America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

The two chefs treated everyone to a table full of good food and wine. When it came time to pay the bill, Uncle Zhang and Uncle Li had a bit of a tug-of-war, but in the end, it was Uncle Li, who had a back injury, who paid the bill.

After dinner, he rested for an hour, and then Liqun began his lion dance training.

The first step is not to teach Liqun basic movements, but to popularize basic knowledge about Liqun.

They perform lion dances during the Lunar New Year, which belong to the Southern style of lion dance, also known as the "awakening lion," symbolizing "awakening the national spirit."

The lion's head is exaggerated, with a high and narrow forehead, a large and rotating face, a wide mouth with a pen-like shape, full cheeks, and teeth that can be shown or hidden. It is based on the facial makeup of heroes from the Three Kingdoms period and has bright colors.

The red lion head on the side is the Guan Yu Lion, a martial lion, representing loyalty and righteousness.

After explaining the basics to Liqun, Uncle Zhang demonstrated a solid Southern Fist style of kung fu to him, and Liqun memorized it after just one serious look.

After Uncle Zhang finished his demonstration, Li Qun also stepped forward and showed off the Southern Fist kung fu he had just memorized.

"Huh?" Uncle Li and Uncle Zhang were both stunned for a moment, then turned to look at their father.

"Did Li Qun learn this on the spot?" Uncle Li asked in surprise.

"Yes. This guy is very smart; he has a photographic memory," Dad said.

Uncle Li and Uncle Zhang beamed with joy, knowing they could ensure the preservation of the street's traditions during the Lunar New Year.

"Old Li, please bear with us for a moment, we'll demonstrate it to Liqun."

Since Liqun has a photographic memory, Lao Li and Lao Zhang decided to find a faster way to teach Liqun lion dancing quickly.

The set of punches that Li Qun just performed perfectly replicated every movement of Lao Zhang's, requiring only minor adjustments to the details. With such talent, Lao Zhang and Lao Li believe that Li Qun doesn't need to rigidly repeat the exercises.

"Let me set the pace for you."

The old man walked to the drum, and after Old Zhang and Old Li were ready, he began to beat the drum rhythmically. The two old men then performed in rhythm with the drumbeats.

Li Qun watched intently, listening intently, memorizing the rhythm of the drums and the lion dance movements, and learning to observe the details from different angles.

"Alright, I can't take it anymore." Uncle Li, clutching his back, walked to a chair and sat down to rest, his face full of endurance.

"Liqun, come and try with me." Uncle Zhang beckoned to Liqun, and Liqun walked up to Uncle Zhang.

"You be the lion's head, and I'll be the lion's tail."

"Are you ready?" the old man asked the two of them.

"Ready."

Uncle Zhang's hand rested on Li Qun's waist, making Li Qun a little nervous.

The old man struck the drumbeat, and Liqun focused intently on coordinating with Uncle Zhang, following the movements he had just seen. Uncle Li watched seriously with his arms crossed.

Li Qun has no problem with the basic steps, but she is slightly inferior when it comes to the "picking green" movement.

The "picking the greens" segment is the most important part of the lion dance performance. The lion's head picks the hanging greens, which symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and represents a successful career and abundant wealth.

They practiced another set of moves, and Uncle Zhang was covered in sweat, while Li Qun also broke out in a light sweat.

"Liqun, there's something wrong with your picking technique."

"You have to imagine yourself as a lion."

"Uncle Li, could you wear the lion head and perform for me?" Li Qun asked.

Old Li looked troubled, and at that moment, his father stood up.

"I'll do it."

"Master Chen, can your body handle it?" Old Li stood up, and Old Zhang looked at his father nervously. In their eyes, their father was a very old man, and performing a lion dance with a lion head would be too much for him.

"Just dance a bit, show Liqun a few key moves, and he'll understand it quickly."

Seeing that he couldn't stop him, Old Li cooperated with his father by playing the drumbeats, and Liqun learned diligently.

The key move that the old man performed for Liqun was the part that Liqun clearly had a problem with. The old man showed Liqun the essence of the "picking greens" move, and Liqun understood it with his brain.

"That's it."

The old man put down the lion head and took a couple of breaths.

"Can I try holding the lion's head now?"

"Loosen your grip, but don't let the lion's head slip out of your hand," the old man said.

Now, the three of them watched Li Qun perform, and Li Qun performed all the movements they had just seen, holding up the lion head.

With the lion head on, Liqun felt much less unfamiliar with the product.

On the very first day, Liqun's performance far exceeded Lao Li and Lao Zhang's expectations.

"There are still two weeks until the first day of the Lunar New Year, so we can finally relax."

"Sigh, don't say things like that."

