Volume 5: Competition for Beauty Chapter 07 New York (Part 2)
The gunner quickly unbuckled his seat belt and just opened the car door when the second burning bottle flew over. The gunner jumped up like lightning and kicked the bottle away. Turning around the corner, he saw four or five black men, some holding steel pipes, some holding chains. Two of them were fiddling with the bottles on the ground. After the flying bottle next to them landed on the ground, flames spread out. The gunner didn't say a word and started hitting them hard. Several men fell to the ground without a sound.
When the gun captain returned to the car, Lin Mili was still in a daze, staring at the gun captain with her mouth in an "ah" shape. The gun captain stretched out his hand and waved it in front of her eyes, smiling, "Drive! It will be more troublesome if we don't leave now!" Lin Mili slowly turned her head and looked forward, then quickly turned back to look at the gun captain: "Did you just... just... fly?" The gun captain laughed dumbly and said, "No, I just threw something to hit the bottle to avoid your car from getting into trouble." Lin Mili still looked confused: "Where are those people?" At this time, the commercial vehicle behind honked its horn, and Lin Mili started the car and continued to ask, "Where are those people?"
The gun chief laughed and said, "He ran away!" Lin Mili shook her head. It was too incredible. She had just seen him fly. But how could a person fly? No, no, he must have flown. Thinking of this, she looked at the gun chief again. He was still the same, staring at the front. He had a straight nose and a diamond-shaped mouth. Well, he looked very individual and handsome from the side. The gun chief turned his head and glanced and said, "Drive carefully. I don't want to get into a car accident right after arriving in the United States!"
Lin Mili asked unwillingly: "You really didn't fly just now?" The gun captain blinked his eyes vigorously: "I said why don't you believe it? Think about it, how can a person fly? Drive past here quickly." Lin Mili finally believed in science, and continued driving without saying a word.
The gun captain asked, "How many years have you been in the United States? What major do you study?" Lin Mili answered mechanically, "Three years. I will go back next year. I am at Columbia University, majoring in international trade." The gun captain thought about it and felt that she was not bad. She was alone in the United States and did not look like a rich girl. "You can call me Nick, my English name."
Lin Mili shook off the doubts in her mind. This has always been her strength. She never thinks too much about things she can't figure out and wastes time. "Haha, Nick, this English name is great! We'll be in Chinatown in a few minutes. Do you want to go shopping first or have a meal?"
The gun captain thought for a moment and said, "Let's go eat first. Is there a Sichuan restaurant?" Lin Mili smiled and said, "It's Chinatown, there must be people from all over the place. I also like Sichuan cuisine. Let's eat first?" The gun captain nodded, and the two stopped talking. The gun captain looked at the street scenery. It was winter now, and the temperature had risen recently. The snow on the street had melted, and it was constantly being swept by people, making it look clean and fresh. From time to time, some strange sculptures appeared on the street, which confused the gun captain. The Americans were really capable of making trouble.
Chinatown is located in the western part of Chatham Square. The main street is Muth Street, which has various art galleries and exhibition halls, the main one being a Chinese museum.
Under the guidance of Lin Mili, they found a Sichuan hot pot restaurant with big red lanterns. There were exactly ten people sharing a table. The gun commander was extremely happy and ordered five bottles of Wuliangye. In less than ten minutes, all kinds of colorful side dishes were served. The gun commander specifically asked for a spicy hot pot base. The restaurant owner introduced that this was a hot pot made with the best beef bone soup, plus chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns airlifted from Sichuan. Looking at the steaming and red soup noodles, the gun commander shouted, "Comrades, let's eat!"
Lin Mili was very elegant, eating light vegetables all the time, but the foreigner was done, holding chopsticks like Sun Wukong. If the pot wasn't too hot, he would probably have started to fight. When he was with the gun captain and others, there was no need to talk or make noise while eating. But none of Tian Wu and others were well-mannered. They drank and ate in big gulps. The gun captain saw that the foreigner was a little anxious, so he said to him, "Put your fork in the pot!"
