America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

“Go ahead, I haven’t been there yet,” Peter said.

"Aren't you good friends? Peter, have you never been there before?" Li Qun asked.

“To be honest, Harry’s upbringing is pretty strict. I used to only see him at school; he would disappear as soon as school was over,” Peter said.

“That’s right. After school, I have a tutor waiting for me at home, so I don’t have much free time,” Harry said. “My dad is always worried about me, afraid that I’ll become like Tony Stark.”

"Let's go take a look."

“Don’t get any bad ideas about me, my dad’s a cop,” Gwen said.

My God.

“Miss Gwen, do you have some kind of misconception about yourself?” Harry asked.

“Since you’ve all gone, I’ll go too,” Li Qun said.

“Is there anything to hesitate about?” Harry asked.

“I want to stay home and read this weekend, and I also plan to go to Brooklyn to chat with Johnny and catch up on his life,” Li Qun said.

"Johnny?"

Harley took a big bite of his sandwich.

“Oh, right, Harry, do you know Captain Steve? The legendary hero I told you about,” Peter said to Harry.

“Steve Rogers, yes, I remember. I even asked my dad, and he’d heard the legend of Captain Steve too,” Harry said.

"Uh……"

“What I’m about to tell you must never be told to anyone else,” Peter said seriously.

“What would happen if other people found out?” Harry asked.

"Then... I'd better not say anything."

"what happened?"

Harry looked confused.

He felt there was a thick barrier between himself and Peter.

After just one year apart, they seemed to have become people from two different worlds. Peter and his friend shared many secrets that kept him out of the picture.

"Captain Steve is a real person, a living person, someone who lives among us."

“We have discovered new evidence of Captain Steve’s existence,” Li Qun said.

“Okay.” Harry’s response was lukewarm.

“You don’t seem very interested in Captain Steve?” Gwen asked Harry.

"But Captain Steve is a figure from many years ago, and he's an old man who's still alive."

“Finding Captain Steve seems like a waste of time for an old man, and it’s not very polite,” Harry said.

“You’re a good boy,” Gwen said.

“Can you use a different word? Good boy is for dogs,” Harry said, frowning.

“You’re a good person,” Gwen said with a smile.

"A good person is fine too."

Harry finished the last bite of his sandwich.

“Who is your English teacher?” Harry asked.

“It’s Mrs. Roche,” Peter replied.

"Mrs. Rosie also teaches us. Did she ask you to buy a book of poetry? Any poet's work will do," Harry asked.

“Yes.” Peter nodded.

"Mrs. Rosie said that her homework for this semester is to read a book of poetry," Gwen said.

“Luckily, there aren’t any kids from poor families at Midtown High School, or she would have been reported,” Harry said.

“Dr. Otto will be the first to be complained about,” Li Qun said.

“What happened to her husband?” Harry asked.

“His classes are a bit unusual; you’ll see once you’ve attended one,” Peter said.

“How about we go to the bookstore together this weekend? We can meet there, and after we’re done, we can take my family’s car to my house,” Harry suggested.

"can."

All three nodded in agreement.

……

……

In the evening, Harry Osborne returned home and ate dinner alone, glancing out the window at the brightly lit Manhattan skyline.

"Bernard, could you ask the kitchen to prepare a dish?"

"What dish is it, young master?"

“Slice the potatoes thinly, then cut the slices into thin strips, cook the potato strips, and season with a sour and spicy flavor,” Harry said.

“I’ll have the kitchen give it a try,” said Bernard, the butler, as he walked out of the dining room.

A short while later, Bernard returned with a plate of shredded potatoes, presented in a rather unique way.

“That’s not right at all,” Harry said after taking a bite.

The family cook made him shredded potatoes, using pickled cucumber slices for the sourness and fresh green chilies for the spiciness. After the shredded potatoes were cooked, the pickled cucumber slices and chopped green chilies were mixed together, like making a salad.

"Bernard, would you like to try some?"

"No need, young master, I've already eaten."

"Do you also think this plate of shredded potatoes is a bit weird?" Harry asked.

“Young master, you have a very creative and groundbreaking idea. I have never seen anyone think of cutting potatoes into shreds before.”

“Shredded potatoes can be added to salads,” Bernard said.

“This isn’t my idea; it’s something new I tried at school this afternoon,” Harry said, frowning.

