1995: From a small restaurant to a culinary genius

Chapter 11 Fire

After leaving the police station in town, Xu Liang headed towards the small restaurant.

He was in a good mood throughout the journey.

This town is relatively underdeveloped compared to the city, and many infrastructure facilities have not yet been built.

For example, there are telephone booths every few hundred meters, and there are rough, rocky roads.

Before leaving, Xu Liang glanced at the clock in the police station, which showed it was a little past eleven.

He looked down at the sun and found that it was not far above his head.

However, as Xu Liang passed by a small shop selling cigarettes and alcohol, he remembered the matter of repairing the glass door.

I don't have any connections in the door and window business.

Fortunately, just because he didn't have it himself didn't mean Xu Liang could ask others.

The owner of this tobacco and liquor store looked quite nice; he was wearing a floral shirt, silver half-rimmed glasses, a side-parted hairstyle, and a gold necklace.

The store shelves are stocked with many famous cigarettes and expensive liquors.

Looks like they have some money.

Perhaps they've seen a lot in the world.

Xu Liang walked into the store and politely greeted the owner.

"Excuse me, sir/madam, are there any door and window shops around here?"

"No, young man, what do you need a door and window shop for?"

"My glass door was smashed and has a big hole in it. I want to find a door and window shop to repair it."

"I see. Although there aren't any around here, there's a door and window shop about two kilometers away on the highway leading into the city. Maybe you can get your doors and windows repaired there."

"If I remember correctly, that door and window shop should be at the intersection to the right of my shop, just keep walking straight ahead."

The tobacco and liquor store owner said, pointing out the door to Xu Liang.

The owner was very friendly during his conversation with Xu Liang. Although he seemed cool on the surface and appeared to be quite pretentious, Xu Liang learned after asking around that the owner of the tobacco and liquor store was not at all arrogant.

"Okay, thank you for your help, boss."

"It's nothing, take care, young man."

After saying goodbye to the owner of the tobacco and liquor store, Xu Liang walked down the road he had pointed out.

Before long, Xu Liang saw Liao, the owner of the scrap yard, driving a blue tricycle, which was bicycle-shaped, slowly approaching him.

Grandpa Liao works at the scrap metal recycling station in Huaikou Town. He usually drives a tricycle around when he's working.

Xu Liang kept waving.

It's better to hitch a ride than to walk, since it's still two kilometers away.

"Mr. Liao, can I hitch a ride?"

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"Hey, Liangwa, get in the car."

Liao stopped abruptly at the intersection where Xu Liang was.

After that, Xu Liang jumped onto the tricycle and sat in the back of Liao Ye's tricycle.

The two chatted in the car.

"Hey Mr. Liao, how's your scrap metal collection going today? Any luck?"

"Yes, a lot of people are renovating their houses recently, and I'm going to a recycling center in the city now."

"Then you can earn a lot of money this month."

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be 560 yuan a month, enough for a family of three to live on."

Xu Liang said to Liao Ye with satisfaction, "That's not bad!"

As they chatted, they drove for two kilometers. After getting off the tricycle, Xu Liang saw many rows of houses. He immediately spotted the door and window shop on the left side of the road.

The archway above the door and window shop read "Chengji Doors and Windows." He flipped through his memories of his past life with a puzzled look. Wasn't Chengji a restaurant that served braised pork trotters?

He then walked toward the Chengji store and found a couple at home. As soon as Xu Liang entered the store, the owner, who was sitting in the corner by the door, stood up and greeted him.

"Hey young man, what do you want? We have imported glass, tempered glass, and tinted glass, and we offer free installation."

Xu Liang looked around the shop and found that it was basically full of glass products, some of which were high-quality glass decorations for home use.

"Boss, I want to replace the door with a glass one."

"Glass doors? No problem, I have plenty."

The boss told him there were no glass doors outside; all the glass doors he stored were inside.

Afterwards, the boss led Xu Liang to the inner room, only to find that the row of glass doors along the wall were about the same size as his own small restaurant.

But these glass doors are all single pieces, and they come with aluminum metal frames, while some have wooden frames.

"Boss, I've been thinking about it. My glass door only has a big hole smashed in it. You see, I don't need the frame; I just need to replace the glass with a brand new one. Is that okay?"

