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Chapter 32: A New Life
🕑 Added 2024-06-01 18:43:35 +0000 UTCEveryone else was busy, but Arthur had nothing to do. The problem was, neither did John.
“You’re wrong. When you strike, you need to be quick, but more importantly, you need to be accurate.”
“Why is everyone else busy while you’re here practicing knife skills with me? Do you have nothing else to do?”
John’s hand paused, then he suddenly grabbed Arthur’s wrist and twisted it backward.
“Ow, ow, ow, let go, let go!”
Arthur thought John was angry because everyone else had something to do with the treasure hunt while John had nothing. Yet, John was still obsessed with teaching him knife-fighting skills.
John released Arthur’s hand and said coldly, “You idiot! You’re from Hua Xia. You could have learned real kung fu, but you wasted time on useless routines. Are you stupid?”
After venting, John snatched the practice knife from Arthur’s hand and said irritably, “I hate routines. They ruin real martial arts.”
“Martial arts, or kung fu, in Hua Xia is defined as a physical exercise, not a combat skill. The kung fu you’re talking about only exists in movies, not in real life. How do you expect me to practice that?”
John’s face was very round, and with a full beard, he looked quite comical. But now, John’s bearded face was full of anger.
“I’ve told you before, I’ve met a real kung fu master. He was incredibly strong! Real kung fu does exist, but you wasted your time and opportunity on routines. Unbelievable.”
John’s critique of Arthur’s practice irritated him. Though Arthur knew routines were impractical in a fight, it didn’t mean he didn’t like them.
What good is fighting? If you lose, you end up in the hospital. If you win, you have to pay compensation. If something serious happens, you might end up in jail. Is this the right time for practicing martial arts?
But Arthur didn’t argue with John. There was no point. If John wanted to teach, Arthur would learn, even if he didn’t see much use in short knife combat skills. Practicing marksmanship seemed more useful to him.
After fuming for a while, John threw the practice knife back to Arthur and said irritably, “Practice for another hour. When you can hit me with the knife, then you can go practice shooting.”
Arthur caught the practice knife and sighed. Just as he was about to strike, Frank hurried into the gym.
“Arthur’s green card and passport are ready. Take him to get them. We still have time these two days, so get him a driver’s license, a gun permit, and a bank card. Don’t forget to get a phone SIM card too.”
Frank left in a hurry, and John, annoyed, said, “Am I his driver and nanny now?”
Frank shrugged and said indifferently, “You’re not doing anything else anyway.”
Then he left without waiting, and John exhaled, looking at the already excited Arthur. “Let’s go get your green card. Hurry up and learn to drive so you can be my driver.”
Arthur was thrilled because once he had his green card, he could get a gun permit and finally have his gun.
Although he could already use guns, having his own was a different feeling. Even if John wanted to give him a gun, it wouldn’t feel the same.
They got into John’s car and headed to their destination. There wasn’t much to say on the way since John was still in a bad mood, and Arthur thought it best to leave him alone.
At the café, they met Palin, who was delivering the documents. Arthur walked over and greeted him softly, “Hello, sir.”
Palin looked at Arthur, then took a file from his briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Arthur. “Here are your documents. Check them.”
Arthur opened the file with excitement and took out a passport, but there was no green card.
Arthur, confused, opened the passport. He thought Palin had made a mistake, but the photo was correct. However, something else was off.
“The name is wrong!”
The name on the passport was Otto Schmidt. Arthur stared at the name for a moment and exclaimed, “Otto Schmidt? What kind of name is that? Is this a mistake?”
Palin was taken aback and immediately reached for the passport.
“And I only applied for a green card, not citizenship…”
John, surprised, said, “A mistake? How could there be a mistake? Let me see.”
You can’t have a green card and a passport simultaneously. Normally, you get a green card, reside for five years, then apply for citizenship. After obtaining citizenship, the green card is returned, and a US passport is issued. Arthur hadn’t applied for citizenship, but now he had a US passport.
### Translation:
What’s even more troublesome is that the name on the passport is wrong, but the name is wrong while the photo and the birth date are correct.
