America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

Li Qun raised his hand to greet him, and John walked over to Li Qun and gently patted him on the shoulder.

"I heard that Wade is staying at your master's house."

“It’s a landlord-tenant relationship, and Wade also works at my master’s pawn shop,” Li Qun said.

"Your master is a really good person."

“Wade still respects my mentor very much.” Li Qun smiled at John.

"Is there anything we need to prepare? Let's all get in the car!" Wade couldn't wait to take John to see the car.

“I’ll drive. Helen, sit in the passenger seat. You and Liqun go to the back and help look after Stewart.”

Li Qun picked up the Labrador puppy Stuart, who didn't move around or bark at Li Qun.

The puppy has a dog smell, which is a normal smell that Liqun can tolerate.

"You don't trust me?" Wade and John looked at each other.

John Wick nodded.

“You’ve never driven Dad’s car before, but I know it well.”

“If that’s the case, Li Qun knows this car better than you; he got his driver’s license using this car,” John said.

"You win."

Wade obediently handed the car keys to John, while Helen watched with a smile as John and Wade bickered as usual.

“You two sit together. Li Qun and I will sit in the back. Stuart is a little afraid of Li Qun.”

Helen smiled and opened the back door, then sat down in the back seat with Liqun.

"I'm actually a little scared, what if it pees on people?" Li Qun asked Helen while holding the puppy.

Chapter 256 Hiding the Dog

“John, if you knew a few good used car dealers, you could be a driver, but there are no ifs.”

Wade grinned and taunted John Wick in the passenger seat from the driver's seat.

"Look how smug you are."

John and Helen had seriously discussed buying a used car instead of a new one.

They wanted to buy a family car for daily use, but this car meant more to them than just a simple family car.

It has collectible value, a mature design, excellent practicality, and is easy to repair...

The Ford 1989LTD Crown Victoria Full-Size Touring, also known as the "Ford Wood Wagon," met John and Helen's requirements in every aspect. Among similar models produced by different brands, the Ford Wood Wagon boasts the most advanced features.

Actually, there were many car models that would have satisfied John and Helen, but Wade strongly recommended this Ford to them, knowing John's special fondness for Ford vehicles.

Wade drove to the high-end used car market.

The high-end used cars here are all parked in warehouses, unlike when my dad and Liqun went to buy a Mazda and the car was parked in an open-air parking lot.

Wade contacted the used car dealer three days in advance, and the dealer drove several cars to the used car warehouse.

The Ford Crown Victoria Wood Grain Wagon was the final model in the series. In the 1990s, a fully equipped version cost $22000. Now, the low-mileage used cars that Wade and his team are looking at are only about $4,000 cheaper than they were back then.

Upon entering the warehouse, Helen was completely captivated by the wood-grain Ford cars.

During this period, I only understood Wade's "Ford wood grain" through listening and imagination, and what this car represented as the core of American family and road trip culture. At this moment, Wade's description has become concrete.

Helen and John's most frequent form of entertainment at home is watching classic movies, and this particular car model appears far more frequently in the films they've watched than they can imagine.

"It wasn't wood after all."

Helen touched the dark brown faux cherry wood trim on both sides of the car and was surprised.

“There used to be real wood trim, but we later discovered that the real wood trim panels had significant defects,” the used car dealer explained to Helen.

“The real wood panel decorations are from about fifty or sixty years ago,” Wade said.

John opened the back door.

The vehicle has a total of three rows of seats. The third row of seats can be folded down, which creates a large cargo space in the back. The second row of seats can also be folded down, allowing people to lie down and sleep in the vehicle.

"It can seat a maximum of eight people."

John and Helen sat in the second row, enjoying the spacious interior. The leather three-seater seats were a comfort John and Helen had never experienced in any other vehicle.

After getting out of the back seats, John and Helen sat in the front driver's seat and front passenger seat, respectively; the front row was still spacious.

Leather seats, 6-way power-adjustable front seats, automatic climate control, heated seats, wood trim, CD audio system, anti-theft alarm system, full-size vinyl roof, rear air conditioning vents... John Wick explored every single feature.

"How's the safety?" John Wick asked the used car dealer as he got out of the car.

"The frame is made of high-strength steel and features a full-frame trapezoidal design with longitudinal beams up to 3.2mm thick and reinforced ribs in key areas. It has an 11-inch ventilated disc brake at the front and an 11-inch drum brake at the rear, equipped with large brake discs and heavy-duty brake pads, as well as an ABS anti-lock braking system..."

