"Then....Happy cooperation!"
“It’s a pleasure to work with you!”
. . . . . . . . .
After bidding farewell to Edward, who was smiling, Dio and Will got back into the second-hand Chevrolet and left. No one spoke along the way.
It was not until they entered downtown New York that Will regained his chatty nature and asked, "Where are we going? Back to the restaurant?"
Dio was silent for a moment, then said in a slightly lowered tone: "Go home!"
The home of the Dior family of three is also in Chinatown, just two blocks away from their small restaurant. Since it is located in the same Manhattan as the infamous "Hell's Kitchen", the security is certainly not good. The only difference is that Chinatown is in the southern downtown, while "Hell's Kitchen" is in the west midtown.
Recalling the memories he had obtained, Dio knew that his British father fell in love at first sight in the small restaurant left for him by chance when he came to the restaurant run by his mother and her family to eat.
Then, in order to be together, Dio's father gave up his bright future and broke up with his family in the UK, willing to stay in the mixed Chinatown and run a small restaurant with Dior's mother.
In my memory, Dior's father was a very humorous gentleman, but he still had the stubbornness and pride of a British person in his bones, and he could not tolerate any injustice, which made him enemies with many people.
And don’t think that the Chinese in Chinatown are really a big, loving family. You’re dreaming, right
What can’t be done in China can be done abroad
Maybe in the beginning they really were helping each other and trying to survive together in this foreign land, but as Chinatown has expanded, it now includes 45 streets with a total area of more than 4 square kilometers, with a total of more than 800,000 Chinese living on this land, and the so-called "grouping" has changed its nature.
Not to mention the numerous gangs, backstabbing and infighting have become commonplace. Perhaps the Chinese who have just arrived here do not feel this deeply, but Dio, who has inherited the memory of living here for more than 20 years, knows very well how terrible these "fellow villagers" can be when they act ruthlessly.
In fact, if you think about it, you will know why it expanded so rapidly. It is necessary to annex other areas. More and more Chinese people come to the United States, and they come here for the name of Chinatown. In addition, there are a large number of illegal immigrants here every year. What should be done
There are more and more people, and there are Chinese-owned restaurants and convenience stores everywhere. With so much competition, who can make the most money
Let me tell you a very real story. A fellow villager had just arrived in New York and planned to open a convenience store in Chinatown. The store was opened, but every day a large number of gang members came to collect protection money. If he paid one, there would be another. There were at least dozens of well-known gangs in Chinatown and countless small gangs. Who could afford to pay
Moreover, they are all a bunch of guys who take money but don't do their job. Finally, the fellow villager was forced into a corner and said, "I have already paid money to XX gang, why should I pay more?"
People said, you paid money to XX gang but didn’t give us money, you look down on us, right
The fellow villager was angry and refused to give it. As a result, gang members came with guns to rob him the next day. OK, you don’t want to give it, right? Then we will take it ourselves!
Finally, the store could no longer be run and the fellow villager returned home in disgrace.
This incident may seem like a public security issue in the United States, but the "old people" in Chinatown all know clearly that they have offended someone and someone is doing something bad behind the scenes. Otherwise, if anyone did this, the business in Chinatown would have collapsed long ago.
Later, someone inquired and found out that the person behind this was the owner of a convenience store next door. It was said that he was from the same hometown as the person who returned to China, and he even sent a flower basket with a smile on the opening day...
So, Chinatown is not as good as the Chinese imagine. There are warm-hearted good people, but there are also bad people who bully others. (Lao Wumian tells true stories. I have relatives in the United States. The water here is very deep. I just want to warn you.)
. . . . . . . . . .
Just as Dio was lost in his memories, Will turned left and right and came to an old building. It was said that Dio's grandfather's grandfather had lived here, but until today, no one knew whether it was true or not.
"Go up?"
"Wait, wait until I finish this cigarette."
The car window rolled down, Dio tossed a cigarette to Will, then lit one for himself and just stared outside in a daze.
Although the soul in the body has been replaced, Dio's memories of the past 20 years are not false, and there is no need to distinguish them so clearly, so when it comes to this time, Dio is a little hesitant.
Time for a cigarette soon came.
"Let's go."
Pushing open the car door and stamping out the cigarette, Dio and Will went upstairs.
During this period, many people greeted Dio, implying that they should mourn less and be more open-minded. As for how many of these people were sincere and how many were just pretending to watch the fun, it was unknown.
I took out the key and opened the door. There seemed to be a lingering smell of gas inside. There was a layer of dust on the floor and the table, making the place look particularly shabby.
How could I not notice the smell of gas and fall into a sound sleep in such a small nest
Not to mention that Dio's parents run a restaurant, so they should pay more attention to the hidden dangers in this area.
However, this was only a suspicion. The police came, but they closed the case with just one sentence: "Illegal modification of the gas pipeline."
It's nothing special, it's just a characteristic of Chinatown. Americans generally don't use gas to cook. Many Chinese people make jokes when they first come to the United States, such as calling the fire truck while cooking. This is not an exaggerated joke.
After walking around the house alone for a while, Dio came out.
"Don't you live here anymore?"
"Well, after looking around, I found that the only thing worth taking away is this photo album. Let's leave the rest here." Dio chuckled and held up the photo album in his hand. It recorded every detail of their family of three over the years, so he planned to take it away.
Will nodded indifferently, then asked: "Where are you going to live? Rent a house? I have land..."
"Thanks, but I plan to stay in a hotel for the time being, and by the way, I should also prepare for the opening of the business." Dio immediately rejected Will's suggestion. The place where this guy lived was simply a pigsty, and gang members would run over from time to time. Even if he didn't have any mysophobia, he didn't despise his gang buddy, but it was not the case after all.
And after burying his parents, he will be ready to start his money-making plan, and there is nothing wrong with living in the restaurant during this period.