After Surviving the Apocalypse, I Built a City in Another World novel Chapter 124

Cooke Ferrell looked at the gorgeous pregnant woman. He was a shut-in in the kitchen and, even at his age, he couldn’t really deal with beautiful women very well.

His half-brother handled all the business aspects of his restaurant back then, so he was never forced into much social interaction at all. He could just focus on his craft.

He shook his head and calmed himself down, "A deal?" He asked, "What kind of deal?"

Althea watched his reaction with an awkward smile, a bit surprised that she had to spell everything out to an old man. "As you know I own this place. You know… this place with all the ingredients?"

"Perhaps, if you’d let me taste a meal you cooked, I may be able to give you better prices."

"I… I can, of course!"

"That’s great." She smiled and he couldn’t help but gape. Althea continued with her offer, "Perhaps… we can come up with a satisfactory supply deal?" Althea added, and Cooke—finally realizing what this was all about—brightened like the sun.

Oh my! What an angel!!

It was just as he needed it!

…

Half an hour later, Althea found herself sitting on the table on the 2nd floor of his commercial space.

Obviously, Ferrel was using the entire 2nd floor as a dwelling while the now-empty ground floor would be the restaurant.

Using many of the ingredients that he had just bought, he served her two dishes: one meat viand with rice, and a vegetable side dish using local greeneries.

He looked nervous as a lot of the seasonings used this time were new and had never been used before. However, he had tasted it and thought it was divine, and he could only hope this Big Boss felt the same.

Althea looked at the simple meal with bright eyes. It looked unassuming, but the subtle aroma wafted to her nose really teased her stomach and the babies inside.

She felt them twist around in there. Her lips twitched; It was like they were asking why she still wasn’t eating.

Anyway, she gulped at the plate and—using the wooden utensils—immediately began eating. She was unsure what to expect from a system-acknowledged cook but, to be honest, she was a bit excited.

The food finally entered her mouth after a graceful movement, but she awkwardly froze a bit as the combination of meat and sauce melted on her taste buds, taking her to a surprising gastronomic experience.

The taste was… sublime, to say the least.

It was like the seasoning embedded itself in every molecule in the food, so she could taste the unique flavor with every bite.

It was as if there was a cacophony of flavors dancing in her tongue, and she tasted a delicate balance between the simplicity of the available materials and the refinement of how each of them was handled.

Furthermore, her sharp senses felt something different in her body—was she more energetic?— and she immediately used her appraisal ability to check on the food’s stats.

[Steamed Glorglemeat with Red Fruit : +20 health, +10 spirit]

!!!

"What is it?" Cooke asked a bit worriedly when he saw her staring blankly at the food.

Did she hate it? Didn’t it work? Was he going to sleep on the streets????