Los Angeles Detective

  Chapter 414 Mind

  The next morning.

  Luke slept until 8:30, and when he got up, Daisy had already gone to work.

  Although I was tired last night, I feel refreshed and comfortable this morning.

  Drawing a shot card last night, Luke is eager to try and practice shotguns.

  But after thinking about it carefully, I finally gave up because I was running out of time.

  Father Li Zhaofeng booked a plane ticket for January 19th, and today is January 17th, so it’s almost time to go after packing up and buying gifts.

  Luke is a bachelor and has nothing to do. He cleaned up in the morning and went to his mother's house for dinner at noon.

   In the afternoon, I was dragged by my mother to work as a helper. I replaced a damaged wooden fence, mowed the lawn, and replaced a faucet. Although these small tasks are inconspicuous, it is not cheap to find someone to do them.

  Linda couldn't bear it, she had her son to help out for free, so what was she doing with that wasted money?

   At four o'clock in the afternoon, Luke had just finished his work and was sitting in the yard drinking coffee when the little fat man came back with his schoolbag on his back.

   "Brother, are you here to pick me up?"

  Luke put down his coffee cup, "The plane the day after tomorrow, why should I pick you up today?"

   "I won't go to school tomorrow, I will stay at your house for a day, and we will leave directly the day after tomorrow." The little fat man's tone was a little excited.

  Luke is a little speechless, but you can think of good things.

   "You stay at home honestly, go to my place to make a fuss, I have to clean up, I am busy before leaving, maybe I lose my luggage or forget to turn off the water and electricity, but it will be a troublesome thing.

  I will pick you up early in the morning the day after tomorrow. "

   There are always people at my mother's house, so the little fat man left directly, and my mother will clean up the rest without delay.

   "Okay." The little fat man put his schoolbag on the chair, pulled another chair and sat down, "Then what are you doing here today?"

   "Help mom with work, and also, discuss what gifts to buy before going to New York."

  The little fat man felt a little pained, "Do I want to buy gifts too?"

   "You still go to school to buy some presents, but I'm already working, so I can't go empty-handed."

  The little fat man came over and said with a flattering expression, "Is there a gift for me?"

   "Fuck off."

  "Stingy." The little fat man picked up his schoolbag, twisted his fat body and left.

  The morning of January 18.

  Luke drives Linda and Fatty to the mall for shopping.

  Luke has many relatives in New York.

   Both grandpa and grandma are still alive. The two elders have three children in total, except Luke's father Li Zhaofeng, an uncle and an aunt.

   Both uncle and aunt are married.

   There is a cousin in my uncle's family.

  My aunt's family has a cousin and a cousin.

   There are ten people in total.

  Luke and his younger brother live with their mother. They have little contact with their father's relatives. They haven't been there for a long time. Buying some gifts can also bring them closer.

  Gifts don’t have to be expensive, as long as they are appropriate.

  Luke doesn't like to go shopping, and he doesn't like to buy things. It's mainly Linda's idea.

  The little fat man was staring at the restaurant in the mall, thinking about what to eat for lunch.

  The three of them strolled around all morning, and the bags in Luke and the little fat man's hands were almost out of reach.

  In addition to the ten gifts, Luke and the little fat man both bought some clothes. The weather in New York is colder than that in Los Angeles, so they need to add some thicker clothes.

  Luke bought clothes and shoes for his mother. There is no woman who does not like to receive gifts. It is worth spending a little money to make my mother happy.

   At the end of the bill, Luke spent more than three thousand dollars.

  After that, the little fat man yelled to eat Chinese food, but was rejected by Luke, and he was about to go to New York. His relatives on his father’s side were all Chinese, and he would eat Chinese food more often in the future.

  The little fat man also thinks it makes sense, anyway, he has seen several restaurants before, and there are alternatives.

  He chose another cafeteria, eighty dollars per person.

  The restaurant is of good grade, with all kinds of fruits, dishes, meat, and seafood.

   After eating, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.

  Luke sent his mother and little fat boy home, and he also went home.

  I ate too much at noon, and I didn’t bother to eat dinner. I read a novel, went to bed early, and refreshed my energy.

  …

  The morning of January 19th.

Los Angeles International Airport.

  Linda originally wanted to drive the two to the airport, but Luke refused. He and the little fat man came by the airport bus.