Arthur was confused, while Palin slammed the passport on the table, gritting his teeth, “Damn bureaucrats!”
With an angry expression, Palin took out a tablet-like device from his bag and took a photo of Arthur’s green card. After a moment, he said to Arthur, “Enter your fingerprint, right index finger.”
Arthur carefully placed his index finger on the device. After a moment, Palin, looking constipated, said, “The fingerprint is correct, the photo is correct, only the name is wrong. That means... they got the name wrong.”
“They got the name wrong?”
Palin rubbed his forehead in frustration and said, “If it was completely wrong, I could have them remake it for you. But if the information is correct, then…”
Arthur smiled bitterly, “But I don’t want the passport. And you can’t have both a passport and a green card, right? Can I still get a green card now?”
John pulled Arthur suddenly and whispered, “You fool, you saved a lot of money.”
Arthur whispered back, “But I don’t want to give up my Hua Xia nationality. I just need the green card.”
Palin, somewhat powerless, said on the side, “Obviously, you were applying for a green card, but this Otto Schmidt applied for a passport. Since you received both, someone didn’t receive their passport.”
After saying that, Palin angrily took out his phone, made a call, and after a moment, whispered into the phone, “There’s been a mistake with the documents. My client was only supposed to get a green card, but now he has a passport. Is the data entry correct? Please check it quickly!”
Although his face showed frustration, Palin’s tone was polite. After hanging up, he said tiredly, “Wait a moment, I need to find out what went wrong.”
Arthur was uneasy because receiving the passport might not be a good thing. It could lead to all his documents being invalidated due to the unusual identity information. So, this was not about saving money, but potentially causing a lot of trouble.
After five minutes, Palin’s phone rang. He answered and said, “Have you figured it out?”
After listening for a moment, Palin hung up and said expressionlessly, “The situation is a bit special. Um, consider it a favor, no need to thank me.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Palin shrugged and said, “Someone entered the wrong name when inputting electronic information. Since the information has already been entered into the system, it can’t be changed. That’s it. You saved $150,000. The good news is, I’m not going to pursue it.”
Is this a money-saving matter?
Arthur was extremely speechless. He could only say hastily, “But I don’t want to change nationality.”
Palin pushed the passport toward Arthur without expression, then stood up and said, “Considering your job, I think having an extra passport is not a bad thing. I told you, no need to thank me.”
John shrugged beside him, “Yes, having an extra passport isn’t bad. I have three passports.”
“I really can’t change it?”
Arthur was a bit distressed. This was not the result he wanted. However, Palin picked up his briefcase, sighed softly, and said, “Trust me, the person who got the green card is the really troubled one. If he wants a passport, he’ll have to wait five years. So, you should thank Otto, who paid for you.”
Palin was about to leave. After taking two steps, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and whispered to Arthur and John, “I’ve never had a problem with my work, so I should be grateful that poor Otto Schmidt isn’t my client. Goodbye, Mr. Schmidt.”
He nodded at Arthur and walked away with heavy steps, leaving Arthur staring at the unfamiliar name on the passport.
John came over to look and chuckled, “Otto Schmidt, a German. Hello, Mr. Schmidt.”
“So, I can only be called Otto from now on?”
Arthur still couldn’t accept the reality. He looked at John and said, “But how can I have such a name?”
John shrugged, looking helpless, “I don’t know if you’ll have to use that name in your daily life, but your driver’s license, gun permit, bank card, and all other documents will have to be in that name. It’s like changing your life…”
Arthur didn’t know what to say. He was thinking about the possibility of changing his name, while John solemnly extended his hand, saying in a very solemn tone, “From now on, you’re not you anymore. Please accept my condolences.”
Looking at John’s solemn expression, Arthur couldn’t help but say, “I’m not dead, it’s just a name mix-up… Why are you laughing?”
John suddenly burst into laughter. There were few people in the café, but his laughter attracted everyone’s attention, along with Arthur’s glare.
Patting Arthur’s shoulder, John turned and walked out, shaking his head and jokingly saying, “Otto, Otto Schmidt, what a weird name, hahaha…”
