Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 345 Sha Zhu's Romantic Encounter

As evening fell, Lin Yan, bored in his suite, fed Xiao Qi and put her into his spatial storage. He then strolled downstairs with Lin Yi and Lin Er to the casino to find Lin Gang and Sha Zhu. From afar, he saw Lin Gang intently placing bets at the dice table. Lin Yan walked over and gently patted his shoulder, gesturing with his eyes that he should continue playing without getting up.

Turning his head, he saw Sha Zhu sitting alone on a velvet chair in the corner of the casino, craning his neck to stare at the bunny girl dealing the cards in the center, his eyes glazed over, grinning foolishly, practically drooling. Lin Yan tiptoed behind him and suddenly leaned close to his ear, raising his voice:

"Brother Pillar!"

"Oh my god!" Sha Zhu jumped up from his chair in fright, clutching his chest and turning around, still shaken. "Xiao Yan! You scare people to death, you know that?! What are you doing?!" Lin Yan grinned and put his arm around Sha Zhu's shoulder, gesturing with his chin towards the center of the casino: "Brother Zhu, look at all these bunny girls, which one is your favorite?"

"W-What do you mean by 'appetite'?!" Sha Zhu's ears turned red, and he hurriedly pushed him away. "You child, you're talking nonsense!"

"Hey—" Lin Yan drawled, winking mischievously, "We're all grown men, why are you acting so serious?" He lowered his voice and leaned closer, "If you point out which one it is, I'll let her come to your room tonight... to keep you company."

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up instantly, and he rubbed his hands together, grinning, "Really? Then why didn't you keep it for yourself?"

"Brother Zhu," Lin Yan suddenly straightened up, his fingertips lightly tracing his chin, "take a close look at them, then take a good look at me." Seeing that the silly Zhu was seriously comparing them, he suppressed a laugh so hard his shoulders trembled, "Did you figure anything out?"

"Huh?" Sha Zhu scratched his head blankly. "What do you want to see?"

"Don't you understand?" Lin Yan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, a smug smile playing at the corners of his eyes. "No matter how pretty they are, can they be prettier than me? Anyone uglier than me isn't good enough for this young master—" He changed his tone, playfully poking Sha Zhu's chest, "But as for you, you're more than good enough."

Lin Yi and Lin Er, who had maintained a straight face the whole time, finally couldn't help but turn their faces away at the same time. Their shoulders were shaking violently, and even the chip trays in their hands were shaking.

Lin Yan followed the direction Sha Zhu was peeking in, a sly glint in his eyes: "So? Anything you like?"

Sha Zhu swallowed hard, his finger quietly pointing to the bunny girl handing out bets at the roulette table, his voice barely audible: "Number three... that curly-haired girl..." He then secretly looked up, shyly and expectantly watching Lin Yan's reaction.

"Pfft—" Lin Er was the first to break down, the chip tray in his hand clattering to the ground. Lin Yi even bent over, leaning against the Venetian-patterned wallpaper, his shoulders shaking with laughter. The two of them, leaning against the gilded pillar, laughed until they were breathless.

Sha Zhu blushed deeply after Lin Yan's teasing, realizing he was being joked with. He scratched his head and chuckled foolishly, not annoyed at all, but rather finding the young master incredibly kind—taking them to stay in luxury hotels, eating and drinking to their hearts' content, and now being able to openly admire so many beautiful girls, this life felt like a dream.

Lin Yan whispered a few words in Lin Er's ear, and Lin Er nodded in understanding: "Don't worry, young master, I'll definitely get it done."

Watching Lin Er's departing figure, Lin Yan wandered back to Sha Zhu's side, putting his arm around his shoulder in a friendly manner. "Brother Zhu, I asked Lin Er to invite that girl number three." He winked mischievously. "Staying overnight isn't really appropriate, but inviting her to dinner and having a good chat is no problem." He gently pushed Sha Zhu, "It's a rare opportunity, you have to seize it. We're all cheering you on!"

Lin Yi, suppressing a laugh, deliberately cleared his throat. Sha Zhu stood there, rubbing his hands together, both nervous and expectant, his face beaming like a sunflower.

When Ah Lian, now dressed in a pale yellow dress, appeared in the casino's side hall, it was as if a ray of Southern European sunshine had pierced the Eastern night. She walked towards Sha Zhu in her high heels, her curly hair bouncing over her shoulders, and spoke in broken Cantonese, "Sir... want... want to eat?"

"Oh my! Miss!" Sha Zhu jumped up, his Beijing accent popping out like beans. "You're too kind of me! A meal? Absolutely! Where shall we go to eat?" He was so nervous that his palms were sweating, and he wished he could name every restaurant in Beijing.

A-Lian blinked her thick eyelashes, completely oblivious to the string of rolled "r" sounds. She maintained her professional smile, gestured a dining motion with her slender finger, and then pointed towards the domed restaurant.

"Me! It's on me!" Sha Zhu patted his chest eagerly, rubbing his thumb against his forefinger as if counting money. "Let's eat the best!"

The girl mistakenly thought he wanted her tip back and quickly waved her hand, saying, "No money! Já recebi." In her haste, she even blurted out her native Portuguese. She then tentatively asked in Cantonese, "Where...are we going to eat?"

"What are we eating?" Silly Zhu misunderstood and immediately perked up. He crossed his arms and imitated a fat duck flapping its wings, then pressed his fingers to his temples and imitated a sheep bleating: "Baa—! It's that copper pot, bubbling away!" Beads of sweat on his forehead glistened under the crystal chandelier.

