I am a local in North America

Chapter 31 is rolled up (4600 words, please read on!)
I'm not only afraid that my brother will have a hard time, but I'm also afraid that my brother will drive a Land Rover.

This is a very complex emotion.

Far away in Seattle, Tang Jie, one of Su Jierui's childhood best friends and also his kindergarten and elementary school classmate, has recently experienced the power of this in just 48 hours.

Years ago, the two families were in similar circumstances, each owning a fishing boat over forty meters long. Later, through family connections, Su Jierui got into one of the best private schools in Seattle, while Tang Jie was only slightly envious, but they still continued to play together on weekends.

Later, seeing the Su Jie family's situation improve, not only did they acquire a new fishing boat over forty meters long within a few years, but they also bought a crab fishing boat worth over a million dollars and started going to Alaska to catch king crabs, Tang Jie could accept it.

After all, he knew Su Jierui's parents, and they often visited each other's homes. He knew they were very hardworking and busy earning money all year round.

With the help of elders, it's normal for their lives to be a little more comfortable.

However, Su Jerry quietly signed up for the "Living Alone in the Wild" program on his own, and actually made it to the end, winning a huge prize of one million dollars... This made Tang Jie a little uneasy.

While my own failure was painful, my friend's success was even more heartbreaking.

Although Su Jierui won the competition, which made Tang Jie very happy for him, it did not affect Tang Jie's envy and frustration. He felt that comparing people was simply infuriating.

In the past two days, every time Tang Jie thought about Su Jierui's success and his fortune, he felt listless, as if he had been punched hard.

Fortunately, Tang Jie was a carefree person. After taking a couple of naps, he adjusted his mood and made up his mind to work harder. His competitive spirit prevailed, and he wanted to build a career of his own as soon as possible.

Obviously, once you reach a certain age, enter society, and are stimulated by your friends, you will naturally get caught up in it.

January 12, 2019.

At 3:30 a.m., Tang Jie was woken up by his alarm clock and heard his father urging him to brush his teeth and eat breakfast, as they had to rush to the dock to set sail and retrieve the crab traps that had been placed the day before.

Half-asleep, he scratched his stomach as he walked towards the bathroom, muttering a complaint:

"Everyone else is on holiday, but we can't rest. Can't I sleep for two more hours? Anyway, the crab traps are lying on the seabed, they won't suddenly run away."

Tang Jie's father chuckled and casually replied while packing his things:
"It's cold today, and it might even snow. Remember to wear your hat and gloves. People are having big meals during the holidays, so the demand for seafood is high, which is why prices are high. If you go too late, the prices will probably drop once the buyers have bought enough."

"If you don't want to fish, that's fine too. Go out and find a good job. I'd love for you to make something of yourself. You're no use relying on me. All I know is how to drive a boat and fish."

"Back then, I told you to study hard, but you were busy playing games and dating female classmates all day long. I talked you until your lips were sore, but you wouldn't listen. Who can you blame? What's the use of saying all this nonsense now?"

"It's all my fault for being too soft-hearted back then. There's an old saying that 'spare the rod and spoil the child.' If I had known, I should have just broken your legs. At worst, I would have spent a few months in jail. Maybe you would be working a good job on Wall Street now, or studying in medical school..."

"..."

Tang Jie retorted:
"If I could learn it, would I deliberately not learn it? I say one thing, and you say a lot. I'm criticized every day. I can't stand staying in this house for another day. I might as well get all my certifications. Otherwise, I'll buy a small fishing boat and go out to work on my own..."

The cultural atmosphere in the United States is different. If you continue to live with your parents after you become an adult, you are likely to be looked down upon, and it will be difficult to even find a girlfriend.

Tang Jie had long considered becoming self-reliant, but given his personal circumstances and his only degree from a community college, he simply couldn't find a good job.

He didn't want to work honestly and be bossed around by others. At least he was more free to operate his own boat and fish, and he could decide how much or how little he worked.

Knowing that Tang Jie had already passed the certification exam, his father hesitated for a moment, then, unusually, softened his tone and said:
“Okay, I’ll help you find a suitable fishing boat soon. I’ll pay the down payment for you, and you can pay the rest yourself.”

"The boat at home is enough for me, your brother, your mother, your cousin, and the others. It's the college fund I set up for you back then, which we haven't used yet. The interest should be quite a bit by now. Remember to remind me to call and check the balance after the investment company reopens after the holiday..."

In late December, the waters near Seattle were teeming with Dungeness crabs. Even though the prices offered by dock buyers were relatively low, the high yields still made it possible to earn a considerable amount of money.

To save on docking fees, Tang Jie's fishing boat is moored at another dock an hour and a half's drive from Seattle.

While his dad was driving and scrolling through his phone in the passenger seat, Tang Jie noticed that Su Jierui's YouTube account, which he had subscribed to, had been updated.

