Chapter 7

After cleaning the bathroom, Michael glanced at Amy, who was still soundly asleep . He put the set of clothes that he found in the closet, the dress, socks and shoes next to the small bed .

As he thought of how adorable Amy would be when she wore the new dress, he could not help but smile .

He grabbed a set of small toiletries and made his way down the stairs .

Michael was very familiar with this kitchen . But the kitchen had several subtle changes . For example, last night there were no cooking utensils available for use in the kitchen . But today, in the kitchen, all the cooking utensils had become available .

He opened the fridge and discovered that all the ingredients he needed were also already stocked in the fridge . Even the live prawns were placed in a special compartment within the fridge, where they were swimming happily .

“Now is the time to cook for real, and make a lovely breakfast for Amy . ” Michael washed his hands, and began to cook the rice .

“Papa?” Shortly after, on the second floor of the building, Amy turned around sleepily and reached out with her hands, but she did not feel the familiar touch of her dad .

Slowly, she opened her eyes, and glance at the foreign room, and for a moment, she did not know where she was . Then she recalled that this is the new room that her father had magically conjured .

She looked around, and did not see her father on the bigger bed beside her bed, and started to panic . Amy held on to the bedside railings and tried to sit up .

But she had barely got up from the bed when she was attracted by the scene of the black dress that was placed near her bed . Her eyes shone .

In a shriek of delight, she grabbed hold of it, and rubbed it against her face . The smooth and soft feeling of this dress made her shout out in joy, “This must the dress that my father gave to me . It is so pretty . I love it!”

Michael did not know that Amy has already waked up . The rice cooker is so convenient and efficient . In a very short span of time, the rice is ready . The rice may be freshly cooked, but each grain of rice seem to shine with a bright gleam, and the aroma of the freshly cooked rice is very pleasing to smell .

“What type of rice is this? Even if it is just white rice, I think I can easily wolf down two bowls . ” Michael could not help but wonder . And these prawns, even if you just poached them in the water, the taste of these prawns would be pretty fresh and tasty .

He gathered all the ingredients needs to make a plate of Yang Zhou Fried rice, and washed them . But when he picked up the knife and is about to slice the ingredients, his expression changed . He looked very serious and focused on his tasks . This is based on his experience in the training grounds – that when cooking, he needs to give it his all . It is an attitude that all great chefs must have .

The Chinese cleaver seemed to be alive as it danced in quick succession . Regardless if it is the tender bamboo shoot or the hard-shelled prawns, all of them were minced into grain size ingredients . After practicing his knife skills for at least ten thousand times, his skills had improved a lot .

Of course, there is no chef in the world that could repeatedly practice their knife skills like him . The cost of the wasted ingredients would be enough to make any chef go broke .

He added the oil to the wok, and then he fried the ingredients as per recipe . After a short while, a tantalizing aroma whiffed out of the kitchen . If you could visualize the scent of the food as a whiff of smoke, that whiff of smoke floated through the door that was left ajar, up the stairways and into the bedroom .

Sitting on the bed, Amy who had changed into the new dress was grinning happily . This is the first time she had worn such a beautiful dress . It is so comfortable, and so soft . Wearing them was like wearing a cloud – it is so light and yet so soft and comfortable .

Suddenly Amy twitched her nose as she picked up the delectable aroma . At first, Amy was still a bit sleepy, but once she smelled the aroma, her eyes immediately opened wide . She took in a great breathe, as if she could ‘eat’ the smell, and cried, “What a pleasant scent! Did Papa cook something tasty?”

Amy quickly put on the socks, and hurriedly rushed down the small staircase . She put on her shoes and with a “glop, glop” sound, made her way to the door of the stairs .

As she pushed open the door that was left ajar, the mouth-watering smell thickens in intensity . Amy swallowed her saliva, and her small tummy begins to growl in hunger . She had never in her life smell something so good . Even the aroma of the roast goose from the corner shop could not match this rich, luscious smell .

She could not get to the kitchen fast enough . She quickly picked up her pace and rushed down the stairs .

“What an enchanting smell! Papa, what are you making?” Amy walked into the kitchen, but she had not finished speaking, when she just stood there, stunned . Looking at the man who was dressed in a chef uniformed, neatly trimmed hair, and no beard, she could not believe her eyes . Her eyes widen in surprise and she could not believe what she saw . Is this man really her dad?

