Chapter 4: Fresh Vegetable Salad

The Seagull Restaurant was an exceptionally clean and tidy place. The cream-colored tables and chairs were arranged with a sense of style, and the soft, melodious instrumental music echoed throughout the hall.

It was mealtime, and many people were seated inside the restaurant. Unfortunately, Amy did not recognize anyone among them, or else she would have gone over to strike up a conversation and improve her favorability with them.

As soon as Amy stepped inside, she was handed a red rose.

“Good evening, miss. I wish you a pleasant meal.”

Amy smiled, nodded in thanks to the waiter, and found a seat by the window in a quiet corner.

After sitting down, she tried to strike up a conversation with the waiter who had given her the rose earlier. She said several things like “Your voice is really nice,” but she could not unlock any progress on his favorability bar.

It seemed the game had determined that he was not an important NPC.

“Miss, please place your order.”

Amy took the menu. When she saw the price next to each dish, her eyes widened slightly.

Never mind the big dishes like tomahawk steak or pan-fried sea bass—even a simple cream of mushroom soup cost 120 gold… That was way too expensive.

Even if she added up all her belongings, at most she could afford three bowls of cream of mushroom soup.

Amy chuckled at the thought—or rather, laughed at how poor she was.

The waiter noticed the faint smile on Amy’s lips and assumed she was very pleased with the menu, so he began recommending dishes: “Miss, the French cream cheese baked lobster, foie gras with walnuts and passion fruit, and the salmon Benedict eggs are all our chef’s specialties. You might want to see if you like them.”

Like? Amy thought. Of course, she liked them.

But she couldn’t afford them.

She carefully flipped through the menu and finally stopped at one page. Looking up at the waiter, she said, “I’ll have this one, thank you.”

The waiter glanced at the menu: vegetable salad.

…So what exactly had this lady been smiling about just now?

After the waiter left, Amy thought over her choice again.

The vegetable salad was the cheapest dish on the menu, at 78 gold. Although still somewhat pricey, it was at least within her budget.

Tomorrow she just had to chop down a few more trees.

As for the money earned from selling wood… it seemed she could only use it to buy food. She would have to wait until the lettuce and tomatoes she planted on the farm ripened. Once she no longer lacked food, then she could really start saving money.

She hoped that day would come quickly.

“Vegetable salad. Please enjoy.”

While Amy was planning her future, her dinner arrived.

This time it wasn’t the young male waiter who had refused to unlock any favorability, but instead a girl of about twenty with light golden hair and blue eyes.

The girl’s looks were strikingly beautiful, but her expression was far too cold, carrying an air of “keep your distance.”

Yet Amy felt she looked strangely familiar, as though she had seen her somewhere before.

But where? She hadn’t met many people in Hot Spring Town yet.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Hello, miss… Have we met somewhere before?”

The girl was already leaving with the tray in her hands. Hearing this, she turned her head and glanced at Amy, replying coolly, “No. I don’t remember seeing you anywhere.”

But that one glance confirmed her identity to Amy.

The girl’s profile looked seven or eight parts similar to Ophelia’s—she had to be Leslie’s eldest daughter, Ophelia’s sister, Clara.

Leslie was warm and friendly. Ophelia was lively and cheerful. Clara… was nothing like her mother or younger sister.

“You must be Clara, right?” Amy said. “I’ve heard Leslie and Ophelia talk about you.”

“Let me properly introduce myself. I’m the new farmer who moved here. My name is Amy. Pleased to meet you.”

In just one day, Amy had already lost count of how many times she had said “Pleased to meet you,” but thankfully, the responses were always equally warm.

This time, however, was an exception.

Clara’s eyes widened. She glanced around nervously, leaned close to Amy, and whispered, “You know my mother and sister?”

“Yes,” Amy said, puzzled. “What’s the problem with that?”

“It’s a big problem!” Clara’s expression was anxious. She covered the two of them with the menu. “You mustn’t tell my mother that you saw me here.”

“…Why not?”

“No reason!” Clara snapped, standing upright again. “Anyway, you just can’t.”

Amy couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if I don’t tell Leslie, there are so many people in the restaurant. Someone is bound to tell her.”

“No, they won’t. The restaurant only gets crowded in the evening, and whenever there are acquaintances, I don’t come out. No one knows I’m here.”

“…If you don’t come out, then who does your work?”

Clara looked at her like she had asked a stupid question. “Of course, Oliver does. He listens to me.”

Oliver must have been the young man who gave Amy the rose at the door.

Oh, poor Oliver.

After warning her several times not to tell anyone, Clara slipped away like a thief.

Amy watched her leave, still unable to understand why Clara was working in the restaurant in secret, or why she refused to tell Leslie.

But none of that had anything to do with her.

Better to eat first.

The salad was very fresh.

