I am a local in North America

Chapter 48 Home in Seattle

Su Jierui's car is still the basic black Mustang his parents gave him before he went to college.

As a representative of American muscle cars, this car was only priced at over $24000 at the time. Many high school students who had just obtained their driver's licenses also drove this car to school, and it was everywhere on the streets.

After entering university, Su Jierui was curious and couldn't understand why so many wealthy Asian students would like to buy this inexpensive American car.

I only found out after reading it online that it was because Mustangs are expensive in many other countries and regions, so they felt that buying one in the United States or Canada was like getting a discount and getting a bargain at a rock-bottom price.

After putting away the luggage, I let my younger sister, Arou, get in the car.

Having not driven for over three months, Su Jierui felt a little unfamiliar with the steering wheel. After getting in the car and resting for a while to get back into the familiar grip, he regained his muscle memory and then drove his sister home with practiced ease.

While driving, they passed a park in a community and were surprised to find it densely packed with tents, stretching from one intersection to another. Su Jierui instinctively slowed down and asked in astonishment:

"What's going on? Is winter outdoor camping popular now? And it's quite a large-scale operation."

His sister, Su Yarou, glanced at it and her lips twitched as she said:
"Interest rates have been raised. Some people had poor credit scores when they took out loans, and the interest rates were relatively high. Now that the rates have exceeded 6%, they can no longer afford to repay their loans and have to move out. They don't have to pay for utilities, and they have zero monthly payments."

“Many luxury homes have camps for homeless people nearby. They take advantage of the property and green spaces of the luxury homes and can’t be driven away no matter what.”

“There were also a lot of homeless tents near my school in Boston, and some people even ran into our school to steal things, only to get caught and beaten up by the boys…”

Su Jierui didn't stop; he continued driving as soon as the green light came on, then suddenly realized:

"No wonder Mom said that the loan interest on the family's crab fishing boat has gone up again. Even though this year's crab season has been good, she's still not that happy."

Su Yarou then told him:
"It might be because of something else that's bothering her. You probably don't know yet, but the restaurant and cafe on the first floor of our house aren't renewing their leases. This might be a bit of a worry for Mom."

"???"

"They've been renting for several years, why did they suddenly move out?"

The ground floor of Su Jierui's house has shops on both the street and seaside sides, totaling more than 150 square meters.

The terrace, which offers a view of the sea, is furnished with parasols and small round tables; these were previously rented out.

This often makes his parents feel that buying a house back then was a wise decision. Living in a tourist attraction like Seattle Fisherman's Wharf, the shop rent can cover some of the living expenses, medical insurance, and tuition fees.

Su Yarou continued to explain:

"Traditional coffee shops are being impacted by low-priced drip coffee bags and liquid coffee. Everyone is downgrading their consumption, and fewer customers are going out to eat seafood. This economic cycle is in a downturn, so it's normal for business to be sluggish. There are layoffs everywhere, and next year's graduates are worried about finding jobs. Many of last year's interns also couldn't stay with big companies."

"...I'm also graduating next year."

Su Jerry said helplessly:

"No wonder my mom is under a lot of pressure. If we don't sublet the shop soon, our family will lose three or four thousand dollars in income a month. Fortunately, they won't have to give me living expenses anymore."

Su Yarou said with a smile:
"Brother, I've watched all your new videos. Can you take me on a boat trip for a few days next year?"

"I'm not going to have fun, I'm going to work. Even so, my parents still think I'm causing trouble. They don't even want to take me with them. They only reluctantly let me on the boat because they know I'm going to make YouTube videos."

Su Jierui quickly advised Arou to give up the idea, adding in a serious tone:
“There are accidents almost every year during the crab fishing season. Like the five crew members we rescued. If they hadn’t found a way to save themselves by covering themselves with waterproof cloths to keep out the wind and rain, they probably would have frozen to death in the Bering Sea within two days.”

"You absolutely mustn't say you want to go play, or your parents will definitely get angry."

