Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du did not treat Hans’s words seriously. That dude was always in love. He fell in love every time he met a beautiful woman.
Li Du guessed that Hans’s sexual instincts had been awakened early. It would not be a surprise if the number of times Hans fell in love was actually greater than the number of women he had met.
After this short encounter, they entered Riverdale. A low-rise old-fashioned, simple building appeared before them.
Those low buildings were made of wood. Someone was painting over the surface in an effort to maintain its appearance. The sun shone brightly in winter, there was no rain and the local temperature was not too low. It was a great time for maintenance work on the buildings.
There were many cars parked in the town, but few pickup trucks were around. That was because the local road condition in the town was not too pleasant. The roads could become damaged if too many pickups drove over them. Hence, other than the people who wanted to participate in the pickup truck competition, others drove light-duty vehicles.
As there were many participants, the warehouse auction association did not offer accommodation. Hence, everyone had to search for their own lodgings.
Hans was experienced in that and had already pre-booked a bed and breakfast for them all. They had rented the first and second floor of the house. They did not have much choice, as they were big in numbers and needed many rooms.
Farming used to be a key to Riverdale’s economy. However, it has been replaced by tourism. There were many hotels in the town. However, there were always many treasure hunters who came to join the big party. At that time of year, many hotels were fully occupied.
Under such circumstances, some of the residents would offer their house for rent. Homeowners would take the opportunity to clean their house and also earn some money from that.
The house that Hans had rented was situated right at the center of the town. It was a prime location and they were to pay 600 dollars per day.
Although the house was very old, it was still rather sturdy. The main part of the house was built in a traditional, western style. The building was massive, tall, and simple.
In addition, the homeowners did not lead a dull life. They had planted a small garden in the front and back of the house. The walls were in the process of being painted and there were some decorations added on the door and the windows. The house was more beautiful than the other old houses around.
Hans jumped out of the car before it even stopped.
The owner who was cleaning the entrance of the house spotted them and stood up to wash his hands. Then he said in a friendly voice, “You guys are treasure hunters from Phoenix? Welcome, welcome.”
Hans did not answer his question, but asked, “Mr. Joris? Nice to meet you, I am Hans Fox. I wanted to ask you something. There is a shepherd lady in your town, rather tall, with blonde hair. She likes to smile and looks especially outgoing…”
The owner, Joris, looked confused and said, “There are quite a few such ladies in our town.”
“She has a dog named Hans,” Sophie spoke up, pointing out the key detail.
Hans nodded promptly and said, “Yes, yes. I actually forgot this point. She has a dog named Hans.”
Joris smiled and said, “I know who you are talking about. Barbara Bryan. She has a mischievous Castro dog…”
“Yes, yes, yes. That’s her. That Castro is very mischievous, but also very timid,” Hans went on. “Barbara Bryan, alright, Barbara Bryan.”
Joris was around forty years old and had an easy-going character. He enjoyed kidding around.
Hans continuously mumbled the name of the lady shepherd. Joris smiled, “Seems like someone fell in love at first sight. However, if his name is Hans, that is really fate. Barbara also likes Hans. Of course, I’m talking about her dog.”
Hans smiled and said, “She will like this Hans more. You guessed right, buddy, I seem to have really fallen in love at first sight.”
Li Du brought down a box from the car and patted Hans’s shoulder. He said, “You better keep your feelings in check. Don’t cause any trouble here. As you said before, Riverdale is a conservative place.”
They had brought their pets along. They were allowed to bring the animals into the house, but the compensation would be high if anything was damaged. That was because the house was old and would require more effort in getting it fixed.
Joris took them to their rooms and then Li Du’s group made plans to stroll around the town.
The warehouse auction association had reserved all the restaurants and bars. The association had also invited singers to the establishments. There were country singers, jazz performers, hip-hop rappers and beat-thumping DJs.
In any case, from the point when treasure hunters entered the town, the party started.
After Li Du emerged, treasure hunters came forward to surround him. They all greeted him in a friendly manner:
“Hey, Big Li, happy New Year.”
“Boss Li, have you made preparations to grab Macy’s? Let’s join forces at that time.”
“Let’s drink together, Big Li. I have friends who visited China, your old country. They brought me Mao Tai. They said this is the traditional beverage of your country. I have brought it here especially for you to try.”
Li Du responded to them and hi-fived many people along the way. Again, he received the treatment of a superstar.
The treasure hunters were going out of their way to praise Li Du. They said many things that were music to his ears and hence, Li Du was in a great mood. However, he caught sight of two familiar faces and his spirits took a plunge.
The Anthonys, both father and son, were also here to join in the party.
By the time Li Du noticed that pair, the two of them were glaring at him. Several treasure hunters hung out around the Anthonys, who had regained much of their usual swagger. They had their noses up in the air, their backs were straight, and they were looking around condescendingly. Standing in among the rest of the treasure hunters, they had an air of being the leaders of the pack.
They caught each other’s eye, and Conrad Anthony’s face revealed a vengeful expression that he was unable to hide.
The Anthonys had already investigated and confirmed that Li Du had trapped Conrad with a bunch of empty boxes. Conrad loathed Li Du.
Very soon, Li Du’s attention shifted away from them as a large, middle-aged man wearing a cowboy hat walked towards him. That man was accompanied by a plump lady.
The lady was Valerie Walter, the secretary of the Treasure Hunter Association. The middle-aged man was Bill Adrian. He was the Warehouse Treasure Hunter Association’s chief in Arizona.
After seeing Li Du, Bill walked over and extended his right hand for a shake. He put his left hand on Li Du’s arm and looked very friendly. “Hi, Big Li, happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year, big boss Bill,” Li Du replied politely.
They did not have much interaction with each other. However, Hans and he would sometimes bump into Bill Adrian when they went to the association. There, they would exchange a few words.
Bill said warmly, “You had great success recently. I heard you found a valuable book and sold it for a good price, right?”
There was nothing to hide and Li Du said in honesty, “Birds of America, a work of Audubon. I was lucky to have gotten my hands on it. However, the transaction is yet to be completed.”
“If the transaction contract has been signed, that’s already considered a success,” Bill smiled. “Valerie, Big Li has earned more than hundreds of thousands. What is his status now?”
Valerie smiled and said, “Looks like we have two more Million Dollar Club tycoons in Arizona now.”
Bill said, “Then we have bumped into each other at a good time. There’s no need for Big Li and Big Fox to do a second trip. Grab this chance and help them process their status promotion in the club, alright?”
“No problem.”
