People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 99, Brother, Merry Christmas (8k Super Large Cup + Paying Off Debt 4/10, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

These are his brothers, his beloved relatives and friends.

Your system is far too stingy. If you gave him 10 free attribute points at once, Li Wei might consider it.

He looked up at the history teacher on the podium who was looking down at the newspaper, then looked back at Travis.

Although he and Craig had been tutoring Travis, Travis's intelligence seemed to be inferior to that of a silverback gorilla, even though they appeared to be about the same size.

He turned his head, grabbed Travis's exam paper without looking back, and then shoved his own paper into it.

Travis took a look and found that the test paper that Levi handed him was already covered with dense, neat writing, indicating that he had already finished answering the questions.

He was immediately overjoyed and punched Li Wei hard on the back to express his excitement.

However, for some reason, he felt as if he had hit marble, and his fist hurt from the impact.

"Hiss," Travis withdrew his hand and whispered to Levi, "Dude, you're wearing a bulletproof vest to school?"

Li Wei really couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to him. He made some corrections on Travis's paper, rewrote the paper, crossed out Travis's name, and wrote his own name on top.

You chose Route B: Help your classmate pass the exam.

[Free attribute points +0.1]

Ten minutes later, the bell rang precisely on time to signal the end of get out of class.

"Pass the papers from back to front," the teacher called out with a sigh of relief as she collected the newspapers. "Have a wonderful Christmas holiday, and see you next semester."

When Li Wei received the test paper from Travis from behind, he sighed.

Sure enough, this big fool didn't even change his name, Li Wei.

After changing Travis's name back on, he handed in the paper.

The history teacher glanced at Li Wei's and Travis's exam papers, smiled at them, and without saying a word, put the papers away.

For students like Li Wei who make history for the school, minor violations are tolerable in the eyes of teachers and the head of academic affairs, as long as they are not openly violating school rules.

The moment Travis stepped out of the teaching building, a biting wind mixed with snowflakes rushed towards him, but he felt it was the warmest wind in the world.

"You saved my life! Bro! Really!" Travis was so excited he wanted to give Levi a bear hug. "Without your help, I probably wouldn't have been able to get into Pace University."

"Don't get too excited yet," Li Wei said. "Didn't you realize that the test I gave you was just something I wrote on?"

Travis's face turned pale instantly, and he felt as if his heart had stopped for a moment.

"Just kidding," Li Wei laughed heartily. "Seriously, if you're like this in college, your professors won't let you pass."

"Fuck! You scared me to death!" Travis felt like he was about to cry. "College is for later. By the way, what are you planning to do during the holidays?"

"I have to fly to San Antonio right after Christmas," Levi said, tightening his scarf. "What about you?"

Did Pace University send you a training plan?

"I got the money, but I'm planning to make some cash first," Travis scratched his head. "I'm planning to shovel snow during the winter break, and I also found a night shift job as a warehouse mover."

"Aren't you going to rest?" Li Wei asked, somewhat surprised.

“What’s there to rest?” Travis said. “My dad’s leg is like that, and we don’t have much money. Shoveling snow and moving warehouses can earn us money and save us money on gym memberships. Moving boxes weighing dozens of kilograms is just like lifting barbells in school.”

"Keep going," Li Wei said. "Don't get hurt."

"Don't worry, I get growth hormone injections every week," Travis patted his chest. "It's Craig who's having a good time."

As they were talking, Craig walked out of another classroom with his backpack on, a smile he couldn't hide on his face, and he walked with a swagger.

"What are you saying?" He bumped fists with Travis and Levi.

"You're having a blast," Travis said. "Did Syracuse University send you an invitation?"

"Hmm," Craig's smile widened, "D1 level, full scholarship. Their coaching staff invited me to visit the school after Christmas and experience their training facilities, all-inclusive."

"Syracuse University, that's a strong team in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference)," Li Wei said, also happy for his teammates. "Although it'll be freezing cold playing there, the exposure is unbeatable, and there's still a chance to make it to the NFL in the future."

