Marvel Salted Fish Kryptonian

So on the appointed date, everyone prepared to set off.

Henry rented a van for medical care because Ms. Audrey Hepburn was able to move around for short periods of time and no longer needed to stay in bed or in a wheelchair.

The specially modified van can also ensure that women have a fairly comfortable riding space.

This is Los Angeles, the metropolis nestled against Hollywood, where the density of reporters rivals that of Washington, D.C., and the Big Apple, New York. The all-powerful Uncrowned King somehow learned of Hepburn's release from the hospital.

Fortunately, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a top-tier medical institution with excellent privacy protection for VIP clients. Reporters didn't dare cause trouble at a medical center of this caliber, as they would have been unable to win a lawsuit even with the comprehensive security, bandaging, and hospitalization services.

This wasn't some small hospital or some unscrupulous doctor with no connections. Those in the inner circle of power wouldn't go to great lengths to offend a truly lifesaving institution. Who knew when they might need him?

So the reporters were well kept outside the campus.

Henry was also very cunning and contacted the Actors Guild, which he had not been in contact with for nearly two years. He found a few young actors through Marian and rented the same car.

With a clever escape tactic, the reporters' attention was drawn to the medical vehicle, which was unaware of the situation and was simply following the plan, and the reporters followed it in a swarm.

The reason for this trouble was that there was a patient in the car, and Henry didn't want to have a car chase on the street with a bunch of crazy reporters.

The young actors were tactful enough not to ask unnecessary questions. After the reporters were distracted, they could act however they pleased. Even if they finished early, it was still a day's pay, so there was nothing wrong with that.

The vehicle carrying the woman smoothly drove to Santa Monica Airport, the closest airport to the medical center. The modified Gulfstream jet, borrowed from the Mellon family, was there, ready for takeoff.

Chapter 192 On the way home

Givenchy, who had been waiting for a long time, welcomed her with open arms and said, "Audrey, my best friend." The lady in the wheelchair kissed her best friend affectionately on the cheek.

Then there was the handshake between Givenchy and Robert.

Henry was going through exit procedures with customs officials because the plane was leaving the United States and heading to Europe.

Henry used to think that the privilege of going through the VIP or diplomatic channels when leaving customs was the highest level of treatment.

Who knew that when leaving the country on this Mellon family plane, customs officials would directly go to the tarmac to handle the formalities. There was no extra inspection, just stamps were stamped immediately.

This opened Henry's eyes to the true nature of privilege.

The woman rose from her wheelchair and, supported by her two beloved men, boarded the Gulfstream jet. The interior was filled with flowers, a scene that would scare anyone with hay fever, even without the need for nasal allergies.

Henry, who was carrying the wheelchair onto the plane, marveled at the romantic ways of foreigners. No matter their age, they could have fun, as long as there was romance between them.

Ms. Hepburn was helped onto the specially constructed bed, the front half lifted so she could sit comfortably. Henry and the flight attendant, a qualified nurse, were checking the bed's seatbelts. The necessary fastenings were essential.

However, the roar of the plane engine still made Audrey Hepburn feel uncomfortable and frowned.

Robert noticed the uncomfortable expression and asked, "What's wrong?"

Audrey Hepburn said helplessly: "The engine noise is a bit loud. Maybe it will be better after takeoff."

In fact, the sound insulation and airtightness of the Gulfstream aircraft are already very good, but the frail Ms. Hepburn could not withstand this kind of ordeal.

Henry, who was well prepared, took out an earmuff headset and a walkman from his luggage, put them on the lady's ears, and pressed the play button.

Henry asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Audrey Hepburn was surprised by the effect of the headphones, but of course because of the function of the headphones, she couldn't hear what Henry said clearly. She just gave a surprised expression with wide eyes.

Henry had no choice but to remove one earmuff and ask, "Is the engine noise any better after putting on the headphones?"

"Yes, much better."

"So, what kind of music do you want to listen to?" Henry opened a small handbag in front of the lady, which was full of tapes, including classical music and pop music.

She shook her Walkman, which was already playing a slow, soothing piece by Mozart. "This one's fine," she said. "I'll change it after I finish listening to it."

"Okay." Henry released the earmuffs and let the lady sit comfortably on the bed.

Givenchy and Robert were both amazed at the performance of Henry's Walkman and asked, "Can listening to music while flying really reduce the discomfort caused by external noise? Why didn't I feel any effect when I did it before?"

Henry sat down, pointed to his ear, and replied, "It's not the effect of the Walkman and the music, it's the function of the headphones. You know, the cockpit of an airplane or helicopter is very noisy, and it's a big problem for pilots to communicate with the tower.

"To ensure pilots can communicate with others, their headsets are specially designed with noise cancellation. This technology was patented in 34, but was only used in headsets in 78, and mass production began three years ago.

"It's just that the headphone manufacturer only supplies them to the military and has never produced them for civilian use. I thought they might come in handy, so I made a set myself."

Since the technology already existed, it wasn't a groundbreaking event. So, neither Givenchy nor Robert, who weren't techies themselves, thought it was that remarkable. They simply asked, "Isn't it available on the market?"

