Manhattan Reborn 1978

Southeast Texas, Houston.

West of downtown, 19 Piney Point Village, Piney Point Village, Memorial District.

lunch time.

David finished his lunch "voraciously" and found a toothpick for himself to hold on his fingertips. He looked at the "shameless couple" Leslie and Livlin who came to eat with a smile and complained.

"When I need you to show up, you can't be found at all~"

"When it's time to eat, you act like you've received the most rigorous training...show up?"

"Dude!"

"Where is your moral integrity?"

"Where was it lost?"

"Do you want me to help you look for it?"

"Hahaha~" Livlin didn't care at all about David's "venomous" sarcasm. She laughed and stopped her boyfriend Leslie who was about to "fight back" and spoke first.

"Integrity, what is it?"

"do you have?"

"Take it out and let us take a look first~"

"Uh..." David glared sideways at the "arrogant" Livlin, feeling like a fool. .

"Hahaha~" Professor Bartlet, Elena, Toby and Mr. Tianniu at the dining table were all made to laugh.

Sierra's mother and Salonia, who brought delicious lunch to everyone, also looked at David amidst everyone's laughter and couldn't help covering their mouths and snickering.

Little Bernice, who came with Sierra's mother to "see the world", saw the adults smiling strangely, her eyes flickered a few times, she wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin, and asked with a cute expression.

"Did something get lost?"

"I'm full, I can help you find it!"

"...Hahaha~" Everyone was quiet for a few seconds, and then continued to laugh.

David looked at little Bernice dumbfounded, and suddenly a "bad" idea came to his mind, and he chuckled.

"Thank you!"

"But this kind of troublesome matter should be left to us adults to handle~"

"However, what you just said reminded me of a very interesting thing. Do you want to hear it?"

"Fun?"

"I want to hear it!" Little Bernice raised her hand with curiosity in her eyes and nodded.

"ok~"

David glanced at Sierra's mother with excitement, cleared his throat, and spoke.

"When I was your age, I had to go to the kindergarten in town every day~"

"One day, when the teacher was teaching us how to share with the children, she found a girl eating secretly..."

"So, she said to the girl ~ Share it with your friends, don't eat it alone!"

"The little girl looked at the teacher and classmates with an embarrassed and helpless expression, and murmured with her mouth pursed..."

"But I have no more boogers to share with you..."

"..."

"Hahaha~"

"Hate!"

"nausea!"

"Hahaha~"

David's "disgusting" joke instantly caused everyone to laugh again in the restaurant.

Little Bernice glanced at Mother Sierra with a smile, made a disgusted face at David, and then giggled so much that she almost slipped under the dining table. .

Leslie, the "best bad friend", grinned with disgust and disgust, grabbing Livlin, who was about to burst out laughing, and complained.

"You're not talking about yourself, are you?"

How could David admit such a "scandal"? He immediately shook his head and said, "Of course not!"

"Haha~" Leslie rolled his eyes wildly a few times, with a look of disbelief on his face that made everyone continue to laugh.

Professor Bartlet silently felt the long-lost atmosphere brought by this joy, changed the topic, and asked Sera's mother.

"Are you really ready to move here temporarily?"

"Um.."

Sierra's mother tried hard to control her emotions, glared at her son who was still "hard-talking" and wanted to continue explaining, and said.

"When we went back two days ago, my husband temporarily handed over the work of the soda fountain to his good friend Old Wesson and asked him to manage it on his behalf."

"Old Wesson?"

"His gun shop is closed?" After hearing this, David followed his mother's words and asked.

"Hey~" Sierra's mother sighed, shrugging at her son and everyone else.

"The gun shop he runs is located in a small town lifestyle supermarket, and some people have long wanted him to close it."

"For the whole of last year, the income from the gun shop could barely support Old Wesson's daily expenses. When the lease expires this year, he has no money to renew the lease."

Sierra's mother turned to look at her son, and said with a look of helplessness and joy.

"Before we went to Hawaii for vacation, your father was still discussing with me whether to lend it to Old Wesson if he asked us to borrow money."

"Um... do you want to borrow it?" David didn't have much opinion on this and asked his mother what she thought.

Sierra's mother spread her hands to everyone and said, "Old Wesson is our family's best friend."

"If he really asks us to borrow money, we will definitely lend him some according to our ability, but the number will not be too much!"

"After all, we still have Salonia and Loisa."

"It will take a lot of money for the two of them to go to college."

"Hmm~" David glanced at his eldest sister Salonia, who had a red face and lowered her head. He sighed at her kindness and smiled at his mother.

