A "Heartwarming" Dinner

People who cooked actually hated clearing the table.

It was like enjoying the satisfaction and pleasure of feeding little animals, but not wanting to clean their pens.

Fortunately, Kallen did not have to clear the plates. Aunt Winnie and Aunt Mary would take care of them.

Kallen poured himself a glass of water on the second floor, took the ice tray out of the refrigerator, and added two cubes before carrying his water back up to the third floor.

He had wanted an afternoon nap, but unfortunately, when he pushed open his bedroom door, he found Mina, Sarah, and Lunt gathered around his desk, doing their homework.

So much for his nap.

After all, as a psychological adult, he could hardly bring himself to chase children away from their homework just so he could sleep.

Not only did Kallen miss out on his nap, but at Mina's request, he also helped her and Sarah with their physics homework.

He could tell that Mina did very well at school. No wonder his aunt did not want Mina to stay and take over her work. Strictly in terms of earning potential, Mina would certainly enjoy a comfortable life if she inherited her mother's skills as a funeral makeup artist, but when circumstances allowed, people ought to strive for more choices in life.

Sarah, on the other hand, had fairly average grades, and her grasp of the material was unremarkable too.

Kallen also noticed Sarah's clothes. They were quite new-so new that they did not fit very well.

That detail struck a chord with Kallen. When his family had been less well-off during his childhood in his previous life, he too had owned special clothes that he wore only when visiting relatives.

Sarah's stationery was also visibly much poorer than what Mina and Lunt used.

And whenever Kallen spoke, Sarah immediately shifted to face him directly.

Logically, this shy little girl should not have become so outgoing all at once, actively seeking eye contact with him.

Later, while explaining a problem, Kallen realized that Sarah might have some hearing trouble in her right ear. If he spoke softly on that side, she might not hear him clearly, so whenever she noticed him speaking, she had to turn her head.

After finishing the tutoring, Kallen stretched and reclined on his bed.

"Are you tired, Kallen?" Mina asked.

"Not really."

Mina got up, came over, and began massaging Kallen's shoulders.

Sarah was a little shy at first, but she came over too and helped massage Kallen's legs.

Watching from the side, Lunt merely smiled. Even though this cousin of his had slapped him not long ago, he simply could not bring himself to hate Kallen, nor did he feel jealous of him.

Like his father, he did not really think of Kallen as an older brother, but more as an uncle or another elder.

"Um, you don't..."

Kallen did not want to enjoy this sort of pampering like some landed lord. If his younger cousins had been a little smaller, he would not have minded coaxing them into running errands or massaging his legs with a little pocket money or candy. Most people had done something similar, really.

But his younger cousin was growing up now, and there was also a female classmate he barely knew.

To Kallen's surprise, though, Sarah's massage was very skilled, with plenty of pressure. For a moment, he actually did not want to ask her to stop.

In the end, reason prevailed. Kallen sat up again and said:

"Mina, Sarah, you're growing up now. You're young ladies. Remember to keep some distance from the opposite sex."

"But you're not a stranger," Mina said as though it were obvious.

Even Sarah nodded in agreement.

"But this isn't appropriate." Kallen reached out and patted Mina's head. "I don't like this."

Sarah watched Mina having her head patted, envy showing in her eyes.

So Kallen reached out and patted her head too.

Just as men had little resistance to beautiful women, women actually had little resistance to handsome men either.

That effortless appeal to the opposite sex felt like striking gold to ordinary people, but to a small minority, it was more like cabbages growing by the roadside, there for the picking.

Most people simply could not relate to that experience.

"Do you often massage your family's legs at home, Sarah?" Kallen asked curiously.

"Yes. I massage Dad's leg every day."

"What a good daughter."

Kallen left the bedroom, stopped at the bay window, and opened it. Puer, who had been napping there, shifted a few times in displeasure.

Kallen took out a cigarette and lit it. The breeze outside carried a chill, so he turned sideways to expose less of himself to the wind.

Just then, Dis came out of his study, and Kallen smiled.

"The thermos is empty," Dis said.

Kallen immediately called into the bedroom, "Mina, refill Grandpa's thermos."

"Okay."

Mina obediently came out, took the thermos from her grandfather, and went downstairs to fill it with hot water in the kitchen.

Dis had no objection to Kallen's laziness. Instead, he asked:

"It's the fifteenth today."

"Yes. They booked through the seventeenth, so there are two days left. Really, there's only one," Kallen said. Since the seventeenth was the deadline, that had to be the day of the memorial service. They would therefore have to deliver the deceased by the sixteenth-tomorrow-at the latest, or there would not be enough time to prepare the body.

