"Ay, what are you doing little boy?" The grandma asked in Chinese, obviously not knowing whether Yue Guang would understand.
"I'm sorry. The smell from the restaurant is very addictive. I couldn't stop myself." Luckily enough, Yue Guang knew how to speak the language. He apologises while wiping the drool on the corner of his mouth. His parents taught the boy to always be respectful to others and especially, the elderly.
"If you like the smell so much, why not come in and have a meal." The grandma smiled kindly. She was very happy to see a little boy that knows how to speak Chinese.
"I..I do not have any money on me…" The little boy admitted. His head drooped down.
"I'm not asking you to pay lah. Grandma will treat you this meal."
"Really?!" In an instant, Yue Guang looked up with sparkly eyes. Without thinking, he accepted the offer.
"Ya lah. Come in and take a seat here."
After leading the boy over to an empty table and chair, Grandma hollered out, "Lady boss! Could you ask the chef to prepare a Mala Tang set for this little boy!"
"Huh? What boy?" Coming out of the kitchen was the same Da Jie that Ming Yue Guang had called earlier. If she were to compare her looks from the past until the present, it could be said that her looks had barely changed. It was as if she had done witchcraft on herself to let her retain her youth.
"This poor little boy was standing outside and looking in at the restaurant. He looked like a poor thing, so I will help buy him a meal." The kind grandma explained the situation. The pair of females stood far enough so that Yue Guang couldn't hear what they were saying.
"What? How can you that for this stranger boy?" The Da Jie shook her head adamantly. She turned to look at Ming Yue Guang who had twinkling eyes that were long anticipating his meal. When she said that, her heart wavered a little too, but she went back to her usual self. She walked up to the 14-year-old as she spoke her terms to Yue Guang in English.
"Ah little runt, sorry but there is no such thing as a free meal in this world. If you want to eat here, you need to have money." When the Da Jie spoke about money, Yue Guang's eyes dimmed down.
"However, if you promise to help wash some dishes in the restaurant, I will provide you this meal as a fair exchange." Hearing the other option, Yue Guang's eyes lit up once again.
"I will help to wash the dishes! I promise!" He replied enthusiastically.
"Okay, good." The Da Jie smiled, knowing that she received something out of this. Going inside the kitchen, she asked the chef to whip up a Mala Tang set for the little teen.
When the food was ready, she brought it out for Yue Guang to eat. Without seconds of the dish with the hot Mala soup being placed on the table, the teenager had picked up his chopsticks and spoon. He had taken a piece of marinated meat that was simmered in the mala soup and placed it on the spoonful of white rice. With a big open mouth, Yue Guang devoured the spoon. The meat came in contact with his tongue. The first thing that came to his mind was, "Delicious!"
After the first addictive bite, Ming Yue Guang went back for more and more. Eventually, there was another thought in his head. How come his tongue felt numb? Not only that, there was a growing feeling of…
"Spicy!!!" Ming Yue Guang exclaimed. His eyes darted around looking for the most precious commodity at the moment. Water.
Seeing how funny the teenager was, the Da Jie, who was witnessing the whole scene unfold before her, laughed out loud. The grandma knew what she had done and had immediately gotten the boy a glass of water.
"You asked the chef to make it very spicy didn't you?" The Grandma looked at her playful lady boss.
"Not really. I only asked him to make it medium spicy. It seems like this little runt can't even take such a low level of spiciness." The Da Jie explained herself to Grandma.
"Who says I cannot eat spicy!" Yue Guang heard what the Da Jie said and was offended by her words. Looking down at the bowl of Mala soup, he took a big gulp of saliva before diving back into the addictive and yet, painful meal.
With every bite, Yue Guang was stuck between feeling pain and feeling satisfied by the taste. It was this addictive feeling that kept him wanting more. He didn't stop eating until the entire dish was emptied out. The young teen was sweating profusely by the end of it. The lady boss couldn't help but laugh once again. Ming Yue Guang looked like he had run a full marathon under the hot sun.
"So what do you think of my restaurant Mala Tang?" The Da Jie asked the little boy.
"I think.." Ming Yue Guang took another big gulp of water before continuing his sentence, "That it is extremely delicious!"
"Is it too spicy for you?"
"No!" The boy retorted.
"Really?"
"Yes!"
"Can you go for a high spicy level then?"
"I…" Yue Guang didn't know how to reply to that. He knew it was a trap, but if he didn't reply, it would be implying that he was incapable of eating spicy food.
"Enough lah… Stop teasing the little boy." The grandma intervened between the two of them.
"You promised to help wash up some dishes right? Head to the back and you can begin immediately." The lady boss instructed the youth.
"Okay." Disgruntled, Yue Guang still followed through with his promise.
From that day on, Ming Yue Guang decided to come often after school to challenge the spicy level of the Mala Tang in the restaurant. He wouldn't have to pay for it. Rather, he would wash the dishes as payment. Many years have passed and Ming Yue Guang's spicy palate had obviously evolved over time.