Chapter 8
“So….i take it as a yes?”
“Glad to help!”
After saying goodbye to a smiling Edward, Dio and Will hopped into the second-hand Chevrolet and left. No one spoke on the way until they enter New York City, until Will tried to break the ice and asked, “Where to? Back to the restaurant?”
Dio was silent for a minute, and then with a lower voice, said, “let’s head to my house!”
Dio’s family home is also in Chinatown, just two streets away from their small restaurant.
Locating near the infamous Hell’s Kitchen in Manhattan, law and order is not its specialty.
Chinatown is in the southern end of the city, and Hell’s Kitchen is in the West Central City.
Recalling the memories he had, Dio knew that his British dad had come to a restaurant that his mother and her family-run together.
That restaurant is the very restaurant he’s just from before heading to the cemetery.
Dio’s dad gave up his promising future and lived separately from his family in England to stay with his new family. He was willing to stay in Chinatown with Dio’s mother to run a small restaurant.
According to Dio’s memory, Dio’s dad is a very funny gentleman, but his British stubbornness and pride are deeply engraved in his bones. Despite being uncomfortable with society, he still had a lot of friends.
And just because it’s Chinatown doesn’t mean all Chinese there is like a big family willing to help each other.
Just because they’re not in China, cooperation and kindness are suddenly viable?
At first, yes, they help and encouraged each other to survive in this foreign land, but as Chinatown expands, and becomes more crowded.
Currently covers 45 streets, with a total area of more than 4 square kilometers, sustaining more than 800,000 Chinese. Causing people’s nature to change eventually.
The warm and soothing place turned into a lawless zone where nobody cares even if a crime is committed in front of their very eyes. The people who just recently come here maybe not aware of the situation, but Dio, who has lived here for more than 20 years worth of memory, is well aware of the real situation. The residents here wouldn’t mind resorting to ‘foul play.’
With the area expands so fast, gradually taking over other districts, more and more Chinese come to the United States, and when they arrive, the first place they’re heading to is none other than Chinatown.
With the sudden increase of population, but the economy can’t keep up with it, more and more slum is built with each day.
There are more and more people. There are restaurants and convenience stores opened by these Chinese. How can they earn enough money when they compete with each other?
In fact, this happened recently, a Chinese man just recently arrived in New York, he was going to open a convenience store in Chinatown. After the store opened, everyday gang member would come and extort him for protection fee, and not just one gang, other gangs also extorted him, but because he already paid for protection money to other gangs, he refused to give any more money, which results in robbery at his store, causing him to go bankrupt and had no choice but to return to China.
Later, when someone inquired, turns out the one pulling strings was his own neighbor, who sent a bouquet of flowers with a smile on the store’s grand opening
This is the core problem in the United States overlooked by law. The old resident of Chinatown mostly retains their warm and honest personality, but there are some of them that afraid their business will be threatened due to a new business run by the new resident.
So, Chinatown is not as good as the people imagined. Of course, some good people are enthusiastic about living their life here, but at the same time, the one with ill intent is not any less. The old residents of China already have several generations of descendants here in New York City. They know that Chinatown is a dreadful place. If they mess up, them and their families’ well being will be threatened.
As Dio browses through the memory he gained, Will already parked the car in front of an old building. It is said that a mafia boss used to live here, although nobody can prove that.
“Let’s go.”
“Wait, Let me smoke a cigarette first.” He rolled down the car’s window, Dio gave Will one cigarette before lighting his own.
Although the soul in the body has changed, the memory of ‘Dio’ itself for more than 20 years is real, and but because it’s not his own memories, it’s just awkward for him.
And finally, Dio stubbed out his cigarette.
“Let’s go.”
After throwing the stub of his cigarette, Dio and Will go upstairs.
On the way upstairs, many people greeted him. And offer their condolences. Whether they are sincere or not, Dio doesn’t really care.
Dio took out the key and opened the door.
There’s still the smell of the gas residue left on the floor. There was also a dilapidated table covered in dust.
How did they not notice the smell of gas with a house this small, it’s just unthinkable?
Not to mention that Dio’s parents own the restaurants, so things like the smell of gas shouldn’t be something unfamiliar for them.
However, as far as it goes, this is just a hypothesis, and police only consider this as illegal pipeline modification.
As the Chinese aren’t really used to using a gas burner, they would instead use primus stove, there’s even a joke among themselves before cooking with gas burner, be sure to call a firefighter in advance.
Inside the house, Dio walks around, and then Will said.
“You still want to live here?”
“Well, after looking around, I think I’ll move somewhere else, and the only thing left worth bringing is only this album. The rest should remain here, I guess.” Dio chuckled and raised the album in his hand, a keepsake to remind him of his family for.
Will nodded indifferently and then asked, “Where are you going to live? Rent a house? I have a place if you want…”
“Thank you, but I am going to stay in the hotel in the meantime. By the way, it is time to prepare for the opening.” Dio immediately rejected Will’s proposal. The place Will mentioned probably is full of gang members. It’s not that Dio hates gang members, but there’s more than that.
After conducting a proper burial for his parents, it’s time to plan how to survive in this world, at least financially, and it’s not a problem to live in the restaurant for the time being.