The foreigner was still wearing a brand new work suit and a hat. According to regulations, he could not eat with the guests, but Tian Wu didn't care. The two of them couldn't convince him anyway, and the foreigner couldn't get away with it, so he was dragged in. However, he didn't dare to drink. Although he saw that the gun captain and the others were drinking happily, he still had to order a glass of juice as part of his duty!
The gun commander's forehead was covered with sweat. He said to the foreigner, "What's your name?" The foreigner said, "Hart." The gun commander pointed to the pot and said to him, "Dear Hart, this is the best food we Chinese people have!" Hart also nodded and said, "Yes, yes, I saw it. So many dishes are cooked in it. I like this feeling very much. It's simply great." After that, he stretched out his fork, grabbed a piece of meat, blew it twice and put it in his mouth. After about three seconds, he looked at the gun commander with a flushed face, then picked up the fruit juice and drank it violently, tears and snot streaming down his face. He put down the juice and screamed, "Oh, God! Oh my God, what is this? It's too spicy!" The gun commander laughed and said, "Hart, this is the food that even God likes to eat, isn't it?" Hart shook his head and shouted, "No, no, God will not eat this kind of thing. Oh my God, Chinese people are so weird."
The gun captain said to the waiter in the restaurant, "Give our American friend Mr. Hart his favorite food. Chinese hot pot has rejected his enthusiasm. Dear Hart, tell him what he wants to eat."
After finishing the meal, it was already nine o'clock local time, and it would take another two hours to go back. The gun captain felt very depressed. It took four hours to go back and forth for a meal. What a crappy place. Lin Mili lived in a community not far from Chinatown. After saying goodbye to her, the gun captain got on the business car and chatted and laughed with everyone all the way back. Hart kept talking about hot pot along the way.
The next day, it was a rare sunny day. The morning sun shone brightly on the gun captain's eyelids. He didn't like to draw the curtains when he slept. He stretched himself and jumped up. He looked at the clock in the room. It was already 7:30. The gun captain opened the door and shouted, "Get up! It's 7:30 in New York, USA! Meet in 20 minutes!"
This roar immediately made the other three people's heads buzz, and they got up reluctantly. Xiao Wu just put on his clothes and went to knock on the door of Tian Dawu and others, but they were already dressed.
At ten minutes before eight, Lin Mili and seven translators in dark suits reported to the chief. The chief wore a blue casual suit and a pair of big leather shoes. Lin Mili smiled. She rarely wore a bright blue suit and her glasses had a blue frame. The chief greeted her and said to the seven people in the room, "Listen to their advice, protect their safety, and it's up to you to treat them to dinner."
He smiled and said to the seven translators: "I'm sorry, your first task is to take them to exchange US dollars, and then use seven days to visit all the famous sights in New York." None of these seven can compare to Lin Mili. In China, you can find a lot of her on the streets.
After everyone had introduced themselves to each other, the gun captain asked them to pair up as they pleased, then went downstairs to have breakfast, and then asked the hotel to arrange a luxury minibus. Lin Mili then stayed to accompany the gun captain to handle business.
Sitting in the captain's car again, the captain said with a smile: "The fuel consumption of your car is mine. I'll give you an extra hundred dollars a day. Haha, don't be polite. This is a reward from the boss." Lin Mili did not refuse. It was the captain's responsibility.
"Where do you plan to start today?" Lin Mili asked. The gun captain thought for a moment and said, "Let's first learn about the green card application process."
Lin Mili smiled and said, "You want to apply now? Haha, it may not be easy. The laws of each state in the United States have their own set of regulations for immigration. New York's population is growing, and immigration management is now stricter. It's even a bit ridiculous. For example, a doctoral student working in the United States may not be able to apply for a green card, but an old lady who can cut paper and embroider can! Its purpose is as long as it is beneficial to the United States. Well, but you teach Chinese martial arts, which should be an advantage. Do you want to go to the Immigration Bureau to learn about the situation in this regard?"
The gun chief didn't care about these. He was concerned about the location of the immigration office, what procedures were required, and who had time to apply slowly? Once we found the place, we could go and get the green card tonight. What's the difficulty? The gun chief smiled and said, "Let's go and check the procedures first."