The used car dealer pulled out an instruction manual in front of several people and started reading it aloud, while secretly glancing at John Wick as he read.

"show me."

The used car dealer handed the instruction manual to John Wick, who carefully read through the "Ford Wood Grain" configuration parameters.

"Get in and give it a try."

John Wick finished reading the instruction manual, and the car dealer handed him the car keys. The five men and the dog got into the car together.

“See? It’s not crowded at all,” the used car dealer said to John Wick in the front from the back seat.

The car was quite long, and John found it difficult to get used to at first. He needed to be more careful to observe the situation behind the car. When turning, the Ford wood trim showed a level of precision that exceeded John's expectations.

John drove the Ford Wood trim vehicle steadily out of the warehouse, and they drove on a suburban highway near the warehouse. The suburban road conditions weren't great, but the Ford Wood trim performed very well in terms of shock absorption, and Helen in the passenger seat didn't feel any bumps.

After test driving for more than forty minutes, John and Helen felt that they didn't need to test drive the other Ford Wood trim models anymore, as the performance of this Ford Wood trim model had already met their expectations.

"Happy transaction!!"

"I will personally drive the car to your door in five days at most, once all the formalities are completed."

"You're welcome. Please come back to me if you need to buy a car in the future."

The used car dealer shook hands with John Wick.

On the way home, John Wick became the driver of the Mazda, while Wade and Li Qun squeezed into the back seat. The two of them suddenly began to miss the spacious back seat of the Ford with its wood trim.

"Want to go for afternoon tea? Or maybe catch a movie? It's still early," Wade suggested in the car.

"It's a rare weekend, and it's unusual for you to go out like this."

"Liqun, do you want to go to the movies?" Helen asked.

“I’m fine with anything. I was called here by Wade to keep you company today,” Li Qun replied.

“Wade, you give directions. You should know the location of the movie theater better than I do,” John said to Wade.

"Leave it to me, I'll guide you."

"What movies can we watch recently?" Li Qun asked curiously.

"You'll know when we get there." Wade reached out and patted the head of the little dog, Stewart.

"Can we bring dogs in?" Li Qun suddenly remembered this crucial question.

“As long as you don’t say anything, no one will know you brought your dog in,” Wade said with a smile to Li Qun.

“Zip up your coat and hide it in your stomach,” John said, turning back to smile at Li Qun.

"Are we really going to do this?" Li Qun asked Helen.

“There’s no other choice.” Helen smiled too.

John found a roadside parking spot near the movie theater, where several people got out of the car in a metered parking space.

After Li Qun got out of the car, Wade and John began to help Li Qun hide the Labrador puppy in his clothes.

“It’s not easy to hide, it’s a bit too big, and I look too strange like this,” Li Qun said, sticking out her “big belly.”

"Let Helen give it a try?" Wade looked at Helen.

"Oh……"

Helen, heavily pregnant, was wearing an oversized coat from Liqun, which made her look much more normal. Her double chin seemed to match her large belly quite well.

Chapter 257 New York Cinema

After seeing several movies showing in theaters, Li Qun decided to invite Peter and the others to watch a movie together next weekend.

Faced with the choice between "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and "Monsters, Inc.", Li Qun, Wade, John, and Helen chose to watch "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone".

After leaving the movie theater, Wade praised it as his favorite movie of the year and said he would read all the original Harry Potter novels.

Little Labrador Stewart fell asleep in Helen's arms and slept through the entire movie; no one noticed they had brought a puppy into the theater.

"I didn't even know that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released three weeks ago."

Li Qun took out his phone and started taking pictures with the pixelated camera.

Taking a photo with the movie poster of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in front of the old movie theater was such a magical feeling, as if magic was at work.

“I thought you would like Monsters, Inc.,” Wade said to Li Qun.

Li Qun shook his head at Wade.

Li Qun also has a vivid memory of the animated film "Monsters, Inc.", but compared to "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," the plot of "Monsters, Inc." is too formulaic and not suitable for high school graduates about to enter college.

“Shall we go to the bookstore? I want to buy some books,” Helen said.

“John, why don’t you talk to us about Harry Potter?” Wade asked, leaning closer to John.

"A magical world hidden behind the real world... What was the author's name again? Does she know something about it?" John turned to look at Wade.

"I know that."

“It is said that one day the author saw a strangely dressed boy on the opposite side of a London Underground station platform. While she was distracted, the boy disappeared on the other side of the platform, and she felt that she had seen magic,” Li Qun said.

"metro station?"

"London Underground Station?"

"Thank goodness it wasn't a Tokyo subway station," Wade said.