The next day, early in the morning.

The Plaza Hotel.

In the upper double room, when Lu Shi woke up from his sleep, he found that Wardhouse had woken up and was sitting there eating breakfast with relish.

Seeing Lu Shi climb out of bed, he said enthusiastically, "Do you need me to order breakfast for you?" ”

Lu Shi is still a little confused,

"Huh?"

A smile bloomed on Wardhouse's face,

"Breakfast! Breakfast! ”

He waved the menu and said, "It turns out that the hotel menu can be made thicker than the Bible, which is really good." ”

This statement is obviously an exaggeration,

But there is a reason for its exaggeration, anyone who has been in the UK for a long time will have their eyes lit up when they see food.

What's not better than looking up at the stars?

Waldhouse said: "The steamed eggs here with bread are very good~"

Lu Shi sighed,

"That's Eggs Benedict."

Eggs Benedict is actually a simple breakfast in the United States, and many people mistake it for an English breakfast because it uses muffins, that is, English muffins.

But in fact, it's fusion cuisine.

Not only muffins, but also Spanish ham and French hollandaise sauce.

So, it's a typical fusion dish that fits well with the fusion background of the United States.

Lu Shi stretched and went to wash.

When he returned, Wardhouse was still wrestling with the Benedict eggs, muttering to himself, "This is not a steamed egg?" ”

Lu Shi chuckled and said, "Sir, it's impossible that you haven't tried Benedict in London...... Not...... I know, it must be the British restaurant that has localized the recipe, and the result is that the tiger is not the anti-dog. It can only be said that the chef of Great Britain has a hand. ”

He sat down at the table.

Wardhouse walked over and opened the door, holding the recipe to the waiter,

"This ...... This one...... And this. ”

Then he came back and sat down,

"When you wake up, I'll order some different dishes to try, and we'll eat them separately."

It doesn't matter when it's land,

"Whatever you want."

He picked up the manuscript he had written the previous night, took the pen in his right hand, and began to read it carefully, frowning at the same time.

Wardhouse was a little curious,

"I see you came back yesterday and started creating, what? Because yesterday's pickling incident gave birth to the desire to create? But, to be honest, if you want to criticize the Chinese Exclusion Act, I don't think white Americans like to watch it. Because everyone is having a hard time right now, and we need an emotion to maintain unity. ”

He did not explicitly say that this sentiment was "hatred."

Lu Shi sighed, put the manuscript aside, and then closed his eyes and pondered.

Wardhouse took out a pair of "Monopoly",

"This is what the Pike brothers left behind."

Lu Shi asked, "Are they gone?" ”

Wardhouse nodded,

"Yes, because it wasn't clear whether we were going to Massachusetts (Massachusetts) or Washington (Washington), they decided to leave first, go back to their headquarters in Salem, and work at full speed to produce 2,000 copies of Monopoly first."

Harvard University in Massachusetts,

The White House is in Washington.

Lu Shi asked, "They think we might go to Washington?" Enter the palace to face the saint? ”

Shen Temeow "enters the palace and faces the saint"......

Wardhouse couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and said, "I also advised them to stay, and we went to Massachusetts together, and then parted when we got to Boston." But both brothers wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. Besides, I'm going home~"

Lu Shi can understand,

The so-called "hometown timidity", the closer to the hometown, the more unstable the mood.

He opened the box of "Monopoly" and checked it,

In the past ten days on the cruise, the Pike brothers have been testing and improving at the same time, and the game has been very perfect, and it will definitely take the United States by storm.

With this, you should be able to make a lot of money.

Lu Shi asked, "Why did they leave Monopoly behind?" ”

Waldhouse replied, "You're a visiting scholar and you're going to Harvard." After that, I may have to visit other schools to help promote it. Professors and students in universities are knowledgeable and willing to accept new things. ”

It is said that when "Monopoly" first appeared, it was used as a "teaching aid" by university professors.

Students play games to gain an intuitive understanding of capitalism and monopoly.

Lu Shi said: "University of London Alliance Press itself is a partner, and we have a reason to help them promote it. ”

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside,

Wardhouse went to open the door, and when he found that it was the waiter delivering the food, he tipped.

As a result, when he was about to return with his plate, Saul Goodman also appeared at the door, accompanied by a smile and said, "Sir, I have come to Professor Lu to consult him." ”

Wardhouse let the door open,

"Come in."

Goodman slid into the house with a flutter.

Last night, he could have gone back to his residence, but he insisted on staying at the Plaza Hotel together like a dog's skin plaster, even at his own expense.

