CHAPTER 32: CHAPTER 27: BUILDING MOMENTUM

Gregory Quinn: "..."

Is he saying that my uncoordinated walking is a neurological problem?

Gregory Quinn was full of doubts and decided he should get an X-ray.

Very soon, after the X-ray was done, the doctor said there were no obvious bone fractures visible, but to get the specific details, it would take a few days.

Because analyzing an X-ray isn’t something that can be done just by glancing at the images.

Gregory Quinn saw that there were no obvious fractures on his bones, and felt half relieved.

Then, following the doctor’s advice, he immediately went to the third floor to register for a specialist clinic.

As it turned out, the third floor specialist wasn’t a neurology clinic, but a psychology one.

Could it be that he had developed a psychological barrier because of last night’s beating?

He believes in psychology, having studied it with others and tested it many times, always successfully. So he was almost ready to accept this conclusion.

Since he knew the cause and it wasn’t anything major, to save money, he didn’t go for the psychology appointment but directly left.

Leaving the hospital with Grace Day, Gregory Quinn didn’t want to go back to his parents’ home at the old district’s textile factory. He planned to stay at his new apartment in Temple Court Residential Area for a few days.

Changing the environment might help the psychological barrier disappear.

Besides, everything is new at the new apartment, from the new furniture, new appliances to new bedding and clothing, everything was available.

Gregory Quinn immediately said to Grace Day, "Grace, go to my place and pack some of our daily necessities, and bring some meat and vegetables. We’ll move into the new place before the New Year."

Grace Day was delighted and quickly nodded, "No problem, no problem! I’ll go pack! Are you heading to the new place by yourself?"

Gregory Quinn responded, "Yes, I’ll grab a cab over."

Today his legs weren’t functioning well, so he didn’t drive his own vehicle.

He and Grace Day had taken the bus to the hospital.

Grace Day agreed to take the bus back to the textile factory home to pack, while Gregory Quinn hailed a cab to Temple Court Residential Area.

He had just entered the residential area when he was surrounded by several acquaintances.

"Gregory Quinn, the election for our neighborhood owner’s committee is almost over. Weren’t you running for president? You haven’t been seen these past few days!"

"Exactly, exactly, we are all new owners. We have to get into the committee and take the initiative!"

"Greg, you run for president, we’ll all vote for you! We need you to watch out for us in the future!"

"Yes, yes! Greg, you’re an educated person with a relaxed job and your wife is a government officer, right? Who else but you to be president?!"

Gregory Quinn was elated by their flattery, and even his stiff left cheek seemed less rigid.

Smugly, he thought it might really be a psychological issue, and quickly diverted his attention, stiff-faced, offering them strategy advice: "... if you want to campaign, you can’t do it like this. We have to create momentum first!"

Saying that, he started offering these owners tricks on how to "create momentum".

Under his guidance, within a few days the previously quiet residential area started echoing with the blaring sounds of loudspeakers, incessantly playing Gregory Quinn’s "campaign manifesto".

They also found a group of elder women who performed square dances, having them dance at the community center by the entrance, with the songs all switched to Gregory Quinn’s "campaign songs".

With all this racket, the name "Gregory Quinn" quickly became well-known throughout Temple Court Residential Area.

...

It was the twenty-ninth of the last lunar month, and Nick Zeller rose at noon because The Wealthiest of River City, Keith Newman, had sent word through various people wanting to meet him.

He lazily got up, tidied himself, shaved, changed into a new coat lined with sheepskin, and dawdled until five in the afternoon before taking Lawrence Winters directly to see Keith Newman.

At the entrance of the residential area, they were blocked, and his Grand Cherokee couldn’t get out, making him fume with anger.

On the evening of the twenty-ninth of the last lunar month, the entrance was bustling like it was the New Year.

There were people playing recordings, others doing square campaign dances, and several candidates having loudspeaker debates (arguments) with each other.

Everyone was exposing the other’s weaknesses.

Bystanders found it exciting, mistaking it for a New Year’s event, surrounding them in layers to watch the commotion.

People quickly became well-acquainted with the situation of the candidates running for the owner’s committee in the community.

"Holy crap! It’s juicy! Old Huang of Building C is really having an affair with his colleague?!"

