Chapter Seventeen: Escape from Prison

"You turned down the Japanese offer of a two-million-dollar annual salary?" Britt stared at Qiu Fengyu in disbelief as he stood in the kitchen, watching him prepare dinner. He slapped his forehead. "Damn it, with two million dollars, I’d double the size of my ranch… Well, I’m not planning to do that, at least not anytime soon. But you can’t refuse two million dollars—it's an immense compliment to your culinary skills."

"I know the Japanese better than you do." Qiu Fengyu shook his head and smiled at Britt. "Are all Americans so easily fooled? If they’re willing to offer me two million dollars, that means they expect to take away something worth four million—be it my skills, my reputation… In any case, they won’t leave empty-handed."

"I agree with you there—Japan is cunning! Just look at how they haggled with Sean," Britt nodded knowingly.

"Besides, aside from that empty promise about a two-million-dollar salary, they haven’t taken any concrete steps. You’ll see—they might come back, but they’ll never mention that salary again. It’s all just a show for Sean, to make him see how things stand!"

With that, Qiu Fengyu fell silent, busying himself with dinner and inviting Britt to join him. Britt accepted with exaggerated solemnity, leaving Qiu Fengyu at a loss for words.

How the Japanese behaved didn’t matter; what mattered was that Qiu Fengyu’s noodle shop had become famous once again. After all, a chef worth two million a year was making noodles for you—twenty dollars well spent.

As Qiu Fengyu had predicted, the Japanese returned the next day, arriving early to secure their seats, sitting upright and waiting to taste the noodles.

After their meal, the spokesman of the group sighed once more, turning to Qiu Fengyu. "This is cuisine worthy of being eaten on one’s knees. Mr. Qiu, have you reconsidered our offer?"

"Me? I haven’t given it any thought. If you want to eat again tomorrow, come early," Qiu Fengyu replied politely, ready to usher them out.

"Please consider it carefully. We’ll be in town for two more days. After that, we'll be gone. If we purchase the ranch here, we might still have opportunities to work together in the future," the Japanese man persisted.

Qiu Fengyu simply shrugged, cleared the dishes, and retreated to the kitchen.

Finding themselves rebuffed, the Japanese prepared to leave. Before departing, the spokesman approached Qiu Fengyu, bowed, and respectfully presented him with a business card, holding it in both hands.

"This is my card. Please, Mr. Qiu, I ask you to accept it."

Qiu Fengyu took it casually and set it on the counter, focusing on washing dishes. The Japanese man glanced at the card, as if worried it might fall, hesitated, and set it straight before bowing again and leaving. The rest of the Japanese followed him out.

Those who remained were all locals, chatting among themselves. They were no longer surprised, but rather admired the Japanese man’s sincerity toward Qiu Fengyu.

That evening, Officer Coffin happened to patrol past the noodle shop and saw Qiu Fengyu dozing alone inside. She pushed the door open, waking him.

"We're out of noodles," Qiu Fengyu said, glancing up before attempting to resume his nap.

"I heard the news. You know nothing stays secret in this town." Coffin smiled. "You turned down the Japanese two-million-dollar offer?"

"Yes, it's true. Seems everyone in town knows by now." Qiu Fengyu shrugged, sat up, and looked at her. "Do you think it’s a joke?"

"No, I think it’s what you deserve. You’re worth that much." Coffin replied with absolute seriousness.

"Now that you say that, it does seem like a joke—I’m not worth nearly that much." Qiu Fengyu grinned. "Don’t let your eyes and ears deceive you."

"Well, it’s your decision to make." Coffin stood, patted his shoulder, and left.

The next day, and the day after, the Japanese returned as expected. Their spokesman sincerely invited Qiu Fengyu twice more. Everyone was moved by his sincerity, and in the end, Sean sold his ranch to the Japanese.

After signing the contract, the Japanese promptly left town on the third day. According to Sean, they’d left the ranch in his care for now and would send someone to manage it later.

