Volume 2 Hello, Xia Mi Chapter 149: Dream of Exile (IV)
"British?" Lu Mingfei asked tentatively.
"No, it's Ireland." The girl said this in Irish, and then switched to English again, "I know that people outside think of Ireland as British. It was indeed a British territory before, but Ireland has been independent for many years. I prefer others to call me Irish."
Western Europe is indeed a place with a somewhat complex geography. It is not large in area but has a lot of events. Lu Mingfei has never had the opportunity to be there. She does not understand the history the girl talked about at all. She only vaguely knows that Ireland is a country across the sea from Britain and was once a part of Britain. The two sides have close cultural ties.
"Okay, little sister from Ireland, you are far away in Europe, how can you know about China's subway legends?" Lu Mingfei treated other people's words as jokes, but she had to pay more attention to this foreigner who was sitting in a roadside shop enjoying a cheap set meal.
She didn't really believe in temperament before, until she entered Kassel College, and then she realized that some people really are born with special temperament. It may come from family background, it may come from self-confidence, or it may be the perception brought about by some kind of image change. Just like now, when she walks on the street, she will be a girl who will get people turning their heads. This would be unbelievable when she was in Shilan Middle School.
This Irish lady has a kind of formal elegance. She can make a simple action of drinking soup with a spoon make her look full of family style. Her slender little finger is naturally slightly raised, and she uses her other hand to hold down her falling beard. She does not make any sound when drinking, but her lips move slightly to reveal a satisfied expression.
This was the first time Lu Mingfei had seen a girl who could eat so beautifully. Ling was also very serious when eating, but a bit unapproachable like a princess, as if she was sitting on the throne enjoying the tributes from her servants, while this blonde girl was not so cold and looked more like a well-educated and well-mannered lady.
"Isn't it just a topic of conversation at the dinner table? I see that you Chinese people like to chat loudly while eating, even with people you don't know. I think this style is very interesting, so I interrupted." The Irish girl smiled slightly, "If you speak seriously, it will sound serious, right?"
"Oh." Lu Mingfei was speechless. If she was an outgoing Chinese and went to an Irish pub with the same atmosphere, she would not be able to help but join in the fun. This shows that the elegant girl is actually quite unrestrained at heart.
"This dish called Red Braised Pork is too greasy and a little hard for me to swallow, but it has a great sweetness and it's okay if you only eat the lean meat. Is this called Pan-fried Chicken? It should be made of chicken thighs. The slight spiciness won't choke you but it's just the right amount of seasoning, even for me it's very satisfying. But why is there no fish in this dish called Shredded Pork with Fish Flavor? I clearly eat pork." The Irish girl pointed at the things on the plate, her beautiful curved eyebrows looking troubled.
She is indeed a cute girl, very pretty and delicious. Chatting with such a person makes my mood and appetite more relaxed. Lu Mingfei smiled friendly.
"There is no husband and wife in Fuqi Feipian, and there is no wife in Laopo Bing. This is how Chinese food is. Many names actually have some allusions. For example, the name of Yuxiang Pork Shreds comes from the chef who first made this dish. He was able to make the taste of fish without fish as an ingredient. And because the words "fish-flavor" and "lingering fragrance" sound the same, this dish is called Yuxiang Pork Shreds." Lu Mingfei explained, "If you can't taste the fish flavor, it means that the boss's Yuxiang Pork Shreds are not authentic."
She and the Irish girl spoke fluent English throughout the conversation, so there was no need to worry that the boss who was stirring the wok in the back would hear it. If a diner said that his cooking was not good, the boss looked fierce and was probably not easy to deal with.
"I see. Just like nowadays, people don't use Irish Guinness to make Irish Stew, but other dark beers. The taste is totally different from what my mother used to eat when I was a child." The Irish girl nodded thoughtfully. "It seems that I should go to a more luxurious restaurant to eat more traditional Chinese dishes. I originally thought that only small restaurants like this could have the most traditional taste."
