Reborn in Russia as a Big Shot

Chapter 116 Elected Sheriff

On Li Xiang's advice, Galina acquired Wang Hongbo's dock and also bought a semi-abandoned lakeside villa in Ozark.

Ozark has a population of only 2000, and coupled with the poor economic climate and the ongoing subprime crisis, the real estate market is experiencing very poor liquidity.

Old houses that are uninhabitable after purchase and require renovation (essentially rebuilding) are even harder to find buyers for.

Galina bravely took on the challenge, and the price was quite reasonable. Moreover, rebuilding an old house is itself a way to launder money, as the expenses are all small and can be paid entirely in cash.

In Ozark, there are many similar old houses, left behind by locals who have moved away. They can be renovated and rented out to generate income, but the rental market is highly dependent on tourists, and the houses will remain vacant once the tourists leave.

Based on this calculation, the overall rate of return is not very attractive.

Galina plans to live there herself if she can't rent it out.

Li Xiang is leaving, but the conflict with Shuangfeng Bar is not yet resolved. He probably thinks that Wang Hongbo was easy to bully before because he was alone, but now that there are more of him, he hasn't dared to make a move.

Continuing to drag this out wasn't going to work, so they eventually decided to make a false police report, saying that someone had come to steal the outboard motor, the motor at the back of the speedboat, in the middle of the night.

Sheriff's Office.

"Why did you call the police if nothing was missing? Did you see clearly? Are you sure it's a person?" The sheriff was busy eating and ignored him.

"I reported the incident to you when my boat was vandalized. It must have been someone from Twin Peaks Bar." Wang Hongbo was invited as a witness.

The sheriff glared at him and said, "Do you have any evidence? If you do, I'll arrest them immediately. I went to Twin Peaks Bar and they all have alibis for the night of the incident."

Li Xiang interjected, "Are you elected or appointed?"

The sheriff looked at Li Xiang with a serious expression and asked, "Who are you?"

Li Xiang pointed to Galina sitting next to him, "I'm her translator. She doesn't speak English, so I'll communicate with you on her behalf."

"I am elected by the people," the sheriff replied.

Li Xiang slowly said, "My boss just bought a house here and plans to settle down in Ozark long-term. She paid the taxes."

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The sheriff asked, "Which house did you buy?"

Li Xiang replied, "No. 155, Lakeside Road."

"That house is nice, and it even has two yacht berths." The sheriff put down his sandwich, pulled out some information from his computer, and beckoned to Wang Hongbo, "Come here and take a look. Is this the person who rowed your boat at the dock?"

"It's him." Wang Hongbo recognized him at a glance.

The sheriff ignored Wang Hongbo, smiled at Galina, then turned to Li Xiang and said, "He's a habitual offender here; he's been arrested several times for suspected theft."

"I went to Twin Peaks Bar that day and found him working as a bartender. I knew something was wrong. It's not like we can't find workers. Who would hire a thief for no reason?"

"But while there may be suspicions, there still needs to be evidence to arrest someone."

After exchanging a few words in Russian with Galina, Li Xiang said to the sheriff, "I heard there are monkeys here too. It was too dark, so we couldn't really tell if they were people or monkeys."

"We're not here to assign blame; we just hope that such unpleasant incidents can happen less often or not at all in the future."

The sheriff was surprised by Li Xiang's quick thinking and said with a smile, "After get off work, I'll go to Twin Peaks Bar and chat with them. Competition is normal in business; there are so many tourists, there's no end to the money to be made."

"You should install a surveillance camera too. Even if it doesn't capture anything, it will at least serve as a deterrent."

After leaving the police station, Galina didn't seem to notice anything amiss; she couldn't understand what she was hearing. Wang Hongbo, however, was clearly struggling to accept it.

"That's it? I called the police and they didn't care just because I didn't buy a house?"

Li Xiang corrected him, "It's not that you didn't buy a house, it's that you didn't have the money to buy one."

"Didn't you just hear what happened? He's democratically elected. What benefit would he get from catching that thief? Even if he's a thief, he still has a vote. Add to that his family, and the Twin Peaks bar behind him. You have over a dozen votes against him, zero. Why would they help you?"

"What do you think he asked me about where I bought the house for? He just wanted to see how much Galina spent on it."

"That's how it is in Republican territory; they're extremely pragmatic. If you can bring benefits to the local area, they'll welcome you."

"If all you bring is chaos, no matter whose fault it is, if you are the cause, even if you are the one being bullied, you have to get out."

"If you want fairness and justice, go to a deep blue state. Don't be fooled by the fact that the United States is a unified country; the situation in each state is different. Changing states is almost like changing countries."

"But there's one good thing: if you have money, you can get by in any state."

Li Xiang patted his brother on the shoulder and said, "You don't even need to become a citizen because you don't have legal status. If you had a green card, you could make political donations."

"Donate five hundred dollars to that elected sheriff, and this matter will be settled for you."

"Five hundred is enough?" Wang Hongbo looked shocked.

Li Xiang patiently explained, "Power in the United States is also priced by the market. If you take the money and don't do anything, I'll just donate it to someone else next time. Politics is also a service industry."

"In a poor, remote place like Missouri, a donation of $50,000 can get you a meeting with the governor. Do you still think $500 is too little?"

"This isn't China. To survive in the US, you have to get involved in politics. A green card requires donations, and citizenship allows you to vote—these are two hurdles."

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"Can't we donate through someone else?" Wang Hongbo asked.

"It's illegal." Li Xiang turned to look at his brother and said meaningfully, "I've already decided to immigrate to Singapore. What you're thinking in the US is up to you."

Wang Hongbo sighed, "It's quite difficult to obtain citizenship; asylum cases can take several years to resolve."

"Get married. You can get a conditional green card immediately after getting married. It has the same rights as a ten-year green card, including the right to make donations."

"Who am I supposed to marry?" Wang Hongbo said with a wry smile.

Li Xiang looked at his brother earnestly, "As long as you want to get married, I can help you find someone."

Wang Hongbo glanced at Galina subconsciously. Although Li Xiang said Galina didn't understand English, they were talking about breaking the law and going to jail, and there was someone standing next to them, so he still felt a little uneasy.

"She's not good enough." Li Xiang noticed Wang Hongbo's expression.

Wang Hongbo quickly said, "I know she's my sister-in-law."

"She doesn't have legal status either; she has an E2 visa, which only grants residency rights." Fearing his brother would refuse, Li Xiang tried to persuade him further, "Don't think of it as a marriage for legal status; just treat it as a normal marriage."

"You go on blind dates without any emotional foundation. You discuss terms, and if it's a good match, you get married. Does that mean no one who goes on blind dates is happy?"

"It still depends on yourself."

Wang Hongbo made up his mind and said, "You help me find someone. If you can really find someone willing, I'll get married. As long as they don't look down on me and are willing to live with me, I won't get a divorce even after I get the residency status."

"Would it be okay if I were Russian?" Li Xiang asked.

"Okay, if you're really willing to be with me, I can learn Russian from scratch." Wang Hongbo suddenly felt a little happy again. "I couldn't even get married in China, I never thought I'd get married in the US."