Before leaving, they made a point of stopping by Qiu Fengyu’s shop for one last bowl of noodles. When they departed, there was an unmistakable air of regret about them.

Later that afternoon, Elisa came by Qiu Fengyu’s shop.

"I think you had a reason for turning that Japanese man down," Elisa said, smiling as she watched Qiu Fengyu dozing beneath the shade of a tree on the back lawn. "Was it because of me?"

She was certainly full of herself.

"Yes!" Qiu Fengyu squinted at her short skirt, her pale legs catching his eye—he couldn’t help but look twice.

"Then I should be happy, right? But you don’t sound very sincere." Elisa pouted.

Qiu Fengyu sat up and, with utmost seriousness, declared, "Yes, it’s because of you."

Elisa struggled to hold back her laughter, giving him a light pat on the shoulder. "Can’t you be more serious?"

"I am serious. I was very solemn when I said that." Qiu Fengyu put on his most earnest face.

Elisa couldn’t resist laughing. "Are you always this deadpan when you lie? Or is this just Chinese humor? Either way, it’s kind of cute."

Qiu Fengyu coughed twice. "Be serious—can’t you tell this is a confession? Never mind… just keep laughing." Seeing Elisa laugh even harder, he dropped the act.

"I’ll be leaving in two days. Any thoughts?" Elisa tilted her head and looked at him.

"Uh… take care."

"That’s it?"

"Uh… still, take care," Qiu Fengyu coughed.

Elisa kept smiling. "Dating you must be terribly dull. But being friends with you is probably a lot of fun."

"Are you insulting me?" Qiu Fengyu protested.

"You’ll find a girlfriend—if you behave yourself these next two days, I might even consider you!" Elisa winked at him. "Want to…" She closed her eyes, puckered her lips, and leaned toward his face.

"Stop!" Qiu Fengyu shouted immediately.

Elisa opened her eyes, half smiling.

"I can already guess your next move—please, I may not have a girlfriend, but I know all about little girls’ tricks. Next, you’d have me kiss thin air," Qiu Fengyu said, triumphant at having uncovered her plot.

Elisa looked at him, exasperated, and shrugged. "Fine, you idiot, your brain must have been kicked by a mule!" With that, she stood and headed for the door.

Qiu Fengyu watched her reach the doorway, turn and smile at him. "You still have two days—can’t you do something?" With that, she disappeared outside.

Still, seeing her walk alone at night through the small town in that short skirt and those pale legs made him uneasy. So Qiu Fengyu followed her at a distance, careful not to be noticed.

He only turned back after seeing her safely enter her house.

As he walked down the town’s main street, a police car beside him suddenly sounded its siren. Startled, Qiu Fengyu watched as Officer Coffin stepped out.

"Good grief, do I run into you everywhere? Did you change jobs?" Qiu Fengyu jested.

"Change jobs?" Coffin was confused.

"Become a secret agent. You’d make a great spy—being a cop is a waste of your talents," Qiu Fengyu teased.

"Enough about me. I have something to tell you. The Mexican broke out of jail." Officer Coffin said with a snort. "I’m telling you this so you’ll be careful."

"What?" Qiu Fengyu was shocked, then complained, "Don’t American prisons have doors? Is escaping as easy as taking a stroll?"

"It was a Mexican drug lord who broke out—he caused chaos in the prison, and the Mexican went with him. Now he’s the drug lord’s accomplice. They had inside help and people waiting outside. Tonight the area will be locked down," Coffin explained.

"You mean they might come after me?" Qiu Fengyu eyed her warily. "You’re all trying to get me killed."

"Not just yet. For now, their first priority is escaping. Whether they’ll sneak back across the border to take revenge is something for the future." Coffin sighed and shook her head. "But if he tries, it might just be the beginning of his bad luck."

Without waiting for a reply, she got back into her cruiser and drove off.

Damn, I’ve only been in America a few days, and there’s no end to the trouble!