Looking at his appearance, he was obviously worried that a high-quality big customer like Lu Shi would slip away.

Lu Shi beckoned him over,

"Mr. Goodman has breakfast?"

Goodman: "Ah......hhhhhh

He was a little embarrassed.

Obviously, he couldn't afford the consumption of the Plaza Hotel.

Lu Shi said, "Eat some hamburgers? ”

At this time, the burger was just a beef patty,

People in the Hamburg region of Germany knead minced beef puree in flour and spread it into cakes to fry and eat, so it was called Hamburg after the name of the place.

Lu Shi sandwiched the meatloaf into the bread, stuffed it with salad, and handed it over.

"Goo......

Goodman swallowed,

It looks good, but can you really eat this smorgasbord?

He had seen a lot of Chinese people before, and knew that Chinese people like to mix a lot of ingredients and sauces together when cooking, so he felt that this might be a national characteristic, so he took Lu Shi's hamburger and took a bite with the determination of "sticking out his head and shrinking his head is also a knife".

Unexpectedly,

"It tastes so good."

Goodman was somewhat surprised.

Lu Shi said: "It should be delicious. This is the Plaza Hotel, and Sir and I paid a fortune. Expensive is the only downside of this hotel. ”

The Plaza Hotel is extremely luxurious, steeped in history,

Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby here;

The Beatles first arrived in the United States to hold a press conference here;

The United States and Japan signed the Plaza Accord here, and the Japanese economy has since turned from prosperity to decline;

……

Goodman quipped, "It's not the hotel's fault, it's mine." ”

Lu Shi had a flat reaction to this joke,

Wardhouse laughed,

"You Americans tell jokes really funny! American humor is really different. ”

Goodman shrugged and took another bite of the burger.

His eyes rolled, looking for it on his plate,

Suddenly, he noticed the handwritten manuscript that Lu Shi put on the table, and was a little surprised,

"Professor Lu, what you wrote yesterday?"

Lu Shi nodded,

"Hmm."

Goodman asked, "Can I take a look?" I'm curious how a great writer like you creates. ”

He actually didn't know Lu Shi,

Yesterday, in order to better understand the customers to be served, I pestered the Parker brothers and said a lot, and even went to buy a copy of "Roger's Mystery Case" imported from the UK at a high price and read it overnight.

Now his attitude towards Lu Shi, in addition to flattery, also has real admiration and curiosity.

Lu Shi hesitated for a moment,

"Okay, you can read it."

Goodman began to read,

Wardhouse, who was on the side, also came up.

The manuscript has not yet been named,

From the perspective of format and structure, this is a script,

The main two characters in the script,

First, Sam, a French-American white man, was in desperate need of a job due to the closure of his theater due to the economic downturn;

Second, a Chinese painter, Jimmy Tang, was in need of a coachman and bodyguard to tour the United States.

"Interesting!"

Goodman muttered.

Wardhouse pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you find it interesting just by looking at the two characters?" ”

Goodman sighed: "Sir, you are British, and you will not understand how representative the conflict between these two identities is in the United States. Professor Lu doesn't even need to write the story behind it, the drama is there. ”

Wardhouse said: "The Chinese Exclusion Act? ”

Goodman let out an "um",

"If you listen to its name and don't see its influence, you won't feel it personally."

He looked at the script again,

"Moreover, Professor Lu also gave a good name. The American is called 'Sam', but he is of French descent, and the Chinese surname is Tang, and his name is 'Jimmy', which is too typical. ”

Lu Shi shook his head,

"I don't like to use the word 'typical,' but 'stereotype.'"

Goodman chewed on the word repeatedly, and then said, "Awesome, Professor Lu!" That's amazing! ”

He and Wardhouse continued to read the script.

Things turned out to be Goodman's thoughts, and Sam and Jimmy, despite their mutual disgust, had to work together.

So, they started their journey west from Boston.

At the beginning of the east, things are okay to say,

But the farther west you go, the situation gets worse because many hotels and restaurants are closed to Chinese.

Goodman rubbed his face,

"It's real, it's too real."

Waldhouse asked, "What?" ”

The corners of Goodman's mouth hooked up a strange arc,

"The further west you go, the more sparse and territorialized the American community becomes, and the American flag often goes up on the house. Sometimes when I go there, I feel like it's 'too American' and it's awkward. ”

Wardhouse was amused again,

"So, is 'too American' a good or bad modifier?"

