Chapter 10: Heading To Town

After a short wait, Clarissa opened the door. The moment she saw it was Santino, she hurriedly shut the door and pulled him inside. Once they were in the room, Santino set the medicine he had prepared the day before on the table and said, "Clarissa, I picked these in the mountains yesterday for you. Take them. They'll be good for your health." Seeing he had gone up the mountain just for her, Clarissa felt a warm tide rise in her chest. Her gaze on Santino softened. She wrapped her arms around him and murmured, "That was really thoughtful of you, Santino." Feeling the softness of her chest pressing against his arm, Santino stirred, heat flashing through him.  He wrestled his arm free from between her breasts and asked, "Clarissa, did the itch down there go away?" Color climbed her cheeks. She gave a small nod. Santino suddenly remembered his promise from the day before to earn tuition for Aliana. Since Clarissa's father-in-law was the village chief, she'd probably know where to look for work. "Clarissa, do you know where around here I could find work?" he asked. "You're looking for a job?" Clarissa blinked, puzzled. "Are you that short of money? If you're in a pinch, I can lend you some." "It's not for me. A friend needs it. I want to see if anyone around here needs a doctor." He thought of how Clarissa's family wasn't wealthy, so she likely didn't have extra cash.  He lowered his voice. "Clarissa, I want to earn it on my own. I can't take your money. When I make some, I'll buy you new clothes. Just tell me where I can find work." Clarissa smiled with obvious pride and relief. She thought a moment, then said, "If you want a job, you should go to the town. There's a job market over there. That's where everyone goes to find work." "Got it. Thanks, Clarissa." Clarissa gave him a playful, sultry glance. "Then don't you forget my new clothes." "Sure." Then they fooled around again. When Santino left Clarissa's house, he jogged home, grabbed his set of silver needles, told Clementine that he was heading into town to look for work, and stepped out the door. He had walked the route at the village so many times he had lost count. Willows on both sides trailed their long branches in the breeze. The mountains stood beyond, vast and layered. The air smelled fresh, like grass and wood, and the spring breeze put a lift in his step. By the time he reached the town, it was already noon. He decided to eat before job hunting. On the street, he spotted a restaurant called Prosper Sea Hotel and went in. It was his first time eating at a restaurant in town, and everything felt new. He took a seat at random and stared at the menu. The dish names were unfamiliar, and his mind went blank. Sizing up Santino's rustic clothes, the waiter spoke with open impatience. "Hey, you ordering or what? Have you decided?" Then he muttered under his breath, "Another country bumpkin. Wasting my time." Thanks to his family's Mystic Technique, nothing whispered escaped Santino's ears. Anger snapped through him. Smack! He slapped the table and barked, "Watch your mouth! Show some respect when you speak." "Respect? You think you deserve it?" the waiter sneered. "For a hick like you, not throwing you out is already me being polite." Rage surged. Santino grabbed the waiter by the collar and growled, "Say that again and see what happens." The waiter's face flushed as he struggled for breath. "Oh, tough guy, huh? You lay a hand on me and I'll call the cops and have you arrested, you motherless bastard!" Everyone has a line you don't cross. Insulting Santino's parents was the one thing that never failed to set him off. Santino's palm whipped across the waiter's face. The man flew more than six feet, hit the floor, and skidded, a few teeth bouncing away. The other waiters saw their colleague go down and rushed over. A handful of men burst out from the kitchen, cleavers in hand, shouting, "Who dares make trouble in Prosper Sea Hotel? Got a death wish?" Santino, young and unafraid, held his ground. "That would be me. Your guy's mouth is filthy. I came to eat, and he insulted my parents. I did you a favor by teaching him some manners." The kitchen manager glanced at the waiter. "Randy, did you curse this customer?" Randy crawled over, blood drooling from his mouth. "I only asked what he wanted to eat. He wouldn't answer. For all we know, he's from Jour Restaurant across the street, here to make trouble." The manager thought a moment, then looked at Santino. "Look, buddy, even if he ran his mouth, you can't just hit our staff. You're going to have to make this right." He held up two fingers. "Two thousand dollars, and we call it even." Santino let out a cold chuckle. "And if I don't pay?" "Then don't expect me to go easy on you." The manager flicked his hand. "Boys, get him!" The words had barely left his mouth when the men swarmed like a pack of mad dogs. Santino stayed cool. He snatched up a chair and swung it at the first man charging in. The man's scalp split, blood pouring. He squealed and crashed to the floor, writhing. More bodies pressed in. Santino knew dragging this out would be a mistake. He fixed on the leader in the middle, slipped through the crush, twisted aside as a cleaver sliced toward him, caught the leader's wrist, twisted his arm, and threw him hard to the floor. He went flying and crashed into a nearby table, ending up underneath it, clutching his gut and screaming. That froze the rest. Faces blanched. No one dared step forward. Randy staggered to his feet, blood dribbling, eyes wide with fear. Seeing the stool still in Santino's hand, he trembled, then scrambled up the stairs and shouted, "Aria, come down, someone's making trouble!" "Who is it? Who dares make trouble in my restaurant?" A heartbeat later, a stunningly poised, glamorous woman appeared on the second-floor landing, a cigarette burning down between her fingers. She leaned on the railing in a tight beige sheath dress, her features flawless, her generous curves quivering as if the fabric could not hold them. She was the sexiness that turned heads. Aria let her gaze drift over the chaos and settled it on Santino. "Kid, that's quite a temper," she called. "Want me to help you take the edge off?"