"That's no joke. Arctic cold waves come one after another, and the waves in the Bering Sea are huge in winter. It's like risking your life to make money. You might slip, or your trousers might get caught in a crab trap, and you'd be gone for good..."

Ah Rou is very opinionated and has never liked listening to her parents' nagging, but she still trusts Su Jierui's words.

She obediently agreed after hearing this, and took the initiative to change the subject, chatting about recent events.

It's only been three months since I left, and Seattle is still the same.

Winter is too cold, and there is still some snow on the streets. People on the street are wearing thick clothes and hurrying along under the streetlights.

However, Su Jierui keenly noticed that the number of homeless people on the street had indeed increased, and there were also thieves following behind single women, blatantly stuffing their hands into their bags. Most people saw this but remained silent, as if it were commonplace and a matter of self-preservation.

I drove north from the airport and finally got home.

Su Jierui parked his car in an empty space on the side of the road and walked a short distance before he saw a familiar three-story building with red exterior walls.

To be precise, it's three and a half stories high, with an attic on the sloping roof. Initially, the attic was used as a storage room, but later Su's father converted it into an entertainment room, equipped with a private cinema, a pool table, and so on.

The seafood restaurants along the street were indeed closed. The tables, kitchen equipment, and other equipment had all been moved out, and the contact information for renting was hanging on the glass doors, making the place look particularly desolate in the bleak cold wind.

With their luggage in hand, Su Jierui and Arou went home via the stairs in the alley, going straight up to the second floor.

As soon as he opened the door, a warm aroma mixed with the smell of food wafted out, and the house seemed quite lively.

My older sister, Su Yaxin, is now a part-time full-time housewife. Occasionally, she collaborates with friends to do business on online shopping platforms, mainly selling weight-loss meal replacement shakes, energy oat bars, and multigrain and fruit pastes that are wholesaled from China.

In her own words, based on the obesity rate data in the United States, if this business is done well, there is a chance to be listed on NASDAQ.

Today, upon hearing that her younger brother had returned, Su Yaxin brought her child over to play.

Su Jierui's grandparents also came and were busy cooking in the kitchen. The aroma of braised pork mixed with stewed chicken soup wafted over.

That familiar smell instantly whetted Su Jierui's appetite. He put down his luggage and shouted with a smile:
"Grandpa, Grandma! I'm finally back!"

Grandma, wearing an apron, poked her head out of the kitchen with a spatula in hand, her face beaming with joy.

"Oh dear! Rui! Let Grandma check if you've lost weight. You must have suffered a lot lately! I see all those contestants on TV looking like they're fleeing a disaster!"

Just then, a little boy, about three or four years old, came running up in a flurry, shouting happily:

"Uncle! Uncle!"

She immediately hugged Su Jierui's leg, tilted her little face up, and looked at him with bright, sparkling eyes. This was her older sister Su Yaxin's son, nicknamed Pipi.

My sister and brother-in-law started dating in high school, and when they were about to graduate from college, they unexpectedly got pregnant.

After that, the process of proposing, getting engaged, getting married, and having a child was incredibly smooth, and their relationship was quite good. One of their honeymoon destinations in Asia was Phi Phi Island in Thailand, which is why they named their child that.

"Pipi, do you miss your uncle?"

Su Jierui picked up his little nephew and lifted him high above his head. The little boy laughed excitedly.

My older sister, Su Yaxin, came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit and said with a smile:

“Arui, you’re finally back. Grandma and Grandma on the other side have been talking about you all the time, worried about how you’re doing out there.”

Su Jierui put down his little nephew and went over to take the fruit plate:

“The crew was always there. If I couldn’t keep going, I just called to withdraw from the competition. What’s there to worry about? I’m back safely now. Where’s my brother-in-law? Didn’t he come with us?”

"Your brother-in-law went to Canada again to ship a batch of timber to New York State. They're all small orders, but he's keeping him quite busy."