Intense emotions surged through him once more. Tang Jie grimaced, gasped, and reached out to open the message notification, eager to see what kind of exciting life this winner in life was living now.

The video begins with Su Jierui recording in a hotel in Yellowknife, Canada. Tang Jie listened to his voice and scrolled down the screen.

The latest video, titled "Finally finished participating in 'Living Alone in the Wild,' my family's crab fishing boat is out to sea again!", already has over 800 comments.

It's only been a little over 7 hours since it was posted, and its number of followers is far less than those of big internet celebrities, so getting this many comments is already quite impressive.

Then swipe down on the screen.

Tang Jie noticed a comment with a particularly high number of likes and replies, posted by a Black woman who wrote:
"OMG!!!!! He's been missing for over 100 days! Jerry, did you win a million dollars?!"

Seeing so many exclamation marks, you can guess just how emotional this Black woman was.

Another comment, posted by a young white man whose profile picture appeared to be white, also read:
—"As a huge fan of 'Living Alone in the Wild,' I've been watching since season 2. Based on my experience and information I've found online, they should have won. This year's prize money is even more, double that of previous seasons! :)"

Another Asian female salesperson from New York, whose online name seems to be "Little Life," commented—

"I'm a salesperson at the Lamborghini flagship store in New York. Would you be interested in learning about the newly launched car? If so, please message me privately, and I can fly to Seattle to come and show you its performance."

Inspired by her, Chinese real estate agents selling houses in Los Angeles and liquor retailers in Houston also took the opportunity to advertise below.

Tang Jie looked extremely helpless, thinking that when Su Jierui came back, he would definitely make him treat everyone to a big meal, but no seafood.

Both families are fishermen, and they keep the seafood they don't sell for their own consumption. Seafood is relatively expensive for other customers, but they've been eating it for a long time since they were children.

Soon, after several clips of his flight and layovers played on the phone screen, Su Jierui arrived at his family's crab fishing boat.

Tang Jie's father, bored out of his mind, suddenly asked:
"Your friend Arui is back from the competition? Did he win or not? He's the same age as you. He seems pretty amazing. He went to Vancouver to pursue a master's degree and also makes his own videos to support himself. Why didn't you learn more from him?"

Which pot does not open which pot.

Tang Jie's eyes were practically rolling to the sky.

“We’re all friends, what’s the point of comparing? His grandfather drives a Ferrari 488, why didn’t my grandfather buy one? His father even bought a crab fishing boat to catch king crabs in Alaska, why don’t you buy one?”

"..."

These words struck a nerve. Tang Jie's father was speechless for a long time after hearing them before finally saying:
"If I weren't driving, I would slap you to death right now!"

“His family was lucky. Back then, a few of them went all the way to Alaska to try their luck, and later they even got a lot of quotas for catching king crabs.”

“His family bought a street-facing house at Fisherman’s Wharf. It was worthless at the time, not even as expensive as our apartment. Who would have thought that the surrounding area would develop and appreciate so much? Now, after renovation, it could probably sell for over a million.”

“I heard that crab fishing boat was bought with a loan after mortgaging their house. The gap between the two families isn’t that big, right? With some effort, they still have a chance to catch up. What if our fishing boat keeps getting its nets wrecked and we suddenly become rich?”

A brief silence fell over the car, broken only by the roar of the engine and the noise of the old-fashioned heater. Tang Jie rested his head against the cold car window, watching the still dim scenery rushing past. The image of his old friend Su Jierui winning a huge prize and receiving enthusiastic praise from netizens lingered in his mind.

"dad……"

Tang Jie suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence: "Tell me, how many king crabs does Arui's crab fishing boat catch in a day this time?"

His father glanced at him and snorted:
"What's wrong? Are you upset? Those professional crab fishing boats are quite different from our fishing boats. If they catch a good fishing season, it's not uncommon for them to catch tens of thousands of pounds a day, which is equivalent to what we earn in two or three years."

"Tens of thousands of pounds..."

Tang Jie silently calculated the price of king crab in his mind.

Even after deducting the high operating costs, it was still a number that made his heart race.

He had only vaguely known before that Su Jierui's family was getting better and better, but it had never been shown to Tang Jie so clearly.

An unprecedented sense of anxiety deeply affected him, and he suddenly felt an urgent need to "not continue living like this in a daze."

When we arrived at the dock, it was just beginning to get light.

The sea breeze carried a biting chill. Tang Jie wrapped his coat tighter around himself and quickly made preparations for setting sail with his father.

Today, he worked exceptionally hard, moving crab traps and checking ropes, and even his father couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

"Dad, once I buy my boat, I want to follow in Arui's footsteps and venture into more distant waters to try different fishing seasons."

His father was busy making tea on the deck and didn't even turn his head when he heard this.

"You're quite arrogant! Is deep-sea fishing so easy? You need better boats, more complete licenses, higher costs, and much higher risks! Do you think making money is that simple?"

