Maverick Chef - Chapter 9：Zhang Sha Sha Borrows Money

Bai Lu did not like breaking the rules. Initially, he did not want to be bothered. But the existence of perverts surrounding the five beautiful ladies, and also with the kind of motion and expression they had, he couldn’t ignore the situation. It was a disgrace for all men. He opened one side of the door. “The weather is hot today. The people in front of the beautiful girls may enter first.”

Le Miao Miao assumed that Bai Lu had accepted her request. She did not expect that he would let the others enter instead, and she angrily said, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Bai Lu ignored her. He informed the ten or so people in front. “Hurry up and take your seats.”

With a swishing movement, Le Miao Miao rushed into the house. “It was already settled previously. We are the 6th table. Sorry for your inconvenience.”

The rest of the people agreed in succession. They split into five tables and sat down with high speed.

Bai Lu said to her, “Take a seat.”

She signaled to the other five ladies. “Hurry inside.”

When the ladies entered the restaurant, the people queueing behind them followed over closely. However, they were intercepted by Bai Lu. “It’s full. If you want to eat, please come earlier next time.” Then he closed the door.

Behind Le Miao Miao and the other ladies, stood more than a dozen lads of various ages. Hearing such words, two guys from the group walked up and pushed the door. “Open up.”

Bai Lu was somewhat helpless, he thought, “Could this be another fight? No way, this rule has to be changed. The restaurant only started a few days ago, yet something happened every single day.”

At this moment, the phone rang.

Bai Lu confronted the two of them and said, “Look at the sign.” He returned to the counter to receive the call.

“Is this Bai Lu?” It was a soft, gentle and timid voice.

“Zhang Sha Sha?” Bai Lu’s heart skipped a beat. They just met yesterday, so if she called today, something must have happened.

“You told me, that I could look for you if I had any problems. No matter what happened you would still help me, is that true?” Her voice was still timid, with a slight hint of desperation.

“That’s true. What is it?”

“I want to borrow money. $100k, do you have it?”

“Yes. When do you need it?”

“I need it now.”

“Ok, you just stay and wait at home.”

After he hung up, he saw the house full of customers. Right there and then, he already felt like chasing them away. With a single glance, he saw Le Miao Miao, so he walked over and asked her. “Do you have the number of He San Qing?”

Le Miao Miao blushed, it was as though she did not want the other ladies to know the existence of He San Qing. “What is it?”

Bai Lu caught the indication, and he signaled towards her. “Come here for a second. I need your help.”

Le Miao Miao hurriedly stood up, and she went with Bai Lu into the kitchen. After walking just two steps, the two young men outside knocked on the door again. “We want to eat.”

Bai Lu frowned; he went over to open the door. “If you cannot read the Chinese words, then go back to primary school. This place has these rules. I do not care if you want to eat or not, leave me alone.”

“What the, how could you speak like this? Do you have a death wish?” The young guy looked kind of harsh and unreasonable.

Bai Lu just ignored them. He closed the door and headed into the kitchen. As soon as he entered, a breaking sound “Piang” emanated behind him. The glass door was smashed, and someone ran off into the horizon.

Bai Lu did not even turn back; almost like it was the glass door of somebody else that was smashed. With a peaceful demeanor, he entered the kitchen and spoke to Le Miao Miao. “I am looking for Gao Yuan for help.” Compared to the glass door, Zhang Sha Sha’s request was much more critical.

Le Miao Miao nodded, and she started to call. She thought, “If he did not even react to the broken glass, it must be something urgent.”

The call was quickly connected. He San Qing’s impatient voice could be heard. “What? Didn’t I stopped you from calling me?”

Le Miao Miao’s expression changed. Right when she wanted to explain herself, Bai Lu snatched over the telephone. “It’s Bai Lu. There’s something I need from Gao Yuan.”

“Who are you? What Bai Lu?” He San Qing did not even remember his name.

“The chef of the Great 5-Star Restaurant. You came by yesterday.”

“Oh, it’s you. Hold on.” He San Qing hung up the call.

Five minutes later, Le Miao Miao’s phone rang again. Bai Lu held the phone in his hand, but he did not know how to receive the call. There was a green telephone symbol on a huge display screen. He kept pressing and pressing, and after all of that, it still wasn’t connected. He had no choice but to ask for help. “How do you receive the call?”