After thinking for a moment, Henry said, "Maybe it will take a few more years. Also, wearing noise-canceling headphones for long periods of time isn't good either, because the brain hears fewer types of sounds over time. Without sufficient external stimulation and training, it will affect its ability to filter sounds."

"When multiple people are talking, it's easy to lose focus on what one person is saying, or lose the ability to distinguish the distance and location of voices.

"But as long as you don't wear it long-term, it won't be a problem. It's also quite good for listening to music, although it's still not as good as listening in a concert hall. Are you interested? If you are, I can make one for you some time."

After hearing the shortcomings, Givenchy and Robert immediately lost interest. Actually, the noise on the plane wasn't that unbearable. They each found a seat and waited for takeoff.

Private jets don't have the same pre-flight briefings as regular airliners, with dedicated flight attendants. This is unless the guest has a specific preference.

So very quickly, the plane took off and headed towards the European continent.

The woman dozed off, but the three men on the plane weren't quite so aloof, chatting away in a flurry of idle chatter. Henry and Givenchy were playing chess, playing aimlessly, not considering the best moves.

Robert, flipping through the newspaper, suddenly asked, "Have you paid attention to that rumor recently?"

Another riddle man. Henry wanted to hit someone, what should he do? But he still cooperated and asked, "What rumor?"

"I heard that the United States, inspired by Audrey's speech at the United Nations, decided to increase its intervention in Somalia and send troops to resolve the civil unrest there. Otherwise, the famine problem there will never be alleviated."

"It's time to take action earlier." "Oh." Givenchy and Henry's responses were one hot and one cold.

Robert and Givenchy looked at Henry at the same time, feeling strange and asked, "Don't you think this is a good thing?"

Henry put down his chess piece and said with an indifferent expression, "The First Gulf War was won, the Red Empire collapsed, and America's dominance as a world power has returned. Do you think this is a good thing?"

Robert, who was more talkative about political issues, asked, "Isn't it?"

Henry asked in return, "Since World War II, where has the United States helped, or more bluntly, interfered with, achieved true peace?"

Robert thought about it, but couldn't think of a counterexample. He asked, "Isn't there?"

Henry said bluntly: "Regional conflict, civil unrest, poverty and corruption—one of these is always involved. And the US military doesn't work for nothing. They always take home some benefits.

"Only the British Empire before the World War could justify robbery with such impunity. So, these two countries are truly like father and son. If he truly wants world peace, he should let the whole world go."

The two audience members burst into laughter and laughed endlessly.

Who told them that one of them was French and the other Dutch? Henry, an American, was completely right on target with his self-deprecating remarks. However, they never imagined that Henry was a fake American, actually an alien and a time traveler.

Audrey Hepburn, however, was dozing off, unable to hear the men's chatter due to her noise-canceling headphones. She could only stare at them in bewilderment, their silly grins etched on her face.

Chapter 193: Winter of Rest

The small town of Trochenes in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland is located in the French-speaking region in the west, close to Geneva, at an altitude of 418 meters, which is a low-altitude area.

The temperature in Troshna in winter ranges from 0 to 6 degrees Celsius. Around Christmas time, it is common to see the area covered in snow.

However, the latitude here is not higher than that of Alaska, so the climate is certainly not as harsh as that area close to the Arctic Circle.

During this period, the garden does not need much care. Basically, as long as the flowers and plants are alive, they are fine. No one will deliberately trim them in winter.

But that doesn’t mean you have to do nothing in winter and just stay by the fireplace.

The most important thing is to clear the snow from the roof and the yard paths.

The snow doesn't accumulate as heavily in Troshna as it does in Alaska, so roofs collapsing under the weight of snow are rare.

The main problem is the snow on the road. Although it is a thin layer, it falls to the ground as soon as you step on it, so it seems that there is no need to clean it up deliberately.

However, this action usually only turns the snow into thin ice, not completely eliminating it. Thin ice is very slippery, meaning that if you don't clean it properly, your yard will become like an ice rink. It's not surprising that someone will fall and die at any time.

So Henry's first job when he woke up in the morning was to clear the snow. The roof didn't need to be cleared every day, but the paths in the yard had to be taken care of, because walking in the garden was the only exercise Ms. Hepburn could do now.

The snow wouldn't disappear unless Henry used his heat ray to melt it, but he didn't want to do that, so he just piled it aside.

Simply pushing the snow away was too boring, so Henry did something he had wanted to do in both of his lives but had never done: build a snowman.

So in the winter in the small town of Troshna, Ms. Hepburn's home, you can see a young man shoveling snow and building a snowman early in the morning, with five Jack Russell terriers playing around nearby.

This is because the roads are slippery in winter, so Robert did not go out for a run or walk the dogs, but only exercised at home. The five dogs had to take advantage of Henry's absence to vent their energy instead of being locked up at home.

However, the fun of building a snowman only lasted for two or three days because Henry started to play with snow sculptures.