Thinking of Su Zhenhai, Tang Jie's father was actually envious, especially of that quota for catching king crabs, which was like a hen that kept laying golden eggs.

To avoid discouraging his son's enthusiasm, his father added another comforting remark:
"Let's catch the Dungeness crabs in front of us first, and then we'll talk about navigating your small boat more steadily."

"Seattle is full of rich people. Bill Gates, who has been the world's richest man for many years, lives here. How can you compare? The most important thing is to live a comfortable life."

"You're 23 now, it's time you grew up. I've been trying to persuade you all day, but you just wouldn't listen. Now that you see your friends making money, you've finally come to your senses?"

"If you had been this conscientious back then, and compared your grades with your friends, even if we continued saving to buy a fishing boat later, I would have taken out my savings first and sent you to a private school. Unfortunately, you were good for nothing, and I thought, why waste money? So I just let it go. Twenty or thirty thousand dollars a year in tuition is really not cheap..."

"."

Tang Jie let it go in one ear and out the other, ignoring his father. As people reach middle age, they tend to have more insights, so he just listened and let it go.

He silently opened WhatsApp and sent a message to Su Jierui, writing:

"Brother Rui!!! I need your help urgently! My dad has finally relented and agreed to buy me a fishing boat so I can go it alone. How about we partner up and buy a bigger fishing boat together?!"

……

The Junlin crab fishing boat set sail at 2:30 a.m. local time. In order not to delay daytime operations, it needed to depart early to reach the target sea area.

During this time, Su Jierui would wake up and fall asleep intermittently, repeatedly using his innate special abilities to explore the surrounding sea area.

The seemingly calm, dark sea is actually quite colorful underneath, with icons for "Arctic shrimp," "krill," and "herring" appearing everywhere, so many that it makes his head spin.

They could also spot beluga whales and spotted seals from time to time. Su Jerry thought that once he finished dealing with the beaver ranch and the gold mine, he should buy a fishing boat. This kind of talent was much more useful than fish-finding sonar; it was like picking up money from the sea.

His ability seems to only work on organisms or resources in their natural state. He once thought of going to the Seattle Pike Place Market to hunt for bargains, but it was of little use at all.

For example, gold and silver coins can only show their composition, and the same applies to oil paintings and porcelain.

When he was a child, Su Jierui made several career plans, thinking that he could study geography, oceanography, biology, or become a detective or a thief.

He could see everything clearly: whether there was anyone in the house, whether there were hidden cameras, where valuable gold jewelry and cash were hidden, etc. He certainly had the opportunity to start a business from scratch as a "thief".

Living in the United States, earning and spending US dollars, with a middle-class family background and a harmonious family atmosphere, Su Jierui never lacked food or clothing growing up, so there was no need for him to go astray.

If you go to the dock or warehouse to participate in a legal "blind box auction", it would be quite useful.

I can basically tell what kind of items are stored inside at a glance. After I finish dealing with my recent tasks, I might be able to find some connections and try my luck.

At this moment.

It was a little after 7 a.m. local time.

Su Jierui hadn't slept well all night. He just woke up, brushed his teeth, and, with his messy hair from not having a haircut for months, continued to use his gimbal camera to shoot and gather footage for his videos.

A while later.

While he was probing the surrounding seabed again, he finally spotted the [Red King Crab] icon covering his entire field of vision!
"found it!"

Su Jierui was overjoyed.

There weren't as many Arctic shrimp and krill as I'd seen before, but they were still densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Just then, his mother came over carrying a steamed king crab, saying:

"There's nothing good on the boat. We had a few baskets of leftover crabs left after we sold them last time. We froze them in the cold storage for a few days. We'll just have to make do with them for breakfast."

"The crab shell is a bit hard. Last time I tried to cut the crab claws with scissors, I actually broke them."

"You break off the crab claws first, I'll go get some ginger and soy sauce. You've been living in the wild for so long, you've gotten so thin I almost didn't recognize you. You need to eat more king crab to replenish your strength. Later, let them go fishing and cast a few nets to see if they can catch some more fish and shrimp. I'll cook you a nice meal for lunch..."

Su Jierui smacked his lips:
“They’re filming it, I’ve recorded it all. Eating king crab for breakfast… What kind of living conditions do I have? I’ll get scolded if it’s broadcast.”

Grandma Zhuang calmly said:
"What are you afraid of? It's not a live broadcast, just don't edit it in. It was caught by our own fishing boat. I get annoyed when I see these big crabs now, everyone on the boat is tired of them."

“I steamed one the day before yesterday. After everyone finished lunch, even the fried potatoes were all eaten up, but the king crab was still intact. Yesterday morning, your dad peeled the crab meat out and used it as bait to go fishing at the pier.”

"I only caught one flounder, which I marinated and grilled. It tasted so good with minced garlic, salt and pepper, and chili powder. If I had known you were coming, I would have saved it for you..."

(End of this chapter)