Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When he recalled the days he had spent messing around with Hans, Li Du could not help smiling.
However, the thought that he would not experience such life anymore made him felt down again.
His sorrow was not that Hans was not there alongside him, but that he could not go back to the past, to his youth, his foolish youth.
Hans has changed a lot. Hasn’t he changed a lot too? Through the experience from what he encountered, he was a completely different person than when he first entered the warehouse auction business.
The change in mindset was the biggest. For him, the most important thing now was the fun of the warehouse auctions. The reason he chose to attend this warehouse auction was that the gimmicks of the auction on the sea got his interest.
If he were informed that there were only one or two thousand containers, he might not be interested and would have flown home for the Chinese New Year celebration.
Once, he was keen on getting revenge. If someone provoked him, he would try to teach the other side a sharp lesson. Now, he did not bother to think about this, and mostly let it go with a smile.
Lu Guan and Bill, who were next to him, were scratching their heads. The boss was laughing a second ago and started frowning a second later, which looked a little like he was not in a good state of mind.
After checking into the hotel, Li Du took the group of people for a stroll around the streets.
He got a call from the son of god, Chris Bell. The insurance company would certainly not miss his name in the invitation list to the auction, as he was a leader of the California treasure hunters.
In addition, Black Mustang, Magic Hand Johnson and other acquaintances were invited too. In short, the entire American circle of treasure hunters with a certain amount of reputation was invited.
Bell called and asked, “Where are you now? When did you arrive in Seattle?”
Li Du said with a smile, “I just checked into the Western Park hotel. I had reserved two rooms for you and another one for Magic Hand. We can have a chat then.”
Bell whistled. “Cool. My flight just landed. I want to let you know something. I have a few friends who are doing well in Seattle. Are you interested in getting to know them?”
Li Du said, ” Sure, when could we meet?”
“The auction is the day after tomorrow, so I’ll make an appointment for tomorrow. How about we pay them a visit tomorrow afternoon?”
Li Du agreed at once. He was not short of money, but he always valued connections.
Bell had not arrived yet. Therefore, he decided to hang around outside.
His hotel was in a prime location in Seattle, next to Pioneer Square, in the city’s oldest neighborhood. Its streets boasted a unique Richardson Romanesque architecture which was one of its kind in the world.
There was a small water tower some distance down the block, which had some connections to a famous American story. In 1889, a fire broke out in Pioneer Square.
The fire was called “The West Coast Hellfire”. The fire was wild and it burned down twenty-five city streets, including the Pioneer Square!
The street was rebuilt after the big fire. The block was made of red brick and tiles, ranging from ancient historical sites to modern entertainment places such as cafes, art galleries, and bars.
Being in the northwest for the first time, Li Du was not familiar with the city of Seattle.
Lu Guan had done his homework and said, “Boss, let’s go to the Pike Place market. I dare to bet that you’ll like it there. It is a great place!”
Bill added, “The Pike Place Market is indeed a landmark for Seattle. There are many little shops and lots of people living there. There are old-school bohemians, hip restaurateurs, artists, buskers, artisans, the type of people there are very interesting to see…”
Pike Place Market, which was founded in 1907, was now more than a hundred years old. This marketplace was considered to be the heart of Seattle. The marketplace had a local atmosphere, with the original, concentrated essence of a market and a multitude of things to catch the eye.
It was nearly evening, and the winter sun was setting early. The sky had darkened, and the streetlights lit one up after another.
Lu Guan confidently took them into an alley with a bridge leading through it. A noisy atmosphere and a mixture of strange smells were just in front of them.
“The underground food city at Pike Place market. Boss, welcome to the largest underground food city in the northwest!” Lu Guan turned back and said with exaggerated intonation, his arms open.
It was dark under the bridge, and he was walking backward. He knocked into someone accidentally.
The other side was very fierce and directly wanted to lift his foot and kick him. Li Du noticed it and hurried to kick the stranger in the ankle first. At the same time, he said, “Hey, buddy, sorry.”
The young man gasped when Li Du kicked him. He curled up one of his legs and jumped a few times on one foot, hissing angrily, “Don’t you see where you are going? F**k, f**k, f**k!”
In the old days, Li Du would have tried to fight back. However, he did not bother now.
A few young men with unfriendly expressions came forward. Brother Wolf, the Markelov brothers, and others went to confront them, and a conflict seemed about to break out.
Li Du didn’t care about the attitude of the other side. He put his arm around the young man’s shoulders, smiled and said. “My buddy just knocked into you by mistake. This is the food city, and there are many people around, so isn’t it understandable? Right?”
As he said this, he pushed the young man to a nearby stall and waved to the other young men, then said, “Come here, everyone, come here and have a drink together.”
He took out a few dollar bills and slapped them on the counter of the stall. Then he said to the owner, “Bring out your best drinks and some good food for my new friends here.”
The hostility on the faces of the young men diminished dramatically when they saw Li Du meant them no harm.
They already realized that the strength on their side was not enough to fight when Brother Wolf, the Markelovs, and other big men appeared. They backed off when Li Du gave them the opportunity to do so with dignity.
Li Du poured them some wine and raised his glass, saying, “Come on, now that the food and drink are here, you should be in a better mood, right? How nice a winter night would be, with some good drinks and good food! What a night it will be when we have had enough to eat and drink, and our bellies are warm and filled, and we get into our warm beds!”
A young man also raised his glass and laughed. “Yes, it is a nice night. Thank you for the nice wine, sir. We wish you to have a great night too.”
The conflict was resolved without any fight. When Li Du put down his glass and was leaving, the young men were also very friendly and introduced him to a few special food stalls in the underground food city.
Through the underground bridge, a wider space came into their view.
Massive stone pillars, impregnable granite ceilings, and rough concrete floors supported this subterranean world. Li Du saw the flowing crowd and lines of stalls, one after another as far as the eye could see.
The crowds of people and stalls appeared in every corner. There were dining cars, tables and chairs, and stoves all around the pillars. On the ceiling, there were large extraction fans which kept sucking away the smoky air and brought in fresh air from outside.
Compared with the cold up above, the underground food city was quite warm and full of delicious scents, a cozy haven in winter.
