The North American Gourmet Demon Handbook

"Yes, Charlie, can't you reveal a little more--" Mr. Robert also joined in.

If I could make it up I would have said it a long time ago!

Charlie was anxious and could only force herself to maintain a decent smile.

Fortunately, at this time, the door opened, and Li Shanze walked in confidently and calmly with a smile on his face. He looked energetic and had indeed had a good sleep.

Li Shanze came to the witch's rescue and said, "Ah, Xia Li, regarding the business of Li's Science Investment Group, our scientific advisor isn't very clear. Let me answer your question. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Li Shanze, the owner of Li's Science Investment Group."

saved!

Xia Li breathed a sigh of relief as if she had been pardoned. She looked at Li Shanze with gratitude and had no time to care about Li Shanze's nonsense.

When police officer Kate heard Li Shanze's nonsense and called a witch who was isolated from technology a "scientific consultant", she almost laughed out loud even though she was very annoyed with Li Shanze.

The female police officer tried her best to keep her poker face straight, her muscles tensed to relieve the possible tremors.

No, that's not right, Kate, you should always be on guard against this dangerous bastard who eats people, how can you be so relaxed?

Kate warned herself repeatedly in her heart and made herself serious before she finally suppressed her smile.

At this time, Mayor Vincent stood up with a beaming face and extended his hand to the big money sponsor. "Hello, Mr. Li, welcome to Fern Town. I am Vincent, the mayor of Fern Town. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Mayor." Li Shanze shook the hand extended by Mayor Vincent.

022 Redneck

When Li Shanze shook hands and hugged Mayor Vincent, he noticed that the burly man in police uniform standing behind Mayor Vincent narrowed his eyes with undisguised displeasure on his face.

Li Shanze was not surprised by this. After a few months of lively exchanges with police officers across the United States, he had long realized that American police were full of white male rednecks.

And rednecks have a fairly common ideology - racial discrimination.

This burly man in police uniform was nothing more than another redneck, and Li Shanze was not surprised by this.

However, Robert and his wife did not show any tendency of racial discrimination. Instead, they were very enthusiastic towards Li Shanze because Li Shanze asked for water. It can be seen that there are still big differences between people.

Mayor Vincent knew nothing about this. He enthusiastically introduced Li Shanze: "Mr. Li, this is our town's police chief, Larry."

"Hello, Sheriff Larry." Li Shanze stretched out his hand and shook hands with Sheriff Larry, then felt a strong force on his hand.

It was obvious that the burly and tough sheriff was trying to intimidate Li Shanze, a "little" Asian man who was only 1.8 meters tall.

However, Sheriff Larry's efforts were in vain. Li Shanze's tone of voice didn't even fluctuate at all, and his smile was very warm: "Merry Christmas, Her Excellency Sheriff."

Following Li Shanze's Christmas greetings, Sheriff Larry's face suddenly turned purple. He felt a sharp pain in his hand and a huge force that he could not resist. He almost felt that his palm was going to be crushed.

Sheriff Larry's eyes widened like light bulbs, his expression distorted. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "Merry Christmas, Mr. Li."

Sheriff Larry barely managed to utter complete sentences with all his might.

Since Li Shanze's expression was perfectly normal, Mayor Vincent and Robert and his wife, who were standing behind Sheriff Larry, did not notice anything wrong.

Charlie and Kate, who were standing behind Li Shanze, witnessed the transformation of Sheriff Larry's facial expression from arrogant, cruel, ferocious, and finally distorted.

Charlie didn't understand what was going on, but she was worried that Sheriff Larry might be feeling unwell.

The witch was kind-hearted. Just as she was about to open her mouth to remind everyone, Kate quietly pulled her back. So the witch tactfully shut her mouth and hid her doubts in her heart.

As for Kate, she had a barely concealed smile on her face.

Generally speaking, rednecks are not just about racial discrimination, but also about sexism, ageism, and a variety of other discriminations, and Sheriff Larry is the epitome of them all.

Therefore, Sheriff Larry was very unhappy with the young female police officer Kate McKenzie who was parachuted in.

