"Mr. Blake, I'm really sorry for what happened! It's embarrassing for you! Please have some tea, or if you don't like it, I can have someone switch it to coffee."
Around 3 p.m., in another tea house, a man named Uncle Xiang and another man speaking Cantonese were sitting across from Carter, with a hint of a flattering smile on their faces.
"Dim sum from Guangdong? Having afternoon tea at this time is quite acceptable. It's hard for you to prepare all of this."
Looking at the barbecue buns, custard buns, chicken feet, and other dim sum placed in front of him, as well as a cup of fragrant tea steaming with heat, Carter couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. What on earth was going on?!
"It's okay, it's okay. Mr. Blake, please forgive us for our impoliteness. Please don't mind our abruptness. Waiter!"
After a hearty laugh, Uncle Xiang clapped his hands, and then a henchman swiftly entered the private room with a gift box.
"The young master, Big Sang, has a good nature, but recently, their leader, the Second Young Master, unfortunately passed away in prison. We found out that it was the people from the Gambino family who did it in prison. So he's a bit resentful towards white people and acted impulsively! He couldn't distinguish between friend and foe!"
"Mr. Blake is indeed knowledgeable about China. In addition to morning tea, we also have afternoon tea and late-night tea. Having afternoon tea at this time is just right, haha."
"No worries, Mr. Blake. We understand this point. So we apologize to you on behalf of the young master! A little token of our appreciation for you."
As Uncle Xiang spoke, the henchman slowly opened the box in his hands. A shiny gold necklace caught Carter's eye.
"Put it aside. I've said it before, I'm not interested in getting involved in your affairs, nor am I interested in gang matters. But since you're so courteous, let me remind you."
Glancing casually at the gold necklace, Carter continued to deal with the custard bun in front of him:
"Don't think that Gambino and his gang can't compete with you in Chinatown. That's just because you have a natural home advantage here. Once you leave Chinatown, once you leave 18th Street, do you know whose territory this is? If you keep antagonizing white people like that guy just now, you won't last long!"
It's the 1980s now, and the number of Chinese in New York is far fewer than in the future. But even in the future, many businesses in Chinatown rely on white people, especially restaurants and diners.
After all, for most Chinese people, cooking at home saves money. Who would be willing to go to a restaurant? Apart from adjusting the taste of the dishes to suit the taste of the Caucasians, the service attitude in this whole area has to change.
Leaving history aside and just talking about business, Carter has never seen a prosperous business district that relies on creating conflicts.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Blake is right! We also understand this point, so we apologize to you on behalf of the young master! Let's forget about today's incident."
Carter's words were not very polite, especially to Uncle Xiang and the others, it sounded more like a warning. But even if they heard this warning, they couldn't do anything about it.
From the matter of the old Chen family, they saw this young white man in front of them, who managed to get the confidential case file in one day and deal with those white families across different areas. Even though they were just ordinary families, this strength was something their gang, which was confined to Chinatown, dared not provoke.
Uncle Xiang certainly believed that Carter couldn't overturn Chinatown. But if something happened to him in Chinatown, the social repercussions, coupled with the new and old grudges between their ABC and the five major families in New York, Uncle Xiang had no doubt that if such a scene occurred, they would not survive. That was why they rushed over as soon as they heard that Big Sang was provoking Carter.
In a situation where no one could threaten Carter effectively, it was only natural to try to eliminate adverse effects as much as possible. After all, who knew if this guy would spread some unfavorable news about Chinatown, which would affect their businesses.
Dealing with things in a situation where everyone couldn't do anything to each other but he was in a slightly advantageous position made everything go smoothly. After some small talk, a cup of tea, taking the gold necklace, Carter left the tea house with a full stomach.
"Carter! Are you okay?"
"Mr. Blake! You..."
When Carter returned to the Sichuan restaurant leisurely, he saw quite a few people waiting for him.
"I'm fine, what could happen to me? Here, I brought you a gift!"
Casually tossing the gold necklace to Lichelle, Carter immediately greeted the other people:
"Director Dunning, why are you here? And Juli, and this..."
"This is Chief Raymond from the Emergency Task Force. We were worried that you were kidnapped. It's good that you came back safely!"
While relieved, Chief Dax Dunning quickly expressed his intentions after introducing Carter to everyone:
"Don't worry, I'll arrange some action later to teach them a lesson. I guarantee that such incidents will not happen again."
"Okay, thank you, Director Dunning. And Chief Raymond, thank you for coming all the way here for my safety."
Carter nodded. Since he didn't intend to get involved in New York's Chinese gang affairs, he naturally had no objections to Director Dunning's arrangements. Love it or leave it, as long as it had nothing to do with him.
But looking at the scene in front of him, Carter finally understood why America was called the paradise of the rich and the hell of the poor. Even now, he couldn't be considered rich and wealthy, but if he had even the slightest problem with his safety, the entire team would revolve around him.
Handling things quickly in a situation where no one could threaten him effectively was also understandable. After exchanging pleasantries and seeing off these people, the Sichuan restaurant returned to tranquility.
"You, next time you come to New York, bring a few bodyguards! I just planned to accompany my family to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Luckily, we haven't left yet. If I hadn't received this call, and something happened to you..."
"Thank you, Juli! Don't worry too much, it's a very unlikely event for me. Really! It's just that the guy from the gang in the neighborhood, his old leader recently died in prison, instigated by the Gambino family. He's not happy with white people. It's just that I caused a big stir this morning, which made him dislike me, and that's why this happened."
"We don't usually have contact with them, so having bodyguards wouldn't make much sense. Besides, I'm usually at Douglas, not here."