Tim was indeed sensitive to information.
After learning from Jason that the chef at the farm party was a famous Cantonese cuisine chef, he checked the location of the psychological clinic where Shiller had been.
Actually, he didn't need to know the exact location, since Shiller had mentioned Hell's Kitchen, which should refer to a certain area; you could find where Brooklyn's Hell's Kitchen was online.
Once he pinpointed the location of Hell's Kitchen, Tim discovered that although it could be called a slum, it was actually just chaotic. Due to Kingpin's presence, the cost of living there wasn't low, and there were quite a few famous restaurants.
Among them, Zhonghua Restaurant was very popular with food critics; many renowned food critics had dined there. It was also one of Kingpin's businesses and even his most profitable restaurant. Rumors had it that the lead chef was someone Kingpin had spent a lot of money to bring over from Hong Kong.
The restaurant was located on the southeastern side of Hell's Kitchen. Although he didn't know where the psychological clinic was exactly, Hell's Kitchen wasn't too big; it just took about ten minutes to drive around, so regardless of where Shiller was living then, this would have definitely been the closest restaurant to him.
Tim looked at the restaurant's Google reviews and found that since two years ago, the reviews had sharply declined. Many comments translated from traditional Chinese said the chef must have been replaced as many dishes were no longer authentic.
Such a famous chef couldn't possibly be jobless; it was more likely that he had changed jobs. Could it be that he had left the restaurant to work independently?
Tim thought it was very likely.
If Shiller was also a fan of this chef, then originally living in Arkham Sanatorium and not being able to eat well, whenever he returned to Hell's Kitchen only to discover his favorite chef had moved on, he must have been extremely frustrated and despondent.
So whether the chef at this farm party was actually that chef or not, Shiller undoubtedly wouldn't miss the feast prepared by such a renowned Cantonese chef—this was probably why Natasha had said he would definitely go.
Tim simply couldn't understand this kind of behavior. It was just a dish, after all. How good could it be? Eating was for staying alive; if he could survive on nutrient injections, Tim wouldn't mind getting a couple himself.
They drove to the place where Shiller was renting. This time, it wasn't so far from the city center. It was on the essential route to Love Farm, just barely within the suburbs of Los Angeles, where Shiller had rented a small villa in a wealthy area.
Just entering the villa area, Tim sensed something different. The villas here didn't look like the typical American ones. Shiller explained, "These are Japanese-style villas. The main difference from American villas is their extensive use of wooden structures, whether it's the floors, walls, or furniture—it's all solid wood."
Pamela looked around and found it was indeed so. The entire area's fences were wooden, the houses were comparatively lower, with large roofs, and the doors had cherry blossom decorated curtains. The area's landscaping included some Eastern trees not commonly seen here, stone pagodas, and lanterns, indeed creating a scene like something out of a Japanese movie.
"Aren't you of Chinese descent? I heard Chinese people really hate the Japanese," Tim said.
Then he unexpectedly heard Shiller laugh, a sound that seemed like someone laughing in their sleep about winning the lottery.
Shiller coughed twice and said, "That's a stereotype, an old-fashioned thought from a bygone era. Nowadays, Chinese folks think there are quite a few commendable aspects to Japanese culture."
Tim was half-convinced. He wasn't the kind of fool swayed by "happy education," he knew the history of countries around the globe; Chinese people in this lifetime would never...
He had just opened a short video app, and it seemed like the app had heard him. The first video that popped up was about solemn remembrance, deep mourning, rational analysis, active safeguarding...
Upon clicking, there turned out to be a bunch of simplified Chinese comments congratulating it.
Suddenly, Tim seemed to understand something. He searched on Google and finally understood the main reason the simplified Chinese internet held such an attitude—the four words "respect for the dead."
Tim examined more closely and thought, what on Earth was this "New Xanadu Country"? Had there ever been such a country historically?
While Tim was researching, they had arrived. The car stopped in front of a courtyard. As soon as Shiller got out, Matt came over and hugged him.
Matt turned, opened the curtain door, and Steve was leaning against a pillar in the courtyard, his arms folded, while Jason was beside him fiddling with the charcoal.
"How did you guys get here?" Shiller asked.
"I invited them," Matt said with a smile. "I got quite some good stuff this time. How could we not have beer?"
Tim also got out of the car, and upon entering, saw that the courtyard was a hidden gem.
Unlike American villas that prefer lawns, this villa's yard was paved with stone tiles, with only a small decorative grass area on the left. There was a gazebo on the right with a dining table and a barbecue grill, and further inside, there were even hot springs.
"Does Los Angeles have hot springs?" Pamela scratched her head.
Tim certainly knew that the West Coast of America was situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire, rich in geothermal resources, including hot springs. There were quite a few hot spring resorts near Los Angeles, but he had never heard of a Japanese-style hot spring villa area.
"This was recently built." Shiller said, "When you drove here, the other buildings you saw are part of a resort, and this is the residential area of the resort. You can think of it as a private hot spring villa."
