Chapter Ten: Establishing Safety

Thank you to jly69 and Maple Chill Pavilion for your generous tips. We've been brothers for a long time, and Half-Immortal is deeply grateful! Also, thanks to all my brothers for your continued recommendations and collections!

Ten thousand dollars—would that be enough to solve this woman's problem? Would I be able to get my ten thousand dollars back, plus the two thousand in interest? Qiu Fengyu tried not to dwell on these thoughts, but when he lay down at night, they always resurfaced. Ten thousand dollars was no small sum.

The next morning, his eyes were red; he hadn't slept well. Yawning, he prepared ramen for the day's lunch. The dough had fermented perfectly—springy and chewy.

Just before noon, some visitors arrived: three local thugs who always hung around with David Birkin. They entered and sat down, not bothering to order noodles, speaking in hushed tones.

"Either eat noodles or get out!" Qiu Fengyu strode over to them, arms crossed, towering above them.

"Eat noodles!" one of them quickly replied.

They were wary of Qiu Fengyu now, speaking politely, even hastily.

Qiu Fengyu busied himself for a while and brought out three bowls of ramen, plunking them on the table. "Twenty dollars a bowl, sixty in total. If you want to tip, it's up to you—minimum five dollars."

Who demanded tips like this? The three were stunned, then one nodded and produced seventy-five dollars, all small bills and coins.

Qiu Fengyu swept the cash into his pocket and walked away.

"Hey, have you heard? Saoirse got beaten up again." As Qiu Fengyu turned, a voice came from behind.

He stopped and looked back at them. "Are you talking to me?"

"Yes, we just wanted to let you know: Saoirse... she was beaten again, worse than last time. If you want to see her, she's lying in bed at home," one of them told him.

"What does that have to do with me?" Qiu Fengyu shook his head. "You guys are crazy, coming here to tell me this. You're her friends—and she owes me ten thousand dollars! No, twelve thousand!"

The three fell silent, subdued. Yes, it was true—they were Saoirse and David Birkin's friends. But now they were powerless. They couldn't possibly go up against the Russian mafia; that would be suicide.

The three quietly finished their noodles and left. Qiu Fengyu resumed selling ramen. Business was as good as yesterday; even Britt, who arrived late, missed out and asked for another bowl, but Qiu Fengyu couldn't accommodate him and he left disappointed. This time, Qiu Fengyu sold all twenty bowls.

After cleaning up, he checked his phone—it was already past one in the afternoon. He thought for a moment, then called Breslin, the owner of the clock shop.

"Come over for noodles. I agree to the deal," Qiu Fengyu said succinctly.

Breslin the watchmaker hurried over, handed him the watch—without even a box. Qiu Fengyu suspected it was either a fake or a cheap model. He tried it on, found it more convenient than using his phone, and went to make noodles for Breslin. The ramen was fragrant; Breslin even licked his bowl clean, leaving fully satisfied. One watch, for twenty bowls of ramen.

After Breslin left, Qiu Fengyu sat by the door, fiddling with the watch, lost in thought. If Saoirse truly was badly beaten, would he ever get his money back? It seemed... likely... almost certain that he wouldn't. That was his conclusion. Ten thousand dollars—most of his assets. Damn it, he should never have trusted that street girl. Maybe he should wait for Officer Coffin and report it: tell her Saoirse owes him money, and that the mafia beat her up.

But today, Officer Coffin hadn't appeared.

Qiu Fengyu spent the afternoon toying with his watch. At dinner time, Britt dropped by for a meal. Qiu Fengyu made him a bowl of noodles, but didn't charge him—it wasn't business hours. The twenty bowls had already been sold; the rest were his to do with as he pleased.

"New watch?" Britt noticed Qiu Fengyu's wristwear from across the booth.

"Breslin gave it to me, traded for twenty bowls of noodles," Qiu Fengyu said, raising his wrist.

Britt glanced at the watch, then chuckled. "Forty dollars, that's the most it's worth. You got swindled. That bastard is the slyest fellow I've ever met—like a fox."

"Well, since I made the trade, I’ll say it’s worth four hundred dollars. Be careful—don’t break it, or I’ll demand four hundred in compensation," Qiu Fengyu snorted, blocking Britt’s hand.

