America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"Where are you planning to go tomorrow?" Aunt Mei asked.

“We’re going to Li Qun’s master’s house, to my father’s place. We’re learning kung fu,” Peter replied.

"Don't let your love of kung fu make you forget about your college applications," Aunt Mei reminded her.

“I haven’t forgotten, Aunt May.”

“A letter of recommendation,” Aunt Mei said.

“I could have used my connections to help you. Jameson’s son, Mark, is a NASA astronaut. He could have a NASA scientist write you a letter of recommendation.”

“You’ve met before on Thanksgiving, he’ll be happy to help you with this.”

“Aunt May, my science teacher last school year was Dr. Otto Octavius. He now works at Columbia University, and I will get a letter of recommendation from Dr. Otto,” Peter said.

"When do you plan to take action?" Aunt Mei asked.

“Thanksgiving holiday,” Peter replied.

Aunt May nodded to Peter. Since Peter had his own plans, she wouldn't interfere too much.

If Peter fails, then he should ask Mark Jameson for help.

After finishing the clam stew, Ben Parker returned home.

Looking exhausted, Ben Parker took off his hat, hung his coat on the hanger, took off his shoes and put on slippers, and went to the sink to wash his hands and face.

"Are you alright, Ben?" Aunt Mei asked with concern.

"It's alright, everything's fine." Uncle Ben smiled at Aunt Mei.

“I visited Mr. Goodman at the hospital again today. The Daily Bugle has made a smooth transition,” Uncle Ben said.

"Jameson officially took over as editor-in-chief, but he was not in the mood to celebrate his promotion."

"Ben, your job hasn't changed, has it?" Aunt Mei asked with concern.

"Something has changed..."

"Jameson's previous section has been handed over to me. I'm now the editor-in-chief of two sections, and it's exhausting," Ben said.

“I said that Jameson should find someone to be the new editor-in-chief as soon as possible, but Jameson said he had to discuss it with Mr. Goodman.”

"I can roughly guess that the Daily Bugle will be parachuted in an editor-in-chief."

Uncle Ben sat down at the table, while Peter stood in front of the microwave to heat up several Cantonese dim sum dishes. After they were heated, he placed the dim sum dishes on the table.

"Did we have such a lavish meal tonight?" Uncle Ben asked with a smile, counting the plates.

“Peter brought it back from his outing with his friends,” Aunt May said.

"Cantonese dim sum? I haven't had it in a long time," Uncle Ben said.

“There were so many people today that only a few of us dared to enter the Guangzhou Restaurant,” Peter said.

"You went in the afternoon? Next time you have the chance, you should try going in the morning; that's the best time," Uncle Ben said with a smile.

Aunt May and Peter also sat down at the table, and after Uncle Ben led a prayer, dinner began.

……

Li Qun also stayed by the microwave. He also brought Cantonese dim sum home to share with his family. His father came to the Chinese restaurant, so Li Qun didn't have to make another trip.

My dad came to talk to my uncle about not making him dinner anymore.

"These snacks aren't as good as mine," the uncle commented after trying two.

“We went in the afternoon, so the taste was a little worse,” Li Qun said.

"The quality is indeed poor. Even if you ate there in the afternoon, the taste should still be at the expected level," the old man said.

“Next time I’ll take you to their restaurant in the morning,” Li Qun said.

"When will the next one be? When you get accepted into college?" Dad teased.

“Okay, Liqun, let’s decide on this.” The uncle looked at Liqun.

"Uncle, aren't you planning to throw a banquet for your child's graduation?" Li Qun asked.

"There's nothing much to display. Inviting friends just means inviting your classmates over," the uncle said, waving his hand.

“You eat my cooking for lunch every day, don’t you get tired of it?” Uncle said.

“I never get tired of it, only my father does,” Li Qun said, smiling as he looked at his father.

"That's right, I still prefer cooking for myself, Alou, don't take it to heart," the old man said to Uncle Liqun.

"No, cooking a few dishes is a piece of cake for me, Dad," the uncle laughed.

"You can call me over for drinks, but once you bring me food, that's it," the old man said.

"Would you like a drink tonight?" my uncle asked.

"Is the restaurant not busy?" the old man asked.

"It won't delay our drinking," my uncle said with a smile.

