Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After hearing Yang Dong’s words, Li Du asked curiously, “When did you arrive in America? Why did you come here?”
Yang Dong replied, “I came here to study. When I was in school, my family tried all sorts of ways to get me to become an American citizen, thinking that I can become successful here. In the end, after I graduated, I lost my job. I did not have the face to return home and so I can only try and make a living here.”
Saying 65that, he shook his head helplessly.
Li Du said, “What’s there to be ashamed about? Have you gotten your graduation certificate? If you got it, you can go home and look for a job there. After all, you will be considered an overseas candidate.”
Yang Dong laughed bitterly. “The most embarrassing part is that I didn’t get it. I didn’t get my graduation certificate nor my degree!”
Li Du fell silent.
This young man had a history just like his. Li Du looked at Yang Dong with pity and raised his glass. “Come, let’s toast to fate.”
If he had not had the little bug, perhaps he might have ended up worse than Yang Dong did.
Although others could not understand him, Li Du could understand Yang Dong. Some people were just prideful. If they were unable to become successful, they would rather live on the streets away from home.
After they ate the grilled skewers, Yang Dong waved to someone and said, “Old He, bring the jellyfish salad. Ni Zi, bring over all the fried cheese skewers in the wok.”
The helpers at his stalls were also Asians. Yang Dong introduced them to Li Du. “Old He’s full name is He Yun Long, he’s Taiwanese. I don’t know what Ni Zi’s real name is. She’s a Vietnamese lady. I’ve ordered their best dishes, they are very good. Try them, my treat.”
Li Du laughed. “It’s better if I treat. Your financial situation is worse than mine.”
Yang Dong touched his nose and said, “So what? Money is shit. I just need to survive; I don’t care about how much money I have. Having ten dollars is the same as having one hundred grand. Money doesn’t buy happiness.”
Li Du gave him a thumbs up and said, “You’re at peace.”
Yang Dong laughed. “I’m just someone who has pride. Actually, my life is really pretty okay. I’m quite happy every day. Besides, I’m not in dire straits. Look at Old He, someone in his family is sick. He came to America to help his daughter get proper medical help.”
Then, he pointed to the Vietnamese lady. “She was cheated into coming to America. If it were not for the fact that she had wits and bumped into an honest policeman, we can’t even know where she would have ended up.”
“Also, there’s that old man. Don’t think that he’s just a guy who sells African candy. In the past, he was very capable. He was part of the US Government’s Research Group on Africa. He was a civil servant!”
Following where Yang Dong was pointing, Li Du saw the silhouette of a man who was busy working.
That man was dressed interestingly. He was working at the back of the stall, but he was not wearing an apron. He was wearing a western suit and tie and his hair was very neat. He did not look like he belonged in the underground food city at all.
Curious, Li Du asked, “He’s a civil servant? There’s nothing very capable about the civil servants in America, right?”
Yang Dong said, “That old mate is very capable, trust me. He was considered an expert belonging to the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He had dedicated his life to studying Africa. When I first came to the United States, he took care of me. We were fellow villagers. At that time, he was powerful, but got framed by villains. ”
Saying that, he started to shake his head helplessly.
Coincidentally, that suited man turned around and looked at them. He saw that Yang Dong was pointing at him and laughed. He shouted, “Hey, giving someone a treat again? Want to order some snacks?”
Yang Dong waved his hands. “Brother Li, come over. Are you free there? Then bring some food over for us to eat together.”
The suited man expertly cleaned up his stall and walked over with a plate.
Before he came, Yang Dong gave him an introduction, “This old man is from the same ancestry as you. His English name is Trich Li. His Chinese name is Li Qi. Hey, he’s a good man. You won’t mind chatting for a while right?”
Li Du was in the food city for leisure. There was nothing on his agenda and hence, he did not mind meeting a few strangers.
Li Qi brought over some candy. Yang Dong introduced him to Li Du and then asked, “Are these the African goods that you tinkered with?”
“Nope,” Li Qu smiled as he shook his head. “African dishes are not as popular as our Chinese dishes. I realized that there are not a lot of snacks and candy around here. Hence, I wanted to make some special little items.”
Yang Dong said, “Then you might as well change your direction. I feel that you should persist in your unique African thing. After all, you are very well-versed in African culture.”
Li Qi shook his head again. “So what if I understand it? I’m yellow-skinned. Nobody will believe that the African dishes that I make are authentic. As you know, doing business here is about having a gimmick. If I do it, there’s no gimmick, and the customers won’t buy what I offer.”
Curious, Li Du asked, “You were previously an expert on Africa? Do you understand the languages of Mozambique?”
Li Qu smiled. “What expert am I? What did Dong mantel you? My work in the past was related to Africa, but I’m no expert.”
Yang Dong said, “Hey, Brother Li, you’re good in everything, but just too modest. Haven’t you lost out enough because of your modesty? We are, after all, humans, and must grab opportunities. Otherwise, the rest of your life will be like your former job. Sooner or later, others will bully you. All these Americans enjoy bullying the weak and are scared of the strong!”
His words seemed to have triggered Li Qi. His smile suddenly became stiff.
Then, Li Qi gave it some thought. He asked Li Du, “In that case, I will risk sounding dumb. What does Mr. Li want to know about Mozambique?”
Li Du said, “Oh, nothing special. I have a friend in Mozambique. He said that there are some changes in power between the military and the government there. There’s a new general now called Remonin, have you heard of him?”
Li Qi nodded and said, “That’s right, he’s a person at the top. However, I do not have a deep understanding of General Remonin. When he entered the military arena in Mozambique, I coincidentally moved on from my role. Based on what I know, he used to be a tribal chief and relied on having tribal power. He once formed an army from his tribe.”
“There are many such tribal forces in Mozambique. They are not very powerful. However, it seems that General Remonin has a diamond mine under his belt. Besides, he received the support of a mysterious wealthy person. In a short time, he gained a huge amount of funds.”
“He was able to stand out from countless tribal forces and enter high-level military circles. This is related to one thing he had done the previous year, that is, he killed a warlord on the borders of Mozambique and Swaziland. That was the ticket that helped springboard his entry into the military world.”
“The warlord he annihilated was a threat to both Swaziland and Mozambique. Hence, that act won him the appreciation of both governments.”
“This man was quite smart. He seized the opportunity and paved the way with money. From being part of a tribe army, he entered the ranks of the official military. I don’t know much about what happened later. Based on my analysis, the general must have done the same and continued to use money to bribe the top military and political leaders in their country to gain higher status and greater power for himself.
Saying that, Li Qu started to shake his head.
Li Qi had been completely right and his knowledge of Remonin astonished Li Du. After all, Remonin was only a small character in Africa’s small military arena. Outside of Mozambique, there would only be a few who knew about him.