"No way! Chris of Building B was caught cheating in exams during college and got a major demerit?!"

"Tsk tsk, Grandma Quan of Building D, at her age, is divorced and living with someone?!"

A crowd pointed fingers at the entrance, prompting the candidates to act crazier, the more people, the more animated, and their cursing more vibrant.

Nick Zeller patiently waited for a long time, almost being late, and these people were still blocking the road. Furious, he popped his head out of the car window and shouted: "What are you doing?! It’s almost New Year’s Eve; are you waiting at the entrance to snatch the first incense stick?!"

The owners at the entrance hurriedly came to explain: "Great Heavenly Master Zeller, we’re campaigning for the neighborhood owner’s committee president, building some momentum here!"

They pushed Gregory Quinn out.

Although Gregory’s symptoms of walking in step with his arms hadn’t improved, his facial rigidity had eased somewhat.

He waved smilingly at Nick Zeller, but upon seeing Nick’s Grand Cherokee, his expression darkened instantly.

He stared at Nick with searing anger as if Nick had stolen his vehicle.

He turned slightly and asked the person next to him: "... Whose car is that? Do you know?"

"... Of course, it’s Great Heavenly Master Zeller’s! Who in this community doesn’t know? Great Heavenly Master Zeller has several vehicles!"

Gregory was taken aback, asking uncertainly: "... It really is Nick Zeller’s? Not... someone else’s?"

"When Great Heavenly Master Zeller bought this car, everyone came to join the fun. How could you not know?"

The person speaking was an old owner of the community, initially intending to cozy up to Gregory, seeing his gift of the gab.

But upon seeing that he neither knew of the famous Nick Zeller nor trusted anyone’s vehicle, their desire to befriend him evaporated.

"Campaign your ass!" Nick Zeller was infuriated just seeing Gregory’s face, waving his fist, and yelling: "There’s decent work to be done, and all you know is to mess around with this nonsense! —— Can you move, please?! I’m in a hurry!"

The people at the entrance spared Nick Zeller some face and quickly organized to clear a path for him.

Only then did Nick Zeller put away his anger, muttered, retracted his neck, shut the car window, patted the steering wheel angrily, and grumbled to Lawrence Winters: "These troublemakers are such deadbeats!"

"Do you think what they’re doing makes any sense?"

"A trivial owner’s committee like this being handled like a U.S. presidential election!"

"While others focus on economic development, they’re all about this election nonsense, turning it into some mental health issue!"

The road ahead was clear, so Nick Zeller revved the accelerator and sped away.

When they arrived at the meeting place with Keith Newman, they were just on time.

"Great Heavenly Master Zeller! A pleasure, a pleasure!" Keith Newman stood up as soon as he saw Nick Zeller, leaning slightly forward, and shook his hand enthusiastically.

Nick Zeller now changed his demeanor into one of aloofness, saying coolly: "It’s already the twenty-ninth of the last lunar month, let’s talk business, no need for empty words."

"Alright! Straightforward!" Keith Newman slapped his thigh with joy, "Great Heavenly Master Zeller truly is a superior man! You know I have a favor to ask of you!"

Meanwhile, Lawrence Winters remained aloof, "..."

Is this guy for real?

Wasn’t it him who sought them out through someone?

If even someone like this could become River City’s wealthiest, then is her "financial prospects" not extremely bright?!

The little finger on Lawrence Winters’ right hand, hidden behind her back, involuntarily twitched twice.

She called such subconscious nervous twitches "money jumps."

Getting rich, getting rich...

Lawrence Winters suppressed the excitement in her heart and spoke appropriately, saying mildly: "Your representative already explained over the phone that you want our Great Heavenly Master to take a look at your factory. However, we usually don’t inspect Feng Shui of Yang dwellings during the day, we wait till night, which is why we arranged for six o’clock."

At six o’clock in the evening, darkness had already fallen over River City.

Lawrence Winters raised her wrist to glance at her watch, "It’s exactly five forty-five now; five minutes are enough to reach your factory."

They still had ten minutes to negotiate.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Keith Newman eagerly agreed, "Shall we head over now?"

"Let’s go!" Nick Zeller laughed heartily, leading the way out.

Lawrence Winters stepped forward to stop him, seriously saying: "Great Heavenly Master, we can’t go today."