America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"Okay, as long as you don't use the excuse of saving the world to fob us off next time."

"What's the important matter today?" Li Qun asked.

“I’ve decided to buy a car, and Peter and I asked you to go look at cars with us, but you didn’t answer the phone,” Gwen said.

"Has the car been bought?"

"Just a little bit short."

"What do you mean by 'almost'?" Li Qun asked.

“Peter took a liking to a DeLorean DMC-12, the one from the movie Back to the Future, and he strongly recommended it to me. I said there were only two seats in the car, but there were three of us.”

"And it's too expensive."

Li Qun feels it's still a matter of price. If the car is priced right, Gwen would probably want to buy it too. The DeLorean DMC-12 sports car is the prototype car for the time machine in "Back to the Future" and has very iconic gull-wing doors.

From its founding to its closure, DeLorean only produced one model, the DeLorean DMC-12. When it was first released in 1981, it was priced at $25,000. Production ceased in 1984, making it an extremely rare car.

“We’ll come to see you tomorrow, you don’t need to answer the phone,” Gwen said into the phone.

“We need our parents to accompany us, right? After all, we are all minors,” Li Qun said.

"My dad came with us."

"His promotion exam is over, and he secretly told me that it's been internally confirmed that he'll be promoted to inspector. He took the opportunity to apply for leave, planning to spend the summer with me," Gwen said.

"This is wonderful."

"How long is his vacation?" Li Qun asked.

“He rarely takes leave. All his vacation days are piled up to about a month, but it’s less than a month in total.”

“My dad said he wanted to take me on vacation, but I don’t want to go anywhere else. I just want to stay at home.”

"He also said he wanted to teach me to drive, and I agreed to that."

“Dad’s grueling training is really intense; I even dream about practicing driving,” Gwen said.

“Where is the devil? Aren’t these all normal training methods?” Li Qun said.

“Gwen, practice parallel parking 20 times. When you get home, find a flowerpot and work up your arm strength…” Gwen imitated her father’s tone of voice, which made Liqun laugh.

“I’m smart, I can remember how to do it,” Gwen said.

"Do you remember what your dad said on the first day he taught you to drive? Driving isn't about who's smarter."

"I remember."

“Okay, go call Peter. Tell him we need the best value used car, not one he can use to impress Mary Jane,” Gwen said.

"I'll remind him. (Bang)"

Li Qun pulled out Peter's phone number from her phone's address book, a smile playing on her lips.

It's so nice to chat with friends. I wish I could chat every day.

Li Qun called Peter, and Peter answered the phone at lightning speed.

"This is Liqun, Peter. How's the weather today?"

“It’s a sunny day, and the outdoor temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s very hot,” Peter replied. Li Qun could tell that Peter was smiling.

"I bet you're standing by the window right now, peeking at Mary Jane next door."

"How did you know? Li Qun, were you spying on me?" Peter's tone was somewhat flustered.

“Don’t act like an idiot, Peter. I can guess your usual behavior patterns with my toes.”

"Have you made any progress?" Li Qun asked Peter.

"What progress?"

"Pursuing Mary Jane."

"Not for now."

“Mary Jane has a part-time job, and I rarely see her at home during the day.”

"Where are you doing part-time work? Have you thought about it? Part-time work should be a good starting point. You might also look for the same part-time job, so you can work together and have more opportunities."

“Of course I thought of that. But Mary Jane works part-time at her father’s theater in Leeds, so I didn’t have the chance,” Peter replied.

"Well, things don't always go as planned."

“Actually, I have an idea, which is to go see a play and bump into Mary Jane,” Peter said. “But if I go alone, my purpose will be too obvious.”

“Wow, Peter, do you think only Gwen and I know that you like Mary Jane?” Liqun asked.

"..."

"Want to go to the theater?" Peter asked Liqun.

"Can you afford the theater ticket?" Li Qun asked.

“I can write Gwen an IOU, and I’ll pay her back slowly later,” Peter said.

