Jimmy's house was in a neighborhood three blocks from Wang Kai's rented apartment. This neighborhood was quite old, and the people living there were at the bottom of the middle class, just barely scraping by. There were many people like this in America.
Although the house was old, it was still better than Wang Kai's doghouse of an apartment. Wang Kai tidied up a bit and then went into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
Jimmy's dad was a taxi driver. Before that, he used to drive a van to transport goods, but later he switched to being a taxi driver. He worked during the day and came home at night, which was also very tiring. Jimmy's mom divorced Jimmy's dad when Jimmy was young. This kind of thing is very normal in Western countries with contract marriages.
If two people like each other, they live together. If they don't get along or their views clash, they get divorced. So Jimmy wasn't too affected. However, Jimmy's dad suffered. The family had one less source of income, so he had to give up the delivery job and find a slightly higher-paying taxi driver job. Even so, it was just barely enough to make a living. When Jimmy got a little older, he would do odd jobs, delivering newspapers and takeout.
Fortunately, Jimmy's dad wasn't the type of man who would become decadent after encountering a little setback. He didn't drink or beat Jimmy. Jimmy's childhood was relatively happy, and now Jimmy's dad has also found a new girlfriend, who isn't very beautiful, but is still kind.
"Hey, Kai, long time no see."
In the evening, Jimmy's dad came home with his girlfriend and saw Wang Kai busy in the kitchen, so he greeted him. He was also very familiar with Wang Kai, knowing that he was his stupid son's best friend from school. It was also because of Wang Kai that his son didn't become a friendless freak.
"Long time no see, Ben, Kelly."
Wang Kai turned around to greet Jimmy's dad and his girlfriend. Jimmy's dad's name was Ben Atkins, and his girlfriend's name was Kelly Brown. She was a salesperson, working at a supermarket counter. Ben would pick her up from work every night. They were just missing a marriage certificate. Kelly already lived in Jimmy's house.
"Kai, are you cooking? I didn't know you had this skill."
Kelly put down her bag and came to the kitchen to prepare dinner, but when she saw Wang Kai wearing an apron and holding a spatula, she said curiously. She also knew that this was her boyfriend's child's best friend, and he had eaten at home before, but she didn't know that Wang Kai could also cook.
"Of course, today you and Ben can enjoy a hearty Chinese meal."
Wang Kai said that although there are many Chinese restaurants in the United States, the prices are not cheap. Of course, there are also cheap ones, but they only offer fried noodles or fried rice, which are often seen in movies and TV shows. There are also fortune cookies, which are crispy cookies wrapped in small strips of paper with some words of encouragement or lucky numbers. This is not a Chinese product at all.
"Wow, that's great. Ben always says he'll take me to eat Chinese food, but he still hasn't."
Kelly wasn't familiar with Wang Kai and didn't know if Wang Kai could cook, but seeing Wang Kai already in the kitchen, she couldn't doubt him. However, seeing that everything in the kitchen was in order, she could only choose to believe Wang Kai.
"Why haven't we eaten Chinese food? Didn't we eat it the day before yesterday? Kai, what are you making? It smells so good. I'm really looking forward to tonight's dinner."
Ben took a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and said. When he came to the kitchen, he smelled the aroma, which made Ben also start to believe in Wang Kai's cooking skills.
"Does fried rice count as Chinese food? Although it was bought at a Chinese restaurant, you're being too perfunctory. If it weren't for Kai, I don't know when I would be able to eat Chinese food."
Kelly rolled her eyes at Ben. If fried rice counted as the Chinese food she was talking about,
then she could eat Chinese food every day.
"Kelly, you're wrong about Ben. In China, fried rice is also a profound culinary art, and can even be used as proof of a chef's skill."
Wang Kai smiled, understanding the situation. Ben gave Kelly Chinese food, but it was takeout fried rice. He was really being sly, but it was also difficult for Ben, after all, eating a Chinese meal wasn't cheap, and Ben had to support his family.
"Okay, I'll let him off the hook. Kai, are you making scrambled eggs with tomatoes? I know this, it's authentic Chinese food."
Kelly stood aside watching Wang Kai cook and then said in surprise.
"That's right, it's scrambled eggs with tomatoes. This is the most common home-cooked dish in Chinese cuisine. If you don't mind, you and Ben can set the table. We can eat soon."
Wang Kai quickly stir-fried the tomatoes and eggs in the wok and said.
"No problem, Ben, come set the table."
Kelly said. Since she wasn't cooking, she should do some housework, and also call Ben, who was already sitting on the sofa drinking beer and watching TV.
"Oh, coming, Jimmy, go get a few bottles of iced beer. I'll make an exception and let you drink one today."
Ben stood up and helped Kelly set the table, while asking Jimmy to get the beer. In the United States, there are strict regulations on drinking alcohol, with the minimum age being twenty-one.
You should know that the minimum age to get a driver's license in the United States can be sixteen, and a little more is eighteen. Marriage can also be at eighteen, and even in New Hampshire, men can be fourteen and women can be thirteen, of course, with parental consent and court permission.
Moreover, the age to join the army and fight in the United States is also eighteen, that is, high school graduates can join the army and go to the battlefield. This is the choice of many American youths, who makes the salary of the American army not low.
So there is a joke that wine is more difficult to deal with than enemies and wives. Today, Ben made an exception to let Jimmy drink beer for Wang Kai's cooking, but he definitely couldn't drink too much, otherwise if someone found out and reported it, he would lose custody rights, even though young people drinking before the age of twenty-one are everywhere, parents can never dare to do this kind of thing.
Wang Kai prepared three dishes for dinner: sweet and sour pork ribs, boiled sliced meat in spicy sauce, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The staple food was rou jia mo (meat sandwiches).
"Wow, it's so rich. Can we start?"
Kelly asked excitedly, looking at the food on the table.
"Yes, everyone, please enjoy."
Wang Kai said with a smile, hoping that these three authentic Chinese dishes would suit Ben's taste. You should know that many Chinese restaurants have improved the original Chinese taste, adding thickening, sugar, etc., to change the taste to the taste that Westerners like, forgetting the basics.