  The aviation industry in the United States is well developed, and passengers come and go, and it is very prosperous.

  After picking up the ticket and boarding the plane, Luke reported to Linda that he was safe, and then sent a message to his father.

  The little fat man was sitting by the window, looking around, looking a little excited, "How many hours are we going to sit for?"

   "Five or six hours, enough for a nap."

   "No, I don't want to sleep, I want to do other things, too much sleep is a waste of life for me."

   "You can do whatever you want, but don't disturb my sleep, understand?"

  The little fat man curled his lips, turned around, turned his back to Luke, and took out his phone to send a message.

  Teenagers are at their peak of energy, and Luke didn't bother with him, so he still had to squint for a while.

  There is not much space on the plane, Luke is a little sleepy, and occasionally there is the cry of a child, so he can't sleep at all.

  Luke clicked on the Detective System and sorted out the warehouse. There are reserves for various cards, and there are two reserves for the most important bullet-avoiding card.

  System points, 60 points.

  The system reserve is 180,000 US dollars, and Luke still needs to find opportunities to realize it.

   There are also hundreds of thousands of gold coins stored in the fish tank.

  Including stocks, cash, deposits, checks, etc., Luke's total assets are roughly estimated to be as high as more than 2.7 million US dollars.

  Unknowingly, he has accumulated a lot of wealth.

  Luke already has plans to buy a house. Although the Americans are not as persistent as the Chinese in terms of real estate, they still like to buy a house.

  The so-called "love to rent a house" is likely to be temporarily unable to afford a house.

  There are no financially capable people around Luke who only rent but not buy.

  In the United States, buying a house is one of the main ways of asset accumulation.

  More than 2.7 million US dollars is not a small fortune, and Luke thinks that buying a house can already be considered.

  Of course, he is not in a hurry now, he just has this idea and mind, pay attention to the real estate news in Los Angeles, when he meets the right one, and when to buy it.

  He is still very picky, and he doesn't want to settle for such a big deal as buying a house.

   During the flight, except for some bumps when passing through the clouds, it was considered a smooth journey.

  There is a time difference between New York and Los Angeles, and it was already dark when the plane landed at New York Airport.

  The little fat man was very excited. After getting off the plane, he waved his fist, "New York, I'm back!"

  Before, Luke's family lived in New York. It was not until Linda and Li Zhaofeng divorced that they moved to Los Angeles.

  However, this is the first time Luke has come to New York since time travel. Facing so many 'relatives', it is inevitable that there is a layer of separation. This is why he wants to buy gifts.

  After taking the luggage, the exit is not far away, and there are many people waiting for the airport on both sides of the railing.

   "Luke!"

   "Jack!"

  An Asian man in the crowd waved his hand with joy on his face.

   "Dad!" The little fat man was also very excited.

  Luke also smiled and waved.

  The person who came was Li Zhaofeng, about 50 years old, about 1.8 meters tall, and looked somewhat similar to Luke.

   "Haha, Jack, you've grown taller again, almost catching up with me." Li Zhaofeng tried to pick up his youngest son, but unfortunately...

   Didn't hug her up.

  Luke laughed, "Not only is he taller, he's fatter too."

  The little fat man corrected, "It is strong."

"as long as you are happy."

  Seeing the two sons bickering, Li Zhaofeng had a smile on his face, "Are you tired from flying, give me your luggage."

  Luke was not polite, and handed one of the suitcases to Li Zhaofeng.

   "Daddy, is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

   "No in-flight meals?"

   "The bread is unpalatable, and the chicken is sticky and hard." The little fat man looked picky.

  Luke said, "That didn't see you left."

   "I only ate one."

  Li Zhaofeng "..."

  Li Zhaofeng adjusted his mentality, "I prepared food at home, and I can eat it when I go back."

   "You cooked dinner before you came, what did you do?" The little fat man swallowed, he was really hungry.

   "You'll find out soon.

  Get in the car. Li Zhaofeng led the two into the parking lot, and put the salute in a gray Volvo car.

  The little fat man sat in the co-pilot, chatting non-stop along the way.

  Luke was sitting in the back row, looking at the buildings on the side of the road through the car window. This was his first real visit to New York.

  The most prosperous city in the world.

  Compared with Los Angeles, New York has a colder climate, more high-rise buildings, more buses on the road, and more developed public transportation.

