America: I'm really not crazy

Chapter 33 Li Wei's Invitation

Even in Miami, the early hours of the morning aren't considered particularly early.

When Levi and Tessa arrived at the Canary Islands restaurant recommended by Santiago, a group of young people who had just finished a party left together, leaving only a few tables of elderly people drinking and chatting, with occasional bursts of Spanish laughter.

Under the dim light, Li Wei took a deep breath, the aroma of fried food filling his senses.

He enjoys this lively atmosphere.

But for Tessa, who was standing to the side... it was a bit of a stretch.

"I feel like I need to work out all day after this meal."

Although Levi hadn't ordered yet, Tessa could tell the style of the dishes just from the aroma of oil in the air.

Li Wei turned around and glanced at her.

"Never mind all that, I only have one question for you—does it smell good?"

Tessa blinked, then casually pulled Levi's arm into her embrace.

"Then enjoy the moment... I'm going to eat a huge serving of ham and fried meatballs all by myself."

Li Wei smiled too. He didn't refuse Tessa's slightly intimate gesture, but instead found a clean table and sat down.

Soon, the waitress came over with paper and pen.

What would you like?

"Besides their signature ham and fried meatballs, what else would you recommend?"

Li Wei asked with great interest.

After thinking for a moment, the waitress began her introduction.

"For the main course, I recommend the stewed beef, a pure Cuban flavor with a tender and smooth texture."

"For ladies, I recommend garlic shrimp, which is stir-fried with olive oil and garlic. It's fragrant but not greasy, and it's low in calories."

"For soup, I recommend the chicken noodle soup. It has received very high customer ratings, and many people have been eating it since they were children."

Although he only had a dozen or so yuan on him, Li Wei was quite generous.

"Then two orders of ham and fried meatballs, and one of each of the other items."

"Hey! Li Wei, you bastard, you ordered so much! Are you even going to finish it all?"

Wesker saw Levi as soon as he entered the room, walked straight over, pulled up a chair without any hesitation, and sat down next to him.

"Shall I get you something to eat?"

Levi wasn't surprised at all by Wesker's sudden appearance, because Wesker was the source of Levi's confidence to order food even when he had no money.

"Okay, go pay the bill first."

"Damn it! They dare to ask for so little money when they have none!"

Wesker grumbled as he pulled out his wallet, and after asking the price, he counted out $70.

"Keep the change, and give me some soda water."

After the waiter left, he couldn't help but complain to Li Wei.

"I've been running around for days trying to get things done at the bar, and you've been eating and drinking like this. Don't you have any conscience?"

"It was indeed impolite, so I brought the newcomer here to wait for you... I remember you also said that the ham fritters here are good, a 'legendary' quality. You would come here every night after you finished work to order a serving and have a couple of drinks."

"A newcomer?"

Wesker then exclaimed as if he had just discovered Tessa.

"Damn! So this beautiful lady wasn't sharing a table?"

Li Wei looked around, glanced at the empty tables, and asked a question.

"You also have a brain tumor?"

"I just didn't expect someone like you to have a female companion."

After Wesker finished speaking, before Levi could object, he stood up and extended his hand to Tessa.

"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Wesker Weren, and I'm the second-in-command of the Levi Gang."

Tessa, who had remained silent the whole time, also stood up, grasped Wesker's hand, and nodded slightly in greeting.

"Tessa Hamilton, a newcomer to the Levi's Gang."

"Miles's..."

Wesker said half of what he was going to say, but then shrugged and looked at Levi.

"There are more and more weirdos around you."

"Including you."

Li Wei took a sip of the freshly served soda water and replied with a sarcastic remark.

"Hmm...you make a good point."

Wesker surprisingly nodded in agreement, then sat down and waved to the waitress.

"Can you hurry up and serve the food? I'm starving."

Tessa also sat down.

Then, she raised her fair palm and began to count.

"Levy, Wesker Weren, Thomas Gallard, Danielle Harris, Antonio Rodriguez... do I need to know anyone else?"

After counting, she put her hands down, rested her cheeks on her hands, and looked at Li Wei.

