America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

On the other side of the world, it's nighttime, and Dad is essentially "staying up all night" to practice his spiritual disciplines on Kamar-Taj.

"I haven't had dinner yet," the old man said to Liqun, glancing at his watch.

"Yes, dinner time."

"Let's go back." The old man put his hands behind his back, walked into the portal and returned to the pawnshop, with Liqun following behind him.

Li Qun took this long detour just to call his father home for dinner.

"Dad, don't buy so much food at once. We won't be able to finish it all in a week." Li Qun opened the refrigerator, which was crammed full.

"I'm used to it, I can't change it."

"Liqun, look at these canned goods, think about what dishes to make."

Liqun discovered that his father had a hoarding habit.

Besides filling the refrigerator with fresh vegetables, Dad also stocked up on a cabinet full of canned goods. Looking at the expiration dates of these cans, each one was over three years old.

"We could eat all these canned goods for a year!" Li Qun exclaimed.

"We can still finish it, as long as we don't buy anything else," Dad said calmly.

"Canned fish...I've never made soup before, so I don't know if it will taste good."

"Canned meat, let's make stew."

"That's why I told you to tell your uncle to stop cooking for me," the old man said to Liqun.

“Dad, at least the food my uncle makes is fresh,” Li Qun said.

"Dad, when did you buy these canned goods?" Li Qun asked curiously.

“It was several years ago, I don’t remember such a small thing very well,” Dad replied.

"Why do I see doomsday canned food?"

"Weren't there rumors back then that World War III was going to break out? That the world would be destroyed by nuclear explosions?" Dad said.

"This rumor must be from decades ago, right?" Li Qun complained.

"Luckily, they didn't fight," the old man said.

Is a fight really going to break out?

"Why not? You have no idea how stupid those people in the American government are," Dad retorted.

Li Qun developed several canned Chinese dishes in his father's kitchen, and he tried his best to make them taste decent.

"Liqun, think about what to do with these canned goods." After finishing his meal, the old man didn't want to force himself anymore.

"Give it away," Li Qun suggested.

"Who would you give it to? Even homeless people wouldn't want canned food," the old man said.

“Take it to Africa as aid. Surely Africa won’t complain about the food like the homeless in New York?” Li Qun said.

"That's decided then." The old man nodded, agreeing with Li Qun's idea.

"Do you need my help?" Li Qun asked.

“If you help, you can add ‘aid to Africa’ to your college application,” Dad said.

“I’ll take two cans and ask Dr. Banner if he wants some.”

Li Qun took two cans of food and opened the portal to find Bruce Banner.

"Good evening, Dr. Banner. Have you eaten yet?"

Li Qun walked out of the portal, and Dr. Banner took off his goggles, his gaze landing on the can in Li Qun's hand.

"What are you doing bringing this can? Is it for me?" Dr. Banner asked.

"My school counselor spoke with me and asked me to start preparing my college applications. Dr. Banner, I'm counting on you for my recommendation letter."

Li Qun placed the two cans of food he was holding on the laboratory table.

"Is it already this time? Time really flies."

Dr. Banner walked to the table, picked up the can, and looked at it.

“There was a period when I survived on canned food,” Dr. Banner said.

"It was during the time when they were wanted and besieged by the military."

"The oil in these cans can be used to light lamps."

After Dr. Banner finished speaking, he opened the can, crumpled a paper towel into a wick, and lit the can lamp with a match.

"It can usually burn for four or five hours."

Dr. Banner laughed as he looked at the flickering light of the can lamp.

"Which university are you applying to?" Dr. Banner asked, turning his head.

“Columbia University in New York,” Li Qun replied.

“Columbia University in New York… Let me think, how should I write this?” Dr. Banner stroked his beard as he pondered.

Do you have any paper?

Dr. Banner reached out to Li Qun for some paper.

"toilet paper?"

"It's letter paper."

Li Qun raised his hand to open the portal, reached into it, and took out a stack of letters, placing them on the laboratory table.

Dr. Banner picked up a quill and began writing a letter of recommendation.

Dr. Banner is a magician, and he uses an ancient quill pen, which is quite normal in Kamar-Taj.

"Alright. Do you want me to read it to you?" Dr. Banner put down his pen, picked up the letter, and checked the letter of recommendation he had written.

"Won't the university application review team suspect that Dr. Banner's recommendation letter is forged?" Li Qun asked.

"Then let's add some gamma radiation to the letter of recommendation and give it a green-glowing, anti-counterfeiting signature," Dr. Banner seriously considered the matter.

Chapter 169 The Birth of a Pair of Underpants

"Good afternoon, Peter."

"Liqun, come in quickly!"

"Aunt Mei and Uncle Ben are not home."

"Is it about registering for the competition?" Peter asked.

"Peter, could you help me develop two photos?" Li Qun took out a roll of camera film from his shirt pocket and handed it to Peter.

“Of course, no problem, we can start now,” Peter said.

"What kind of photo is it?" Peter asked Li Qun curiously.

"A photo of me and the teacher who wrote my recommendation letter; he plans to put the photo in the recommendation letter."

“He’s quite famous, so if we take his photos to a photo studio to get them developed, it might cause trouble,” Li Qun explained.

Peter drew all the curtains in the room to block out the light before the two of them entered Uncle Ben's darkroom.

Peter was an expert at developing photos, and Uncle Ben would give his film rolls to Peter to develop when he was busy.

Li Qun watched Peter's actions, and more than forty minutes later, Peter clipped the photos to the drying line to air them out.

"This is the teacher you mentioned who wrote you the recommendation letter..." Peter crossed his arms and looked at Li Qun.

"How do you know Bruce Banner?" Peter turned and scrutinized Li Qun.

“When you were sick during the summer vacation, I said I knew a doctor, and I was actually referring to Dr. Banner,” Li Qun said to Peter.

"Is he busy?" Peter asked.

"He's very busy. Why ask that?"

“I’d also like to take a picture with Dr. Banner,” Peter said.

"Do you want his autographed photo? I need to get these photos signed by him," Li Qun said.

“Yes,” Peter said firmly.

“Liqun, if Dr. Banner wrote you a letter of recommendation, does that mean you can go to any university you want?” Peter asked.

“Don’t think like that. The popular person is Dr. Banner, not me. And Dr. Banner is popular because of his research ability, not his personal charm,” Li Qun said.

“It seems like we haven’t seen Dr. Banner’s name in the news for a long time,” Peter said.

"People who do scientific research always seem to disappear for a period of time."

"Does Dr. Banner really like Chinese food? Otherwise, how would you know Dr. Banner?" Peter reasoned with his brain.

“He not only likes to eat, but he also cooks for himself,” Li Qun said casually.

“Where does Dr. Banner live?” Peter asked.

“Live in the city center, on Brick Street.”

"It's quite far," Peter said casually.

Peter planned to sneak out that night to visit the home of his idol, scientist Bruce Banner.

"Will the photos be usable tomorrow?" Li Qun asked.

“I’ll take it to school for you tomorrow morning,” Peter said.

"Thank you, Peter."

“Liqun, have you had dinner with Dr. Banner?” Peter asked curiously.

“I’ve cooked for him.”

“I also want to cook for Dr. Banner,” Peter said.

"Peter, you need to work on your cooking skills."

What kind of food does he like to eat?