Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

On the evening of February 8th at 8 o'clock, Luke and his younger brother drove to Los Angeles Airport.

At 10 PM Los Angeles time, the plane took off on time.

After flying for more than five hours, it landed at New York International Airport around 6 AM New York time.

The brothers took the shuttle bus, retrieved their luggage, and walked to the airport exit, which was already close to seven o'clock.

"Luke, Jack." A middle-aged Chinese man waved in the crowd.

"Dad." The chubby boy seemed a bit excited, pushing his suitcase and running over.

Luke also waved to greet him.

Li Zhaofeng took the younger son's suitcase, his face full of joy, "Was the journey smooth?"

"Pretty smooth." Luke responded and asked, "How are grandpa and grandma's health?"

"They're all fine, they've been talking about you two brothers these past few days." Li Zhaofeng smiled, examined his two sons, and patted the younger one's arm, "Hey, why are you still wearing just a shirt? It's cold here in New York, hurry and put on warmer clothes."

At Li Zhaofeng's urging, the brothers had no choice but to open their suitcases and put on down jackets and thicker pants before heading to the parking lot.

After getting in the car, Li Zhaofeng buckled his seatbelt and said, "Let's go home first, you two can take a nap, and then we'll go to your grandpa's in the afternoon."

Luke wasn't really tired, but after going home to settle things, he wasn't sure what time they'd get back in the evening.

After returning to Chen Zhaofeng's home, the father and sons busied themselves for a while, tidying up the brothers' rooms.

After that, Chen Zhaofeng brewed a pot of tea and chatted with his two sons for a while.

Approaching noon, Chen Zhaofeng personally cooked a meal: a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a plate of braised beef, and the main dish was fried noodle sauce.

As he prepared the noodles, Chen Zhaofeng said, "Let's keep it simple for lunch, we'll have something nicer for dinner."

The chubby boy picked up a piece of braised beef with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and nodded, "Delicious.

Bro, this meat isn't tough, you should try it."

Luke smiled, "This is beef shank, it's got tendons and meat, chewy, definitely not tough."

"Come, try my newly learned fried noodle sauce." Li Zhaofeng placed two bowls of noodles in front of his sons.

The chubby boy stirred the noodles with his chopsticks, picked up a big mouthful, raised his eyebrows, and said, "This sauce isn't too sweet, it's not quite like what I used to have."

Luke also tasted it, looked at the sauce in the bowl, and said, "The one you used to have was Korean-style fried noodle sauce, this one is Chinese, probably made with a mix of bean paste and sweet paste."

Chen Zhaofeng was a bit surprised, "Wow, Luke, you can even taste that."

Luke said, "I'm tired of Western food, so I often go to Chinese restaurants."

"As long as you like it." Chen Zhaofeng laughed, before cooking, he was worried that his sons might not be used to the food.

The older son spoke with such expertise, he must like it, he must have studied it.

The younger son, with his mouth full of sauce, it might not be wrong either.

The chubby boy quickly finished a bowl and looked at Luke, saying, "Bro, do you know how to make this? When we get back to Los Angeles, make it for me too."

Luke laughed and said, "I do know how, it's quite easy, when it's your birthday, I'll teach you, consider it as your birthday gift."

The chubby boy "..."

After lunch, the three of them rested for a while, loaded the gifts they brought from Los Angeles, and drove to Luke's grandpa's house.

As soon as the car reached the courtyard gate, Luke saw two familiar figures, his grandmother guiding his cousin Will to paste couplets.

Will stood on a ladder and asked, "Grandma, does this look good?"

"A little to the left, yes, stick it." The old lady was holding double-sided tape, much more convenient than paste.

The car drove into the yard, and Li Zhaofeng and his two sons got out of the car.

"Grandma."

Luke and the chubby boy greeted with smiles.

"Ah, Luke, Jack are back, wonderful, the house will be lively now." The old lady's smile was wide, looking up and down at her two grandsons, "You're dressed too lightly, why not wear more?"

"Grandma, it's okay, I'm chubby, resistant to cold."

"Come inside quickly, it's warm inside."

Seeing Luke and Jack arriving, Will stopped pasting the couplets, greeted them, and went inside together.

"Old man, see who's here." The old lady hadn't even entered the house but was already shouting.

Luke's grandpa was sitting on the sofa drinking tea, looked up toward the door, and upon seeing Luke and Jack, a smile spread across his face, slowly standing up to greet them.

Luke and Jack quickly walked over to support the old man.

The old man looked thinner than last year, and his spirit seemed a bit lower.

"Grandpa, we're back to see you."

"Good, good, everyone's back, that's good." The old man grasped his grandsons' hands, concerned, "Did you eat lunch?"

The chubby boy laughed and said, "We did, dad made fried noodle sauce, it was delicious."

The old man laughed and said, "If you like noodles, let your grandma make noodles for you another day, she makes them best."

