Long Zhan came to see Congressman Jim with gifts and had a meal to deepen their relationship. In fact, it was just a cover, an excuse to get close to Congressman Jim's house.
That’s not the real purpose!
Finding a way to stay overnight at Representative Jim's house tonight is the purpose of Long Zhan's special trip here.
As for why he must try his best to stay at Representative Jim's house for one night, this is about Long Zhan's unique method of bribery.
In order to ensure that he could successfully bribe, Long Zhan directly maximized his acting skills.
The first is to win over Congressman Jim’s son.
Long Zhan had already made arrangements when he came here, and had already dug the hole. He could easily complete this step just by waiting for the prey to jump in.
The trap Long Zhan set was the sports car he bought.
When Long Zhan was driving all the way over, he stopped in front of the house and stepped on the accelerator to let the crackling roar of the V8 engine fully demonstrate its muscles.
As long as they are real men, few men can withstand the adrenaline rush caused by the roar of the engine.
fast and Furious.
It is man's nature!
Long Zhan clearly remembered that when he stepped on the accelerator, it was like pressing a switch. A window on the second floor of Representative Jim's house was immediately opened.
A young black boy's face was revealed.
Even from a distance of more than ten meters at that time, Long Zhan could clearly see the black boy's eyes filled with obsession and desire for the Shelby sports car.
And the extreme envy you feel when you like something but can't afford it and see others own it.
Fashionable, handsome, muscular, sports car...
The Shelby GT500, which combines all these elements, is simply more unbearable for a teenager who has just grown up than a cat seeing a fish.
I successfully caught the fish with just one step of the accelerator, and subsequent operations became easy.
Long Zhan deliberately said at the dinner table that this car was too small for him to drive. He had thought of selling it cheaply and replacing it with a bigger one.
When he heard the words "sell at a bargain price", Congressman Jim's son's eyes suddenly lit up.
He said to his mother: "Mom, you said you would prepare a coming-of-age gift for me. I have thought about it. I want a car of my own. I have already passed the driver's license test and I can drive."
The driving license test in the United States is different from that in China.
Although the United States does not become an adult until the age of 18 like China, you can take the 1st certificate as long as you are 16 years old. However, you cannot drive alone at this time and must be accompanied by someone when driving.
After one year, you can take the official driver's license test. After obtaining the official driver's license, you can drive alone.
After another 5 years, you can take the lifelong driving license test.
In other words, if you are eager to drive by yourself, you only need to be 17 years old to drive alone. It is normal to have a driver's license at the age of 18.
Congressman Jim's son is very skillful in speaking, and children in the new era are very treacherous.
Although he didn't directly say he wanted Long Zhan's car, but he said it at this juncture, and even a fool knew what he meant.
Of course the congressman's wife can hear it.
Mothers usually love their sons very much, and Congressman Jim's mother does the same.
In addition, the United States is relatively open to children, and usually there is not much support after adulthood, but the coming of age ceremony is taken very seriously.
Basically, as long as the demands are not too excessive, parents will find ways to satisfy their children.
Knowing that her son was interested in Long Zhan's sports car, the congressman's wife understood it and asked insinuatingly: "You have a very good taste, that car is very beautiful.
It’s a pity that it’s really not suitable for you. You are too strong and should buy a large wide-body car. So, how much do you plan to sell this sports car for?”
She is worthy of being the wife of a congressman. What she said is very good.
Instead of being rash and directly saying that you might as well sell it to me, you first asked how much it would cost as a bystander, which was obviously more mature and rational.
The good thing about asking this is...
If the price mentioned by Long Zhan is right, she will follow the topic and let Long Zhan sell it to her.
If the price is not right and she can't afford it, she can easily catch it and turn it in another direction without embarrassment.
Long Zhan was surprised by the intelligence of the congressman's wife. She was the smartest black woman he had ever come into contact with.
In order to implement his bribery plan smoothly, Long Zhan must not really say a very low price. The low-price sale mentioned above was just to attract the son of the congressman.
So I deliberately thought about it for a second or two, and said with some reluctance: "I only bought this car less than two days ago. I thought it looked good at the time, so it was an impulse purchase.
I have only driven it for less than two days, and this car is like a brand new car.
I asked a friend to inquire about it before. According to the market price of second-hand cars, I bought this car for 100,000 yuan, and I should be able to sell it for more than 90,000 yuan, but it will take a long time and I need to meet the right customers.
I don’t want to wait that long, I don’t have time to wait, and I hope to sell it sooner, so I plan to sell it for 80,000, and I should be able to find a buyer within a week.”
Long Zhan's acting skills are Oscar-level. If you don't open a company to act, you can definitely make a living.
Even if what he said was half true and half false, the expression on his face was so lifelike that it brought out the psychological reaction of a car seller to the extreme.
"80,000? It's indeed a reasonable price."
The congressman's wife agreed with Long Zhan's idea, but there was an unconcealable disappointment in her eyes.
"Yes, the price is already very low, and it can indeed be sold quickly. Where are you going to sell it? Do you need me to find someone to help you?"
Congressman Jim couldn't hide his embarrassment in his eyes. He never mentioned buying a car and instead introduced the seller to Long Zhan.
The congressman's son, who was originally full of joy, was too young to hide his emotions. When he heard the price, his disappointment and helplessness were written all over his face.
Long Zhan took in all the expressions of the family and couldn't hide the joy in his heart.
This is exactly what he wanted to achieve!
Based on the current salary level of full-time state legislators in the United States, the officials of the 10 full-time legislative bodies of the state government are all similar, with the average salary being about US$70,000 per year.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In other words, the salary in wealthy states is around 100,000 US dollars, while in economically underdeveloped states it is only 40,000 to 50,000 US dollars per year.
If they are not elected full-time members, but only part-time members temporarily hired by the government, their salary will be even more pitiful.
On average, less than a year.
If part-time congressmen don't wash dishes in restaurants and work as parking attendants in hotels, find themselves another part-time job.
Even if you are a member of the state government, you have to be too poor to afford food.
(A slight exaggeration, but pretty much the same.)
Although North Carolina is not like Maine, it is so poor that even the governor's annual salary is only $70,000, and the salary of full-time members is only a pitiful thirty or forty thousand.
But it's actually not much better and cannot be compared with those leading states.
Congressman Jim's annual after-tax income is only over $60,000, and his wife only works as a cashier in a restaurant, so the full salary is only over $30,000 a year.
The couple's combined income is less than $100,000 a year, which is just enough for the family to live a normal life.
That is, I can have enough to eat and drink, own a car and a house, and occasionally travel or do some recreational activities. I live a relatively comfortable life but by no means rich.
If the Dragon War quote is only 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. dollars, and the couple grits their teeth and maxes out a few credit cards, and spends the next year or two busy clicking away, saying goodbye to travel and all, they might be able to buy it.
Unfortunately, Long Zhan's quote was 80,000, which was three or four times higher than their expected price.
It is simply impossible for a family like this to come up with $80,000.
It is equivalent to having a monthly salary of 5,000 in China but buying a car worth 1 million.
Let’s not talk about whether we can afford it or not. I’m afraid I can’t afford to use it. Things like insurance, maintenance, and gas expenses are simply not something that a 5,000 salary can afford.
This is why Jim's family suddenly became miserable when they heard the Long Zhan quotation.
Long Zhan first gave Congressman Jim and his family hope, saying that he would sell the sports car at a low price. However, at a price that was fair but not affordable for poor people, they fell from hope into despair.