Although Sheriff Larry received the order to "cooperate fully and unconditionally", in Sheriff Larry's opinion, what could this young woman understand? Did she know how to catch the murderer? Did she know how to solve the case?

Haha, it's nothing more than some big shot's daughter coming here to gild herself and show off.

It doesn't matter if she gives blind orders, she can just pat her butt and let the media cover up the whole thing, and all the credit goes to her. As for the mess she leaves behind, those of us at the bottom have to clean it up ourselves.

Having said that, Sheriff Larry's judgment about parachuting in young female superiors was actually correct 99% of the time, he was just unlucky and happened to encounter that 1%.

Based on this judgment, Sheriff Larry instructed his officers to do their jobs without putting in any effort and to act in a hypocritical manner.

This passive and covert confrontation caused a lot of inconvenience to Kate. Although Kate knew all about these things, since this passive confrontation was just a small dispute within the system and was not exposed, Sheriff Larry seemed to be very obedient to the arrangements, so Kate was too lazy to cause trouble for Sheriff Larry.

But this does not affect Kate's willingness to see Sheriff Larry get into trouble and make a fool of himself.

Kate, who knew Sheriff Larry very well, had even roughly guessed the scene after Larry and Li Shanze met when Sheriff Larry just arrived at Robert's house.

When this scene really happened in front of Kate, looking at Sheriff Larry's distorted and embarrassed face, Kate felt very good. Her smile was almost unconcealed, and she even applauded actively.

Even the image of Li Shanze, the "cannibal" who helped her vent her anger, was not so evil in her mind.

When Mayor Vincent heard Kate's applause and saw the female police officer's undisguised smile of joy, he was stunned at first, and then immediately realized something.

It can be said that for as many years as Vincent has been mayor, Larry has been sheriff. Mayor Vincent and Sheriff Larry are both native to Fern, so Mayor Vincent certainly knows his old partner very well.

Mayor Vincent certainly knows that his old partner is a redneck and a racist.

In fact, before meeting Li Shanze in person, the mayor had not expected that the young man Mr. Li, who had won Nick Robert's praise, was not a white person - in the mayor's eyes, Larry was a redneck, and Mr. Robert was also a redneck.

So the moment he saw Li Shanze, Mayor Vincent felt something was wrong, but he didn't have time to think about what was wrong, so he shook hands and hugged Li Shanze warmly.

It was not until Li Shanze took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with Sheriff Larry that the mayor realized where the problem might lie, and he began to worry about Sheriff Larry's possible racial discrimination.

Mayor Vincent was worried that Sheriff Larry would drive away the investors he had finally attracted due to personal connections because of his skin color, and he was always a little worried.

However, when he saw Sheriff Larry's "female boss" clapping with joy and Li Shanze's equally warm smile, the mayor finally felt relieved.

Sure enough, despite our constant arguments, Larry was always reliable when it mattered! He didn't treat Mr. Li with arrogance or presumption! He truly has a deep affection for Fern Town! With Larry's help, I'm even more confident in my quest to revive Fern Town!

The mayor was very pleased, smiled with satisfaction, and applauded enthusiastically.

Seeing the mayor applauding, Robert and his wife hurriedly followed suit. Although Charlie didn't understand why, since everyone was applauding enthusiastically, she chose to join the group and applauded as well.

Sheriff Larry's face was as red as a volcano about to erupt, and the applause in the room was as loud and enthusiastic as a tide.

The Sheriff felt as if a century had passed. Before his body arched like a shrimp due to the severe pain, Li Shanze finally let go of his hand, and the two of them hugged each other hypocritically.

"Asian Americans, Fern Township warmly welcomes your investment," Sheriff Larry whispered.

Originally, the Sheriff wanted to say something harsh, but the "yellow monkey" turned his mouth around and tactfully changed it to "Asian Americans."

Humph, just wait and see. Once your investment is completed, I’ll show you how I’ll deal with you.

"Thank you very much for your support, European American." Li Shanze's smile became even brighter, and he whispered back in Sheriff Larry's ear.