  Li Zhaofeng lives in a two-story townhouse in the suburbs of New York. There is no yard, and there are vehicles parked on both sides of the narrow street. Most of them are practical cars such as Toyota, Mazda, and Volkswagen.

  In general, this neighborhood is not too upscale.

  Thinking about it, Li Zhaofeng not only has to support himself, but also has to pay child support and alimony every year, which is not a light burden.

  The car stopped on the side of the road. Li Zhaofeng led the two of them into the house. The house was very clean. It should have been cleaned specially. The decoration and furniture were very unique and looked very comfortable.

   "Boys, I'll show you my room."

  Li Zhaofeng took the two of them up to the second floor. The two brothers each had a room on the east and west. The two rooms were about the same size, but Luke's room had an extra small balcony.

"how do you feel?"

  Luke stood on the balcony, "I like this small balcony, it should be nice to have a cup of coffee here in the morning."

  The little fat man said, "It would be even better if I have a game console in my room."

   "This is simple, I will take you to buy it tomorrow."

"Really?"

"certainly."

   "Yeah, Dad, you are so kind." The little fat man waved his fist.

  Li Zhaofeng patted his son's shoulder with a smile, "You guys take a break first, and I'll cook. See you in the restaurant in half an hour."

   It’s okay not to say, but when he talked about eating, the little fat man became even hungrier, "Will I have to wait for half an hour? I'm almost starving."

   Luke pinched his head with his right hand, "Stop talking nonsense, it's almost enough to take a shower."

  The little fat man was still quite afraid of Luke, and muttered, "I want to wash first."

  Luke urged, "Find out the newly bought warm clothes before washing them."

"knew."

  Li Zhaofeng watched the interaction between the two sons, with a smile in the corner of his eyes.

   Half an hour later.

   Luke took a shower and went downstairs to eat.

  A smell of meat wafted from the kitchen.

   Several dishes have been placed on the table.

  The little fat man pointed to the dinner plate and asked, "What kind of meat is this?"

  Li Zhaofeng smiled and said, "Try it."

  The little fat man picked up a piece and tasted it, "Is it beef? But it doesn't taste like it? It's more fragrant than beef."

  Luke also took a bite, "Donkey meat."

   It was the first time he ate donkey meat when he came to the United States. The donkey meat in the sky is really not for nothing.

  Donkey meat is more fragrant than beef. This kind of fragrance is not greasy, but a unique meaty fragrance.

  If you think donkey meat is not tasty, and the shredded meat is thick and woody, you may be deceived, and the probability is horse meat.

  Some people are really wicked and think they are smart.

  But no one is stupid, if it tastes bad once, who will go for the second time.

   "Do you still remember this taste?" Li Zhaofeng was also a little surprised. It should have been seven or eight years since he last cooked donkey meat.

  Luke said perfunctorily, "It's still the same taste."

   Li Zhaofeng looked very happy, "Try other dishes."

  In addition to donkey meat, the other dishes are more recognizable, a hand-caught lamb, a steamed grouper, boiled prawns, stir-fried cabbage, tomatoes and eggs, and the staple food is rice.

  Several dishes are prepared in advance, some are heated up, some are directly steamed and fried, which is relatively simple to make.

  The dishes on this table are still in line with Luke's appetite.

   "It's too late to make soup, what do you want to drink? There are beer, liquor, and drinks."

  The little fat man walked to the refrigerator, took a bottle of Coke for himself, and a bottle of beer for Luke and Li Zhaofeng.

  Luke opened the beer and handed Li Zhaofeng a bottle.

   Li Zhaofeng asked, "Do you want some white wine?"

   "OK."

   After all, the father and son have not seen each other for a long time, not to mention Luke, even Li Zhaofeng is a little unfamiliar.

  The best way for a man to get closer is to drink some wine.

  Li Zhaofeng took a bottle of Wuliangye, "How about drinking this?"

"good."

   "I've seen this kind of wine, and my brother's house has several boxes." The little fat man's eyes drifted to Luke, and he tentatively asked, "Can I have some beer?"

   "Then don't drink Coke." Luke didn't object. The little fat man is not young now, and a bottle of beer doesn't affect him much. It's better than drinking Coke.

  The little fat man was a little tangled, hesitating for a long time, put the Coke back in the refrigerator, took a bottle of beer, "Cheers."

