Nanci paused in front of a restaurant, observing the environment inside. Edward said, “Let’s go in and take a look. What can you see from outside? Would you like to have dinner here today?”
Nanci looked at the sky, which had not yet darkened, and said, “Aren’t we having afternoon tea now?”
Edward smiled and said, “Nanci, first look at the time on your phone, then tell me what meal we’re having…”
Nanci skeptically took out her phone and looked at it, discovering that it was nearly six o’clock. She put down her phone and said awkwardly, “Haha, the weather here is really nice. Time passes so quickly. I think we arrived here quite early, didn’t we? Did we stay in the hotel for that long?”
Edward replied, “Because it gets dark later here, people lose track of time. You’re not the only one who gets confused like this. But it’s okay. Now you’ve learned something new, and when others don’t understand, you can explain it to them.”
“With the sky still so bright, who would know it’s almost evening…”
Edward comforted her, “Don’t be upset. I misspoke. It won’t happen again. I’ll take you to eat something delicious, so don’t feel wronged, okay?” Then without waiting for Nanci to respond, he pulled her into the restaurant. A server spoke to them in dialect, trying to ask what they wanted to eat.
Nanci looked at Edward and said, “What should we do? I can’t understand what he’s saying. It’s a bit hasty to come here when we can’t understand the local dialect.” Edward also seemed at a loss.
“What a coincidence! How did you end up here? Are you here to handle something important? Why don’t you tell me? Perhaps I can help.”
Edward looked at the unfamiliar man in front of him, then turned to Nanci and asked, “Do you know each other? Who is he?”
Nanci recognized him as the person who had chased her in a car before, and said, “His name is Darryl. We hardly know each other.”
Edward nodded and said, “You hear my wife, right? In this day and age, are you still using this pick-up method? Unfortunately, she’s already taken. You’d better find another target. The consequences of touching her are beyond your imagination.”
Darryl realized they had misunderstood and quickly explained, “No, Mr. Clarkson, I truly know how formidable your methods are. I didn’t come over to hit on your wife. Do you remember the mistake I made before? I chased her car to the edge of a cliff, and you came just in time to stop the disaster from happening. Your wife pleaded for mercy on our behalf. I’ve always remembered that kindness. I was just surprised to see you here today and wanted to ask if there was anything I could help with…”
Seeing that he no longer had the hooligan air about him, Nanci asked, “How long have you been here? Can you understand and communicate in the local dialect? We just arrived today and don’t know our way around, so…”
Upon hearing this, Darryl immediately patted his chest and said, “No problem. Leave it to me. My brothers and I have been living here for some time. I can speak some simple phrases for basic communication. You’ve come to eat dinner, right? And then you encountered the server but couldn’t understand what he was saying.”
Edward said, “Help us communicate about what food they have. I’ll give you some compensation afterward. You can decide what you want.”
Darryl smiled and said, “Mr. Clarkson, what are you saying? How could I accept compensation from you? If you hadn’t spared us, I definitely wouldn’t be able to be here now! So I’m very happy to be able to help you. It’s also another good deed to make up for the mistakes I’ve made before…”
After hearing this, Nanci said, “You’re gradually becoming better. God will bless you. Regarding what happened before, I don’t really remember much because it was a long time ago. You shouldn’t continue to blame yourself. At least we’re all doing fine now, aren’t we?”
“It’s because you have a kind heart, Mrs. Clarkson. You helped my brothers and I recognize our mistakes. Looking back at what we did before makes me want to kick myself. Anyway, I won’t waste your time. You must be hungry. Let me check the menu for you.”
Nanci and Edward stood to the side and watched as Darryl communicated with the server. After a while, he turned to Edward and Nanci, saying, “This is the menu, Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson. Take a look at what you want to eat, and I’ll help convey it to him.”
Nanci, seeing the customers coming and going at the entrance, said, “Let’s find a seat and sit down first.”
The three of them walked to an empty table and sat down. Darryl said, “If you can’t understand something, just ask me, haha!”
Nanci smiled, “You must not have eaten yet since you just arrived at the restaurant. Why don’t you join us? Consider it our thanks for your help.”
Edward looked at the menu and asked Nanci, “Nanci, is there anything you want to eat? It seems they don’t have your favorite dishes. Do you want to go out and look for another place? There should be many other restaurants.”
Nanci waved her hand in refusal, “It’s fine. I’m not picky about food. These dishes look delicious judging by their names. What do you think, Edward?”
“If you like it, I like it. So which dishes do you want to try?”
Nanci ordered a few dishes and said, “It should be enough for me. If not, we can order more!”
Edward ordered a few more dishes. Then he handed the menu to Darryl, saying, “Take a look. We’re good with these. Please help us communicate once more. Let me handle the payment later.”
Darryl signaled the waiter and placed their order. Once the server left, he asked, “How long are you staying before you go back, Mr. Clarkson, Mrs. Clarkson? If it’s a long time, how about we exchange contact information? Actually, I’m a tour guide. Since you’re unfamiliar with the place, you can call me if you have any problems. I’ll help you for free.”
Nanci was moved by his sincere actions and said, “Thank you, but we’ll hire a tour guide when needed. We just arrived today, so we weren’t prepared. Sorry for your trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all. If you really feel uncomfortable about it, I can charge you. That way, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. What do you think?”
Edward, seeing him so persistent and noticing how he kept talking to Nanci, felt annoyed. “Since you put it that way, we’ll trouble you for the next few days. Nanci and I actually just got married and came here for our honeymoon, so…”
Darryl exclaimed in surprise, “Ah! You’re here for your honeymoon? I don’t even have a wedding gift for you. I’m really sorry…”
Nanci looked at Edward helplessly, then said to Darryl, “There’s no need. We’re just here for casual travel. Don’t be nervous. Since Edward’s agreed, we’ll trouble you to be our guide for the next few days. You can give us the bill when we’re done.”
Darryl nodded and said, “Let’s eat while it’s hot. It won’t taste good when it gets cold. The food here tastes a bit different from where we come from. Try it and see if it suits your taste. I also ordered minestrone. Try it. I think it tastes quite good.”
Nanci took a sip and commented, “Mmm, it tastes good and has a rich flavor. You both should eat too! Let’s fill our stomachs before we continue chatting.”
After dinner, Nanci wiped her hand, intending to pay the bill. She gestured to the server about wanting to pay, but Darryl stopped her and said, “Since we’ve met here, how could I let you pay? I’ve been here longer than you, so I should act as the host. You’ll be playing for a few more days anyway, so don’t fuss over it, okay? Perhaps I’ll need your help sometime too. After all, it’s not that easy to stay here.”
Nanci could only say helplessly, “Alright then. Thank you. Do you have anything else to do later? We might want to take a walk outside. We just ate and need to digest, you know.”
Darryl asked, “Do you need me to take you for a walk somewhere? I have a general understanding of this place, which will help you quickly get to where you want to go.”
Nanci looked at Edward, asking for his opinion. Edward said, “It’s getting dark, so I can’t take you to the grasslands today. Let me just take you for a walk myself. We’ll have a proper tour tomorrow.”
Darryl nodded and said, “Yes, it is getting late. You can just walk around the vicinity. I’ll show you around tomorrow. If there’s anywhere you want to go, you can tell me, and I’ll let you know if it’s worth visiting.”
Nanci smiled and said, “Okay, see you tomorrow then. Thank you. Let’s exchange contact information.”
Edward proactively pulled out his phone and said, “Here’s my number. Nanci doesn’t check her phone often. Just contact me.” After exchanging contact information, they parted ways.