If they delivered the body during the day on the seventeenth, even in the morning, it would be difficult to proceed smoothly with the memorial service unless they truly wanted nothing more than a token ceremony. The trouble was, they had paid far too much for that.

A client so generous would surely not want a slapdash funeral.

"Uncle Mason has already accepted a Welfare Form and plans to do it on the eighteenth."

That was a precaution in case the client delivered the body on the seventeenth or eighteenth. Welfare Forms offered much more flexibility, like the previous job for Jeff, which only required taking three photographs. They had scheduled it for that day so they could bargain with the client once the deadline had passed.

Of course, if the client really was a day or two late, they would still help out for the sake of the deposit, but the family would have much more leeway over the requirements and details.

"Mm." Dis nodded, took the thermos from Mina, and returned to his study.

Just then, Kallen noticed that it had started raining outside. He stubbed out his cigarette on the windowsill.

Puer stared at the little black scorch mark on her usual sleeping spot and pointed at it indignantly with her paw.

"Meow! Meow! Meow!"

Kallen reached out and petted Puer as though she really were just a cat.

"I'm going home now, Kallen." Sarah came out with her schoolbag on her back to say goodbye.

"Who's picking you up?" Kallen asked.

"I'll take the tram home," Sarah replied.

The tram stop was outside Mink Street, a little walk away.

"I'll walk Sarah to the stop," Mina said, holding an umbrella.

"Oh, where do you live, Sarah?"

"On Mine Street in the Eastern District."

The Eastern District was Rojia City's industrial district. Besides factories, it had rows of old tenement buildings that served as workers' dormitories. Those who lived in the tenements were relatively fortunate. Many workers, along with people who had settled there as the area developed, could only build rows of shacks around the tenements, forming a shantytown.

A few years earlier, the old mayor had introduced a plan to improve living conditions in the Eastern District's shantytown. Of course, he could not possibly have carried out any grand redevelopment project, nor did he have the means to, but he had connected the whole area to water and electricity, at least securing basic necessities for its residents.

Mine Street was a well-known neighborhood of shacks in the Eastern District. It had many small shops and had given rise to a flea market famous throughout Rojia City.

"How about this? I'll drive you home. Mina, go get the car keys from your dad."

"Yay! Thank you, Kallen."

Mina soon returned with Uncle Mason's car keys.

"Dad asked whether you knew how to drive, but Mom said you were really good at it."

Aunt Mary was referring to the time she and Mrs. Hughes had gotten drunk and Kallen had driven them home.

"Get in."

This was Kallen's first time sitting in the new hearse. Not only was the driver's seat much roomier, but the back also had a rectangular recess for a coffin, with bus-style seats along both sides.

Kallen started the engine and drove toward Mine Street.

Since the previous "Kallen" had enjoyed buying secondhand comics and novels at the flea market, Kallen knew where it was.

"Hehe, Sarah, isn't our car spacious?" Mina asked.

"Yes!" Sarah nodded. "You could even lie down and sleep in here."

Hearing that, Kallen laughed from the driver's seat.

"Haha, you mustn't lie down in this car."

Halfway there, they encountered roadwork on one street, forcing Kallen to back out and take another route. Backing out took quite a while. The new hearse was large, after all, and not easy to maneuver.

By the time they reached Mine Street, it was already five in the afternoon.

"Mom!" Sarah spotted her mother.

Kallen found an empty space nearby and parked.

Mina got out with Sarah.

Before long, Mina and Sarah came over to the driver's window.

"Kallen, Sarah's mom invited us to their house."

"Yes, Kallen! My mother makes really delicious milk tea!"

Kallen had wanted to refuse. He would rather have driven straight home, but seeing Sarah's expectant gaze and the somewhat nervous, restrained woman standing nearby, he nodded.

"All right."

Sarah's home was deep inside Mine Street. Since it had just rained, the road was full of puddles. Some had bricks placed in them, and they had to step on the bricks to cross.

The eaves were so low that they had to bend to enter. Inside were two rooms, one for Sarah's parents and the other for Sarah and her grandmother.

The cooking area was outside, with a small brick stove partly sheltered by a sheet of metal.

The house was very clean, and there were even a few bunches of wildflowers.

"Grandma, I brought my classmate and her brother over."

"Good, good. That's lovely."

The grandmother was elderly, but her hair was meticulously groomed. She sat there, smiling at Mina and Kallen.

"Oh, Sarah brought a classmate home?"