"Their tuition fees can be paid from our family's trust fund."

"You and Dad, don't worry about money anymore~"

"Everything, with me!"

"Well..." Sera's mother nodded slightly proudly and happily, then quickly shook her head and asked her son.

"His girlfriend Xide, do you still remember her?"

"Remember~ She even helped me get into the Flintstone Library at Princeton University!"

"Yes!"

"However, Princeton University's Flint Library also made layoffs last month."

"She lost her job...?"

Sierra’s mother pursed her lips and acquiesced, then continued.

"When I go back this time, Old Wesson has closed the gun shop and earns some pocket money by occasionally helping people repair water pipes and circuits in the town."

"Xide stayed at home for nearly a month and failed to find a suitable job. She only followed Old Wesson doing odd jobs and worked as a temporary assistant for him."

David frowned and asked, "How is our soda factory doing lately?"

"It's okay. There are orders from the company that need to be processed almost every week. The workers in the factory cherish this job very much."

"Oh.."

David lowered his head and thought for a few seconds, then smiled at his mentor, Leslie, Livlin, Toby, and Mr. Tianniu at the table.

"Sorry~"

"My mother and I rarely talked about this at home, and my father's management of the soda plant."

"It's ok."

"We rarely hear about these topics." Leslie waved his hand and smiled at Sierra's mother with interest.

Professor Bartlet glanced at David, frowned slightly during their chat, looked at Sera's mother and asked again.

“In the town of Morrison where you live, have many people lost their jobs recently?”

"Um..Yeah, a lot~"

"People who used to work in New York stopped going to New York after Christmas."

"I heard from Sidney that since Christmas and New Year, there are fewer and fewer job opportunities in big cities like New York and Philadelphia."

"Many people who work in cities from other places cannot find jobs and cannot afford the rent, so they can only return to their hometowns and towns to join their families and relatives."

"..."

Seeing Professor Bartlet frowning and nodding, Sera's mother continued to speak to her son.

"Your father asked Old Wesson to temporarily help manage the soda factory, so I found Xide and asked her to help us take care of the house."

"Before we came back, your father asked me that he wanted to give Old Wesson a month's salary in advance, hoping to help him, and I agreed."

"What about Sidney?"

"You can't let her help for free, can you?"

Sera’s mother glanced at everyone’s expressions and smiled: “I left her a few hundred meters.”

"The money is not much, but it can help her overcome the current difficulties..."

"Yeah!" David nodded in agreement, looked at Mr. Tianniu, and smiled.

"Let's go~ I'll make a list for you."

"I hope you can send the video tape of this program to them in the shortest possible time."

"Okay!" Mr. Tianniu wiped his fingers with a napkin, stood up, nodded to everyone, and followed David.

Elena took the initiative to stand up and signaled to several people, turned around and strode quickly past David and the long-horned beetle and entered the study.

Professor Bartlet looked at the three people's retreating figures and suddenly said.

"Let me make a list too."

"Uh...?!" David turned back to look at his mentor, silent in surprise.

Professor Bartlet raised the corners of his mouth, looked at Leslie and Livlin, and asked with a smile: "What about you?"

"Let's... have some too!" Just as Leslie was about to speak, Livlin asked Toby with a smile.

"Can you prepare some paper and pen for us?"

"...Okay!" Toby blinked and looked around, turned around and ran towards the study. On the way, he glanced at David who was standing there, and saw that he didn't speak to stop him, so he walked faster.

David looked at his mentor, Leslie, and Livlin quietly for a while, with various thoughts and emotions flashing through his mind one by one, and finally sighed softly.

"Thank you!"

"Uh-huh~" Livlin replied with a smile as she lay on her boyfriend's shoulder.

Professor Bartlett ignored him at all, turned to Mother Sera and asked with a smile: "Do you have any secrets for making snacks?"

"I really like it!"

"Thank you~" Sierra's mother saw her son walking into the study out of the corner of her eye, and nodded with a hint of gratitude in her smile.

Professor Bartlet turned to look at Leslie and Livlin again, paused for a few seconds, and said.

"I have worked at Harvard University for many years and have met many outstanding young people."

"Most of them are children from wealthy families, and they have very good vision, knowledge and abilities."

"But it is difficult for them to meet the hopes of their elders and successfully take over the family business."

"Do you know why?"

Leslie and Livlin shook their heads in silence.

Professor Bartley glanced at the two of them, then at Salonia and little Loisa, and smiled.

"History has already given the answer."

