Chapter 178 - 165: A Tender-Aged Youth Was... by a Ruffian

Chapter 178: Chapter 165: A Tender-Aged Youth Was... by a Ruffian

When Xu An finally got a moment to rest, the person in charge of the Golden Dragon Fast Food Stall ambled over with a smile. "Boss Xu, are you having a big giveaway today? Buy one, get one free? I saw a lot of people leave without paying. You’re so generous, Boss Xu!"

"Ahahaha, I’m in business to make money, how could I just give it away for free!" Xu An laughed, brushing off the question. Afterwards, even as the neighboring stall owners tried different ways to ask, Xu An didn’t reveal a single detail, right up until all his lunch boxes were sold out and he packed up to leave.

Back at the restaurant, they were busy until two-thirty. After all the customers had left and the place was cleaned up, Xu An and Zhang Dezhen carried the tightly wrapped package of chili peppers into the kitchen.

As soon as they entered the kitchen, Xu An, as if performing a magic trick, produced two packs of tissues, two face masks, and a pair of swimming goggles from out of nowhere. While Zhang Dezhen stared dumbfounded, he swiftly put on all the gear. He even remembered to remind Zhang Dezhen to stuff every single tissue into his mask. From the looks of it, if it weren’t for the limited space inside the mask, Xu An would have loved to shove an entire roll of paper towels in there.

Just as Zhang Dezhen finished gearing up, Xu An took out a pair of scissors. He carefully snipped through the layers of tape on the outer packaging and pulled out three bags—one large and two small. One contained about a pound of fresh chili peppers, another about a pound of dried chili peppers, and the last was a big bag full of chili powder.

Just when Zhang Dezhen was thinking Xu An was being overly dramatic and making a mountain out of a molehill, Xu An tore open the large bag of chili powder with a RRRIP! A thick cloud of capsaicin billowed out...

ACHOO—ACHOO————ACHOO——————

A continuous, unending series of sneezes echoed throughout the kitchen. Even with their goggles on, their eyes began to redden. Before their bodies reached their breaking point, Xu An, following the chili shop owner’s instructions, scooped out two spoonfuls. Then, he deftly sealed the bag, zipped it shut, and stuffed it back into the tightly packed outer bag.

The capsaicin still hung thick in the air, and the two of them kept sneezing, though the frequency gradually decreased. They went from averaging four or five sneezes a minute to only one or two...

Only now did Zhang Dezhen finally understand Xu An’s good intentions. But once he collected himself, a question surfaced in his mind. ’Can people really eat this stuff? Is it even edible for humans? Is anyone who can eat this actually human?’ But seeing Xu An’s determined gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to ask these questions out loud.

’If the boss says it’s okay, then it’s okay!’

Then, Zhang Dezhen picked up the spatula and, with a CLANG CLANG, went to work. The peppers blended perfectly with the other spices, dyeing them all with their flavor...

After a two-hour wait, at four-thirty in the afternoon, the pot of what Xu An called "Hellish Braised Flavor" was finally ready. Its bright red color looked quite festive... The scent of the peppers was like a real fire, leaving nothing but scorched earth in its wake.

The two of them stared at the plate of braised food, utterly lacking the courage to take off their masks and try it. In the end, they just looked at each other, staring blankly for a long time.

’I’m the boss. I have to lead by example. If I don’t go to hell, who will...’

Xu An repeated these words to himself. Then, he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and with the speed of a thunderclap, whipped off his mask, picked up a piece of the braised food, and popped it into his mouth...

The instant the "Hellish Braised Flavor" touched his tongue, Xu An turned red from head to toe in half a second, just like a cartoon character. He looked no different from a boiled shrimp.

The spiciness was like a raging inferno, scorching everything in its path and obliterating all five senses. Xu An felt a ball of fire ignite on the tip of his tongue. In an instant, it erupted into a monstrous blaze, following the path of the food down into his stomach, then bursting through its confines to spread throughout his entire body.

In that moment, Xu An could hear his own heartbeat with terrifying clarity, THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, like a giant drum pounding in his ears. In that moment, he saw himself in his past life, playing on the reef, completely oblivious as the tide began to rise. In that moment, a revolving lantern of memories seemed to flash before his eyes, images from two lifetimes speeding past...