A man's voice came from outside. He limped in on crutches, holding a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers. When his gaze swept over Mina and Kallen at the doorway, he tossed the cigarette outside.

"Hello, sir," Mina greeted him.

"Hello, hello, young lady."

"Hello. I'm Mina's brother, Kallen."

Kallen held out his hand to the man. This was a habit he could not change, because he had never regarded himself as a child. His family had grown accustomed to it too, so he did not need to pretend at home.

The man froze for a moment, then reached out and shook Kallen's hand.

"Hello. You can call me Rot. Everyone around here calls me Cripple Rot."

Rot's hand was rough and covered in calluses. Beneath his crutch, one trouser leg hung empty.

On the way in, Kallen had noticed quite a few tires and pieces of cut tire rubber in the yard, along with some simple tools. Rot made slippers from discarded tires and sold them to earn a living.

Sarah's mother, according to what Sarah had said in the car, worked at a nearby cotton textile factory. However, it was the slow season, so she did not have many days of work.

"Please, sit down. Sit down."

Sarah brought over a few stools, and Kallen and Mina sat.

"Darling, something smells wonderful. Are you making milk tea?" Rot called outside with exaggerated enthusiasm.

"Yes, it's ready."

Before long, Sarah's mother came in carrying several cups on a pot lid. The cups held white milk tea.

The cups set before Kallen and Mina were full, while those for the grandmother and Sarah were half full. Rot's cup held only a shallow layer.

Sarah's mother smiled again and said:

"I'll get dinner ready. Sarah just told me about today. Thank you for treating her to such a wonderful meal."

"Yes, Mom! Kallen is an amazing cook. I'd never eaten any of the food he made before, but I think your cooking is just as good as his."

Sarah's mother lowered her head, kissed Sarah on the forehead, and said with a smile:

"Don't worry. Mom won't let you down."

Then,

apparently afraid that Kallen would refuse to stay for dinner, Sarah's mother made a point of adding:

"Please do us the honor of staying for a meal, in return for treating Sarah."

Rot chimed in too. "Of course. That's what classmates and friends do. You come to my house today, and there's a hot meal for you. Tomorrow I go to yours, and there's a hot meal for me. Isn't that right, Mr. Kallen?"

Although Rot thought the young man before him looked young, his manner had a certain bearing, like a civil servant sitting in a government office. He had unconsciously added "Mr." to his name.

"Then I'll look forward to it."

Mina picked up her cup and took a sip of milk tea.

"What do you think, Mina?" Sarah asked.

"It's delicious," Mina said.

Kallen also picked up his cup and took a sip, then instinctively suppressed the urge to frown. The milk tea tasted very much like the malted milk drink he had had as a child, with extra sugar added on top. It was cloyingly sweet.

Kallen took two more large mouthfuls.

He set down the cup and smiled. "It's very good."

"Hahaha, isn't it?"

Rot looked delighted. He raised his cup and drank the little he had, holding it there a moment longer. When he put it down, his lips were rimmed with white, which he licked away.

"Have a cigarette, sir."

Kallen took out his cigarette pack.

He was not much of a smoker now, only having two or three a day. Besides, his work sometimes overlapped with his uncle's, so he always carried cigarettes for social occasions.

Molf Gold Frame, seventy Lu Coins a pack-somewhat more expensive than soft-pack Chunghwa cigarettes in his previous life.

Kallen pulled one out and offered it to Rot, who accepted it with both hands.

Just as Kallen took out his lighter to light it for him, Rot glanced at his mother, who was sitting nearby.

The grandmother smiled and said, "Go ahead. Keep Mr. Kallen company."

Kallen understood and volunteered, "Let's smoke outside."

"All right, all right."

Kallen went to get Rot's crutch for him, but Rot grabbed it first and propped himself up. "This way, please."

The two went outside.

Rot took a box of matches from his pocket, struck one, sheltered the flame with his left hand, and held it up to Kallen.

This was no time to insist that the other go first, because the match would soon burn out.

Kallen could only smile sheepishly. He took out a cigarette, held it between his lips, and leaned closer. After lighting it for him, Rot brought the match, which was almost burning his fingers, up to his own face and lit his cigarette. Then he quickly flicked the match away, hissing through his teeth.

"Mr. Kallen, your family runs a funeral society?" Rot added, "I heard it from Mina."

"Yes, Uncle Rot." Kallen took a business card from his pocket and handed it to Rot. "Sorry for the trouble, but please send some business our way if you can."

"Ah, when people around here die, they're taken straight to the crematorium society. Who would bother holding a memorial service?"

