NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 123 The chrysanthemum remains

New York City is the largest city in the United States. If New York City is considered a city, then Oklahoma City wouldn't even qualify as a suburb; it would be more like a rural area.

This place is overflowing with materialism, with too many rich and powerful people, and of course, there are also many poor people who are begging for food.

On May 20, Jia Fei arrived in New York by plane and then got into his good friend Kemba Walker's G-Wagon.

"I remember you weren't in this car last time!" Jia Fei said, somewhat curious.

Wearing sunglasses and driving in front, Kemba Walker proudly said, "I sold my old car and got this one to drive. What do you think of it?"

Jia Fei touched the leather seats of the G-Class and sighed, "Of course it's good." He didn't care much about the car itself, but you get what you pay for. A million-dollar car and a 100,000-dollar car can both keep you out of the wind and rain, but the materials are vastly different.

"Ja, isn't Jeremy coming with you?" said Art Mayork, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Jia Fei said, "Yes, he said he wanted to go home. Didn't you call him?"

“I called him, and he agreed at first, then said he had something to do. Oh well, never mind him!” Kemba Walker said. He was clearly closer to Jia Fei than to Lamb.

Jia Fei didn't say much more. It didn't matter whether he came or not; it wasn't a big deal.

Kemba Walker reportedly took Jia Fei to a very authentic Chinese restaurant. This restaurant is located in Chinatown at the southern end of Manhattan, New York.

This was Jia Fei's first time visiting Chinatown in New York. He had been to Chinatown in Los Angeles, but this was his first time visiting Chinatown in New York.

New York Chinatown, also known as New York City Chinatown, is located in Manhattan, New York City. It is bordered by Broadway to the west, Essex Street to the east, Grand Street and Hester Street to the north, and Worth Street and Henry Street to the south. Centered on Mott Street, it includes Canal Street, Bayview Street, Payne Street, Lafayette Street, Bowery Street, and East Broadway. Just a stone's throw from City Hall and a stone's throw from Wall Street, the world-renowned international financial center, its proximity to Broadway, the world's performing arts center, gives it a pivotal position in New York City.

Jia Fei discovered that the Chinese restaurant Kemba Walker mentioned was actually a Sichuan restaurant. Just looking at the decorations, he could feel the aroma of numbing spiciness.

"Can you two handle spicy food?" Jia Fei asked curiously. As far as he knew, these two didn't seem to be able to eat very spicy food.

"Let's give it a try! I don't believe Art and I can't handle it!" Kemba Walker had a "I can do it" look on his face.

The waiter came over. He had yellow skin and black eyes, just like Jia Fei, and spoke English with a Sichuan accent. Jia Fei found it too awkward to understand, so he spoke to her directly in Mandarin, "One non-spicy hot pot, and some shredded pork with garlic sauce, Mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken, and boiled fish, that's all!"

The waiter exclaimed excitedly, "You speak Mandarin! Are you from China too?"

"Uh... I'm not from China!" That was all Jia Fei could say.

"Oh, all our hot pot is spicy, the mildest we have is just mild!" the waiter explained earnestly.

"Then make it mildly spicy!" Jia Fei said.

"Jia, let's order some liquor. I saw some good Chinese baijiu on TV, let's get some to drink!" Kemba Walker suggested.

"Well, how about a jin of baijiu?" Jia Fei was afraid the two of them would get drunk, so he only said a jin.

"Jia, isn't one jin too little?" Art Mayor felt that Jia Fei had ordered too little alcohol; he could drink two bottles of beer in one go.

"If it's not enough, we can call for more later!" Jia Fei thought to himself, "If you get drunk, I'll have to carry you back. Most people can't carry someone this big."

"Art, stop bragging. Baijiu is nothing like beer or wine; it's very easy to get drunk on it!" Kemba Walker knew how strong baijiu was; he had drunk it, vomited, and experienced it firsthand.

Soon, the dishes and drinks were served.

"Come on, cheers!" Jia Fei and the other two raised their glasses together.

Art Mayor downed a two-ounce glass of baijiu in one gulp. His throat felt like it was on fire, and he almost jumped off his chair. His face turned a deep purplish-red, clearly unprepared for the power of strong liquor.

"Look at you, what's the rush? I told you not to show off, look!" Kemba Walker patted Art Mayork on the back as he coughed.

Jia Fei quickly poured a glass of hot water and handed it to Art Mayor.

Art Mayor took the drink and downed it in one gulp, finally stopping his cough. Tears welled up in his eyes; he felt as if his life had been saved.

"Have some food to calm your nerves!" Jia Fei put some food in Art Mayor's bowl.

"Thank you!" Art Mayor took a spoonful of Mapo Tofu and ate it.

"So numbing, so numbing!" Art Mayor's tongue started to throb. He was completely unprepared for the spiciness of Sichuan cuisine; he had never eaten it before!

Just then, the hot pot arrived...

Jia Fei had instructed the waiter to make it mild, but seeing the bright red chili oil, he realized it couldn't possibly be mild. He looked sympathetically at Art Mayok and Kemba Walker, thinking that Kemba Walker should be alright, since he had eaten there before, but Art Mayok...

Art Mayor picked up a piece of beef to cook in the broth, and when he put it in his mouth, the spiciness made him jump up, looking like a monkey whose tail had been stepped on.

"Hey, Art, Art, are you alright?" Kemba Walker was genuinely surprised that Art Mayork had absolutely no resistance to spiciness. He was curious about what level of "mild" spiciness meant, so he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth. Instantly, his face turned red, and he started slurping. He quickly poured himself a glass of water and drank it down.

Looking at the two of them, Jia Fei couldn't stop grinning. He ate some food from the hot pot; it was alright, spicier than he'd expected (mildly spicy), but not insanely spicy. He'd eaten insanely spicy food before—it was so spicy it felt like his anus was burning hot, like he had a fever, and he kept singing, "Chrysanthemums wither, wounds cover the ground, your smile has faded, flowers fall, hearts break, my thoughts lie quietly..."

Just then, the waiter arrived, and Art Mayork couldn't help but complain: "Didn't you say it was mild? How come it's so spicy? It's killing me!"

The waitress seemed a little flustered. Art Mayok looked at him, a burly man, and she was afraid he might be a gangster, so she didn't dare to argue with him for fear of angering him: "This... the dishes were made by our chef, not me." As she spoke, her voice grew softer and softer.

“Ate, don’t make things difficult for that young girl. This has nothing to do with her. It’s mainly because you’re not used to Sichuan food. Sichuan food is like this: spicy and numbing. What you consider ‘mildly spicy’ is actually very spicy for people who don’t eat spicy food. To tell you something you might not know, even non-spicy dishes are very spicy when they cook them. Why? Because their pots are spicy…” Jia Fei explained.