The Scent of Fear Mixed with Aroma

The Scent of Fear Mixed with Aroma

After seeing Professor Wilson off, Alvin checked the time. It was already ten o'clock. He still had to hurry back—the Restaurant's business had to go on. The school did not pay him a salary, so he still had to earn his living expenses from the Restaurant.

After greeting Olivia, he left the office and made a round through the school, putting the troublesome kids in their place. Seeing them trembling with fear, Alvin nodded in satisfaction. Then he drove his pickup back to his Restaurant.

It was nearly eleven by the time he returned. Alvin parked by the roadside. Dom cleverly opened the door himself and jumped down, then used his front paw to close it. He shook himself, and his glossy black fur rippled like water beneath the sunlight.

With a comfortable yawn, Dom ran to the entrance and greeted Thor. The two wolves bumped their heads together before Dom went to lie down on the other side of the door.

A pile of dismantled construction debris sat outside the entrance. It looked like Uncle Cheng's work was progressing nicely.

When he pushed open the door and entered the Restaurant, he saw Jessica boredly wiping glasses behind the bar. Her mood seemed to have improved along with the house repairs. When she saw Alvin come in, she even gave him a big smile.

It was not mealtime yet, so there were not many customers in the Restaurant. A young Latin American woman and a Black woman hurriedly stood when they saw Alvin.

Tears filled the Black woman's eyes. "Oh~" She opened her arms and gave Alvin a firm hug, resting her head against his shoulder. "Thank you! Thank you, Alvin! You're my savior. You're a good man! Thank you!"

Alvin was stunned by her words. His hands hung awkwardly, with nowhere to go, and he looked at Jessica for help. Jessica watched his flustered expression with amusement and silently mouthed, "Food truck, Archie."

Oh, now he understood. Alvin gently pushed the Black woman away and asked, "You're Archie?" Then he looked at the other Latin American woman. "And you're Lilith?"

The Latin American woman carried on the passionate tradition of South American girls. She gave Alvin an enthusiastic hug and left heavy lipstick marks on both his cheeks. "Yes, I'm Lilith. Thank you, Alvin. God will bless you!"

Lilith was quite beautiful, probably not yet thirty, with a fiery figure. But the pressure of life had left her looking somewhat haggard.

Alvin's food truck had rekindled her hope for life. "If possible, I'd like to invite you to dinner at my home tonight, to thank you for your generosity." After speaking, she looked at Alvin with shining eyes, as though she had much more to say.

This invitation, which clearly came with an extra reward, drew a heavy snort from Jessica behind the bar. The glass in her hand creaked under the strain, as if it might shatter at any moment.

Alvin shuddered. He patted Lilith's shoulder and gently pushed away the woman pressed against his chest, who was looking up at him.

Alvin smiled and said, "I accept your thanks! My only hope is that you'll run the food truck seriously and work hard at living. This world is too cruel to people like us, but we cannot give up hope!"

Alvin's words moved the two women deeply. They kept wiping away tears and repeatedly thanking him.

The two Black Kid sitting at the same table stood as well. In a very Black gesture, they thumped their fists against their chests and pointed at Alvin. It probably meant, Brother, I'll remember this kindness. If you need anything, come to me! I'll go through fire and water without hesitation!

As the principal of a Community School, Alvin was very perceptive. He waved at the two boys. "Come here, boys."

The two Black Kid ran over excitedly. Just as they were about to greet him, Alvin raised a hand to stop them. "Boys, skipping class is a serious crime at my school!"

Only then did the two excited boys realize that Alvin, the de facto ruler of the nearby three blocks and a great benefactor, was also the terrifying principal of the Community School.

The boys' dark faces looked as though they had been dusted with white ash. They lowered their heads tremblingly and waited for the principal's judgment. They had clearly suffered before and knew that arguing would only make the punishment worse.

Seeing their good attitude in admitting guilt, Alvin smiled generously. "Since you have the Vigor to skip class, clean the sidewalk outside my door for me!"

As the two boys looked ready to bolt outside, Alvin continued, "Not just today—the next week. I usually get up at five in the morning. When I get up, I want to see a sidewalk outside my door so clean I could lie down and sleep on it. It's eleven now. If you hurry back to school, you can still make lunch."

The two Black Kid exchanged Despair-filled looks, then dejectedly said goodbye to their mother and left for school.

Archie, the Black woman, was not angry to see her two sons punished. Instead, she gave Alvin another hug. "Thank you so much, Alvin. Only you can keep these bad boys in line now. Sometimes I'm really afraid they'll end up in prison like their father." As she spoke, the sentimental woman began wiping away tears again.

Alvin smiled at the two women. "It's getting late. I need to start business. Go sit down first. Lunch is on me—I'll treat you to steak."

Ignoring their refusals, he waved them back to their seats. He went behind the bar, tied on an apron, lit all ten burners, placed ten small iron griddles on top, and brushed each with a layer of olive oil. The steaks had been marinated in advance. Once the oil heated up, they could go straight onto the griddles.

After getting busy for a while, Alvin turned around and knocked Jessica on the head. She was still staring at Lilith and muttering things that were clearly not compliments. "Go call Uncle Cheng down. Tell him to eat and rest for a while before getting back to work."

Jessica clutched her head, shot Alvin a resentful glare, and ran upstairs to call Uncle Cheng.

Once the scent of steak spread through the Restaurant, customers began drifting in one after another. It was like this every day, as though they could all tell the time by the smell.

Each griddle held a palm-sized steak half an inch thick, a serving of pasta, and a fried egg. The first portion went to Uncle Cheng, who was huddled in the corner of the bar. "Try my cooking. Don't be so reserved, Uncle Cheng. Relax. You're a customer now."

There was no ordering service here, because there was only one dish: Teppanyaki Steak, twenty dollars a serving. Alcohol was only sold at night. Jessica busily served every customer a glass of lemonade, then carried the finished steaks to their tables in order on pine trays.

Many of the customers came because they had heard of the place. The nearby residents were all busy making a living at this hour and would not come around at noon. Only at night, once Alvin was no longer so busy, would they come here for a beer and relax together.

Standing in front of the stove, Alvin listened with amusement as several young men in suits, who looked every bit like elites, listened to a blond man boast about how bold he had been to venture alone into Hell's Kitchen and discover this Restaurant. He said the steak here had a very special flavor—the aroma of steak mixed with the scent of fear in Hell's Kitchen, creating a uniquely wonderful taste.

Alvin knew that guy. His adventures in Hell's Kitchen could practically be turned into a joke book. But since he was working so hard to advertise the Restaurant, Alvin decided not to expose him.