Despite saying that, Rot carefully tucked the card into his breast pocket after accepting it.

"How's business these days?" Rot asked.

It seemed that, regardless of background or surroundings, or even differences in status, once two men lit cigarettes together, their conversation

almost invariably came around to: how's business lately? Or, how have you been doing?

"Not very busy," Kallen said.

After all, there was still no word from the client who had paid a deposit of one hundred thousand Lu Coins, and his family couldn't take on any other jobs for the time being. They had little to do.

"Yeah, same here."

Rot nodded in agreement.

In summer, his slippers made from tire rubber actually sold fairly well. There were people who liked such extremely cheap slippers, but now that winter had arrived, naturally fewer people were buying them.

"It'll get better," Kallen said. "Business always has its slow seasons and busy seasons."

Rot wholeheartedly agreed. "Yes, yes. You're absolutely right, Mr. Kallen. Everything will get better."

Rot really enjoyed conversations like this. Even during his busy season, his tire-rubber slippers sold for only two Lu Coins a pair, and he knew that a single job for Kallen's family might bring in as much as a whole year of selling slippers... probably even more.

Still, he genuinely enjoyed the feeling of standing beside Kallen, talking about "slow seasons and busy seasons."

Look at us. We're both businessmen.

Halfway through his cigarette, Kallen instinctively moved to toss it on the ground. He hesitated, then kept it between his fingers.

Rot waited until his cigarette had almost burned down to the filter, took one last deep drag, and only then dropped it on the ground. Kallen followed suit.

Rot was a seasoned smoker. Smacking his lips, he reached for his cigarettes, but hesitated just as he pulled out the pack. He brought it out anyway: Wild Wolf Brand, two Lu Coins a pack.

He drew out a cigarette and offered it to Kallen. Kallen accepted it and took out his lighter to light Rot's cigarette, which finally brought a smile to Rot's face.

Smoking his own cigarettes seemed to free him at once from the unease he had felt while smoking the Molf Gold Frame cigarettes.

Rot began, "I lost this leg in an accident back when I worked at a factory. The factory only paid me a little compensation-not even enough for the medical bills. In the end, I had to ask Mr. Sixson for help. Do you know Mr. Sixson?"

"I think I've heard of him. He's..." Kallen recalled the newspaper. "He's the mayor."

"That's right, the mayor. He started out as a legislator from our Eastern District. He's the pride of our district, one of our own." Rot heaped praise on the Old Mayor, placing particular emphasis on "one of our own."

"Mr. Sixson went to speak to the factory owner for me, and only then did the owner pay me some more compensation. It wasn't much, but I was satisfied. At least it covered my medical bills, with a little left over.

"Ah,

"a few days ago, some other workers who'd fallen ill lost their case at city hall. The Trade Union organized a march and sent word to me, so I joined in too. I don't work at the factory anymore, but I'm still a union member.

"Mr. Kallen, sometimes you have to show those factory owners the strength of our unity. Otherwise, they... they really won't treat us like human beings."

"Yes, you're right."

"I was even chosen as one of the representatives for the march. I walked in the front row with the workers who'd been injured, disabled, or fallen ill. I thought the march was meant to show those Eastern District factory owners our strength, but to my surprise, the union people brought out banners and flags demanding that Mr. Sixson be held accountable.

"A lot of the workers weren't happy about that.

"To be fair, wasn't Mr. Sixson the one who brought running water and electricity to Mine Street a few years ago? Apparently, they're putting in sewers next year too. Then we won't have to 'dance' our way down the street when it rains.

"Then Mr. Sixson came out to calm us down. As soon as he appeared, we stopped making a fuss. Those union people still tried to get us chanting slogans, but we ignored them.

"Mr. Sixson promised that part of the Eastern District's tax revenue would be set aside to provide allowances for workers who'd been disabled or developed permanent chronic illnesses. It won't be much, but we're already satisfied.

"That means, starting next month, I'll get an allowance of two hundred Lu Coins every month.

"Then we all cheered Mr. Sixson's name together."

By this point, Rot's eyes were shining.

"Mr. Sixson will always be one of our own in the Eastern District. He's the mayor we put in office. Haha."

Kallen nodded.

"Do you have a candidate for mayor you support, Mr. Kallen?"

"No, I don't. I'm not very interested in getting involved in politics."

"Neither am I, if only those factory owners would treat us workers a little more like people."

Rot took a deep drag and blew out a smoke ring.

"Who wants to drag their exhausted body off to hear about elections after a whole day's work?"

"Exactly," Kallen agreed.