“Oh my God! It’s school cuisine!” exclaimed the old gentleman Bernard.

Chapter 26 The Brooklyn Bridge Collapse Incident

Thank you, New York.

The television screen showed a New York cityscape with the United Nations building as the backdrop, as the largest meeting in the history of the United Nations concluded on Friday, September 8.

Liqun and his father were sitting on the sofa watching the news. His father, wearing a white vest and shorts, slippers, arms crossed, and reading glasses, was looking at the news with a judgmental gaze.

"Liqun, do you understand? The United Nations is just a table."

“Look at what they’re discussing, any normal person would know what to do,” Dad said.

The Millennium Summit set eight development goals for the next millennium: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal basic education, promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating diseases such as HIV and malaria, maintaining environmental sustainability, and developing global partnerships to promote development.

"This is true for countries that have only begun to record and learn their history in recent centuries."

“Dad, Aurora can definitely achieve these goals, and it will be achieved within twenty or thirty years. But it will be more difficult to achieve these goals in other places.”

“Last month, I was doing social work, and I heard people say, ‘Don’t waste food, there are still children going hungry in this country,’” Li Qun said.

"Cough cough..." The old man coughed up phlegm and spat it into the trash can, a habit he shared with most elderly people in Aurora.

On television, it was daytime, and representatives from all over the world stood in rows outside the United Nations building, like taking a school graduation photo, being filmed and recorded by news media from around the world.

They held hands in a very friendly manner and raised their hands together.

Li Qun couldn't help but laugh when he saw Bill's appearance.

Bill has white hair and a face resembling that of the slapstick comedian Leslie Nelson; he is very approachable.

Outside the television screen, it was night. After the Millennium Summit concluded, delegates from various countries quickly left New York. Not all countries were represented; those absent were located in Eastern Europe and West Asia, and were hostile to the United States.

After watching the news program, Liqun went to do her homework.

The amount of homework at Midtown High School is ridiculously high compared to other public high schools; some students even need four or five hours to finish their homework.

Li Qun is just a high school student, and he is deliberately avoiding politics. However, citizens of major countries are the most politically conscious people on this planet, and he cannot escape the requirement from his school teachers to pay attention to political events.

History teacher David assigned homework to analyze and record the week's current events, write a short essay, and submit it on Monday.

In one night, Liqun finished all the homework assigned by his teacher for the week, and he was able to do his own things on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday morning, Li Qun, as usual, challenged the Great Sage Yellow Wind with a stick, and unsurprisingly, the challenge failed, and he "died" once again.

For so long, the Great Sage Huang Feng has never held back, killing Li Qun with a single stab if possible. However, Li Qun has now evolved to the point where it takes three stabs to kill him.

Li Qun believed that it was only a matter of time before he defeated Huang Feng Dasheng.

At 10 a.m. sharp, Li Qun appeared at the bookstore entrance, as punctual as a meticulous German from Yilin.

Li Qun browsed the bookstore for half an hour before the others arrived.

The shop assistant had been watching Li Qun for a long time and mistook him for a thief. When Peter, Gwen, and Harry arrived at the bookstore, the shop assistant became even more nervous.

This was a gang crime; there were four of them, so he had to call for backup.

Mrs. Rosie gave them a list of poetry books, which they used as a reference. Since it was all for their grades anyway, after finding several poetry books on the list, the four of them each took one to the counter to pay.

Peter and Liqun handed over the poetry collections they had chosen to Gwen for payment, while Harry paid for his own books. This puzzled Harry greatly, as Gwen was actually paying for Peter and Liqun's books.

"Why is this poetry collection so expensive? This one costs $86!" Gwen looked at the receipt, feeling a pang of heartache.

“This is a hardcover, collector’s edition of the poetry collection, one that can be passed down for generations,” Harry explained with a smile.

“The cheapest one is $68,” Gwen said, handing the poetry collections Peter and Li Qun had chosen to them.

"British poets, French poets, Russian poets, and American poets."

Li Qun deliberately chose a collection of poems by a Russian poet, Peter casually picked up a collection of poems by an English poet, Gwen chose a collection by a French poet, and Harry, with his patriotic heart, held a collection of American poems.

The most expensive book Harry bought was a collection of poems, which cost $128 and featured beautiful illustrations.