Li Qun, being a young man with plenty of energy, continued to train and practice with his two coaches as long as he didn't complain of being tired. Li Qun felt that this wasn't routine practice, but rather pre-competition intensive training.

Li Qun practiced until he was exhausted, but he was full of energy. Learning something new filled him with joy.

"Be careful, don't ruin my apprentice. If you do, you'll have to go find your cousin Liqun," the old man complained to Old Zhang and Old Li.

"I got a little too excited."

"Yes, this is because we've encountered a talented person."

Old Zhang and Old Li's eyes lit up when they saw Liqun.

"This isn't just a talent; this is a once-in-a-century prodigy!"

The two experienced masters' evaluations became increasingly positive.

"Master Chen has a good eye."

"When Li Qun first arrived in Chinatown, we all privately thought that this kid would have trouble taking care of himself."

When Li Qun's uncle, who had been in a car accident, went to the hospital to take care of him, the Chinese restaurant was closed, which caused business to decline for the entire street.

The fact that someone could be hospitalized for a month in a major New York hospital speaks volumes about the extent of their injury. Luckily, Li Qun's medical insurance fully covered the costs; otherwise, my uncle would have been left to collect the body, becoming a black-and-white photograph alongside my parents.

"Do you think the accident might have opened up the child's Ren and Du meridians and the eight extraordinary meridians, allowing him to emerge from his cocoon and transform like a butterfly?"

"Go and give it a try."

"Try it and you'll die."

"Master Li, Master Zhang, it's getting late." The old man was about to send them on their way.

"We'll take our leave now."

On their way home, the two were still excitedly discussing the Liqun brand.

"Master Chen really knows how to hide things."

"Such a precious person is kept hidden at home."

"He's capable; he's a talent scout, able to recognize a promising individual..."

Li Qun was flattered by the two masters all night, and he became a little smug.

"Settle down." The old man patted Liqun's shoulder forcefully.

"People are afraid of becoming famous, just as pigs are afraid of getting fat," Li Qun said.

"Don't feel bad about it. It will give you more ways to make money in the future," the old man said.

The next day after school, Liqun was taken by Master Li and Master Zhang to meet some people.

"This is Master Luo, the Monkey Fist master."

"This is Master Wan, a Tai Chi practitioner."

"This is Master Zhao, Mantis Boxing."

"This is Master Jiang..."

"Liu Liqun, Chen Laodie's apprentice, inherited the Drunken Fist style."

"Greetings, masters." Li Qun clasped his hands and bowed in greeting, and the masters returned the greeting.

"This kid is from a higher generation..." someone whispered.

"A martial arts gathering in Queens?" Li Qun muttered to himself.

Chapter 108 A Busy Spring Festival

My uncle was driving, my dad was in the passenger seat, and Liqun was in the back.

The three got out of the car and went straight to the principal's office after entering the school.

They arrived too early; the principal hadn't arrived at school yet, so only the vice-principal, old George, temporarily received them.

"Lyon needs to take leave from the 23rd to the 26th. Is it really necessary to take four days off?" The vice principal counted on the calendar and confirmed that it was indeed four days.

"Why didn't you take the whole week off? The 22nd is a Monday," the vice principal asked.

“We don’t want Liqun to be away from the learning environment for too long,” the uncle explained to the vice principal.

"understand."

“Liqun’s participation is required for the Aurora New Year celebrations, and we attach great importance to the celebrations,” the uncle continued.

"Of course the school respects your traditional culture."

"This is just a four-day leave, no problem."

"Lyon has performed very well at school and his grades are excellent. The school has always paid special attention to such good students." The vice principal spoke the truth, but my uncle and father felt that the old man was being a bit too polite.

The principal arrived shortly after. With the vice principal's help, the matter of Li Qun's leave was quickly resolved.

"For leave requests, please apply as if you are participating in a school-approved cultural activity. You will need to submit an invitation letter for the cultural activity to us. Mr. Huang, please remember to sign the leave slip to confirm the reason. Lyon also needs to talk to his/her subject teachers about homework, in-class tests, and the like."

The principal spoke in a very formulaic way, but things went very smoothly. After Li Qun came to the school the next day and handed all the materials to the principal, he officially applied for his Spring Festival holiday.

Li Qun submitted a very festive cultural invitation, using a ready-made invitation from the Aurora Community New Year's event. During the Lunar New Year, Chinatown also invites many prominent figures from New York City to participate in the celebrations, saving Li Qun some trouble.

Lunchtime.

"I heard there will be a TV broadcast during the Spring Festival. Liqun, you're going to be on TV!"

Peter was excited and happy to hear that Liqun would be performing a lion dance during the Spring Festival.