Chapter 2 Anyone want to eat

It was New Year's Eve, and all the stores in Tumessa were closed, as no one would leave their family reunion to go buy dumplings. The place was far from the city center, and it was already past eleven, so there probably wasn't any food for sale. In this urgent situation, Norman remembered the supplier of dumplings and noodles for the casino, which might still be open. He quickly took out his phone and called Evelyn. After two rings without an answer, he called the casino's landline, finally confirming it was closed.

Remembering that Evelyn's lodging was nearby, he gritted his teeth and borrowed Nathan's car to go.

As soon as Norman left, Nathan finally sat down opposite the man on the brown leather sofa, saying, "Mr. Smith, he's my cousin on my father's side, nicknamed Norman. He's a local thug with some minor skills, no major issues." After a pause, seeing the man's tired expression, he added, "Would you like to rest upstairs?"

Jayce Smith glanced at his watch and said, "There's still an hour left. Let's watch the Spring Festival Gala!" He seemed relaxed, as if he were on vacation.

Evelyn heard a knock on the door. Evelyn, carrying the last dish out of the kitchen, was about to watch the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala on her phone. She paused, slowly setting down the hot soup, and only answered when the door was nearly battered down, "Coming, coming!" Opening the door, she exclaimed in surprise, "Liam?"

Norman was already agitated. "What were you doing? You didn't answer the phone, and you took forever to open the door!"

"You called me? I was busy in the kitchen and didn't hear it!"

Hearing the word "kitchen" and smelling the food, Norman ignored any excuses she had, pushed her aside, and entered. Pointing at the hot food on the table, he said, "Great! Cooking at this hour, pack this up for me, I need it!"

Evelyn pursed her lips in silence, not expecting someone to come and seize her food at midnight. Ignoring her, Norman found containers and packed the food. Seeing her slightly downcast face, a look he'd never seen before, different from her usual calm smile, made him shiver. He cursed inwardly, blaming the unexpected guests for his busy New Year's Eve. He took out five hundred dollars and shoved it into Evelyn's hand, saying, "Don't be angry, sis. It's urgent. I'll treat you to an enormous meal sometime!"

He had planned to touch her hand during the exchange, but Evelyn sidestepped, taking the money and stepping back a few paces, saying, "You're too kind, Liam."

Cursing his generosity, Norman returned to the old house with the food, explaining, "This is from the girl at the casino. It's her New Year's meal, but I brought it all here!"

Nathan handed him a thousand dollars, saying, "Thank her for me!"

The food comprised three dishes and a soup, typical home-cooked fare but surprisingly tasty, making everyone's mouth water. After seeing Norman off, the four men sat at the table. The short man reserved a portion for the driver who had gone to rest, and then served Jayce a bowl of hot soup, saying, "Mr. Smith, your wound hasn't fully healed yet, so you shouldn't eat anything too greasy!"

The heater warmed up the living room. Jayce took off his black coat, ate a spoonful of soup, and suddenly stopped, raising his eyebrows. "Peanut chicken soup, not local?"

At midnight, the sound of fireworks outside drowned out the voices on the Spring Festival Gala. Evelyn, holding a bowl of soup she had just ladled out, slowly walked to the balcony. She leaned on the railing, ate, then finished the last sip. She looked up at the distant three-story old house, now lit up.

The news that someone had moved into the old house in Tumessa spread the next day.

At noon, when Evelyn arrived at the casino, Aunt Susan, who was stationed at the French-suited card table, said, "This morning, when I went out, I saw a car with curtains driving out from there. Before I could look closely, the gate was closed."

The casino owner said, "Really? It's rare for outsiders to live here!"

"How do you know they're outsiders?"

"Just a guess. The people renting houses here are usually city workers. Which local would move here? You said they drove a car with curtains; anyone driving that kind of car isn't a worker!"

The owner was smart, leaving Aunt Susan feeling slapped in the face.

Tumessa had only one casino, run by Ava, who was almost sixty years old. She had been in business for more than half her life, raising her two children alone. Now, her daughter was married and ran a three-star hotel nearby. Ava should be enjoying her retirement, but she refused to grow old quietly, driven by the need to save money for her autistic son, who was over thirty and still not fully aware of his surroundings.

Yesterday, the owner had brought back some dried meat and a lion's head from her daughter's house as a perk for Evelyn. She had mentioned, "Business hasn't been great lately, and Norman's been collecting a lot of money. There was even another service company trying to collect fees here. I thought if the two of them clashed, it would be hard to tell who'd win. This year has been full of troubles!"

Evelyn accepted the gift and thanked her, not mentioning any bonuses.

Unaware, the occupants of older adults house became the town's gossip. In the old, dusty Crepucsol Hall, their arrival provided significant entertainment value.

Early in the morning, the driver had gone to the nearby district to buy some food and had just returned when Norman arrived, carrying four or five bags filled with cigarettes, alcohol, and food.

Nathan, displeased, said, "Why didn't you inform us before coming here?"

Ignoring Nathan's expression, Norman smiled, "Boss, I didn't have time to greet Mr. Smith properly yesterday. Would you introduce me?"

Feeling a bit guilty, Norman remembered the childhood bond with Nathan, which had faded over the twenty years they hadn't seen each other. He couldn't read Nathan's mind anymore.

Despite being unaware of Mr. Smith's background, he had heard rumors about Nathan's increased influence, potentially because of his two-year stay abroad. Seeing an opportunity, Norman couldn't let it slip.

Nathan ignored him, letting the driver take the bags from Norman, saying, "The food you brought yesterday was good. Thanks for your hard work!"

Nathan's casual remark dismissed him quickly, but Norman took it as a compliment and ran to the casino, asking Evelyn to prepare breakfast. The owner allowed Evelyn two hours off.

Nathan accepted the hot food but still didn't let Norman inside, asking at the dining table, "Anyone want to eat?"

Two shook heads, Jayce on sofa reading, eyes behind his head. "Throw it away."