Six days later---

"You need a helmsman to sail at sea, and the United States can't live without a president!" As soon as the plane came to a stop, the captain's magnetic voice came out of the loudspeaker: "Dear passengers, welcome to the former President Kennedy Memorial Airport." It's sunny in New York today, but the temperature is only..."

But no one in the cabin listened to his nonsense at all. The passengers all stood up in a hula, stretching their waists, and taking their luggage. Shujie was no exception, as he got up and removed his Jansports travel backpack from the roof compartment and put the Walkman inside. The backpack was empty. This Thanksgiving trip was only a few days, and before going out, Shujie just grabbed a few sets of clothes to change clothes. "Why are you standing up so early? I can't get out anyway. He looked at the dense cabin and laughed at his drift.

Boredom, Shujie looked down at the window, but where could he see the Manhattan skyline. "Is this New York?" The place that fascinated him. Shujie pinched the phone magnetic card in his pocket, and suddenly remembered Wang Qiming's famous words: "If you love someone, send him to New York, because it is heaven; If you hate someone, send him to New York, because it's hell there. ”

"But what am I doing in New York?" Shujie asked himself and replied, "I want an answer!" ”

The people in front of the aisle began to move. Shujie carried his bag and walked to the airport hall with the flow of people, thinking in his heart: "I have to find a magnetic card phone first." "He just came to the United States, and his social credit score is not enough, and he can't buy a mobile phone even if he has money." In this broken country, you have to check your credit and sign a contract to buy a mobile phone, and it takes two years to sign it. The monopoly of this chaebol is also too evil. "Shujie really misses the days when you could buy a card and use a mobile phone in China. Although he didn't have a cell phone, he knew he would find his old friend.

When the concourse of JFK arrived, Shujie's eyes suddenly opened up. A large heart is placed on a flower stand in the center of the hall with red flower pots. Underneath the heart is the familiar phrase "WelcometoNewYork". And the Rice language below this line in English is: Welcome to New York. Behind the flower stand stands a white statue. Shujie was happy when he saw it: "Isn't this the former President Kennedy Memorial Airport?" Why is there an old Bush standing in the back? ”

The palatial hall is full of people, and large slogans are hung everywhere. Shujie looked around, trying to find a magnetic card phone. Got it! Under a picture of "Democrats are reactionary", a row of magnetic cards and telephones hung on the wall.

Shujie just wanted to pull his legs, and someone suddenly slapped him behind him. Shujie looked back and saw a bronzed-skinned young man with a brown backpack appear in front of him. This gentleman is none other than the 'earth and sky' back then!

"Shujie! Long time no see! Dapeng stretched out his hand to Shujie.

Shake hands? Or a hug? Shujie was a little hesitant.

Dapeng grabbed Shujie's right hand, shook it vigorously, and then pulled Shujie to his chest and patted Shujie on the back hard.

For a moment, Shujie's eyes moistened. He couldn't help but hug Dapeng, as if the previous estrangement had disappeared.

"Dapeng, long time no see."

"I got off the plane early, and I've been waiting for you here."

"Where's Ed?"

"He also arrived early and was waiting for us outside the pick-up gate."

"Okay, let's go." As soon as he was excited, Shujie put the question in his heart behind him. As soon as the two of them left the airport, they saw Ed standing at the pick-up gate and looking around. More than two years later, the three old friends hugged each other again. After a simple greeting, even though Shujie had a thousand words in his heart, he didn't know where to start.

"Let's go, Ed has booked a hotel in Lower Manhattan." In the end, it was the Roc that broke the silence.

"Lower Manhattan?" Shujie exclaimed, "How much does that cost?" ”

"It's a Chinese hotel, it's not expensive at all. The boss said on the phone that the place was close to the subway and it was very convenient to eat Chinese food. Ed explained.

"Then let's go put our things down first, and then go to Chinatown to rub them off." Roc suggested.

"Check-in at this property is at 4 o'clock." Ed replied, "If you're not hungry, we can go shopping in Manhattan first, you don't have much luggage anyway." Shujie, are you hungry? ”

"I ate it on the plane." Shujie replied, "Dapeng, what about you?" ”

"I'm not hungry either." Roc replied.

"Really?" Ed squeezed him and said, "Didn't you just say you were going to rub it?" ”

"Damn, I'm afraid Shujie will be hungry." Dapeng retorted: "Why don't we go around first, where are we hungry and where are we eating?" ”

"Good! Eat where you're hungry! The three of them burst out laughing.

"Shujie, your first time in New York, where do you want to go first?" Ed asked.

"Hmm... I can't say it either. Shujie picked his head: "There are still a lot of places I want to go to before." But when I really got here, I didn't have a clue. ”

"Why don't you go to Times Square first?" Ed proposed, "It's the 'crossroads of the world,' and we can get there and decide what to do next." ”

"Good!" The trio had no objections. So, Ed hailed a taxi, drove out of the airport, and headed west along Atlantic Avenue to Manhattan. Shujie looked at everything outside the car window and felt very curious. After three months at the University of Notre Dame, he had long forgotten what it was like to be in the city.