"This guy really knows how to enjoy life." Matt shook his head and said, "A long time ago in Thailand, I also rented a villa like this, but it wasn't as spacious, and it was very expensive."
"What you stayed in might have been a historical relic, but this isn't; it's newly built."
Shiller laughed again, and Steve shook his head, saying, "Previously, I soaked in a hot spring on the San Francisco side and it was quite nice. I heard in the summer you can also soak in mineral springs in the valleys; I think that might be more interesting."
Tim and Pamela carried in the groceries they bought, Pamela went to select and wash vegetables, while Tim followed Steve and asked, "What's the deal with Japan anyway?"
"A recent warfare history, a big mishap with a powerful weapon," Steve clearly was reluctant to delve into the topic and said, "Even I find it hard to bring up the word 'innocent.' You'd better not ask too much."
Tim just had to accept that fact, but since it was something that happened around World War II, obsessing over the truth didn't make much sense.
Following Steve, they soon discovered the dining table was already set with numerous plates of fresh sashimi, including bluefin tuna, Faroe Islands salmon, Mandarin snapper, sea urchin, oysters, ark shell, scallops, as well as caviar and lobster—faint scents of fresh sweetness reached them even at a distance.
Tim swallowed.
Actually, he really loved seafood, especially various types of shrimp and crab. However, in Europe and America, the typical method of preparing shrimp and crab involved baking with creamy sauces like butter—something Tim didn't enjoy because he preferred a fresher, less greasy taste. Occasionally, he would visit Japanese restaurants to satisfy his cravings.
The sashimi Matt had acquired was clearly top-notch—the fat in the large belly cuts of the bluefin tuna glistened under the light, the orange-red color of the salmon from the Faroe Islands in Denmark was more intense compared to other origins, the white fat stripes were broader, and the flesh softer.
Mandarin snapper was true to its name with a hint of mandarin aroma in its flesh. Sea urchin was often described as a hot kiss on the tip of the tongue due to its unique sweet scent. The large gem-like oysters shined like pearls, their sashimi along with clams enchanted like blooming flowers in brilliant colors of red, yellow, and orange.
Steve brought some homebrewed beer, the solid ingredients evident in its color, leaning towards a rich taste.
In addition to the raw foods, they also prepared a barbecue grill for cooking and Shiller went to prepare some hot dishes in the kitchen, likely frying vegetables and grilling fish.
After being busy for half the day and as dusk approached, all dishes were finally served — aside from the sashimi, there were several Cantonese dishes primarily featuring fish and ribs as well as stir-fried vegetables. The barbecue was mostly meaty items including classic American bell pepper beef skewers, charcoal-grilled cowboy bones, and black pepper lamb chops, among others.
The table was bustling with dishes, everyone poured beer without too much ceremony and toasted before starting to eat right there.
Tim wasn't much interested in vegetables or meat; his main focus was the seafood, but he couldn't stand the taste of wasabi, so he only dipped his sashimi in salt or soy sauce. Shiller and Matt ate in the most traditional way by pairing it with coarse grind wasabi paste and soy sauce.
Steve and Jason were very traditional Americans, mostly sticking to eating lobster and oysters, uninterested in raw fish slices. Both of them feasted heartily on meat, completely devouring the big cowboy bone cuts in single bites.
Despite Pamela being a spokesperson for plants, she devoured plant-based meals mercilessly. Most of the stir-fried vegetables, vegetable salads, and fruit salads were eaten by her, and she preferred cold dishes over hot ones, even though winter was almost upon them.
Of course, they also chatted while eating, but the topics were too grand, always discussing how things were with Earth, the Three Great Empires, and various star systems. The other three kids from different universes could hardly get a word in.
Tim originally wanted to glean some information from their conversation, but the soy sauce was a bit too salty for him, leading him to chug down his beer. He wasn't the kind of warrior like Jason, who could compete in drinking with Joker and still be the last man standing; after a few drinks, he felt dizzy.
In the end, everyone was a bit drunk; the still coherent Shiller helped Tim back to his room, Steve, who had metabolized quite a bit of alcohol, took care of Matt and Pamela. Jason wasn't very drunk, but he had eaten too much meat and felt a bit of indigestion, so he also retired to his room to lie down.
Lying in bed, Tim still tasted the freshness of the seafood in his mouth and had to admit that indulging like this occasionally wasn't too bad.
The next morning, Tim was once again woken up by noise. Stumbling up, he looked out the window to see several people gathered around the hot spring pool figuring out how to drain the water.
Turning to see, it was only 6 a.m.—people in this universe really did maintain such healthy routines. Speechless, Tim threw himself back into bed, but soon a tantalizing smell of food woke him again.
He heard a familiar voice.
"Yes, it's called Qiuqiu, Rachel named it, just two months old. Isn't it cute?"
Tim sat up abruptly, motherfucker, another idiot!