"Yeah, I didn't expect it either," Craig remarked. "My parents went crazy when they heard the news."

"You're Black," Travis interjected sarcastically, "and you actually have a father?"

Craig kicked Travis in the backside and then gave him the middle finger.

"They thought I'd be lucky to get into a D2 school," he said. "Lee, honestly, if it weren't for you leading us to the New York championship, those D1 scouts wouldn't have even given me a second glance."

"You deserve it," Li Wei said. "Keep up the good work at university."

The three chatted as they walked toward the school gate.

Craig's childhood sweetheart, Jasmine, joined their group. After greeting everyone, she suddenly asked, "Hey, Levi," she said, "aren't you heading to the All-Star Bowl soon?"

"I'm leaving after Christmas," Levi said. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"Um... I mean," she said, "if you have any extra tickets for relatives, could you give me one?"

"Hey! Honey," Craig immediately stopped her, "that's a bit much."

"Don't talk, honey," Jasmine glared at Craig, then looked at Levi. "I mean, I want to get to know some agents or scouts for Craig... well, you know he's an introvert."

"I'm sorry, Jasmine," Levi shook his head, "I've already given out all the tickets."

He certainly had tickets left. In fact, with Anya not present, he could bring at least three more people to watch the game, besides Don Quixote and Lily.

However, he had a poor impression of Jasmine from the beginning, so he rejected her without hesitation.

Even as they walked to the school gate and parted ways, Li Wei could still hear Craig and Jasmine arguing quietly in the distance.

Craig seemed to be saying that Jasmine shouldn't have asked Levi such an embarrassing question, while Jasmine was saying that she did it for his own good.

Li Wei walked to a parking lot near the school and soon drove his Cadillac Escalade out.

The snow was getting heavier, he thought.

"Michael?" He suddenly noticed Michael struggling to walk alone in the snowstorm, and pulled over beside him. "Are you going home? Do you want a ride?"

Michael stared wide-eyed at the steel behemoth parked next to him. Although he didn't know much about cars, he could tell from the sound and design that this was no ordinary car worth twenty or thirty thousand US dollars.

"This..." He swallowed hard. "Is this your car?"

"It's not registered in my name," Li Wei shook his head. "It's just a boss temporarily letting me drive it. Get in the car, the snow is getting heavier."

"Oh, oh, oh..." Michael's mind went blank. "Okay."

The car door opened, and the electric retractable running board made a "humming" sound, startling him.

He frantically grabbed the car door frame, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not put his shoes on the door sill.

"This pedal is so thin, I wonder if I'll break it if I step on it," he thought.

"Get in," Li Wei said, sitting in the driver's seat with one hand on the steering wheel and casually turning up the car's heater. "It'll be too much trouble for you to go back now."

"Coming...coming."

Michael, like a child who had done something wrong, carefully moved his bottom onto the leather passenger seat.

"Bang."

The car door closed, instantly shutting out the howling wind and snow outside. The cabin was eerily quiet, with only the deep, pleasant roar of the V8 engine and the faint sound of the heater running.

"Fasten your seatbelt," Li Wei reminded him, and casually put on some music via Bluetooth. "I'll take it back to you; it's getting dark lately."

The Escalade's massive body smoothly glided into traffic, and the suspension's shock-absorbing effect, like sitting on a boat, gave Michael, who was used to the hard seats of the subway and the bumpy ride of old buses, a sense of unreality.

"How's Kevin?" Levi's voice broke the silence in the car. He didn't seem to notice Michael's embarrassment, or rather, he considerately chose to ignore it.

"Huh? Kevin?" Michael snapped out of his daze and quickly sat up straight. "He... he's still the same."

However, I've already told him that I'll take him to that drug rehabilitation center right after Christmas.

"

"He agreed?" Li Wei was a little surprised. Looking at the snowflakes falling all around him, he turned on the windshield wipers.

