Chapter 105: The Shadows of Bamboo Shoots
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Du greeted the two women, but their attention was directed at Ah Meow. They pulled and hugged the ocelot aggressively, just like how soldiers from enemy territory would catch a hostage.
Ah Meow was clinging to Li Du's arm tightly with its little forepaw. However, the two girls pulled off its forepaw from his arm.
The ocelot expressed its unwillingness to be near them on its face.
Hans passed a chocolate to Li Du. He laughed, "You must be very disappointed because I didn’t ask Dr. Sophie to come along."
Mr. Li smiled, "No, it is you who must be disappointed."
Hans had always wanted to pair him up with Hannah, but they didn’t feel any chemistry between them. This had nothing to do with their appearances; the two of them were not attracted to each other, so they were destined to be friends.
But Hans did not mind this at all. He worked tirelessly trying to pair up his sister and Li Du.
He knew that Li Du was a good and outstanding person. He also knew that Li Du was a responsible man for his relationships and his family.
Listening to Li Du’s words, Hannah became curious and asked, "Why is he disappointed?"
Mr. Li took out his cellphone and leisurely made a call. Soon enough, a motorcycle arrived, spewing the black fumes, and a vroom vroom sound was heard. There was a young man in a blue working shirt on the motorcycle. His hair was messy like hay dancing in the wind.
"Sh*t, Stephen!" Hans rolled his eyes reluctantly.
Stephen worked as a repairman, and had come directly after work. His shirt was dirty and oily. There were also some black oil stains on his face.
Seeing this, Hannah immediately let go of Ah Meow to welcome Stephen. She took out a tissue from her bag and helped him to wipe away the dirt carefully.
This warmed the repairman’s heart. He smiled and grinned at his sweetheart.
Ah Meow also felt relieved because of this. It didn’t smile brilliantly but it was finally free from Hannah’s hug.
"Look at his stupid face. I bet I will have to take care of them if Hanna marries him." Hans felt headache when he thought of this.
Natalie smiled and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing. Why is Sophie not coming today?" Hans changed the topic of the conversation.
Although he could not quite approve of Stephen, he respected the choice of his sister. As she was the one who had special and intimate relationship with him, so he had some positive opinion of Stephen.
Natalie shrugged and said, "Although it is the weekend, Dr. Sophie still has to go to work today. They don’t have regularly scheduled breaks."
"Too bad," Li Du said.
Natalie shook her head and said, "Exactly. Sophie will not rest for the next few days because they are preparing to hold a charitable medical activity for the Bones Community."
Hans exclaimed, "They must be angels! The Bones community? That's not a place where the girls should go."
The Bones Community was a slum area in Flagstaff. There was often such a place in cities of the United States. They were low-income areas with lots of crime, drugs, and poor access to things such as grocery stores, adequate transportation, education, and medical services.
Hans was a know-it-all of Flagstaff city. Li Du didn’t really understand a lot about the slum community. They chatted about this topic while they were climbing the mountain.
The Grand Canyon National Park enjoyed a great reputation throughout the United States, attracting and impressing everyone with its magnificent views and thrilling rock formations. There were rugged plateaus, brittle summits, and maroon ridges. Everyone who visited there was touched because of these artistic details of the area.
The Grand Canyon was a canyon that had been carved by the Colorado River in Arizona for more than 6 million years. The river was 277 miles long while the rocks were 2 billion years old.
Unfortunately, the bug could not absorb the time-energy of the rocks. Otherwise, Mr. Li thought he would become Superman because of the little bug.
The Grand Canyon consisted of the South Rim and the North Rim. Most of the tourists would prefer the South Rim because of the convenient transportation, good services, and rich landscape.
However, Li Du and his friends went to the North Rim area. There was a large bamboo forest and a grassland full of wild flowers. Also, there was a high density of poplar and spruce trees.
Although there was still some distance to go, they saw the lush bamboo forest.
As it had rained earlier in the day, the leaves and the bamboo seemed fresh. They were so amazingly green. The thick bamboo leaves were swinging in the wind, looking flourishing and verdant.
The densely packed bamboo forest grew all the way up from the foot of the hill. Starting from 200 meters above sea level on the hill, it was eventually replaced by a poplar and spruce forest. The change of the colors was a breathtaking view.
Looking at the bamboo forest, Li Du sighed, "The bamboo shoots, still in the sheaths, have already grown taller than the wall. The green color is long-lasting and people can feel the breeze of fresh air by seeing the shadows of bamboo shoots. The faint scent of bamboo fills the air when the rain comes to give them a good wash. And if they are allowed to grow, they will grow as tall as they can."
"What’s wrong with you?" The four people around him looked bewildered.
Li Du smiled and said, "Oh, I am reciting our Chinese traditional poetry. Come on, let’s look for bamboo shoots. I will fry them for lunch for you guys later."
"Yeah, it is time to grab some food," Natalie said excitedly, pumping her fist.
They separated to look for bamboo shoots. Rubbing his hands together nervously, Stephen walked toward Li Du and said, "Thank you, Li."
"For?"
"For asking me to join this event," Stephen explained. "I'm so happy to be with you guys, but, Big Fox might not be too happy."
Li Du patted his shoulder and said, "The better you treat Hannah, the happier Big Fox is."
Stephen smiled brilliantly. Making a lot of money was difficult for him, but he promised he would treat Hannah well. This was what he good at.
Before they started to dig, Hans said, "I think you guys know how to dig for bamboo shoots, right?"
"I thought we just had to dig with a knife?" Hannah said casually, looking at Stephen lovingly.
Hans shook his head reluctantly. "Sh*t, your mind is full of Stephen now. Listen to me, guys; if the height of the bamboo shoots on the ground is higher than your fist, then just leave it."
Li Du said, "Yes, these bamboo shoots will grow into bamboo. If the size is too big, it is not delicious. Let them continue to grow."
Americans were not usually interested in bamboo shoots. Therefore, they could easily get away with digging around for some here. The forest was well protected.
Hans had brought a military shovel while Li Du had bought a small hoe in the supermarket. Both of these were good tools when digging for bamboo shoots.
Returning back to the forest, Ah Meow felt excited. It ran and jumped everywhere. The smooth bamboo was never an obstacle. It could climb up the bamboo stalks with ease within seconds.
Li Du found a newly grown bamboo shoot. He cleaned the accumulated old leaves off of it. Then he used the hoe to clean up the surrounding soil. He dug into the ground with the hoe; it was very difficult to pull it out, but he ended up getting it out successfully.
With the smooth thick arc, the shape of the wild bamboo shoot looked like a shell. It was a tawny color with black stripes. It had thick fur. The shape was quite cute.
Li Du picked it up. This bamboo shoot was about two kilograms, which was pretty big.
He was about to find the next bamboo shoot when his hoe hit something in the bushes. A pheasant suddenly jumped out, flapping its wings to jump forward.
A breeze blew by and Ah Meow jumped from the tree. Like an arrow from a bow, it caught the pheasant in seconds. It bit its neck and the pheasant’s head was immediately twisted off.