Shortly after Christmas, Li Du had to board the plane towards Philadelphia .
The auction at Green Delaware Museum would start very soon and he did not have much time to waste . Hence, he did not spend time socializing or bring along other treasure hunters with him .
His destination was Philadelphia – that was one of the most important cities in American history .
Located in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania, the city was at the heart of the Delaware Water Gap Metroplex . East of the city reached the Delaware River, and the west stretched up to the Schuylkill River . It was one of the oldest and most historically important places in the United States .
As many people knew, Philadelphia played an important role in the fight for independence . However, few were aware of its degree of importance in the 1790s to the early 1800s . Before Washington, D . C . , Philadelphia had been the capital of America!
Prior to the War for Independence, North America had belonged to the British Empire . At that time, Philadelphia was in a better position . It was the second largest city in the British Empire, eclipsed only by London .
In the end, however, the city became the heart of the rebellion against British colonial rule . The local industrial facilities built by Britain formed the strong backbone of the Washington Army's anti-colonial war .
Li Du had never been to Philadelphia before, but he was no stranger to the city . He had been to New York many times, and New York was known as the "elder brother" of Philadelphia . The two cities were no more than one hundred miles apart .
Of course, the people in Philadelphia did not accept New York's relative position as the "elder brother . " Before the 19th century, New York had been a small developing city that was trailing behind Philadelphia . At that time, Philadelphia was the center of America's culture, business, and industrial exchange .
Li Du had prepared himself by learning and understanding the local history, economy, and cultural practices before joining the warehouse auction . That could help him recognize and evaluate the items in the warehouses .
After the plane landed, Li Du rented an R-class Mercedes at the car rental company next to the airport . It was an MPV and had enough seats to fit his group .
Now that he had arrived at the famed historical city, Li Du had to explore the area .
When Driver got in the car, he said lazily, "It's dull to drive in Philadelphia . The roads here are straight and wide; there's no challenge at all . "
Li Du smiled . "I hope that all the roads you will travel for the rest of your life will not be challenging . "
"Then the high salary you give me would be a waste for you . " Driver smiled .
Driver's permanent residency in the United States had been established and made legal . However, he seemed indifferent to the change . After losing his son, he no longer seemed to have any enthusiasm for life .
The roads in Philadelphia were easy to travel . The road systems were well-developed, the street signs were clear, and the signs in the east-west direction of each street had names, while the north-south direction had numbers .
Hence, they would never have to worry about losing their way in Philadelphia .
It was still a learning experience for Driver, however . After all, the R-class Mercedes was an MPV . It was longer, measuring a total of more than five meters . Philadelphia, as one of the largest cities in the States, had heavy traffic . Therefore, although the roads were wide, there were still traffic jams .
However, Driver always seemed to be able to pass other cars, and his ability to spot an opportunity to squeeze in through the traffic was impressive .
Passing cars on the city highway was not an easy matter . People who did that were seen as rude . After all, they would have to change lanes to pass other cars .
However, that did not happen in Driver's case . He always passed seamlessly, without a sound . They continued to speed on the road, maintaining the speed of 160 to 170 kilometers per hour on the highway .
The driver behind them noticed that . His car was a CRV, and its owner was clearly proud of its horsepower as he followed behind the MPV .
In the end, they had only been past two traffic junctions when they heard a "piang . " The CRV had crashed into a Cadillac!
Li Du did not make any command and Driver continued to speed until he reached Manayunk .
That was one of the remote areas in Philadelphia . It was situated in the north-west and was a high-density residential area . There were many small hills along the way, dotted with Victorian-style bungalows .
Li Du asked, "Why are we here?"
Chewing his gum, Driver said, "Lunch . They serve the traditional delicacies of Philadelphia here . "
Manayunk was a Native American word . It meant "the place where we drink . " Li Du did not know that and had expected that he would only look for restaurants to dine in after he arrived .
Obviously, Driver had thought about all that when they were on the road . Additionally, he knew Li Du very well and brought them all to food heaven .
The most famous food in Philadelphia was probably the local Philly Cheesesteak . Many shops sold such sandwiches, similar to how many shops in Beijing sold barbequed duck .
Such cheap food was famous all over the United States . Philadelphia people liked it very much . Every sandwich shop banked on the strategy of having loyal customers and hence, they would try their best to retain their regular patrons .
Once, there had even been a debate on sandwiches held in Philadelphia . The foodies would form groups and discuss their favorite sandwich shop . At the time, it had been reported, "The debate is extremely fierce, enough to stun the Bible scholars who debated on Deuteronomy . "
Driving into Manayunk, Driver suggested, "Let's go to the place where vegans gather . I've checked on the plane, and that's the most traditional, oldest restaurant in Philadelphia . There's a food theme called, 'Bring the Farm to the Tables . ' The ingredients are fresh and plentiful . They are all brought in from the farm . "
Li Du smiled and said, "No problem . Let's go there . "
Just as its name suggested, Manayunk was indeed 'The place where we drink . ' In the old residential area, it was crowded and people rubbed shoulders as they rushed in all directions . Thousands of people were looking for pubs and restaurants .
In the residential area, every table was occupied . The sky was still bright and the place was loud and chaotic .
It was hard to park the car in such a place . Most of the cars were moving just like them, driving slowly on the road, looking for a parking spot .
Most of the people who drove there were tourists . The locals would travel on bikes . There was a special lane by the river which was one of the rare bicycle trails in America . The scenic path was regarded as the holy grail of biking lanes for bike enthusiasts .
However, with Driver, Li Du did not have to worry about the problem of parking . Driver had an uncanny ability to spot opportunities and Li Du had full confidence in him .
The narrow roadside was full of parked cars . A pickup started to drive off, and drivers of the cars in front and behind all became alert, vying for that parking spot .
They were just about to go backwards to readjust their direction when Driver started to spin the steering wheel and changed gears rapidly . He sped up and drove the car to the empty spot at top speed, gaining it easily .
The front of the car turned a few times before the large-sized MPV was parked comfortably .
The owners of the surrounding cars wore a blank look on their faces . They had probably never seen someone snatching the parking space with such familiarity and swiftness .
One of the cars, a Toyota, belonged to a young, fit man . There were three people inside the car . Seeing that the MPV had snatched the parking space, they went mad . They pushed open their car doors, got out of the car, and pointed at Li Du's vehicle . "F*ck you, are you blind? Didn't you see that we already locked down this…"
The doors of the MPV sprang open too, and Li Du's bodyguards filed out . They were all big-sized, tall and strong men . One of them looked as ferocious as Godzilla .
The young men from the Toyota went silent .
Chapter end
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