America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

The two sat on the stairs in front of their homes, keeping each other company without speaking, exchanging only glances.

Peter, Uncle Ben, and Aunt May all attended the funeral of Mary Jane's mother, Madeline, which drained the last of Mary's father Philip's savings. Philip himself wrote his wife's obituary, which was published in the Daily Bugle.

Chapter 154 Is it okay tonight?

Peter Parker and Li Qun sat on the rooftop of Old Man's Pawnshop, their backs against the barbed wire fence, while Shuangxi practiced his horse stance in the center of the rooftop.

"Liqun, I'm thinking about how to make a lot of money now."

Peter looked down at the energy drink in his hand, his tone somewhat melancholy.

"Is it because of Mary Jane?"

Li Qun was also holding a bottle of the same brand of sports drink. He glanced at Peter slightly.

"Why don't you confess your feelings to Mary Jane and become her boyfriend?" Li Qun suggested.

“I…I feel like I’m taking advantage of a weakness,” Peter said.

"If you're not her boyfriend, how will you give her the money you earn?"

“It was a loan I made to her, but I don’t want her to give it back to me,” Peter said.

“Wow… Peter, you’re putting a lot of pressure on Mary Jane. If you become boyfriend and girlfriend and eventually get married and start a family, this money won’t be a problem.”

“Hey, we were just talking about how to make some money right now,” Peter said, looking at Li Qun.

“I know a way to make quick money, a lot of money in just one night, but it also comes with risks,” Li Qun said.

"Is it illegal?" Peter clenched his fist.

"Steve did it."

“What?” Peter raised his head completely, his expression one of disbelief.

Even though he had lost his memories, Steve still gave Peter a strong sense of justice, and Peter didn't believe that Steve would do anything illegal.

“Steve went to participate in an underground boxing match organized by a gang and won tens of thousands of dollars in prize money,” Li Qun said.

“Liqun, do you mean we should go to a boxing match?” Peter asked.

“Peter, the street fighting tournament hasn’t been held yet this year. Remember? Stan Lee said the organizers postponed it to the second half of the year.”

“You’ll participate alone, and I’ll be your coach. Let’s try to win this year’s championship prize,” Li Qun said.

“…I have to keep the fact that I’m participating in the competition a secret from Uncle Ben and Aunt May.” Peter covered his forehead with both hands.

“Just like last year, tell them we’re going to watch the game, and invite Gwen, Harry, and Mary Jane along, the more the merrier,” Li Qun said.

"Can I win in the end?" Peter and Li Qun looked at each other.

“Peter, what you lack right now is only combat experience in the arena, but we can use a lethal tactic to knock out our opponent in the shortest time to win the match,” Li Qun said.

“If you can hold your own against me in a sparring match, you can definitely win the championship. Not just the Queens championship, but also the New York City championship.”

“With this prize money, you can help Mary Jane however you want. When she turns eighteen and is kicked out of her home by her father, you can use this money to help her rent an apartment, or even help her go to college and help her achieve her dream of becoming an actress.”

Peter followed Li Qun's train of thought and began to imagine, and Peter was intrigued.

“Are you still in a hurry to make money? If you are, I’ll take you to a few offline boxing matches first,” Li Qun said.

“Liqun, I thought you were going to say, ‘Let’s create a website together, and then attract investment for it or sell it…’” Peter said.

"The way we create and operate websites is too slow, and websites need to be seen as valuable to people, which is a matter of luck."

"But let's make arrangements anyway, instead of putting all our eggs in one basket."

Li Qun stroked his chin, starting to think about what kind of website the two of them could create.

“I’ll give you half of what I make, Liqun,” Peter said.

"Give me half? Let's talk about that after we actually get the money," Li Qun said seriously.

"You know my personality. The money you give me, I'll just transfer to you the next day."

“Liqun, you give me an unreal feeling. You’re not a friend I’ve just imagined, are you?” Peter stared blankly at Liqun.

“A doctor friend of mine who lives in the city center does have this problem; he has a mental disorder,” Li Qun said with a smile.

"Forget what I just said." Peter stood up, feeling a warm feeling in his heart.

"Did Shuangxi hear what we were talking about?" Peter looked at Shuangxi, who was still holding the horse stance despite being covered in sweat.

“He can’t hear, he’s fighting with himself,” Liqun said, looking at Shuangxi’s constipated expression.

Shuangxi exhibited a concerning problem during his martial arts training: his lower body was unstable and he lacked lower limb strength. This is a common issue for tall people who don't consciously train regularly.

