After sleeping for less than five hours, at five o'clock in the morning on the 28th, Zhang Nan walked out of the Greenwich Hotel with a bag in his hand. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

The outside temperature is very low, at most minus 5 degrees Celsius, and there is wind, and it is a little cold in a thin down jacket.

The streets are empty, and even though New York is the largest city in the world today, there are only a few cars passing by on the road at this time, one of which is a snowplow.

There was a light snow last night, but today is expected to be a sunny day.

Zhang Nan didn't stand at the door of the hotel, but walked for a while, waited for a while, and stopped a taxi, the driver was a black buddy.

"Hey, bro. Can you go to Wilmington?"

As in the same habit as before in China, Zhang Nan sat in the co-pilot's seat and asked the driver when he got in the car.

There aren't many Americans who take taxis like this, and they are usually in the back seat.

The driver turned his head with a surprised expression: "Ri-me?"

"I'm from Huaxia, there's a problem!?"

Zhang Nan's face was stiff, and his tone was a little stiff.

"Hey, bro, don't be angry. You Chinese people usually go to take the train when they run so far, but only the gang--son-raised day-I sometimes take our car to run so far. ”

Zhang Nan is also a tall man, such a tall man is rare among Chinese Americans, and he has a tough attitude if he doesn't agree with him, this black guy hurriedly explained.

Nowadays, Chinese people are generally disadvantaged in the United States, but black buddies can know that there are also Chinese people in Chinatown who are not easy to mess with, and they have heard of guns when they disagree.

As he spoke, he picked up the walkie-talkie in the car and yelled at the company's radio attendant, to the effect that he was going to Delaware or something like that, and he would not return to the company to hand over the shift.

As soon as I pulled down the meter, I left, probably worried that Zhang Nan would regret changing cars, this was a big business, and I set off immediately.

The Americans who will be here don't have much of a good impression of Japan-myself, and the economy of the little Japanese-Ben will be so good that they are clamoring to buy the Empire State Building!

Who said that Americans don't have a bit of national sentiment? This black buddy just looks at Xiao Ri - it's not happy!

And the Chinese people don't deal with the Japanese-I don't deal with them, this black buddy knows this: as long as you meet a difficult Chinese person, as long as you scold the Japanese-Ben Guy is right!

"I said brother, is it a one-way trip or will you come back today?"

Zhang Nan just wanted to reply, but the black buddy crackled and continued: "If you come back by my car, we can be cheaper, as long as you can return to New York before 5 o'clock in the afternoon, I only need to tip 10%." Waiting time is not charged, but you will have to pay me an extra $10 for breakfast and lunch. ”

The round-trip from New York to Wilmington is about 400 kilometers, and the fare is estimated to cost more than 300 US dollars, plus tips, which is still within Zhang Nan's budget.

It's cheap to take the train, but I don't have that time today.

Tipping is required for a taxi ride in New York, and the maximum distance will reach 20%, which is not a tough price for this black dude.

Zhang Nan thought for a while and said, "No problem, but it depends on your skills." The taxi drivers in New York are all fast riders, and I can't bear it, and I'm worried about having a heart attack. ”

"Hehe, my Kuaishou Jack is also a figure in the New York taxi industry, but brother, you don't like to be too fast, we can also drive a luxury RV!"

Blow!

With just this effort, Zhang Nan understood why this black driver in his 20s was called "Kuaishou": overtaking is fast, changing gears is fast, and this turning is also fast!

Fortunately, after the reminder, the car stabilized a lot.

Of course, it's better than just now.

Early in the morning, Chevrolet taxis quickly got out of town and on the highway, all the way south.

This black buddy is good, let Zhang Nan call him Jack, and he is very good.

Fortunately, Zhang Nan's English is okay, plus he was a buyer, the two chatted and chatted, and in more than two hours, the taxi arrived in Wilmington.

Wilmington, the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware, and the county seat of Newcastle County.

As soon as the taxi entered the city, the time was exactly 8 o'clock. The two parked in the parking lot in front of a fast-food restaurant, and solved the breakfast problem here: they made an appointment that the black buddy Jack would wait for him here until two o'clock in the afternoon at the latest, for which Zhang Nan paid the other party two hundred and fifty dollars first.

In order to earn the fare and tips for going back, it is estimated that this black dude will not miss the appointment - in Wilmington, he will not be able to bring back guests to New York.

Why did Zhang Nan have to run 200 kilometers to buy a lottery ticket? New York also has a "lotto" lottery ticket, so there is no need to run so far at all.

The reason is simple: in the United States, Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina allow Lotto lottery winners to keep their identities secret, while Wilmington, Delaware, is the closest major city to New York.

Out of the fast food restaurant, there is a small 24-hour supermarket nearby.

I went in and bought a bag of Marlboro, and by the way, I asked where the nearest lottery shop was.

The clerk on duty pointed at random: "Turn left 200 meters when you go out, and the place to queue is it!"

Line up?

Out of the supermarket,Turn left and walk only more than 100 meters,I found the lottery shop in the mouth of the clerk:Nima,It's still early in the morning,The temperature is still around zero,There is a long queue of people at the door of the lottery shop!

Take a closer look, there are dozens of them!

It's quite lively, and the comrades who know each other are chatting with each other and talking about the lottery.

Unlike later Chinese lottery shops, a kiosk can do the trick. The U.S. lottery is a large, two-story building: a large colorful sign hangs on the wall of the entrance.

Very good at doing business, such a large billboard, beautifully made, at first glance there is an urge to buy and make a fortune.

Zhang Nan didn't go to the queue first, but stood in front of the sign and looked at it: the introduction of the "Lotto" lottery ticket, the lottery rules, purchase, and prize redemption process are very detailed, as well as the winning numbers of these periods and so on.

The prize pool has accumulated to more than $300 million: knowing the various tax traps in the United States, it is estimated that even if one person wins the jackpot, it will be less than half.

This is in line with the more than 150 million figures in the newspaper.

Zhang Nan looked at the winning numbers in the previous issues again, and the numbers on them were very unfamiliar - the "Shanghai Collection" introduced that this award was opened on the second day of the Lunar New Year after the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Rabbit, not saying what number and day of the week.

Zhang Nan checked the perpetual calendar and determined that it should be the grand prize that was drawn on Saturday, January 30, 1987.

Although I remember, I still have to be sure.

I don't know the numbers of the previous draws on the billboard, so I can rest assured. However, when Zhang Nan casually read the explanation of the lottery rules, he was almost shocked into a cold sweat!

Why?

Damn 80s American "Lotto" lottery: the weekly draw is on Saturday, but the deadline for ticket sales is 6 p.m. every Wednesday!

This is completely different from Zhang Nan's familiar lottery sales method:Generally not as of the day of the lottery、One or two hours before the lottery is suspended?

"It's okay, it's okay! If you delay it and wait until Friday or Saturday to buy it, there will be no place to cry!"

Glad in my heart, it seems that having the memory of rebirth is not omnipotent, and any accident can happen!