America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

It will snow during the Christmas period, and there may be heavy snow after Christmas.

Due to the blizzard, they had to stay at home and couldn't go out to socialize for the sake of their health.

The four said goodbye at the intersection. Li Qun and Peter walked together toward the bus station. Classic Christmas songs came from the shops along the way, and Christmas decorations could be seen everywhere on the street.

Li Qun looked around, but he could no longer see any homeless people in the alley.

"Peter, did you know? Steve is moving."

"What? Why is Steve moving? Where is he moving to?" Peter asked, somewhat surprised.

"Steve and Miss Sharon have started talking. They plan to live together and are looking for a new address. They may find a suitable new apartment after New Year's Day."

"I've been busy helping Harry with his studies this month and haven't been able to see Steve."

“I had a feeling they would get together, but I didn’t expect things to develop so quickly!” Peter said.

“Steve told me that he and Miss Sharon were headed towards marriage, and he felt that they got along very well,” Li Qun said.

"Will they get married soon?" Peter asked.

"Maybe it will take another year or two, that's my feeling."

“When we’re in college, we’ll be able to attend their wedding. I wonder who will catch the bouquet Miss Sharon throws out,” Li Qun said.

Chapter 97 The Taste of Christmas

Because of Christmas, my uncle prepared a lot of food in advance to get through the difficult situation of no supply during the Christmas holidays.

Instead of offering special set menus for Thanksgiving, Chinese restaurants introduced special Christmas menus with increased prices.

The menu items are exactly the same as usual, but all of them have increased in price by 20%.

My uncle and aunt knew very well who the customers would be in the store during the Christmas season; most of them were Jewish.

Jews are very good at doing business, and unfortunately, the Chinese are just as good at it.

"Mom, Dad, Cousin, do I have a Christmas present?" Shuangxi had also finished his final exams and was on holiday. He asked expectantly.

"Honey, we don't celebrate Christmas," Auntie said to Shuangxi, meaning there would be no presents.

“Yes, but you will receive a New Year’s gift,” the uncle said to Shuangxi.

“There are also red envelopes,” Li Qun said.

Liqun wanted to tell Shuangxi that his father would give him a red envelope during the Spring Festival, and that he would receive one more than in previous years. However, Liqun suddenly remembered that his parents were no longer alive, and the number of red envelopes Shuangxi received during the Spring Festival had neither increased nor decreased.

The Chinese restaurant wasn't decorated for Christmas, saving my aunt some money. However, some shops in Chinatown did have Christmas decorations to attract customers, and classic Christmas songs could still be heard.

"Auntie, can we play 'Good Luck' in our restaurant during the Spring Festival?" Li Qun asked.

“No, that would be too noisy,” my aunt replied.

"Jimmy won't be able to come for the next few days, Liqun, could you help out as a waiter?" The uncle received a phone call and told Liqun the unfortunate news.

"no problem."

"What's wrong with Jimmy? Is he sick?" Li Qun asked with concern.

Jimmy is the only employee at the Yellow Crane Tower Chinese Restaurant, and it's terrible that he can't come to work because he's sick.

"I asked him, but he's been invited to Christmas and has his own plans, so he can't refuse," the uncle replied.

Outside the restaurant, snowflakes drifted down, while Liqun and Shuangxi helped prepare ingredients in the kitchen. When dinner time arrived, Liqun changed into a waiter's uniform and began serving customers, earning a considerable amount of tips.

……

On Christmas Day, Li Qun met a Jewish family dressed in typical Jewish attire, as well as a very difficult and stingy guest.

My uncle's Chinese restaurant doesn't offer takeout service, only delivery, which is why long queues formed outside the restaurant on Christmas Day.

Only customers who don't care about weather changes and pursue style will eat in the restaurant; most customers choose to order food to take home.

"Hi, Liqun."

"Johnny? And Miss Carter, are you here for dinner?"

An unexpected customer appeared at the Chinese restaurant.

Are there any seats available?

"Let me take a look."

Li Qun walked around the restaurant and found an empty table near the kitchen, which was the worst spot in the restaurant.

“There are still seats available, but they’re not very good, and you might not have a great dining experience,” Li Qun said.

Steve looked at Sharon Carter, and Miss Carter knew what Steve was thinking.

“It’s okay,” Sharon Carter said.

Since Miss Carter had said so, Li Qun led the two to sit down in the innermost corner.

"What would you like to eat? Do you need any recommendations?" Li Qun asked, handing over the menu.

"Let's get some recommendations." Steve and Sharon both intended to listen to Li Qun's suggestion.

"Then I'll recommend the ones I like."

"The standard meal for two is three dishes and a soup. In this cold weather, we need a big bowl of hot soup. How about radish and beef brisket stew?"

The menu had beautiful pictures, and Steve and Sharon nodded in satisfaction upon seeing them.

"Mapo tofu can warm you up on a cold day. Don't be fooled by its appearance of being covered in fiery red oil. The flavor of this dish is not actually based on spiciness."