"If you want to eat handmade noodles, just say it, we'll make them tomorrow." The old lady's body is still quite robust, and she speaks with confidence.

Luke asked, "Where are my uncle and aunt?"

Will said, "They're still at the restaurant.

Everything there is ready, they've processed the ingredients mostly, and once they bring them back, we can cook directly."

Li Zhaofeng said, "Your grandparents are getting old, and your uncle and aunt don't want them to fuss around."

Luke nodded, recalling last year when the two elders prepared fried foods. Although it made the house livelier, it was indeed tiring.

In the afternoon, with not much to do, Luke helped put up the couplets and then chatted with his grandparents.

Around four in the afternoon, Luke's uncle Li Zhaonian and aunt Yao Xin arrived, unloading a large amount of ingredients from the car—bacon, little crispy pork, fried meatballs, fried yellow croaker, fried ribbonfish, pig knuckle, sausage, etc.

The whole family was there, and it became lively again.

Luke went to the kitchen, helping his uncle and aunt cook. Mainly because he liked to eat and wanted to learn some cooking skills from his uncle, watching a master chef cook is also a form of enjoyment.

Luke himself could cook and occasionally enjoyed cooking. He felt cooking relaxed him, but he had a flaw: he cooked very slowly, and every time he cooked, the kitchen ended up in complete disarray.

But his uncle Li Zhaonian was different, finishing a dish in a flash, and he even wiped the stove clean. It looked neat, quick, and comfortable.

Seeing Luke helping on the side without a trace of impatience, Yao Xin couldn't help but praise him, "If Will were half as sensible as you, I could rest assured."

Luke laughed, "I find Will much more steady this time; it's good."

Yao Xin sighed, "I do wish he'd be steadier, sigh... he keeps us worried all the time."

"What's up with Will?"

"Earlier, he signed up for a training course, saying he wants to become some kind of bounty hunter. Tell me... can that be a legitimate job?"

"Bounty hunter?" Luke was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, do you know about this industry?"

Bounty hunters are also known as "bail bond agents", a profession that has existed in America for over a hundred years and is considered a legitimate occupation.

If a suspect escapes during bail, the bounty hunter is employed by the guarantor and, with a copy of the bail bond, has the authority to capture the fleeing suspect.

Once the suspect is successfully captured, the bounty hunter receives a portion of the bail as a reward. Every year, America sees many suspects skip bail, creating a fairly vast market for bounty hunters.

Luke said, "I'm somewhat familiar, though the situation varies by state. Generally speaking, bounty hunters are legal and it's a legitimate job.

However, it does carry certain risks."

"Yes, that's what I'm worried about—him facing dangers.

Even if he doesn't want to work in the restaurant, he can find another job.

The bounty hunter work makes me feel uneasy." Yao Xin said helplessly, "Both your uncle and I have advised him, but he's grown up, has his own ideas, and doesn't want to listen to us, always feeling like we don't understand him.

You two are about the same age, he admires you quite a bit, and is willing to listen to you.

You're a police officer and understand the bounty hunter industry better.

I'd like you to talk to him, see what he's really thinking."

"Alright, I'll ask him when I get a chance." Luke noted the matter.

Eight o'clock in the evening.

The old man turned on the TV right on time, found the channel broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala. Watching wasn't important; it's mostly about the sound. Being somewhere else, adding some hometown festive atmosphere makes it seem more lively.

At this time, the New Year's Eve dinner was ready, with a table full of dishes totaling over a dozen.

The little chubby kid couldn't help but swallow his saliva; these dishes he rarely saw, let alone ate.

Seeing the chubby kid's expression, the old man laughed, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "Alright, stop just staring, let's eat."

The family wasn't that formal; seeing the old man start eating, others also picked up their chopsticks.

The little chubby kid ate with the most joy; most dishes were his favorites.

Seeing his demeanor, Luke couldn't help but smile too—it's good to see he enjoys eating, it's been a while since seeing him so happy.

Luke opened a bottle of Moutai, poured out drinks for the elders, raised his glass and said, "Grandpa, I toast to you, wishing you and grandma good health and all the best."

"Great, great, as long as you all are doing well, I'll be content." The old man raised his glass, intending to finish it in one go.

Li Zhaofeng hurriedly advised, "Dad, Luke finished his drink, you just need to have half."

The old man frowned, "What kind of talk is that? A kid toasts me, and I don't finish it?"

Li Zhaonian also feared he'd drink too much, laughing, "Will and Jack are waiting to toast you, too, take your time drinking, the night is still young."

The old lady also said, "You old man, at your age, still greedy with alcohol."

"Well, the kids have come back; I'm happy." The old man chuckled, and set down his half-filled glass.

Luke didn't sit down but refilled the glass, made a round, toasting every elder.

After a few drinks entered their stomachs, the dining table's atmosphere became lively.

The family chatted happily, exchanging cups, talking about each other's interesting stories, the room filled with holiday cheer…