Chapter 683 - Do You Think I“m Retarded?!
“What kind of brains are these? Could this be the brain of a magic beast[1]?”
Ian looked down at the tofu pudding, only to see a bowl of soft white substance, on which there was a layer of diced pickled vegetables and orange sauce. The aroma of the sauce and the secondary ingredients came wafting toward him along with the faint smell of soybean, creating a very alluring combination.
After finishing that steak, the refreshing aroma of the soybean provided a very pleasant contrast. The appearance of the soft white substance was also very pleasant, completely different from one’s mental image of animal brains.
“It looks very appetizing and smells very good as well; I’m very much looking forward to tasting this.” Ian nodded as he turned to Brooker’s tofu pudding, which had been drizzled with golden sugar syrup, and he smiled as he said, “Brooker, you’re not a young man anymore. You should restrain yourself a little in your sugar consumption.”
“Master, you know that this is the only hobby of mine. If I can’t even indulge in sweets from time to time, it just feels like something’s missing from my life.” Brooker smiled before looking down at the sweet tofu pudding with anticipation glowing in his eyes.
The tofu pudding was white and soft, and was covered in a layer of reddish-golden syrup. It was like a block of pure white jade that had been enshrouded in cognac. After picking up the plate, the tofu pudding wobbled slightly, making it appear very bouncy and supple. The syrup was still quite warm, and its sweet smell was enough to make his mouth water. It was too tempting for anyone with a sweet-tooth to resist.
The two of them had their first mouthfuls of tofu pudding almost at the exact same moment.
“Oh! This flavor!” Brooker’s eyes immediately widened. The sweet tofu pudding immediately melted in his mouth along with the sweet syrup. In contrast with normal syrup that was very sticky and rich, this reddish-golden syrup wasn’t overpowering in the slightest, and none of the flavor of the tofu pudding was drowned out.
Even after he had swallowed, the fragrance and sweetness remained in his mouth, making him eager for more.
Brooker was a huge fan of sweet food, and had tasted countless types of desserts. He constantly had a bag of sweets in his pocket, and it had already become a habit of his to have some whenever he had some free time.
Back when he had first been hired as Ian’s butler, he was so busy every day that he would often have to skip meals, so eating sweets when he was hungry gradually became a habit. If he didn’t eat something sweet every day, then he would feel as if something were missing.
Even though he had tasted countless desserts, he was still completely won over by just a single mouthful of tofu pudding.
He felt as if he had fallen into a pool of sweet syrup, and he was swimming through it with reckless abandon, completely basking in its delectable flavor.
“This really is an amazing dish!” Ian stared at the empty spoon in his hand with shock and elation on his face.
The soft white tofu pudding had been covered in a layer of orange sauce and diced pickled vegetables. After placing it in his mouth, it completely melted without even the need to chew. The sweet and fragrant tofu pudding combined perfectly with the pickled vegetables and sauce, creating a brilliant storm of flavors that wreaked havoc in his mouth. However, after swallowing the tofu pudding, the faint fragrance of soybean left behind only a refreshing aftertaste.
It was an indescribable pleasure to taste this refreshing and delicious tofu pudding after eating the impossibly rich and flavorful steak.
The sound of spoons clinking against bowls rang out over and over again as the two of them scooped spoonful after spoonful of tofu pudding into their mouths, completely unable to stop eating.
“Sweet tofu pudding is the king of all desserts! I’ve never had any dessert with such an incredible flavor before! This dish is absolutely irresistible!” Brooker licked his bowl clean before staring at it with amazement and satisfaction, feeling as if he had found the meaning of life.
Ian put down his bowl and shook his head as he turned to Brooker. “You should taste the savory tofu pudding first before you say that. Sweet tofu pudding is an absolutely blasphemous concept. Tofu pudding should only be eaten as a savory dish, not wasted as a dessert.”
“With all due respect, Master, I have tasted countless desserts in my lifetime, and this sweet tofu pudding ranks high above all of them, so please do not insult it.” Brooker looked at Ian with a serious expression, and said, “Also, the slightly sweet flavor of the tofu pudding can only be enhanced to the maximum extent by this sweet syrup. I think this is the only right way to eat tofu pudding, and that making it into a savory dish would be ruining the flavor.”
“As your boss, I must be responsible for instilling within you the correct values. Tofu pudding must be eaten as a savory dish!” Ian looked at Brooker with a stern expression.
“Master, you are indeed my boss, but nothing you say can shake my loyalty to sweet tofu pudding. I am willing to live and die by my sweet tofu pudding!” Brooker looked into Ian’s eyes with the expression of a man who was prepared to go to war.
Ian looked at Brooker for a long while before placing a hand onto the table. Brooker immediately rose to his feet upon seeing this, but he showed no intention of backing down.
“I also firmly stand by my savory tofu pudding.” Ian harrumphed before making his way over to the kitchen.
“I can respect that.” Brooker heaved a faint sigh of relief, and he suddenly felt as if his legs had turned into tofu pudding. He had been serving Ian for several decades, and this was the first time he had ever objected to anything that his master had said.
“Boss… Mag, right? Your steak and tofu pudding are both very delicious. However, I still want to discuss something with you. Would you be able to sell me a bottle of your wine? I’d be willing to pay the price that I offered earlier,” Ian said as he made his way over to the entrance of the kitchen.
Yes! Hell yes! Mag roared internally. However, he still shook his head with a smile as he looked at Ian, and replied, “My apologies, but my wine cannot be sold individually.”
“I’ll throw in another 100,000 copper coins.” Ian looked into Mag’s eyes with a serious and insistent expression.
“Sorry, my answer remains the same.” Mag shook his head again.
He felt as if his heart were bleeding. He was being offered 300,000 copper coins for a bottle of wine, which had cost him only several hundred copper coins to source from the system. How could the system force him to turn down such a ridiculously lucrative transaction?
“System, why don’t we set the reward for the next mission as this wine-brewing method? I want to be able to do some things on my own and take some of the load off your shoulders,” Mag offered internally.
“The mission rewards are random, but as long as you work hard in completing the missions thrown at you, you’ll have a chance to obtain the winemaking method in the future,” the system replied.
However, in a corner of Mag’s mind outside of his notice, a small line of text quickly flashed past. “Do you think I’m retarded?! If I give you the winemaking method, the winery I built would completely go to waste…”
“Interesting. Boss Mag, please come and visit our winery when you have some free time. I’ll treat you to some of our wine.” Ian looked at Mag, and a smile reappeared on his face.
“Thank you for your kind offer. I’ll be sure to pay your winery a visit if I get an opportunity to do so.” Mag also nodded with a smile. He was also considering arranging a lunchtime auction together with the old man.
On Earth, an opportunity to have lunch with Old Man Buffett could be auctioned off for hundreds of thousands of US dollars per pop[2]. This Old Man Buffett wasn’t the god of the stock market, but he was just as legendary of a figure as the Old Man Buffett on Earth. If news of this were to spread, there would most likely be many people willing to pay good money for the opportunity.
Only Old Man Buffett could think of a way to earn money while being treated to a meal.
Right after Ian and Brooker paid their bills and departed, a large horse-drawn carriage with city lord’s castle insignia emblazoned onto it stopped in front of the restaurant.
[1] As previously elaborated, tofu pudding in Chinese is literally tofu brains.
[2] This is actually a thing: the opportunity to have lunch with Warren Buffett (one of the richest men on Earth IRL) is auctioned off once per year or something like that.