America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"I will do my best."

George Stacy's only shortcoming for promotion to police inspector is this written exam.

With his rank promoted, his daily work also changed. Most importantly, he no longer had to be out all the time and could go home on time.

"Gwen."

"What is it, Dad?"

Do you want me to drive you tomorrow?

“Just drop me off at Peter’s doorstep,” Gwen replied.

"it is good."

……

Peter stood at John's door and rang the doorbell. When they arrived, they found John's car still parked in the driveway, knowing that John and Helen had not yet left.

"Hi, good morning, Mr. John."

“These are my classmates, Gwen and Liqun.”

"Welcome, come in."

Li Qun nervously licked his lips; he had been invited into Keanu Reeves's home.

John Wick, that John Wick.

He was starting to question the meaning of life.

"Is this the client Aunt May was talking about?" Li Qun asked Peter in a low voice.

“Yes, that’s right,” Peter replied softly.

"His wife was also named Helen? And she was also sick?" Gwen asked Peter as well.

“I know, Mr. John’s wife is also named Helen, the same name as your mother, Gwen,” Peter said, turning to Gwen.

"Do they have children?" Gwen asked softly.

“No.” Peter shook his head.

"Please make yourselves at home. Peter, come here for a moment," John said, calling Peter over.

“Peter, don’t speak, look here.”

John Wick pulled out a cabinet drawer in the kitchen and showed Peter a Smith & Wesson revolver inside, along with the matching ammunition.

"I forgot to tell you yesterday."

“If someone breaks in illegally and threatens your lives, open this drawer,” John said earnestly to Peter.

“I, I, I…” Peter stammered nervously, but he understood what John meant.

“Remember, don’t put your finger on the trigger until you’ve decided to fire,” John whispered.

"Will any dangerous people come to the door?" Peter asked nervously.

He began to realize that John Wick was an unusual man.

"There will be no danger."

“I’m just telling you where you can find weapons to defend yourself if you get into danger in my house,” John told Peter.

Chapter 65 The Second Black

Helen filled two glasses of water for Li Qun and Gwen from the kitchen tap and thoughtfully added ice cubes to them from the refrigerator's ice box. Li Qun turned to look at Gwen.

"May I speak?" Li Qun asked.

“Go for it, Liqun,” Gwen encouraged.

Li Qun got up from the sofa and walked towards Helen.

"Leave it to me."

Helen smiled at Liqun, assuming that Liqun had come over to help her get her water glass.

“Ms. Helen, what I really meant to say was that we brought our own water.”

"New York's tap water may look clean, but it's not good for your health. Some of its components are in excessive levels and it's not safe to drink."

"Oh, really? I used to drink tap water directly," Helen said in surprise.

"Have you ever had a stomachache from drinking tap water before?" Li Qun asked.

"It hurt before, but I don't know when my stomach got used to it." Helen smiled at Liqun.

Li Qun and Helen were talking in the hallway outside the kitchen, and John and Peter inside the kitchen could hear them clearly.

John closed the cupboard drawer and asked Peter, "Is what your classmate said true?"

"Yes, most of the pipes in New York's tap water system are lead pipes, and long-term consumption of tap water can lead to lead poisoning. My uncle warned me from a young age not to drink tap water directly, and our family has a monthly expense for drinking water."

"lead poisoning……"

"No wonder it's sweet."

John knew that lead poisoning could affect the brain, typically manifesting as decreased cognitive abilities and lower IQ.

"I need to be more careful too."

As John spoke, he turned to look at Li Qun, who was explaining the importance of drinking hot water to Helen.

Can Traditional Chinese Medicine treat cancer?

A sentence in Chinese suddenly came out of John Wick's mouth; he was talking to Li Qun.

"Huh?" Li Qun looked at John, who had walked behind Helen.

Yes, I am talking to you.

"What are you talking about?" Helen asked John with a smile.

“I’m speaking to Li Qun in his native language,” John replied to Helen’s question with a smile.

“I don’t understand traditional Chinese medicine. In my understanding, Aurora traditional medicine is not very effective in treating cancer, but it is very good for conditioning the body,” Li Qun replied to John in Chinese.

"What illness does Helen have?" Li Qun asked.

"It's leukemia."

“Traditional medicine in Aurora can regulate the human immune system, and perhaps it is possible to try combining it with modern medicine.”

“However, it’s best to consult a professional doctor for treatment; I’m just a high school student,” Li Qun said.

“Of course.” John nodded to Li Qun.

"John, what were you talking about just now?" Helen asked curiously.

“I was asking him how his grades were at school,” John replied.

“How could you ask such questions?” Helen said to John with some reproach.

“Oh, it’s a tradition in Aurora to care about children’s education,” John replied with a smile.

“Helen, John said it’s true. Luckily, our school grades are all pretty good, so we don’t have to worry about them checking our academic records.” Li Qun smiled.

“It’s almost time, we should get going.” John glanced at his watch.

“We’ll take good care of the house,” Li Qun said.

Thank you.

"I'll treat you to dinner another day," John added to Li Qun in Chinese.

Peter and Li Qun watched the cherry wood door close and listened to the car drive away. Gwen stared blankly at the photo of John and Helen on the wall.

“Confidential call,” Peter told Li Qun.

"John just asked me in Chinese whether traditional Chinese medicine could treat Helen's leukemia."

I answered him that I didn't know.

“He probably wants to try everything,” Li Qun said.

"Gwen, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I was just looking at the photos."

Li Qun guessed that Gwen was probably thinking of her mother, Helen, again.

Li Qun looked up at the couple photos of John and Helen hanging on the living room wall and in the hallway, tilting his head in confusion.

Why did they use a black and white filter?

“What’s wrong with black and white photos?” Gwen asked.

“In my culture, black and white photos are for the deceased; they are not for the living.”

Peter listened to Li Qun's explanation, and goosebumps rose on his back. He felt as if the black and white photographs on the wall were hinting at something.

“We have to persuade them to change these black and white photos,” Peter said.

“Yeah!” Li Qun nodded.

“Peter, next time you have the chance, bring your camera. We’ll take some new color photos of John and Helen.”

Looking at the neat rows of black and white photos on the wall, Li Qun felt that John had been gone for some time.

“I brought a board game set, which I rented from Old Man’s Shop.”

Li Qun took a large wooden box out of his backpack and placed it on his lap.

"Liqun, are you serious? I've seen that movie, Jumanji."

Peter moved closer to Li Qun, picked up the heavy wooden box of board games, and examined it carefully.

"This is the board game of the same name that was released when the movie was released. See? It was published by Hasbro."

Seeing the manufacturer and production location, Peter breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want to be sent to a strange jungle wilderness to survive for more than ten years like in the movies.

Li Qun placed the wooden box board game on the carpet, and the three of them sat on the floor. After reading the instructions, they began playing the game.

"I'll go first. If this is a game with mysterious powers, I'll pave the way for you."