The Immigration Bureau was not far from the hotel where they stayed, only half an hour's drive away. Lin Mili led the chief of staff in. There was a digital screen in the lobby with information about the work flow and required procedures of the Immigration Bureau. The chief of staff quickly browsed through it and had an idea in his mind. When he walked to the consultation desk, the chief of staff smiled at Lin Mili and said, "Can you go back to the car and wait for me?" Lin Mili looked at the chief of staff strangely.
The gun captain smiled and said, "Forgot? I can speak English! I have some personal matters that I need to consult in detail." Lin Mili exclaimed, "I see, I'll go back to the car and wait for you." After Lin Mili left, the gun captain went forward. He was greeted by a middle-aged woman with a fat upper body and thin legs, which made her look seriously out of proportion. She had heavy makeup on her face, but she was very kind and friendly: "What can I do for you?"
The gun master said with a smile: "Madam, I want to consult about the green card. You know I am from far away China." The woman laughed and said: "Welcome, Chinese friend, please call me Mary!" The gun master said: "Hello Mary, you are the most beautiful American woman I have ever seen! My name is Nick." Mary's chubby face almost squeezed off the foundation, and she said to the gun master happily: "Nick, you are really good at talking, and you are also the cutest Chinese man I have ever seen."
The gunner said, "It's like this. I'm a local official from China. I came to the United States to study. But you have to know that there are many things in the United States that are worth learning. For example, your immigration management is excellent, it's simply world-class. I'm very curious about this, so I have a request. Beautiful Mary, you must help me!"
Mary said happily, "Tell me, Nick, what can I do for you?" The gunner smiled and said, "I want to see your green card application process. Will this cause you any trouble?" Mary shook her head and smiled, "Of course not! It's just a small matter. Wait for me for a moment, I'll take you there right away."
After a while, Mary brought a black-haired American youth to the gun captain and said, "This is York, who is in charge of green card management, and this is Nick from China. Nick, I have already talked to York, and he is very happy to communicate with you." York was short, with a pair of very charming blue eyes, not very white skin, but with a very big nose on his face. The gun captain stretched out his hand to shake hands with York, and said with a smile, "I am very happy to meet you, please don't mind the inconvenience." York seemed a little introverted, just smiled shyly, and Mary laughed and said, "York is a good guy, just shy."
After saying goodbye to Mary, the gun captain followed York into the elevator, where York introduced the gun captain: "First, we will conduct a detailed investigation of the applicant's background, family situation and personal ability. Then, if we feel that they can be allowed to become U.S. citizens after assessment, we will create a detailed file, which is mainly managed by computer and shared with the police station, bank, and municipal departments. Then we will start issuing green cards. This is the whole process. The most troublesome part is the review. If the applicant's skills are not available in the United States, then his application will be approved quickly. If the applicant's skills are very common in the United States and may cause unemployment, then we will not consider approving it."
The spear chief smiled and exclaimed: "It seems that the United States is indeed the best country in the world. Just look at your work and you will know that. In China, the household registration management is very chaotic. The ID card and the household registration do not match. In addition, China is a country with a large population, which makes this even more difficult! Your computers use the internal network, right?"
York smiled and said, "Yes, the information we input here will be transmitted to the National Immigration Bureau via the Internet, and those who pass the review will basically get it in just fifteen minutes."
The gun master's mind moved, I might as well ask, if I can get the application through formal channels, wouldn't it be better? "I would like to ask, if it is to teach Chinese martial arts, such as Tai Chi, have you heard of Tai Chi?" As he said this, he gestured twice with his hands, squatting in a horse stance and drawing a circle, and smiled happily, "I have seen it, Chinese aerobics, very interesting, there are very few in New York at present, if such a person comes to apply, as long as the examination is true, he will definitely pass!"
The gun master asked, "How long does it take from applying to receiving a green card?" Yokmer calculated and said to the gun master, "It may take a month! You know there are too many things to do here. Thousands of people apply every day. This is a very tedious job."