Then, Li Shanze "gently" patted the sheriff on the back twice.

Sheriff Larry, who was so angry that he almost vomited blood, felt the pain. He was unwilling to give in and immediately fought back.

The Sheriff also raised his broad palm and slapped Li Shanze's back fiercely. However, as soon as his palm, which had been tightly grasped by Li Shanze, touched Li Shanze's back, he felt a sharp pain.

Sheriff Larry, who had just relaxed a little after getting a chance to catch his breath, his face turned red again, his expression was ferocious and distorted, and there were even tears in the corners of his eyes.

Seeing this scene, Kate laughed even more happily and clapped even harder.

Mayor Vincent didn't seem unhappy at all about having his limelight stolen; he clapped his hands with a look of satisfaction on his face.

There were only a few people in the small living room, but the applause was as enthusiastic as the press conference after Li Shanze signed the investment agreement.

For a moment, both the host and the guests were having a great time and the atmosphere was very harmonious.

Author's words: Thanks to Wukong and book friend 8286794072 for the recommendation votes

023 Mayor’s Strategy and Vision

However, when Mayor Vincent saw Sheriff Larry's liver-red cheeks and deformed hands, he immediately understood what had happened.

So after exchanging a few words with Li Shanze, the "financial sponsor", the mayor hurriedly said goodbye to Robert's house with Sheriff Larry, saying that it was getting late and he had agreed to accompany Li Shanze to inspect the town tomorrow.

"Come on, get in my car first. You can ask your people to drive your car away later." Mayor Vincent carefully opened the passenger door for his old colleague and said so.

Sheriff Larry nodded sullenly and got in the passenger seat. "I'll have my boys drive the car to the police station."

Mayor Vincent, who was sitting in the driver's seat, immediately demanded, "What are you thinking, Larry? Putting aside the issue of offending investors, they're Asians. Why would you provoke them? They all know Kung Fu!"

"Isn't that a stereotype of Asians? I saw on a TV show that not all Asians know Kung Fu!" Sheriff Larry was not convinced.

"What now?" Mayor Vincent sneered at Sheriff Larry's right hand, which was swollen like a pig's hoof, and asked, "Do Asians know kung fu?"

"Are you just here to laugh at me, Vincent?"

Seeing the sheriff angry, the mayor chose to avoid the sharp edge: "No, what I want to ask is whether I should send you to see a doctor, Larry."

"That old bastard Benjamin insisted that I spied on his daughter and that the police weren't doing their job properly in her disappearance. If I hadn't gone to Virginia for drug training at the time, I'm afraid I would have been blamed for her disappearance!"

"Humph, before his daughter disappeared, he was saying that using my jail time as a bargaining chip to recruit informants was damaging the community and creating divisions among the people!"

The big sheriff became more and more unhappy. His 1.9-meter-tall body almost filled the entire passenger seat, and his loud voice was like a huge bell, buzzing and echoing in the car.

The Sheriff concluded his speech by saying, "Even if my boys and I die, we will never seek medical treatment from him!"

Mayor Vincent certainly knew the dozen or so police officers in his town. Each of them was very burly, strong, with shaved heads, and none of them had a college degree. They looked more like football linemen than police officers.

Mayor Vincent kindly advised, "Your boys are still strong and healthy, but you're old enough to see a doctor. Would you like me to mediate between you and Dr. Benjamin? It was all a misunderstanding to begin with. We can talk it out."

"Well, forget it. I don't want to deal with any Democrats." Sheriff Larry rolled his eyes. "Just drive."

"Alright," Mayor Vincent shrugged. "Then get your guys to organize some people and clear out those pathetic places that look like criminal dens, especially those that look like drug dens, overnight. Especially around Forest Crossroads. It just so happens that I signed the community reconstruction ordinance a few days ago, so we have the legal basis for this."

"Didn't you tell me a few days ago not to demolish these places? Because the city folks who came to town with the TV crew like to see them! I thought you changed your mind and didn't want to ban drugs on a large scale."

It was obvious that the sheriff was very resentful.

