Chapter 529: Relax, No Tension
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. Such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford. Slowin' down to take a look at me."
A truck sped down Route 66, blaring loud songs from the speaker.
Like a madman, Lu Guan sang as loud as he could. "Come on, baby, don't say maybe. I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me. We may lose and we may win, though…"
"Can't you just listen to the song instead of singing?" Li Du asked with irritation.
The song seemed to fit their situation. When he had researched Winslow, he'd discovered this song. It was one of the Eagles signature songs, "Take It Easy," and was quite famous in the USA.
However, Lu Guan started singing right after Li Du started playing the song.
If he were only interested in listening to the song, then fine; but this was not the case. Lu Guan had a bad voice and when he started to sing or scream, Li Du was worried that people outside would think there was a massacre happening in the car.
Li Du would love to enjoy this song too, because somehow the lyrics were linked to the destination they were heading.
Winslow got the name from a real person, the former president of St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad, Edward Winslow. His family was once located in this area. It was a big family and inherited the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company.
Before the 1960s, this area had been a busy town. In fact, it was the biggest town in Arizona. During its prime, every traveler on Route 66 would have stayed here.
However, starting in the 1980s, after the opening of the I-40, the tourist and various business sectors went downhill and companies went bankrupt everywhere. The population became smaller after people started moving out.
Winslow went further downhill and the resident population fell to less than 10,000 people. But there were still Chinese people living there.
Now, Winslow had started to come to life again. Of course, there was still a big gap when compared to its prime period.
Winslow had beautiful surroundings. The Petrified Forest National Park was nearby, so the town welcomed many tourists and businesses for them to replenish.
Like other towns in America, Winslow had many historical buildings, and most of them were motels.
So he wasn't bored by the dullness of his job, Li Du would always choose an accommodation with good services. He had no shortage of money and wanted to enjoy his job to the fullest.
Hans understood his thought, so every time he made a reservation for Li Du, he would choose the most entertaining hotel. The hotels he chose might be more expensive, but they were definitely the most interesting ones.
This time, since Hans was not with them, Lu Guan was responsible for making the hotel reservation. He had chosen for them to stay at a manor hotel named "La Posada."
The hotel had once been the largest manor in Winslow, but after the economic decline, its owner had left. A businessman bought the land and refurbished it into a hotel.
After the refurbishment, the manor was returned to its former appearance and glory. They continued to maintain it after that. It was being well-preserved even after almost a century.
Li Du checked into the hotel and took a look at it later on. The hotel was glamorous, with glass windows and a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The handmade carpet had been bought from Navajo at a high price. It was very comfortable to walk on.
"This hotel is famous for its three meals per day," Lu Guan explained. "They provide breakfast to every guest for free, and we can have both lunch and dinner too if we pay extra fees. There is delicious cuisine from Flagstaff City to Albuquerque."
Li Du was very satisfied with the hotel. "Lu Guan, you did a great job. You have perfectly inherited the baton from Big Fox."
Lu Guan felt proud. "Of course I have. Actually, it was quite an easy job. You just have to find out which hotel is the most expensive one."
Li Du rolled his eyes and thought, Indeed, it is that easy.
But, at the same time, as they were checking in, they found many people still waiting outside to be allocated to a room. Lu Guan actually had done a very good job.
As usual, after arriving at their destination, Li Du visited the places in the area instead of going straight to the storage company.
After all, Winslow had once been the biggest town in Arizona, and now it was the busiest in the northeast region of Arizona. There were lots of parks and famous historical sites around too.
There was a memorial park in the middle of the town. It had been built by a non-profit organization when they carried out the Winslow Reviving Project in 1994.
The project took around three years. Fourteen designers and architectures had worked together to finish it. When Li Du went into the park, the song "Take It Easy" was playing.
The song had helped Winslow very much that after its release because the town had become widely known throughout America. When the town was undergoing the refurbishing project, the song once again lent its help to attract tourists.
Since 1999, the park had organized a carnival called "Standin' On-The-Corner" every tenth and eleventh of October. It could be said that Li Du had come at the right time.
This year, right as the carnival was about to open, fans of the song from all over the globe had come to this place. That was why many people had been waiting in the hotel.
Big Quinn had always known that Li Du was interested in cultural geography.
Hence, when they arrived the park, Big Quinn started to explain the arrangements and trip schedule. "After attending the auction, we will stay for another two days so there's no rush."
"During the carnival, many bands will perform on stage. Of course, the focus will be 'Take It Easy' by the Eagles."
"Think about it, Boss Li, we'll be surrounded by beer, popcorn, marshmallows, pizza, and submerge ourselves into the memories of the Eagles. How wonderful."
Li Du snapped his finger. "Of course we have to stay for this. This carnival is the main reason I came to the auction. I won't be satisfied with just some sports equipment."
In fact, Li Du was not interested in any trade under 100,000 dollars. If he had time for that, he would rather spend it with Sophie.
Speaking of which, Sophie was the other reason he'd chosen to come to this town. The female doctor asked for October tenth off so she could attend the carnival too. She was quite interested in the carnival as well.
That was the real reason Li Du had decided to attend this auction.
They went to the museum after walking around the park. The museum was full of the development history of Winslow and other information regarding the Eagles too.
Li Du loved the cultural aspect of having museums all around the country. No matter how big or small a place was, there was always a local museum. This illustrated how important local history was.
Compared to China, America had a shorter history; there was no doubt that China had more to talk about. However, Li Du felt bad that there weren't many people willing to dedicate time to it in China.