America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

The two places with the worst car conditions are Chinatown and near Gwen's house.

Gwen and her elderly father George lived in a small apartment that they hadn't bought; it was a long-term rental. George Stacy needed to be close to downtown New York for work, and Chinatown was part of that downtown area.

Peter was a bit clumsy while driving, Gwen was prone to losing her temper on the road, and Li Qun was completely silent while driving.

June ended with me learning to drive.

In July, the people living on American soil celebrate a grand festival: American Independence Day, which is equivalent to a national day, on July 4th.

On this day, New York City transforms into a carnival atmosphere, complete with grand parades of floats and balloons, fireworks displays, eating contests, and concerts—everyone is fully prepared. Even those who don't travel to Manhattan to experience the Independence Day carnival atmosphere will host parties at home.

In reality, New Yorkers don't care about the great historical significance of American Independence Day; what they care about is simply a legal holiday where they can have fun.

Gwen gathered Lillian and Peter together to discuss how to spend Independence Day Carnival.

“Shall we leave Helen and John alone? The recent medical tests have really taken a toll on them,” Gwen said.

"Does anyone want to experience the carnival atmosphere?" Peter looked at Li Qun and Gwen with anticipation.

“I don’t want to go in diapers. Remember when we couldn’t find a public restroom?” Li Qun said to Peter.

“Didn’t we end up finishing at Starbucks?” Peter said.

"If this continues, I will come to regard Starbucks as a public restroom."

Li Qun made a joke, and Gwen laughed.

"Chinatown will be very crowded that day, and the restaurants will be very busy. I will help out at the restaurants and may be busy until eight or nine o'clock in the evening."

“Oh, what a pity,” Peter sighed.

“Uncle Ben must have been working overtime that day, right? Aunt May, on the other hand, got the day off,” Gwen asked.

"Yes, I should stay home with Aunt May. Gwen, how are things at your place?"

“It’s similar to your family. My dad also has to go out on duty. On Independence Day, New York police officers and firefighters need to be on high alert,” Gwen replied.

“Gwen, perhaps you could spend the day with Peter and Aunt May, and then come to my uncle’s for dinner in the evening. I’ll save you a table. After dinner, we can go to the park in Uncle George’s district to watch the fireworks, and then you and Uncle George can go home together,” Li Qun suggested.

“A perfect arrangement.” Peter thought for a moment, and it seemed pretty good.

“I wish I could run into Uncle Ben,” Gwen said.

"Uncle Ben has been really busy this year. At the end of May, he was busy with interviews for the Millennium Forum; this year is also a presidential election year, and the last time he was invited to a dinner was for presidential candidates; when the UN Millennium Summit officially begins in September, Uncle Ben will be extremely busy."

"Is Uncle Ben in charge of the political section of the Daily Bugle?" Gwen asked.

"What is the United Nations Millennium Summit?" Li Qun asked Peter.

"Neither of you care about politics?"

"You make it sound like you care?" Gwen retorted.

"This is different."

"The Millennium Summit is unprecedented, with representatives from over 180 countries and regions attending, including more than 150 heads of state. They symbolize the power of people all over the world, and at this point in time, the year 2000, their meeting may very well determine the future of humanity." Peter said, somewhat excitedly.

"Will we land on Mars, establish a base on the moon, develop resources in the asteroid belt, and together, all of humanity step out of the solar system?"

"They should discuss how to eliminate war on Earth, solve the plagues, famines, and droughts ravaging Africa, and resolve hatred between nations so they can help each other..."

Li Qun sighed as he spoke.

If this UN Millennium Conference can bring about any substantial and positive changes to the world, he cannot possibly forget it.

"Let's focus on Tony Stark instead; he's also involved in changing the world."

"All three media outlets are reporting that Tony Stark will publicly announce his supposed world-changing invention a few days before the Millennium Conference."

“Rumors also say that Tony Stark will initiate the Third Industrial Revolution,” Gwen said.

"I understand." Li Qun touched his forehead.

“What do you know?” Gwen and Peter both looked at Li Qun.

"What is the driving force behind the Third Industrial Revolution?" Li Qun asked.

"Who knows? We only know about the First and Second Industrial Revolutions."

"The first was steam power, the second was electricity, and the third, I think, might be controlled nuclear fusion," Li Qun said.

“Tony Stark, he may make electricity cheap and solve the current energy shortage problem in one fell swoop with controlled nuclear fusion technology.”

“I don’t really believe it,” Peter shook his head.

"That's ridiculous."

"I recently saw a new paper published in a scientific journal by Dr. Otto Octavius, one of the world's leading nuclear physicists. He described a new approach to controlled nuclear fusion. Controlled nuclear fusion is still just a nascent seedling. How could it possibly be put into civilian use this September?"

Peter said that was impossible.

“That was just a derivative association I made based on the Industrial Revolution, but some people’s minds are beyond the comprehension of ordinary people,” Li Qun said.

"Tony Stark is a guy whose head is full of pornography. He has used his own name to steal the research results of the entire Stark Corporation."

"This time, he's just looking for an opportunity to promote his reputation as a genius."

