Chapter 810: Unexpected Visitor
"Knock, knock, knock."
There was a knock on the door. Lu Ke looked up. "Who is it?"
"Jack? It's me, Vance." It was an unfamiliar voice and an unfamiliar name. However, this was not uncommon. Lu Ke had been living on his own for almost a year, and he didn't know all his neighbors.
Lu Ke quickly stood up, opened the front door, and said politely, "I'm sorry, my father isn't home from work yet. I'm Lu Ke. Can I help you with something?"
Standing at the door was a man in his forties, wearing a simple white golf shirt and a light gray casual blazer. His temples were slightly gray, showing the passage of time. He looked a little bit like a real estate agent.
In the United States, being a real estate agent is a middle-class profession, and the income is quite good.
The man was holding a square brown paper bag that looked to be the size of a vinyl record. Lu Ke guessed this because his father, Lu Zhengze, had a habit of collecting vinyl records.
He didn't collect limited or rare editions, just vinyl records of Chinese songs, such as Teresa Teng, Jacky Cheung, or Feng Feifei. When he first came to the United States, he couldn't help but miss his hometown, but he had no way to go back. Music was undoubtedly the best medium, so Lu Zhengze started collecting vinyl records.
It was less of a hobby and more of a habit that had carried on from that time.
"You're Lu Ke, right? The quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers." The man looked Lu Ke up and down and then successfully recognized him. "I heard that Jack's son is the current darling of Candlestick Park, but I'm not a football fan, so I've never had the chance to meet you. I finally got to meet you today, but..."
The man's scrutinizing gaze made Lu Ke look down at himself. He then realized that he was still holding the box of walnuts and was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, looking like an unemployed person with nothing to do at home. Lu Ke couldn't help but laugh. "At my parents' house, I'm used to being comfortable and relaxed."
"No, no, I mean, you're not what I expected... you don't look like a professional athlete. If you told me you were a journalist or a graduate student, I wouldn't be surprised." The man said what he was thinking with a sincere and friendly tone.
Lu Ke also laughed and said meaningfully, "Don't let preconceived notions restrict your thoughts."
"I finally understand what you mean." The man nodded in agreement. "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Vance Jacobs. It's a pleasure to meet you. I never thought I would actually meet a football player, and you're not what I expected."
"Mr. Jacobs, the pleasure is mine." Lu Ke stepped aside and gestured to the hallway, inviting him in. "I'm sorry, I've kept you standing at the door. If my father finds out, he'll definitely scold me for being impolite."
"No, no, it's okay." Vance shook his head and declined. "I just came to return this vinyl record."
Vance remained at the door and handed the vinyl record to Lu Ke, explaining, "The last time I was here as a guest, I borrowed it from your father and kept forgetting to return it. Last night, my daughter and son were playing and almost knocked over the entire bookshelf. Those kids just can't stay still. Before they completely ruin Jack's collection, I thought it would be better to return it quickly."
Lu Ke took the vinyl record and said with a smile, "Don't worry, these aren't rare collectibles. The best way for friends to enjoy and share music is to share it. I'm sure my father will be very happy that you enjoyed this vinyl record."
"I really do. Jack has excellent taste in music, and the old Chinese songs have a lot of flavor. You know, I watched a lot of Hong Kong movies when I was a kid. These songs always bring back those good memories." Vance's words made Lu Ke's eyes light up.
Lu Ke then smiled and nodded slightly. He could imagine that Lu Zhengze and Vance had a lot in common. "I'm sorry, I have limited experience with music and movies. But when I was a kid, my father often played these songs at home. For me, they were the background music of my childhood memories."
"Yes, yes. I forgot. You must have spent your entire childhood on the training field," Vance said, suddenly realizing.
"Vance?" A voice called out from behind, along with the sound of a car engine turning off. Both Lu Ke and Vance turned around and saw Lu Zhengze getting out of his car with a surprised expression. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you call ahead? If I wasn't home, that would have been very rude."
"I just came to try my luck," Vance said, pointing to the vinyl record in Lu Ke's hand. Lu Ke also shook the vinyl record to show him. "If you and Annie weren't home, I was going to leave it on the windowsill. If it stayed at my house, I don't know when it would have been completely ruined."