At the last second, Xu An’s hand found a cold can of soda. He was in no state to find the pull-tab; he simply crushed the can with brute force. The cold liquid sprayed all over his face and body, but some of it managed to get into his mouth.

The army of coolness was weak compared to the army of fire, but its strength lay in its endless, continuous supply. Xu An had no idea how much he drank. He only knew that the revolving lantern before his eyes had vanished, his five senses had returned, his eyes could open, his ears could hear, and his heartbeat was slowly quieting down...

’I’m alive! It’s so good to be alive! Thank God for sparing me!’

Xu An forced himself to turn his head and look at Zhang Dezhen, who was drenched in sweat from moving all the drinks. With a swollen tongue, he stammered, "A... a... a thir... one-third. Use... one-third the amount!"

Zhang Dezhen looked like he wanted to say something. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but in the end, he just nodded with a look of grim determination. With the spirit of a martyr heading to his execution, he began to cook again...

Xu An was down for the count, so the subsequent attempts had to be handled by Zhang Dezhen. However, because the amount was reduced, Zhang Dezhen only ended up red-faced and sweating profusely, still within the range of a normal human reaction. Ultimately, they decided on one-fifth of a spoonful of the Shuanshuang Spicy for the "Hellish Braised Flavor"—a spiciness that slightly pushed the limits of human endurance but remained within the realm of what a person could bear.

While researching the Shuanshuang Spicy, Xu An had come across a news story about a man who ate seven of them in one go. The man later explained that he hadn’t chewed them at all, just swallowed them whole. Even so, his blood pressure had shot up to 195/125. He’d also commented on the pepper, saying it was even spicier than India’s Devil’s Pepper, a Guinness World Record holder.

At the time, Xu An had thought nothing of it. But now, having experienced the power of the Shuanshuang Spicy firsthand, he finally understood just how incredible that man was. His admiration for him was as high as a mountain! ’That man who ate seven Shuanshuang Spicy peppers is definitely not human!’

The two of them tinkered with the recipe until nearly seven o’clock. As Xu An dragged his exhausted body up from the floor, planning to take a shower at restaurant number three before heading home, a towering figure appeared outside the door of restaurant number one.

"Is Anzi here? I need to see you, it’s urgent!" A voice as loud as a bell boomed through the restaurant. From that distinctive sound, Xu An immediately knew who it was: his second great-uncle.

"I’m here!" Xu An replied, his voice as hoarse as chicken claws scratching a chalkboard. "Second Great-uncle, what’s up?"

"You’re coming with us to Hai City. A leader is asking for you, and they specifically requested you be brought along." Second Great-uncle grabbed Xu An and started to pull him outside, but his hand felt something sticky. He turned to get a better look. Xu An’s hair was matted in clumps, his clothes were covered in large stains, and his mouth was swollen to twice its normal size. He was a complete mess. Looking past him at Zhang Dezhen, he saw that the other man wasn’t in any better shape; he was just as disheveled.

Seeing the sorry state the two were in, some unpleasant scenes he had witnessed years ago flashed through Second Great-uncle’s mind. His entire demeanor changed, and he roared, "Tell your great-uncle who did this! I’ll go get revenge for you! People from our Xu Family Village don’t take this kind of abuse!"

Although his great-uncle’s words were very reassuring, the truth of the matter was not what he imagined.

After Xu An and Zhang Dezhen, both with swollen tongues, briefly explained the whole story, the fury on Second Great-uncle’s face dissolved into speechlessness and deep resignation. In the end, he just waved a hand at Xu An, telling him to hurry up, get washed, and change his clothes, as they had things to do.

After a quick five-minute wash, Xu An put on some clean clothes he’d borrowed from Li Xindong. No sooner had he come downstairs than Second Great-uncle, who was waiting at the foot of the stairs, pushed and shoved him into the back seat of a car. The instant the door closed, Uncle Dongliang slammed on the gas, and the car sped off.

If any unknowing bystander had seen this scene, they would have undoubtedly whipped out their phone without hesitation, dialed 911, and told the police that they had just witnessed a vicious incident in front of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant: a young man being kidnapped by thugs...