  The little fat man opened the bottle cap, took a sip, frowned and said, "It's so bitter."

   "When you don't feel bitter anymore, you will grow up." Li Zhaofeng saw the interaction between the brothers, and was happy but also a little disappointed. He regretted not being with them to grow up, and felt that Luke, the elder brother, was more like a father.

   "Eat the vegetables, it will be cold in a while."

  The little fat man was so hungry that he ate very quickly. He ate half of the donkey meat by himself, and he was full in less than twenty minutes.

  The little fat man was tired after flying all day, so Luke asked him to go to bed first.

  Li Zhaofeng brought some peanuts, and the father and son drank wine and chatted slowly.

   Li Zhaofeng asked concerned, "How is your grandfather's health?"

   "Very good, I feel stronger than my uncle."

  Li Zhaofeng smiled, "How is Val now? Is he still making music?"

   "Uncle is much better than before, works in a supermarket and regards music as a hobby."

   "That's good, your mother used to worry about him a lot."

   "Dad, how is your recovery?"

   "It's all right."

   "How did you get hit by a car?"

   "I also blamed me for not walking carefully. Fortunately, the injury is not serious, and it can be regarded as gaining wisdom through a fall." Li Zhaofeng picked up the wine glass, "Come on, let's not talk about this, let's have a drink."

   Luke picked up the wine glass and clinked a glass with the other party.

  Li Zhaofeng put down his wine glass, looked at his eldest son, "Luke, you are a little different from what I remember."

  Luke said, "One must mature."

   "You're right, I'm much more at ease with you by Linda and Jack's side."

   "How are your grandparents doing?"

   "It's all good, but your grandma is a little deaf this year, so she speaks louder.

   I will take you to see them the day after tomorrow. "

  The father and son chatted casually, and gradually became familiar with each other.

   Li Zhaofeng asked concerned, "How is your work recently?"

   "I'm still working in the Robbery and Murder Division. I was promoted to captain some time ago. Compared with before, I have more responsibilities and more things to manage. On the contrary, it's not as easy as before."

   "You have become the captain!" Li Zhaofeng expressed a trace of surprise in his tone, "Okay, you are better than me.

  I'm so proud of you, have another drink. "

  Li Zhaofeng gulped it down, looking at Luke with relief.

"wait for me a while."

  Li Zhaofeng stood up and went to the bedroom on the first floor. When he came out again, he held a card in his hand and put it in front of Luke, "This bank card is issued in your name, and it contains 300,000 US dollars.

  You are grown up now, and you will buy a house or a car in the future, so there are many places to spend your money. "

  Luke picked up the bank card and looked at it, a little puzzled, "When did you use the card in my name, why didn't I know?"

  "I set up a guardian account not long after you were born, and I put some money into it every year, just to prepare for buying a house and a car when you grow up. Now that you are mature and stable, you are able to control the money.

   Take it, Jack has it too, it's just not the right time to tell him. "

  Hearing what Li Zhaofeng said, Luke didn't refuse any more. He didn't need the 300,000 yuan, but he couldn't refuse.

   This money has a special meaning.

  In the United States, the tax bureau can be said to be pervasive. Money is not given to whomever you want.

  Parents have to pay taxes when they give money to their children.

In China, housing prices far exceed the income of young people. Most young people buy houses with their parents’ money. No problem. Parents will transfer hundreds of thousands directly to their children. Parents can even pay for their children’s names. No one cares which one you use. Bank account to buy a house.

  Parents can transfer assets directly to their children.

  But it’s different in America. Li Zhaofeng wants to buy a house for Luke directly, okay?

   No, you have to pay the gift tax first.

  The payment rate of the gift tax is very high, which is equivalent to giving the government a sum of money for nothing.

   Of course, there are policies and countermeasures. What should parents do if they want to pass assets to their children?

   There will be a gift exemption every year. In 2022, it will be $16,000, and the couple will be $32,000.

  A couple can give a child $32,000 a year, and if they have two children, they can give $64,000 a year. The money is exempt from gift tax and can be exempted from inheritance tax in the future.

  The money in this bank card is prepared by Li Zhaofeng for Luke every year using the gift exemption.

   This is a wish of more than twenty years, and Luke has to accept it.

  (end of this chapter)