“Peter, you’re really bewitched by Mary Jane,” Li Qun exclaimed.

"Liqun, you don't understand what it feels like to fall in love with someone."

"If one day you fall in love with someone like I did, you'll understand."

"I see."

Peter Parker's infatuation with Mary Jane is not only a stereotype, but also a real thing that happened around Li Qun.

“I have things to do tomorrow, Peter. I’ve talked to you too much about Mary Jane.”

“I remember Gwen buying the car,” Peter said.

"But you seem to have some problems lately."

Why didn't you answer the phone immediately?

“…Peter, let me explain. It’s like this: my father taught me meditation. During meditation, my consciousness is completely detached from the real world. I don’t know what’s happening in the real world. I’m sorry, this wasn’t my intention.” Li Qun’s tone was sincere.

"Meditation? Is it really that magical?"

Peter became curious. Unlike Gwen, he wasn't too concerned that Li Qun wasn't answering his calls. He just wanted Li Qun to be alive and call back. The friendship between the boys was exceptionally strong.

“Hey, maybe I can give you a surprise when you graduate high school,” Li Qun said to Peter.

"High school graduation?"

"Maybe we shouldn't have any surprises? Gwen's plan to restore the discus thrower's glory is already enough to surprise the whole school," Peter said worriedly.

“It’s not the same thing. I also hope you can give us a surprise in two years,” Li Qun said.

"A surprise... a graduation gift? I understand what you mean."

"Are you free on Friday?" Peter asked.

"Friday? You're planning to go to a Broadway show on Friday?"

Is the timing right?

"But tickets might be in short supply, and many people choose Fridays, as weekends are even more crowded. In fact, there's never a day when Broadway is quiet; it's a very popular tourist attraction in New York."

“I’ll try first. If I really can’t get tickets, I’ll have to ask you for help, Liqun,” Peter said.

"Please ask me?"

"You want me to go find Liz?"

“Liz and Mary Jane both work part-time at the theater. If you mention it, we might be able to get insider tickets. And front-row seats too,” Peter said.

"Peter, you must succeed in getting the tickets. God bless you."

After hanging up the phone with Peter, Li Qun had had enough of the wind on the rooftop.

The urban heat island effect is particularly pronounced in New York, where the winds blowing in at night are hot.

Liqun and his father watched the weather forecast on TV. The forecast said that the high temperature would reach 34 degrees Celsius tomorrow, and that there would even be high temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in August.

"Dad, Gwen is going to buy a car tomorrow, and Gwen's dad is going too. Would you like to come with us to take a look?"

“Liqun, when you go out with Gwen, Peter will definitely be with you, right?” the old man asked.

Liqun nodded; the group activities of the three of them had become his father's stereotype of them.

"Do you want your dad and the five of you to squeeze into the car and go out in temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius? Don't even think about it."

Chapter 3 A Day with George Stacy

The first-generation Ford Explorer SUV stopped in front of my dad's pawn shop; it was one of the most popular models in America in recent years.

George Stacy pulled the handbrake, and the three people in the car got out one by one.

George was even happier than Gwen when he took his daughter to look at cars today. Wearing sunglasses and with a big smile, he pushed open the door and walked into his dad's shop.

When he saw his father walking towards them, George went up and gave him a hug.

"Jack, how are you feeling?" George asked.

“Very good,” Dad replied with a smile.

George released his father, who turned around and exhaled, making sure no one noticed his little action.

Dad doesn't like going out, for reasons similar to Liqun's: Dad isn't used to strong body odor or perfume from other races.

"Liqun, we have to go."

George called out to the stairs, "Liqun is still upstairs."

"He's in the bathroom," Dad explained with a smile.

"I am coming."

Li Qun came down the old wooden stairs, shook the water droplets off his hands, and then wiped his hands on his pants.

He washed his hands after using the toilet.

"Leon, you've grown taller."

George put his arm around Li Qun's shoulder.