"Sure, young man, no problem. But what's the size of your glass? How about this, I'll come to your place to measure it first, and then I'll customize it for you. Don't worry, the price won't be much more expensive."

The shop owner, ever understanding, then said, "How about this, I'll come to your place sometime to take measurements and then give you a quote. If you think the price is right, I'll make it for you. If you think the price is too high, I won't force you."

Upon hearing this, Xu Liang thought the idea was feasible. He suggested that the shop owner first measure the glass door, then estimate its value, and finally let the buyer make a decision.

"Alright, boss, when are you free?"

"Let me check this weekend, because I've had quite a few orders for this this week. Sorry to bother you, young man."

"No, no, I can't rush. Since it's the weekend, come on Saturday morning!"

"Okay, please leave your contact information on this form!"

After saying that, the shop owner took out the order form and a ballpoint pen from the counter and handed them to Xu Liang with both hands.

Xu Liang filled in the information on the form with a pen and then returned it to the boss.

"Boss, I've finished writing it. Please check if it's correct."

"Alright, young man, that's fine. Take care on your journey."

After Xu Liang finished filling out the order form, he left the bottom slip for Xu Liang.

The boss tore off the bottom slip and handed it to Xu Liang, who then left.

As he left Chengji Doors and Windows Shop, he saw the dense houses in the vicinity. Just as he was about to return along the road, an incredible scene unfolded.

Across the road, between the houses, there was an alleyway crowded with people, and black smoke was billowing from the rooftops in the middle of these houses.

Whose fireworks are these?

No, there's a girl's voice calling out. It must be a girl from some family crying for help.

What cooking? This was clearly caused by someone's improper operation, which led to the fire.

Xu Liang saw the black smoke rising higher and higher, becoming thicker and thicker.

He reacted quickly and rushed into the crowd of onlookers.

They then discovered that in front of them was a three-story white tenement building, and on the second-floor window sill, there was a girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.

The girl was beautiful, with an oval face, a high nose, cherry lips, and jet-black hair tied in two ponytails on either side of her head.

The girl's face, as white as a peach blossom, was now marred by several dark, grime-covered patches. She was clinging to the second-floor window railing, crying and repeatedly calling for help, hoping someone would come to her rescue.

Xu Liang looked around the area, where everyone was making a ruckus, but no one dared to go up and help.

He pushed through the crowd.

Downstairs, someone grabbed a middle-aged man's clothes and asked, "Did you all call the fire department? Why didn't you help?"

"It's been reported, and firefighters are on their way."

Xu Liang naturally knew that fire alarms were only available in Rongcheng, and it would take some time for the fire alarm from the city to reach the town. Therefore, rescue measures had to be taken immediately.

He first observed the fire. The thick black smoke was coming from the kitchen on the second floor. Xu Liang suddenly realized that he didn't know if there was a gas cylinder in the house.

"Hey, young lady, do you have a gas cylinder at home? And did you turn it off?"

The girl cried out in fear, "No, there's only the gas stove! I forgot to turn it off."

"A liquefied gas stove? Isn't that just a gas cylinder? Oh no, that's dangerous."

Xu Liang had to race against time.

He saw a shop nearby with its door open, and as soon as he went inside, he found a row of towels and clothes on a bamboo clothes rack. He quickly took down two towels and rinsed them with water from the tap next to him.

A woman discovered someone had entered her house and started shouting, "Hey! Hey! Hey! A thief has broken into my house!"

Xu Liang didn't care about anything else and directly covered his mouth and nose with the wet towel.

He then rushed upstairs and kicked open her wooden door.

I covered my mouth and nose with a wet towel and walked along the wall, only to find that the inside was mostly filled with thick black smoke.

The concentration of carbon dioxide is very high.

Now that he's younger, his reaction speed and strength are much better than before his rebirth.

Fortunately, the fire was discovered quickly and had not yet spread to the living room; only the kitchen was smoking.

The girl called for help from the furthest point in the kitchen, probably inside a room.

Keep pushing that door open

They found her sitting on the railing, and there was nothing they could do.

Then Xu Liang didn't care about anything else. He pulled the girl down and hugged her, took a wet towel for her, and said to her, "Quick, cover your mouth and nose! Get on my back. Also, use your hands to cover my mouth and nose. I'll help you escape."

