Chapter 33 Wang Chen - 4

Wang Chen - 4 "Happy birthday to you!" Diego said as he entered the room. "Twenty-nine is really old, Amigo." "Just a moment, Diego," Reber said gently, smiling, "thank you for your wish." He has a microphone in his hand. Diego was about to walk away. "Diego! Please send her away. Get rid of her. She's lovely, except she thinks Rabindranath Tagore is a baseball player," he said in Spanish. Diego leaned over and saw the girl still asleep, her alluring breast pointing naked at him.Diego kissed her on the lips to wake her up and motioned the girl to follow him.He picked up the girl's scattered clothes and took them to the next room.

"Get out of here, Querida mia (Note: Spanish, dear)." He watched the girl put her clothes on and thought to himself, "Give it a good deal. How much is a 'good deal'?" He decided to give a thousand dollars.Diego's attitude towards money is absolute indifference, which is not far from hatred.He could give that girl a hundred thousand dollars with the same nonchalance. "You must be mistaken," said the girl in amazement. "It's a thousand dollar bill." Diego thought she was still pretty solid.Maybe I should marry her.Mummy will be happy.

He pretended to look carefully at the banknote. "My God, you're right! Please forgive me, Senorita." He handed her another thousand-dollar bill before politely ushering her out of the room.Enough is enough. "One day, just for fun, I'm going to pile two or three hundred million dollars together and burn this Dawei banknote on fire. Just for fun." Through the closed door, he could vaguely hear Leiber's voice.He was talking, in German or Yiddish or French maybe Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, Polish, Arabic, maybe—why not? --It's English. He had breakfast brought up.

When the bacon and eggs were brought to the table, the tudor angel arrived. "It's a law that people are not familiar with," Angel said. "But the people under me have carefully checked many books, and this article can be used by us." "Who will do this?" "Thomas Perry, Del Moran, Tex Hines, James Olivero." "Put Perry in charge?" "yes." "Who please help?" "Kinkade and Nelson in Las Vegas. Perry has approached them and they've agreed to do the job. They're pretty good at it. I've used them before."

"Three years and ten months ago," said Reber, "they charged fifty-two thousand six hundred and fifty dollars for that thing in Salt Lake City, and only worked four hours. I hope they Don't be so greedy this time." He ate the egg with a big mouthful.By Diego's calculations, he had only slept six hours in three days, including a few rolls with the lovely and very honest Linda.However, Leiber's face was originally very thin and long, and no matter how tired his face was, he couldn't see it.He smiled at Angel. "I'm not blaming you, Tudor. I agreed to that payment. Please tell me about the law."

"This law permits, within prescribed limits, the exchange of a larger and desolate estate for a smaller and better situated estate." "What does that mean in our case?" "Thomas Perry, entrusted to me through the commission agreement, is the nominal owner of 12,800 hectares in Nuey County. In 1953, you... no, it should be said that he Bought the land for one dollar and thirty cents an hectare. It cost..." "Sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight dollars." "I'll take the figures you said as standard. According to this law, we can exchange this real estate for another real estate, specifically the land north of Las Vegas, with an area of ​​about sixty square kilometers."

"Are you expecting any trouble?" "No. This law applies here. The governor of Nevada will not oppose this deal. Those in the governor's office in Carson City have their own calculations: the US Air Force wants to expand the size of the nuclear test site, and Nevada is about to The 12 thousand 600 hectares they got, in turn, allow them to get benefits from the air force. We let them get benefits now, not in a few years later, when the land will cost gold The price has been calculated. Besides, in a few years, there may be a new governor and a new executive team.” "How much is this land worth?"

"Three hundred thousand. However, the value in ten years' time will be ten to fifteen times that amount." Reber's gray eyes gazed thoughtfully into the distance. "Diego," he said, "please call Nick in New York. Tudor, please take note, Sheridan Bank, Westwood Branch, account number 62395AT17. It's in your name. Money Already there. Pay Thomas Perry the twenty-five thousand dollars you negotiated, and pay bonuses to your men. You can see. As for yourself, you have two choices: or Seventy-five thousand dollars now, or five per cent of future profits when the land is sold. The choice is yours."

He took a bite of bacon.Angel was dumbfounded. "Reb, you are too generous! I'd rather pay bonuses to my people than ask for the five percent. I'm not crazy." "New York is connected," Diego reported. "Okay, Tudor, you've made your choice. Is Moran's end, Hines' end, and Oliveiro's end the same as Perry's?" "The principle is the same. It's just smaller." "That's it. That's the end of the discussion. You've got to take care of all the details. I'll be in Los Angeles at eight-thirty next Wednesday morning, and I'll be staying at the Panamax Motel under Baker's name. Thank you for being here."

When Angel left, he still hadn't recovered from the shock.Five percent!That could be two hundred thousand dollars! "Today is his birthday," Diego explained. "He's kind of dopey with age." Reber's voice came from behind Diego. "Nick? Yes, thank you for your wishes. How is the freighter in Abadan (Note: The largest port city in southern Iran)?" Later, in 1977, the land in Nevada sold for $24.5 million, compared with the $16,758 it was purchased for, even with all the The expenses of the lawyer, the lawyer's remuneration and the broker's commission are only $62,000.

