Chapter 358: Need For Speed
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Faced with all the complaints, the calm and composed Sayder put on a smile and said firmly, "No, no, no, my dear friends, the fire extinguisher has not been sold, but it can’t be auctioned as the owner has decided to donate the item to a town—"
"Bullsh*t, there must be some dirty deal behind the scenes here!" someone shouted.
"The donation’s just a hoax. There’s certainly money being traded under the table."
"Let the tax bureau investigate that," laughed Sayder. "From our point of view, this is a good thing that’s worth encouraging."
Mayor Jordan was invited up on stage; he shook hands with Sayder, then took the microphone from him. "My name is Steve Jordan, mayor of Highland Town. If you’ve been to Highland Town, you might know who I am."
Flagstaff was not a huge place. There were around 200 people present here at the auction—there would be at least one person who knew Mayor Jordan.
After he finished speaking, immediately someone nodded and said, "Yes, that’s Mayor Jordan. He’s a good man."
Mayor Jordan continued speaking, "My friends, the harvest these past few years has been poor. That means we’re running low on the town"s public funds—so much so that when our old fire truck was sc.r.a.pped, we were unable to get a replacement.
"Thankfully, I met Li Du and Hans Fox. Both of them are good young men. Earlier on, I was just asking them to see if there was another fire extinguisher. When they were informed about the situation in Highland Town, they decided to donate the fire extinguisher to us."
As he spoke, he pointed at the two of them. The crowd separated and everyone’s eyes were on the duo.
Li Du smiled and waved; many people gave him a thumbs up.
Jordan’s credibility was there. The suspicious voices and protests disappeared.
The episode came to an end when both parties signed the papers and the rights of the donated item were transferred to Highland Town.
Mayor Jordan looked at the engine, pump and the spray nozzle with relief and excitement. "Finally, our firetruck can start again."
Li Du shook hands with him and said, "This set of fire-fighting equipment can now go back to doing what it should do. Our efforts bidding on it was not wasted."
Mayor Jordan laughed and said earnestly, "Thank you so much for your kindness. I hope both of you will visit Highland Town when you’re free. Both of you will always be our most welcomed guests."
"I’ve heard from my buddy that Highland Town has some great scenery, especially during autumn," said Li Du. "Maybe we’ll pay a visit in some time."
"You’re welcome, definitely most welcome." Mayor Jordan continued energetically shaking his hand.
When they returned, Li Du drove the car while Hans got on the buggy.
Li Du popped his head out of the car and asked, "Hey bud, you okay?"
Hans smiled at him confidently. "Just look at me—what’s so difficult about driving a buggy?"
Ten minutes later, the buggy sank into a mud pit by the roadside. The quarter horse seemed unnerved, but was neighing a lot, while Hans stood on the roadside in a daze.
Li Du stopped the car and asked, "What happened? Why did the horse run to the side of the road as if it were crazy?"
Hans looked upset. "How would I know?" he replied. "I only waved the whip because I wanted it to run faster. Who knew it would run toward the wilderness when it heard the sound of a whip?"
Li Du patted Hans’s shoulders and said, "I understand—it’s heart is yearning for freedom."
Eventually, Big Quinn and G.o.dzilla arrived to help out. The four of them worked together and managed to get the buggy out from the mud pit.
Big Quinn took a look at the whip. "It ran at just the sound of the whip?" he asked. "The horse might have been purely used for riding. It’s afraid of the sound of the whip as it might not have done any work on a farm before."
With that, he got on the buggy, hit the horse"s b.u.t.t with a wooden stick, and the horse started to trot—it was a smooth ride.
Li Du turned to Hans and said, "Next time, don’t boast that you know how to drive a buggy."
Hans got even more upset. "Didn’t you hear Big Quinn? This horse has never done farm work before, has purely been used for riding, and is scared of the whipping sound. How would I know all this?"
No matter what the horse had been used for, as long as it was healthy and free of disease, it would be a great help.
Hence, when Toma.s.son saw the horse with the solid-looking buggy appear before his vegetable field, his eyes lit up in astonishment.
Li Du hopped down from the buggy. "Old pal, this is yours."
Toma.s.son put on his gentleman’s hat and walked briskly over. He muttered to himself, "That’s not true."
Li Du pointed to the sun. "It’s daytime. You’re not sleeping so you’re not dreaming."
Toma.s.son went around the buggy—his facial expression was full of amazement that could not be suppressed. "Oh my G.o.d, thank you G.o.d. You’re giving this to me? Really giving it to me?"
Li Du replied in a calm and rea.s.suring tone, "Of course. Honestly, besides the Amish, there are not many people who like this type of buggy."
Toma.s.son gave a few pats on the buggy, which had been built using solid wood, and laughed, "No, no, no—this type of good buggy will be popular no matter where it is."
He felt every piece of wood that had been used to build the buggy then stroked the tall and strong quarter horse. It was evident he really liked the gift Li Du had brought him.
Hans said, "Well, I was exactly like him too when I got my first big present."
"Oh, do you mean your old Ford?"
Hans said, "No, it was a bicycle. I was seven years old, I think."
After an unknown number of rounds Toma.s.son made around the buggy, he asked, "Well, Li, my good neighbor, what do you want in exchange for this buggy?"
"Actually, I’m not exchanging it for anything," said Li Du. "It’s just that I feel embarra.s.sed, as I keep coming to you for fruits and vegetables, so I want to give you a gift."
Toma.s.son exclaimed, "But this gift is too precious."
"If I tell you that I didn’t spend much to get this buggy and horse," said Li Du, smiling, "maybe you wouldn"t feel this way."
Toma.s.son quickly shook his head. "No, this is a very precious gift nonetheless. I can’t just accept it like this. That’s too much of me."
"Why not this: in the future, I’ll continue coming to you to pick vegetables and fruits, and maybe even ask for some wheat flour."
Toma.s.son replied, "If that’s the case, then me and my friends’ fields will be open for you. You can pick anything you like—just treat the fields as your turf."
Both parties agreed to this arrangement. Toma.s.son went home happily with his new buggy. Li Du and Hans went back to their cabin.
While on the road, Hans rubbed his chin and said, "You did well with this deal. From now on, we won’t need to spend money on fruits and vegetables."
"Exactly. Why do you think I gave him that present?" laughed Li Du. "The Amish have organic vegetables that we can’t get from the supermarket."
That same evening, Sophie gave Li Du a call. "Hi Li, it’s me. Come to my place now. Ah Ow’s about to open its eyes. It’s trying to open its eyes!"
Li Du was surprised to hear that. "Okay, I’ll come right over."
Sophie said with a sense of urgency, "You gotta come quickly, be fast! The first person the puppy sees when it opens its eyes will be deeply remembered, especially for the Czech Wolf Dog!"
Li Du knew about this as well. He drove really fast with the h.e.l.lcat, as if it were a racing car burning up the road.