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At home, during dinner, when Richard announced the good news to his family, a camera that had been set up at a chosen angle in the dining room perfectly captured the family's surprised moment.

Richard then explained in detail the supplementary agreement for the trip, informing his family that in addition to vacationing in China and on the moon, they would also be cooperating in filming a documentary. After gaining his family's understanding, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Michael Roddy then entered Richard's house with a small film crew, a total of three people.

Richard John wasn't lying about one thing: he and his wife were indeed fans of Michael Roddy.

The only ones most excited when they learned they would appear on television and online were Richard's three children; his wife was somewhat worried.

After all, the film crew was going to film at his home, not only to record Richard's work, but also to record their daily lives.

Not everyone can adapt to the feeling of being constantly watched.

But when I found out that the documentary's director was Michael Roddy, my worries disappeared, and I even became very excited.

It can only be said that each generation has its own idols, and the sense of trust that idols provide is always very strong.

Michael Roddy gave these Americans the impression of a warrior who was not afraid of powerful figures and dared to speak out for the underprivileged.

Having such a renowned director make a documentary about them provides a great sense of security. At least they trust that Michael Roddy won't smear their family for the sake of ratings.

Of course, with their favorite director appearing on screen, the atmosphere when talking to parents became even more harmonious.

On this show, Michael Roddy will take advantage of everyone's free time to chat with each of Richard's family members.

Of course, there are also times on weekends when the whole family is free and everyone sits together and chats.

For this local shoot, Michael Roddy wanted to present change! Change in every aspect.

Changes in life, changes in the environment, changes in Philadelphia society as a whole, and even changes in thinking.

Documentaries always use small details to reveal larger truths. Michael Rhodes knew perfectly well that the donor's request was to analyze the changes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the three pilot states over the years by examining the changes in one family's life...

As for the themes to be presented during filming in China, that is the goal of the second phase.

From Michael Roddy's perspective, it's understandable that Chinese investors wanted to film these things.

The outdated infrastructure system of Xida University represents huge profits for China's infrastructure companies.

Clearly, three states are insufficient to satisfy the appetite of China, a behemoth with 1.4 billion people. They naturally hope to expand into more states.

The willingness to take on this task stems from the fact that the new owner of the white house did not halt the policy of opening the market, and even began to study whether the market should be further expanded and more states opened up.

So he's just going with the flow.

As a well-known Hollywood director, Michael Roddy actually knows more information than the average person.

The new owner of the white house was initially quite dismissive of the policy of opening up large-scale infrastructure projects to China.

It is even said that he privately promised those builders who were interested in supporting him that he would drive the Chinese builders out of Xida University.

Unfortunately, the local construction companies at Xida University couldn't offer him a satisfactory deal. Therefore, the negotiations broke down.

It's not that the construction companies at Xida are stingy. But as everyone knows, ever since that old man brought Huaxia Infrastructure Company to Xida, its adaptability and exceptional execution have dealt a heavy blow to the Xida construction companies.

Their personal assets had already shrunk significantly, and before the results of the Western University election were finalized, no one could be sure who would have the last laugh.

These people didn't have the courage to go all in. After all, if they lost the gamble, not only would all their previous donations be wasted, but they would also completely offend the other side.

Wanting to bet on both sides but lacking the capital creates an awkward situation.

Furthermore, in the internet age, news happening locally cannot be kept secret. Thanks to the previous White House's laissez-faire attitude, the rapid urban changes in the three states that introduced Chinese infrastructure have become a hot topic online.

From the initial construction sites that filled the city to the current towering skyscrapers, the sensory impact is immense.

But that's all secondary.

Michael Roddy also knew that the families of the governors of the three pilot states had seen their wealth grow rapidly in recent years.

The state's finances have visibly improved. This is no longer just something ordinary people are envious of; it's making other governors in the Rust Belt envious too!
People's lives have improved in the area they manage, their approval ratings have increased, and they've even managed to make a fortune off of this development...

Any governor would be envious! As for the future...

Who cares about the future? Aren't they going to pick the fruits of this labor themselves and leave them for their successor?
Even if opening up the infrastructure market leads to some uncontrollable problems, those are problems that future generations will need to solve.

We should believe that each generation of humankind is smarter than the last, and future generations will surely come up with better ways to solve those historical problems.

Then again, who doesn't have a bunch of problems left by their exes that they have to rack their brains to fill?
So you can imagine the pressure the person in the white house was under for not continuing to push for pilot states.

The three pilot states have been developing for so many years, and they've clearly done a great job, so why the hell aren't they continuing to promote it?

You were chosen, and you don't do any work?!
It was precisely because he was very familiar with the intricacies behind these events that Michael Roddy readily accepted the job.

Although the person in the white house opposes further opening the infrastructure market to China, Michael Roddy sees this as going against the tide and doomed to failure.

Now, even wealthy states like California, where he lives, as well as New York and Florida, are starting to want to leverage China's infrastructure capabilities to renovate their cities.

So he was just going with the flow. Even if the person in the white house was unhappy, with such a large stake involved, there would naturally be someone to argue with him.

And he can continue to promote his good reputation for speaking out for the people and exposing the inaction of the higher authorities.

Why not?
Well, no one who achieves success is simple.

……

During a break at the construction site, Michael Roddy, like Richard, casually sat on the floor, drinking large bottles of Coke provided by the company to cool off while chatting like a fellow worker.

After such a long period of close contact, Richard and Michael Roddy have become quite familiar with each other.

