Chapter 25: Soft Tofu, Hard Friends

"Finally Food!" The young man called Kevin jumped up in joy.

Feng who sat beside him dragged him back on the wooden bench. "I think we have a score to settle, Kevin. The only food you get is Mapo Tofu." Feng was smiling but his eyes weren't showing any joy.

"You're joking, right? Right? Guys, please!" Kevin's panicked voice beseeched his peers but they avoided his gaze, whistling innocently.

"Don't mind those guys," said Lynn while stacking various dishes on a tray. "Join them in their fun. They won't bite."

Yang stretched and was the first to move. "Most times, anyway."

The restaurant was longish and rather narrow. A single far-reaching table dominated the eatery. Several wooden banks and some chairs with different designs stood around the table. Most of the guys sat in the front part of the room near the counter and the kitchen.

I would've been fine with sitting at the counter. To be honest, crowds kinda scared me. Not like I'm-gonna-die scary but I-don't-know-what-to-say scary. Although neither Rose nor the Wudang left me any choice in the matter. They forced me to face my social awkwardness and dragged me towards the others. The guys opened up space right in the dead middle. Great.

Feng, the only one I knew of the bunch, sat a little farther to the front. Even worse I had the feeling he distanced himself on purpose. Maybe he still was beat up because of Rose's teasing? I should follow up on that later. For now, I had my own nightmares to face.

Rose and I sat down on a green wooden bench which wobbled a bit. Yang sat down in front of us on a pompous red velvet-covered antique chair. Noticeably the others held a respectful distance from him. I wish they would have done the same with us. But as soon as we sat down they swept over us like a tide of chatty monkeys.

One dude got very close to me but another leaned in between us. "Hi, there! I'm Grey! Do you want a drink?"

"Hello," I said while pointing at my lemonade.

On the other side a bald guy in a simple white T-shirt put his hand on Rose's bare knee. "Hey there, Rose, right? I love your style. Are you free tomorrow? Wanna hang out?"

"Hi!" Rose smiled and blinked innocently "I'm free but tell me, how large is your wallet? I'm in dire need of new clothes as you can see. Naturally, I only want brand ware."

The baldy looked towards the dusty ceiling as if to expect to find enlightenment there. "Well, we could start by watching a movie... " Rose, still smiling, swiped Baldy's hand off her knee. "Sorry, not interested."

The guy left his seat soullessly. His manliness got a critical hit. Ouch. But I wanted to try it for myself. This Grey was constantly blabbering. I wasn't listening so I just said, "I'm pretty expensive."

That really made him speechless for a moment. "You are?"

"Yes? Of course, I'm! You gotta spend at least one thousand credits to have any fun with me!" I laughed while watching the nearby faces. Yang facepalmed and Rose laughed heartily. What? Oh damn.

"What Lil' Meadow is trying to say is that she has high expectations on a first date." Lynn arrived with a full tray and put it down audibly. She winked at me and helped me out without much effort. "No movies, no visit at the ice parlor, no, she is expecting a full course menu in a Tang-owned restaurant, a romantic tour on a Windhawk, and, of course, expensive presents, including miracle drugs. In my estimation, one thousand credits would be the low end of the spectrum. Now, I don't remember any of you having this kind of cash. And more importantly, aren't ya'll embarrassed to try to flirt with schoolgirls?"

"I'm not," said Grey while taking a step back and giving me some breathing room. He wore a simple but very tidy black shirt and had middle long black hair. His eyes were showing his devious character."I'm 18 years old and a student myself. I think it's appropriate."

"Then what about the bald one over there? A middle-aged man shouldn't put his hands on girls half his age." Rose smirked at that last comment.

The accusation revived Baldy's spirit. He pushed away a guy who took his original seat and thumped the table with his open hands. "Big sis Lynn, I'm 17! I also go to school!"

"You are!?" Rose, Lynn, and I said in unison.

"Why are you so shocked!? You knew! Big sis Lynn you definitely knew! Every first-year at the Shaolin Temple School is required to shave his hair!"

"Oh, I see," said Lynn while feigning ignorance, "I'm sorry Baldy."

He again hit the table repeatedly. "Big sis Lynn, why are you bullying me? I have a name, you know! You definitely know! My name is…-" His bald head got slapped by Uncle Hong who brought another tray of food. "Shut up and eat!"

Everyone turned their chit chatter to a minimum and I had the feeling they sat a little straighter. In front of us were several delicacies laid out. Fluffy steamed buns who promised a lightly sweet flavor, the classic stir-fried rice with umami-filled dark hoisin sauce, a clear fish soup with mushrooms and soft tofu that married the mountains with the sea, stir-fried cowling meat with slender stripes of green pepper, and a generous amount of red chili flakes, bowls of enticing-looking rice noodles with chopped spring rolls, fresh herbs, fish sauce, roasted garlic and onion, piping hot deep-fried shrimps in a luxurious coating of tapioca and the infamous Mapo Tofu, a fiery dish made out ground cowling meat, tofu, fermented soy, a chili paste and, of course, an extraordinary amount of Sichuan pepper.

"Mr. Hong, everything looks so delicious!" My belly rumbled wildly. Yang warned me back at Muramasa's clinic not to go hungry for too long. I wonder when I will reach my limit although I didn't want to find out.

"Call me Uncle Hong like everybody else, girl." He swatted the compliment away like a mosquito on a summer night. "No need for thanking me. I'm a cook. I feed people." He then walked away. I might be wrong but I think there was now a swagger to his walk.

"The old man can't hide his excitement," said Yang.

Lynn finished helping out and sat beside Yang closing the gap the boys had left. "Uncle loves cooking and he adores if people appreciate his food. It might be nothing fancy but it's good food. As you can see I enjoy it often." Lynn rubbed her belly self-deprecating.

Rose already was neck deep into a bowl of noodles. "What should I eat? I can't decide?" I said.

"Everything!" Lynn said while pointing at the Mapo Tofu. "Except that."

"Feng, please! I swear I won't make fun of you anymore aaaaaaaaah~! It's too hot! How is this food!? Aaaaaaah~!" Feng was forcing Kevin to eat the Mapo Tofu. After taking a single bite of the soft tofu he already was in such agony that he couldn't stop himself from screaming. That provoked the ire of the old man who smacked him and told him to enjoy the food in silence.

"See?" I swallowed and nodded. I always thought I liked spicy food. But I wouldn't end up like him.

Yang was gnawing on the tail of a golden shrimp and leaned over to Rose. "Shall we continue the conversation?"

Rose looked up from her bowl of noodles. Her fairy-like features blemished with pieces of spring rolls.

Lynn raised one eyebrow. "What conversation?"

"You mean how you peeped on us?" I said pouting.

Yang clicked his tongue. "This again? I'm not interested in your immature body!"

Baldy and I stood up at the same time and we both hit the table. "Im-Immature body!?" We sat down quickly after gaining too much attention. Luckily the frowns were focused on the Baldy.

"No, we were talking about the games before you hit me and destroyed the bathroom. By the way, you will pay for the repairs." This time it was me who avoided the gaze.

"Ah, I see. She is that girl that got dragged into yours and the Goddess of Misfortunes game, huh?" Lynn first pointed at me then at Rose. "That demon being here means she is a free agent right now?

Yang shrugged. "I'm not sure." Rose seemed to hide behind her bowl. "And I don't think she knows either."

"What games?" I asked.

The games of the Immortals, of course!" Yang leaned forward and folded his hands. "And you are already part of them."