Basketball Terminal

Chapter 16-Awakening
Levi got off at an intersection, said goodbye to Mitchell, and dragged his heavy steps back to the laundromat. It was already dark, and the streets of Flushing were no longer as bustling as they used to be. Many shops had closed down, leaving only dark storefronts.

Fortunately, Li Wei's favorite roast duck restaurant was still there. He went there and ordered a roast duck. The owner kindly asked, "One is a bit too much. Are you sure you want one?" Li Wei said, "One isn't enough for me. Just one." The owner nodded in understanding when he saw Li Wei's size. He sliced ​​a roast duck and also gave Li Wei a steamer of steamed buns and a bowl of tangerine peel and red bean soup as dessert.

Back at the laundromat, Chen Lihua was cooking dinner in the kitchen, while Li Wei's father, Li Manshun, was sitting at the table having a few drinks. Seeing that Li Wei had brought back roast duck, Li Manshun stacked his chopsticks and said with a smile, "Son, you brought back roast duck? Have some for your old man to try~" Li Wei put the roast duck on the table and gave the duck bones to Ah Zhong.

Li Manshun untied the bag, picked up a few slices of sauce with his chopsticks, put them in a lotus leaf pancake, added some shredded green onions, rolled it up, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it with satisfaction. With a sip of white wine, he felt as if he had reached the pinnacle of life.

Li Manshun smacked his lips with delight, the spicy liquor making him close his eyes to savor the sensation. When he opened his eyes, he saw his son, Li Wei, staring intently at him.

Li Manshun coughed and said softly, "What's wrong, son? Is something the matter? Tell your dad?"

Li Wei said bluntly, "I need money."

Li Manshun's expression changed, and he hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "Why do young people always ask for money? You want money... how much do you want?"

"$3000."

"$3000?! You might as well rob a bank."

This is Li Wei's biological father. He'd rather his son rob someone than ask what his son wanted the money for. Li Manshun bears a large part of the responsibility for Li Wei's past cowardice. As a father, he failed to shoulder the responsibility of protecting his son and lacked the responsibility of a man.

He always shied away when Li Wei needed him most, never standing up to protect him. He always cowered in the background, subservient and subservient, driving his wife to become fierce and domineering, and his son to the brink of despair. He was a decent person, but not a good father.

"Dad, you're right, I'm here to steal it."

"Ok?"

“I know you’ve been hiding $2000 in secret savings. If you give me $1500 now, you can keep $500 for yourself. If you don’t, I’ll tell my mom that you won’t have a single penny left.”

Li Manshun almost choked on the roast duck. Was that brat waiting for him here? He quickly took a sip of wine to calm his nerves.

Seeing that Chen Lihua was still cooking and hadn't heard, he asked, "How did you know I had some secret savings?"

Li Wei said, "I'm not stupid, I just know. Think it over carefully, whether you give it to me or not, if you don't give it to me, you won't get a single penny."

Li Manshun got anxious and said, "You're too greedy! You only left me 500! No way... 1000! Half for each of us."

Li Wei cut the price down again: "800."

"Eight hundred... eight... eight hundred it is!"

"Okay, it's a deal. Remember to pay in cash. The roast duck is yours, but remember to leave half for Mom."

At this moment, Chen Lihua finished cooking and put the food on the table. Seeing Li Wei return, she said, "Go upstairs and call your brother down for dinner." Li Wei went upstairs and threw his shoes and canvas bag into his room. His younger brother, Li Yue, was holding his phone and chatting with his friends, his face beaming with excitement.

"Hey, you fangirl, come downstairs for dinner."

"Hey bro, how did your tryout go today?"

"I don't know, we'll wait for the results."

"I think it's hopeless."

"What are you so happy about? Your shoes are nice. If they pass, give them credit."

"Of course, this is the latest AJ35! Dude, you've really changed a lot. Did you go through some emotional setback and suddenly mature?"

Li Wei ignored him, thinking to himself, "Your brother didn't suddenly mature after a setback in love; he just suddenly became indifferent. But he didn't completely cool down; he's started a new life."

As Li Wei went downstairs, he didn't notice that his phone, which was in his canvas bag, was vibrating incessantly.

At the dinner table, Chen Lihua asked Li Wei where he had gone out so early in the morning. Li Wei replied, "Looking for a job."

Li Yue almost spat out his food, but then he realized his brother was right; wasn't he looking for a job? Chen Lihua was very pleased to hear this, feeling that her son had truly grown up and matured. After graduation, he no longer stayed at home reading comics or playing that unlucky basketball and making videos; he knew to look for a job. "What kind of job did you find?"

"An administrative assistant in a large venue is an assistant to the administrator."

"This job sounds great! What do you think? Is it a good fit?"

"I passed the preliminary test and the interview went well. Now I'm waiting for the results."

Chen Lihua was very satisfied with Li Wei's current performance, while Li Manshun ate in silence, afraid that his son would reveal that he had hidden money. The family ate their meal in peace. Chen Lihua had made a bowl of chicken soup that evening, and she specially served a bowl to Li Wei, along with a large chicken leg.

Although she lacked emotional support, Chen Lihua still loved her son; however, the issue of survival often overshadowed everything else.

After drinking the chicken soup and eating the chicken leg, Li Wei finished the steamed buns and the red bean soup with dried tangerine peel. He wiped his mouth with satisfaction and said to Chen Lihua, "Mom, there's something else I want to discuss with you."

Upon hearing Li Wei's words, Li Manshun jumped in fright, knocking over the wine glasses on the table. Li Wei picked up a tissue and helped wipe it up, giving Li Manshun a look that said, "Don't worry, it's not about you."

"What did you say?"

Are there any outstanding debts at home?

"Oh, it's not just a few transactions, it adds up to tens of thousands of dollars."

It's normal for laundries to have large orders with delayed payments. They usually sign contracts with long-term clients, pay a portion upfront, and settle the balance at the end of the contract. However, with the outbreak of a virus, some clients went out of business, and others suffered losses that prevented them from making ends meet, turning accounts receivable into bad debts.

Many laundromats in New York City suffered losses and went bankrupt as a result. Hong Le managed to survive thanks to its low operating costs and relatively ample cash reserves. However, the store's cash flow was severely strained, and it couldn't pay too many bills.

"Mom, can I have it?"

"What for you?"

“I’ll collect the receipts, but I have to get a share of the money.”

All three of them stared at Li Wei with astonishment, as if they were all saying, "How did our son/brother become so courageous?"

Chen Lihua asked, "How much do you want?"

"I just need to raise enough money."

"What do you need money for?"

"Training fees are necessary for job hunting."

Li Wei wanted to buy medicine and learn some technology to enhance his body's recovery ability. It wouldn't be wrong to call it training, since it was all for work.

"Mom can give it to you directly..."

"No need, I can get it back. It was our family's money to begin with."

Chen Lihua was delighted. She took a stack of receipts and contracts from the safe behind the counter and handed them to Li Wei, saying, "The receipts for the outstanding payments are all here. Mainly from these companies; take a look." Li Wei grabbed all the documents, went upstairs to get his canvas bag, changed his shoes, and was about to leave. Chen Lihua asked, "Where are you going again?" Li Wei replied, "To collect the money, what else?"

After saying that, he opened the door and left, leaving the three of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

"My brother is so cool! Was he always this cool?"

"No, he used to be so timid, always hesitant and timid, just like your dad. What a waste of his tall stature!"

"My son is actually just like me—like me when I was young. How would you young people say that? It's called awakening!"

(End of this chapter)