Li Qun also plans to set up plum blossom stakes on the rooftop next month so that Peter and Shuangxi can practice kung fu on the stakes.

……

……

Peter bought two books to improve his speaking skills: "The Art of Speaking" and "Don't Be Afraid to Speak."

Peter told Liqun about buying the book. Liqun thought Peter was quite humorous. Could reading really improve one's "speaking" skills?

Peter thought it was a good idea, and he planned to test the teaching effect of the two books on Harry on the first day of school.

"Peter, I might have to transfer schools."

Peter was struck dumb when he saw the text message Mary Jane had sent him on his phone.

In his bedroom, Peter immediately went to the window and looked across to Mary Jane's room.

The curtains in Mary Jane's room were open, and the window was also open. Mary Jane stood by the window, and Peter forced a smile.

Mary Jane picked up her phone and started typing a text message by the window, while Peter looked at her across the street, puzzled.

"My Aunt Anna wants me to move in with her. She lives in New Jersey, and the only problem I'd have moving there is schooling."

Mary Jane sent me a text message.

"I understand. I hope we can meet again."

Peter replied to Mary Jane, his expression clearly showing his disappointment.

"I can give you Aunt Anna's address. Peter, you can drive over sometime and visit my aunt and me with your friends."

"We hope we're not bothering you."

Peter put down his phone, raised his hand, waved to Mary Jane across the window, and smiled.

Mary Jane laughed in response to Peter.

Peter picked up his phone again and began composing a text message for Li Qun.

"Liqun, there's an emergency. I need you to take me to that place."

Peter looked at his phone, waiting for Li Qun to reply to his message.

Mary Jane sent Peter her Aunt Anna's address in New Jersey. After Mary Jane drew the curtains and walked away from the window, Li Qun still hadn't replied to Peter's message.

"Liqun, are you there? Check my text message!"

Peter anxiously sent another message.

"Is tonight okay?" Li Qun replied to Peter.

"sure!"

Chapter 155 Death Has Arrived

Peter waited patiently until Uncle Ben and Aunt May had fallen asleep, then quietly climbed out of the window and left the house. Once outside the community, he opened the door of his Mazda on the street.

“I also sneaked out, and I didn’t tell my dad I was driving out,” Li Qun said to Peter in the passenger seat.

“We’ve all become bad kids,” Peter said.

“I don’t think taking you to fight in underground boxing matches is a good thing,” Li Qun said.

“But I need money now. Mary Jane is leaving New York. She’s moving to New Jersey to live with her aunt,” Peter explained anxiously to Li Qun.

"So sudden?"

"Let me start from the beginning and tell you about Mary Jane and her family..."

Peter recounted everything Mary Jane had told him to Leech. Mary Jane's mother, Madeline's, illness; her father, Philip's, business; their marriage; the family's broken relationship…

The two books on how to speak that Peter bought proved quite useful at this moment, allowing him to explain Mary Jane's situation clearly to Li Qun.

“It’s a bit unsettling that Mary Jane continues to live with her father,” Li Qun remarked.

Mary Jane's father, Philip, has become addicted to taking strong painkillers.

"Peter, this is what I've thought of, you can take it."

Li Qun took out two envelopes and stuffed them into Peter's arms.

"This is?"

Peter opened the envelope and took out two stacks of banknotes. He counted them carefully; it was twenty thousand US dollars.

"You've already gone?" Peter asked, looking at Li Qun.

“No, I earned this money from lion dancing during the Chinese New Year,” Li Qun replied, looking into Peter’s eyes.

"Lion dancing is so profitable?" Peter was skeptical.

"It's the money I received during the Chinese New Year, but the lion dance money made up the bulk of it. There were bonuses, lucky money, red envelopes for tips, and all sorts of other miscellaneous amounts. It was given in cash back then, and now I'm giving it to you to use, so don't worry about anything," Li Qun replied.

"Is this all you have?" Peter said.

“When my parents passed away, the insurance company paid out a large sum of money, but it’s very troublesome for me to withdraw some of it,” Li Qun said.

“I wouldn’t dare borrow that money from you!” Peter quickly shook his head and said.

“I myself wouldn’t dare,” Li Qun said.

“I find this money terrifying; my warm family has turned into cold numbers in a bank account.”

“…I can’t bear to listen anymore,” Peter said.

Li Qun raised his hand and patted Peter on the shoulder.