"I think they might start fighting, are you sure we should go now? This conflict was started by us after all," remarked Li Du on the way out.
"What then? You have no idea how much I waited for a day like this. What I mean is that I would be even happier if they started fighting," Hans replied with raised eyebrows.
"Happy? Wouldn't it be even better if we get involved as well? Like if we also give that crazy cow a few punches."
Hearing this, Hans was caught off guard for a moment before happily responding, "Ha buddy, I'm starting to like you more."
"Thank you, but I still like the treasures here better, how should we sell them?" questioned Li Du.
"Let's get rid of the garbage first, then we'll go to the second-hand store for the other stuff. As for the drums and the piano, we'll have to get professionals to get a more accurate estimate," Hans answered.
Hans was the one that's responsible for those types of things, Li Du only needed to pick out the worthwhile storages.
The two warehouses of trash originally needed around a hundred and eighty to be processed, but Hans only gave the guard of the dump fifty dollars, and he allowed them in without any registration.
"Isn't this bribing?" questioned Li Du in a shocked tone.
"No, to me, it's called accurately using my intelligence and my network. Plus, to him, this sort of income is also earned much easier."
After getting rid of the worthless stuff, they then went to see if the store would accept some of the better items like the National Geographic collection, the desk light, and the two sets of AC.
To Hans, Phoenix was a very familiar place, so after visiting only two stores, they were able to exchange their stuff for four hundred and fifty dollars.
The only thing left was the two boxes of National Geographic containing all the editions starting from the 2000 edition.
"How much are these worth?" asked Li Du.
"If we are lucky, then we'll be able to sell them for fifty dollars. You saw, the ones here aren't continuous, otherwise, a collection that spans over ten years would sell for much higher."
"You are very lucky then, that person is in front of you," said Li Du, "Here's sixteen dollars, these magazines are now mine."
"Ah?" Hans let out a look of confusion.
"I've recently found that I'm still lacking in terms of knowledge about America, so I want to read them to learn more."
"I know, but why is it sixteen dollars?"
"You want to sell them for fifty, but that's only the starting price. So, after several rounds of bartering, the exchange price should be around forty dollars. According to our agreement, you get 40% of forty dollars, which comes out to sixteen dollars."
"Buddy, you really are a sly businessman, I'm starting to think you were born for this field," Hans laughed.
With nothing else in their way, they soon arrived back at Flagstaff.
When they got back, they saw a dressed-up Hannah preparing to go out. When she saw the two, she gave them a smile, "Why did you guys return so quickly?"
"We were able to get some great stuff, so of course we've got to rush back. I don't want to make my little sister worry about us," said Hans proudly as he padded the side of his pickup.
"Thank god, looks like my foolish brother has finally grown up. I didn't expect you back so soon, so I didn't prepare any food. I've also got some things latter, so you guys will have to call for takeout instead."
"Going out? You finally have a day off, why not stay home and rest? You can accompany Li for a meal instead. He often speaks of you on the road, and I've also found that you guys are still not too familiar with each other," said Hans.
Li Du, who was currently helping Ah Meow with his recovery exercise immediately looked in their direction, "Fox what were you saying?"
"Nothing, just that the weather is really nice today, and that my sister is going on a date."
"Have a nice date, Hannah."
Although their Phoenix trip was filled with profit, nevertheless, the journey still exhausted all of Li Du's energy.
When they got back, it was already dusk, so he made a campfire in the back yard and sat on a deck chair. As he sipped from a freshly brewed cup of coffee, he quietly admired the sunset.
Beside him, Ah Meow glared at the dancing flames, occasionally using his front paws to try to reach them. However, with his lower body still being wrapped in bandages, there's no room for movement. As a result, he could only pitifully let out small meow sounds.
Hans got some sausages and placed it over the fire. Soon, the sausage surface started to crack, dripping out the aromatic juices, filling the surrounding with its alluring smell.
When the sausages were done, he gave them to Li Du and Ah Meow. The meat was both juicy and chewy, and its taste only get deeper the more it was eaten. This allowed Li Du and Ah Meow to really enjoy their meal.
"This is really good."
Laughing, Hans introduced, "Of course it's delicious, these are Marquette sausages, a single one of them cost as much as an entire meal.
After a night's rest, the next afternoon, Li Du, Ah Meow, and Hans went get an estimate for the drum set and the piano.
Their car quickly arrived at a wooden apartment near the center of Flagstaff. As Ah Meow took in the smell of the surroundings, he immediately started moaning, refusing to get off the car.
Seeing this, Li Du could only leave him in the car as Hans went to ring the bells.
As the door opened, an elegant shadow came out. From the side, Li Du saw a familiar S-shaped body once again appearing in from of him.
With golden locks framing her perfect face, she gave Hans a dazzling smile before saying, Mr. Fox, my father prepared a hunting rifle for you."
"Dr. Sophie?" Li Du asked in surprise.
The beautiful girl that appeared was exactly the doctor that saved Ah Meow's life at the hospital.
As Sophie turned to looked at him, she also let out a look of dismay, "Hi sir, how coincidental, is your tiger cat better?"
Pointing towards the truck, Li Du answered, "He's right there, but he seems unwilling to come out. "
Hearing this, Sophie gave him a smile, "Tiger cats have got really great sense of smell, he must have sensed my presence and is afraid of another operation."
As Li Du turned, he immediately saw Ah Meow hiding behind the passage window, leaving out half of his head to observe the outside. His emerald eyes clearly exalted a look of alert and distress.
Clapping his hands, Hans interrupted, "Hey hey hey, you guys know each other? But Sophie, I'm the main character today, I want to ask you for a favor."
"You want to ask my dad test his rifle on you?" Sophie teased.
"Dammit, that was story from my teenage years, so please forget about them. I'm here today for you to ask you to examine and appraise a set of drums and a piano."
Hearing this, Li Du was shocked, he never would have thought that the musical person that Hans talked about earlier was this female doctor.
However, as he considered it further, he found that it made sense. From his first meeting with Dr. Sophie, he found that she exalted a presence unlike normal doctors. That must be a result of her musical interests.
Opening the doors, the two carried the drums outside.
After Sophie examined the set while wearing gloves, she nodded her head, "DW A2 series, this is a great product, it uses chain drive system and 5002 series peddle. This is truly a revolutionary product.
"This particular set should be made in the mid-90s. The maple body and these seven layers, the 14 inch cavity, and the rose pattern side decorations all confirms my guess."
"How much is it worth," asked Hans.
However, Sophie didn't answer the question. Instead, she knocked on the drum and listened to the sound, "Very nice, this is the exact sound of the popular drums from the mid-90s. Deep and soft, I often heard my father playing these sounds.
"How much did Mr Martin buy it for?"
"The price at the time was around 2,000 dollars. However, if this is maintained really well, then it will easily be worth more than 10,000 dollars," Sophie said.
"YES!" Hans started waving his fist in the air.
"But that's only if it's maintained perfectly right?" Li Du asked, picking up the doctor's unsaid words.
Knocking on the drums, Sophie concluded, "Yes, the front here is good as new, however the back still need some repair, so it'll reduce its worth. You should still be able to sell for sixty to seventy percent of its price."
"Take a look at this then," Hans took off the cover, revealing the wine-red grand piano.
As Sophie saw the piano, she seemed enthralled by its beauty, "You guys actually managed to get an Empress?!"