In the horse-drawn carriage, Brooker looked at Ian with a concerned expression, and asked, “Master, are you worried about the effect that Boss Mag’s wine will have on business for our winery?”
Ever since they had got onto the carriage, Ian had remained completely silent.
“Competition exists in all sectors of the market, and it’s the primary driving force behind innovation and improvement. If the wine he brews can truly pose a threat to our winery, then so be it. It’s much more refreshing to see a man with actual skills and talent rather than all of those dimwits doing everything they can to suck up to me, thinking that I would provide them with a one-way ticket to riches and prosperity.” Ian shook his head with a hint of a derisive sneer on his face.
“Then…” Brooker was a little perplexed.
“I’m thinking about whether I should invite him to become the supervisor at our winery so he can improve the quality of our wine.” An eager smile appeared on Ian’s face.
Brooker was still rather concerned as he said, “But Master, all of the winemakers working at our winery are very experienced and established figures in this field. If we force Boss Mag onto them, they most likely wouldn’t be willing to submit to him. That would be too risky in my opinion.”
Ian smiled, and said, “If they can’t produce wine as good as Boss Mag’s, then they’d better shut up and learn. The only thing that matters to me is results. Things like experience and ability are all secondary in comparison. Otherwise, our banks and winery would’ve never reached this level of success.”
“But Young Mistress Scheer is the one in charge now, after all. Should we…” Brooker began in a quiet voice.
“There’s no hurry. Scheer has been very busy recently, but if she can cement her collaboration with Mag, then surely he wouldn’t be able to refuse me,” Ian said with a smile.
“Father, why aren’t you taking Mother with us? Is it really ok for us to come out for a late-night snack without her like this?” Vivian jumped down from the horse-drawn carriage first before turning to Michael. Despite what she was saying, she wore a beaming smile on her face, and there was not even a single shred of guilt or remorse in her eyes.
Michael also disembarked from the horse-drawn carriage, and he smiled as he replied, “I told your mother before coming here, but she didn’t want to come, as eating at night will make her gain weight, so we could only leave her behind.”
Vivian sighed, and said, “That’s a real shame. To think that Mother is missing out on such a delicious spicy grilled fish. You should tell her next time to eat a spicy grilled fish, then a tofu pudding. Those two make up an unmissable combination.”
Michael’s eyes immediately lit up as he said, “Is that so? I’ll be sure to bring one of each back for your mother. She’ll surely enjoy it too.”
Vivian smiled as she looked at Michael, and said, “Father, you’re coming out for a meal with your precious daughter, yet all you’re thinking about is your wife. You’re going to hurt me like this.”
“Alright, alright, order whatever you want to eat today, and we’ll take the rest back with us,” Michael conceded with a resigned smile.
“Well, don’t mind if I do!” Vivian’s eyes lit up as she strode toward the restaurant.
It was already close to 9 pm, and business in the restaurant was slowly wrapping up, so there were a few empty seats around.
Vivian strode in through the door, and was subsequently followed by Michael. All of the customers in the restaurant faltered initially at the sight of Michael before hurriedly rising to their feet to extend greetings toward him. They were clearly not expecting to meet the city lord here.
“No need for formalities, everyone. I’m just a customer who’s here for a meal tonight as well.” Michael waved his hands with a smile to acknowledge everyone’s greetings.
“Could it be that Young Mistress Vivian is the city lord’s daughter?” Yabemiya was looking at Vivian with a surprised expression on her face.
Vivian raised her hand and turned to Yabemiya with an excited expression as she said, “I want a large insanely spicy grilled fish!”
She then turned to Michael, and asked, “Father, we should be able to finish this together, right?”
“Well, about this insanely spicy flavor…” A hesitant look appeared on Michael’s face. Judging from his experience in eating the super spicy grilled fish last time, this was most likely a level of spiciness that he couldn’t handle.
However, at the sight of the excited expression on Vivian’s face, he hesitated momentarily before nodding as he said, “Sure. We can take away what we can’t finish here.”
Michael then turned to Yabemiya with a smile, and asked, “Has the black pepper steak been released?”
Yabemiya nodded with a smile, and replied, “It has; it was released today.”
“Is that the steak from last night?” Vivian was also very intrigued on hearing this.
“Yes,” Yabemiya replied with a nod.
Vivian clapped her hands together as she said, “Then I’ll get a black pepper steak as well. I was drooling the entire time last night. I have to taste one for myself today!”
Michael turned to Vivian with a perplexed look, and asked, “Didn’t you already order an insanely spicy grilled fish?”
“That doesn’t interfere with me eating a steak. In preparation for this meal, I didn’t even have dinner tonight,” Vivian said with a smug smile.
“What am I going to do with you?” Michael shook his head with a doting smile. He then turned to Yabemiya, and said, “We’ll do as she says, then. We’ll get two black pepper steaks and a large insanely spicy grilled fish.”
“Alright, please wait for a moment.” Yabemiya nodded with a smile, but there was a hint of envy in her eyes. Vivian was very fortunate to have such a loving father.
“Hello, Big Sister Vivian, Uncle City Lord!” Amy held Ugly Duckling in one arm and held Anna’s hand with her other hand as she greeted the duo with a smile.
“Who’s this, Amy?” Vivian looked at Anna with a curious expression. This little elven girl was very adorable.
“This is Big Sister Anna,” Amy introduced.
Mag looked at the three conversing girls, and then at Michael, the straightforward and righteous city lord, whom he liked quite a bit. He was wondering whether he was here just to enjoy a late-night meal with his daughter, or if he was actually here for the steam engine.
The two black pepper steaks were brought out first.
“Oh! This is amazing!” A blissful smile immediately appeared on Vivian’s face as she tasted her first mouthful of steak.
Michael also had his first mouthful of steak, and he couldn’t help but praise, “It’s even better than it was yesterday. As expected, Boss Mag can perform even better in his own restaurant. Beate lost fair and square.”
After finishing their steaks, a massive spicy grilled fish was placed before the two of them; it almost stretched across the entire table.
The scorching waves of spiciness wafting toward them prompted Michael to reflexively shuffle his chair back; just the aroma alone was making his eyes water. This wasn’t a normal level of spice; this really was insanely spicy!
“Oh! It smells so good!”
In contrast, Vivian poked her face closer to the fish with an excited expression, and even went as far as to fan the scorching air toward herself with her hand. A content expression appeared on her face as she picked up her chopsticks. Only after dipping a piece of fish in the spicy juices did she place it into her mouth and chew with a joyful expression. She then immediately had another mouthful of fish, and she simply couldn’t stop.
Is it perhaps not as spicy as it smells?
Michael looked at Vivian with a curious expression, and hesitated slightly before emulating Vivian by dipping a morsel of fish in the spicy juices before placing it in his mouth.