Chapter 1590 A Mindset Change (2/2)

Lu Guan had done his homework and said, ”Boss, let's go to the Pike Place market. I dare to bet that you'll like it there. It is a great place!”

Bill added, ”The Pike Place Market is indeed a landmark for Seattle. There are many little shops and lots of people living there. There are old-school bohemians, hip restaurateurs, artists, buskers, artisans, the type of people there are very interesting to see…”

Pike Place Market, which was founded in 1907, was now more than a hundred years old. This marketplace was considered to be the heart of Seattle. The marketplace had a local atmosphere, with the original, concentrated essence of a market and a multitude of things to catch the eye.

It was nearly evening, and the winter sun was setting early. The sky had darkened, and the streetlights lit one up after another.

Lu Guan confidently took them into an alley with a bridge leading through it. A noisy atmosphere and a mixture of strange smells were just in front of them.

”The underground food city at Pike Place market. Boss, welcome to the largest underground food city in the northwest!” Lu Guan turned back and said with exaggerated intonation, his arms open.

It was dark under the bridge, and he was walking backward. He knocked into someone accidentally.

The other side was very fierce and directly wanted to lift his foot and kick him. Li Du noticed it and hurried to kick the stranger in the ankle first. At the same time, he said, ”Hey, buddy, sorry.”

The young man gasped when Li Du kicked him. He curled up one of his legs and jumped a few times on one foot, hissing angrily, ”Don't you see where you are going? F**k, f**k, f**k!”

In the old days, Li Du would have tried to fight back. However, he did not bother now.

A few young men with unfriendly expressions came forward. Brother Wolf, the Markelov brothers, and others went to confront them, and a conflict seemed about to break out.

Li Du didn't care about the attitude of the other side. He put his arm around the young man's shoulders, smiled and said. ”My buddy just knocked into you by mistake. This is the food city, and there are many people around, so isn't it understandable? Right?”

As he said this, he pushed the young man to a nearby stall and waved to the other young men, then said, ”Come here, everyone, come here and have a drink together.”

He took out a few dollar bills and slapped them on the counter of the stall. Then he said to the owner, ”Bring out your best drinks and some good food for my new friends here.”

The hostility on the faces of the young men diminished dramatically when they saw Li Du meant them no harm.

They already realized that the strength on their side was not enough to fight when Brother Wolf, the Markelovs, and other big men appeared. They backed off when Li Du gave them the opportunity to do so with dignity.

Li Du poured them some wine and raised his glass, saying, ”Come on, now that the food and drink are here, you should be in a better mood, right? How nice a winter night would be, with some good drinks and good food! What a night it will be when we have had enough to eat and drink, and our bellies are warm and filled, and we get into our warm beds!”

A young man also raised his glass and laughed. ”Yes, it is a nice night. Thank you for the nice wine, sir. We wish you to have a great night too.”

The conflict was resolved without any fight. When Li Du put down his glass and was leaving, the young men were also very friendly and introduced him to a few special food stalls in the underground food city.

Through the underground bridge, a wider space came into their view.

Massive stone pillars, impregnable granite ceilings, and rough concrete floors supported this subterranean world. Li Du saw the flowing crowd and lines of stalls, one after another as far as the eye could see.

The crowds of people and stalls appeared in every corner. There were dining cars, tables and chairs, and stoves all around the pillars. On the ceiling, there were large extraction fans which kept sucking away the smoky air and brought in fresh air from outside.

Compared with the cold up above, the underground food city was quite warm and full of delicious scents, a cozy haven in winter.