Atlantic Avenue is a thoroughfare that runs through Brooklyn and is riddled with traffic lights, and taxis are stop-and-go. Half an hour later, a magnificent suspension bridge appeared in front of the trio. The towers at the top of the bridge are majestic, and the tall buildings of Manhattan are standing behind them.

"Shujie, this is the famous Brooklyn Bridge." Ed enthuses, "This bridge spans the East River and connects Brooklyn and Manhattan. The bridge is suspended by tens of thousands of steel cables and was once hailed as one of the world's seven architectural marvels during the Industrial Revolution. ”

"Wow!" Shujie and Dapeng sighed.

"The bridge has survived a century of wind and rain and is still strong, and now it has become a national historic landmark in the United States. A lot of Hollywood movies..."The more the three of them talked, the more excited they became, and the taxi drove across the bridge into Manhattan, stopping on the side of the road until the intersection of West 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue.

"Dapeng, Shujie, Times Square has arrived!" The three of them hurriedly got out of the car. Shujie put his travel bag on his back and looked up. There is a narrow road in front of you, with tall buildings on both sides, and there is no square.

"We've got to walk three more blocks north. Where Broadway meets Seventh Avenue is truly the heart of Manhattan. "Ed looks like a snake on the ground. Under his leadership, the three of them soon walked to Times Square. This Times Square is actually a triangular area, with Seventh Avenue on the right, which runs north and south, and Broadway on the left, which is crooked. Although Shujie knew that Times Square was not big, he was still shocked by its 'smallness'.

"Where are we going!" Ed pointed to a grandstand with more than 30 steps in the center of the square and exclaimed, "That's the best vantage point." ”

The trio bypassed the police car next to the stands, squeezed up a staircase and sat down. It is indeed the best place to see the panoramic view of the square. As far as the eye can see, there are huge electronic billboards everywhere, dazzling and dazzling, decorating the square with colorful colors. On the bustling streets, pedestrians of all colors dress differently and rub shoulders. This 'crossroads of the world' seems to be a stage without a script, without a director's performance.

"Shujie, Ed, have one." Roc returned to the steps with three oddly large hot dogs. Shujie took the hot dog, opened his mouth and bit it, and a stream of hot meat juice squirted into his mouth. He chewed two mouthfuls beautifully, and then sighed, "Oh my God, why is this hot dog so fragrant, it tastes so much better than Shuanghui." ”

"That's because you're hungry." Ed laughed, raising his hand to pat Roc's leg.

"Wrong!" Dapeng flashed to the side and shouted: "As a Henan person, I can tell you responsibly that it is because Shuanghui ham sausage is basically noodles." ”

"Haha!" Shujie laughed out loud and thought to himself, "This Times Square is really the center of the universe. Even if you sit here and watch all day, you won't get bored. Suddenly, a large, extra-wide screen flashed directly across from him. Immediately afterwards, all the other billboards went black, and all the pedestrians in the square stopped.

What's going on? Shujie was taken aback: a power outage? No, it's still on. He was pondering when a line of large characters in rice appeared on the big screen opposite from right to left. At the same time, a sonorous and powerful male voice came out of nowhere and resounded through the square:

"The great President George W. Bush taught us that leaders, and only leaders, are the driving force behind history. Tick, tick, tick, beep! It's four o'clock in the afternoon of Shington Standard Time, please check your time. ”

When the time was over, the billboards lit up again, and the square resumed its hustle and bustle. Under the ultra-wide screen just now, several people dressed as anime heroes began to walk back and forth, enthusiastically pulling passers-by to take group photos.

"Shujie, do you want to take a picture with them?" Dapeng asked, "Just 'tip' them, right?" Ed. ”

"yes, five dollars is enough. Let's go together? Ed chimed in.

"Forget it, we're not teenagers anymore. How about going to the Empire State Building before it's dark? Shujie proposed, "I'm not hungry at all after eating a hot dog this big." ”

"Okay." The three of them put their bags on their backs and set off immediately. By the time they arrived at the Empire State Building, it was almost five o'clock. They waited in line for almost two hours before boarding the last elevator. But all the hard work is fully worth the ticket price. Standing on the observation deck filled with the national flag of the United States, you can see New York at the beginning of the day.

"Shujie," Ed said, "New York City is divided into five towns, and people often refer to Manhattan when they say 'New York, New York'. To the west of Manhattan is New Jersey and to the east is Long Island, where my school is. ”

"How far is your school from here?" Shujie asked.

"It's more than an hour by train from Central Station." Ed replied, then walked around the corner to a coin-operated telescope and said to the two, "Do you remember Tom Hanks' Sleepless in Seattle?" The last scene was filmed here. ”

"Really?" Dapeng asked.

"It should be." Shujie replied. It's one of his favorite movies, but he can't remember whether Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's final dialogue was in English or Mi.

The three of them took pictures everywhere on the observation deck and played until the waiter came to catch people and close the door. By the time they got back to Fifth Avenue, it was completely dark. A hot dog is still a hot dog after all, and Shujie is already hungry.

