DO – Chapter One (Part 1)
August, a hot summer month.
Hot wind flew past wilted plants. The sounds of firecrackers caught Tu Hai Yang’s attention. He looked outside the cafe, and saw a young woman covering her ears and flinching her happy face.
The young woman had short hair. She wore a long sleeve shirt and white pants. But Tu Hai Yang noticed her big b.r.e.a.s.t.s and small waist first.
Tu Hai Yang walked onto the terrace for a better view of Ms. Big b.r.e.a.s.t.s standing at the front of the neighboring restaurant’s new sign.
Tu Hai Yang heard renovation noises for a few days. He didn’t expect Ms. Big b.r.e.a.s.t.s wanted to launch a new restaurant.
‘Uncle Hai Yang, lunch is ready,’ Xiao Lam called from downstairs.
Tu Hai Yang walked downstairs to the empty restaurant. He wasn’t a fussy eater, he ate anything cooked.
Tu Hai Yang’s useless close friend, Tang Da couldn’t cook like Tang Da and Tang Da’s wife Ou Biao Da’s eldest daughter, the twelve-year-old Feng Cheng Lam. Tang Da had to use a lot of tricks to persuade Ou Biao Da to be the cafe’s chef. But Tang Da and Ou Biao Da’s youngest daughter, Shu Ting was sick and they needed to take Shu Ting to the hospital for treatments.
Ou Biao Da and Tang Da arranged meals to be delivered to Tu Hai Yang’s cafe. Tu Hai Yang wasn’t grateful because they left him in charge of babysitting three foreign nameless orphan boys that Ou Biao Da and Tang Da adopted. The three orphan boys’ ages from oldest to youngest were eleven, nine and five. Even if Tu Hai Yang’s cafe was deserted, it wasn’t an orphanage.
Tu Hai Yang complained in his head, and started eating a bowl of rice and vegetables.
Feng Cheng Lam noticed the orphans sitting in a corner of the cafe, and looking at Tu Hai Yang eating lunch. She offered a bowl of food to the five-year-old orphan first.
‘Come sit here and eat,’ Xiao Lam said.
The five-year-old orphan salivated looking at the bowl of food on the table, but he sat guarded at the corner of the cafe.
Feng Cheng Lam carried the bowl of food, and squatted in front of the five-year-old orphan. ‘Don’t be scared, the food tastes delicious.’
The five-year-old orphan closed his eyes, and curled his body into a ball on the chair.
Tu Hai Yang didn’t know what the orphans wanted. For the last three days, the orphans were quiet and guarded. Even at night, the orphans distrusted each other, and slept at a distance from each other. No matter what Tang Da and Biao Da did to give the orphans a sense of security, the orphans only ran to the kitchen to eat when their stomachs were at the brink of starvation.
Tu Hai Yang put his bowl on the table. ‘Everyone come here. Don’t make me repeat myself.’
When Tu Hai Yang was about to stand up, the eleven-year-old orphan hesitantly walked to his table, and the other two orphans followed.
‘Sit down,’ Tu Hai Yang said.
The orphans obediently sat down at the table.
‘If you want to stay at my place, you need to obey the rules here,’ Tu Hai Yang said. ‘Everyone needs to eat three meals a day, shower once a day, and sleep early. Understand?’
The orphans sat silently.
‘Good,’ Tu Hai Yang said, and nodded at Feng Cheng Lam.
Feng Cheng Lam helped scoop rice into the orphans’ bowls.
‘Eat,’ Tu Hai Yang said.
Tu Hai Yang was satisfied the orphans listened, and ate their lunch.
Since that afternoon, the orphans ate three meals a day, showered daily and slept early.
The orphans helped Tu Hai Yang prep the cafe every day too.
Feng Cheng Lam was still on school holidays. She stayed at the cafe to help take care of the orphans, in particular the youngest orphan. The orphans were quiet, but they had intelligent eyes.
During the nights, Tu Hai Yang drank a can of beer, looked at the stars, listened to music and played online chess to relax. He loved living a simple peaceful life.
End of Chapter One (Part 1)