To Li Du, the old goods market was a place for the little bug to replenish its time energy. He did not expect to find anything valuable in such a place.
After all, no one was stupid. The old goods treasure hunters could scan the market ten times a day. Anything of value would not belong to Li Du.
Even if there was something valuable, there was no way he could pick it up. He could only trade for it or spend a lot of money to buy it.
That was not Li Du's goal. He did not enter the old goods market to make money, but to find something with time energy to feed the little bug.
Throughout December, he searched for these things in the rural areas of northwest and northern Arizona. He spent a lot of money and got a lot of things. The little bug also absorbed a lot of time energy.
However, even though it had absorbed a lot of time energy, it had not been able to break through and evolve.
Of course, the time energy it absorbed was not wasted. There were some results.
The connection between Li Du and the little bug had become stronger. Li Du could feel that the little bug was going through a new round of evolution. The amount of time energy it needed to absorb had to increase.
In other words, it was useless to just absorb a little bit of time energy. It had to find something rich in time energy and absorb a lot at once.
There were many places in the United States that had these things, such as the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Los Angeles Art Collection Center, and so on.
However, Li Du did not want to do that. It was against his bottom line.
He was worried that if he went to the museum and got something for nothing, he would become lazy and lose the motivation to continue to work hard to earn money and obtain things with time energy.
The little bug needed to constantly obtain time energy to survive and evolve. If he kept going to the museum to destroy antiques, sooner or later, there would be problems and he would be caught.
He could not take the risk. His ancestors were right. How could one not wet his shoes if he often walked by the river? There was no such thing as an impenetrable wall!
At the end of December, Li Du had basically finished strolling around the old goods market. They returned to Flagstaff to prepare for Christmas and then go home for the New Year.
At this time of year, the southern part of Arizona was still warm. As the northern part of the state, Flagstaff was cold. There was no rain or snow. The weather was dry and cold. It was so cold that Li Du could not stop shivering.
Hans suggested, "Why don't we go to Tucson for Christmas? Tucson's climate is much warmer. "
Li Du refused. "I'd rather go to Australia or New Zealand. It's summer in the southern hemisphere now."
Hans was stunned for a moment, and then became overjoyed. "Yes, let's go to the southern hemisphere for Christmas. I've never spent Christmas in the summer. It must be very interesting."
Li Du gave him a shove and said, "Get lost, where do we have so much time? I want to accompany my Sophie and then go back to China. When the time comes, you can come with me to China. My hometown isn't cold. "
"China and the United States are both in the northern hemisphere. Why isn't it cold in your hometown?"
Li Du said, "That's because China is bigger than the United States. Right now, Montana and Minnesota are snowing heavily, while Florida and New Mexico are sunny. My hometown's location in China is similar to Florida's location in the United States."
Hearing this, Hans began to look forward to it.
On the eve of Christmas Eve, the hospital where Sophie worked started to close. She was lucky that she did not have to work this Christmas, so she could relax.
Americans attached great importance to Christmas, especially in smaller cities and rural areas.
On Christmas Eve, Li Du drove Sophie to the small villa where the Martins lived.
The little old man was waiting at the door with a pipe in his mouth. When he saw the two of them get out of the car, he waved and said, "Hey, boys and girls, welcome to Master Martin's mansion. Please come and receive Santa's blessing!"
Sophie giggled and went up to give the old man a hug. She then took his pipe and frowned. "Why are you smoking again?"
The Martins, who were busy in the kitchen, saw them arrive and came out, wiping their hands. She greeted Li Du first and then said to her daughter, "Actually, your dear father never quit smoking."
Sophie said, "I always thought he succeeded in quitting smoking. What's with this pipe?"
Mrs. Martin said, "Let him smoke with a pipe. Growing your own tobacco is healthier than buying cigars and cigarettes. As for this pipe? It was given to him by your boyfriend. "
Hearing this, Sophie looked at Li Du and frowned.
Li Du was stunned. He smiled bitterly and said, "Mrs. Martin, is this a misunderstanding or a trap? I swear I never gave the old man a pipe. "
"You gave him raw materials for a pipe," Mrs. Martin said calmly.
Li Du suddenly understood. "Oh, this is made from a narwhal's tooth?"
"Yes."
The old man swayed the pipe in front of them. "How is it? My handiwork is not bad, right? I haven't done this in a long time. I'm a little rusty. I'm afraid we'll have to rely on Li to cut down the Christmas tree later. "
There were many forests around Flagstaff. Usually, it was not allowed to cut down trees, but during Christmas, it was not a problem to cut down a pine tree.
Putting down the gifts he had brought, the old man drove the pickup truck and prepared to cut down the tree with Li Du.
Sophie and her mother prepared the tools for them. Before they left, they each gave instructions. Sophie tidied Li Du's clothes and said gently, "Be careful when cutting down the tree. Have you cut down a Christmas tree before?"
Li Du said, "No, but I'm quite strong. Cutting down the tree should not be a problem."
Hearing this, Sophie shouted to the old man, "Dad, Li has never cut down a Christmas tree before, so you have to do it."
The old man spread his hands and said, "Since my beloved daughter has said so, as a father, what else can I do?"
They brought the tools and set off. Li Du drove while Mr. Martin sat in the front passenger seat. He whistled cheerfully. It was a tune that Li Du had never heard before. It was clear and melodious.
After whistling, he said excitedly, "Li, can you guess what my Christmas wish was last year?"
Li Du asked, "World peace?"
The old man laughed and said, "I like your humor, but I'm not that kind of selfless guy."
Li Du said, "Then I guess you wanted Santa to give Sophie a boyfriend."
The old man laughed again and said, "Almost, my young man. My wish was that next Christmas, don't let me cut down a Christmas tree alone!"
"You don't know, but ever since my father passed away, I've been cutting down the Christmas tree by myself. Oh my God, this is really a lonely journey. I've always wanted a companion, and now, Sophie has finally sent one to me. "
Li Du was very proud to receive such praise from his future father-in-law. He said, "It's my honor to be able to accompany you."
"You can be even more honored, young man. Later, the glorious task of cutting down the tree is yours." The old man's smile became more cunning.
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