Fu Chen patted Fu Lian’s head, “You’ll get to eat soon after I prepare the other two dishes.” 

Fu Lian nodded and tried hard to not stare at the plate of sliced rolled omelettes. 

“fwish”

Fu Lian turned towards the direction of the sound and saw Fu Chen filling a metal tea kettle with water. He placed the kettle onto the stove and heated it over medium high heat. The tea kettle filled with water was left to heat up to around 85 celsius (185 fahrenheit) while Fu Chen spooned dried green tea leaves and roasted rice kernels into a glass teapot.

He set the teapot aside and soaked a paper towel with some water. Fu Lian was slightly confused, but then she saw Fu Chen place the wet towel onto a ceramic bowl that had some leftover short-grain white rice and understood what it was for.

[The wet paper towel is to help rehydrate the rice right?]

Fu Chen nodded while placing the bowl of rice into a microwave oven, “Not only does it help hydrate the rice, the paper towel will help the rice cook more evenly.”

Fu Lian tilted her head and looked puzzled.

[How does it help the rice cook more evenly? Is it because of the water?”]

For the first time, Fu Chen looked slightly surprised.

“Oh, why do you think that it’s because of the water?”

Fu Lian fidgeted slightly.

[It was a guess.]

“Well your guess was correct. The water helps absorb some of the energy produced by the microwave. And what do you think happens?”

[The rice receives less intense energy and cooks more evenly?]

“Good job.”

Fu Lian made a small sound and smiled. Fu Chen closed the microwave door and pressed several buttons.

“beep, hummmm”

The inside of the microwave oven lit up to reveal the bowl of rice spinning around on the center of a turntable that was rotating. At the top of the microwave was a built-in timer counting down from one minute. Fu Chen walked back towards the island table and placed the sheet of dried seaweed onto a cutting board. He took out a small utility knife and sliced the seaweed into small strips. 

“Beep, Beep, Beep”

Fu Chen opened the microwave door and took out the bowl. After he removed the wet paper towel that was now hot, a cloud of steam burst upwards and revealed perfectly reheated rice. The steaming bowl of rice was left on the island table next to the plate of rolled omelettes that had cooled down slightly. Fu Chen took the metal kettle off of the stove and turned off the heat. He poured the hot water into the glass teapot. 

Water splashed towards the sides of the teapot and then settled down. The dried tea leaves and rice kernels absorbed the hot water and expanded. Fu Chen put the glass lid back onto the teapot and let the tea steep. After a minute, the water had turned a light yellowish-green color. He picked up the glass teapot and held a metal strainer with his other hand. 

Fu Chen poured the tea through the metal strainer right above the bowl of reheated rice. The strainer caught all of the tea leaves that came out of the teapot. He put the teapot and strainer down and sprinkled strips of seaweed onto the bowl of rice that was submerged in green tea. Afterwards, he placed a spoon and a pair of chopsticks on opposite sides of the omelette plate.

“Your late-night snack is ready, Fu Lian.”

[Thank you!]

Fu Lian picked up the chopsticks and quickly transferred a slice of rolled omelette from the plate and into her mouth. As she bit into the omelette, cheese oozed out of the sides and onto her tongue.

“mmmm”

The flavor of the cheese came in a couple of waves. First, it was nutty and slightly earthy, then it became sharp and pungent. Fu Lian continued chewing which released juices from the omelette which were slightly sweet, salty, and savory. The sweetness from the sugar and rice wine had mellowed out the saltiness from the soy sauce and salt. 

Fu Lian became addicted to the delicately sweet, savory, and slightly salty eggs that balanced the tangy and nutty hard cheese. The complex flavor was complemented by the light texture of the eggs that had not been over beaten. 

She ate another piece of the rolled omelette until realizing that there was still the bowl of rice and tea. Fu Lian picked up her spoon and scooped some of the tea and rice.

“slurppp”

It had a fresh grassy flavor and a toasty rice aroma that was slightly nutty. Fu Lian drank some more of the soup and was surprised how the mild flavor changed when she managed to taste the seaweed. Its saltiness reduced some of the bitter undertones from the green tea and added some umami to the bland dish. Although the dish was brightened up, Fu Lian felt like something was missing so she took a bite of rolled omelette and drank some of the tea and rice. 

The slightly bland dish dialed down the strong flavors of the omelette which made it easier for Fu Lian to eat more without overwhelming her taste buds. That allowed her to increase her eating speed and devour her meal. Soon, the plate of rolled omelette slices and bowl of green tea rice were empty except for the spoon and pair of chopsticks. Fu Lian let out a satisfied sigh and yawned.

“huaaahhhh”

Fu Chen rubbed her head and said, “You should go take a shower and then sleep. There’s still work and training that you have to do tomorrow.”

Fu Lian sleepily nodded, wandered out of the kitchen, and headed towards the bathroom. While Fu Lian was washing herself, Fu Chen began preparing the usual food items that would be served to the customers and some new menu items. After a few hours, he managed to finish all of the prep work. Fu Chen walked towards the island table, pulled out a chair, sat on it, and closed his eyes. The lights in the kitchen turned off and made the room pitch black.