"Are you a gourmet?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"Not really. I'm just a foodie. Every time I go to a place, I want to try the oldest local delicacies. This is my first time in China. I have always believed that food culture can reflect a country's historical accumulation and style. Just like when you go to India, you will feel that their cooking is just mixing all kinds of strange things together, and the food doesn't look good at all, but if you pinch your nose and try a bite, you will find it unexpectedly delicious. This sense of difference between appearance and interior is very similar to the feeling that India gives me. It looks like a dirty country. The Ganges River, which is said to be the most beautiful, is so dirty that I dare not touch it. But it also has magnificent buildings like the Taj Mahal."
It turns out that she is a literary girl at heart, although she is from Ireland. No wonder she wears such expensive clothes and eats in such a small street shop. This is called field research. If you want to understand a place, you have to go to the most authentic street corners, instead of standing in front of those ancient and modern scenic spots and taking a few photos to bring back and show off, saying that you know that place well. In fact, you only see the side that you most want outsiders to see.
"What's it like to eat in China?" Lu Mingfei was very interested and had a pleasant chat with her. It was like meeting a female version of the science guy Chu Zihang, but much gentler, just in the way they spoke .
"Your oil, salt, and various seasonings should be quite cheap." The Irish girl said seriously, "Otherwise they wouldn't be abused like this."
This sentence amused Lu Mingfei. Perhaps this is the common feeling of most foreigners when eating Chinese home-cooked meals. "Chinese food is like this. Most of the flavors are relatively strong. Of course there are also light flavors, but the quantity is much less."
"So you guys are more likely to suffer from sub-health," the Irish girl said calmly. "If I stay here for a few more years, I'll probably also suffer from sub-health."
“It’s as if there are no sub-healthy people in Ireland!” When someone complained about her hometown, Lu Mingfei still jumped out to defend it.
"I think the Irish are definitely healthier in terms of diet than the Chinese. At least when we cook, there isn't so much oil that it bubbles out of the plate..." The Irish girl didn't mean to be sarcastic, but she was a little uncomfortable with this exotic style.
A few more foreigners came into the restaurant lobby, but they didn't look like they were here to eat. They looked around as soon as they came in. The waiter went up to ask if they needed to eat, but their Chinese was really worrying, even worse than the various Chinese words of the Japanese devils in the anti-Japanese dramas. They had to mix in some gesticulating body language and English, and it seemed like they were gesticulating to someone.
The Irish girl sitting in the innermost corner changed her expression when she saw them. She lowered her head and crouched down, left her seat, used the dining table and chairs to hide beside Lu Mingfei, and tugged at her bag.
"I heard that in China there is a profession called a hero, who will roar when he sees injustice and take action when necessary." The Irish girl looked serious.
"The song you listened to is called 'Hero Song' by Liu Huan. I am a beautiful girl, not a hero." Lu Mingfei shrugged to express her regret. She also saw the group of foreigners coming in. They were obviously looking for someone. The Irish girl's hiding showed that they were looking for her.
"Well, then, I hope you can pray to the Jade Emperor of China for me when they hang me up and whip me." The Irish girl covered her face with her small bag, as if she wanted to slip out from the kitchen while they were being entangled by the clerk. It seemed that there was a back door there.
"You still know the Jade Emperor?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Maybe he won't bless foreigners on Chinese soil. Tell me what's going on? Maybe I can help you."
"I owe them money." The Irish girl was silent for a few seconds, then added, "It was loan sharking."
"You talk as if you've been all over the world. I thought you were a beautiful, rich woman." Lu Mingfei teased, "Have all these debt collectors come to China?"
"It's a large amount." The Irish girl nodded. "It's not that I can't pay it back, it just takes some time. But they don't believe me, so they just want to capture me and sell me to pay off the debt."
"With your looks, you can indeed be sold at a very high price." Lu Mingfei looked the Irish girl up and down, paying special attention to her waist, chest and legs. Even though she was squatting and hiding, she still looked like a beautiful girl with a great figure.
"So can you help me? Considering how ." The Irish girl pleaded.
