Are You Not Bullying an Honest Man!

"Li Wei?" Susan's voice came through the phone. "Your judgment was correct. Someone really was trying to mess with me."

"I spent all last night checking the ledgers," she said, grinding her teeth. "My accountant has been running dual contracts for three years. He kept one set of prices for my books and another for the actual tenants, skimming the interest off the top. He also faked vacancies, managing to siphon off 70,000 to 80,000 dollars in profit from me every year."

"That much?" Li Wei was taken aback. "Still, congratulations on rooting out the parasite in your company."

He felt he had underestimated just how wealthy Susan was; a single accountant could steal 70,000 dollars a year without her even noticing. That amount of money was enough to keep him working as a retail clerk for over 2,000 grueling hours.

"Well..." Susan said, "The man confessed everything. Because he had gambling debts he couldn't cover, he started having crooked thoughts. He knew which tenants paid in cash and that I was going to collect rent yesterday, so he hired people to try and pull off a big score."

"Then I assume the problem is solved?" Li Wei asked. "Do you still need an accountant?"

"My lawyer will make sure he coughs up every cent," Susan said, not wanting to continue the topic. "How did it go with your uncle? Is he free to come in for an interview?"

"Of course," Li Wei quickly agreed. "I'll call him right now."

After hanging up, Li Wei called Don Quixote, telling him to get his ass in gear, shave his nose hair and beard, put on his suit, and get to an office in Dyker Heights for an interview immediately! Right now!

By the time Li Wei was cooking dinner that evening, the basement door was suddenly pushed open. Don Quixote, his face glowing, charged into the basement like a flaming meteor.

"Li Wei! Where is my nephew!" he shouted loudly. "My child! My great hero!"

He was using the kind of archaic language found in novels, and for a split second, Li Wei thought he had suffered a breakdown before the sun had even set.

Upon seeing Li Wei chopping vegetables, he let out a thunderous cheer. He ripped off his suit jacket and tie, tossed them onto the tattered sofa, and lunged forward, opening his arms to give Li Wei a bear hug.

"We are leaving this godforsaken gutter! We are moving!"

He released Li Wei and spun around twice, his face radiant, dancing about like a child of forty.

"That wealthy woman you introduced, Susan... no, Ms. Susan! She has a discerning eye! She unearthed my talent! She saw my expertise!"

He slammed his hand onto the countertop, making the cutting board jump.

"That damned accountant has already been taken away by the police, and all his ledgers were like children's books in my eyes!" Don Quixote rubbed his palms together, his voice trembling. "Not only did she agree to let us live for free in a large apartment over 120 square meters in Bay Ridge, but she is also willing to pay me a salary of 3,500 dollars a month after taxes!"

Li Wei had never seen Don Quixote's mood this positive.

It was as if all his original joy and happiness had been compressed and fermented over these many years, finally erupting in an explosive release at this very moment.

"Kid, I told you I would look after you," Don Quixote grinned, flashing a triumphant smile. "Although I have to hand over most of my salary to that damned vampire—God, just mentioning her makes me feel pain—but!"

He emphasized, "This is only the beginning. We will eventually succeed."

Li Wei thought about it and suddenly realized that the 27,000 dollars he had saved up for rent would not need to be spent at all. He felt a wave of happiness wash over him.

"Stop cooking," Don Quixote said, seeing Li Wei still chopping vegetables. "Let's go out for a good meal. How about I treat you to Australian steak?"

"You're only taking home 1,500 dollars a month," Li Wei said quietly. "After deducting utilities, internet, gas, and groceries, can we really afford Australian steak? Can we get by on 150 dollars for two people including the tip?"

Don Quixote thought about it, and it seemed that was a fair point.

Even so, Li Wei eventually went to the supermarket they usually frequented and bought some beef short ribs, making a pot of tomato-stewed beef ribs as a budget-friendly substitute for Australian steak.

That same night, Don Quixote very firmly called the Spanish restaurant where he worked and told them he wouldn't be coming in anymore.

Then, while Li Wei listened to online videos about football tactics, he listened to Don Quixote curse out the restaurant manager in crude, foul-mouthed Spanish.

When he found he couldn't win the argument in Spanish, he switched to English and Latin, attacking the other party with a wild mix of three languages before finally strutting into his cubicle like a proud rooster.

Sure enough, in New York, everyone had to master several different kinds of profanity.

As Li Wei thought this, a sudden idea struck him, and he began searching for Russian tutorials online.

Perhaps because the quest to defeat the witch had been completed in Don Quixote's dream and the Duke's reward would take some time to arrive, he didn't sleepwalk that night.

Li Wei only heard Don Quixote sit up in the next cubicle, looking somewhat dazed, muttering a few words in the language he had invented in his dream, before collapsing back down into a deep sleep.

The night passed without incident. Li Wei looked at the moldy ceiling, feeling moved by the fact that he was finally moving out.

Early the next morning, Don Quixote and Li Wei climbed off their mattresses and packed their luggage, preparing to move.

Since it was the weekend and Don Quixote only needed to work one more day to receive his weekly pay, he still went in for his final shift.

Li Wei stayed in the basement, packing his belongings.

Aside from the two large suitcases he had brought, some pots and pans, and Don Quixote's novels and armor, he found there was actually nothing worth taking.

In less than an hour, Li Wei had finished packing everything. He only needed to wait for Don Quixote to return, and they could load everything into one vehicle and move to the big house in Bay Ridge.

However, to Li Wei's confusion, even after 2:00 PM had passed—well past their agreed-upon moving time—there was no sign of Don Quixote.

Could something have happened?

Li Wei tried calling Don Quixote, only to find the call hung up immediately.

His heart sank. He quickly left the house, hailed a taxi, and rushed to the construction site in Queens as fast as he could.

As soon as Li Wei stepped out of the taxi at the site, he heard Don Quixote's booming voice.

It sounded full of vigor, not at all like the scene Li Wei had imagined.

Filled with curiosity and doubt, Li Wei entered the site and found nearly a hundred people standing around a concrete mixer.

Pushing through the crowd, Li Wei saw the foreman and the security guards standing on one side, with Don Quixote and several other workers standing opposite them.

"On what grounds do you say you can't pay our wages today! Telling us to wait another week!" Don Quixote took the lead, shouting at the foreman. "Are you not bullying an honest man?!"