America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"Liqun, are you sure you didn't argue with the boss just now?" Mary Jane asked worriedly.

"What kind of argument is this? It's just that we were talking a little louder."

“Mary Jane, when you buy things in these shops in Chinatown, you can’t let them think you’re weak. Even if the price is clearly marked, you have to bargain,” Li Qun said, sharing his experience.

He learned these skills while shopping with his aunt.

Li Qun believes that the price of a pair of thermal pants at $9 can be negotiated down further, but if he does that, the shop owner won't do business with him next time, and he won't make any profit.

"The things sold here are really cheap."

Mary Jane observed the prices of fruits and vegetables sold in front of the grocery store in Chinatown.

“Mary Jane, you can buy things very cheaply by following the Asian grandpas when you shop,” Li Qun shared another life hack.

"I'm almost home, Peter, Mary Jane, be careful on your way."

“Remember to call me if anything happens,” Li Qun told Peter.

Peter and Mary Jane strolled around Chinatown and returned home an hour later than usual.

On their way home, the two were unharmed.

School was closed today due to the weather. Peter never expected that he and Mary Jane would be able to go home together. Little did he know that his good friend Li Qun had created this opportunity for him.

The price was that Mary Jane spent all the money she had earned from odd jobs.

Peter and Mary Jane returned home. Peter was alone at home, while Mary Jane's mother was at home.

"Aunt Mei, I'm home."

"Okay, you can go to work without worry. I'm not hungry, I can take care of my own lunch."

This morning, Liqun only had two classes. She gave the insulated lunchbox she brought to school to Gwen to take home. Earlier in Chinatown, Peter wanted to take Mary Jane out for lunch, but Mary Jane said her mother was home and she wanted to go home to have lunch with her, so Peter gave up on the idea.

Peter opened the refrigerator and looked for the ingredients inside.

After working with Li Qun for a year, Peter had also mastered some cooking skills, and he made himself a plate of spaghetti.

Peter took photos of his work and sent them to Li Qun and Gwen.

Gwen responded to Peter with the lunch he was supposed to have that day. Gwen used plates from home to reheat the food from the insulated food container and set it on half the table.

Peter turned on the TV, watched the program, and finished eating the pasta he had made.

"I'll try making fried noodles next time."

Peter remembered Li Qun saying that cooked pasta is perfect for stir-frying.

"Sudden freezing rain caused tree branches to break in some areas and damaged power lines. The following areas are currently without power..."

Peter suddenly became worried: what if their neighborhood also lost power?

He'll have to go out and check on things later.

Back home, Li Qun sat listlessly in a dimly lit Chinese restaurant.

"The power is out."

The "rocket booster" in the kitchen was still roaring, and my uncle was sweating profusely as he cooked.

The kitchen stove uses natural gas and has gas cylinders available. It can still cook food. The Chinese restaurant has not yet reached the point of announcing a shutdown, but it will close earlier than usual.

"Liqun, the food is ready. Take it to your father."

Li Qun picked up his insulated food container and set off. When he went out, he found that there were queues at the restaurant again. The power outage prevented nearby residents from cooking at home.

When Li Qun arrived at his father's place, his father was studying the water pipes in his house.

"The water's been cut off," the old man explained to Liqun in one sentence.

"It's not a problem with my pipes; it's probably a problem with the pipes elsewhere."

Liqun nodded to his father.

Of course, the water supply would be cut off if the water pipes in other places were broken. What other reason could there be?

Historically, the lowest winter temperature recorded in New York City was -26 degrees Celsius; this winter, the low temperature was only -9 degrees Celsius.

Due to humidity, the perceived temperature is about ten degrees Celsius lower than the air temperature; and with the added effect of wind speed, people feel even colder.

"Dad, when do you think the weather will get warmer?" Liqun asked his father.

"In my opinion, the last snow of the winter will fall in March," the old man said to Liqun.

"We still have more than ten days to wait!"

