My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Lu Ming Chun is located in Flushing, Queens, New York. The main building is an old-style building with a courtyard. A black plaque with gold lettering hangs at the entrance. The lettering is in the Yan Zhenqing style, with strong strokes and an old color, indicating that it has been around for many years.

Li Fu arrived ten minutes earlier than the agreed time, and the waiter led him into a private room on the second floor facing the street.

The private room window faces Flushing's main street, where the afternoon crowds move slowly by, carrying the unique, bustling atmosphere of the city.

Fang Li had arrived. He was sitting by the window with a pot of steaming tea and two small dishes in front of him, and he was flipping through a thread-bound book with a yellowed cover.

He heard the door open, looked up with a gentle smile, put down his book, stood up, and shook hands with Li Fu.

"Mr. Li is very punctual."

"I wouldn't dare be late for the meeting arranged by Mr. Fang," Li Fu said politely.

The two then sat down. Fang Li didn't rush to speak, but first poured Li Fu a cup of tea.

The tea soup is golden and clear, with a refreshing aroma, like some kind of cold-brewed aged tea.

"This is Anxi Tieguanyin, made from 30-year-old pine trees. I've stored it myself for ten years," Fang Li said, putting down the teapot and gesturing for Mr. Li to try it.

Li Fu picked up the teacup, smelled it first, and then took a sip. The tea soup was smooth on the palate and had a lingering sweet aftertaste.

He doesn't really know much about tea, but he can still tell whether this cup of tea is good or bad.

"Good tea can be called top-grade."

"It seems Mr. Li is quite knowledgeable about tea," Fang Li said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. "Miss Ivanka must have mentioned to you that I specialize in the tea business."

"I know a little about him," Li Fu nodded slightly. "Mr. Fang has been in the tea business for decades."

"If you include our ancestors, it's more than a few decades," Fang Li shook his head slightly. "My grandfather's generation came here, my father was born in San Francisco, and I was born in New York. Our family has been in Chinatown for almost a hundred years."

Their family was one of the earlier overseas Chinese families, and their grandfather was even a key member of the Zhigongtang (a Chinese religious organization).

Li Fu had already investigated Fang Li. This man came from a family of merchants for three generations. It wasn't that he had no gang background at all. In the early days, in order to survive, the Zhigongtang was even the biggest backer of the Chinese gangs.

However, when it comes to Fang Li's generation, his public identity basically has no connection with the underworld.

Anyway, neither Thompson nor Ivanka could be found.

"No wonder you were able to become the vice president of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. It turns out it's the result of three generations of management," he said, pretending not to know.

"To be honest, Mr. Li, my main identity is as a director of the Chee Kung Tong," Fang Li said without any concealment. His position as vice president of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce was not the result of three generations of management, but rather because of his influence within the Chee Kung Tong.

"I have long admired the Zhigongtang. It turns out that Mr. Fang is a director of Zhigongtang," Li Fu said, bowing respectfully.

The predecessors of the Zhigongtang opposed the Qing Dynasty and sought to restore the Ming Dynasty. Even when they were isolated overseas, they never forgot their motherland. This is enough to make him feel deep respect.

"As you should know, the Chee Kung Tong is not a triad in New York," Fang Li explained, fearing that Li Fu might misunderstand. "We are a community of overseas Chinese who support each other. It's just that we've been around for a long time and know people from all walks of life. Sometimes we help people pass on messages, which is considered a good deed."

He picked up the bamboo clips, pushed the teacup towards Li Fu, and his last sentence brought the topic to the forefront.

Li Fu didn't respond. He knew Fang Li wasn't just chatting idly. The fact that Fang Li had steered the conversation toward "passing on a message" meant that the core content of today's meal was about to surface.

He picked up his teacup and took another sip, waiting for Fang Li to continue.

Fang Li picked up a tea towel from the table and wiped his hands slowly and carefully, as if he were organizing his thoughts. He folded the tea towel and placed it on the table, looking into Li Fu's eyes.

"Mr. Li, a man named Chen Long asked me to pass on a message."

Li Fu frowned. "I know Jackie Chan, but who is Chen Long?"

He didn't know anyone at all, not even someone with the same name.

"You definitely don't know him. He's just a nobody in front of you," Fang Li said as he served Li Fuxu tea. "He smuggled himself from Fujian in the early 1990s with the American dream in mind. He used to be involved with the Fuqing Gang. Later, he came ashore and did some small business in Chinatown. He occasionally acted as a middleman, a business and gang broker."

He gave a brief introduction of Chen Long and then observed Li Fu's reaction.

Li Fu was naturally a bit confused. What did someone who was unregistered in the 1990s want from him? Did they want to borrow money? That was even more absurd.

But he couldn't think of any other reason besides borrowing money.

"He has something he doesn't know how to solve, so he asked me to ask you," Fang Li said, getting to the crucial point.

"Why doesn't he come to me himself?" Li Fu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"He wouldn't dare," Fang Li said with a smile. "He's a man who can't stand the light of day, and he certainly wouldn't dare to presume to be associated with you."

"Mr. Fang is too kind," Li Fu said modestly. "I only managed to do a few small things by luck. How could I dare to consider myself superior to my compatriots?"

Fang Li put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and spoke with a noticeably more serious tone, as if he had reached a point where he needed to carefully choose his words.

"Chen Long has a girl in his hands, blonde with blue eyes, speaking with a Tennessee accent, named Odovia Thompson."

Li Fu's fingers tightened instantly on the teacup, and even though he tried his best to control himself, his breath still stopped for a moment.

"This girl was sent to New York two years ago. Chen Long's gang was in charge of the transfer, but he detained her without permission," Fang Li said, looking into Li Fu's eyes. "He's been waiting for the right opportunity to hand her over to you."

"What does he want?" Li Fu subconsciously thought that the other party must want to exchange for benefits.

Two years ago, he insisted that Cole publicly declare that the disappearance of Thompson's sister Odovia was the source of that purge, in order to make those people realize that the matter was not over until Odovia returned home.

He had reason to suspect that Chen Long kept Odovia after seeing her, hoping to gain benefits in the future.

"He wants a million dollars in cash and a safe way out. Over the years, he has realized that the grass isn't always greener on the other side and wants to go back to China. He can safely deliver the girl to the location you specify and then disappear from Chinatown, never to be seen again," Fang Li explained the other party's demands clearly as the middleman.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "He also asked me to tell you that he owes that girl nothing. She's doing well, she just can't go out."

Li Fu remained silent for a long time.

Outside the window, the streets of Flushing were exceptionally quiet in the afternoon sun, with few pedestrians and only the occasional elderly person pushing a shopping cart passing by downstairs.

On the surface, it is such a wonderful world.

He picked up the teacup, only to find the tea had gone cold. He put it down and picked it up again, but ultimately didn't drink it.

"I promised him that I would send him back to China whenever he wanted," Li Fu had no reason to refuse. Thompson was his capable assistant, and this matter was no longer something that could be measured in money.