People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

When Livy woke up the next day, Don Quixote was already ironing his shirt.

"Good morning," Li Wei said. "Why haven't I seen you this diligent before? Ironing your shirt at work?"

"Because I didn't have an iron before, you silly boy," Don Quixote said, "and I don't need to wear a shirt on the construction site or in the kitchen."

Li Wei casually opened the refrigerator, rummaged around, and found that the food he bought from the basement was almost gone, so he would have to go back and restock today.

Li Wei reluctantly opened the macaron box on the table, only to find it completely empty.

"Isn't it supposed to be about freedom of dress?" He looked at Don Quixote, who was ironing his shirt. "Why do you seem like a perfectionist? You can't stand even a few wrinkles?"

Don Quixote's iron sprayed out a stream of hot steam, making a piercing hissing sound. He didn't look up, but simply pressed down on the collar of his shirt with practiced ease.

"That's what they say," he said, carefully straightening the cuffs of his shirt, "but when you walk into the office wearing a wrinkled, yellowed shirt, people won't think you're sloppy or lazy."

He picked up the shirt and held it up to the sunlight: "People will think your life is on the verge of spiraling out of control because wrinkles mean you probably didn't have a decent place to rest last night, or that you lack the time to manage the little things in life. Have you seen the movie called 'The Pursuit of Happyness'?"

"I've seen it," Levi nodded. "It starred Will Smith."

“That’s right,” Don Quixote put away the frame and put on his only intact shirt. “Even when he’s sleeping in the toilet with his child, he has to wear a suit and not get it dirty.”

Li Wei said, "But there are probably no more than 10 people in your office, including Susan, so no one should care about this."

Don Quixote looked in the mirror and noticed a loose thread at the back of his shirt. So he took off the shirt and carefully bit off the thread with his teeth.

Upon hearing Li Wei's words, he unusually refrained from his usual joking demeanor and instead turned to look at Li Wei seriously.

"I care, Li Wei, I care!" he said, emphasizing each word. "I've been at rock bottom for far too long, but there's still fire in my heart, you know? I've been given a chance to get back up, and I won't let it slip away! I absolutely will not allow myself to lose this job, and I certainly won't allow myself to make a mistake on such a trivial matter!"

After saying that, he put down his shirt and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Before 9 a.m., Li Wei had already arrived at the entrance of Dolores's boutique during the subway rush hour.

To his surprise, Emma and the other sales assistants, security personnel, and even Mrs. Dolores, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, had already arrived early and were waiting at the door.

The boutique's windows were tightly closed; if it weren't for someone standing at the door, he would have thought it was a day off work.

"Why are there so many people today?" Li Wei asked his work partner, Emma. "Don't the sales assistants usually work in two shifts?"

"Of course, an important person is coming. Hurry up and change your clothes and come out," Emma whispered, pointing inside the door. "Remember to control your expression later, don't look like you've lost your soul and affect their mood."

"So elaborate..." Li Wei muttered, pushing open the door to go inside. "I wonder what their spending power is like..."

After he changed his clothes and came out, he stood next to Emma and waited with her for the arrival of the important person.

Madison Avenue is bustling with people, and occasionally regular customers arrive in Porsches, Bentleys, and other luxury cars, ready to make a purchase. However, Mrs. Dolores always politely declines, saying, "I'm sorry, dear, please come back this afternoon. We have a closed meeting today."

Needless to say, these Upper East Side socialites understood the rules and drove away politely.

Li Wei and the others continued to wait at the door for a long time. About an hour later, a pure black Land Rover SV slowly stopped in front of the Dolores boutique. The tall body blocked the view of all outsiders.

The car was so black that it didn't reflect any dazzling metallic sheen even in the Madison Avenue sunlight.

It took Li Wei a while to realize that all the decorations on the car, even the silver nameplate on the rear indicating the engine displacement and model, had been deliberately painted a matte black without any reflection.

The driver, dressed in a dark suit, got out of the driver's seat. Instead of immediately opening the back door, he first looked up at the storefront, then scanned the street to make sure there was no extra line of sight before walking around to the back of the car and opening the door.

As the car door opened, the electric running boards of the latest Land Rover SV automatically rose, and a pair of high heels landed on the ground first.

The heels weren't high, and the color was plain. Then came a slender leg, followed by a graceful figure emerging from the carriage.

The moment he saw her face clearly, Li Wei finally understood why Emma had asked him to "manage his facial expressions".

She wore a cashmere T-shirt of excellent quality but with no discernible brand, revealing a section of her fair, almost transparent neck at the neckline, and a long silk skirt with no logo but an amazing drape.

The moment the girl saw Mrs. Dolores, a bright and enthusiastic smile suddenly bloomed on her face. Without waiting for Mrs. Dolores to approach, she rushed forward and gave the stern, mysterious shopkeeper a warm hug.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," Mrs. Dolores said politely. "Was the journey pleasant?"

"I told you to just call me Liz," said the girl named Elizabeth. "It went smoothly, thank you."

"I've prepared all the necklaces you requested," Mrs. Dolores said, stepping slightly to lead her into the store. "It's really not easy to snatch these from those Dubai tycoons."

"Oh," Elizabeth gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make things difficult for you—"

"It's alright," Mrs. Dolores said with a smile. "We have a deep friendship with the Mellon family."

Elizabeth nodded, looked away, and walked into the store with Mrs. Dolores, her driver following three steps behind her.

Her gaze swept over Li Wei and the others, lingering briefly on Li Wei, before she gave everyone a gentle smile and entered the shop with Mrs. Dolores.

"How was it?" Emma secretly poked his ribs. "I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

"Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?"

"I have to admit, yes," Li Wei said in a low voice, "but who is she? Is she some big star?"

“No, a big star can’t order Mrs. Dolores to wait at the door in advance,” Emma said. “She is Elizabeth Mellon.”