"no."

"Who is Danielle Harris? And when did you get involved with the 76ers' 'veterans'?"

Levi and Wesker spoke at the same time.

"Danielle is the crazy woman who opened fire at McDonald's that day; she's actually a detective with the Miami Police Department."

"I met Antonio at Domino Park in Little Havana; he was my card-playing buddy."

"Now, they've all joined Levi's gang."

Levi spoke casually, but Wesker looked at him strangely.

But once the ham and fried meatballs arrived, he stopped worrying about it.

"Forget it, even if everyone around you is weird, you're still the weirdest one. Anyway, Li Wei's gang is getting better and better, and that's enough."

As he spoke, he picked up a meatball with his hand and threw it into his mouth.

"Yeah! No matter how many times! This little thing always gives me a sense of surprise! You guys really should try it!"

Levi's style is similar to Wesker's.

Moreover, he stuffed two meatballs into his mouth in one go.

"childish."

Despite saying this, Wesker grabbed four meatballs and stuffed them into his mouth, intending to "end" Levi.

As a result, he choked.

"Ugh!"

Wesker quickly patted his chest and took another sip of soda water, trying to swallow the meatball.

However, the effect was limited.

Seeing this, Li Wei calmly raised his hand and pinched Wesker's neck.

Wesker leaned forward abruptly, spitting out the pill that was stuck in his throat.

"Pack yourself up, you childish brat."

Reeves said something to Wesker with a hint of disdain, then turned to look at Tessa.

Tessa awkwardly tried to use his knife and fork to put the meatballs onto his plate, but the meatballs slipped away from the cutlery several times.

Frustrated, Tessa tried a different spoon, but still failed.

"Use your hands, Wesker and I don't mind."

Li Wei couldn't help but offer a reminder.

Tessa, who was struggling with the meatballs with a spoon, looked up and glanced at Levi.

"All right."

As she spoke, Tessa reached out and picked up a dumpling.

A wonderfully crispy yet soft texture came from her fingertips. Tessa carefully brought the dumpling to her mouth and took a small bite.

It's oily, salty, fragrant, and a little chewy.

Unlike those meticulously prepared dishes where even the seasonings are measured down to the milligram.

This ham and fried meatball dish... reminded her of the apple pie her mother used to make for her when she was alive.

"Excuse me, waitress, do you have apple pie?"

The cashier behind the counter paused for a moment, but quickly responded with a smile.

"Yes, please wait a moment."

After saying that, he left the cashier.

Wesker seemed puzzled.

"Apple pie? Why isn't it on the menu?"

It was only then that Tessa realized that the menu on the wall did not include apple pie.

"It's okay, I'll figure something out."

As Li Wei spoke, he got up to leave.

Just as Tessa was about to speak up to stop them, a waiter came over with a steaming hot apple pie.

"Do you like apple pie too? This apple pie was baked by my dad, and it got a little cold, so I heated it up in the microwave. It probably won't taste as good as when it was freshly baked."

"Thanks."

Tessa was satisfied, and then took out a hundred-dollar bill from his handbag and placed it on the waiter's tray.

"This is your tip. Please thank the chef for me. He brought back the taste of 'home' for me."

The waiter stood there, somewhat bewildered.

"I...I..."

Tessa smiled gently at the waiter.

"Please accept this. I'm not good at expressing my feelings, and I don't know what else I can give you besides money. I hope you won't mind."

"How could that be!"

The waitress quickly thanked Tessa.

"Thank you for your generosity, I will pass it on to my father. Would the guests like anything else?"

"That's enough for now. We'll call you if we need anything. Have a nice evening."

Tessa smiled and nodded.

"Hey Li Wei, you're not exactly a kept man, are you?"

Wesker made a joke at Levi's expense.

Li Wei, however, was quite dissatisfied.

"Do you think you're questioning whether I'm handsome enough?"

"Okay, your focus has never been very reliable."

Wesker said, getting ready to start on the main course.

But just as he raised his knife and fork, several people suddenly kicked open the restaurant door and rushed in.

"Wesker Velen! I'll take your life!"