America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"They don't seem to be speaking Chinese?" Peter asked Shuangxi.

“They’re speaking Japanese,” Shuangxi replied to Peter.

"Shuangxi, you can speak Japanese too!" Peter was quite surprised.

"I don't speak Japanese, but there are subtitles that have been translated," Shuangxi said.

“Shuangxi, do you know Laozi?” Peter asked.

“I know Laozi. He is Taishang Laojun, the supreme god who created heaven and earth,” Shuangxi said to Peter.

"Is it the mythology of China?"

Peter quickly realized what Shuangxi meant. He took out the "Tao Te Ching" from his bag. Lao Tzu is the same as Taishang Laojun, but he wasn't mentioned in this book.

Seeing Peter take out a book, Shuangxi also got up and went to the room to get a book.

Shuangxi handed the book "Journey to the West" to Peter, who took it and flipped through it.

“It’s all in Chinese characters, I can’t understand it,” Peter said to Shuangxi.

Shuangxi picked up the copy of "Tao Te Ching" that Peter had taken out and flipped through it. It was all in English, which gave Shuangxi a headache.

“I thought you, Peter, also spoke Chinese.”

“I might need to learn a third foreign language,” Peter said.

"It's okay, I have an English version of 'Journey to the West,' you'll definitely like it."

"Actually, all I want to know is Lao Tzu."

“Alright then, listen to me…” Shuangxi held up “Journey to the West” and began to tell Peter a mythological version of Lao Tzu.

While Liqun was busy downstairs, Shuangxi upstairs was enthusiastically telling Peter about the classical mythology of China, once again broadening Peter's understanding.

When Peter combined the mythical figure of Laozi with the philosopher Lao Tzu, he looked down at the book "Lao Tzu," which expounded Lao Tzu's Taoist philosophy, as if he were seeing the Bible of the East.

Peter remembered that when he was eleven years old, he read the Bible as a storybook.

The stories in the Bible are somewhat boring, and what motivated him to keep reading the Bible was the encouragement from adults.

Whenever someone hears that he is reading the Bible, the adults always praise him.

"Peter, I'm going to tell you a secret, but you must never tell anyone else."

"Okay, I'll keep it a secret."

"actually……"

Li Qun went upstairs and saw Shuangxi whispering in Peter's ear on the sofa. As soon as Shuangxi saw Li Qun, she immediately distanced herself from Peter.

"Shuangxi, are you talking badly about me to Peter?" Liqun teased.

"No, I didn't say anything bad about you." Shuangxi shook her head.

“Liqun, it turns out Shuangxi also knows Lao Tzu. He told me many of Lao Tzu’s mythological stories,” Peter said to Liqun.

“But if you ask him who Zhuangzi is, he definitely won’t be able to answer,” Li Qun said.

"Who is Zhuangzi?" Shuangxi asked.

"Look."

All three of them laughed.

"Why is the TV on paused?" Li Qun sat down on the sofa.

"It can play now." Shuangxi pressed the remote control, and the TV continued playing.

“This is my problem.”

Peter opened the book and made a mark in it.

After studying it for a while, Li Qun realized that it was the translation that caused Peter's doubts.

Li Qun translated the original meaning to Peter in his own way, thus resolving Peter's doubts.

“Liqun, do you sometimes feel like I’m an alien?” Peter recalled the homeless people’s comments about him last night.

"Alien? You're behaving like a typical Earthling."

“I was actually just about to ask you, do I look like an alien?” Li Qun said to Peter.

"Yeah, sometimes I feel like you're quite like that. A lot of times when I have a question, you can give me a very suitable answer."

"Do you think Harry is like an alien?" Li Qun asked again.

"Harry also seems like an alien; he doesn't know a lot of common sense."

"Thinking about it this way, it seems like many people around us could be suspected of being aliens," Peter said.

"Could Stephanie be an alien too?" Li Qun asked Peter.

"Stephanie and her family are aliens who have just moved to Earth, and Mr. Walter possesses chemical technology that is ahead of Earth's technology."

“We’re going to go out on the street and randomly ask people questions. If they answer incorrectly, they’re aliens. New York might already be overrun by aliens,” Li Qun said.

"Peter, why are you suddenly curious about aliens?"

Peter pointed to the Ultraman Tiga that Shuangxi was watching; the content playing on the TV was his answer.

"understood."

The two of them turned their attention to the television and suddenly became engrossed in the story of Ultraman Tiga.

For Li Qun, he had read the story of Tiga many times, but he still enjoyed reading it again and could even add a lot of details to Shuangxi and Peter that were not explained in detail.

