The parent-teacher meeting ended on a friendly note. Sally put out the fire and cleaned everything up. Mag put the grill in that large box again, took Amy by the hand, and walked towards the school gate.

  “Bye, Amy’s Father!”


  “Bye, Amy!”


  “Have your father cook for us again, Amy!”


  The kids said goodbye to Mag and Amy, and clearly they had been captivated by Mag’s cooking.

  “The parent-teacher meeting is so much fun. I like it!” Amy said, holding Mag’s hand with her left hand and Sally’s with her right.

  Mag and Sally exchanged a joyful glance.

  “Thank you, Sally,” Mag said.

  “You’re welcome.” She looked down at Amy and smiled. “It’s been an interesting and happy experience for me too.”


  “I wish we could stay together forever, Big Sister Aisha.”


  Sally’s heart ached for a moment. This life was tempting, but……

  She had no answer. She only smiled and touched her hair ever so lightly.

  Amy didn’t catch the sadness in her eyes. “You have a beautiful smile, Big Sister Sally, you should smile more often.”


  Sally nodded. “I will.” She had indeed smiled more today than she had in a long time.

  Mag wheeled his bike out easily through a sea of carriages, making the coachmen feel envious.

  Mag sat Amy on the horizontal top tube, and Sally seated herself on the back seat. “Hold tight, and off we go!” The bicycle shot off like an arrow.

  Sally wrapped her arms around Mag’s waist automatically without thinking.

  Despite his years, Mag blushed like a boy. Sally was young and beautiful. She reminded him of the girls he had dated during his school days. Oh, the good old days!

  Sally’s fair cheeks reddened when she realized what she had done. She could feel his muscular body under his white shirt. She wanted to pull her hands back, but she found herself gently pressing her cheek against his broad back instead.

  I met you too late. I wish I could spend more time with you, but I have to leave. I may never see you again, so let me hold you while I can. Sally closed her eyes and smiled.

  When Mag returned to the restaurant, Sally got off the bicycle, as calm as if nothing had happened.

  Mag lifted Amy off and wheeled the bicycle inside. It was time to prepare the ingredients for the dinner service.

  “How did the meeting go?” Yabemiya asked curiously as soon as they walked inside. “Did you really pose as Amy’s mother, Aisha? Did someone recognize you?”


  Babla and Firis walked over to them too.

  “No. Big Sister Aisha is really good at acting. She didn’t blow her cover,” Amy said as she scooped up Ugly Duckling, who had run to her.

  “I didn’t do anything, really,” Sally said.

  “Oh, I got the biggest certificate in my class. Come check it out!” Amy took it out of the basket, and they congratulated and praised her.

  Mag went upstairs to change into his chef’s uniform. When he got back down and saw such a lovely scene, his lips curved in a smile.

  He went into the kitchen and saw many plates of duck meat, which had been arranged in a long row.

  He could tell how much progress Firis had made just by looking at them. The pieces on the first plate were not uniform in thickness, and the skin on some pieces was damaged. Yet, the pieces on the last plate were almost exactly the same in thickness and size, and the skin on each piece was in beautiful shape.

  “108 pieces, and there is no meat left on the bones. Perfect!” Mag said to Firis.

  I envy the hell out of her. Mag sighed silently. I had to carve up over 5,000 ducks before I mastered the skills at the test field for the God of Cookery. But it only took her several hours and 10 ducks of practice to do the same. You can get really discouraged when you compare yourself to someone better than you.

  Firis looked surprised. “So I don’t need to practice anymore?”


  Mag nodded. “No, you don’t. From now on, you’ll slice the ducks for the customers. I’m sure you can do it.”


  “Yes, Boss, I’ll do my best.”


  Due to Principal Novan’s promotion and Amy’s winning of the Outstanding Contribution Award, Mamy Restaurant had garnered more fame, which led to a surge in the number of customers tonight.

  Many parents of the kids not in Amy’s class came with their families to try the dish that had been praised by both the principal and the director of guidance.

  Of course, when they really came to the restaurant, families who weren’t wealthy showed a hesitant look when they saw the prices. Others gave excuses of not finding anything to their liking to live. Some bought a skewer of beef kebabs for their child for take away. As for those who could afford the price, they took their seats and awaited the food to be served.

  Joseph and his parents seated themselves at a table in the corner.

  “Look at the price of beef kebabs,” Joseph’s mother said when she opened the menu. “Only 200 copper coins each. Mag is such a nice person.”