Chapter 620: Discovering a new blue sea
Chapter 620: Discovering a new blue sea
After a lot of trouble, the two of them finally got their American driver's licences. With this, they no longer had to carry their passports with them all the time.
With an American driver's licence, the first thing to do is to buy another car.
In the United States, it's really not possible to get by without a car. The public transport system is quite good in the city centre, but in the suburbs, sorry, there is no such service.
If you want to buy an ice cream here where they live, you have to go to a convenience store miles away.
If you want to buy some spring onions, that's a real hassle, you have to go to San Francisco.
Huang Jingping is even thinking of planting a vegetable patch in the yard. The front and back yards combined have nearly an acre of lawn, and just planting a patch of it would be enough to meet their daily needs.
However, the owners' association had long ago stipulated that such behaviour was not allowed! You may be getting convenience, but it will lower the grade of this property, indirectly damaging everyone's assets. If you like an idyllic lifestyle, then fine, go to another community.
So who says that life in the United States is the most free? You can't even be the master of your own private land.
Next, when Feng Yiping starts school in September, he will need a car for commuting, and Huang Jingping will also need a car for going out.
Thinking about the little monkey they plan to have next year, they naturally don't want to buy another sports car, so like other families, they decided on an SUV as their second car.
The bursting of the Internet bubble had a simple, direct and brutal impact on Silicon Valley, with immediate results. It was a bit like the situation in China when domestic coal prices plummeted later on, and those places that had previously been so arrogant and unstoppable were left in a state of destitution.
For example, these 4S stores, which are far from the high-end counterparts in China, especially those that sell new cars, are just like the luxury car stores in those counties at that time. They are really deserted, with many people selling and very few buying.
Driving around in their flashy Bentley, Feng Yiping and his friend visited several dealerships and were warmly received everywhere. Although Mike had recommended that they buy a Japanese car, citing a long list of reasons such as being cheap, durable, retaining value, and low maintenance costs, they really weren't interested in Japanese cars after seeing the prices.
Everyone knows the reason. After learning the prices of luxury cars in China, and seeing the prices here, it feels like buying one is making a profit of at least a million yuan, so why not?
They had their eye on three models, but the Mercedes-Benz M-Class, the original luxury SUV, had not been redesigned in two or three years and was the last choice.
The BMW X5 was newly launched in 1999 and looked pretty good, but in the end, it was the Land Rover that Ford acquired last year, and this year just launched the third-generation Range Rover.
Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping unanimously chose the Range Rover, not for anything else, although it has been acquired by Ford, but this car still can't hide the British elegance in its bones.
The second generation of various domestic models has not yet become famous for its love of luxury in the United States, so the unscrupulous merchants gave them a very realistic price, which was then actually reduced several times by Feng Yiping. In the end, the various fees added up to less than 70,000 US dollars!
This price, converted into RMB, should be less than a tenth of what it was when it was first sold in China.
Although it is still several times more expensive than a Japanese car that costs 10,000 to 20,000 US dollars, Feng Yiping still feels like he got a great bargain.
Shortly after arriving home, one after the other, Feng Yiping received a call from Harry, 'Feng, do you need a band for your weekend party?'
I'm just having a simple party, so why do I need a band?
Hearing Feng Yiping not say anything, Harry thought Feng Yiping didn't have the budget for it and quickly said, 'Don't worry, it's free,'
Free, free, I don't want it either, having experienced too many traps of various kinds that were advertised as free.
'It's like this, Feng, a few friends and I have formed a band and we'd like to perform at your party,' Harry explained further.
Isn't playing in a band something that only school kids and passionate young people do? How come an old man like me still hasn't grown up?
'You're very welcome. I'm honoured that your band can perform at my party,' Feng Yiping immediately agreed. A middle-aged person's dream needs support too!
The point is, they're middle-aged and still playing music, so the level should be passable. At the very least, it shouldn't sound too bad!
Although Lisa said before that this was a very simple party, when it came to actually doing it, it was nothing like what she had said.
According to her, Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping had thought it would be very simple: they would set up two simple tents in the front yard, provide some pastries and drinks, cook one or two main dishes, and Mike would come over to help with the barbecue.
Unexpectedly, Lisa, who had come over to help prepare and provide guidance, was very serious and actually produced something that looked like a project plan.
It's just an informal party among neighbours, is it really necessary to do it like this?
She made sure to list the types of pastries to be made and the drinks to be prepared, as well as the colours and styles of tablecloths and tableware, including the layout of tables and chairs, down to the last detail.
And she also listed the types of pastries to be made and the drinks to be prepared, as well as the colours and styles of tablecloths and tableware, including the layout of tables and chairs, down to the last detail.
Is this still considered simple?
Feng Yiping felt that this should be the case. Lisa, a housewife who rarely had anything to do after her children started school, had finally found a way to make a difference, so she took this trivial matter very seriously.
However, Feng Yiping and Huang Jingping were both easygoing people, and they did not feel dissatisfied at all because Lisa actually had the power over the party. If you want to do it, just do it, and we'll just enjoy ourselves.
When it came time to set up the tent, Harry volunteered to help, and he really is a helpful guy.
Before the party officially began, the four members of their band gathered. The one in the back had travelled from Berkeley.
These four middle-aged band members play heavy metal, but apart from one bald tattooed guy on what looked like a Harley, the other three were very normal and you couldn't tell from their appearance.
After setting up the various instruments they had brought, they immediately started playing. To be honest, Comrade Feng Yiping didn't really appreciate it, but seeing the four of them so engrossed and enjoying themselves, he was still moved. It was really not easy for these guys with families and children to still pursue such a hobby.
At 1 pm, after Lisha had checked and rechecked, Feng Yiping's first party since coming to the United States officially began.
The first to arrive were not people from the community, but several supervisors and employees from the company. They were quite happy to have been invited and did not feel that it was a waste of their rest time. After all, being able to go to the boss's house to attend a party was a definite opportunity.
By the way, the hot-bodied Barbara was also among them. She had another task today: to give the guests a small name tag to identify themselves, so that they could mingle with people they didn't know.
One after another, couples dressed casually arrived at the party, bringing their children with them and holding homemade food in their hands, such as tortilla chips, lasagna, macaroni, fried rice, ravioli, etc.
After greeting Feng Yiping and the others, they took a tray and loaded it with their favourite foods. With heavy metal rock as the background music, they chatted in groups of three or two in a very casual manner.
As a hospitable and purposeful host, Feng Yiping, carrying a bottle of beer, wandered among them, chatting with each resident of the community. Although the questions were different, the general content was similar.
The neighbours were also happy to chat with him. As the author of a best-selling business management book, he was quite well-known in the United States.
Huang Jingping was not having an easy time either. The men were standing or sitting wherever they could find a place, while the housewives were sitting around the few tables. The ones at her table were all asking her questions. In the minds of most Americans who had never been to China, China was still a mysterious country, and they had too many topics to ask about.
Mike's barbecue stall is the most popular. Americans seem to like it. Finally, there is a gap, no one is waiting around. Feng Yiping is happy to tell him, 'Mike, I have a new idea,'
'Oh, what kind? Do you want some scallops?'
Feng Yiping takes two, 'I want to set up another website,'
'A website? What kind?' Now Mike was interested.
'There's only a rough outline at the moment, but I'll contact Jin and Hong right away and discuss it with them when they arrive,'
'So it's quite an undertaking?'
'Yes,' Feng Yiping said, 'and it's a blue ocean, too!'
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