“En? My dearest Amy had woke up?” Michael heard her voice, and looked towards the door of the kitchen .

Amy had already changed to the black color dress, and wore the pair of white socks that had a pink butterfly engraved on them . She had just wake up, and her hair is quite messy . Her half-opened mouth was left slightly ajar as she gasped in surprise at Michael’s appearance . Overall, she looked very sweet and lovely .

“Oh, you just woke up and you could not recognize your father?” Michael chuckled .

“It is really you, Papa!” Amy blinked her eyes, and cried out in surprise .

His unkempt long hair is now neatly trimmed . His long, messy beard had disappeared . Even his clothes suddenly become clean and tidy, and very fashionable . His smile is also more obvious and nicer . And, the most important thing is, her father suddenly look very big and tall . Just like a giant! It was as if his body is as big and tall as a tree .

“Papa, today you seemed much taller, as tall as a tree . And you have grown more handsome, very nice!” Amy walked towards him with a gleam in her eyes .

“Grow taller?” Michael looked down at his body . Then he suddenly understood why Amy said that . It is because his hunchback had suddenly straightened . As well, he had changed to a suit that is quite long instead of the shabby clothes he used to wear . Therefore, to his daughter, Amy, he looked a bit taller and bigger .

Of course, he was happy with her compliment that he had grown more handsome . As he thought, his daughter prefers the well-kept and well-shaved him .

But Amy’s attention quickly shifted to the wok that Michael was frying . She tiptoed and tried to see the contents of the wok, and curiously asked, “But Papa, what is in the wok? It smells really good, even better than the smell of roast goose . I am hungry… . “

“This dish is called Yang Zhou Fried Rice . This is our breakfast this morning . ” Michael smiled as he explained, and tried to soften his voice .

In his past life, as a food critic, he was quite cold, and when he speaks, he never smiled . But now he is trying hard to adapt to the role of a father, and he wanted to give Amy a warm feeling .

Having said that, Michael pointed to the bag of toiletries, “There is a pink color toothbrush and a cup inside . You must brush your teeth and wash your face before you can eat the breakfast, ok?”

“Ok!” Amy obediently nodded her head . She glanced towards the wok and unwillingly picked up the toothbrush and cup . Under Michael’s guidance, for the first time in her life, she learned how to brush her teeth .

Michael then returned to the kitchen and continued to fry the rice . Finally, the fried rice is ready . He turned off the fire, and place the fried rice on the plate .

Amy had just finished brushing her teeth, and she quickly rushed over . When she saw the sea of colors that define this dish, her eyes lit up, “Wow, what a beautiful looking plate of fried rice! Papa is amazing!”

“En, I also felt that way . ” Michael nodded his head with a big grin on his face . He felt really happy to hear the praise from Amy .

Amy first sniffed the fried rice, then she swallowed her saliva . She lifted up her head and glanced at her dad, and almost drooled, “It really smells wonderful! Papa, I want to eat this Yang… . Yang Zhou Fried Rice . “

Michael looked at the adorable face of Amy, and his heart melted . He wanted to let Amy know that the plate of fried rice was specially cooked just for her, but great difficulty, he resisted the urge to do .

He reached out and wiped some of the drool that had spilled out of Amy’s tiny mouth, and shook his head, “Not right now . Before you eat, you must first wash your hands . “

Michael was pulled towards the sink . “Then let’s be quick about it . “

Michael frowned . Something seemed to be wrong . Then it hit him – his daughter seemed to like the food more than him .

After Amy had washed her hands, Michael picked up the plate of fried rice and carried it to the same dining table where they had sat on last night . Amy had already seated herself on the chair, and had a spoon in her tiny hands .

She was full of anticipation, and she could not take her eyes off the food and stared at it while drooling .

“Enjoy . ” Michael grinned and placed the plate on the table . Then he stroke Amy’s head .

Recipe of food mentioned in this chapter

Yang Chow Fried Rice Recipe This article is about Yang Chow Fried Rice recipe . It provides a step by step guide to making the dish, “Yang Chow Fried Rice “ . It includes a video, some background information as well as the recipe . Note that this recipe is a simplified version that is easier to cook . . . February 23, 2018 /