People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 76 A Brilliant Little Idea (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"A girl," he said alertly, repeating, "a girl?!"

"A girl," Li Wei nodded, "she wants to ask me out tomorrow."

"How did you two meet?" Don Quixote felt the hairs on his body stand on end; his mental radar was constantly sounding alarm bells. "Does she know you're a really good rugby player?"

After thinking for a moment, Li Wei said, "Hmm... I think I do know."

"Then we must be even more careful!" Don Quixote stood up and paced around the room. "Women, dangerous creatures, the most liar creatures!"

"I don't think you need to generalize and condemn everyone," Li Wei shrugged. "After all, I think you and Susan are working together quite well."

"We're just colleagues and have a superior-subordinate relationship. We're not the same," Don Quixote waved his hand subconsciously. "The important thing is you. You have a bright future ahead of you. You mustn't let a woman hold you back."

Li Wei recalled his encounter with Anya, as well as the car she drove and her background and identity, and felt that she would not be a burden to him at all.

"I was just going to the opening of an art museum," he said. "It's not like I was transferring my estate or my debts to her to pay off her debts."

"You must remember to protect yourself, child," Don Quixote said, placing his hands on his shoulders. "When you go out for the night, remember to use the condoms you bring yourself and clean up any residue afterwards. Either flush the condoms down the drain or add something to them to kill their activity. There are just too many girls who want to get child support by having a child."

The elders' righteous and earnest discussion about these things made Li Wei feel uncomfortable all over, as if ants were crawling all over his body.

"We're just friends, like you and Aunt Susan," Li Wei slapped his hand away, "we're far from that point."

He suddenly remembered White, the broker who wanted him to sign a slave contract.

"But I promise you," he said, "I'll be careful."

Don Quixote nodded in satisfaction.

The next morning, Li Wei took the R line of the subway and transferred to the 6 line to Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, returning to Dolores' boutique.

Emma, ​​upon learning that he was returning to work, waited at the checkout counter early in the morning, flipping through a list. When she saw Levi, her eyes lit up, and she put down her marker.

"Oh, you've been gone for the past week, haven't you? Where have you been making your fortune?"

Li Wei didn't tell her that recently, besides attending classes and training, he had been exploring his surroundings to see if he could trigger new missions.

"Here I am, aren't I?" Li Wei changed into his work clothes. "But I'm only working a half-day today; I need to go back at noon."

"Didn't you finish the regular season of your rugby games?" Emma asked. "Are you having practice today?"

"How did you know?" Li Wei looked at her in surprise. "I didn't expect you to be so interested in me?"

"Yeah, let's see if you can make it big," Emma nodded matter-of-factly. "I'm even hoping you can make it into the NFL and introduce me to some rich athletes."

Li Wei shook his head helplessly.

Emma always complains about wanting to find a rich man, but she always comes up with some excuse or another.

It's been a month and there's still no progress.

"Um..." Li Wei said, "I have a date this afternoon, so I won't be coming."

"Oh my!" Emma exclaimed excitedly, patting him hard on the back. "Not bad, not bad at all. Where are you from, girl?"

,

“She’s Russian,” Levi scratched his head. “I mean, she’s a real Russian, from Moscow, who came to New York to study.”

"Hiss..." Emma gasped. "That's not going to be easy."

"?" Li Wei glanced at her. "What's so difficult about it?"

"Russian girls have a lot of quirks," Emma said, counting on her fingers. "They crave romance, rituals, good looks, and masculinity. And most importantly, even though they're beautiful, they won't split the bill with you."

"Aren't you Russian too?" Levi looked her up and down. "Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

"I'm of Russian descent, and I've never been to Russia," Emma waved her hand dismissively. "So you're really going on a date with her?"

"She invited me first," Li Wei said. "And I think what you're saying is a bit too scary, isn't it?"

""

"Just be careful," Emma sighed and advised, "If she's from Moscow, remember to bring a bouquet of flowers when you meet her. It must be an odd number, not an even number. In Russian custom, an even number of flowers is for remembering the dead."