Lu Zhengze quickly walked over. "Ke, why didn't you invite your guest inside? That's very impolite." He said this in Chinese, then switched to English and said to Vance, "Come inside and sit down. Talking at the door is not the Chinese way of hospitality, and I don't think it's the American way either, is it?"
Vance spread his hands. "I know. You told me that when a guest visits, you must invite them in for a cup of tea. That's a custom from your hometown. I was just going to drop it off and leave, but now that you've caught me, I'll gladly accept."
Lu Ke was the first to walk into the house. He went straight to the study on the first floor and placed the vinyl record on the bookshelf. Then he went to the kitchen and started boiling water to prepare the tea. After that, he went to the living room and quickly tidied up the scattered items, getting ready to welcome the guest.
Looking up, Lu Ke noticed Vance's slightly surprised expression, and he responded with a smile.
On the field at Candlestick Park, he was the starting quarterback who led his team to victory. But at his parents' house, he was a son who had just graduated from college and had been working for a short time.
Although Lu Ke had limited opportunities to go home now, he would still do his share of the housework whenever he did. He would help move heavy things, take out the trash, tidy up the backyard, and host guests.
Lu Ke left Lu Zhengze and Vance to chat in the living room while he got busy.
Not long after, Jiang Younning also returned with bags and packages. Lu Ke quickly went outside to help her unload the car. Austin and Tiffany from across the street also came over to help. In an instant, the Lu family's living room became warm and lively, and a small family party was in full swing.
Through fragmented conversations and Jiang Younning's additions, Lu Ke gradually learned how Lu Zhengze and Vance met.
They both worked in the same area. About a month ago, Lu Zhengze was out for a work lunch. Because all the nearby tables were full, Vance happened to share a table with him, and they had a brief greeting and conversation. Not long after, Vance's car broke down, and his phone happened to be dead. Lu Zhengze happened to be passing by and helped him call a tow truck.
In this back-and-forth, the two of them became acquainted. Later, they would occasionally bump into each other during their lunch breaks and sometimes sit down to eat together, and they gradually became familiar with each other. Especially after Lu Zhengze learned that Vance had a special love for old movies, including Hong Kong movies from the eighties, he became excited, and this became a common topic of conversation for them.
The week before, the Jacobs invited Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning over to their house as guests, and Vance's wife cooked for them. The following week, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning reciprocated by inviting the Jacobs over, and they also admired Lu Zhengze's vinyl record collection together.
That vinyl record was the one Vance had borrowed.
Originally, today was Lu Ke's day to visit his parents, but it unexpectedly strayed from the original plan. Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning enthusiastically invited Vance, Austin, and Tiffany to stay for dinner. The hospitality of the Chinese people was, after all, hidden in their bloodline. So, a family gathering turned into a small party.
Lu Ke was always busy helping Jiang Younning in and out of the kitchen. It took a while to prepare the dinner.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly and was completed perfectly. All the delicious food on the table was gone, and they even drank a bottle of wine. Of course, Lu Ke didn't drink because he had to get up early for practice tomorrow. He could only drink tea and join in the fun.
By the time dinner ended, it was already late, almost eleven o'clock.
Austin and Tiffany lived across the street, so it was easy for them to go home. But it wasn't so easy for Vance.
He had driven there in the afternoon, and it wasn't safe to drive after drinking. This was a basic rule everyone knew. Vance was going to call a taxi to go home and would come back to get his car tomorrow.
Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younning felt a little bad about this.
Lu Ke voluntarily offered a suggestion. "I'll drive Vance home and then take a taxi back." Vance tried to refuse, but Lu Ke said with a smile, "This is one of our ways of hospitality: to make sure our guests get home safely. It's the host's way of showing care."
Seeing this, Vance no longer refused. "Then I'll thank you in advance."
After Lu Ke and Vance got into the car and drove away slowly, Lu Ke said with a smile, "Mr. Jacobs, if I'm not mistaken, you want to talk to me alone, don't you?"
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!