Hell's Kitchen was unusually quiet tonight. Alvin held the little girl in his arms, chasing away her nightmares whenever she frowned.
A dreamless night! Of course, Alvin hadn't slept at all. Early in the morning, Alvin, uncharacteristically, didn't go for a run. Instead, he bought breakfast from Uncle Cheng's stall at the entrance and returned to the restaurant.
He helped the little princess, who he had woken up, wash and get ready, then roughly woke up Nick and Frank.
When Frank woke up and found his disabled son had stayed by his bedside all night, he felt utterly ashamed and hit his head.
On the first day of their reunion, his 8-year-old son had to take care of him, which made Frank very dissatisfied with himself. Although his son's care had significantly improved his injuries. He had neglected his family too much before. With family care, even such severe injuries could heal so quickly!
Frank couldn't be more pleased with his son. The only thing he wasn't happy about was Alvin's attitude. How could he treat his son like that?
If I were in a bad mood, I would have beaten you to a pulp. But my son loved this kind of interaction, constantly seeking trouble and then getting scolded.
Hell's Kitchen felt a bit strange today. Alvin drove his pickup truck to his usual post outside the school. Frank stayed at the restaurant; he needed to sort out the apartment rental.
Alvin felt the road was exceptionally smooth today. All the vehicles, upon seeing Alvin's old Ford pickup, consciously made way for him.
A journey that usually took 30 minutes was completed in 15 minutes today. Alvin even felt a little smug about it. "People here are finally acknowledging my contribution. I should be considered a celebrity in Hell's Kitchen now."
After getting out of the car, Alvin realized something was wrong. There must have been a situation he wasn't aware of. Everyone looked at him with awe.
The rebellious kids and girls in strange clothes who usually hung around the school were all gone. Their meek and submissive demeanor made the community school look like an Ivy League institution.
Even Vice Principal Nelson, who usually stood at the school gate, looked at Alvin with a mix of "awe," "fear," and "incredulity."
Alvin impatiently snapped at Nelson, "What the hell is going on? Have aliens attacked Earth?"
Nelson respectfully bowed and said, somewhat fawningly, "Good morning, Principal! Your heroic feat last night must have spread throughout Hell's Kitchen today."
Alvin paused, then understood! The blame for Bloody Jensen's actions had still fallen on him. He considered explaining but then thought better of it. It was useless talking to a guy like Nelson.
The sudden notoriety made Alvin's work exceptionally easy today.
Judging by the behavior of these brats, they must have been lectured many times by their parents this morning!
From a distance, he saw Professor Cage, who called out in his raspy voice, "Alvin, how many people did you kill yesterday?"
Alvin was annoyed and didn't want to deal with the old rascal. He turned, jumped into his car, and fled back to the restaurant as if escaping.
He was back early today, just in time to marinate the beef. Yesterday's beef was leftover from the day before.
He brought out 50 kilograms of beef from the cold storage in the basement. He placed it in several large trays and brought it to the first-floor hall to thaw naturally. In several large basins, he poured black pepper and salt and stirred them evenly.
Little Ginny was enthusiastically helping Jessica, carrying a small rag and following Jessica's every move. Whatever Jessica did, she did too. Alvin felt the restaurant would be twice as clean today as usual.
He praised Ginny and kissed her on the cheek. The little girl's work enthusiasm soared even higher. Although she knocked over a few spice jars, her diligent quality definitely deserved praise.
The busy morning quickly passed, and the Peace Hotel officially opened for business. As usual, many diners arrived at the restaurant right on time.
The only difference was that the diners from Hell's Kitchen would respectfully greet Alvin. The diners who came by reputation, however, behaved no differently than usual.
50 steaks didn't take Alvin much effort. Instead, the "sweet and sour ribs" and "beef stew with tomatoes" he had promised Ginny yesterday took up a lot of time.
When these two dishes came out, many diners complained, asking why they hadn't been informed that such fragrant food was available. Of course, the complainers were all the ones who had come by reputation.
Alvin held Ginny and sat on a high stool behind the bar. Jessica, unprofessional as she was, also joined them. Each of them held a bowl of rice and slurped it down with gusto.
After eating more than half of her meal, Jessica, with the self-awareness of a beautiful girl, stopped getting a third bowl of rice. She left Alvin and Ginny giggling and continuing to eat.
Alvin saw that Ginny had eaten enough and refused her third request for more rice. He kissed the little girl's sulky face. He poked her bulging little belly, making her laugh again, and then cleared away the dishes.
It was a little past one o'clock. Usually, no more diners would come in at this time, but today, three police officers in uniform and a righteous-looking middle-aged man in a suit arrived.
Alvin recognized two of the police officers, Michael and Scott. They were also the first to greet Alvin. Enthusiastic Scott even high-fived and fist-bumped Alvin, which made the other female officer in uniform frown.
The righteous middle-aged man, however, was very relaxed. He sat down naturally at the bar and smiled at Alvin, saying, "Hello, Mr. Alvin, I've heard for a long time that the steak here is excellent. I've always wanted to try it, but never had the chance. I wonder if I'll have the pleasure today?"
Seeing Alvin looking at him with a frown, the righteous middle-aged man continued, "Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. George Stacy, Chief of the Big Apple City Police Department." He then extended his hand, wanting to shake Alvin's hand.
Alvin reached out and shook his hand, then said apologetically, "You might have to wait until tonight to eat. Today's lunch portion is already sold out."
George was good-natured and didn't mind. He said, "That's a real shame! Do you mind getting me a glass of water?"
"Of course." Alvin gestured for Jessica to serve lemonade to the Chief and his party.
The female officer leaned against the bar, resting her left elbow on it, and tapped her fingers on the bar, signaling Alvin to come closer. She said, "Can't you make an exception?"
Alvin ignored her unreasonable request and turned to Michael and Scott.
Michael gave an awkward laugh and explained, "This is Officer Misty Knight, the new precinct chief of our Hell's Kitchen division." He then stepped aside, clearly not very fond of his new superior.
Alvin smiled playfully, "I must congratulate our Hell's Kitchen police department on having a new chief."
He looked at Misty and continued, "Have your doors been replaced too? The previous few chiefs suffered quite a bit."
Misty was clearly short-tempered. She slammed her right hand heavily on the bar. The bar let out a loud "bang." A steel arm had made a clear dent in the thick solid wood bar.
No one in the restaurant left. Most of the diners who had come by reputation had already gone. The remaining were locals from Hell's Kitchen who knew a bit of the inside story. Everyone looked at Alvin with a bit of excitement, wondering how he would handle this situation.
Alvin looked at Misty's finely crafted mechanical arm with interest and said, "Officer Knight, if you give me the phone number of the manufacturer who custom-made your arm, I can forgive the damage you've caused to my bar."
Misty looked at Alvin angrily and said, "Alvin Ye, we currently suspect you are involved in yesterday's massacre on Long Island. You are now a suspect and need to cooperate with our investigation."
Alvin looked at Michael and Scott, who were standing behind Misty with their heads down, and knew that these two guys were setting Misty up. But who cared?
You can't ignore your own stupidity just because someone else is trying to trick you.