Driven by a strong will to survive, the girl had no choice but to obey the young man in front of her. She climbed onto Xu Liang's back, inhaled a lot of carbon dioxide, and with her remaining, hazy consciousness, covered her and Xu Liang's mouths and noses with wet towels.

Xu Liang's will to survive was just as strong, and besides, there was a gas cylinder in the kitchen, which was an extremely dangerous item.

In that instant, Xu Liang rushed downstairs at his fastest speed.

A moment later, Xu Liang's towel fell off, and the girl fainted on his back.

When he came out, many people came forward to watch, and Xu Liang shouted angrily.

"Make way, everyone, she's feeling a bit dizzy."

"Isn't that Liangwazi? Wow, he's so brave! I really wouldn't dare to save him."

A voice came from the crowd: one of Xu Liang's admirers was someone he knew.

That person was Yang Niu from the next village. He was three years younger than Xu Liang, but he had a kind heart and was probably still in high school.

He came up and patted Xu Liang on the shoulder, praising him, "Saving others while managing to escape unscathed, that's really impressive!"

"No, no, I was just passing by when I discovered the fire. It's a matter of life and death, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."

"Wow, I didn't expect Brother Xu to be such a nice guy!"

Everyone witnessed Xu Liang's selfless act.

The problem now is that the girl has fainted, seemingly due to carbon dioxide poisoning, but there is no ambulance available at this time.

However, at this critical moment, an elderly woman in her sixties kindly offered, "Carry her to my house to rest first, and I will take care of her."

Forced by circumstances, Xu Liang had no choice but to carry her on his back again and follow the old woman.

Before he had gone far, Xu Liang heard a sound coming from the white tenement building.

"Bang!"

This must be the gas cylinder in their kitchen, which couldn't withstand the pressure from the rising ambient temperature and exploded prematurely.

Xu Liang arrived at the old woman's house and found that it was a farmhouse.

After entering the room, Xu Liang put the girl on the bed. She obediently closed her eyes, and her facial expression seemed to indicate that she was very uncomfortable.

However, if someone has inhaled too much carbon dioxide, it's normal for them to fall into a coma. They should be given oxygen again, placed in a well-ventilated area, and will gradually recover.

It's said to be carbon dioxide poisoning, but among chemical gases, carbon dioxide is not toxic, and it's normal to feel dizzy from inhaling too much. However, carbon monoxide is truly highly toxic and is a nightmare for those who like to burn coal for heating in winter with their doors and windows closed.

"Grandma, I'll leave this girl with you. When she wakes up, please tell her to go back!"

Hearing what Xu Liang said, the old woman quickly replied, "That's right. But you young man are really quite something. You're tall and handsome, and you're quite skilled at saving people."

"Just now, what you did really impressed me. I or anyone else wouldn't have had the guts. But thankfully, you're young, with sharp senses, quick reflexes, and a fast rescue speed."

When Xu Liang heard the old woman say that about him, he subconsciously scratched his head and then said modestly, "Don't say that about me. You've got me all confused. It's nothing. Helping others is just my instinct."

"You little rascal, hahaha."

The old woman smiled.

Xu Liang soon left the old woman's house.

He thought about it and realized that if he went out, he would be surrounded by that group of people. What's worse, they might come up to him and ask, "How could you be so brave!"

The phrase "selfless and courageous" can be traced back to Xu Liang's past life. On several occasions, he saved a man from jumping into the river from a bridge in Chongqing and a woman from jumping off an 18-story building.

He had seen this kind of thing countless times in his past life, but he would absolutely respect every life. A person's life is only once, and it is extremely fragile.

However, they remembered that they had already called the fire department. Before the firefighters arrived, Xu Liang had rescued the person and left. The firefighters didn't know where the person who needed to be rescued was, nor could they confirm whether the person had been rescued by someone else.

With this in mind, Xu Liang decided that he must face the public and the firefighters and explain his rescue efforts to them.

On the way from there to the scene of the incident, he was still a little nervous. After all, he had saved someone, so he was a recognized hero.

When Xu Liang walked over, he found that the firefighters were already in place and had extinguished the fire upstairs and nearby.

Those who witnessed Xu Liang's rescue shouted as they saw him approaching, "Our hero has arrived!"