengqi was stunned. Once again, she sensed how formidable Zhang Han was.

If she had not eaten two servings, she would have thought this was a fake restaurant. What kind of restaurant operated like this? He made food for his daughter, sold two servings on the side, and then stopped selling?

"What a strange person." Liang Mengqi muttered under her breath.

The next moment, crisp piano music rang out again. Summer of Kikujiro had a lively rhythm, and Zhang Han played it with astonishing skill.

After finishing the piece, Zhang Han lowered the piano lid, bringing his performance to an end.

"That was super awesome." Mengmeng praised him.

"Clap, clap, clap..."

Liang Mengqi, sitting behind them, could not help applauding and exclaiming over the performance.

"What's your name?" Liang Mengqi asked Zhang Han curiously.

"My, my daddy's name is Zhang... Han, and my name is Mengmeng." Mengmeng answered in her childish voice.

"Zhang Han..."

Liang Mengqi smiled and said, "You play the piano really well."

"Mm." Zhang Han nodded slightly.

"Your Egg Fried Rice is even more delicious, and the milk tastes especially good too. How did you make them? Are the ingredients better than usual?" Liang Mengqi asked, full of curiosity.

"My ingredients can't be found anywhere else." Zhang Han answered with a faint smile.

"Can't be found anywhere else? Then what am I supposed to do? You've spoiled my palate. After eating your food, I don't even want to eat anyone else's anymore." Liang Mengqi pondered for a moment, then hurriedly asked, "When are you usually open?"

"I'll see how I feel." Zhang Han had never considered the matter of opening hours. He only planned to sell some food while making meals for Mengmeng; he would not be selling food all day, every day.

It seemed he would have to put up a sign at the entrance so customers would not keep coming in without knowing the business hours.

Zhang Han stroked his chin pensively.

"See how you feel?" Liang Mengqi was slightly stunned. This was the first restaurant she had ever encountered that operated like this.

But after thinking about the taste of the Egg Fried Rice, she found herself completely uninterested in any other delicacies. She was already looking forward to coming back the next day, so she continued asking, "Then do you have specific opening hours? I want to come back for Egg Fried Rice tomorrow."

As she spoke, Liang Mengqi put on a pitiful expression, as though she would be terribly unhappy if she could not eat the Egg Fried Rice.

"Probably three meals a day. Seven to eight in the morning, twelve to one at noon, and six to seven in the evening. Sometimes I'll be open, and sometimes I won't." After thinking it over, Zhang Han gave her what could be considered an accurate schedule.