"He agreed," Michael said with a relieved smile. "I told him that the package was non-refundable, and if he didn't go, the money would be wasted. Although he grumbled and complained, I know he still cares about the money."

"As long as he's willing to go, everything will be alright," Michael said, looking at the street scene rushing past the window, as if trying to convince Levi, or perhaps himself. "The doctor said that if he stays there for a full course of treatment and successfully detoxifies, he can definitely start over when he comes back to a different environment."

"You have no idea," he said with a laugh, "when he found out that I had saved up for three years to send him to rehab, he was furious."

"Oh?" Li Wei asked, "Why?"

"I don't know. He was cursing me while asking why I sent him to such an expensive place, when a course of treatment at a regular medical center only costs a little over $2000."

"He's probably worried about the money," Li Wei said after thinking for a moment. "After all, over $6000 is no small sum."

.

“Yeah,” Michael nodded. “He even swore he could make money, that he could earn in one night what I make in six months… How is that possible? He just doesn’t want me to spend money. He said, wouldn’t it be better if I kept the money for my own schooling?”

"Sigh," Michael said, a little wistfully, "Speaking of money, being a doctor really costs a lot. I did the math, and just for four years of undergraduate studies, I'll have to take out at least $120,000 in federal loans."

"Only 12?" Li Wei turned the steering wheel. "What school do you attend that's so cheap?"

"Of course it's more than that, but the maximum amount you can borrow in federal student loans is $30,000 per year," Michael sighed. "You'll have to borrow the rest from a company or a co-signer. After that, it'll probably take out around $200,000 over four years."

"You haven't even calculated the interest rate yet," Li Wei said, who was also reviewing finance. "A federal undergraduate degree costs $3 with an interest rate of 6.5% per year. A private loan of $5 would have an interest rate of at least 8.5%, not even including the cost of medical school after you graduate."

He shook his head: "I haven't earned a single penny since becoming a doctor, but my principal plus interest has grown to at least 70 to 80 US dollars."

"But we'll pay it back slowly," Michael said optimistically. "A doctor with five years of experience can earn at least $20 a year."

"I'll have tens of thousands of dollars left. I can bring Mom and Kevin out of the South Bronx, and maybe even buy a big house in Dyker Heights like you."

"I believe you can do it... We've arrived," Li Wei said. "If you encounter any difficulties... you can contact me."

"Thanks! If I can manage," Michael laughed, "but if I really ask you for a loan, could you give me a lower interest rate? These loan rates in America are really too high."

"Of course," Levi nodded. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas!" Michael jumped out of the car.

Meanwhile, in a small alley a few blocks away.

"The last batch!" Kevin turned up the collar of his down jacket, obscuring half his face. "It really is the last batch!"

He growled in a low voice in the dark alley, his hands moving swiftly. The pack of trembling, sunken-eyed poison dogs in front of him now looked like hungry chicks, eagerly stuffing crumpled banknotes into Kevin's hands.

Some of the banknotes even had bloodstains on them, but Kevin didn't care.

"Give it to me! I want five packs!"

"This isn't enough! Get out of here!" Kevin kicked aside an old man who was trying to pay with a fake watch without any politeness. "I only want cash! If you don't have it, get out! Do you want to be shot?"

Even though he had privately inflated the price to an exorbitant $30 a pack, these people still flocked to buy it.

For them, without this bite tonight, the excruciating pain of being devoured by ants would be worse than death.

In just half an hour, all 500 packages in my pocket were sold out.

Kevin felt like his jacket pockets were about to burst.

The heavy weight made him feel unsteady on his feet. A rough estimate suggested that, aside from the money he had to give to Scarface, he had pocketed nearly $7000 from this trip alone!

With all my previous savings, that shoebox is about to overflow.

"Idiot Michael," Kevin cursed inwardly as he walked back, "Trying to send me to rehab? My daily wage is your annual salary!"