Sharon hesitated for a moment, looking at the spiciness labels of the three chilies next to the dish name. She glanced at Steve, who looked very curious, and nodded to Li Qun, letting him write it on the order form.

"One of the restaurant's classic dishes is cashew shrimp. You're not allergic to nuts, are you?" Li Qun asked.

“How about Kung Pao Shrimp?” Sharon Carter asked.

"A good choice." (Liqun's note)

Steve and Sharon huddled together, flipping through the menu several times, lingering for a while on the broccoli and beef stir-fry, fried spring rolls, and sweet and sour pork.

"Can we fry spring rolls?" Steve asked, looking up.

Steve often buys fried spring rolls from roadside stalls, but not from Chinese food stalls; he buys them from Japanese sushi stalls.

"Okay," Liqun wrote.

"We have white rice as our staple food, or you can choose fried rice with eggs," Li Qun asked.

“I want to eat fried rice with eggs,” Steve said, glancing at Sharon to see if she was interested.

"Fried rice with eggs is a dish, isn't it?" Sharon Carter asked, somewhat puzzled.

“No, absolutely not.” Li Qun shook his head.

"Is there anything else you'd like to eat? Johnny's stomach can actually hold quite a lot," Li Qun said.

“Johnny, is there anything else you want to eat?” Sharon Carter asked.

"Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, sweet and sour pork," Steve pointed at the menu.

"Can I take the leftovers with me?" Steve asked.

“Of course, but you’ll have to pay for the packaging,” Li Qun replied.

Liqun handed the order to his aunt, and within minutes, all five dishes and a soup were served.

Steve and Sharon sat at the dining table near the kitchen, where they could hear the roar of the "rocket booster" coming from inside, making their ears ring.

Steve and Sharon were clearly amazed by their uncle's cooking skills, making them forget the noise of the stir-frying.

The taste of Liqun's own Chinese restaurant is definitely different from that of the roadside stalls.

Fried rice and fried spring rolls are common street food. My uncle's fried spring rolls use different ingredients than those from street vendors, and his fried rice is also different from the sticky kind.

Steve and Sharon were the first to try the fried spring rolls and fried rice, which left a deep impression on them.

At some point, Steve and Sharon took off their coats.

Both of their faces were flushed from the heat, and fine beads of sweat appeared on Sharon's forehead and nose.

It wasn't just the temperature in the restaurant that made them feel hot; even though they weren't good at eating spicy food, the heat of the Mapo Tofu made them feel hot.

Sharon served some radish and beef brisket soup to ease the burning sensation in her mouth, and was instantly saved after taking a bite of the radish.

Sharon Carter tried a little of every dish, and she loved them all.

Steve Rogers didn't give them a chance to take the leftovers home; there wasn't even a drop of soup left on their plates.

After paying the bill and leaving the Chinese restaurant, Steve and Sharon felt like they had turned into an oven, radiating heat from their bodies, and the cold wind didn't feel cold at all.

On Christmas Day, the communal kitchen in their apartment was particularly busy. After some thought, Steve and Sharon decided that going out to have dinner was the best option.

Chapter 98, 92 times, I thought it was 29 times.

During holidays, my aunt and uncle never ask Liqun to get up early, and neither does my cousin Shuangxi. My aunt and uncle also hate getting up early; when the restaurant is closed, no one in the family ever gets up early.

During the Christmas holidays, my aunt and uncle have to keep their business open, while Liqun and Shuangxi can sleep in.

However, Li Qun doesn't sleep in. At nine o'clock in the morning, instead of being in his warm bed, he went to the heart of the Sahara Desert to spar with Hulk.

Nine o'clock in the morning in New York is three o'clock in the afternoon in the Sahara. The Sahara is dry, with temperatures around 20°C, making Liqun feel as if he had returned to the comfortable early summer season.

Liqun discovered very early on that the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) has properties similar to vibranium, capable of absorbing and releasing absorbed energy.

Hulk's attack was blocked by Li Qun using his Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel), and the kinetic energy of the attack was absorbed by the cudgel.

Li Qun retaliated against Hulk with his Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff), which then returned the kinetic energy originating from Hulk's attack.

The desert terrain is not conducive to Hulk's fighting. The sand under his feet makes it very uncomfortable for Hulk, who is much heavier than Lillian and always slowly sinks into the sand.

Bruce Banner handed his body over to Hulk, while he watched from the sidelines in his spiritual form, ready to intervene in the friendly sparring between Lillard and Hulk at any moment.

Hulk unleashed a fierce wind, whipping up sand and gravel. Liqun felt that the sandstorm Hulk stirred up was not as powerful as the sandstorm Huang Feng Dasheng stirred up with his Samadhi Divine Wind.

With one hand holding a stick and the other opening a portal, Li Qun transported the sandstorm in front of him to another part of the Sahara Desert.

Hulk sparred with Li Qun in a playful manner, grinning from ear to ear.

Hulk suddenly remembered that he had "swum" in the strata before. The sand under his feet was very soft and easier to "swim" in than the hard bottom layer. He plunged into the sand like a diver.