America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“Let’s not talk about this,” Li Qun said to Peter.

"Why not?"

“I didn’t say it was not allowed,” Li Qun said.

“Harry, what do you think?” Peter looked at Harry.

“What am I supposed to think? My family is also a supplier to the military. Morally speaking, I’d love for my family to be able to land those multi-billion dollar orders from the military, like Stark Industries,” Harry said.

“Harry, your family’s stock has been falling lately,” Gwen said to Harry.

"Gwen, is Osborne's stock still falling?"

“Harry, I bought your company's stock, and Stark Industries' stock too. Stark's stock has been going up, while yours has been going down,” Gwen said.

"How do you find time to trade stocks?"

“Gwen, my advice is to buy all of Stark Industries’ stock and get rid of Harry’s stock as soon as possible,” Li Qun said.

“Gwen, you didn’t buy much, did you?” Harry asked.

“Harry, you can guess.” Gwen laughed and exchanged glances with Li Qun and Peter.

"I'd better not guess." Harry had a bad feeling.

“Harry, let me test you. If you buy 100 shares of Osborne Industries next Monday, how much do you need to wait for it to rise before you sell it without losing money?” Gwen looked at Harry.

“That’s a bit difficult. Can I answer you next Monday?” Harry asked.

"OK~!"

Chapter 284 As the old saying goes

Peter appeared at the laundromat in Chinatown carrying his bodysuit.

Peter didn't choose the laundromat near his community because the owner of the laundromat in his community was very familiar with Aunt May, to the point that they would stop and chat for half an hour when they met while taking a walk.

"Peter Parker, a swimsuit?"

As Mrs. Chen listened to Peter's explanation, she wrote down his spider silk bodysuit as a men's bikini swimsuit.

"Correct."

Peter tilted his head and watched Mrs. Chen make notes in her notebook and then write out the invoice.

Come pick it up in three days.

"Ok."

Peter had just turned around when Li Qun pushed open the door of the laundromat and walked in.

Peter, what are you doing here?

"Uh, I...I'll do the laundry."

“Yeah! This is a laundromat. Everyone who comes here, except for the tax bureau staff, comes to do laundry,” Li Qun said to Peter.

"You too?" Peter looked Li Qun up and down and noticed that Li Qun wasn't carrying any clothes.

"I've come to get my clothes, Mrs. Chen."

Li Qun walked to the counter and handed his order to Mrs. Chen.

Mrs. Chen took the order and came out from behind the counter to pick up Li Qun's clothes.

Peter stood nervously in front of the laundromat, waiting for Li Qun to pick up his clothes.

"You ran this far?"

Li Qun got the clothes and walked out of the laundromat with Peter.

“The laundromat near my house is closed, and the tax bureau is giving them trouble,” Peter Parker blurted out.

"Tax Bureau..."

“Peter, have you seen the news? Two IRS officers in Manhattan died in a coffee shop. That killer is really insane.”

“I saw it in the Daily Bugle this morning. The coffee shop owner says he’s innocent and that he didn’t hire the killer, but it seems like nobody believes him,” Peter said.

“The coffee shop was doing so well that it caught the attention of the tax bureau. And just when the tax bureau came to audit the accounts, the masked killer ran out of bullets while standing behind them. It’s hard to say that the killer and the coffee shop owner weren’t connected,” Li Qun said.

“Uncle Ben said the coffee shop owner hates the hitman now. The owner didn’t do anything wrong, and he was very cooperative with the IRS,” Peter said.

"Where do you think assassins get their jobs?" Li Qun asked.

"Why don't you just ask Wade?"

"How's Wade been lately?" Peter asked.

“We’re already here, less than two hundred meters away. You can go and ask Wade yourself,” Li Qun said to Peter.

Peter followed Li Qun and walked to his father's pawn shop.

"Welcome..."

"It's both of you."

Wade walked over and hooked his arm around Peter's neck.

"It's not the weekend yet. Did you come here with Li Qun after school?" Wade asked Peter.

“No, it was a chance encounter,” Peter explained.

“We bumped into each other at the laundromat,” Li Qun said.

“Peter, you’re a really good person,” Wade said to Peter.

"What did I do?" Peter asked, confused.

“Wade, Peter knows nothing about Mrs. Chen,” Li Qun said to Peter.

“Perhaps God is guiding Peter,” Wade said.

“Mrs. Chen from the laundromat? What trouble has she run into?” Peter looked at Li Qun.

“It’s like this…” Li Qun explained to Peter about Mrs. Chen’s cancer, Joe’s mental illness, and the family’s misfortunes.

Peter noticed that Li Qun had been somewhat absent-minded lately, and this was the reason.

"I went through his trash can and found several kinds of medications for treating mental illnesses in it."

“It’s not just Joe who’s taking medication; Mrs. Chen is also taking medication to stabilize her emotions,” Li Qun said.

"You even rummage through the trash?" Peter was shocked.

“I taught him,” Wade said proudly.

"I was very careful; after turning it over once, I put the trash back in its original state," Li Qun said.

“I’d like to know what your plans are, Liqun? How do you intend to help them?” Peter asked.

There is an old saying in China: "A tree dies when it is moved, but a person thrives when they move."

“They are under a lot of psychological pressure with their current lifestyle, and they need to change their lifestyle,” Li Qun said.

“This is difficult,” Peter said.

“Yes, it’s very difficult,” Li Qun said.

“To tell them directly is like kicking them out of Chinatown,” Wade said, and Li Qun nodded in agreement.

“Dad has expressed his concerns. Mrs. Chen won’t live much longer, and if she passes away, Joe’s mental illness will worsen, and he might do things that no one wants to see. Joe might also do something foolish before Mrs. Chen dies, making the situation more complicated and worse,” Wade added.

“You can’t let them know you want to help,” Li Qun told Peter.

“Why can’t we let them know?” Peter asked.

“It’s the old saying from Aurora, ‘Don’t wash your dirty linen in public.’ These things are secrets that Mrs. Chen and her family cannot let others know. They would feel ‘ashamed’ and their dignity would be damaged if others knew,” Wade explained.

"I think I can understand it."

Peter thought of his neighbor Philip, and it was a matter of 'decency'.

"Joe is actually very easy to deal with."

“I will take extraordinary measures if necessary,” Li Qun said.

"Oh, you'll get a warning," Wade said with a laugh, pointing at Li Qun.

"Who warned you?"

“Father,” Li Qun said to Peter.

"Isn't Dad willing to help them?" Peter frowned; he couldn't understand.

"It's a long story. My father expressed his willingness to help, but Mrs. Chen refused."

“Dad said that Mrs. Chen thought things were still under her control, but they’ve long since spiraled out of control,” Li Qun told Peter.

"Mrs. Chen can manage such a large laundromat in an orderly manner, but people are not washing machines; they can't be fixed and restored to their original state just because something is broken."

“I understand.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Peter asked.

"Just be yourself, Peter." Li Qun patted Peter on the shoulder.

"Have you had dinner?" Wade asked Peter.

“I haven’t,” Peter replied.

“Would you like to have dinner with us? We haven’t eaten either,” Wade said.

"I have to go home, let's do it another day."

“Peter, you’ve learned to say ‘another day’ now! I’ll remember that.” Wade laughed.

Peter walked out of the pawn shop and began to think on his way home. Wasn't the topic he and Li Qun had initially discussed the murder in the Manhattan coffee shop?

He forgot to ask Wade a question.

“Liqun, what drastic measures are you planning to take? Is it what I’m thinking? Dr. Banner won’t allow someone with mental problems to become a mage,” Wade asked Liqun.

"Wade, that's not what I meant."