He had even planned it out: when he got back, he would hide the money, then pretend nothing was wrong and eat those damn canned foods with Michael. When Michael started nagging again, he would throw ten thousand dollars in his face and enjoy watching his nagging, ignorant look.

However, just as he crossed two blocks, preparing to take a shortcut to deliver his message to Scarface, a gut feeling honed from years of street hustling made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Someone is following him.

Not the kind of aimless wanderers, but rhythmic, suppressed footsteps.

Kevin's heart skipped a beat. He turned around abruptly, only to find the scene behind him empty, with only the swirling snowflakes and dim streetlights.

"If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet." Although Kevin didn't know this Chinese proverb, he knew that his recent high-priced drug sales probably hadn't escaped the notice of some people around him.

I never expected to be ambushed on Christmas Eve.

He didn't want to come out today, but Michael told him yesterday that he had saved up money for three years to pay for Michael's drug rehabilitation treatment. What a fucking idiot! Wouldn't it be better to keep that money for his own schooling?

But the money had already been spent, and Kevin couldn't do anything about it.

Since Michael has already spent $6000, he can earn it back today. Including the money in the shoebox, he has saved a total of over $1, which should be enough to pay for Michael's school fees, since they didn't spend any money in high school.

He heard that college is expensive, but even if it's expensive, it should only cost around $1. If it doesn't work out, he can earn more.

That was his original idea.

Kevin quickened his pace and turned a street corner.

The footsteps quickened.

Kevin's hand instinctively reached into his coat and grasped the cold pistol.

Just as he was about to step out of the alley, two tall, dark figures suddenly emerged from the shadows ahead, blocking his way.

At the same time, footsteps were approaching from behind.

There were three people in total.

"Hey, isn't this Kevin, one of Scarface's henchmen?"

The burly man leading the group was carrying a pistol. He wore a dirty leather jacket, had a face full of scars, and his eyes were greedily fixed on Kevin's bulging pockets.

"Where are you going, little brother?" The guy behind him also joined in, carrying a baseball bat. "Heard your business was good tonight? We haven't had dinner yet, shouldn't we show some appreciation? Give us some Christmas presents?"

"This is Scarface's money," Kevin took a deep breath, "You dare touch it? Scarface will chop you up and feed you to the dogs!"

"Ha!" The burly leader exclaimed as if he'd heard a joke. "Scarface? If we killed you and threw you into the Hudson River, who would know it was us?"

In the past, Kevin might have chickened out and obediently paid the money and left.

But today is different, Kevin thought. He had too much money on him today, with 500 packages of goods, totaling more than $15,000.

This amount of money is enough for two gangs to go to war; they won't let themselves leave this alley alive.

"What? Scared out of your wits?" The burly man, confident of victory, took a step forward, preparing to search the person. "Hands up."

Kevin moved.

His hands never left his pockets; his fingers remained on the trigger. He didn't even need to draw his gun or aim.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Without a word, Kevin, through the pocket of his down jacket, frantically pulled the trigger at the figure in front of him.

The down jacket burst open, revealing a clump of cotton wool, and the flames from the gun instantly scorched the fabric.

Before the burly man could even wipe the savage grin from his face, three bursts of blood erupted from his chest. His eyes widened in disbelief, and the gun he hadn't even had a chance to pull the trigger slipped limply from his hand.

"Fuck! This kid's insane!"

The two accomplices were terrified. They thought the child in front of them would know when to back down in the face of threats from three people, but they never expected to encounter a ruthless person who valued money over life.

"Go to hell! All of you, go to hell!"

Kevin, his eyes red, pulled the gun from his charred pocket and fired wildly at the remaining men. Bullets struck the brick wall, sending sparks flying.

Those were two thugs who only knew how to bully the weak and fear the strong. When they saw their leader was dead, they screamed in fright and scrambled away into the snowstorm.

"Huff... huff..."

'

Kevin was breathing heavily, his whole body trembling.

He glanced at the corpse on the ground, his hands trembling as he patted his pockets, then quickly turned and disappeared into the darkness.