Goodman replied, "There are good and bad. ”

The story behind the script, it is not difficult to imagine,

It's nothing more than Sam and Jimmy going from not understanding each other to becoming friends,

Jimmy is discriminated against, and Sam helps out;

Sam was not highly educated, was educated by Jimmy, and gradually became a "moral" and serious person.

Sam helps Jimmy, is interracial;

Jimmy helps Sam and is across classes.

This drama can be equated with the correct sign in modern times,

But at the beginning of the 20th century, the play was quite incorrect, but rather revolutionary, avant-garde, and even radically rebellious.

And in fact, this drama is indeed adapted from a modern film -

"Green Book".

The movie was very successful, and it was soft to win awards,

From Hollywood to the Oscars, although it can't be swept away, it has gained a lot.

Lu Shi adapted it into a drama, and the difficulty was mainly in the background of the times.

The so-called "Green Book" is a practical manual to help black travelers avoid racial conflicts.

In the movie, the main characters are black pianists and white drivers, set in the United States in the sixties, the segregation system, and at that time there were already automobiles, so traveling across state lines was much less difficult than in the early 20th century.

And, at that time, it didn't seem difficult to understand that blacks were well-educated.

But Jimmy, portrayed by Lu Shi, always feels a little untenable,

It may be difficult for Americans to imagine a Chinese painter who speaks politely and has a high level of art.

They only know about Chinese laborers.

Of course, this is not much of a problem, because even when "Green Book" was released, it would not be easy for black pianists to imagine without the Internet.

Lu Shi thought as he chewed his food carefully.

Goodman was curious,

"Professor Lu, this script is obviously very well written. I'm sure there will be a lot of viewers in Washington, New York, Boston, and Philadelphia who will enjoy it. ”

Just like Mei Lanfang in the United States, it is indeed popular,

But that's just a novelty.

Lu Shi said: "When the Chinese Exclusion Act was promulgated, the Chinese were slaughtered and looted, and the community was burned. Then, what does my script tell? ”

Goodman was puzzled,

"What's the problem? Sam hated Jimmy at first, pinching his nose and following him on the road because of the money. But later, Jimmy was discriminated against in various ways, Sam resolved them one by one, and the two became close friends, how good! ”

Lu Shi did not take a tone.

Wardhouse, who was on the side, spoke: "Comedy, family fun." Alas...... Of course you Americans will be very happy to see this~"

This is actually half a sentence,

The second half is: "But what about the Chinese? Can you laugh at this? ”

Goodman was speechless,

After a long time, he said: "I watched Professor Lu's play and felt that there was no need to discuss it in such depth. To put it simply, this drama makes it very clear that no one will hate a cultured and elegant person. ”

Wardhouse laughed,

"Mr. Goodman, you deserve to be an American lawyer."

Goodman embarrassment,

Because he heard that the other party was satirizing his hypocrisy, whether it was an American or a lawyer.

Wardhouse continued to laugh and said, "Sir, to be honest, the vast majority of Chinese workers have nothing to do with being cultured and elegant, even Lu can't deny this. But they are still closely associated with the word 'industrious'. How? In the United States, hard work is not a quality worth promoting? ”

"Forehead ......"

Goodman didn't know how to respond.

For the first time, he had a speech disorder.

Waldhouse continued: "Cruel facts, written in comedies and fairy tales, are really not acceptable. The drama written by Lu is good, and if I can act in it, I must like to watch it very much, but will the Chinese like to watch it? ”

This is also the reason why the evaluation of the "Green Book" is so polarized.

Is art pure?

This question is difficult to answer.

Goodman looked at Lu,

"Professor Lu, I think you should adapt this play, I can help you! While I don't know the rules in every state, especially the western states, I can help you look them up. ”

Lu Shi nodded,

"Thank you. I really should change it, but in which direction ...... it?"

Before he could finish speaking, there was another knock on the door.

Lu Shi looked at Wardhouse,

"Sir, did you order anything else?"

Wardhouse's gaze swept over the plate on the table, and his eyes were full of doubt: "No, all the dishes I ordered are already ready." Could it be a train...... No, I didn't have anyone help booking a train ticket to Boston. ”

Lu Shi put away the manuscript of the script and stood up,

"I'll open the door."

He walked over and opened the door.

I saw the service staff standing at the door, and when I saw Lu, I immediately said: "This gentleman, the guest who came to visit the front desk downstairs." There were two of them, the first of whom claimed to be a fellow of the Mirror, named Joseph Pulitzer. ”

Pulitzer?

Lu Shi hurriedly said, "Please!" ”

(End of chapter)