Seeing his flustered expression, she burst out laughing. With her graceful looking index finger, she pressed down on the green symbol. With a gentle swipe on the screen, the call was connected.

The guy on the other side asked, “Is there something you need from me?”

“I want to sell a gold bar. Could you help me with that?”

“Oh damn, you need my help? I curse you sideways. You never expect to have your just deserts? Not going to help!” Gao Yuan laughed heartily.

“If you help me sell the gold, I will owe you a meal. Anytime you wish to eat, and I would even go to your house to cook for you.” Bai Lu responded calmly.

Gao Yuan paused. “Two meals.”

“Just one meal. I wish to see the money right away. Otherwise, I would go to the pawn shop instead.” Bai Lu did not want to show his face in public. After all, hidden in the history of such a huge gold brick was the coffin full of treasures.

“Stop the bullshit. How dare you use such an attitude when you are the one making a request?” Gao Yuan was infuriated with him again.

“Cut your crap. Just say whether you want to help or not? If yes, then come over now.”

Gao Yuan was silent for a while. “You need money?”

“$100k.”

“Ok.” He hung up the call.

He returned the phone to her, and said, “Thank You.”

She laughed, and said, “You are welcome. How about giving me some privilege as well. The next time I have my birthday, would you come and cook something for me?”

“Sure.” He promised. Looking at the time, he decided to start lunch service earlier. “You go and inform the rest. Because of unfortunate circumstances, only noodles would be served. It’s only $5 per person.” After he finished talking, he started to work.

Le Miao Miao was stunned for a while. She thought, “After all that effort to bring my five classmates here to have a delicious meal, and they ended up having to eat noodles? Wouldn’t they scold me to death?”

When she turned around and saw Bai Lu, she was shocked.

There was a huge pot, half-filled up with flour. Bai Lu kneaded the dough, and his hands were intercrossed, just like practicing the Pushing Hands in Tai Chi. However, his speed was multiple times faster. And compared to the movies it was even more exaggerated, as both of his hands were fuzzy and indistinct. It looked inseparable with the dough; all that could be seen was just a shadow in a white expanse.

She wanted to see what is going to happen, but with a cold voice, Bai Lu said, “Get out and inform the customers.”

She grunted and left the kitchen reluctantly. Then, she stood at the door and declared. “This afternoon, noodles will be served. $5 per person. Those that want to eat come to me and pay.”

“Noodles? After queueing for more than an hour just for some noodles?” Some people protested.

“We waited for two hours. Right, this boss is awesome. Even if it’s noodles, I would still eat it. Otherwise, we would have queued for nothing.” An old customer commented.

There was a commotion from the people in the restaurant. Le Miao Miao took out $30; it was for her table. Others followed suit and paid their share. Even though they were displeased, but if they wanted to eat here in the future, then they would be wise to follow what the boss demanded.

10 minutes later, Le Miao Miao entered the kitchen. “The money has been collected.”

Just within 10 minutes, the noodles were laid in an orderly fashion on the kneading board. They looked like tiny strands, as though they were made with a machine. Le Miao Miao understood that those were hand-made by Bai Lu because there were no noodle making machines within the kitchen.

“Leave it at the counter. Wait outside. It would be ready in an instant.” Bai Lu was making the braising stew.

“Alright.” Le Miao Miao went out.

After five minutes, a harsh braking sound echoed loudly from outside the door. Gao Yuan stepped out of the vehicle.

The braking sound was so loud that it attracted the attention of the people within the restaurant. When Le Miao Miao saw Gao Yuan, she ran out to open the door.

The glass door had two panels. One was smashed, while the other was still closed. She pushed open the panel which was still functional. “Brother Gao.”

He shot a glance towards her. “Did something bad happen?” Glass shards were scattered all over the entrance of the shop, while a few people gathered outside to watch the commotion.

Le Miao Miao said, “Yes.” Gao Yuan nodded. He went into the house, then into the kitchen. “I brought the money.”

“Thank you, just give me 5 minutes.”

Gao Yuan asked again, “What happened with the door? Somebody’s causing trouble?”

Bai Lu said, “It’s nothing at all.”

