The treasure hunters respected Sophie, not only because of Li Du, but also because Sophie took care of them when they went out with them.
For example, before they got on the bus this time, Sophie gave them yogurt and told them to drink more yogurt and less carbonated drinks. Such a long journey was not good for the stomach, and yogurt could regulate the stomach environment.
It was easier to drive with more people, and they would not get tired. It took them just over two hours to travel 250 kilometers.
At sunset, the convoy entered the town.
Fort Davis was really small. Li Du looked at the information and found that there were only about 2,000 households. In his hometown, the village had more people than that.
Although it was small, it had all the essentials. The town was equipped with all kinds of facilities, and there was even a sizable library.
Li Du noticed the library because the hotel they had booked was next to it.
The library was beautiful, and after dropping off their luggage at the hotel, he and Sophie went to have a look.
Like Fort Davis, the library was also a landmark in the area. The building was not much younger than Fort Davis, and it had a history of more than a hundred years. It was an old building with a very aged feel.
There was an introduction at the door of the building. In the early days, it was the location of a commercial organization. Merchants traveling between San Antonio and El Paso would do business here if they had to.
The owner of the house was W. Keely, a celebrity there at the time. Later, it changed hands several times, and finally the local government bought it and built a library on the basis of the original collection.
The library was decorated in a simple and lovely style, with various cartoon patterns on the bookshelves, plush pillows on the sofa, and a piano in the hall.
Sophie showed a little of her talent here. She could not move her legs when she saw the piano, so when she saw Cao Yulin's talent at the Lantern Festival fireworks show, she impulsively bought him a piano.
Li Du saw her staring at the piano, and went to the front desk to ask if she could play.
The woman at the front desk nodded kindly, so Li Du went to lift the lid, and Sophie sat on it and played.
Li Du sat on the sofa at the door. He bought a bottle of milk tea from the self-service machine, drank it, listened to the piano, and occasionally looked up at the bright sunset. It was very comfortable.
The environment in Fort Davis was completely different from that in Phoenix. There were stretches of grassland and towering trees.
There was an acacia tree at the entrance of the library, and there was a bird's nest on it. A large bird flew back, and a few tender beaks stuck out of the nest, arguing for food.
From time to time, there were people with pet dogs passing by on the road in front of them. The pace of life in the small town was very slow. Li Du really felt that the wind had slowed down here, and so had time.
Before she knew it, Sophie had finished playing the piano, and several people had become her audience.
She put down the lid of the zither, and several people applauded her kindly. The lady at the front desk even gave her a small doll and said with a smile, "You played well, child. The evening is beautiful because of the sound of the zither."
Sophie thanked him and said to Li Du, "I like it here."
It was also the first time Li Du had seen such a small western town. He had never been to Texas, but he knew that the people here were tough and the towns were built in a very rough way.
But Fort Davis was different. It felt like one of those Nordic towns he saw on TV.
After strolling around the library, Li Du came out. The treasure hunters were waiting for him to join them for dinner.
There were a lot of restaurants and bars in the town. The local prices were low, and people generally did not work at home. They ate out.
In addition, Fort Davis was also a famous stargazing destination. The McDonald Observatory was here. The surrounding environment was natural, there was no air pollution, and the limit of stargazing could reach 6.5.
Many astronomy enthusiasts and stargazers would drive hundreds of miles to see the celestial bodies. Their presence drove the local tourism industry, so there were a lot of restaurants.
Recently, there would be a spring star gathering, and there were more and more outsiders in the town.
Li Du and the others entered the restaurant, and the waiter arranged a large round table for them. The group sat together, drinking beer and chatting.
As soon as they began to chat, a fat old man next to them turned his head and asked, "Are you here for the star gathering?"
Li Du said, "Sort of. I have the idea."
The old man smiled and said, "If you like the stars, why don't you live here? Then when you are barbecuing in the backyard at night, you can turn your head and see the Milky Way. "
"Yes, our town is beautiful and has good living facilities. It would be nice to live here," someone added.
In other places, it would be taboo to intrude on other people's conversations, but in a small town restaurant, it was normal.
The restaurant here was like a combination of a bar and a restaurant. It was very lively, and everyone was talking and laughing together. It was very natural.
Karl stroked his beard and pointed at the people around him. "You won't welcome us. We're all barbarians, rude and noisy."
The old man said, "It doesn't matter. We were rude and noisy when we were young. To be honest, I still want to be noisy now, but I can't."
Li Du understood why these old people wanted to invite them to settle here. It was not because they liked them, but because the American population was continuing to flow into the cities, and the countryside was becoming less populated.
The population of many towns had decreased so much that they had no choice but to disband and merge several towns. After all, a smaller population meant that there would be less complete infrastructure.
Someone asked where they were from, and Li Du said they were from Phoenix.
"Phoenix is a big city, but there are too many people there. Why do you have to go to a big city? Isn't it nice to stay in town? Isn't it? "
"We have a library here. If you like to read, you won't feel bored for the rest of your life. There's an observatory here, which attracts tourists and brings money. There's Davis Mountains, where young men who like to explore come. And we're not far from the Chihuahuan Desert and Big Bend National Park …"
The treasure hunters laughed and shook their heads. Hans said, "Our hometown is there. Fort Davis is great. It's better than Phoenix, but not as good as our hometown."
The old men smiled and nodded. The fat old man who spoke first raised his glass and said, "Come, let's drink to our hometown."
"Cheers, old friends!" The treasure hunters laughed and began to drink.
One after another, more people arrived at the restaurant. Some of them seemed to be here to attend the starry sky gathering. They drove dusty cars and carried umbrellas, flashlights and other daily necessities with them. Some even took out binoculars to clean after entering the house.
Li Du took a sip of wine and said, "When is this star gathering?"
"In four days."
He nodded and said, "I hope we can find binoculars. I'm a little interested in this opportunity."
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