Li Qun acted as Peter's translator, explaining the plot of the TV series to him.

Peter found himself very immersed in the story; he, like the protagonist, had suddenly gained immense power.

However, Daigo had someone tell him about the responsibilities he needed to bear, while Peter had to find them himself.

Peter felt he had found it, but he was still hesitant.

After all, being a hero isn't easy.

Chapter 271 Coca-Cola or Pepsi?

The lack of snow on Christmas Day slightly dampened the festive atmosphere.

At this time of year, snow would accumulate on the eaves, and you could watch the snowflakes fall through the windowpane.

Peter looked up at the window; Mary Jane's room across the street was dark, without any light.

But Peter only needed to look down. On his desk were postcards and photographs of his life that Mary Jane had sent, as well as Christmas gifts that Mary Jane had sent.

The living room downstairs was bustling with activity; Aunt May and Uncle Ben were having a Christmas party, and several neighbors had been invited. He was going downstairs later too; hiding in his room would make him seem aloof, and he couldn't let the neighbors think that.

Throwing a Christmas party is a good idea so that Philip Watson, who lives alone, won't seem to be getting special treatment from his neighbors.

Peter was composing New Year's greetings on his phone, writing different ones for each person.

This is quite challenging for Peter, since his strengths lie not in English writing, but in physics and chemistry.

At the Yellow Crane Tower Chinese restaurant, Li Qun was dressed meticulously in a waiter's uniform, all in an effort to earn more tips.

Li Qun's phone vibrated a few times in his pocket. He took it out and saw a congratulatory text message from Peter.

Li Qun could only reply to Peter later, as he needed to wait until the business hours ended today.

In the kitchen, my uncle also put on a full chef's uniform and a chef's hat.

My aunt was no exception; she wore a cheongsam, tied her hair up, and put on a hairpin. Many guests at the tables enthusiastically asked to take photos with her.

Li Qun put his phone away and saw Stephanie raise her hand, so he quickly went over to her.

"Do you need any help?" Li Qun asked with a smile.

“I’m really not used to it, Liqun. We’ve finished our tea,” Stephanie said to Liqun.

"Please wait a moment."

Li Qun took the empty teapot and served a pot of tea to the Walter family.

Li Qun glanced at Walter, Little Walter, Stephanie, and Skylar. The whole family had bright red lips and fine beads of sweat on their foreheads. The two spicy dishes on the table had been eaten clean.

Walter and his family originally lived in the south, not far from Mexico, where Mexican food culture had a deep influence. But today, Chinese spicy dishes taught Walter and his family a lesson.

Li Qun only dared to call it spicy food, not Sichuan, Hunan or Jiangxi cuisine, because it was a modified dish developed by his uncle.

The research and development, based on the principles of Chinese cooking, has resulted in dishes that still retain the appearance and taste of Chinese cuisine.

Li Qun served several more pots of tea to the other tables of guests, secretly observing their expressions. Judging from their expressions, the guests were very satisfied with the dishes his uncle had prepared that evening; several plates were empty.

As dinner drew to a close, Liqun seized the opportunity to serve a plate of fortune cookies to the guests' tables—a little gimmick that old-fashioned Chinese restaurants always have to maintain.

Stan Lee, a regular customer of the restaurant, was leisurely eating at a window seat.

Stan Lee ate very mild food; his uncle had taken into account the elderly man's stomach and did not prepare any overly stimulating food for his family.

Stan Lee leaned back in his chair, panting. He had finished eating and was resting when Li Qun walked over with a fortune cookie in his hand.

"Is it almost nine o'clock?" Stan Lee glanced at his mechanical watch.

"You didn't drink tonight, did you, Stan Lee?" Li Qun asked with a smile.

“If I’ve had a drink, I’ll need you to drive me home,” Stan Lee said to Li Qun with a smile.

"There's only tea on the table; I probably won't be able to sleep tonight," Li Qun said.

"Could you help me tear open the fortune cookie wrapper? My hand slipped." Stan Lee handed the fortune cookie to Li Qun.

"My pleasure."

Li Qun easily tore open the transparent packaging. Stan Lee took the biscuit, broke it in half, and took out the little note with proverbs from inside.

"My eyesight isn't very good either, could you help me take a look?"

Stan Lee then showed the note to Li Qun, who bent down and read the words on the note to Stan Lee.

"Oh! The note is a reminder that you need to drink less carbonated drinks, as they damage your teeth and make them very sensitive..."

"Haha!" Stan Lee laughed.

"My teeth were ruined by Coca-Cola forty years ago. Back then, I drank Coca-Cola like water."