Ah Lian looked at the man gesturing wildly in front of her, tilting her head in confusion. She tried to mimic a steak, but Sha Zhu thought she was making a pancake; she imitated eating spaghetti, but he thought she was a ramen chef pulling noodles. The two gestured like they were playing a game of charades for three rounds, attracting the attention of the gamblers at the next table.

"Chega!" Ah Lian finally lost her patience, grabbing Sha Zhu's wrist and dragging him towards the restaurant. The Beijing man was startled by the soft touch, his whole body going numb. He wrapped his hand in the girl's small hand, following along in a daze, muttering, "Okay! Whatever you say! This Macau girl... she's really feisty!"

Behind a marble pillar in the distance, Lin Yan suppressed a laugh until tears welled in his eyes. Lin Er adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and whispered, "Young Master, it seems Comrade He needs to brush up on his international communication skills."

"Let's go." Lin Yan wiped away his tears of laughter, crouched down and followed. "I bet ten bucks that when we're ordering food later, Brother Zhu will treat the menu like a comic book."

Sha Zhu was pulled by A Lian to sit down at the dining table covered with a snow-white tablecloth. When he received the Portuguese menu with gold lettering, he was completely dumbfounded—the words on it looked no different from the talismans drawn by Taoist priests to him.

"Miss," he pushed the menu toward A-Lian with a smile, "Please, please order! I'll eat whatever you order, I won't be picky!" He thought to himself, such a pretty girl must order pretty good food.

Ah Lian was quite generous. Before she arrived, Mr. Lin had given her special instructions to take good care of this somewhat "special" guest. She smiled and told the waiter waiting nearby the names of a few dishes, mainly classic Portuguese dishes, such as bacalhau balls and Portuguese chicken (Galinha à Portuguesa).

After noting it down, the waiter politely turned to Siu-chu and asked in Cantonese, "Sir, what would you like to order?"

Silly Zhu only understood the word "sir". He scratched his head, trying hard to recall the only Cantonese word he knew. After a long pause, he blurted out, "Char siu!" He thought this was asking about the main dish.

The waiter was stunned. Ah Lian was also stunned, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Hiding behind some greenery in the distance, Lin Yan nearly spat out his lemonade. He whispered to Lin Er beside him, "Write this down! Comrade He Yuzhu ordered a drink with 'barbecued pork'—is he trying to create a new style of dining?"

The scene became quite awkward. Looking at the waiter and Ah Lian's expressions, Sha Zhu knew he'd probably made a fool of himself. His face flushed red, and he frantically started gesturing again. He made a "drink" gesture with his hand near his mouth, then held up two fingers to indicate "two," meaning he wanted to say, "Two bottles of beer, please."

Ah Lian looked at his gesture and interpreted it as "two cups of coffee," so she nodded to the waiter.

"No, no, no!" Although Sha Zhu didn't understand, he knew something was wrong when he saw A Lian nodding. In his panic, he blurted out his Beijing accent, "It's not that dark, bitter water! It's beer! Beer! The kind that makes you gulp down!" He simply picked up an empty water glass and made a gesture of tilting his head back to drink it.

Ah Lian was completely bewildered. She looked to the waiter for help, but the waiter could only shrug helplessly.

Just as things were at a stalemate, with neither side able to communicate, a "customer" at the next table who had been sitting with his back to them, reading a newspaper, finally couldn't hold back any longer. Lin put down his newspaper, rubbed his temples, and said to the waiter in perfect Cantonese, "Excuse me, give him two beers."

Upon hearing the word "beer" and seeing Lin Yi, Sha Zhu's eyes lit up immediately: "Hey! Lin Yi! What are you doing here? Great! Quick, tell this girl I didn't order coffee!"

Almost simultaneously, at another table behind A-Lin, Lin Er closed his book and said gently to A-Lin in accented but fairly fluent Portuguese, "Senhorita A-Lin, este senhor quer cerveja, não café. E ele está a elogiar a sua beleza. (Miss A-Lin, this gentleman wants beer, not coffee. Also, he keeps complimenting you on your beauty.)"

A-Lian turned around in surprise, saw Lin Er, blushed slightly, and replied in Portuguese, "Obrigada. Mas a comunicação é mesmo difícil... (Thank you. But communication is really a bit difficult...)"

A wondrous scene unfolds in the domed restaurant:

Sha Zhu ordered food for Lin Yi in his Beijing accent: "Tell that girl, another roast goose! A fatty one!"

Lin Yi was responsible for translating the message into Cantonese and informing the waiter.

After the waiter takes notes, he will sometimes confirm with Ah Lian in Portuguese.

Ah Lian would occasionally use Lin Er to describe the characteristics of some dishes in Portuguese, and Lin Er would then carefully translate them into a more personal and understandable way for Sha Zhu: "Brother Zhu, Miss Ah Lian said that this 'Bacalhau Ball' is a fish ball, which is half a relative of the Four Happiness Balls that you like to eat."

The entire dinner proceeded in this peculiar cycle of "Mandarin → Cantonese → Portuguese." Sha Zhu ate with great enthusiasm, sweating profusely. Although the process was winding, the result was good, and with a beautiful girl by his side and his brother helping with translation, he felt it was the pinnacle of his life. A Lian, initially just going through the motions, was genuinely amused by Sha Zhu's honest and enthusiastic nature, and laughed several times.

Lin Yan, the instigator, sat alone in a more distant corner, leisurely sipping red wine and watching this multilingual farce with a smile that never faded. Isn't this more interesting than gambling? Lin Gang was out of luck, missing out on a good show!