Chapter 355: A Chinese Culture Enthusiast
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Robbie was thrilled when he heard what Li Du said. "Of course, this American quarter horse is three and half years old. Look at its muscles, teeth, and hooves. This is definitely a good horse!"
Hans folded his arms and asked, "Are you really going to buy a horse? Why would you do that?"
Li Du said, "I’m just interested. I’m not going to buy it. I’m wondering: if I give Toma.s.son a carriage, why don’t I give him a horse too?"
American quarter horses were not expensive. An ordinary draft horse only cost around 500 dollars.
Most families could afford to buy an American quarter horse if they wanted or needed one. But most didn’t buy one because the maintenance fees were too expensive. That was also the reason why many Chinese people didn’t buy cars.
Also, a lot of land was required to keep a horse. A regular front yard was often not enough room for a dog, let alone a big animal like a horse.
Li Du wanted to do his best to improve his relations.h.i.+p with the Amish.
Hans said, "Alright, what else can I say? You’re such a generous brat."
Li Du wouldn’t spend much on himself. But he was generous toward his family and friends.
Besides, he earned money easily. Therefore, he didn’t feel upset when he spent his money.
"Robbie, what would you like to trade with this horse?" Hans asked.
Robbie thought about it and said, "Let’s trade it for your fire extinguisher."
Hans sneered, "Do you think that I’m f*cking stupid?"
Robbie quickly laughed when he heard what Hans said. He slapped him on the shoulder. "I’m joking, baby. I’m just joking. But other than the fire extinguisher, you don’t have any valuable goods. "
"We have plenty of good stuff at our cabin," Hans growled, "and you say we don"t have any high-quality goods? Alright then, let"s go and buy a different horse—"
"Okay, I"m wrong," Robbie said quickly. "You have a lot of good items at your cabin. I saw some gla.s.sware there."
"Yes."
Robbie spread his hands and said, "Well, I"ll trade you a big horse for that useless gla.s.sware—what do you think?"
Hans said, "Fine, just forget it man. Do you think that we’re stupid?"
"Why are you angry?" Robbie grumbled. "I don"t mean all your gla.s.sware. I only want some of it."
"How much do you want?"
Robbie said, "I want gla.s.sware to distill rose essential oil. One set is enough."
The deal sounded more reasonable now. They collected many pieces of gla.s.sware. There were ten sets of essential oil distillation equipment in total. That was the reason why Hans had suggested they start a business distilling rose essential oil.
Of course, it was simple to find the equipment; it was not as easy to learn the skills.
They made the deal, and Hans said, "You can take a set of gla.s.sware. So the horse is ours now?"
"You can ride it now," Robbie smiled.
The tamed American quarter horse was very obedient. Hans checked the horse and rode on its back. He kicked the horse in its stomach lightly and the horse started running.
After a while, Li Du shouted, "Come back, let"s check the carriage. That"s the main goal."
The owner of the carriage was a young man called Max Conrad. He was a white punk who had part-time job trading old goods.
Speaking of Conrad, Robbie said bitterly, "This fellow is a slacker but he"s very lucky. That"s why he’s got lots of good stuff."
"He might look like a slacker to you," Hans drawled," but maybe he’s always working hard and it"s just that you don"t notice."
"Yes," Robbie said, "I know he"s a hardworking person. He"s busy fighting, flirting with girls, going in and out of the police station."
Li Du said, "Well, I guess G.o.d likes him. That"s the only explanation."
Hans said, "That"s impossible. My G.o.d doesn"t like punks."
Li Du glared at him. "Look in a mirror."
They walked toward the east from Hoffman"s market. About fifteen minutes later they saw a small town.
It was a typical American town, and the population was small: there were only about two hundred families. Conrad lived here.
Just as Robbie had mentioned earlier, there was a carriage sitting in his front yard.
The carriage was painted black. The paint s.h.i.+ned brightly under the sunlight; it was a very nice-looking carriage.
Li Du checked the front part of the carriage. The shaft and the frame were solid. Both tires were old-style carriage tires. The whole thing appeared to be an antique.
While he was checking the carriage, the carriage door next to Li Du opened. A thin, white young man shouted, "Hey, d*mn it. Who said you could touch my carriage, huh?"
Before Li Du explained himself, the young man started shouting at him quickly as if he were rapping: "Take your hand off my carriage. I want you to take your hand off now! If you damage my carriage, I will not forgive you! Go, Little Plane! Bite him and show him what you got!"
A golden retriever ran to Li Du and started licking his hand.
"I told you to bite him, not lick him!" the young man shouted angrily. "Oh, you are so stupid. Are you in heat? Do you like him? If that"s the case, you might as well follow him. Don"t come back!"
Robbie chuckled and popped his head out of the car window. "If your dog bites someone, I bet the lawsuit will cost you a fortune."
The young man looked like he didn"t care. He said, "I"m rich. Besides, Little Plane is rabies vaccinated. I will not pay a cent. If you think I"ll give you my money, you’re delusional."
The golden retriever continued licking Li Du"s hand. It wagged its tail so quickly that it looked like a helicopter blade—no wonder it was called "Little Plane."
Robbie said, "Are you sure you want to mess with him? Let me introduce you to Big Li, the greatest treasure hunter in Flagstaff."
The young man was stunned. "Big Li, the cunning Chinese?"
Li Du said, "Someone used to call me that. But I’d never admit it."
The young man became friendly after he heard what Li Du said. He shook his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, I"m Max Conrad. I love China—long live Chairman Mao! I love Chinese culture—look!"
He took off his T-s.h.i.+rt and revealed his tattoos. One of his tattoos covered his entire left arm up to the back of his palm.
Li Du was interested in the Chinese tattoo on his chest. It was a sentence that read, "Its white feathers were floating on the water and its red feet were paddling under the water."
Conrad pointed to his chest and said, "My tattoos are all about Chinese culture. This is to express my love."
Li Du smiled wryly. "Do you understand this poem?"
Conrad thumped his chest and said, "Of course, man. I know the meaning of this poem, it describes cranes, doesn"t it? I love cranes too, look..."
He started yelling and used his hands to make the shape of an eagle"s mouth, hopping up and down.
The golden retriever immediately leaped over to him. Conrad poked its head and chest. The man and the dog started playing in front of them.
Li Du was stunned.