Walking on the road, everything was new to Mr. Li.
There were bodybuilders with strong muscles, teenagers playing basketball, snake charmers in Speedo swimsuits, and Sikh minstrels rollerblading. The beach was very busy.
As they walked, they gradually moved away from the coast and away from the hustle and bustle. The environment began to become quiet.
The town was modeled after a water city, with a complicated canal in Venice.
Unlike the water city, the town's waterways were man-made. As the saying went, "Venice cannot be built without water." To recreate the Italian water city, the town had put in a lot of effort to bring seawater into the city's man-made waterways.
Li Du walked leisurely on the gravel road, next to the canal, which still preserved the early days of Venice. Boatmen rocked small gondolas, quietly shuttling tourists along the man-made waterways.
America was a melting pot of immigrants. Most of the people working here were Italian citizens. Listening to the fluent Italian, it was easy to misunderstand that one was in a water city.
Palm trees lined both sides of the river. Hidden among the palm trees, there were boutique hotels, cafes, yoga studios, and art galleries. There were also antique shops and pawnshops.
These shops had the logo of the Association of Treasure Hunters, which meant that workers in this industry were welcome.
Li Du resisted his curiosity and did not go in. He wanted a vacation and did not want to touch anything related to work.
Some seagulls and waterfowl stayed in the river, and someone sat on a bench nearby and threw pieces of bread to the birds.
Li Du also sat on the bench. He first called his parents and told them that he was doing well. Then, he transferred 50,000 dollars to them.
Li Du's parents were very happy that their son could make money in a foreign country, and a lot of it at that.
However, Li Du's mother loved her son and said, "Xiao Du, don't only tell us the good news. Tell us the truth. If there's anything wrong in America, just tell us."
Li Du laughed. "I'm really doing well here. I even have a cat and a raccoon as pets. You and Dad can live a good life at home."
Just before hanging up, Li Du's mother thought for a while and said, "Xiao Du, are you going home this New Year?"
Last New Year, when his school was closed down, he was upset and had many things to do, so he did not go home for the New Year.
Hearing the longing in his mother's voice, Li Du said solemnly, "Of course, Mom. Don't worry, I'll definitely go back for the New Year!"
With this promise, Li Du's mother beamed with joy at home.
He hung up the phone, and a Mandarin voice with a strong southern accent rang out. "Young man, are you here to study in America?"
Li Du turned around and saw an old Chinese man with a cane smiling at him.
So he smiled and said, "Yes, I came here to study, but now I'm working. What about you? Are you an old immigrant? "
The old man smiled as he came over and sat down. "Yes, I'm an old immigrant. When the mainland fell in 1949, I followed my elders to America. I've been living here all my life!"
As soon as Li Du heard it, he knew that the old man's family background was closely related to the Kuomintang. Otherwise, he would not have said something like 'the mainland has fallen.'
He avoided the topic and asked politely, "How do you feel after coming to the United States?"
The old man knocked on the gravel road with his walking stick. A nostalgic expression appeared on his wrinkled face. "How do you feel? Although Liang Garden is nice, it is not a good place to stay for long. "
Li Du said, "If you want to go back to your hometown, it's not a problem now. The country's policies are still very liberal."
The old man laughed bitterly and said, "How can there be a hometown? I've been back, and the people I knew are gone. The scenery has changed, and the whole village has been flattened and replaced with buildings. "
As he spoke, he shook his head. "Now I can only comfort myself by saying that the place where my family is is my hometown. Actually, living in a barren land with evil spirits — I'm sorry, young man, I'm having an old habit of nagging you."
Li Du said politely, "No, I understand how you feel, but I think your family and children are here. It's not bad to be with your family, right?"
As he said this, he laughed at himself.
He did not need his comfort. Even if he missed his hometown, at least he was with his family. What about him? He was separated from his family and friends.
Gondolas traveled back and forth along the river. Many tourists were singing and laughing, and birds were flying in flocks on the water surface. It looked very lively.
However, the more lively it was, the more Li Du missed his parents.
Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles, who were playing with each other, noticed the change in his mood. They immediately ran over and snuggled into his arms. Ah Meow licked his chin with his tongue and meowed repeatedly.
At this time, the sun was already setting, and the red glow of the sunset appeared on the horizon. The sun shone on the surface of the river, illuminating it with a fiery red glow.
Li Du and the old man did not introduce themselves. They just sat together and chatted. When the sun set, they waved goodbye and parted.
When Li Du returned, Hans and the others were excitedly going out to the bar and asked if he wanted to go with them.
He was still feeling a little down, so he shook his head and said, "You guys are really energetic. I'm a little sleepy, I'm going back to sleep."
Hans said, "We have to get high at night. We're in the City of Angels! If you want to sleep, there's plenty of time tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll go to Long Beach, to the Sunshine Coast to bask in the sun and watch the beauties sleep! "
Li Du said, "Then I have to rest and recharge. You guys go ahead and have fun. Put it on my tab tonight!"
When he returned to his room, he opened the window and looked at the river not far away. He turned on his phone and started to contact his old classmates and friends.
Some of his university classmates were also studying in the United States. However, Mr. Li was a man of pride. After the school was closed down, he did not contact his classmates and friends.
After chatting with the homesick old man that day, he realized something and started to contact his friends and classmates again.
Of course, the main reason was that he was doing well now. He had earned 150,000 dollars from the auction, and he had four to five million dollars worth of luxury watches and five to six million dollars in cash. He unconsciously felt confident.
His classmates had a chat group, which was also used overseas.
There was a time difference between the United States and China. Los Angeles used the West Coast time zone, which was 15 to 16 hours slower than Beijing time. Therefore, it was evening here, and it was noon in China. His classmates were all there.
As soon as he appeared in the group, he only sent a greeting emoji, and the group suddenly exploded.
Yu Wenjie: [Shocked]. Damn, it's you? Did someone hack your account?
Hu Haifeng: Oh my god, you're out? I've already reported you as a missing person!
Li Zhihai: [Cry]. Damn, we couldn't contact you for a while. We thought you were lost in the United States. You've finally appeared!
Su Nan: [No problem …]
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