Natalie Tan's Book of Luck and Fortune(38)

A sob escaped, shaking my shoulders. After all this time, I thought they’d shunned us, yet it was Ma-ma who was responsible.

“I think when you left, she finally realized that we did care about her, and she let us in. Are you all right?” Celia asked.

I wiped the stray tears from my eyes. “Yes. It makes me happy knowing Ma-ma was in such good hands.”

“We loved her. Miranda might have kept herself physically isolated, but she was never alone.” Then Celia’s eyes, through her tortoiseshell glasses, grew distant. “We should have done more. We should have insisted on helping, if only for your sake.” Her elegant brows furrowed as if asking a silent question.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I still don’t know why Miranda stepped outside the day she died. It was so unlike her. I can’t stop wondering what happened.” She blushed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

I had wondered the same thing when I arrived. But to investigate further would only bring heartache, for there was no answer as to why Ma-ma had left the apartment. I had to come to terms with this.

“It doesn’t matter now because we can’t change the past; we can only alter the future.” I cleared my throat and mustered a smile. “So, the restaurant . . .”

Celia brightened. “I am so happy you’re doing this.”

“I am not sure if the building needs to be inspected. I’ve done some research and filled out a ton of forms. I imagine there will be issues bringing the restaurant to code since it’s so old.”

“I wish I could help you, but I don’t know much about the restaurant business,” Celia confessed. “We can ask Old Wu. He’s part of the business association. I can arrange the meeting if you want. It will have to be at his restaurant because he’s so busy. You can make a good impression if you do this because of how traditional he is. He’ll appreciate what you’re doing and how good it would be for the neighborhood.”

I wanted to say no, but, if I did, I would waste an important resource. I had no idea what I was about to do, and I needed help. After the explosive homecoming Old Wu had greeted me with, my reluctance in asking for his aid was natural. But I shouldn’t turn any potential help away. “Yes, please,” I said. “The worst he can do is say no.”

Celia smiled. “He’ll say yes. He knows the problems in the neighborhood. He’ll want to help. For years, the business association has tried to reinvigorate our corner of Chinatown and fight off gentrification, but nothing’s worked. Your restaurant might be the key to it all.”

Her belief in my abilities mirrored Daniel’s. I didn’t understand the source of their confidence.

“Why do you believe in me so much?”

“Because this is what you’re meant to do,” she replied. “You cook like your grandmother, which means you cook from your heart. Your food is so delicious because of how much care and joy you put into it. Don’t even think about dismissing the compliment. I’m an authority on eating food, and I know what I’m talking about.”

Seeing how I looked in her eyes made me want to believe in that reflection. If only Ma-ma had told me something similar. I could have stayed home, gone to culinary school, and opened the restaurant with her blessing, staying close the whole time.

“I’m not arguing,” I said.

She wasn’t the only one who’d said they believed in me; so did the people Ma-ma tasked me to help, her neighbors. My neighbors too.



* * *





?After coming home from Celia’s, I settled in to do some late-night research. Armed with a cup of oolong, I sat on the sofa with the laptop on the coffee table. The cat jumped onto the table and moved to the side of the screen, tracking the cursor, batting it with her paws, wondering why she couldn’t hold it down. “Do you think you can fill out the paperwork for me?” I asked her.

She meowed and stuck her little pink tongue out.

“Not even for catnip? I can get you one of those fish things stuffed with it. I hear cats find it very exciting.”

I picked her up. The cat crawled out of my arms and climbed onto my chest. She placed a paw against my lips.

“All right, no catnip. Dumplings then?”

She purred.

“You have the same taste as Daniel, little one.”

Meimei tilted her head toward the printer. I sighed. “Let’s get back to work.”

I sorted the forms I would be mailing out from those I needed to submit in person. I rechecked my to-do list to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. I had: the neighborhood notification for the planning department in the city. I didn’t think much of it when I first read it since I doubted my neighbors would object. But now a fearsome thought entered my mind: Old Wu, although his restaurant didn’t face Grant Avenue, could still be classified as a neighbor. He could provide the opposition I dreaded when applying. Celia was planning to ask him to help me, but I feared instead he would only stand in my way.

To banish bad thoughts about the old man, I immersed myself in the joys of research by checking out the websites of the restaurants in the area. I opened a notebook and began taking notes about pricing, common menu items, and hours of operation, and started a running tab of ideas of how to set myself apart from the competition.