America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"Gwen, thank you for your kindness, but your help might backfire."

Li Qun sent the text message and received a reply very quickly.

Okay, not helping is the best form of help.

Goodnight, sweet dreams. - Liqun

This time, there was no reply, so Liqun put down her phone and went to sleep.

At 5 a.m. on July 4th, Li Qun's biological clock made him open his eyes on time, get up, wash up, and then go to his father's rooftop to practice martial arts with his father.

"Dad, don't you have any promotional activities at your store?" Li Qun asked curiously.

“My pawnshop only buys low and sells high; I never do business at a loss,” the old man replied.

"If there are no customers, will the things in the shop just continue to sit there collecting dust?"

"Yes."

“There must be some things that have gone bad, right?” Li Qun said.

“I won’t accept anything that will spoil. Haven’t you noticed that you’re cleaning the shop for me all day?” The old man smiled at Liqun.

"Is that right?"

"Think about it carefully."

"What about the old books?" Li Qun asked.

"The books themselves are not important; what's important is memorizing their contents."

“Some people remember what’s in those books, so it’s not a pity if they get old and broken,” the old man said.

"So, Dad, you mean knowledge is immortal."

"You said that yourself."

Three hours later, the morning's exercise was over. Li Qun and his father went downstairs. Just as Li Qun was about to go back, his father suddenly called out to him.

"Soon I won't have anything left to teach you, and I'll have to find you a new teacher," Dad said.

“Dad, but I feel like there’s still so much I haven’t learned,” Li Qun said.

"You've learned it, you just lack the opportunity to use it," Dad said.

"Do you want to meet the new teacher?" Dad asked.

"...If you've made up your mind, bring the gourd I gave you and tell me."

Chapter 74 Give Me the Golden Cudgel

The television in the Chinese restaurant was broadcasting live the celebrations of American Independence Day, with millions crowding the streets and the red, white, and blue colors that make up the American flag visible everywhere.

The fireworks display starts during the day. Aside from high-rise restaurants and rooftop gardens, Manhattan, with its towering skyscrapers, isn't a great place to watch the fireworks. Instead, places further away, like Queens, offer a better view.

The restaurant saw off wave after wave of customers, and after seeing off the last table of customers at 9:30 p.m., Auntie hung up the sign that the restaurant was closed.

Liqun and her aunt were calculating today's accounts, while her uncle and cousin were washing dishes in the kitchen. After they finished calculating the accounts, Liqun and her aunt also went to help wash the dishes.

The kitchen was piled high with dishes, and the family silently finished washing them.

After a busy day, Li Qun and his cousin each earned $20.

$20 is the normal wage for restaurant workers in New York. Auntie did not make Li Qun and her cousin work for free just because they were family.

"Liqun, we're closed for the day after tomorrow. Would you like to go to the shooting range with your aunt?"

"Auntie, I thought the restaurant was open all year round," Li Qun said with a smile.

“We’re just postponing our holiday by a few days. Besides, why would we celebrate Americans’ holidays? Are we going to help them celebrate?” Auntie said.

"What about Shuangxi? Is he going to the shooting range too?" Liqun asked.

“Don’t take him. He’ll go with your uncle.”

Uncle, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, lay on the sofa like a burnt-out Yabuki Takeru, watching the news on TV. Shuangxi held up the $20 note he had earned, examining it under the light.

"Shuangxi is only 15 years old; he can't even get through the shooting range gate," his uncle said softly from the side.

"Uncle, are you and Shuangxi at home?" Liqun asked.

"I took him fishing, and he loved it." The uncle smiled and made a casting motion.

"I'm going to sleep now."

"have a good rest."

After washing up, Li Qun returned to his bedroom. He first turned on his computer, logged onto the Dianping (大众点评) website, and clicked on the review page of his uncle's restaurant to read netizens' comments.

There were only about thirty historical reviews, but five new ones have been added in the last two days, raising the rating from 3.3 to 3.7. The increased positive reviews have boosted the rating.

