America 1982-Chapter 429 - 62: Philosophy Class
Newport Coast, Los Angeles, the sun was blazing, and the sea breeze was gentle.
Because a large number of Northerners had come from cities like New York and Portland to spend the winter in the South, the beaches of California were overcrowded during this period. Out at sea, a group was whooping and hollering as they surfed on their boards, or rode jet skis, cutting a swath of white foam across the azure waters.
At this moment, Susy and Susan were tearing across the sea on a brand-new jet ski, with Susan at the helm and Susy responsible for distracting the men and making them lose their balance and fall into the ocean.
Yes, this blonde bombshell had undone her bikini top, urging Susan to purposefully weave through the crowd of surfing men.
Those men distracted by Susy’s figure couldn’t maintain their balance on the surfboards to save their lives, and the end result was that they inevitably fell into the water, either willingly or unwillingly, watching Susan speed off on the jet ski with Susy waving her bikini top triumphantly, leaving behind her loud, delighted laughter.
Page, wearing sunglasses, approached and handed a mobile phone to Tommy, who lay next to Jason on the golden sand, enjoying a massage, "A call from Mr. Rick Russo."
"Dear Rick, if there are work-related doubts, can’t you contact Er first? If it’s nothing important..." Tommy and Jason lay on the golden beach, with four bikini-clad, well-endowed Korean girls kneeling beside each, applying lotion and giving them massages:
"Really? Why? I was just about to have Er give you all a raise, and I was also planning for him to deliver on the bonuses that should have been paid out a long time ago. Everyone knows BT never exploits its employees, is it not about a raise? OK, as long as it’s not about salary increases, I’m willing to help with anything. Let me finish my current task and I’ll be right there," Tommy said into the mobile phone before passing it back to Page:
"Have Martin bring the car around, we’re going to BT headquarters."
Page took the phone, nodded, and walked back to the parasol in the distance to phone Martin to bring the car around.
Then Tommy closed his eyes again to enjoy the massage, and said to the busy Korean girls, "Ladies, can you put a little heart into it? After all, the United States did save your country. You know where the heart is, so show a bit more, skip the unnecessary motions and focus on the key areas, and let’s wrap this up soon, shall we? I promise I won’t call in a complaint for poor service, and Mr. White here won’t skimp on the tip when paying the bill."
The four petite yet curvy Korean girls obediently turned Tommy over, one girl knelt behind his head to cradle it and massage his scalp, another knelt at his feet to work on the soles, while the remaining two knelt beside him on either side, their hands slowly gliding toward certain key areas that required attention.
Jason turned his head to Tommy, "I never used to believe what Holly said to me before. She told me that every time you call to ask her for advice, all you tell her is, ’Dear Miss Holly Kina, can’t you call Jason instead?’ Yet every time you call her first, she makes a special effort to dress up and meet you at the hotel as per your request. Tommy, you’re quite the rascal, the Carl Lewis of tricksters, and to make matters worse, you don’t even plan on paying for this cheap Korean massage yourself. Can’t you have a heart and pull out your own wallet for once?"
"Soon enough, Koreans won’t be poor or pitiable; they’ll be as rich as your three half-siblings," Tommy said, enjoying the feeling of the massage girls working on his body, "I sincerely hope the Soviet Union supports North Korea for ten thousand years so that Americans can continue to enjoy cheap Korean massages."
At that time, South Korea lagged far behind North Korea. Although they had a significant United States Military presence to protect their territory, South Korea had to pay for these military expenses out of their own pocket, while North Korea, without Chinese or Soviet troops, was receiving various forms of economic aid from the Soviet Union.
In that era, the term ’defector’ did not yet exist, rather there was a different term for those who fled from South Korea to North Korea.
So, in order to earn foreign exchange, South Korea had long encouraged its citizens to work abroad: lower-class Korean men went to the Middle East or Southern Europe to work as construction workers or dockworkers, while lower-class Korean women went to developed countries in America and Europe to work in the service industry.
Nowadays, in the major cities of the United States, if you wanted to experience Asian charm, the services are mostly provided by Korean or Vietnamese women. Moreover, Korean women are more proactive in their work than Vietnamese women. In winter, a large number of Korean women, who worked in the northern cities, would travel with vacationing Northerners to California or Florida, just to make a bit more money.
All the other Asians look down on South Koreans because Korean women can finish the so-called "Korean massage" final step on a crowded beach, covering their own heads and the clients’ vital parts with just a bath towel, just like the two Korean girls are doing for Tommy right now.
This is an Asian country where dignity can be forsaken for money.
"So, what happened?" Jason continued to lie prone, asking Tommy, who lay face up with a contented expression on his face.
"Some members of Rick’s team think that the reality show that’s all the rage in the United State America is too indecent, too vulgar, and that’s not a good thing," Tommy said, feeling the softness against the back of his head: 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"I have to rush over there and explain to them, make them believe that what they are doing is right, great, beneficial to the country and the people."
"Sounds like the script feels familiar," Jason said with a frown, somewhat puzzled.
Tommy lay there as if paralyzed, being served by someone and taking a sip of coconut juice through a straw: "Familiar in what way?"
"The right thing, the great thing, the beneficial thing... when you used to deceive those..." Jason began frankly.
Tommy interrupted Jason, opening his eyes in displeasure, "I didn’t deceive anyone, OK? Why do people outside always believe I sincerely want to help them and harm me, yet doubts about my words always come from the closest people around me?"
"..." Jason was suddenly at a loss for words at Tommy’s unexpected question.
Indeed, many users of OSS outside still rave about Tommy Hawk, who enabled people who couldn’t afford five hundred bucks for software to master an office skill for free. But why should he curse this guy as a hypocritical scumbag?
"Has anyone accused me of fraud? No! Has any judge sentenced me as guilty? No! Have the police arrested me and thrown me in jail? No!" Tommy said to Jason with righteous indignation.
Jason sighed in realization: "Great, brother. Seeing that you can still make it after so many years with that mouth of yours, I now know that the intelligence of Americans is definitely not at the top of the world rankings. Educational reforms have a long way to go, and it makes me determined to send my three kids to study abroad, away from America. So, what are you selling this time?"
"I’m selling nothing. I’m going to have a chat with the members of Rick’s team," Tommy furrowed his brows and fell silent for a while. After the massage girls removed the towel and helped him into his beach shorts, he finally let out a sigh of relief and continued.
Jason nodded in approval: "You used to say on the TV infomercials in Florida that you were just chatting with the viewers, and then they helped us pay for the mansion and sports car we have now. Good job, keep it up, go teach the class, and tell them to listen carefully. After all, Jason daddy just passed his pilot’s license and needs a small plane as a toy to practice with."
Tommy slowly got up and walked toward the direction of the changing room: "I’m not going to talk about money. I don’t care about money. I just hope I can discuss philosophy with those who are feeling a bit lost and guilty right now."
"Discuss philosophy?" Jason suddenly looked up at the departing Tommy, saying with surprise: "Do you mean that after their chat, they might pay for me to get an even more expensive plane as a toy?"