"How about finding a place to rub around?" Dapeng asked, "Go to the hotel after eating." ”

"Okay, I'm hungry too." Shujie proposed: "I haven't eaten Sichuan food for a long time, how about going to Chinatown?" ”

"You're stupid. There is no authentic Sichuan cuisine in Chinatown at all. To eat Sichuan food, we have to go to [Old Sichuan] in Midtown. Ed sounds like he knows everything about New York's cuisine: "It's nearby." ”

"Great!" Shujie and Dapeng agreed.

Half an hour later, the three of them sat down in [Old Sichuan]. Maybe it was because he was stimulated by the red color, or maybe he was too tired from walking, Shujie looked at the menu and wanted to order everything. As soon as the dish came up, the three of them immediately began to gobble it up. Except for the boiled pork slices, which were too spicy, there was nothing left of the other dishes soon. Ed, a native of Jiangsu, stuck out his tongue with a spicy spicy mouthful, took a sip of ice water, and asked, "Do you remember our birthday dinner?" ”

"Which time?" Shujie looked up and asked, with a piece of mapo tofu still on his chopsticks.

"In my sophomore year, we were still on the Pujiang campus and had just finished playing." Ed reminded.

"Remember, remember!" The past years returned to Shujie's mind: "Everyone is hungry, and a dish is gone in less than a minute." ”

"If you move slowly, you won't be able to eat anything." Dapeng smiled: "I remember everyone singing Jacky Cheung's "Legend of the Evil Wolf" while waiting, and learning to howl wolves." ”

"That's right, Roc is still a wolf." Ed teased.

"You're the hungry wolf. Look at what you just eaten. Roc retorted.

"Alright, alright, we're all hungry wolves." Shujie smiled: "It's a pity that we can't sing our legends together here." With that, the three of them burst out laughing. In the unbridled ridicule, they seem to have returned to their college days. As he spoke, Dapeng sighed, "Do you remember that dinner party in your junior year? It's a pity that the old medicine didn't go abroad, otherwise, our 606 dormitory would be complete. ”

As soon as the topic of going abroad was mentioned, the three of them immediately lost their words, and the dinner table fell into a long silence.

How did we get here?

You came to the United States first, why didn't you tell me the truth?

Shujie didn't know if there was an answer to his question. But he knows very well that no one wants to touch it when it comes to going abroad, but no one can get around it.

"Shujie, I know what you want to ask?" Ed spoke first: "I'm really sorry. When I first arrived, I was also devastated—"

"Me too," Dapeng interjected, "The moment I entered the customs, my mind was clouded. Everything here is completely different from what the New West says! I don't want to spend a minute in the United States. ”

"But the expectation of my parents and the envy of my neighbors, how can I go back?" Ed continued, "If you don't get your degree, what's it if you go back?" My dad always said that good men have ambitions in all directions, and only when they mix well outside can they return home. How dare I tell them? How dare I tell anyone the truth about the country? At this, Ed's voice choked.

"Ahh

"Ed, Roc, I... I'm sorry too," Shujie said in a low voice, "I haven't been in touch with you because reality has hit me too hard. I... I even blame you for not telling me sooner. ”

"It's not your fault," Ed tried to comfort Shujie, "It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's that I really don't know how to speak." ”

"Don't mention this," Shujie said, looking up, "If it were me, it would be the same." Every time I called home, I couldn't tell anything but lies. ”

"Hey—" the three of them sighed in unison, and everything seemed boring.

"You know what?" Dapeng suddenly raised his voice: "If you want to blame, blame that bastard in the New West!" He blew the country so well. ”

"That's right! Han Ming was one of the first batch of international students after the reform and opening up. He must have known that the people of the United States do not speak English. Ed chimed in: "He weaved a dream for Chinese students to learn English, just for money!" ”

"Old liar!" Dapeng said fiercely: "This guy is so bad, he thinks that we don't dare to expose his deception for the sake of our parents' face, and will even use his life to lie for him!" ”

"Han Ming, you liar!" Hearing this, Shujie was also excited.

"President Bush is always healthy! Sir, would you like to add tea? The waiter suddenly came over and asked.

"Isn't that just added? Why did you ask again? Shujie glanced at the waiter suspiciously.

"No, we're leaving soon. Pay for it. Ed replied.

"Do you want to pack?" The waiter asked. Only the spiciest poached pork slices were left on the table.

"Forget it—" Ed replied.

Shujie interrupted Ed, and insisted firmly, "Yes, you have to pack." It's been a long time since I've eaten such authentic Sichuan food. ”

The waiter neatly finished the bag. The three of them carried boiled pork slices and wandered on the Q subway for more than 20 minutes before arriving at Chinatown. As soon as you get out of the subway entrance, a strong Chinese atmosphere will come to your face. The narrow streets are full of black eyes and yellow skin. As far as the eye can see, the vertically written traditional Chinese signboards are layered on top of each other, which looks very kind.

"It should be on this street." Ed pulled out a piece of paper with the address and phone number of the hotel neatly written by hand. The three of them walked along Canal Street for a few minutes before Ed pointed to a white townhouse and said, "That's it, it's not far from the subway." ”

Shujie looked up and saw that the store sign had six big red Chinese characters: Fuxing Food Company.