Sun Laosan owed a nearby grocery store more than two hundred dollars and insisted on settling the bill at the end of the year.

So much so that recently when Han Chudong helped the master to buy things, the old woman would not look at Han Chudong well and would always ask him to help urge the delivery.

Han Chudong told Sun Laosan about it, but he just ignored her and had no intention of settling the debt.

I didn’t say I won’t give it to you, I just don’t want to give it to you for now.

He quickly recovered from being poached by his apprentice and asked happily, "Why don't you want to be my apprentice? You want to take over your father's job and get into the police station? That's not bad. Han Yiqiang is a police chief after all. It shouldn't be difficult to get you into the police station in our Chinatown, not to mention other places."

Han Chudong shook his head and said, "I don't know if it's difficult or not. I never thought about following him. That wouldn't satisfy me. I want to make a lot of money. To have my photo printed in Time magazine. Hollywood actresses would go crazy when they see me."

"You are dreaming, right? Do you think you are Wang An, the richest Chinese American?"

Sun Laosan threw a radio to him and continued:

"Fix it quickly. The customer will come to pick it up later. Stop dreaming all day. When I was a kid, I thought I could become the new king of ships in the world, but now I'm still hanging around here. I've seen a lot of people like you."

Those female stars make a lot of money. If you want to make them crazy, unless you are a big star like Clark Gable or Cary Grant, you have to be a rich second generation like Howard Hughes, and at least have... five million US dollars. "

There was a hint of mockery in his words for Han Chudong overestimating his own abilities.

Five million US dollars is a huge number that Sun Laosan dare not even think about, as it would only torture himself.

Early winter is still very far away for South Korea, but we can try our best to get there.

Unlike his master, he was not confused about his future path. Instead, after staying in the repair shop for nearly a week, Han Chudong felt like he was becoming a useless person.

Han Chudong was holding a screwdriver and preparing to dismantle the radio when he heard the words. He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said something that made Sun Laosan feel arrogant.

He said: "Wang An Computer is still a decent size now, but if it fails to seize the next wave of opportunities, it may go bankrupt one day."

"You are a toad sitting in a well and looking at the sky. You don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. I won't say anything about your desire to seduce that white girl before. Who knows, she might be blind.

But can Wang, the richest man, go bankrupt? Do you know what it means to have assets worth hundreds of millions? Others earn more in a day than we earn in our lifetime. I advise you not to think about it, because you will suffer in the end."

Sun Laosan believed that he had eaten more salt in his life than Han Chudong had eaten rice.

Seeing that the apprentice suddenly became active, he just wanted to wake him up from his daydream, so that he would not lose money in the end and miss the opportunity to learn a craft.

Han Chudong just raised the corners of his mouth and said lightly: "Look at the entrance of other restaurants. There are so many decorations of toads holding money in their mouths on the cash registers. Even if I am a toad, I am a golden toad. When I make money, don't cry and beg me to lend it to you to marry a wife."

"Oh, if you make a lot of money, I'll eat up the Tian Xia Wei Gong memorial archway in Chinatown!"

Looking at the landmark archway, Han Chudong smacked his lips and said, "When you eat it, remember to tell me how it tastes."

At this point, Sun Laosan thought Han Chudong was joking, so he smiled and said, "Hurry up and learn. Being smart is good. In a month or so, you will be able to start your own business and worry your family less.

Let’s not talk about other people, just your grandfather. The old Chinese in Chinatown in that era suffered a lot. They were often blocked at the door and asked for protection money. Otherwise, your father would not have chosen to do this business. It’s much cleaner now. I heard others mention it casually…”

——————————

I have been to Chinatown before, probably about 42 years ago.

In 1973, walking on the main street of Chinatown, one feels a sense of dilapidation and decay.

The older Chinese who came to the United States for various reasons started living here in groups more than a hundred years ago. The size of the community gradually grew, forming the current Chinatown in Los Angeles.

It’s definitely not as prosperous as downtown Los Angeles, but it looks pretty good.

Some small shops have supported several generations. Although they are small and old, they are the only source of livelihood for some families.

In the past few years, no one helped and no one cared about it. This "city within a city" was forgotten by many Los Angeles residents. Life in the United States is not as comfortable as people imagined. Many Chinese ancestors came to this land as laborers simply to survive and earn a living by doing hard labor.

There are many gangsters on the street who show their tattoos unscrupulously, as if this can intimidate others. There are also honest craftsmen who wander around the streets carrying candied haws, tofu pudding, and big steamed buns.

The walls and pillars are covered with calligraphy and advertising. An old lady setting up a stall is shouting to sell vegetables. At the entrance of the alley is an old man making candy figures. Dirty laundry water is thrown onto the road, attracting angry glares from passers-by. The sound of bicycle bells can be heard from time to time.

There is no wrong version in the 1619 book forum!

The sun is high overhead.

Some people set up tables in the store right after lunch, turn on the electric fan, and call friends to play mahjong, chess, or go. It's quite humane.

It is suitable for middle-aged people who have lost their edges, and even more suitable for elderly people who only know their neighbors, but it is not suitable for young people.

Amazing changes are taking place in the big cities, but here in Chinatown it's like time has stopped in the 1950s or even the 1940s.

After Han Chudong met the fourth gang of thugs, he probably understood why his father would rather take out a loan and move away with his family...

After walking around and looking around, I arrived at the door of the dry goods store owned by my grandfather. I had been here once last week and still remembered the way.

There are dry goods stores nearby, with all kinds of stuff piled up at the door. They are moved out every morning, and if they can't be sold, they are moved back in at night. Business is not that good.

Han Chudong listened to his father's advice, saying that he should stop running the business after the lease expired, but the old man stubbornly wanted to continue working. When people get old, they hate to be idle, and he probably wanted to continue helping out at home.

At this moment, seeing the old man standing at the door of the dry goods store with a smile on his face, I felt inexplicably touched.

When the accident just happened, I felt that I was myself and they were outsiders. Now I suddenly realized that after becoming Han Chudong, they were the closest people to me in this world.

In order to make the old man happy, I smiled and walked closer to ask, "Have you eaten? There is not much business at noon. I will take a nap in the store and then go over. My dad said you stewed fish maw. It's so expensive, so you should keep it for sale. It would be better to braise a young rooster for me."

The old man smiled even more: "You want to eat a little rooster? I'll go to the market tomorrow morning to buy some, and I'll send it to the repair shop for you at noon..."