The gun captain nodded and gave up the idea of taking the legal route. I am only suitable for being a thief! On the twelfth floor, York led the gun captain and began to introduce everything one by one. At the beginning, the gun captain was not interested and just looked through the basic format and their writing habits. Finally, they came to the computer. The gun captain watched York demonstrate it once and pretended to be very impressed and said: "Your technology is too powerful. If we in China also have such equipment and management procedures, how great it would be!" York couldn't help but feel a little proud. He created a virtual document and operated it from beginning to end for the gun captain.
The gun captain had already scolded York in his heart, saying that he was stupid except for his eyes. Americans seem to like compliments very much, isn't it just flattery? No wonder Chen Fanglan said that if he could make the Americans happy, he would kill people! Finally, it was the green card issuing place. After entering the computer, you must come here to receive it. The green card issuance is on the second floor. Following York downstairs, the gun captain didn't want to watch anymore, thinking: Tomorrow, I will be a compatriot with you!
Lin Mili was bored and listening to English songs in the car. When she saw the gun captain coming out with a happy face, Lin Mili smiled and said, "Is everything going well?" The gun captain made a V sign and said to Lin Mili, "How is it? Do you plan to stay in the United States? If you want to stay in the United States, I will help you apply for it."
Lin Mili laughed and said, "Stop it, are you kidding me? I have applied for two or three years and never got approved. What's so good about America? The rich are filthy rich, and the poor are pathetic. It's better to go back to Taiwan. Are you going to Taiwan?" The gun captain shook his head and said, "I haven't been there, but I will go there sooner or later. I won't go abroad, but travel domestically!"
Lin Mili didn't like to talk to the gun captain about this. She had been in the United States for three years and, like many Americans, didn't care about politics. The two looked at the time and it was still early. The gun captain asked, "Are all the rich people in New York concentrated in the high-end residential areas of Manhattan?" Lin Mili smiled and said, "Some of them, but the real rich people all buy villas or manors in Long Island. The housing prices in New York may be the highest in the world. In the Manhattan area, you may not be able to buy it even if you have money. You also need status and position." The gun captain thought, why buy such a luxurious house? I don't plan to live in the United States for a long time. I will go back after I finish my business.
"Then take me to the buildings . Don't get too close to those chaotic neighborhoods. Sigh, I really witnessed the other side of the prosperous world last night."
Lin Mili looked at the length of the gun. She was wondering how much money this man had. He didn't look very well dressed, and he didn't have any branded things on his body. He didn't even have a watch or a phone. Yet he wanted to buy a house in New York. It seemed like he was a man of few words.
The two of them changed their route and, under the guidance of Lin Mili, found a real estate agency. Lin Mili couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. To be honest, although she had been in the United States for three years and had lived in New York for three years, it was still a headache for her to deal with these market conditions that she didn't usually care about. She had seen this real estate agency in the newspaper and remembered its address, otherwise she would have called for help.
The person who received them was a middle-aged man named Hilldro. He spoke very quickly, had brown hair, was about 1.8 meters tall, had a muscular body, and wore a well-fitting suit. The gun captain looked dwarfed in front of him. After learning about the gun captain's request, Hilldro smiled and said, "Among all the immigrants in New York, only the Chinese have the highest housing rate, which means that the Chinese have bought the most houses among the foreign population. Haha, this is very admirable! I understand Mr. Nick's request. I happen to have an apartment. You know, the most important thing in New York is the view. The view of a house is a symbol of status."
The gunner didn't have much requirements for his identity, but he didn't want to stay in the hotel for a long time and attract attention. "Mr. Hilderro, I guess you are Italian."
"Yes, yes, Mr. Nick has a very good eye. My father is from Rome, Italy. I was born in the United States, but I am of Italian descent. Haha, Mr. Nick, would you like to go with me to see the house first?"
The gunner smiled and said, "Mr. Hilde, this house must be big enough for eight people. We have eight brothers in total. In China, according to tradition, everyone lives together. This is also my minimum requirement! If not, I would rather buy another one. You know that Chinese people always attach great importance to houses!"