"There are so many strong men around, why are you begging a weak woman like me... " Seeing those people dealing with the waiter and starting to disperse into the lobby, each of them was wearing black clothes and sunglasses, and they really looked like gang leaders. Lu Mingfei felt that she should not be involved in this matter, as she had an important mission.
"Because we are the same kind." The Irish girl raised her head, and a faint golden light flashed in the depths of her clear pupils.
Only then did Lu Mingfei understand why she and the girl in the crowd hit it off at first sight. As both had dragon blood in their bodies, they were like two stand-ins, attracted to each other.
"You are a half-blood who appears here at this time. You should know why everyone is here. If you help me, I will tell you how I find Fenrir." The Irish girl stared into Lu Mingfei's eyes.
"Okay, deal." It only took Lu Mingfei three seconds to accept the proposal. This girl was obviously a European mixed-race. Chu Zihang himself said that his method might not be reliable. In that case, why not think of more ways? No matter whether her method is right or not, the tricks of three cobblers added together can at least be as good as that of Zhuge Liang.
"My name is Lu Mingfei." Lu Mingfei stretched out her hand.
"Esther, just call me Esther." Esther held her hand and shook it vigorously. This was considered a deal. "And I have a request. When you take me away, can you hold me in your arms?"
"Hey! Are you taking advantage of me?" Lu Mingfei crossed her arms and turned her body to the side, but a closer look revealed that Esther was obviously well-developed, especially her tight-fitting shirt and high-waisted skirt, which brought out her chest to the fullest... If they were to stick close together, it would be hard to say who would take advantage of whom.
"I like handsome European princes on white horses, not Chinese heroes." Esther said seriously, "I ask this only because if you don't hold me, I won't be able to run far before I fall down. And I'll fall down over and over again. I have some problems with my motor nerves."
She lifted up her skirt to show Lu Mingfei. She was wearing black leggings at the knees, and one could vaguely see the bruises from the fall. They were still very new and there was even some blood. It was amazing that this girl could still sit in the restaurant and eat leisurely in this state. Now Lu Mingfei realized what a troublesome princess he had met.
“You almost fall when you walk, and you still dare to wander around alone? Are you really risking your life?” Lu Mingfei complained in a low voice.
"I'll tell you a secret. If I had done frog jumps the whole time, I wouldn't have fallen. I just can't walk or run. I'm actually in pretty good shape, especially my leg muscles!" Esther said. "I can kick an adult man against the wall with one kick!"
Lu Mingfei's brain froze for a few seconds. She imagined that there was a girl in Lolita style on the street, hopping with her hands behind her back... hopping left and right, all the way to this restaurant, and even ordering food and walking were done with hopping... Girl, you must have been a louse in your previous life, because lice can jump fifty times their own height in one hop, which saves energy. Otherwise, with the way you jump, even the Paralympic long jump champion would not be worthy of carrying your shoes.
“Next time, do a zombie dance, with your hands held flat and moving one up and down. Remember to wear a cheongsam so that you can tell passers-by that you are cosplaying! Beautiful girls should not do shameful things!” Lu Mingfei put her hands around Esther’s back and, with a sudden force, did a classic princess hug. She ran towards the kitchen. She also saw that there was a back door there, because the vendors who delivered the food during meal times would go out from there, and some old customers would also say hello to the boss there and leave.
With her current level, it is not a problem for her to deal with a few gangsters who collect usury, but she can't lift the skirt and draw a knife in the boss's shop, not to mention that she is holding a princess who can't even walk. The police officers in the imperial capital are worried that they don't have the tools to increase their sales! Seeing this strong man chasing a beautiful girl, why don't you rush over first? Just go out and find the police station!
The man in black and sunglasses looked stern, waved his arm and pointed in the direction where Lu Mingfei ran, shouting something strange in Irish, and several people surrounded him at the same time. Although Lu Mingfei tried her best to block Esther with her body, this girl who was almost as tall as her was too eye-catching, whether it was her blonde hair or her outfit, anyone with eyes could definitely see her.