“We should find a chance to hang Tony Stark on a lamppost,” Gwen said.

“Gwen, you’re horrible,” said kind-hearted Peter.

The old man, sitting in the passenger seat, listened to the three people's conversation and almost laughed, but he couldn't join in on their conversation.

The three of them were chatting in the old man's Mazda.

In addition to the Gwen family, Peter's family, Dad's shop, and Uncle Li Qun's Chinese restaurant, the three of them had another small space to gather.

The reason why Dad is there is because they need an experienced driver beside them when they drive.

Chapter 73 Bring the gourd with you

The difference between a talented person and a genius is that a genius exerts a force in their field that is as powerful as lifting up land to create the sea, while a talented person is diligently filling in ponds or digging lakes with their head down.

Tony Stark left such a deep-seated stereotype in the memories of the old world of Leigh Hills that he handcrafted the Arc Reactor and the first Iron Man suit in a cave in the Marvel movies; he was definitely a genius.

Li Qun now lives in a new world with Tony Stark. Although it's not the world depicted in the movies that he knows, he's willing to believe in Tony Stark, the genius cursed with wisdom.

Liqun knew that it was already in the midst of the Third Industrial Revolution. Intel launched the first commercial microprocessor chip as early as 1971, which marked the beginning of the Third Industrial Revolution.

The Third Industrial Revolution is an information-based industrial revolution; however, in the first few decades, its impact on most people's lives was not as clear and dramatic as that of the Second Industrial Revolution.

Information technology was initially confined to large companies, university research institutions, and government agencies, and it took thirty years, starting in the 1970s, for it to gradually spread to households and individuals.

Li Qun looked up recent reports about Tony Stark in third-rate tabloids. Tony Stark did indeed use the term "industrial revolution" and stated that he would lead the third industrial revolution.

Words inevitably become distorted during dissemination; "leading" becomes "starting".

Liqun said this was understandable.

The reason he always hangs out with Peter and Gwen is because he feels that Peter and Gwen are the only normal people like him, while the other people his age probably have had too much lead-pipe water rusted into brains.

On July 3rd, the day before Independence Day, every shop in Chinatown started Independence Day-related promotions, and my uncle's restaurant also launched an Independence Day special menu.

Li Qun suddenly realized that he seemed to have forgotten an important characteristic of the Aurora people: the Aurora characteristic of being "calculating about money".

Being concerned about money encompasses both earning and spending it.

People from Aurora must be good at accounting, keeping track of where every penny goes. Parents meticulously calculate the amount of money their children receive as New Year's gifts each year, exchanging gifts with relatives, and doing the same for weddings and funerals.

Sometimes he feels lost. His current goal is simply to ensure that he can graduate from high school smoothly and get into a good university.

When it comes to spending money, Auntie is even more shrewd than Liqun himself.

Li Qun did not set himself any clear life goals such as "making money to buy a house and get married".

It seems that after the car accident, his desire for life decreased significantly, and he only needed to feel that he was alive and healthy.

It's just a feeling.

Li Qun shook his head and then laughed.

It's too boring. If he were working, he wouldn't be thinking about the meaning of life.

Li Qun's phone vibrated, and he quickly answered the call.

"Hey Peter, what's up?"

“The situation has changed,” Peter’s voice came through the phone.

“Aunt Mei and I won’t be coming over for dinner tomorrow; our neighbors invited us to celebrate the holiday together,” Peter said.

“It’s the neighbor’s house, Mary Jane’s house,” Li Qun joked.

“It wasn’t just Mary Jane’s house; there were barbecue parties all around too. You could say Aunt May has amazing connections,” Peter said.

“Okay, Peter, remember to call Gwen and tell her about this,” Li Qun reminded him.

"I know."

Peter hung up the phone, and Li Qun walked back to the Chinese restaurant from the street.

"Auntie, I've bought it."

"Let's go upstairs."

Li Qun carried the brown paper bag upstairs to the second floor and took out the items he had bought one by one and put them in the cabinet.

The shops in Chinatown were all having sales, and my aunt certainly wasn't going to miss out on this big sale.

Independence Day Carnival was on the 4th, but the festive atmosphere started on the evening of the 3rd. The restaurant was packed, and there was a constant stream of takeout orders. Li Qun asked his father for leave to help out at the restaurant and didn't rest until 10 p.m.

My uncle and cousin were busy in the kitchen, while Liqun and his aunt were busy outside.

My aunt can remember the faces of every customer and the food they ordered, as well as quickly calculate the bill and give change. Liqun can do the same thing, which makes my aunt feel that they will have a much easier time during the next few important holidays than in previous years.

My uncle and his family run a Chinese restaurant that doesn't close for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even Lunar New Year. The restaurant also provides New Year's Eve dinner during Lunar New Year.

Before going to sleep, Li Qun glanced at his phone. Gwen had called him several times. He checked the time and realized he was busy at the time, probably so busy that he forgot.

"There's a text message."

"Liqun, I was originally planning to spend the holidays with Peter and Aunt May, but I didn't expect you to be so busy, so I thought I'd help you out."

Li Qun pondered how to reply to Gwen's text message.

He wanted to decline Gwen's offer.