Chapter 160 - My hand is dirty

At lunchtime,

Han Ye took the note that he found in his blazer pocket and went to Restaurant West Wind. When he got there, he did not know what to look for. Since it was a Saturday, there were a lot of people walking in and out of the restaurant.

The noise in the restaurant was at such a high decibel that Han Ye was starting to get a headache. He spent so much time with DX - who hated loud noises - that he developed some of DX's habits. One of them was to eat in quieter restaurants.  

After ordering a cup of coffee and a bowl of noodles, he sat there and ate his noodles while waiting. About 15 minutes later, he was done eating, but he still did not find anyone that was out of the ordinary. Not wanting to waste any more time, he then stood up and went to the cashier to ask, "Excuse me, but is there an old woman, about mid-fifties, a full head of white hair, and..." 

He placed his hand around his chest area and continued, "She's about this high. Wrinkly face, seemingly tired all the time."

He then thought to himself, "Did I just describe all old women? Argh! I didn't see anything special about her back then."

He nearly facepalmed himself at his own stupidity. 

Thankfully, the cashier knew who he was talking about. "Oh! Are you talking about Mrs. Tay? She's washing dishes at the back. Walk straight until you go out from the back door. You can find her at the back alley."

"Thanks," Han Ye said before walking toward the back door. When he stepped out of the door, he saw the old woman sitting on a small stool while washing a few basins full of used plates, bowls, and utensils. With a set of bright yellow gloves, she was diligently washing the used plates, bowls, and utensils. 

Occasionally, she would move her head around slightly, as if to remove the cricks from her neck. 

"Ah... Isn't she too old for this?" Han Ye thought emphathetically as he looked at the old woman. If his mother were alive, she would have been around that age. Han Ye wondered where the old woman's family was at. "How could they just let her work this kind of backbreaking job?"

When the old woman sat up slowly to wipe her sweaty forehead and stretched her back, she finally noticed Han Ye who was standing behind her. 

"Mr. Han!" she gasped loudly before taking off her gloves. She then quickly got up, which caused her to sway a little. Thank God Han ye was there to catch her. 

"Careful!" Han Ye warned as he helped her to stand on her feet. "Don't stand up so quickly after sitting for a long period of time, or you will get dizzy often." 

"Thanks..." the old woman said when she felt better. She offered her hand and when Han Ye was about to shake it, she pulled it back before saying awkwardly, "Ah, sorry. My hand is dirty." 

Han Ye smiled slightly at her and took her hand to shake it. He then said, "I don't see any dirt on it." 

They went into the restaurant to sit there comfortably. When the boss glared at the old woman, Han Ye went over to talk to the boss and at the same time, he slipped $200 to the boss so that he would not find faults with the woman. 

Han Ye felt that the old woman had something important to talk to him about. Given how she stayed outside Hotel W constantly to talk to Head Manager Han, Han Ye felt that whatever she wanted to talk about had something to do with Head Manager Han. 

He then ordered something to drink before sitting back down. Looking at the old woman opposite him, he could see that she was thinking about a lot of things at the moment. That was why he did not rush her.  

Once their drinks were served, the old woman took a sip before stuttering, "M-Mr. Han... I..."

To help her move the conversation along, Han Ye showed her the note and asked in a kind voice, "Did you put this in my pocket? Do you have something to talk to me about?" 

The old woman took a glance before hanging her head in shame. With a small voice, she replied, "Yeah." 

Han Ye smiled and explained, "Sorry it took me so long for me to come and find you. I didn't use that blazer until a few days ago." 

"No, no, no!" The old lady shook her head nervously as she said, "As long as you're willing to come here. That's all I want. I thought that you wouldn't come."

"But... why did you want me to come here?"

"I..." The old lady had a pained expression on her face before she said, "I just want you to talk to your brother... I tried talking to him, but he won't listen to me. And I know that it's presumptuous of me to do this, but I have no other choice, Mr. Han. Please believe me." 

Han Ye was confused by her, and it was reflected in his expression as well as his tone when he asked, "My brother? What brother?"