The 12-hour flight was extremely boring, and the plane headed east, over the vast Pacific Ocean.

Zhang Chen had already read several newspapers, and was wondering if he should sleep to pass the time, when the flight attendant's food delivery cart was pushed over.

Zhang Chen asked for chicken rice, and the middle-aged man next to him took the plate from the stewardess and handed it to Zhang Chen. Zhang Chen said casually: "Thank you." Immediately thinking that although the other party is Chinese, he may not understand Chinese, and added a sentence of "thank you."

The middle-aged man smiled: "You're welcome." "Standard Mandarin.

ZHANG CHEN SMILED: "I JUST SAW YOU WATCHING "DESPERATION", THINKING YOU DON'T KNOW CHINESE, CHINESE AMERICAN?"

The man nodded, "I've been to the United States for six years, and now I'm settled over there." “

Seeing Zhang Chen's expression, the man explained with a smile: "Oh, I didn't go because of what happened seven years ago, when I was a reporter for the Kyoto Daily, and my lover came to the United States three years before me. After she became a naturalized citizen, I followed. “

Zhang Chen smiled self-deprecatingly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that." What do you call it? What are you doing now?"

The man said: "My surname is Tao, Tao Zhiwen." He was given the English name Steven. Then he pointed to the Los Angeles Times in Zhang Chen's hand, "I'm working as an expatriate correspondent in this newspaper now." What about you, little brother, I don't think you're that old, right?"

Zhang Chen smiled: "My surname is Zhang, Zhang Chen, and I will be 16 soon." Ben Cheng people. “

Tao Zhiwen was surprised, "You are not an international student, your parents are in the United States?"

Zhang Chen shook his head and said: "My parents are in Bincheng, I went to the United States alone, I got an offer from Stevenson High School in California, I want to go over and see for myself, and decide whether to go to the United States to study high school." “

Tao Zhiwen couldn't help but say, "Your parents didn't accompany you?"

Zhang Chen smiled: "No, I didn't let them accompany me, I want to exercise by myself." “

Tao Zhiwen shook his head incredulously, he now has a five-year-old daughter, and he knows the way of thinking of Chinese parents, and it is difficult to understand that they will agree to Zhang Chen going to the United States alone at this age.

Maybe his parents are the first batch of people in China to go to the sea and get rich first, Tao Zhiwen said secretly in his heart. I have also come into contact with several such private entrepreneurs, and some of them are really focused on their careers and do not pay enough attention to their children.

Thinking of this, Tao Zhiwen couldn't help but show a sympathetic look, and Zhang Chen didn't bother to explain when he saw it.

After a while, Tao Zhiwen suddenly said: "I live in downtown San Francisco, if you need help here, contact me." After that, he took Zhang Chen's newspaper and wrote a line of address and phone number on it.

Zhang Chen was a little moved, put away the newspaper, and said sincerely: "Thank you, Brother Wen, I'm afraid that Uncle Tao will call you old." “

Tao Zhiwen waved his hand and said disapprehantly: "They are all Chinese, and it is appropriate to help each other outside." “

The chance encounter on the road is like this, once the conversation box is opened, it will be easy to do, Zhang Chen also took the opportunity to find Tao Zhiwen to understand the issues he is more concerned about.

It is rare to have someone to chat with during the trip, Tao Zhiwen also opened the conversation box, and introduced some feelings of living in California and his perception of the United States to Zhang Chen in detail.

The elites of this era generally regard the United States as a beacon, and while saying how good the United States is, it will inevitably be linked to some domestic problems, and Tao Zhiwen is naturally not exempt from vulgarity.

Moreover, compared with the United States in this era, the gap between China today is indeed too big in all aspects, and it is even so big that it makes people desperate.

This is the reason why the more the elites of the United States understand in this era, the more they will advocate that China needs ****.

Because in their eyes, the gap between the United States and China is so big that it is impossible to catch up. Even if it is for patriotic purposes, it should take China to a more effective path.

The elite at that time could never have imagined that twenty years later, although China had not surpassed the United States in terms of GDP, it would already rank second in the world. If anyone is still saying in twenty years that we simply can't catch up with the United States, they will be sprayed to death.

Facts have proved that any gap cannot be changed just by thinking, and the only way to change this gap is to roll up your sleeves and bow your head and work hard. When I suddenly looked up one day, I found that, ah, I had left a large number of opponents far behind, and the first distance was already so within reach.

Although Zhang Chen didn't agree with some of Tao Zhiwen's views, he didn't interject, just listened with a smile.

From the conversation, Zhang Chen knew that Tao Zhiwen's lover was also a news disseminator, and the two were college classmates. Now his wife works as an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, and the two had a daughter five years ago. But I haven't bought a house in San Francisco yet, and by the way, I complained about the housing prices in San Francisco. Even in the worst-safe neighborhood, a house costs more than $200,000. And in Oakland next door, even the house bought for 350,000 US dollars is very good, but the security in Oakland and Richmond is too chaotic.

Zhang Chen heard a secret smile in his heart, sure enough, no matter what era and in which country, Chinese people pay attention to housing prices, but they still cooperate with the exclamation from time to time.

Of course, he will also talk about Las Vegas, Tao Zhiwen was embarrassed to say that he has been in the United States for so many years and has never been to Las Vegas. But as far as he knows, there are also legal casinos in San Francisco, and now nearly 40 states in the United States have opened legal gambling. But like Las Vegas, you must be at least 21 years old to gamble. Tao Zhiwen joked that if he wanted to gamble in the United States, he would have to wait at least five years.

Zhang Chen smiled awkwardly, but he was worried in his heart, he forgot that he was not yet 16 years old, and he didn't know that the United States was so strict in this regard, so he didn't even have the qualifications to gamble.

But Tao Zhiwen also casually said that you don't need proof of identity to buy lottery tickets, but you need to redeem the lottery. Prizes under 21 cannot be claimed, and if it is a foreign ID, you need to pay an additional 5% tax.

Zhang Chen rolled his eyes, seriously thinking about how to solve this matter.

The two were chatting, when suddenly a voice came from the side: "Hi, Chinese boy, it's not a gentleman's behavior for you to ask an old American lady to take the initiative to chat with you." “

Zhang Chen knew it was Barbara when he heard the voice, looked up and smiled: "I can't get into your first class, Marx said, there is a natural class difference between us." “

Barbara smiled and nodded to Tao Zhiwen, and then said to Zhang Chen: "Okay, then can you accept the invitation and go to my place for a drink?" “

Zhang Chen hesitated, looked at Tao Zhiwen, and still refused: "Thank you, Barbara, but I have met a new friend." You see, we're all Chinese, so it's not okay to abandon our friends like this. “

Since Barbara appeared, Tao Zhiwen was a little dumbfounded, and when he heard Zhang Chen say this, he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "It's okay, you go, I'll rest for a while." “

Zhang Chen said to Tao Zhiwen: "Brother Wen, then I'll go over and sit for a while, and then come back later." “

Tao Zhiwen stood up and asked Zhang Chen to move out of his seat, watching Zhang Chen and Barbara walk towards the first class cabin together, Tao Zhiwen was in a trance.

"Senator Barbara Bowxey?"