Hildelu nodded and smiled, "I understand, and I am very willing to serve you. Oh, by the way, what did I do? Here, here is the main situation of the house, as well as the panoramic view and photos inside the house. I am really sorry, I have been making mistakes recently, I hope you can forgive me!"
After the gun captain comforted her with a few words, he and Lin Mili went to see the main features of the house. The house was located on the west bank of the Hudson River, opposite the famous Columbia University and Riverside Church, and three kilometers away from North Hudson Park. The house was actually what Chinese real estate developers called a villa, covering an area of more than 300 square meters. It was designed to be three-story, but actually had four floors. There was a small garden and green lawn in front of the house. The house was a European-style building with a total of eleven rooms, all with bathrooms. The living room and dining room were on the first floor, and the second floor was a leisure room, entertainment room, and fitness room with two large luxuriously decorated bedrooms. There were seven rooms on the third floor, and the fourth floor had a super large balcony, two rooms and a study, as well as a storage room in a small attic.
The gunner liked it at first sight. He didn't care whether he could live there for a long time. At least he liked the design and location of this house. "Mr. Hildero, this house is really great. This apartment is definitely a rare beautiful home in New York."
Hildero said with a smile: "Sir, you have a good eye. Shall we go and have a look?" The spearman said with a smile: "Look, we Chinese are very stingy. I want to ask you about the price of this house first. Otherwise, if I ask you to follow me and find it too expensive, wouldn't it be very troublesome?"
Hilde Luo bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Nick, you are definitely a gentleman. You know we are an intermediary. The price is set by the employer and we just take a certain commission. Wait a moment, I will show you the price left by the owner."
The gunner turned to look at Lin Mili, thought for a while and asked, "Mili, will he raise the price?" Lin Mili shook her head and said, "No, Americans' business activities are always trustworthy. Since they are entrusted, they will not profit from it. If they do this and are discovered by the owner, they will be sued and have to compensate the other party for the loss. The money they lose may be more than the house itself."
The gun captain appreciated this very much. It was good this way, as it would save him from being ripped off by the Americans, which would not be worth it. Although he would have to get it back from them in the end, it was better not to suffer a loss. After all, there were very few people who believed that suffering a loss was a blessing. In fact, he was not afraid of suffering a loss, but he was afraid of being sold out by others and having to help them count the money. That would be too embarrassing.
Hilde Luo handed the price left by the owner to the gun captain: 1.4 million US dollars! The gun captain took a breath of cold air. It was more than 10 million RMB. However, when he thought of the villa he bought in Province Y, he realized that the price was not too high. It was only more than 10 million RMB. The gun captain smiled at Hilde Luo and said, "Can you contact the owner and ask him to lower the price a little bit? To be honest, I like this house very much, but if I buy it at this price, I will probably have to eat dry bread for half a year." Hilde Luo couldn't help laughing when he heard what the gun captain said, "Of course, this price is not something that those fat guys don't care about. Anyone will be afraid. I will contact you right away and hope to get the information you want."
The two continued to wait. About ten minutes later, Hilde returned with a beaming smile on his face. He said to the gun captain happily, "Mr. Nick, you are so lucky. Really, God is taking care of you! The owner's family has moved to New Orleans, and his business has run into some trouble. He heard that you like this house very much, and he hopes you can take good care of it. He gave this house a beautiful name, called the Angel's Silver Bed, and is willing to make friends with you. He has lowered the price by 50,000 US dollars! Now it is 1.35 million. As a friend, I advise you to buy it immediately. There will never be such a good thing again. Really, really, I have been a real estate agent for so many years, and this is the first time I have encountered such a pleasant transaction!" The gun captain also laughed and said, "Of course, this is an extremely pleasant transaction! Let's go and see the house now. I hope to invite my friend Mr. Hilde to my house in a few days to express my respect for him!"
The two laughed at each other, hugged each other, and then went to the "Angel's Silver Bed" together. The gun captain was very happy: Angel's Silver Bed? Haha, this name is really perfect. Women are my angels. When they get on my bed, of course they have to be very lustful. Yes, good, Angel's Lustful Bed! Thinking in his heart, his eyes couldn't help but glance at Lin Mili. Should I treat her as the first angel?