During holidays, most families who bring their families to their uncle's Chinese restaurant are middle-class families, and these families have already started using computers.

After reading the new comments, Li Qun understood why he was so busy, and he fulfilled the service requests of these customers.

After turning off the computer, Liqun lay down on the bed and picked up her phone to check again.

There are no missed calls or unread text messages on my phone today.

Li Qun decided to share with Peter that his aunt was taking him to the shooting range the day after tomorrow, and sent out two text messages.

Peter, Li Qun, and Gwen all have cell phones. Peter and Li Qun bought their phones with money from Gwen's lottery winnings.

Li Qun played Snake on his phone for a while, but neither Peter nor Gwen replied to his text messages. After Snake committed suicide, Li Qun put down his phone and went to sleep.

After a noisy day, Li Qun felt the sounds of the diners still echoing in his mind after he closed his eyes, and he couldn't calm down for a long time.

On July 5th, Li Qun woke up and saw the wine gourd on the bookshelf when he got up. He remembered that his father had told him to take the gourd to find him.

Wanting to improve his kung fu under the guidance of a new teacher, there was no reason to hesitate. Li Qun hung the wine gourd on his waist and went upstairs to find his father.

Li Qun has the key to the old man's shop door, as well as the key to the main entrance and the side entrance in the alley.

When Liqun arrived at his father's place, his father was washing his face.

Seeing the gourd hanging from Li Qun's waist, the old man nodded to Li Qun with great satisfaction.

The old man hung up the towel, poured out the water from washing his face, and said to Liqun, "Go downstairs."

When they reached the staff stand, the old man gestured for Liqun to pick up the golden cudgel from the stand.

Liqun stretched out his right hand, wanting to grab the golden cudgel with one hand, but his father shook his head.

Noticing his father's actions, Liqun changed to using both hands to pick up the golden cudgel, and his father nodded in satisfaction.

There was nothing on top of the staff stand, and Li Qun easily lifted the golden cudgel with a little force from both hands.

“I picked it up,” the old man laughed.

"Do you think someone else can't pick it up?"

The old man shook his head.

If someone has the strength to lift the Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff weighing 13,500 jin), then of course they can do it too.

Li Qun was chosen by the Golden Cudgel, so now Li Qun can pick up the Golden Cudgel.

"Give me the stick, and come with me to the rooftop."

Liqun handed the golden cudgel to his father, who then took it with one hand and walked to the rooftop.

The two stood in the center of the rooftop, and Li Qun looked at his father with a puzzled expression.

Could his new teacher be this stick?

"Are you steady on your feet?"

"Stand firm."

Li Qun's feet are shoulder-width apart.

"very good."

As the old man took a step forward, he raised the Ruyi Jingu Bang high and struck Li Qun in the chest.

Li Qun felt himself being thrown out, and he also saw another version of himself flying backwards.

It seems like his soul left his body after being beaten by his father!

The scene before him changed rapidly, and the bizarre and surreal sight caused Li Qun to lose consciousness.

Li Qun collapsed onto the rooftop, the golden cudgel nestled in his arms. His father looked at Li Qun lying on the ground with a smile.

Have a pleasant journey.

……

……

"call!!"

Li Qun gasped for breath and suddenly sat up from the ground.

Where am I?

The air was incredibly fresh, like being back in China.

With the golden cudgel in Li Qun's arms, Li Qun used it as a crutch to stand up from the ground.

Li Qun flicked the dark gold iron rod in his hand with his finger, the sound somewhat muffled.

"It's really nice to be in the mountains," Li Qun comforted herself.

"What happened? Did Dad knock me out and dump me in the mountains? I've been unconscious for days?"

Li Qun stood at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the mountain, where he could vaguely see pavilions and terraces among the forest.

"I'm home?"

"There could not be such a building in America."

Li Qun smiled, tears streaming down her face.

The ground beneath my feet is covered with blue bricks, but weeds and fallen leaves have obscured its original appearance, making it look somewhat desolate.

Liqun found the stone steps leading up the mountain and, carrying his golden cudgel, walked through the forest towards the mountainside.