"I hate drugs more than you do, Larry! Think about it, who squeezed out $12,000 from the budget to buy drug detection dogs? Who paid to send all the police officers to Virginia for training on how to safely handle small drug labs? Who faced the cost of cleaning up a drug lab, which was at least $6,000, and refused to simply burn these hazardous chemicals with a fire, insisting on scientific treatment instead? Have I ever been short a penny on the drug control budget?"

Mayor Vincent asked back unhappily.

His small body seemed to contain infinite explosive power, leaving the sheriff speechless.

Then the old mayor sighed and softened his tone: "Listen, Larry, if selling our scars can make money for Fern, then I don't mind selling our scars on a large scale. Anyway, we have nothing left but scars."

"But if someone comes along and might offer a better price, then I have to work hard to secure that investment, understand? Attracting high-quality businesses is the long-term solution for Fern Town. No company would be willing to invest in a place where criminals are so prevalent."

"But the forest crossroads are so long, it's impossible to clear them in one night."

"No, we only clean up those places that look like they are harboring criminals. We only leave the shabby places alone."

"Ah? Why?" The sheriff was completely stunned.

"Listen, we're going to make Fern look like a poor but dignified town."

"I understand what you mean by dignity, but why poverty?"

"Because of the union," Mayor Vincent sighed. "If the people in this town are desperately poor, they're more likely to succumb to pressure from businesses and make concessions on this fundamental issue. So, appearing poor actually has advantages when it comes to attracting investment."

"Ah? Ah!" Sheriff Larry was so engrossed in the speech that he even forgot the intense pain in his right hand and jokingly said, "Unions are lagging behind in attracting investment. I can't believe I heard that from a Democrat!"

The mayor turned a deaf ear to his old partner's joke and continued to explain, "That's why I kept Forest Crossroads and negotiated with the program crew to allow those poor, dilapidated—but definitely not criminal—corners to be on TV. This is also to show potential investors that Fern Town is a poor place, but also a good place to raise a family and build a business."

Sheriff Larry was excited by the mayor's words. "Okay, now I understand. I'll put my boys to work right away! By the way, what kind of business do you hope to attract to our town?"

"Telephone call center, of course it's a telephone call center." The mayor blurted out without hesitation. This answer had been brewing in his mind for a long time.

Faced with the puzzled look of his old partner, the mayor seemed to have an outlet for the pressure that had been pent up for years, and he began to talk incessantly.

"Look, Larry, being a telephone operator requires minimal training. You can do it even without finishing high school. And it's just answering phones, so you don't need to be physically strong. You can even house those guys who are recovering from drug addiction."

"Because of the long hours required, there are a lot of full-time contracts, not just part-time gigs like at Walmart or Super 8 with no benefits. Part-time jobs with no benefits don't help financially."

"It's just sitting in the office and making phone calls. It won't cause any work-related injuries. Think about it, how many drug addicts have we caught who only received minimal compensation after suffering work-related injuries?"

"Bad jobs bring dissatisfaction at work, which destroys the hopes of countless people. That's why drug use has become the only source of happiness for many people, isn't it?"

Sheriff Larry, who had more say than the mayor in this matter, nodded repeatedly.

"Today, in small towns across America, immigrant workers are joining the ranks of bad jobs. They are burdened by hospital bills and by the added burden of teaching their children English to already overwhelmed and underfunded schools."

"It's obvious that telephone call centres, as customer service centres, will employ a large number of locals who are more fluent in English rather than immigrants."

"What did I hear? What did I hear? Hahahaha! A Democrat is anti-immigrant!" Sheriff Larry beamed. "I really should record what you said and throw it in the faces of Congress or CNN!"

Mayor Vincent said calmly, "This is just a conversation between friends, Larry. As long as you get out of the car, I won't admit a word of it."

"I have to say, this is indeed a genius idea. You have considered everything very carefully, Vincent."

The mayor, upon receiving praise from his partner, couldn't help but feel a little proud: "I've been mayor for so many years. This is the experience that comes with time."

"By the way, Vincent, after all this talk, have you forgotten one thing?"

"What, Larry?"