Li Wei nodded, keeping the request in mind: "Also, I wanted to ask what I should wear this afternoon, do you have any recommendations?"

"You'd look great in this," Emma blurted out. "You look so handsome in this suit."

.

"This is work uniform, isn't it?" Li Wei looked at the suit he was wearing. "I shouldn't be wearing it out."

"That's easy," Emma said nonchalantly. "Come with me."

The two arrived at the warehouse. Emma glanced at the number on Levi's collar and immediately registered the $13000 Brunello Cucinel suit as a scrap item.

"Alright," Emma patted imaginary dust off her hands, "You can wear this this afternoon. I'll give you a dust bag when you leave."

Li Wei stared in disbelief at Emma's actions. He never imagined that Emma would be so daring. They were both working-class people, so why was she so skilled?

"Won't Mrs. Dolores find out?" he asked hesitantly. "What if she does find out..."

""

Emma chuckled at his expression and waved her hand, "Silly boy, you don't really think Mrs. Dolores would care about such trivial matters, after all, we—" She seemed to realize something, but ultimately swallowed the rest of her words and didn't say it aloud.

"Mrs. Dolores has been quite busy lately," she mumbled, carrying a box of decorations. "And she's been in a good mood lately, so she won't hold it against me for such trivial matters."

"Any good news lately?" Having just gotten a free outfit, Li Wei hurriedly took the decorations from Emma and walked out of the storeroom with her. "I haven't seen her much lately."

“Of course,” Emma followed behind Levi, “Mrs. Dolores rarely comes to the shop; this is just one of her many… properties.”

"I see," Li Wei nodded. "Thanks."

He remembered Mrs. Dolores's advice and didn't ask any further questions.

At 12:30 pm, Li Wei returned to Beiling Ridge carrying a dust bag and a bouquet of flowers.

Anya said she was about to set off and would arrive at Beiling Ridge in an hour, urging him to get ready.

Li Wei changed into the suit that Mrs. Dolores had personally chosen for him.

Whether it was Li Wei's imagination or not, as his physique reached 3.0, his body became more and more standard and perfect. In addition, the top-quality handmade suits had an almost miraculous effect on his physique, and the clean cuts further accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

The boy in the mirror instantly shed his high school naiveté, replaced by a handsome appearance that exuded both aggression and aristocratic charm.

Just then, Don Quixote pushed open the door and entered. He was stunned for a moment when he saw Livy's appearance, and then let out a long sigh.

"I must remind you again," he continued, "that women are more ruthless than tigers, and also the most liar of creatures."

"Can you imagine her coming out of her lover's house and running into your car, and then she's still going to yell at you for your crooked tie? I mean, she just cheated on you, and she's still going to be so quick to accuse you," Don Quixote muttered. "For a woman, not being caught is as good as not being caught. She probably won't even think she's been caught until there's overwhelming evidence in front of her. Be careful of women, be careful of every word they say."

"I remember, Uncle," Li Wei replied casually as he adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. "I won't give her the chance."

"You know that much," Don Quixote muttered as he went to open the refrigerator.

At 1 p.m. sharp, a gleaming black Mercedes-Benz S680 Night Edition, like an elegant black panther, drove into Beiling Ridge on time. Its rose gold waistline shimmered in the sunlight, creating an extremely absurd contrast with the pickup truck and Toyota belonging to Li Wei and his friends' neighbors.

"She's here," Li Wei said, picking up the flowers and going downstairs after seeing the car stop through the window. "I'm leaving, Uncle."

"Wait!" Don Quixote pointed to the car outside the window. "Is this the car that's here to pick you up? Is this her car?"

"Yes, Uncle," Li Wei said, having deliberately kept quiet all day for this moment, "which is why I said I have nothing to be coveted by."

Don Quixote's expression shifted from shock to an indescribable complexity. The prepared remark about "women lying to you about having children for child support" got stuck in his throat, and in the end, he could only say, "Protect your back... Remember what I said, women are more ruthless than tigers."