Dad and Uncle started drinking. The two picky eaters only ate one or two pieces of the Cantonese dim sum that Liqun brought back before putting down their chopsticks. They went to the kitchen and cooked a few dishes to go with the drinks. The Cantonese dim sum that they brought home was eventually devoured by Shuangxi.

Aunt watched her uncle and father drink with a hint of helplessness. Her father had a high alcohol tolerance and didn't get drunk easily, but her uncle's alcohol tolerance was a bit more complicated.

Around 10 p.m., Liqun accompanied his father back to the pawnshop. His uncle, who was completely drunk, was carried upstairs to his bedroom by Shuangxi and laid down. The Chinese restaurant closed early for the night.

"Dad, do you know how to wrestle?" Li Qun asked his father.

"Wrestling? Of course I can." The old man was in a good mood after having a little wine.

"Do you want to learn, or do you want to teach someone?" the old man asked.

“We’re thinking about tactics to deal with wrestlers,” Li Qun replied.

Chapter 174 Like Water

"Shuangxi, don't be afraid, charge at me!"

Shuangxi looked troubled, but still lowered his center of gravity and lunged at Liqun.

The old man was giving instructions from the side; they were teaching Shuangxi wrestling stances.

"Hold me tight around the waist, just like that, and throw me to the ground!"

"Don't be afraid, your cousin is very resilient! There's a mat on the floor too!!"

Shuangxi hesitated for five seconds, and Liqun slammed Shuangxi to the ground.

"Shuangxi, you can't hesitate, understand?" the old man said to Shuangxi.

Shuangxi scratched the back of his head and was pulled up from the ground by Liqun.

“Again,” Li Qun said calmly.

Shuangxi spread his legs and lowered his body, and Liqun took the initiative to walk towards Shuangxi.

"Shuangxi, you can bump Liqun's head against his head to knock him unconscious, and then flip him over!" the old man shouted.

Having just been knocked to the ground by Li Qun, Shuangxi was in a bad mood. Not wanting to be thrown to the ground by his cousin again, Shuangxi's mind went blank, and he completely obeyed his father's command, bumping heads with Li Qun without hesitation.

Li Qun was knocked unconscious, but Shuang Xi was also knocked unconscious. When Shuang Xi regained his senses, he found himself in mid-air, his back making contact with the soft cushion again.

"puff!"

When Peter went up to the rooftop, he saw Liqun grab Shuangxi around the waist and slam him to the ground, kicking up dust from the cushions.

"Peter, you've arrived." The old man put the lid on the teacup, not wanting any dust to fall into it.

“What are you standing there for? Peter, don’t block the way.” Gwen patted Peter on the shoulder from behind.

“Gwen, didn’t you see that?” Peter took two steps forward to make way.

"What did you see?" Harry asked curiously as he was the last to climb the stairs to the rooftop.

“Liqun raised the Double Happiness cigarette,” Peter said.

“They’re practicing wrestling, that’s normal,” the old man said to Peter.

"Is wrestling also a form of kung fu?" Harry asked.

"Kung Fu can encompass everything," the old man replied.

Shuangxi stood up, panting, and seeing Peter, Gwen, and Harry, she felt she could finally rest for a while.

“Peter, come here.” Li Qun beckoned to Peter, and Peter went over.

“I’ll simulate the opponents you’ll encounter,” Li Qun said to Peter.

"Let me get ready."

Peter took off his coat, shoes, and socks, and began sparring with Li Qun barefoot.

Peter felt that he was more effective in combat barefoot than in shoes.

“Peter, have you ever seen a wrestling match?” Li Qun asked.

Peter shook his head.

"What about boxing?"

“I saw it on TV, but I don’t remember much about it,” Peter replied.

“Today we’ll try everything, it’s not a kung fu duel,” Li Qun said.

Peter felt nervous, so nervous that he wanted to put on a hood to release his inner self.

Liqun lowered his body and approached Peter with rhythmic steps, while Peter slowly backed away.

“If you take another step back, Peter, you’ll be out of bounds,” Li Qun warned Peter.

“We’ll practice according to the rules now. Peter, do you remember the rules?” Li Qun asked.

"Of course I remember..."

"very good."

Li Qun suddenly raised his hands and grabbed Peter's arms.

Peter was surprised that he had been caught by Li Qun. He could see Li Qun's movements clearly, but his body couldn't keep up with his reaction speed.