“Dad, have you ever considered applying for a weather forecast commentator position at a TV station? You can always accurately predict the weather, and I guarantee you can boost the show’s ratings several times over,” Li Qun said.

"Did the TV station put up a job ad?"

“I just noticed that one of my favorite hosts is resigning,” Li Qun said.

"Is it that David?"

“I read in the newspaper that his ex-wife is planning to remarry, and that’s why he quit his job,” Dad said.

"Why would a newspaper report on him? He's just a weather forecast presenter!" Li Qun asked, puzzled.

“He used to be a very famous host. I think he offended someone on a talk show, which led to him being transferred by the TV station to host the weather forecast. It’s been about ten years now, hasn’t it?” Dad explained.

……

……

Weather forecaster David Cage walks alone down the street, heading home from get off work to his apartment.

A car drove by, and a half-eaten hamburger flew out of the passenger window and hit David squarely on the head.

"F#*You!!"

Nicolas David Cage gave the middle finger to the car that drove by.

David didn't understand why he was being targeted by viewers because of the bad weather. He applied to work on another show, not wanting to continue narrating the weather.

He only applied for a job transfer, not resigned.

David was crossing the road absentmindedly when a car suddenly rushed out from around the corner.

"Watch where you're going!! You two idiots!" the driver yelled.

David slumped to the side of the road, and Steve Rogers appeared as if by magic, taking the bewildered David to the other side of the road.

"What happened?" David asked blankly.

“Crossing the street is not the time to be distracted. If I hadn’t noticed you, you’d be done for,” Steve said to David.

Steve was wearing a fluorescent vest over a standard municipal worker's overalls. David noticed that Steve wasn't wearing gloves, and there was no construction area nearby, so Steve was probably off work and heading home.

"I have to thank you."

“It’s alright, I rescue a few people like you from the intersection every few days,” Steve said.

"Someone like me?"

“People who don’t look at cars when crossing the street,” Steve said.

Are there many?

"There are many in New York City, but I haven't been to other places, so I don't know."

"Where do you live? You look familiar. Have you ever been on TV before?"

David Cage followed Steve the whole way, no longer in a hurry to go home.

“I’ve been on TV,” Steve replied.

"Do you know me? I'm a weather forecaster."

Steve stopped, looked at David Cage, and shook his head.

“It won’t be like that for long,” David smiled.

David's phone vibrated in his pocket. He had received a message from his boss informing him that he was being transferred to host a boring late-night show, even more marginal than the weather forecast.

"That's not the case now."

"Are you coming home with me?" Steve asked, frowning.

"No, no. I just want to be your friend!"

“This is my phone number! Do you have a cell phone?” David asked, bending over and holding up his phone with both hands.

“I have a cell phone.”

Steve casually pulled out a feature phone and exchanged phone numbers with David Cage.

Forty minutes later, Steve returned to his studio apartment. He changed out of his work clothes, which were just as thick indoors as they were outdoors.

Steve sat down in front of the radiator, but he couldn't feel any heat spreading into the room.

He and Sharon talked about the apartment building's terrible heating system every day, and they spent every day looking for suitable rental information in the newspapers. The pile of newspapers next to the sofa was almost as high as the armrest.

Chapter 119 Security Supervisor Happy Hogan

When Steve Rogers was looking for his second job, he set his sights on several docks in New York City.

Without a diploma or a brilliant mind, his only source of pride was his outstanding physical fitness, leaving him with only manual labor as a second job option.

"You have to join the union and become a union member to work at the dock."

"You must undergo training and pass the assessment to obtain the job qualification certificate before anyone will hire you."

Steve Rogers wandered around the port for days asking about work, but he was completely clueless. The only thing he understood was that they wanted money.

You need to pay first to get a job.

“What do you take us for? This is the port of New York City, one of the most advanced ports in the world.”

"Do you see those shipping containers?"

"This is technology, this is the most advanced port system in the world. If you don't understand anything, don't come."

"If you have a criminal record, then forget about it."

Are you listening to me?