America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

Katie paused for a moment.

She was prepared for Chen An to ask for an exorbitant price of $100, and then she would haggle hard.

I never expected this Asian man to be so knowledgeable.

"65." Katie instinctively made another cut; it was a habit.

"There's a lot of dirt in your basket, so I have to deduct the losses."

"75." Chen An said with a smile.

"What? You're trying to negotiate the price in reverse?" Katie's eyes widened, like a Persian cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Because I know that if you don't want this batch of goods, the Italian restaurant next door will definitely be scrambling to take it."

"They seem to be having a truffle-themed tasting event this weekend, although these aren't truffles."

"But I think they wouldn't mind adding a premium morel risotto."

Chen An spoke slowly and deliberately, making a gesture as if to take back the wicker basket.

"Stop! Stop! Damn it!"

Katie stomped her foot in frustration, her white Crocs making a loud thud on the floor tiles.

"75 it is! Seriously... how come you're even more shrewd than the Jews!"

"Besides, the place next door makes junk food; it doesn't deserve this kind of ingredients at all!"

As a chef with an obsessive-compulsive pursuit of the finest ingredients, she would never allow such good things to fall into the hands of her competitors.

A few minutes later.

Chen An walked out of the back alley with a thick wad of US dollars in his pocket.

Six and a half pounds, and including the odd change, Katie gave him $500.

In the United States, where labor costs are extremely high, this is definitely a huge sum of money.

You should know that an average supermarket cashier might work themselves to the bone all day and only earn a little over a hundred dollars after tax.

"That young cook is quite straightforward."

Chen An touched the banknotes in his pocket, feeling great.

When the chef, named Katie, paid the bill, she also asked for his phone number and threatened him menacingly.

"If you don't send me this good stuff first next time, I'll blacklist you and tell the whole town your mushrooms are poisonous!"

To Chen An, this arrogant threat was as cute as a kitten showing its claws.

………………

With money in hand, Chen An felt more confident.

He first went to the Walmart in town.

The refrigerator on the farm was cleaner than his face.

He bought a large bag of rice; as an Asian, he really couldn't live without rice.

I also bought some eggs, bacon, frozen pizza, and two cases of the cheapest Budweiser beer.

After thinking for a moment, he walked to the daily necessities section.

He bought a new set of toiletries and several towels.

He stopped in his tracks as he passed the women's skincare section.

On the shelf was a L'Occitane hand cream that was on sale; it had a shea butter scent.

Chen An recalled Sarah's slightly rough, yet still warm hands as she handed him milk that morning.

As a farmer who spends her days doing housework and farm work, her hands definitely need care.

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub."

Chen An picked up the hand cream and threw it into the shopping cart.

This is not just about exchanging gifts, but also about investing in relationships.

In this lonely farm, nothing can break down the psychological defenses of a woman who has been neglected by her husband for a long time, more than meticulous care.

He went to the hardware store and bought a new set of pipe wrenches and several rolls of PTFE tape. Tonight was the perfect excuse to fix the water pipes.

Finally, he also bought a pack of famous Marlboro cigarettes, which, although he doesn't smoke much, is a social currency.

Come back fully loaded.

By the time that beat-up pickup truck roared back onto Highway 93, the sun was already setting.

Chen An hummed a little tune, placing one hand on the outside of the window to feel the speed of the wind.

This feeling of freedom is really nice.

But he didn't forget that there was still a tough battle to fight tonight.

It wasn't just about going to eat beef pie; more importantly, he needed to figure out exactly when to play the card he got from Tom.

The car turned onto the farm's gravel road.

From afar, Chen An saw another vehicle parked next to the familiar tractor in front of his house.

That's the sheriff's patrol car.

A tall, white police officer in a khaki uniform and a cowboy hat.

He was leaning against the car door, talking to Sarah who was walking over from next door.

Sarah looked a little nervous, her hands nervously twisting together.

Chen An narrowed his eyes, his heart skipped a beat, but then he regained his composure.

He did nothing wrong.

The mushrooms are legal, the guns are legal, and the land deeds are legal.

So...you came for something else?

Chen An slammed on the brakes, and the pickup truck came to a steady stop next to the police car.

He got out of the car, a slightly bewildered, innocent smile on his face—a smile unique to young people.

"Hey Sarah. Good afternoon, sir."

"What happened? Is it because I didn't pay the tax on my mushrooms?"

The policeman turned around.

This is a typical Montana tough guy, probably in his forties, with a square face.

He had a faint scar on his chin, and a Colt revolver and a police badge hung at his waist.

The badge bears the name: Reynolds.

Sheriff Reynolds looked at him with the scrutinizing gaze one would give a suspect.

He scanned Chen An from head to toe, finally fixing his gaze on the pair of rain boots still covered in mud.

"Are you the lucky kid who inherited old George's fortune?"

Reynolds' voice was deep and had a tobacco-like quality.

"I am Chen An. If you mean this dilapidated house and the overgrown weeds, then I am indeed quite lucky."

Chen An answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Sarah, who was standing next to Chen An, visibly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him return.

She walked quickly to Chen An's side and naturally stood in front of him in a protective posture.

"Ann, Sheriff Reynolds is here to inquire about the theft at a hardware store in town last night."

Sarah explained, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction towards the sheriff.

"He insisted that the suspect ran in our direction."

"Stolen?" Chen An was taken aback.

"Yes, someone broke into the warehouse of Harry's Hardware Store in town last night."

Sheriff Reynolds stared intently into Chen An's eyes.

It seemed they were trying to find even the slightest hint of panic in it.

"Some detonators and a few shovels are missing. Kid, where were you last night?"

A shovel? A detonator?

The figure he had seen in the woods that morning flashed through Chen An's mind instantly.

Isn't that a shovel in Tom's hand?

He also dug out an iron box from that tree pit.

If that metal box contains...

Chen An's heart suddenly clenched.

Things seem to have become much more complicated and exciting than simply a neighbor having an affair.

But he kept his facial expression perfectly under control, even revealing a perfectly timed hint of surprise and lingering fear.

"Last night? I just arrived here last night."

"Sarah picked me up from the airport, and I've been battling the house's rotten pipes and fleas ever since."

"I swear, I didn't dare leave the house all night. It was too dark outside, and I heard there were bears."

After saying that, he turned to look at Sarah, his eyes as clear as an innocent fawn's. "Right, Sarah?"