Chapter 121: Chapter 121: A Piece of Glass in the Paw
The night was deep and dark.
A car sped through the darkness.
"Oh no!" Renee Jennings exclaimed from the passenger seat.
Hearing her, Henry Stark glanced over and asked with concern, "What’s wrong?"
"Millie!" Renee said. "I promised Millie that if she led me to Annie, I’d take her picture and get her something to eat. We left in such a hurry, I completely forgot to say goodbye."
A smile touched Henry Stark’s deep, dark eyes. "It’s alright. I’ll call Director Callahan later and have him pass on the message to Millie."
"I guess that’s the only way," Renee nodded.
"Are you hungry?" Henry asked.
Renee was about to say she wasn’t, but her stomach answered for her. GROWL~
The man’s thin lips curved slightly. "Let’s go eat first. I’m hungry too."
"Okay," Renee readily agreed.
Henry’s hands were on the steering wheel, his voice gentle. "What do you feel like eating?"
Renee: "I’m good with anything. What about you?"
Henry thought for a moment. "Do you like beef? I know a place with really good beef noodles."
"Sure."
"Then let’s go try it."
The beef noodle place Henry mentioned was a small, 30-year-old streetside shop called Thorne’s Beef Noodles.
It was run by a couple in their forties, the shop having been passed down from the husband’s father. All the local neighbors loved the tender, chewy beef noodles they served.
Henry led Renee to a table near the entrance.
"Henley, you’re here!" Thorne called out with a chuckle as he walked out of the shop. "And you brought a friend today."
"My colleague, Renee Jennings," Henry introduced. Then, to Renee, he said, "I’ve been eating these beef noodles for twenty years."
Thorne beamed. "When you first started coming for noodles, I hadn’t even taken over the shop yet!"
Renee raised an eyebrow slightly. "If you’ve been eating them for twenty years and still aren’t tired of them, then these beef noodles must be worth a try."
Thorne replied, "If you don’t like it, it’s on the house."
Henry ordered two bowls of their signature beef noodles and two side dishes.
Renee pulled out a paper napkin to wipe the table and found it was already spotless.
While they waited for the noodles, a man and a woman at the barbecue stall next door started arguing.
The woman threw her skewers on the ground, furious. "I’ve had enough of you!"
"What the hell?" The man’s brow furrowed. "Why’d you throw away the food? That’s such a waste!"
The woman fumed, "I put on such beautiful makeup and wore this elegant outfit, and you bring me to a roadside stall?"
"How is this a roadside stall?" the man shot back, equally upset. "It’s a proper storefront, isn’t it? Besides, I brought you here because the food is delicious. If you didn’t want to eat here, you could have said so before we ordered. Why wait until now to throw a fit?"
"So you’re saying it’s my fault?" The woman got even angrier and flipped over the folding table. "Taking a girl to eat in a dump like this... no wonder you’re single, you broke-ass loser!"
With that, she grabbed her handbag and stalked off in her high heels without a single look back.
The man watched her leave and shouted after her, furious, "Weren’t you the one who said you wanted to come try this barbecue place with me? I bring you here, and now you call me poor? I can’t believe you!"
Henry Stark pulled his gaze away, looked at the two side dishes on their table, and his dark brows slowly knitted together.
After a moment, he looked up at Renee. "Is... this dinner too shabby?"
Renee was in the middle of chewing a piece of scallion flatbread.
She shook her head, swallowed, and then said, "Not at all. In fact, a lot of people make a point of visiting old shops like this these days."
Only then did Henry relax.
The steaming bowls of signature beef noodles were placed on the table.
Henry unwrapped a pair of disposable chopsticks and handed them to her. "See if you like it. If not, there are other places nearby."
"It’s fine," Renee said, picking up some noodles with her chopsticks and blowing on them before taking a bite.
She gave a thumbs-up. "These noodles are so chewy."
A smile was in Henry’s eyes as he curved his lips. "The beef slices are delicious too."
"Let me see." Renee picked up a slice of beef and chewed it. A look of pleasant surprise appeared in her eyes. "The beef is so savory."
Thorne placed the other bowl of noodles in front of Henry. "Enjoy your meal. If you want more noodles, refills are free."
"You can get free refills on noodles this delicious?" Renee asked in surprise.
Thorne chuckled and explained, "Most of our customers are regulars. Since everyone supports us so much, we try to offer some perks. The 8th of every month is our members’ day, and you get 20% off."
Renee gave him another thumbs-up. "A business owner with that kind of mindset... it’s no wonder you’ve been open for so long."
"Thanks for the compliment. I hope you two enjoy your meal." With that, Thorne turned to look at a small black dog lying nearby.
"Shadow, what’s wrong with you today?" Thorne asked, frowning with worry at the dog’s listless state.
Mrs. Thorne came out after wiping down the kitchen. "He’s been like this since last night, I think. Should we take him to see a vet?"
Thorne sighed. "If he’s still like this tomorrow, we’ll get him checked out."
"Okay," Mrs. Thorne nodded.
More customers arrived, and Thorne and Mrs. Thorne got busy again.
Shadow lay by the entrance, whimpering painfully. ’My paw hurts so much... sob... it hurts...’
Renee’s attention was drawn to him. She turned her head to stare at the dog while eating her noodles.
’I can’t move, I can’t move at all!’ Shadow was heartbroken, shedding helpless tears as he lay on the ground. ’Am I going to die? Sob... nooo, I don’t want to leave Mom and Dad!’
Henry followed Renee’s gaze. "What is it?"
"The little black dog doesn’t seem well." Renee put down her chopsticks and walked over, squatting down in front of him. "What’s wrong with your paw?"
’My paw hurts so much,’ Shadow whimpered pitifully.
Renee looked at his four paws. "Which one?"
Shadow’s right front paw twitched slightly. ’This one hurts.’
"Let me take a look." Renee reached out, took his right front paw, and examined it carefully. She found a piece of glass embedded in the pad. "Ah, so that’s what it is."
’Am I going to die?’ Shadow asked, frightened.
"No," Renee said, amused. "Don’t be dramatic. It’s just a piece of glass. You’ll be fine once we pull it out."
She stood up and went into the shop.
Mrs. Thorne saw her come in and smiled. "What is it, miss?"
Renee explained, "Ma’am, the little dog outside has a piece of glass in his paw. Do you have any tools I could use to get it out?"
"Let me look." Mrs. Thorne quickly put down her cleaning rag.
She found a pair of scissors. "Will these work?"
"I’ll try," Renee said, taking the scissors.
Mrs. Thorne followed her out and realized the dog she was talking about was their own Shadow. "Miss, are you saying Shadow has glass in his paw?"
"Yes," Renee nodded.
Henry came over as well and took the scissors from her hand. "I’ll do it."
"The glass is here." Renee turned on her phone’s flashlight and pointed to the tiny bit of glass that was showing.
As Henry worked to pull out the glass, Shadow twitched in pain and tried to resist, but Renee raised a hand and stroked his head soothingly.
"Good boy. Once the glass is out, your paw won’t hurt anymore."