Romaine lettuce, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, avocado—everything was crisp and refreshing. Paired with the sweet-tangy egg yolk dressing and slices of smoky, seared bacon, the flavors were rich. The strips of shredded cheese added a thick, creamy fragrance.

Amy hadn’t expected a salad to be filling and was prepared to go hungry all night, but to her surprise, after finishing the plate she was already seventy to eighty percent full.

If the portions were this big, then she could forgive the restaurant’s somewhat high prices.

Amy put down her knife and fork with satisfaction. Just as she reached for a napkin to wipe her hands, she noticed the game interface flickering.

Could it be that one of her skills had leveled up?

She quickly opened the panel, and a notification popped up. It wasn’t a skill upgrade, but something she had never seen before—

[You have unlocked Recipe Codex: “Fresh Vegetable Salad.”]

At the same time, a new icon appeared on her game interface shaped like a menu. She clicked on it, and there it was: a miniature version of the very salad in front of her, lying quietly inside as the first entry in the codex.

Aside from Fresh Vegetable Salad, the recipe codex had a large empty space, clearly waiting for Amy to fill it.

Amy blinked.

She had only come out tonight to fill her stomach. She hadn’t expected to gain an extra surprise.

If there was a recipe codex, there must also be a planting codex and a fish codex, right?

People who loved farm games usually had a bit of a collecting obsession. Amy couldn’t speak for others, but she was like that.

Collecting—she had to collect them all and become the Codex Master!

Amy’s fighting spirit blazed.

“Clink.”

While she was still lost in the beautiful fantasy of completing the codex, a plate of… egg tarts was placed on her table.

What was going on?

Amy thought Clara or Oliver must have accidentally brought the wrong dish. She lifted her head—and was stunned speechless by the impossibly handsome face in front of her.

Oh. My. God.

Amy thought, she really must be living inside a game.

No one in real life looked like this—this wasn’t a person, but a sculpture come alive. He should be taken back to the Louvre and displayed.

Amy had a stable core, and even faced with such a perfect face, she did not lose her mind. She still remembered what she had wanted to ask, and with a smile she said, “Was this dish delivered by mistake? I didn’t order these egg tarts… Chef Gabriel.”

Yes, she had already confirmed his identity. It was too obvious.

Amy thought Leslie should have added one more detail when introducing him: “The impossibly handsome man who left the big city to move to Hot Spring Town and chase his dreams.” That would fit Gabriel’s character setting better.

“I know,” he said. “This is a gift for you.”

“Why?” Amy asked. This was really an egg tart falling from the sky.

“Because this morning you stood outside the restaurant for a long time.”

“…?”

Gabriel gave a small smile, leaving Amy petrified.

No way. She had run off so quickly—yet he still noticed!

As expected of a sculpture come alive. Ordinary people didn’t have that kind of ability.

“All right, I won’t joke anymore.” Gabriel restrained his smile, his expression turning serious and sincere. “I’m glad to become your neighbor. This is a small token of mine, and I hope you’ll like it.”

Since it was a token of goodwill and a welcome gift, it was better to accept it graciously than to refuse.

Amy felt her smile must be dazzling at that moment. “I love egg tarts the most. Thank you.”

“You love egg tarts? No wonder you were staring at them for so long this morning.” Gabriel chuckled again.

Amy: …Don’t bring that up again!

“There’s still work in the kitchen, so I’ll leave you now. Please enjoy.” Gabriel turned to go.

Amy called after him: “I haven’t told you my name yet. I’m Amy—oh, and the salad was delicious. Thank you for the treat.”

“All right.” Gabriel glanced back with a faint smile. “Amy.”

The background music grew softer and sweeter.

At the table, Amy happily picked up the egg tart. Too lazy to use knife and fork, she popped the whole thing into her mouth.

Sweet, soft, fragrant. The baked custard had the silky texture of pudding, paired with a flaky crust that crumbled to bits… Amy felt her soul had ascended.

[You have unlocked Recipe Codex: “Caramel Macchiato Egg Tart.”]

In just one evening, Amy had filled her stomach, eaten free egg tarts, and unlocked two codex entries. On her way home, even the wind felt sweet—indeed it was, since nearly every house in Hot Spring Town stored maple syrup.

She was simply overjoyed.

She liked everyone she had met today: Leslie, Nancy, Ophelia, Gabriel, Oliver… and yes, even Clara.

Since dinner had filled her up, Amy had recovered a lot of stamina. To avoid wasting it, she picked up her sickle after returning to the farm and cleared the weeds around her house.

Weeds couldn’t be sold to Eric like wood, but they could be made into hay for animals.

Although the farm currently had no livestock other than herself, Amy still collected all the cut weeds, planning to dry them in the sun tomorrow to prepare for future animals.

After finishing all this and washing up briefly, she finally lay down on her bed again.

A busy and fulfilling day had come to an end.