Chapter 41: Merry Christmas

Henry moved into Old Gary's apartment.

As the saying goes, an old person in the house is like a treasure. Although Old Gary was nearly sixty, an age approaching retirement, his greatest value was that his family were old Hollywood people.

They weren't a high-class family of big directors or actors, nor was the whole family working behind the scenes in Hollywood with tangled connections. But they lived nearby, so naturally they had seen a lot.

Besides, cats have their cat ways, and rats have their rat paths. Old Gary couldn't handle routes that were too high-end. But if you asked how to scheme around in Hollywood, this bald little old man had plenty of tricks.

... Well, whether it's true or false is another matter. It's roughly like living at the foot of Shaolin Mountain; you can casually throw out phrases like "old tree coiling roots" or "black tiger stealing the heart," spouting half-baked secrets. The bluffing posture is a perfect hundred points, specifically designed to fool young people like Henry who only know a little.

Anyway, Old Gary didn't mind exchanging ideas with others. And as long as a discussion was proposed regarding small modifications to the house, he wasn't that hard to communicate with.

The main reason for discussing this matter was that the oil fumes from Chinese cooking were quite strong. American kitchen designs weren't meant for people to fry fish or stir-fry dishes.

Then, the Chinese restaurants over here in Los Angeles... well, it's hard to explain; those who know, know.

Having his own place, Henry couldn't help but want to cook some nostalgic hometown flavors himself. This was a taste he hadn't had in twenty years.

Moreover, he could cook before his transmigration; there was no reason his skills would be gone now. Cooking doesn't rely on "hand feel."

However, in his memory, the painful lessons posted by various international students on the internet were still vivid. Henry took a quick look, and sure enough, every single pitfall was there.

Including smoke alarms, weak range hoods, and so on. If not handled properly, the house being full of oil fumes was a small matter; the real headache would be triggering the alarm, setting off automatic sprinklers, and notifying the fire department in one go.

After obtaining consent, Henry immediately drove to the hardware superstore to buy the necessary materials and tools.

Then he closed the doors, drew the curtains, and relied on the speed of a Kryptonian to smash and bang around; the house was renovated in no time.

He pulled Old Gary over to inspect the house, then cooked a meal for them to taste together. In total, there was one West Lake Vinegar Fish, one plate of authentic sweet and sour pork, and one dish of oyster sauce gai lan.

All the required ingredients were bought from the local Chinatown, plus a hand of Heineken beer, and this meal was ready.

"Merry Christmas." Henry raised his glass and said at the dining table he had purchased himself.

"Merry Christmas." Old Gary toasted back. He added, "I never expected you to invite me to celebrate the holiday together. I was starting to think you had an interest in my old ass, or that you were feeling itchy yourself. I must say first, I'm not that kind of person."

"Fuck the Irishman, this is my first Christmas in Los Angeles. Don't think I won't beat you into a pig's head and throw you out, even if you are the fucking landlord."

Watching the bald old man holding a pair of chopsticks, seemingly trying to use them like a knife and fork, Henry simply handed him a fork and a spoon.

Old Gary took the fork, speared a piece of sweet and sour pork, and said, "Eating Chinese food on Christmas is also my first time."

Henry served himself a bowl of rice, skillfully using chopsticks, and said, "I said I wanted to change the kitchen because I wanted to make Chinese food. You didn't believe me; you said you wanted to verify my results, otherwise I'd have to change it back to the original state.

"It just so happens that today is fucking Christmas. You said yourself that if I didn't find you, you'd have to listen to Christmas songs alone and watch a bunch of idiots in soap operas.

"If it weren't that I dislike owing favors, dislike delaying promises, and happened to have something I wanted to ask you, you'd have to wait until I was in a good mood before you'd get the chance to eat this meal."

"OK, calm down, kid." Old Gary looked at the young man who was flying off the handle and said, "I said that because I thought you'd pack it in a takeout box and ask me to have a bit. I didn't expect you to invite me inside. Is that an Alaskan custom of yours?"

Finally realizing his behavior wasn't very American, Henry pretended not to be embarrassed at all and said, "Alright, I'll remember that. I just thought lovers belong on Christmas Eve; today, Christmas is for family. Doesn't your son come to see you on a holiday like this?"

"Probably have to wait until my funeral for him and that kind-hearted mother of his to show up, happily receiving my inheritance."

"Hmm, should I congratulate you on your divorce, or express regret that your former family treated you this way?"

"Child, say nothing. Let me keep a bit of good mood." Old Gary said earnestly while eating a piece of sweet and sour pork. He exclaimed, "No wonder you wanted to make Chinese food; the taste is really good."

"Right?" Henry said proudly.

"You just said you had something you wanted to ask me. Ask away." Old Gary said, while seriously eating and drinking, one bite of rice, one bite of food, one sip of beer.

After Old Gary finished a can of beer, Henry immediately handed him another and asked, "I heard from Fabio that your grandfather carried a camera for Chaplin. Is that true or false?"

"Fuck, of course it's true. Truer than the Queen's chastity. I still have a group photo of my grandfather, Mr. Chaplin, and some others after the filming was finished. I remember it was from The Kid in '21. Do you want me to bring it out for you to see?"

Slightly tipsy, Old Gary was a bit less flamboyant; his speech was full of "fucks," temporarily restoring the appearance of an ordinary old white man talking.

He continued with lingering enthusiasm, "It wasn't just my grandfather who collaborated with Mr. Chaplin. Even my father, after the Great War, left the army and worked in one of Hollywood's eight major film studios for quite a while. Although he also did behind-the-scenes work, he got to know quite a few big shots."

"What about you? Have you ever mixed it up in Hollywood?"

Asked about this, Old Gary spoke with a burst of pride, "Hmph, you absolutely cannot imagine. I worked in the props department and once did carpentry work alongside Harrison Ford.

"Turns out that guy was actually picked by the blind thing George Lucas to play Han Solo, snubbing me, the rising star. In a fit of rage, I decided to quit, came back to guard this apartment building, and sublet it to those in need."

What kind of thing is this? A real-life version of 'I couldn't become a big star, so I had to go home and inherit a million-dollar fortune'?

A whole building!

Six floors in total. Don't look at the small number of floors; each floor has ten units, and each unit is nearly eighty square meters. One person can live there, a small family can too, so some are rented individually, others are sublet.

The first floor is rented out as storefronts, with a grocery store and a self-service laundry. The rest is the house where Old Gary lives himself.

With assets like this, Henry wouldn't believe it was accumulated by working behind the scenes in Hollywood even if he was beaten to death.

But we Kryptonians aren't here to dig to the root of things. Henry made a turn and probed, "In that case, you must be very familiar with the ins and outs of Hollywood, right?"

New book seeking follows, collections, and recommendations. Thank you~~

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(End of this chapter)