"It is precisely because we old guys understand in our hearts that it is more difficult to start a business and maintain it, so we continue to encourage the younger generations with potential, hoping that they can grow and mature as soon as possible!"

"No matter who he is, he is burdened with the responsibility and burden of the rise and fall of the entire family. Can he still live a carefree and relaxed life every day?"

"Hehe~"

"You two must feel deeply about this, right?"

Leslie nodded silently and couldn't help but think of his great grandfather John Rockefeller III who passed away unexpectedly in a car accident the year before last, and his grandfather Nelson who passed away just last month.

Livlin held her boyfriend Leslie's arm with both hands, but the unsmiling face of her father, old Cherov, appeared in her mind. .

Mother Sierra glanced at the thoughtful Salonia and the innocent and confused little Bernice, then looked towards the study, reminding herself again that she must not let her son be distracted by trivial matters at home anymore. .

----

The other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, island nation.

Sunny morning~

Marat stood on the deck of a fishing boat, waved to Kihara Nobunari on the shore, turned around and entered the small, damp cabin.

in a few minutes~

The boat slowly left this remote little pier.

Kihara Nobunari stood alone on the shore, watching the fishing boat disappear little by little on the sea in the distance. Until he could no longer see its outline clearly, he turned and walked towards his car.

But when he opened the car door and was about to leave, he found an acquaintance standing next to a car on the roadside in the distance.

Wada Toshiki of the Yasuda family slowly walked up to Kihara Nobunari with a calm expression, looked him up and down, and said with a smile.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

"..." Kihara Nobunari didn't answer, and looked at Wada Toshiki quietly.

"Can you give me a ride?"

"..."

"Hehe~"

Wada Toshiki turned a blind eye to Kihara Nobunari's indifference and walked to the passenger seat, opened the door and got in.

Kihara Nobunari held the door and thought for a moment, then got into the car and started the car.

on the way.

Toshiki Wada tilted his head and looked at the withered scenery outside the window, and said in a low voice.

"Teacher Zechuan didn't misjudge you, but he misjudged David Coleman!"

"Although, you two have completely different origins, experiences and personalities~"

"But you are all ambitious, smart and cautious people..."

Toshiki Wada felt that the car seemed to be speeding up a bit, and continued with a smile on his lips.

"Teacher Zechuan has never met David, and has only met and talked with you once."

"It's not surprising that he made mistakes. My continuous mistakes are the most unforgivable!"

"That's why I rushed to New York to save some money..."

Kihara Nobunari suddenly said: "Tomomi said it's because my heart swelled..."

"Expansion?"

Wada Toshiki felt very amused and said with a smile: "Miss Moriyama Tomomi, you are more awake than you and me~"

"If I leave the Yasuda family and you leave David Coleman..."

"I might be teaching in a school or working in a lab."

"What about you?"

Kihara Nobunari held the steering wheel tightly with both hands, released some of the accelerator, and whispered.

"I might be stuck trying to find a job in New York..."

"Hehe~"

"look!"

"That's what we have in common!"

"It's just that you are luckier than me. You don't have to work around David Coleman all your life~"

"...Why?" Kihara Nobunari slowly parked the car on the side of the road, turned to look at Wada Toshiki and asked.

"what why?"

"Why can't I keep working for David Coleman?"

"..."

Wada Toshiki looked at Kihara Nobunari with a "serious face", the smile disappeared from the corner of his mouth, and he asked equally seriously.

"I have no ill intentions!"

"Maybe~"

Kihara Nobunari said with self-deprecation and sarcasm in his eyes: "You just said that if I were not lucky enough to meet David and become an employee by his side..."

"Will you still sit here and talk to me about life?"

"no~"

"Tomomi is right!"

"It was your confusion and my inner expansion that made me forget..."

"Two months ago, I was just an ordinary person who chose to stay in New York and struggle hard in order to give my lover a better life!"

"If I didn't have this identity, if I didn't have David's trust~"

"You probably...don't even bother to look at me, right?"

"Even if my fiancée Tomomi Moriyama is the eldest daughter in the family, and her father is a member of the Yasuda Foundation, I will never let you find her in person again and again."

"Right, Wada-kun?!"

"..."

Toshiki Wada was slightly surprised for a few seconds, then he leaned back in his chair with his body relaxed and shook his head slightly.

"The speed of your growth has greatly exceeded our expectations~"

"Congratulations, Kihara-kun!"

"Perhaps you'll be able to impress me again soon."

"..." A trace of vigilance flashed in Kihara Nobunari's eyes, he silently re-shifted the gear and started the car on the road.