The journey of film and television world is endless

#524 - Chapter 11 Interesting Children

Liu Yuan naturally noticed his unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong, Sam? Is the food not to your liking? I can also cook Russian dishes; we can try that next time."

Sam immediately replied politely, "No, no, not at all, Mr. Liu. I'm very sorry. The food is really delicious; it's just a personal issue."

His tone was somewhat apologetic.

Ronald said from the side, "Haha, let's not bother with him. It's just a small promise between father and son, and it's not even certain if it can be fulfilled!"

Sam was quite excited: "I will definitely pass the exam! I've saved enough money, and I've already got two A's. As long as I get another A in tomorrow's exam, you have to keep your promise!"

Judy was quite angry: "Hey, you two, can you not talk about these things in someone else's home? It's very impolite!"

Liu Yuan waved his hand with a smile and said, "It's okay; I'm quite interested. A promise between father and son—can you tell me more about it in detail?"

After Ronald's explanation, Liu Yuan understood this so-called promise, which was essentially a conditional coming-of-age gift.

Although according to American law, one is officially considered an adult at the age of eighteen, the regulations vary slightly from state to state. One of these regulations is that one can take the driver's license exam at sixteen, and only after passing it can one obtain a driver's license.

Sam had successfully obtained his driver's license a few days ago, and Ronald made an agreement with him: if Sam could get three A's in the final exam, then Ronald would agree to buy him a car as a coming-of-age gift.

However, Sam would have to pay half the price of the car himself, which amounted to $2,000. Now, this kid is troubled by raising money to buy the car. In well-to-do families in America, they generally cultivate their children's financial concepts before they come of age. Parents also give pocket money in exchange for doing some housework and earning a certain amount of compensation. This little bit of pocket money cannot cover the children's expenses. At this time, many children need to take on odd jobs, such as delivering newspapers or milk for neighbors, or working as waiters in restaurants, etc.

Liu Yuan couldn't help but find it amusing; this approach was indeed quite American. This kind of cultivation method has its advantages and disadvantages, but since he doesn't need to raise children this way, he won't comment on it. You should know that in 2007, $2,000 was not a small sum; Sam had probably exhausted all his savings.

Liu Yuan recalled what he was doing at the age of seventeen. At that time, he was just a new recruit in the army. The unit he was in was carrying out flood control and combat readiness duty, and even his 17th birthday was celebrated by his comrades, although it was simple, it was full of warmth.

Looking at Sam in front of him, Liu Yuan decided to help this young man. He said, "Sam, I just moved back, and I have a lot of things to organize, including lawn mowing. If you're willing, how about I pay you $7 per hour?"

"Really? Mr. Liu, tomorrow… oh no, tomorrow I still have to buy a car. The day after tomorrow, I will definitely come to help you."

Sam was very happy. During this period, the hourly wage in California was about $5.5 to $6.7, which was much more than he could earn working at a fast-food restaurant.

During the rest of the dinner, everyone got along very well, and the atmosphere was very harmonious. The Witwicky couple had a very good impression of Liu Yuan and didn't feel any generation gap when talking to him. They even warmly invited Liu Yuan to their home as a guest, but Liu Yuan politely declined on the grounds that he had just moved here and needed to arrange work.

After the Witwicky family left, Liu Yuan suddenly remembered that Ronald had mentioned buying a car. He realized that he should indeed consider buying a car, after all, it would be very inconvenient to travel in the United States without a vehicle. He couldn't just fly everywhere, could he!

——————————

The next morning, Liu Yuan sat in the restaurant enjoying breakfast while opening his laptop to browse the news. A message from Al Jazeera caught his attention.

According to reports: Yesterday, around 7 p.m. local time, eyewitnesses claimed that the US military's Thumrait Air Base in Qatar was attacked by unidentified armed forces. However, the area has now lost contact, and reporters on the front lines cannot obtain more detailed information. Although the official has not made any explanation for this incident in the past ten hours, this station will pay further attention.

"Ding-dong~" The doorbell rang, and a crisp, melodious sound echoed throughout the room.

Liu Yuan put down his newspaper, got up, and went to the door. After opening the door, the person standing outside was none other than his little neighbor Sam, who lived next door. He was holding a large box in his hands, with a bright smile on his face.

"Good morning, Mr. Liu. I hope I didn't disturb you."

Sam greeted Liu Yuan very politely.

"Good morning, Sam. It's already eight o'clock; you should be going to school now. What's up?"

Liu Yuan looked at Sam in confusion, a hint of curiosity rising in his heart. (Because in the United States, middle school students usually go to school between seven and eight in the morning, but due to California law, middle schools cannot start before 7:30 a.m., and high schools cannot start before 8:30 a.m.)

"Sorry, please wait a moment."

Sam seemed a little nervous, hurriedly put the box on the ground, and then began to rummage through it frantically. "I'm very glad you invited me to your home yesterday and gave me a lawn mowing job. I've specially prepared a gift for you. These are all precious items left by my great-great-great-grandfather; they are all antiques from the 19th century and have high collectible value. I don't know which one you like better, so I brought them all; you can pick one as a gift."

The corners of Liu Yuan's mouth slightly lifted, revealing a smile. He felt that this child, although a bit dull, was full of cuteness. So, he didn't spoil Sam's enthusiasm but squatted down and carefully examined those things. These were all items needed for navigation, such as sextants, compasses, and nautical charts, etc.

Liu Yuan casually picked up a damaged monocular telescope and saw a piece of paper stuck on it, which read "$80."

Sam scratched his head awkwardly, quickly tore off the paper, and explained, "Sorry, I forgot to take off the price tag. You should understand, for my car fund, so…"

Liu Yuan smiled, indicating that he understood. Then, he picked up a pair of glasses with cracked lenses. The frame was charred black, and the material was actually walrus ivory. The cracks on the lenses were quite unique, and the sunlight passing through would leave a map-like projection. Liu Yuan felt a strange sense of familiarity.