Chapter Four: A Veteran’s Poisonous Encouragement

“Are you in a rush to die?”

Just as Li Can was about to step into the restaurant, he suddenly heard someone shouting at him in anger. Turning around, he saw it was a young man on a bicycle.

Perhaps he had crossed the street too hastily earlier and disrupted the rider’s path.

Still...

Wasn’t that an awfully ominous thing to say?

He was about to risk his life in there!

Startled by the murderous glint in Li Can’s eyes, the young man finally noticed the gleaming kitchen knife in Li Can’s hand. Whatever anger the cyclist felt instantly faded, and he pedaled away in a hurry, tail between his legs.

“What the hell!”

Having been cursed so inexplicably, Li Can trembled with rage.

But lives were at stake now — he couldn’t hesitate. He rushed into the restaurant, grabbed the kitchen door curtain, and flung it aside.

With a swish, the curtain lifted, revealing a man and a woman inside.

The man stood by the sink, his left hand just withdrawing from the knife rack.

The woman, with her back to him, was cleaning up a spilled vinegar bottle on the table.

A sharp, sour odor hung in the air...

Li Can’s heart skipped a beat. If he’d been a few seconds later, he feared a bloody scene would have unfolded.

The mature woman was startled by his sudden entrance, and when she saw the kitchen knife in his hand, she instinctively moved closer to the middle-aged man, eyes wary.

The atmosphere was suffocatingly awkward.

“Su Rui, who is he?” the middle-aged man spoke first.

“Brother Liu, I don’t know him.” The woman, Su Rui, shook her head, then frowned at Li Can. “Who are you? What do you want?”

To be honest,

Li Can had spent the journey here thinking about how to stop the tragedy, but never considered what to do after. Now he was at a loss.

He couldn’t just blurt out his real purpose with no evidence, could he? That would seem utterly insane.

“Uh... I’m here to apply for the chef position.”

“To apply as a chef? And you brought a knife?” Su Rui frowned deeper.

“Yes. I’m not used to unfamiliar kitchen knives. They don’t feel right in my hand.” Li Can explained casually.

At his words, Su Rui and the middle-aged man exchanged glances, both catching a faint trace of amusement in the other’s eyes.

A chef who would say such a thing must either be truly skilled or just showing off.

Given that the applicant was barely in his twenties, the latter seemed much more likely.

In the culinary world,

Age speaks volumes.

But at least their suspicions about Li Can were dispelled.

“How about this: why don’t you come back tomorrow morning for an interview? The water pipe at the sink broke today, and Brother Liu is fixing it right now,” Su Rui said, gesturing to the old wrench in the man’s right hand.

Li Can understood immediately.

If he guessed correctly, the intended course of events was for the middle-aged man repairing the pipe to deliberately knock over the vinegar bottle, luring Su Rui in to clean up, and then murder her when she was off guard.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t expected Li Can to barge in...

Still, if he left now, would the man try again later?

Probably not — after all, Li Can could testify to the police that the man had been in the restaurant.

It seemed Su Rui would survive the night, and Li Can didn’t want to work somewhere so dangerous anyway.

As for the future...

He’d find a chance to warn her, but the rest wasn’t his concern.

The only thing he couldn’t figure out was that strange tail — but maybe he’d just imagined it in his panic.

Satisfied with his understanding of the situation, Li Can no longer wished to linger and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

The middle-aged man’s voice sounded behind him, and Li Can’s grip on the knife tightened, his guard up.

“Su Rui, the water pipe’s just about fixed. It’s usable now.”

“But Brother Liu, you said earlier it would take at least two hours to repair!”

“That’s if I want it perfect,” the man chuckled. “Since the young man here is so confident, why wait until tomorrow? I live nearby anyway, can come by anytime to finish up — it won’t affect business.”

“That’s a lot of trouble for you,” Su Rui said apologetically.

“No trouble at all. All right, get back to work. If you need me, just call.”

He left promptly. As he brushed past Li Can at the door, he paused. “Young man, is there something on my face?”

“No, nothing.”

“Then why are you looking at me so strangely?”

“Am I?” Li Can replied, noncommittal.

The man didn’t press further, just grinned and left the restaurant.

“Don’t mind him. He probably just wanted to tease you,” Su Rui said as she returned to the dining area with a gentle smile. “Please, have a seat.”

Since he’d been called back, Li Can couldn’t just leave abruptly, so he nodded and sat down.

“I’m Su Rui, the restaurant owner. What’s your name? How old are you?” Her voice was soft, and coupled with her mature appearance, she radiated a sisterly warmth.

“My name is Li Can. I’m twenty.” Li Can pointed in the direction the man had left. “Who was he? An employee?”

“He’s my landlord. His full name is Liu Huadong.”

“Your landlord?”

“Yes.” Su Rui tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Brother Liu is very kind. Ever since I took over the restaurant last month, he’s been coming by to help out all the time. He’s a very warm-hearted landlord.”

“Really,” Li Can replied absentmindedly, wondering how she would feel if she knew she’d just brushed with death.

“Are you really planning to apply for the job?”

He wasn’t.

Li Can wanted to say so, but was surprised by the sincere look Su Rui suddenly gave him, unsure why she would ask that.

Shouldn’t she be asking about his work history, cooking skills, and salary expectations?

In truth, Li Can had already drafted his resume in his head:

Work experience: none
Cooking skills: poor
Salary requirements: high

With such a resume, who would dare hire him?

Noticing his hesitation, Su Rui gave a wry smile. “I won’t hide it from you — business here hasn’t been good. To be honest, I’ve been losing money. I was actually thinking if things don’t pick up this month, I’ll just give up on the place.”

“Is it a lack of customers, or a poor location?” Li Can had never met someone so frank, and felt a surge of goodwill.

“Both, I think.” Su Rui poured him a glass of water. “People’s expectations for food have gotten so high that small places like ours can barely survive. And of course, chefs with real skills would never want to work somewhere so hopeless.”

Li Can was silent.

It was a hard truth.

If he hadn’t been desperate and just happened to pass by, he’d never have considered such a place. In fact, the only reason he’d come to apply was to tide himself over until he found a better restaurant.

Now, even that plan felt impossible with Liu Huadong’s presence.

“Well? Have you made up your mind?” Su Rui asked hopefully.

“Why don’t you try my cooking first,” Li Can replied, not wanting to reject such an honest woman outright. He decided he’d cook the worst dish he could, hoping she’d give up on him.

Yet,

Ten minutes later,

Su Rui’s face lit up!

(To be continued...)