Tudor's wife and children (who himself was dead by then) received $1.25 million, or 5 percent of the proceeds from the resale of the land. They left Las Vegas at about six o'clock in the evening on September 18. "I really don't know what it's all about. Did we sleep for... three hours? Even so. That Terri's legs are a full three meters long. It's like a boa constrictor. I can't help shivering when I think of her legs." ...we spit at most two hours and forty-three minutes. What are we doing now? Hurrying. It's six o'clock, the sun is setting and the afterglow is going to fade away; it will be dark soon. I don't know Where to live, and don't know where to eat. Maybe we will die in the desert, and after a nuclear war, children will be frightened to death when they find our bones quietly..." "Diego." 'I know what you're going to say, 'shut up, Diego', but the revolution is coming. " "Please stop. I mean stop the car." Diego braked the car.This is really a flat desert.The desert vistas are certainly stunning in some places, especially when night falls and the lights of Las Vegas come on in the distance.Diego, however, was exhausted. "I'll drive," Reber said. "You go sleep in the backseat. There's a blanket over there." Diego burst out laughing, sarcastically saying, "I'm not that crazy yet. You're the worst driver west of the Rio Grande, maybe east of the river. I don't want to see you just because Missed a turn and died in the desert. You're a terrible driver, Reb." "I know," Reber said. "But let me drive it so you can get some sleep. I can drive very slowly." "Dare you swear?" It was true, perhaps learned too late, that Deborah's driving was a danger to the public.His mind wanders sometimes, which is really worrying.So usually it's always Diego who drives. "I swear," Reber said, holding up his right hand. "By the head of Setiniaz." "Are you kidding? You know I hate him." "go to sleep." It's a Jeep, at least in that category.According to Diego, it must be leftovers from the Pacific War, and later used on the Korean battlefield; after that, many car repairers disassembled and reinstalled it, reassembled and disassembled it, and tossed it more than ten times. In the end, they simply beat the car body with steel pipes.This car looks really scary.But Reber said to Diego: "Find me a car that doesn't look too good." Of course, he found one, and instead of being a decent one, it looked like nothing at all.As for the price, he bought it from a penniless gold prospector for fifty-one dollars, right in front of the Last Chance casino on the south end of Las Vegas.Fifty-one dollars: fifty dollars for the tires and the steering wheel, the tires almost new, the steering wheel covered in brass (gold in the eyes of a madman), and a dollar for the rest. They also did sleep too little.The final stages of the St. Valentine's Day massacre in Las Vegas ended on the night of the 17th.On the afternoon of the 17th, Leiber was busy talking on the phone with people all over the world, and several times he talked with two people at the same time.Around eight-thirty, Abby Levine came quietly.He and Reber locked the door and talked for hours, and Levine didn't leave until long after midnight.Then Leiber called again, mostly to Europe, where, due to the time difference, it was already daytime, even though it was still morning.In this way, Leiber was busy until two o'clock in the morning at least. After this, Diego went down and dragged Linda and Terri from their own beds and took them upstairs. They have to get up at six o'clock in the morning.Then he called again and met An Gaier who was ordered to come. For the rest of the day, the phone calls continued without a break. And now, they're on their way again.Our Lady! Diego fell asleep under the stars. The jolt of the jeep woke him up.When he opened his eyes, only one headlight was still on. With this light, Diego could see only a few rocks and sparse trees, and almost nothing else. He feels cold. "I get it: you're driving off the rails again, we're off the road, we're dead, and we're on our way to heaven. It's a damn steep road, isn't it? They know there's a lot of traffic coming up here After passing by, the road can be repaired a little better..." "Here's a little coffee, quite hot. And a cheese sandwich." Reber told Diego that two hours earlier, they had stopped at a place called Tonopah, and Reber tried to wake him up but couldn't. "You're yelling in your dream, 'Terry, get those damn legs off you, I can't breathe!'" Diego took a sip of coffee: cold, no sugar, still American. "What kind of life am I living now!" He crawled back to the front seat, shivering several times. "Can I drive?" "No, it's almost here." However, after that, the car drove on the mountain road for nearly an hour... ... Only a gunshot was heard piercing the stillness of the night, and piercing the trunk of a nearby pine tree. Diego opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, two more bullets passed his ear, one of which flew between him and Reb. "Don't panic, Diego," Reber said calmly. "As long as you don't move, he has no reason to hit you." Three more shots in succession, this time the windshield was shattered, but the jeep continued to climb up the mountain road. "Hopefully he'll find his own glasses," Reber said. "Without glasses, he's not as accurate." The seventh bullet hit the windshield rim, and the eighth tore through the back seat of the car. "We're almost there," Reber said. "I've probably told you that no one can beat his bacon and beans stew. In fact, that's all he's good at." "You're stubborn, aren't you?" said MacTavish in a