20 minute later.

"Boss!" Kevin handed over the bag. "It's all here!"

"What happened to you?" Scarface pointed to the tear in Kevin's down jacket. "Did you get into a shootout?"

"A few fools tried to double-cross us, and they were armed," Kevin said quickly, "but I took out their leader! Not a penny was lost!"

Scarface stood in the shadows by the campfire in front of the trash can, a cigarette between his fingers.

He didn't immediately take the bag; instead, he stared intently at Kevin.

"Did you take them out?" Scarface's voice was unreadable. "With the gun I gave you?"

"Yes!" Kevin patted his waist. "Thank goodness I have this."

"Give me the gun," Scarface said calmly, extending a hand. "This gun has been used in murders; it's tainted and can't be kept. I'll have it disposed of."

Kevin hesitated for a moment, but still obediently took out his pistol, pointed it downwards, and handed it to Scarface.

Scarface took the gun, skillfully ejected the magazine, checked it, then reloaded it and cocked the slide.

Kevin was staring longingly at the bag of money, waiting for Scarface to divide it up.

"Boss, about this money... according to the rules, the extra..."

Kevin looked up and met Scarface's cold, indifferent eyes, as if he were looking at a dead man.

An instinctive fear exploded within Kevin, and just as he was about to back away, "Bang!"

A muffled gunshot rang out across the snow-covered ground.

Kevin felt a hard kick to his stomach, and he flew backward, crashing heavily into the graffiti-covered wall before sliding down the base of the wall.

He clutched his stomach, warm blood instantly seeping between his fingers, blooming into a poignant flower on the snow.

"Why...why?"

Kevin's eyes widened, his face contorted in agony as he cried out, "The money... I brought all the money back... I even made more..."

'

"But you raised the price on your own, didn't you?" Scarface lowered the muzzle of his gun and said without emotion, "You idiot."

"I...I just wanted to earn more money...I need to pay for my brother's schooling..." Kevin felt his body temperature gradually disappearing, and blood began to froth at the corner of his mouth. "Boss...I was wrong...I'll give you all the money, all of it..."

"What do you think this is? Playing house?"

However, Scarface showed no mercy.

"Because you unilaterally raised the price to an exorbitant level, those drug addicts on this street have been robbing, smashing cars, and stealing like madmen these past few days in order to get money to buy your stuff," his voice was colder than the wind. "Just now, two drug addicts stabbed a tourist to death over $50."

"That's why the police have been watching this place like mad dogs lately! It's you! It's because of your petty profits that you've stirred up the whole market! Now all the customers on the street have been scared away, the police are clearing the area, and my business is ruined!"

Scarface raised the gun in his hand, the dark muzzle pointed at Kevin's forehead.

"You're not only a greedy idiot, but also a traitor who betrays his own people. You broke the rules, Kevin. I fucking told you to raise your voice a little, but you didn't listen to a word I said."

"In the next life, don't be too greedy."

1

Scarface slowly pulled the trigger.

However, at that very moment...

Kevin, who was curled up on the ground and looked like he was on the verge of death because he had been shot in the abdomen, suddenly had a desperate and ruthless look in his eyes.

"Fuck you! Fuck!!!"

Kevin suddenly pulled out the rusty revolver he had been hiding in his inner pocket—the gun he had taken from the thugs when he first rescued Michael, and he had always carried it with him.

The revolver wouldn't jam; he'd been keeping that a secret all along.

Scarface's pupils contracted sharply; he hadn't expected this kid to have such a hidden trick up his sleeve.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two crisp gunshots rang out.

At such close range, Kevin didn't need to aim.

The bullet pierced the scarred man's neck and stomach with pinpoint accuracy.

Blood spurted out. Scarface clutched his neck, the Glock in his hand falling to the ground, and he gasped for breath like a bellows. He stared at Kevin in disbelief, his body swaying before finally collapsing headfirst into the snow like a dead log.

Dead silence.

Only the sound of wind and snow.