After five minutes, the counter was filled up with many bowls of noodles. Two small pots were placed at the side; they were filled with two types of pickled vegetables.

Bai Lu said to him, “Give me a ride to a certain place.” This guy had a car, which made it much more efficient than flagging a taxi.

“Do I owe you a favor?” Gao Yuan stared.

“It’s the other way around.” Bai Lu looked at him calmly.

Gao Yuan was caught off guard by his words, and he cursed. “Damn. I have to skip work again this afternoon. Let’s go.” He looked at the broken glass shards. “You are just abandoning the restaurant?”

Bai Lu pondered. Then he went inside the restaurant to retrieve a backpack. “Let’s go.”

“How cool.” Gao Yuan said to Le Miao Miao, “If you have nothing on later. Do look after his shop for the afternoon. Tonight I will invite you to a KTV session.”

She agreed.

Gao Yuan’s choice of ride was a Black Santana. From the exterior, it looked very low-profile, but the interior was a completely different dimension. The comfort of the authentic leather seats was incomparable. Coupled with the high-quality acoustic system that surrounded the whole vehicle, and not to mention the existence of a mini-fridge.

“Where to?” After they entered the vehicle, Gao Yuan asked.

“Northbound. Out of the city.”

After half an hour, the car arrived at the village. They stopped right outside Zhang Sha Sha’s residence. Bai Lu stepped out to knock on her door.

Zhang Sha Sha came out. She wore her school pants underneath, with a white vest on top. She had a peaceful expression, but her eyes showed a slight hint of nervousness.

Bai Lu extended his hand to the back.

Gao Yuan was pissed. He thought, “This son of a b*tch did not even mention about the money along the entire journey. Once he arrived, he thought he could just extend his hands, and consider the deed to be finished?” He angrily said, “Take it yourself.”

Bai Lu looked back at him, and he walked towards the vehicle. Gao Yuan handed over a stack of money. He grabbed it, then walked back in front of Zhang Sha Sha and delivered the cash. “Enough?”

“Enough.” Zhang Sha Sha received the money, with a soft-spoken voice.

Bai Lu examined the surrounding courtyard. He pondered and asked, “What happened?”

Zhang Sha Sha bit her lips. After a moment of hesitation— just as she was about to say something— a vehicle arrived outside the courtyard. She hurriedly ran outside.

Bai Lu followed behind. Gao Yuan thought for a while. Then he chased after them.

Approximately 50 meters away, stood another courtyard, with the doors wide open.

The previous vehicle stopped. Out came two young lads, and they went directly inside.

Zhang Sha Sha and Bai Lu arrived a step too late. When they entered, they already heard the middle-aged woman pleading. “I beg you, please. There’s no money left. Could you guys let Bao Zi go.”

Inside the house was a heated brick bed floor. On the ground stood three people: a young guy; a middle-aged person guarding the door arrogantly; and a woman with a distressed expression across her whole face. She pleaded sadly with her back bent.

Zhang Sha Sha entered the house, and said, “$100k.” Then she handed over the money.

The middle-aged person received the money. He took a look at Zhang Sha Sha, then started counting the stack of cash. After a long while, he grunted coldly. “Count your blessings.” Then the two of them left.

Zhang Sha Sha had offered money to help, so by right, the middle-aged woman should be grateful, but yet her expression was filled with unspeakable rage. She looked at her, and scolded, “Vermin. If not for you, would Bao Zi have gotten into a fight? For your sake, just how many fights have he gotten himself into? Now he even stabbed someone. Please, I beg you. Just leave, and get yourself away from here.”

Zhang Sha Sha maintained a calm expression. After she finished listening to her complaints, she said softly, “I am sorry.” Then she left the house.

“Hold on. How did you get so much money? Please don’t do anything stupid! I still have more than $10k in my residence. Wait, I will retrieve it for you. Speaking of which, Bao Zi would not wish for something bad to happen to you.” It turned out that this middle-aged woman was pretty caring towards her.

Zhang Sha Sha said, “It’s alright. Those were left behind by my dad. I am sorry, Aunty, I would not get you and Bao Zi into trouble again.” With a light footstep, she floated out of the house like fleeting clouds. And then she drifted out of the courtyard until she arrived outside the streets. Her heart was filled with misery, she thought, “Why is my life so different from everyone else?”