From the beginning, there were alien statues that were comparable to Cthulhu, which made people's SAN value drop drastically; later on, there were Rodin's The Thinker, Michelangelo's David, the Greek goddess Athena, and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Basically, they shoveled snow every day, changing the shape each day. Henry wielded his large shovel, scraping here, scraping there. If he went too far, he would just pat the snow off the ground on top. It was much simpler than a real sculpture, and at least there was a chance to regret and start over.

Henry hadn't expected it to be too detailed; if it were left outside and the snow continued to fall, any original shape would be distorted. It was basically just a way to kill time in the morning.

The rest of the time is spent practicing the piano in an unprofessional way. Ms. Hepburn has a well-cared-for vintage piano at home, which is not a luxury brand or antique.

Occasionally, a skilled pianist would come and perform a tune; sometimes, a woman would strike the keys on a whim to soothe herself. But most of the time, it just sat there gathering dust.

Henry took this opportunity to practice on the piano.

Although Audrey Hepburn and Robert Wolders were not famous pianists, as actors they had a certain appreciation ability and could give some suggestions on Henry's piano skills.

Henry's piano playing, as Robert put it, was conventional and lacked any individuality, but at least it wasn't unpleasant to listen to.

But piano practice didn't last long, only an hour at most. For the rest of the day, everyone followed Ms. Hepburn's preference and immersed themselves in reading. Robert, however, occasionally went about his own business; he wasn't particularly fond of reading.

We sometimes exchange ideas about the books we have at home and the books we borrow from the library in small town.

The person who read the most diverse books was, of course, Henry. He could even understand foreign books that neither Ms. Hepburn nor Robert could, so they would often pester him to share their reading experiences, sometimes with Ms. Hepburn alone listening.

Reading time is usually in the afternoon. Everyone will sit in front of the large windows that let in the sun, feeling the warmth brought by the winter sun while reading the words in the book and chewing on the author's literary thoughts.

"Henry, what book are you reading today?" asked Ms. Hepburn, who had put down the book after reading to a certain extent and resting her eyes.

Henry held up the book, showing the cover, and said, "'Poppy' by Natsume Soseki. This is a modern Japanese writer from the late 19th century."

It’s not that I don’t want to read Chinese books, but the Chinese books in the small town library have been read out long ago.

"What is the content?"

Henry said: "The poppy in the title refers to a red poppy flower. This flower is very charming and therefore often used as a metaphor for beauty in ancient Eastern texts. Because this flower is the raw material for opium, it also implies the harm behind beauty.

"The story in the book is similar. The heroine's seduction of men is used as a metaphor for the prosperity brought about by Western civilization introduced to Japan at the time, which was just a bubble, a false illusion without foundation."

"That sounds like a sad story," Ms. Hepburn said intuitively.

"Rather than writing a sad story, it's more of a vehicle for showing off literary skills and then spouting a bunch of useless truths."

Ms. Hepburn chuckled and said, "How come your comment has completely changed my whole feeling?"

Henry spread his hands and said, "A writer uses the most gorgeous words to tell the most ordinary stories, and then hides some profound truths in order to preach to others."

"You're quite right," Audrey Hepburn agreed.

"Actually, there's a pretty interesting anecdote about this author."

"What is it?"

Henry said: "Because the author was exposed to Western culture at an early age, he worked as an English teacher for a while, teaching students English. At that time, a student directly translated the English sentence 'I_love_you' into the Japanese sentence '我君を爱す'.

"He said Japanese people wouldn't use such direct expressions, and that something like '月が绮丽ですね' would be more appropriate. This sentence means 'The moon is beautiful tonight,' and implicitly expresses the wish to 'share this beautiful night with you.'"

"Wow, that sounds beautiful. Is this true?"

Henry said calmly, "No, according to later research, the earliest source of this statement was more than ten years after Natsume Soseki's death. It was probably fabricated by later generations."

"Ah, you nasty child, can't you let me have good thoughts?" Audrey Hepburn said dissatisfiedly.

"Haha." Henry laughed again. "But if a story gets out and people think, 'Ah, that's exactly what this person would do,' wouldn't that be amazing too?"

"Indeed."

Chapter 194 Levels of Love

“Is Japanese culture so reserved?” Ms. Hepburn asked.

"I think this is true across all Asian communities influenced by Eastern culture. While the word 'love' exists in their culture, they don't use it lightly in the context of relationships between men and women."

"Why? Too embarrassed to say it?"

Henry thought for a moment and said, "It should be said that this word refers to a very strong emotion in Eastern culture. If two people go from being strangers to losing each other, the strong emotion that may follow the other half will be divided into a level of one to ten.

"People in Western cultures might use the word 'LOVE' at the third or fourth stage. And it applies to a wide range of people, including loving parents, siblings, and children.

"Therefore, the emotion represented by this word doesn't feel that strong. In contrast, in Eastern cultures, different words are used to express different emotions for different objects.

"Like words like respect, friendship, and care, the single word 'love' is more limited to relationships between men and women. And it feels like you need to be eight or even nine degrees of love before you can even utter the word in bed.

"They wouldn't even use it in public with their loved ones. But this distinction only existed a hundred years ago, when the exchange between the two cultural circles was not yet complete.