Without the idol filter, we really got along like friends. "Oh, Michael, really, I really don't want to think about the past. As you can see, I'm a welder, and a highly skilled and efficient one at that!"
Not to brag, but you should know that people doing the same job in China are all very capable. The fact that I can compete with them is enough to prove that I am also very capable…

Richard smiled broadly as he said this, and the camera faithfully captured his proud grin.

But his smile quickly faded.

"But do you know what? Before the Chinese company came, I couldn't even find a decent job! At that time, I only had one child, but you know how high the cost of living was!"

I also lived in Fish at that time. I don't know if you've been here before, but you should know that it's a poor community.

Even so, I still have to pay $8,000 in property taxes for that house every year, plus the damn electricity, water, internet, and cable TV bills...

Although I have a skill, nobody wants to hire me because there's simply no work for me! It's like suddenly America no longer needs welders!

So I could only work at places like McDonald's and supermarkets! At my peak, I had to work three jobs a day! Because Lisa had to take care of her child.

Because if she also goes out to work, the cost of hiring someone to help take care of the child would be even higher than her salary!
Even though I work three jobs a day, at least 15 hours a day, and only get half a day off a week, I still have to rely on food banks to make a living.

I told you I didn't believe it, but back then I often only ate two meals a day. I had no choice; I needed to save money for my child's breakfast.

Then we had to have more children because we needed more children to receive state subsidies.

But do you know what frustrates me the most? To receive a lot of subsidies, you need to limit your income.

So I had to quit most of my jobs and spend more time at home to enjoy the subsidies that would allow my family to get by, especially the medical subsidies for my child. You should know what medical care for a child means to a poor family.

At this point, Richard gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Clearly, these memories were not pleasant for him.

Michael Roddy nodded in agreement.

This kind of situation is actually quite common. In fact, Richard's case is already considered very hardworking and inspiring!

He had seen many more people who chose to give up and lie low, spending their days drinking heavily.

This is also why there are homeless people everywhere in the Rust Belt.

"Really, Michael, I'm just an ordinary worker. I don't understand those high-sounding statistics. They always say the unemployment rate is under control!"

And the proportion is only in the single digits. But I don't understand why, even though I have a skill, I can't find a suitable job! Many people around me are in the same situation! I don't know if they've even done any statistics on us…”

At this point, Michael Roddy interjected, "No, Richard, statistics are often biased. And when they do statistics, they don't consider whether you're a welder or whether you're actually doing welder work!"

For example, if you work at McDonald's, as long as it's recorded, it counts as employment. You might even have multiple jobs, which would be recorded as employment each time. Of course, this is assuming you voluntarily file your taxes, and not if you receive cash.

Richard immediately replied, "Of course, I always declare the full amount when I'm working."

The two quickly moved on from the issue.

"Fortunately, the Chinese came! You've seen my life now. I went to the Chinese construction site with a try-it-and-see attitude."

I told them I had welding skills. But they wanted me to start as a laborer on a construction site. In Chinese terms, it's because their construction sites are tough, so they wanted to see if I had the patience to persevere.

Luckily, I persevered, and after a year they let me try welding. And as you can see, I did a great job! So now I have a very stable job, and it was provided by a company in China! I'm very grateful.

But what I'm most grateful for is that they expropriated my house and then built me ​​a better and bigger one on the same spot! By the way, I think you might want to see photos of the old house, right?

Yes, do you still have it?

"Of course, there are many, after all, those are memories of a life of hardship..."

"My God, your family of five was crammed into this house before?"

"Yes, it can't be compared to now, right? Because the Chinese said they would guarantee each of us indigenous people forty square meters of usable space..."

……

"Hey Thomas, do you remember your old life?"

"You mean that kind of really awful mushy stuff?"

"Hmm? This awful paste?"

"Yes, every other day Mom goes to the food bank and brings home that awful porridge for dinner. It's really awful! I'd rather eat salad than eat that stuff again!"

“Okay, so what else?” Michael Roddy asked with a smile.

"By the way, I didn't like my old school at all. Because I was very thin and weak, my classmates looked down on me and even gave me a nickname like 'Little Chick' to my face!"
But things are different now! My teacher told me that we no longer live in an era where brute force can earn respect!

True strength lies in conquering the world with wisdom, earning applause from all corners of the globe, just like Academician Qiao Yu!
Although Academician Qiao Yu is also very thin, the whole world listens carefully to every word he says. Last time, I ranked third overall in the school and first in mathematics.

My teacher even praised me, saying I was one of the people in the school closest to Academician Qiao Yu! Did you know that?
The school also arranged free evening self-study sessions for our innovation class, with teachers providing guidance.

Most importantly, they even provided us with an extra dinner! And it was a very lavish dinner. Not only was it free, but it tasted much better and more delicious than the lunch we had to pay for!

This is something only the innovation and competition classes can enjoy. The teacher said that since we study so hard, we need to make sure we get enough nutrition!

This was something Michael Roddy hadn't expected, so he followed up by asking, "Are all the teachers at the new school Chinese?"

"Not all, but most of them are. Especially science courses, such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, are all taught by Chinese teachers."

However, humanities courses like English and history are mainly taught by local teachers. Of course, Chinese is an exception, but in our school we call it—Chinese Language and Literature.

Thomas used the Chinese characters for "Chinese language and literature," which left Michael Roddy somewhat bewildered...

However, this also made the director even more excited for the filming at the school the next day… (End of Chapter)