"I didn't expect your words to be so philosophical, and even have a double meaning."

Li Wei chuckled, waved to him, and walked towards the Mercedes with the bouquet of flowers in hand.

The car door slid open silently, and a fresh and sophisticated citrus scent wafted out. The interior was surprisingly off-white.

Anya sat in the back seat of the Mercedes. Today she was wearing an ivory satin dress and her black hair was neatly styled in an updo.

"Good afternoon," Li Wei said as he got into the car and handed over the flowers. "These are for you."

"You know, giving flowers to Russians is a very delicate matter," Anya said, taking the flowers. "If you don't do it right, it's easy for misunderstandings to arise."

Although she said that, she took the flowers without even counting them and placed them beside her.

I received the flowers, so happy!

"Of course, I specifically asked around," Li Wei said with a smile, "You should send an odd number of flowers."

"You even went to ask someone?" Anya raised an eyebrow, her voice suddenly rising. "That's so... um, thank you."

Li Wei noticed that Anya's attitude seemed a bit off today; she was completely different from the cheerful and enthusiastic person she was when they first met.

He glanced instinctively at the driver's seat.

A middle-aged Slavic woman with neatly combed blonde hair, a tall and upright figure, was driving silently in a suit. Li Wei's gaze fell on the rearview mirror, and their eyes met.

Even though Aunt Katya was driving, Anya just couldn't stop herself from looking at Levi; he looked absolutely stunning today.

Anya had watched Li Wei's matches, and the destructive and entertaining nature of those matches had fueled her imagination about Li Wei's physique. But now, with that body encased in a well-fitting and sophisticated suit, he was simply too alluring.

Anya liked to imagine herself as one of those hopelessly romantic actresses from old-fashioned movies, which was why she once said she wanted to study in America. Yes, like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe. She always wrote and starred in her own films, and these films were her life.

"This suit fits me so well," Anya thought. She wanted to scream and jump on him, wrapping her arms around his waist—but that would be too embarrassing, and Li Wei might think she was a vixen who liked to seduce men, so Anya said nothing.

"You even wore a tie today?"

After a moment of silence in the car, Anya took the initiative to start a conversation.

"Hmm," Li Wei touched his tie, "because I wanted to look more formal."

"A tie isn't appropriate for this occasion; it's too formal," she said, picking up a small box from beside her. "Take off the tie and tuck this into your bob."

Li Wei took it and saw that it was a patterned pocket square.

Anya watched intently as Li Wei took the pocket square, folded it into a simple pattern, and tucked it into the breast pocket of his suit before looking away.

This is certainly not an ordinary pocket square. It is one of a kind in the world. Anya embroidered a tiny heart on one corner of it, and the color of the yarn used was the same as the color of the surrounding area of ​​the pocket square. No one could tell except her.

In this way, wherever Li Wei goes, as long as he still wears this pocket square, he will carry Anya's heart with him.

This is her brilliant little idea.

"Not bad," she commented. "This looks more like it."

"Yeah?"

Li Wei looked down and couldn't see why this pocket square was better than a tie.

However, he was always someone who listened to advice. Since Anya had said so, she must have a reason. He knew nothing about matching and decorating, so he was sure to listen to his female companion in this regard.

Starting from Bell Ridge, the car traveled smoothly for about half an hour before arriving at Dumbo, Brooklyn. This is the most fashionable area in Brooklyn, where you can not only enjoy the Manhattan skyline from the waterfront, but also find all kinds of boutiques, cafes and lively restaurants.

In this most prominent location, an art gallery transformed from a local red brick building has sprung up, its bold design making it unique in the entire Tanba area.

"The Gate of Foundry 1816: The Reshaping of Light and Shadow," Levi shook his head after seeing it through the car window. "Honestly, I didn't understand it."

"1816 was the year the founder of the Mellon family was born," Anya said. "Let's go, we're here."

>