"Dinner's ready, Dad, Kallen." Sarah came to call them in.

"All right, let's see what delicious food your dear mother has prepared for us tonight."

Dinner was quite a spread.

Everyone had a plate of noodles that looked as though they had been braised, with assorted vegetables and sauce mixed in. There were clearly visible pieces of meat on Kallen's and Mina's plates, but none on anyone else's.

Everyone also had a serving of bread. Kallen and Mina had bread with cream, while the others had dark bread.

Besides that, there was a small plate of smoked meat, another small plate of sausage, and a large bowl of pickles.

The smoked meat and sausage were placed in front of Kallen and Mina, while the pickles sat in front of the Rott family.

"Mom, where's the fried chicken?" Sarah asked curiously.

She wanted to treat her best friend and her friend's older brother to fried chicken.

Sarah's mother smiled. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I couldn't get any today."

Looking disappointed, Sarah turned to Mina and said, "What a shame. It's so tasty. I'll invite you over to have some next time."

"Okay." Mina smiled and nodded.

In the previous "Kallen's" memories, he had seen several stalls selling fried chicken at the Flea Market. Curious, he had even bought some to try, and it tasted good.

But after learning that it was made by deep-frying assorted scraps of leftover meat scavenged from restaurants and rubbish heaps, "Kallen" had gone home and vomited for half the night. He had even developed a fever the next day.

So the "fried chicken" Sarah mentioned was probably that same meat. Like Rot's tire-rubber slippers, it was popular and sold only around Mine Street in the Eastern District.

Sarah's mother had lied about being unable to buy any because she didn't want to serve stale food to their guests.

Everyone began eating.

The braised-style noodles really were delicious. The sauce was well seasoned, and the noodles had a satisfying chew. They would have gone perfectly with some garlic.

No garlic, so... pickles?

Kallen rose slightly, took a pickle, and bit into it.

Whew... that tang! He quickly ate a mouthful of noodles to soften the sourness, and the combination proved uniquely satisfying.

"Do you drink, Mr. Kallen?" Rot asked.

"No, I drove here."

Rot looked a little puzzled. "You can't drink if you drive?"

But seeing that Kallen really wasn't going to drink, he left the alcohol unopened. Noticing how much Kallen liked the pickles, he moved the bowl in front of him.

After finishing his noodles, Kallen picked up his bread and dipped it into the sauce as he ate.

Actually, the cream made it taste considerably worse. As far as Kallen's preferences went, adding things like fruit or cream to a main meal only spoiled the experience.

Having them after the meal was another matter.

He cleaned his plate.

Kallen raised a hand to stop Sarah's mother from serving him more smoked meat and sausage with her fork. Patting his stomach, he smiled and said,

"I really can't eat another bite. I'm full."

The old grandmother smiled. "Make sure you've had enough. Don't be shy."

"I'm not being shy. It really was delicious." Kallen wasn't merely being polite.

In fact, a cook's true skill lay in creating finer flavors from simple ingredients, and Sarah's mother was genuinely a good cook.

Mina had finished eating too.

She also patted her stomach and said to Sarah,

"Sarah, your mom's cooking is just as good as my brother's."

"Hehe, right?" Sarah looked happily at her mother.

By the time dinner was over, it was completely dark outside.

Kallen and Mina said goodbye to the Rott family.

The old grandmother stood up and offered, "Come on, let's see our guests off. They brought Sarah home, after all."

The old grandmother had difficulty walking and needed Sarah's support, while Rot used a crutch. Even so, the whole family accompanied Kallen to where he had parked.

"Thank you for having us."

Kallen thanked the Rott family, then said to Sarah, "Come over with Mina often."

"You come over too," the old grandmother said with a smile.

Kallen got into the driver's seat. He had just started the engine when Sarah's mother passed a plastic jar through the window. He turned to look; it was full of pickles.

"You seem to like them. Take these home and let your family try them too."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Kallen thanked her and accepted the jar without declining.

Standing nearby, Rot lightly nudged his wife and quietly mimicked Kallen's tone.

"Thank you, ma'am. Hehe, ma'am. Hear that? He called you ma'am."

Sarah's mother flushed and ignored her husband.

"Goodbye, everyone," Mina called through the window.

"Goodbye."

Kallen set the hearse in motion and drove toward the end of the street.

Behind the car,

The Rott family remained standing there, watching them leave.

Kallen glanced into the rearview mirror.

Beneath Mine Street's sparse, dim yellow streetlights,

The Rott family stood there,

like a still old photograph,

slowly yellowing with age.