Miami's Morning Tea

"Are we going to find Tony now?"

"Of course. After I finish this, I have to go have Christmas dinner with Uncle and Auntie."

Leo strode towards the car.

Maya's legs, however, trembled slightly. "Um, let's not fly there, okay? What's the principle behind this car's flight?"

"I'm controlling it, of course. This isn't Coulson's Lola. Besides, they showed a concept for a flying car back in 1943, so it's not that strange for it to fly."

Leo looked at Maya dismissively.

"Aircraft carriers can fly, so what can't?"

"Let's go, hurry up! I need to leave. Don't even think about running away!"

Maya reluctantly got into the car.

"Okay, but what's Lola?"

"Coulson's beloved car."

Leo chuckled lightly, and the car quickly ascended into the air, speeding towards Miami according to the navigation.

Maya still gripped the seatbelt tightly, not wanting to speak.

They began to chase in the direction Tony had left.

Leo looked down at the dark road below, with only a few scattered cars driving.

He couldn't find Tony's vehicle.

Leo's finger twitched slightly, and the car's speed increased, faster and faster.

It eventually broke the sound barrier, creating a loud roar in the silent night sky.

This caused many vehicles along the way to stop and look up, thinking a small plane was flying low overhead.

All they saw was a trail of flight.

However, even after reaching Florida, Miami, they hadn't found any sign of Tony, despite Leo checking every vehicle on the road.

Looking at the sky, which was starting to lighten, Leo said, "It's morning. Come on, let's go eat."

The car landed on the highway, and Leo smoothly swapped places with Maya. After all, given his current age and status, he couldn't drive.

Maya finally got her hands on the steering wheel and breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, let's eat. I'm hungry too."

Maya, who hadn't eaten much last night, licked her dry lips and said.

Soon, they stopped in front of a Chinese restaurant.

"Eating Chinese food on Christmas?"

"Why not? Isn't it a tradition?"

Maya pulled out the key. "On Christmas, only Chinese restaurants are open. Eating Chinese food every Christmas has become a tradition for many people."

"Don't you guys eat at home?"

Leo gave Maya a strange look and strode towards a Cantonese dim sum place nearby.

Maya paused slightly at Leo's words and quickly followed him.

It was not yet five in the morning, but the dim sum restaurant was already open.

A server cleaning the floor turned around and habitually called out, "Welcome to China Tea House."

Then, he realized it wasn't even dawn outside, and an Asian child had walked in.

"You're too early. Our dishes aren't ready yet. Could you wait a moment?"

"Of course, no rush."

Leo sat down and looked around the spacious hall, filled with tables and chairs. It looked like it could seat about two hundred people when full; a very large restaurant.

"That's a big restaurant. Looks like business is good."

Maya walked over and sat opposite Leo. "It's still several kilometers to the base. When are we going?"

"No rush, let's eat first. Hasn't Tony arrived yet?"

Leo said, looking at the road leading into Miami not far away.

"Is this your first time here as a customer? Are you Chinese?"

The yellow-skinned young waiter put down his mop and looked over.

"Yes, it's our first time."

"I thought so! I know everyone around here. It's rare to see someone come this early. Hello, my name is Yu Lei, I'm from Guangdong. Did you just move here?"

The somewhat chubby Yu Lei sat down not far from Leo with a bright smile.

"No, we're just passing through. We came for breakfast. My name is Liu Chong, but you can call me Leo."

"Haha, traveling all night on Christmas Eve, that must be tough. But you came to the right place. This is definitely the most authentic Cantonese dim sum in Miami. My master used to be a head chef at a restaurant in Guangzhou before coming to America a couple of years ago."

Yu Lei was very friendly, as if he hadn't seen a Chinese person in a long time and was eager to chat in Chinese.

"Really? That's great. You've got me looking forward to it."

"Here, this is the menu. I recommend a few of our specialties. These chicken feet, Americans don't order them much, but they taste really, really good. And these beef rice noodle rolls, they're smooth, tender, and fragrant."

"These custard buns are also a masterpiece from my mentor. The beef wontons and fish congee are all delicious too."

"Leo, do you know why I chose to work here? It's so I can eat all this for free! I used to weigh just over 100 pounds, and now I'm almost 160."

Yu Lei quickly introduced them to Leo, pinching his own belly to show how delicious the food was.

"Okay, I'll go with your recommendations. Two of each."

"Uh, Leo, one of each is enough. Our portions are quite generous, and the prices aren't exactly cheap. But I'll talk to Chef Niu. Since you're Chinese, he'll definitely give you a discount."

Yu Lei was initially surprised, then quickly said.

"Don't worry about the money. My appetite is so big I could enter a competitive eating contest. Besides, we can get takeout, right? A friend might be coming later too."

"Great! It's so much easier talking to you. It's always a pleasure chatting with Chinese people. Those foreigners are so slow when ordering. Uh... she doesn't understand Chinese, does she?"

Yu Lei said, looking a bit embarrassed at Maya beside him.

"She doesn't understand."

Seeing Maya looking completely confused, Leo said with a smile.

"Alright then, I'll go check in the back. The first batch is probably almost ready."

"You won't believe it, but Christmas is actually our busiest time of year. Isn't that strange? They like to eat Chinese food on Christmas, while in China, people eat Western food on Christmas."

Yu Lei said as he walked towards the kitchen.

"What are you guys talking about? Ordering food? I want to eat General Tso's Chicken."

"We'll get you something delicious in a moment. By the way, did you bring money?"

"I did. Why?"

"No reason. I didn't bring any money. You'll have to pay later, okay?"

Leo said generously, his eyes fixed on the cars on the bridge.

A moment later, Yu Lei returned, pushing a cart with several steaming dishes. "Here you go! Freshly made custard buns and beef rice noodle rolls."

"Leo, Chef Niu said that because you're the first customer today and a fellow countryman, he's giving you a 50% discount. How about that, pretty good, right?"

"Alright, the chicken feet and fish congee will be ready soon. I'll go get them."

Yu Lei bustled back again.

The semi-transparent rice noodle rolls looked incredibly springy. The aroma of rice, eggs, and beef wafted over, and the sauce drizzled on top had a fresh, sweet flavor.

Leo casually picked up a fluffy, hot custard bun and took a bite. The scalding golden custard flowed into his mouth, a rich blend of salted egg yolk and butter.

This taste was truly incredible.

Maya swallowed, then also reached out and picked one up.