Landlord in the Arctic

At the reminder, the children standing by the river turned and made funny faces.

"Liu Lan," Feng Shan called out, pretending to be angry.

"What is it?" Liu Lan came over, hopping and skipping like a cheerful little rabbit.

Feng Shan pointed toward the restaurant. "Could you ask Auntie Jenny to bring me two cups of coffee?"

"Okay," Liu Lan chirped, then turned and skipped off toward the restaurant.

Before long, Liu Lan returned, carefully carrying two cups of steaming hot coffee in her small hands.

"Thank you," Feng Shan said quietly as he took the coffee.

However, after delivering the coffee, Liu Lan didn’t leave. She just stood there, her big, watery eyes fixed on Feng Shan.

"Is there something else?" Feng Shan asked, confused.

Liu Lan held out her small hand and said with a serious expression, "Sir, you haven’t given me a tip yet."

A tip?

Feng Shan’s expression instantly turned vacant.

’Isn’t it normal for a kid to help out a little?’ he thought. ’Why is she asking for a tip?’

Seeing the confusion all over Feng Shan’s face, Little Barry recalled what Old Tom had told him: Feng Shan had only recently arrived from faraway China and wasn’t yet familiar with American culture.

So, he immediately took out his wallet, pulled out two one-US-Dollar bills, and handed them to Liu Lan.

Liu Lan took the money, sniffed, and then, like a little adult, began to lecture Feng Shan.

"I did the work, so why shouldn’t I get a tip? Hmph!"

Feng Shan truly couldn’t wrap his head around it and couldn’t help but mutter, "This little girl... Shouldn’t kids be willing to help adults? She’s so materialistic at her age. What will she be like when she grows up?"

Hearing this, Little Barry could see that Feng Shan truly didn’t understand American culture, so he smiled and patiently began to explain.

"My friend, the United States is a country where tipping culture is quite prevalent. In many situations, giving a tip is a common social courtesy and custom."

"Furthermore, when children provide simple services for others, it’s considered a normal business transaction for them to receive a tip. Parents even encourage their kids to earn pocket money this way to cultivate financial awareness and a good work ethic."

"In traditional Chinese culture, the emphasis is probably more on being helpful and selfless. A child helping others is seen as a virtue, not as a way to make money."

"There’s no need to be upset. It’s just a difference in cultural concepts and social understanding. You’ll get used to it!"

’Cultural differences!’

Feng Shan was stunned for a moment. Then it hit him: the Crown Territory wasn’t China. The way things were done back home didn’t apply here on foreign soil. He couldn’t use his old mindset in the Crown Territory.

"Thank you, I understand now!"

"Alright, let’s get down to business. I want to wrap this up early and get home before Christmas. There’s a roasted turkey waiting for me." Little Barry winked, his eyes filled with longing for a family reunion, then bent down to pick up the briefcase at his feet.

"Please, show me. I’m very interested in container homes." Upon hearing this, Feng Shan immediately sat up straight, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Little Barry opened his briefcase, pulled out a thick product catalog, and handed it to Feng Shan as he began to explain his company’s products in detail.

"These are my company’s container homes. They use standardized units. As you know, a key feature of shipping containers is their standardized dimensions. Our building units are made from these off-the-shelf containers, which guarantees that our products are uniform and versatile."

"Also, the container homes have hundreds of combination possibilities, offering extreme flexibility. Whether you want to build a residence, an apartment building, a villa, or create a mixed-use commercial and residential area, it can all be done easily. As long as you have an idea, we can combine the structures in any way to meet your diverse needs."

"In terms of lifespan, a container in normal use in the shipping industry can last for ten to fifteen years. Those that are retired but undamaged still have good physical properties and can typically be used for another ten to fifteen years. If they’re well-maintained, their lifespan can be extended even further. When you do the math, they’re extremely cost-effective."

"As for protective measures and craftsmanship, you have nothing to worry about. The container homes use both interior and exterior insulation materials. The exterior walls use EPS (polystyrene) panels. This material not only has excellent insulation properties but also effectively prevents heat loss, like giving the house a warm outer coat."

"The interior walls use a dual-layer insulation method with rock wool and wood panels. This design allows the house to withstand extreme temperatures as low as seventy-six degrees below zero. No matter how cold it is outside, it will stay warm and comfortable inside."

As for things like EPS and rock wool materials...

It was all Greek to Feng Shan.

’Still,’ he thought, ’since Little Barry has the confidence to come and make a sales pitch, the product quality must be reliable.’

For now, his attention was focused on choosing a style for the house.

When he flipped to the first page of the catalog, Feng Shan was instantly captivated by the images and couldn’t help but stare, wide-eyed.

All sorts of container home styles leaped off the page, as if opening up a whole new world of architecture. It was a real eye-opener for him.

Some container homes were painted in bright colors, like cottages from a fairy tale. Others featured modern glass curtain walls, making them look transparent and stylish. Still others cleverly combined multiple containers to form multi-story buildings with staggered levels, every detail showcasing creativity and ingenuity.

"You can build all of these?" Feng Shan asked in disbelief, pointing to a particularly novel multi-story container home in the catalog.