rascally tone. "You could say the same thing," Reber replied. "I see that you have found your follower." "Whether you wear glasses or not, I can hit you in the eye from 400 meters away—you say the left eye, but I will never hit the right eye. Even if I hit you from below, even at night, I can still hit you. It doesn't matter. Let's try it, when you say it." "Take it another day. Fergus, I'm afraid I can't accept the price you were going to say but didn't say. Two thousand eight hundred and twenty-five dollars is way over the top." "Three thousand," said MacTavish. "Don't fool me, I don't believe in this. Even though I'm seventy-three years old..." "Seventy-seven," Reber said. "Do you have any beans left?" "Why not?" said MacTavish, smiling secretly. "The beans you sent yesterday weighed almost 800 kilograms. It would be strange if there were none left. As for the six frying pans and twelve mules you sent, it was nothing you thought about. I already have one. Plates and a mule. Who needs seven frying pans? I'll warm you up if you want, though I was born in 1884 and I'm not old enough to lose my mind." "1880," said Raymond. "You were born at nine twenty in the morning, September 2nd, 1880, to Angus MacTavish, in Carson City, January 6th, 1851, your grandfather Fergus Athol McTavish, born August 23, 1825, in Chillicos, Ohio, and grandmother Mary McMurtry, born June 13, 1830, Ohio Cleveland, State. Your mother's name was Katherine McIntyre, born on March 14, 1862, and her father's name was Jock McIntyre, born on... Please put more in there Bacon, of course, if you're not too low on stock. I don't want to leave you poor." "My house is in tons," McTavish said. "I still had three kilograms left, and you transported two tons over from Sivania by special plane, which is enough to last me for a while. Tell me, where was my grandfather McIver born?" "His name was McIntyre, not McIver. He was born in Neenah, Sconsin, April 30, 1831. He married Meva McAllister, your grandmother Born in Mackinac, Michigan, February 8, 840...Spice, please don't forget to add spice." "Are you trying to teach me how to make bacon and string beans? That's as stupid as you sent me with those goddamn radios and televisions. That big, nasty mast you put up for me ruined the view. I can't sleep well with the hum of the refrigerator. Plus, I bet you don't know when the first MacTavish settlers set foot on this land.' "Callum Fergus MacTavish was born in Kinloch, Scotland, March 22, 1613. Arrived in Boston, October 9, 1629, and carried him across the ocean. The ship in the sea is called 'Angus Stewart', and the captain's surname is McIlroy. Your ancestor was a carpenter, and in 1636 he was the caretaker of Harvard College at that time. Two thousand six hundred and three Ten dollars, and this is my last counteroffer." "Listen, young man," McTavish said. "How many times have you come to see me in the last few weeks? Six times?" "Five times. Even today, six times." "And every time I say three thousand. Once you say it, it's hard to follow. By the way, I cut off the goddamn phone line you installed for me. My stupid daughter and idiot son-in-law, endlessly Call me. They'd be so happy about the gas station and motel you gave them along with the garage. But that shouldn't be why you're calling me every day. Jesus, that phone keeps ringing all day, yesterday Just had two calls. One was from some banker, he wanted to talk to me, some idiot arranged a thousand dollar monthly income for me. The yellow-eyed idiot next to you keeps laughing for no reason Non-stop, who is he?" "His name is Slim Zapata," Reber said, "and I happen to have a proposal for you about him. The tailor can only offer $2,620, and you're stuck Three thousand won't budge. How about we play poker on your gold? Slim Zapata plays for me. In Tonopah, a guy named McCabe told me you were The best poker player in the entire Rockies." "Play cards first, or eat beans first? The beans are almost ready, so it's best to eat them now, or they will be cold. The weather here is always like this: it gets cold from twelve o'clock to one o'clock in the middle of the night. We are now The place where I stayed was about 3,000 meters above sea level." "Beat the beans first," Reber said. "What do you think I'm here for?" "I always believed that I could beat him," Diego said, "even when he won $1.823 million. Four hours. Seriously, it's those nasty beans that bother me the most." No answer.He turned his head to see that Reb had fallen asleep in the back seat of the jeep.They simply tore off the bullet-damaged parts of the car, including the only surviving fender.What puzzled Diego was that the car was still driving vigorously.At this moment, the jeep is passing through a wonderful landscape in the sweltering heat, and I can see all the reds and yellows on the color spectrum as if playing a game, from the fiery flame color to the blinding white light.Diego felt an uncontrollable excitement. "Slim Zapata!" he couldn't help laughing. ...But a second later, the laughter stopped abruptly. "Reb! I don't know where to go yet." no answer.With one hand on the steering wheel, he shook Reber's leg with the other. "Reb, where are we going?" "Reno Airport, take a flight to New York." Diego brakes quickly.The jeep made a sharp turn with its two wheels suspended in the air, and then drove north with its back towards Montezuma Peak. "There's one thing I don't understand," Diego said after a while. "Can you speak clearly now?" "If one thing doesn't work out when I leave Nevada, I'm going to be very upset," repeated Reber, about to fall asleep. "Even if it's for beans."