Yabemiya opened her eyes, stunned. “Is this really a roast duck? There is not even the slightest hint of the unpleasant taste inherent in duck meat. I never thought the meat could be so tender under such crispy skin.”


  “Let me try it with a pancake.” Sally picked up a pancake, which was so thin that it was virtually translucent. She carefully placed it on her plate. It was still warm to the touch.

  It’s so thin! Sally thought. She dipped a piece of duck in the sweet bean sauce, put it on the pancake along with two spring onion sticks and two cucumber sticks, and then carefully wrapped the pancake around the filling for fear of breaking it.

  She looked surprised when she picked the roll up and there was no sign that it would break.

  “That duck roll looks perfect,” Mag said, smiling. “It tastes better if you put it all in your mouth at one go.”


  Sally hesitated a moment as she looked at the roll. It was unladylike for her to eat in one go, but she did as Mag said nonetheless.

  The pancake was soft and tasty. After she bit into the filling, various tastes erupted on her taste buds, caressing them and making them quiver with excitement.

  The more she chewed, the better she felt.

  The sweet bean sauce went great with the meat.

  The cucumber was refreshing and a welcome crunch to the meat. The mouth-watering taste lingered in her mouth after she swallowed.

  Sally savored the taste for a moment, and then raised her head to look at Mag. “I didn’t think cucumbers and spring onions would go well with duck meat, but it seems I was very wrong. It’s scrumptious.”


  “Mmm, it’s so good……” Amy said as she chewed on the meat. Then her eyes found the cat sitting on the counter craning its neck curiously to see what they were eating. She smiled an evil smile. “Grow up quickly, Ugly Duckling.”


  “Meow~”


  Ugly Duckling felt a sudden chill going through its body. It crept backwards in fear, lost its footing, and tumbled down the counter. The girls giggled.

  The delicious roast duck brought them joy and laughter.

  Mag also picked up a piece and ate it. He loved everything about it—the color, the taste, the texture. It was just perfect. It was even better than the Peking Duck he had eaten at the Quanjude Restaurant.

  He used wood from fruit trees to roast the duck, which added a pleasant fragrance to the meat, and Red-top Tricolor Ducks tasted much better than Peking Stuffed Ducks.

  “I guess it’s true what they say, that ducks are fattest in late autumn,” Mag said after swallowing the meat.

  They accumulated fat in autumn for winter.

  Firis looked like something was on her mind as she ate. Why does it taste familiar? Could it be that I have eaten it before?

  One duck was clearly not enough to eat for six people, so when they were half done with the meat, Mag went into the kitchen and cooked something else.

  When the lunch hours were over, Yabemiya took a box of Yangzhou fried rice and left with Babla. Firis stayed on and practiced grilling kebabs. Mag walked over to Sally, who was cleaning the restaurant with her water-type magic.

  “I have a favor to ask of you, Aisha,” Mag said reluctantly.

  Sally turned to face him. “What is it?”


  “It’s totally understandable if you say no,” Mag said, embarrassed. “Um…… How do I say this……”


  “I’ll help if it’s in my power,” said Sally. She had never seen Mag so ill at ease.

  “You see, Amy’s school is holding a parent-teacher meeting, and they want both parents to attend, so…… I’d like you to be Amy’s mother.” Mag felt so embarrassed that he wanted to sink into the floor. He had rehearsed the conversation in his head many times, but it was still so difficult to say it out loud.

  “Huh?” Sally blushed when she understood what he meant. She lost her usual calm and coolness and looked startled.

  “No, not like that! I just wanted you to pose as Amy’s mother and attend the parent-teacher meeting with me. It’s cool if you don’t want to.”


  “What do I have to do?” Sally replied after remembering what a loving father he was. “I’ll help you if you think I can do it.”


  “Really?” Mag’s face lit up. Sally was the best person he could find for the job. He might have had to hire a wife if she had said no.

  Sally nodded. “Yes.”


  “Thanks! But I don’t know what you have to do, since it’s also my first ever parent-teacher meeting. I don’t think we need to do much, though. I’ll ask them for more details.”


  “All right.” Sally turned around and got back to her cleaning work. Streams of water caressed the leaves of the green plants, taking the last speck of dust away, but Sally looked a little distracted……

  The restaurant was not open yet, but already many people had come for dinner. The lines were getting longer by the minute.

  “Have you heard? Mag is launching a new dish tonight. It’s called Peking Duck!”


  “Of course I have. I punched out early and got here as fast as I could. I don’t want to miss out on the new dish.”