Chapter 159 Flea Market
California, Pasadena City College Flea Market, early morning.
This is the largest second-hand items trading center in California. The market has about 400 stalls and is open once a week. It provides a variety of antiques and collectibles buying and selling services, including military memorabilia from the Second World War. It is an ideal place for collectors. popular places.
He Chi and Laura walked casually on the street, looking at the exhibits on various cabinets, including old military uniforms, vintage pocket watches, and medals. More than half of the items here were related to the military.
Of course, because the history of the beautiful country is really limited, many items are only seventy or eighty years old.
He Chi came here to look for bazooka rocket launcher accessories that might be circulating in the market. Things like this should be kept in the hands of military fans or antique store owners, but after searching for a while, he found nothing.
On the contrary, Laura, who came together to make a fuss, was in a good mood. She was particularly interested in anything related to weapons.
"Hey, come and take a look, this thing is good!" 16-year-old Laura, wearing a navel-baring outfit, picked up an old-fashioned long-handled revolver from a stall and kept playing with it in her hand.
This revolver looks to be quite old, with a long barrel and wooden handle.
"Hey, man, your girl has good taste. The 1875 Remington revolver feels great, and it can even inspire." The boss kept boasting next to him.
He Chi took the gun from Laura and casually turned two guns and felt that they felt really good, so he asked casually.
"How much?"
"The price is 3,000 dollars, you can just take it, I will give you a certificate and bullets."
Huh? It's not too expensive. You have to remember that the United States has a history of less than 300 years. If this pistol was really produced in 1875, it can definitely be called an antique.
As a pistol with antique attributes, its price is only three or four times that of ordinary pistols. This is definitely a bargain price in the antique market. He Chi is not under any financial pressure now, and he is considering whether to buy it outright.
"Luo, Luo La, is that you?" A slightly nervous voice sounded from behind.
The two looked back and found a boy with glasses and freckles riding a bicycle standing aside, with unfinished newspapers in the basket.
"Hi, Sean, why are you here?" Laura looked at the boy opposite with some surprise, waved to him, and then introduced to He Chi, "He is my classmate."< br>
The boy named Sean blushed suddenly, "My family is Near here, my grandfather opened a second-hand supplies store at the other end of the street."
Then Shawn thought for a moment, glanced at He Chi, and seemed to muster up courage, "Classmate Luo La, You, you, you want to visit my house?”
"Huh?" Laura was a little stunned by this sudden invitation. Before she could say anything, He Chi took over the conversation, "Okay, let's go take a look."
Then he pulled Laura up and started talking. Walk.
"Hey, man, you haven't said anything about the gun yet. If it's too expensive, you can negotiate a price!" The boss's voice came from behind.
"Sorry, we met an acquaintance. Let's talk when we get back." He Chi made a gesture, picked up Laura and left with the boy on the bicycle.
"Hey, why are you leaving in such a hurry? I haven't finished reading yet." Laura turned the corner and started to complain.
"Then I have to ask this classmate of yours. He stared at you on the street corner for a long time. He didn't come up to you until we wanted to buy the pistol." He Chi looked at the shy boy beside him.
“Are you following me?” Laura looked back at her classmates.
"No, I didn't...well, yes." Then Sean immediately explained, "But that gun is fake. I was afraid that you would be fooled..." "How do you know it is fake." Laura asked curiously.
“I often came into contact with these things at my grandfather’s house. The grip of that gun was made of oak. However, in fact, in 1875, the American oak forest suffered a severe insect infestation that reduced production in large quantities. Therefore, the Remingtons produced at that time all had basswood handles and the inscription E.Remington & Sons. There was also a problem with the writing method..."
When the antique pistol was mentioned, the boy seemed to change his appearance. His face became energetic and his mouth became chattering.
Laura stared blankly at her classmates who were completely different from those in school.
"Oh, I'm sorry, look at me..." The boy finally realized that he had said too much, wiped his hand on his clothes and stretched out to introduce himself, "I am Bruce Sean, yes, this is Laura. Classmate.
He Chi also reached out and said, “He Chi is a tenant of Luo La’s family. ”
On the next road, the boy led him to his home. On the way, he threw the newspaper in his hand into the mailbox or door of each house from time to time.
This situation actually gave He Chi a good impression of boys. In California, after the child turns 14, he or she can apply for a newspaper delivery job (also known as paperroute) recruited by the community. This job can bring the child an income of 200-500 US dollars a month. .
The number is not very large, but only children with good reputations in school and community can pass the interview.
The fact that the boy can deliver newspapers in this place shows that at least within the community, the neighbors have a good reputation for him.
Through the subsequent conversation, He Chi also confirmed his thoughts. Sean never caused trouble. His grades in school except history were average. He did not participate in any radical activities. He even followed the restricted time at the age of 16. go home.
So Lola nicknamed him "Shaun the Sheep" in private
But seeing Sean sneaking glances at Laura when nothing happened, He Chi felt a little sorry for the boy opposite.
The personalities of the two people are too different. Unless there is a special fate, the other person should not be able to catch Laura's eyes based on her personality.
"It's just ahead. My grandpa is at home today." Sean pointed to the end of the block in front and pushed his bicycle to lead the way.
After passing a corner, a small store came into view. He Chi looked up at the signboard above
"TheResellRoom"
By the way, the name of this store is too straightforward.
He Chi walked into the store and looked around. There were many strange things in a large display cabinet, including medals, American engineer shovels, old pocket watches, and even a bottle of Coca-Cola marked as produced in 1939.
There were a lot of old-style photos on the wall. He Chi looked at them and saw that many of them were group photos of a group of pilots. One of them looked about sixty percent like Sean, and he was probably his elder.
Ding bell~ The wind chime at the door rang, and someone walked in.
Shaun turned around and said, "Grandpa, I'm bringing guests!"
The old man who came in was very old, and his wrinkles were like severely worn tire tracks. He was wearing an old-style US military shirt and walked into the house with a calm expression.
"Sir, I remember I wrote a notice at the door." The old man tapped a small blackboard with his cane, which read
"This store does not welcome Japanese visitors. ! ”
(End of this chapter)