"Fine, a four-hundred-dollar watch!" Britt finished his meal and whistled. "Heard you’ve been seeing Saoirse? She’s in trouble now. If you don’t want trouble yourself, you shouldn’t go looking for her."

"I know. It’s just that I lent her ten thousand dollars, and I’m worried I won’t get it back..."

"My god, am I the fool, or are you? Lending her ten thousand? Well, that’s a brilliant idea. Good luck, mate. You must have slept with her, otherwise you wouldn’t—" Britt clicked his tongue in regret.

"No, I didn’t sleep with her. I’d never do that!" Qiu Fengyu shook his head. "You don’t understand. I’ve no interest in street girls—but I don’t like men, either. Stop looking at me like that!"

Britt burst out laughing, nearly spitting his drink.

"I’m serious, Britt!" Qiu Fengyu took his bowl and walked away.

"I’m serious—" Britt mimicked Qiu Fengyu’s tone, then followed him into the kitchen, grinning. "Come over for dinner tomorrow at my place. I’m inviting the girl you saw last time. Maybe you should try falling in love for once—or else you’ll keep getting fooled by women."

"The girl I saw last time? Did I meet a girl?" Qiu Fengyu turned, "Besides Saoirse?"

"You might’ve forgotten. The first time you came here for ramen, that girl was in the kitchen watching you cook, while the boy filmed you. Remember?"

"Vaguely," Qiu Fengyu nodded.

"My neighbor—a real beauty, and a college student, too..." Britt bragged, "She’s the prettiest girl in town. You should try to get close to her. In a few days, she’s leaving for Los Angeles to study."

"What’s her name?"

"Alisha. A beautiful name, Alisha Knight. Her brother is Kevin. Her father is Charles. Her mother is Megan Blanchett..."

"Are you conducting a census?" Qiu Fengyu couldn’t help but comment.

"It’s settled then... Dinner tomorrow night, for sure. See you then. I hear you’re good at making noodles—if you could bring some, it would be an honor." Britt pointed at Qiu Fengyu and finally left the shop.

A dinner invitation—Qiu Fengyu remembered it. He continued to sit by the door, watching passersby. Finally, night fell. He thought it over and decided to visit Saoirse; she was worth ten thousand dollars to him now. If she couldn’t work anymore, he’d lose even the interest.

He walked some distance along the street before realizing he didn’t know her address. He had no idea where Saoirse lived. He took out his phone, but remembered he didn’t have her number. After some thought, he dialed a number. Officer Coffin answered.

"Qiu? Are you in trouble?"

Damn, why did this woman always assume he was causing trouble? Clearing his throat, he said, "Just a question: where does Saoirse live? I want to check on her. I lent her ten thousand dollars, and I heard she was beaten up. I’m worried."

"You care about her?" Coffin’s mocking voice came through.

Qiu Fengyu could guess even with his backside that she assumed he and Saoirse had a thing, that he’d slept with her. He simply didn’t reply.

"What’s wrong? Angry? Fine, I’ll tell you—but don’t cause trouble!" Coffin gave him the address, along with a warning.

Even though Coffin gave detailed directions, Qiu Fengyu still searched for a while before finding the girl’s home. It was on the outskirts of town, a bit remote, the only house around. Somewhat shabby, not large.

He went up and knocked. From the lit living room, he heard someone coughing and footsteps. The door opened. Saoirse appeared, arms crossed, gazing at Qiu Fengyu.

"Didn’t expect you’d come to see me!" Saoirse said to him. "Come in. Today, I’ll give you a freebie. Make me a bowl of noodles—I have the ingredients."

Qiu Fengyu didn’t enter, but stood outside, looking her over. "I just came to check if my ten thousand dollars is still safe. All right, I’m leaving. Take care. Even though your eyes are bruised, your face swollen, and you’re limping, you look fairly spirited. My ten thousand is temporarily safe. I’m off!" With that, he turned and walked away.

"Don’t you really want to come in and sit?" Saoirse called after him, watching as he continued forward. She tried to follow him, but unexpectedly collapsed to the ground.