Kevin was panting heavily, each breath feeling like a red-hot knife churning inside his stomach.

He crawled over with difficulty and grabbed the bag full of money from beside Scarface's gradually cooling body. He also took the money that originally belonged to Scarface, and even searched Scarface's own wallet.

A lot of money.

A thick stack of things filled all his pockets.

"go home....

'

Kevin leaned against the wall and stumbled to his feet. The excessive blood loss made his vision blur, the world began to spin, and the surrounding snowflakes seemed to transform into a black vortex.

But he had only one thought.

Come back home.

Show this money to Michael.

He told his bookish, blood-selling, dim-witted brother that he, Kevin, was the savior of the family. He won; he killed everyone; and he returned with treasure.

One step, two steps...

A shocking trail of blood was left on the snow.

Finally, the familiar apartment building came into view.

Under that dim streetlamp, an anxious figure was frantically looking around, seemingly preparing to rush into the snowstorm to find someone.

"Kevin?!"

Michael saw the blood-covered, staggering figure emerge from the darkness, and his heart seemed to stop beating for a moment.

"Oh my God!!!"

Michael let out a heart-wrenching scream and scrambled over. Just as Kevin's knees buckled and he was about to collapse onto the snow, Michael caught him.

"Kevin! Kevin! What happened to you? Don't scare me! Who did this?!"

Michael's hand touched a warm, viscous liquid—blood, a continuous stream of blood gushing from Kevin's stomach, staining the pristine snow red.

"Ambulance! I need to call an ambulance! Hang in there! Please, hang in there!" Michael frantically pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling so much he couldn't even unlock the screen.

"elder brother......"

Kevin collapsed into Michael's arms, a strange yet satisfied smile appearing on his pale face, pale from blood loss.

With his last bit of strength, he lifted the blood-stained bag in his arms, and the American dollars inside spilled out, covering the two men.

Red blood, white snow, green money.

"Look..." Kevin's voice was as weak as a candle flame that might be extinguished at any moment, "Money...it's all money...we're rich..."

"I don't want money! I don't want money!" Michael desperately tried to stop the bleeding by pressing his hands against Kevin's stomach wound, but blood still seeped through his fingers. "I want you to live! Kevin! Don't sleep! Please don't sleep!"

"Brother..." Kevin's eyes began to glaze over as he stared at the falling snowflakes. "You told Mom before... that being a doctor costs a lot of money... that you have to take out a lot of loans..."

'

"Please stop talking, I beg you, please stop talking!" Michael's voice trembled as he pulled off his clothes and desperately stuffed them into Kevin's wound. "Don't talk, don't talk, conserve your strength... I'll call an ambulance right away..."

"It's...it's too late," Kevin's voice grew weaker and weaker. "Brother...I didn't study hard, I don't know how much college costs, but...but—"

He struggled to grab Michael's collar, his eyes flashing with the last glimmer of light before his death: "This money... should be enough for your schooling, right?"

"Enough..." Michael sobbed, burying his face in Kevin's neck, hot tears falling onto his cold face. "Enough, Kevin...it's absolutely enough...enough for me to finish medical school, enough for us to buy a big house...enough...it's really enough..."

Upon hearing this, Kevin felt as if a huge weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

His smile widened, a triumphant smile that came from truly having defeated his brother and this damned world.

"I knew it..." he muttered to himself, "I'm better at making money than you... Michael... you're so stupid..."

'

Kevin's voice grew softer and softer, finally turning into a barely audible sigh.

"Brother... Merry Christmas... "

The hand that had been gripping Michael's collar tightly fell limply to its side, landing heavily on the snow.

Those eyes, filled with ambition, greed, and resentment, yet also carrying a last vestige of longing for her brother, were forever frozen in this cold Christmas Eve.

The wind and snow continued to howl, seemingly trying to cover up all this sin and sorrow.

Snowflakes kept covering Kevin, trying to bury his black and red at all.

The snow is really heavy.

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