Su Yaxin looked him over carefully: "You look really tanned and thinner. Those days in the wild must have been tough, right?"

Su Jerry shrugged and said:
"It's all in the past. If you win, everything is fine. It's not so bad if you don't win. Otherwise, all that bark you ate would have been for nothing."

His grandfather also came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of freshly cooked, glossy red braised pork, and said in a loud voice:
"You're back! Of all things to bring, you brought back a rabbit first? It's only been a few days! Your grandma helped clean up just now, and the rabbit droppings filled half a garbage bag. Perfect, I can take it home and use it as fertilizer for my plants. This rabbit's productivity is almost comparable to a small organic fertilizer plant!"

Su Jerry looked around and finally remembered the baby rabbit, asking curiously:
"What about that rabbit? I caught it in the wilderness; it was almost eaten by a snowy owl."

Arou said to him:
"It's on the terrace downstairs. I looked up its habits online and it won't get cold outside. As long as it doesn't encounter raccoons, it should be fine. Keeping it indoors would make it smell too strong, especially with the heating on, the whole house would smell."

There are many seafood restaurants nearby, which means there is plenty of food. Raccoons that live in the city often go and rummage through the trash cans, fattening themselves up. They occasionally fight with stray cats and dogs, making them the "street bullies" of Fisherman's Wharf.

Su Jierui didn't think much of it after hearing this; compared to the shores of Great Slave Lake, Seattle's weather was already quite warm.

Grandma, worried about her eldest grandson's health, interrupted and said:

"Quickly, get the food ready in time, let's eat!"

The whole family immediately got busy.

People were moving stools, serving dishes, and ladle soup; the scene was very lively.

The heavy wooden dining table in the restaurant was quickly filled with food.

The glistening braised pork belly, the golden and tempting fried fish, the fragrant stewed chicken soup, and the stir-fried seasonal vegetables were all the home-cooked dishes that Su Jierui missed.

The whole family sat around the dining table.

Grandma kept piling food into Su Jierui's bowl, and soon it was piled up into a small mountain:
"Eat more and make up for all the nutrients you've missed over the past few months while you're on holiday at home!"

My little nephew Pipi also took a spoon, shakily scooped up a piece of meat, handed it to Su Jierui, and said in his childish voice:
"Give this to your uncle! Mom said you're so pitiful, you're out there all day without anything to eat!"

Everyone at the table was amused.

Su Jierui quickly caught it with his bowl: "Thank you, Pipi, Uncle will definitely eat it!"

At the dinner table, the conversation naturally turned to his experience participating in "Living Alone in the Wilderness".

Su Jierui picked out some of the more interesting, but less thrilling, parts to tell everyone.

For example, how to set traps in the forest to catch rabbits, how to weave gillnets to catch fish, deliberately omitting the details of hunger, cold and danger.

Even so, it still drew gasps of amazement from the family.

My older sister, Su Yaxin, asked with concern:
"So what are your plans next? I called Mom the other day, and she casually mentioned it. Just like Mom said, you're going to buy a house in Seattle?"

Su Jierui took a bite of rice and mumbled:
"Hmm... I have been looking at some places, but there's no rush. I'll take my time choosing. Anyway, I haven't received all the prize money yet. It seems like many areas in the city have been overrun by homeless people, and the security is getting worse and worse. It won't be easy to find a house."

He glanced discreetly at his younger sister, Su Yarou, who was drinking soup. She winked knowingly and didn't reveal his plan.

Grandpa Su took a sip of his wine and remarked with emotion:
"Things are really tough in America these days. Back in our day, one person could earn enough money fishing to buy a house and support his whole family."

"Rent and living expenses are high for young people nowadays, and it's not easy for them to support themselves. Who would have thought that there are 20 to 30 million people in the United States without health insurance?"

"Whether we win the competition or not, or how much money we make, the most important thing is that everyone comes back safe and sound. Our Su family has made a living at sea for generations, and good health is the greatest blessing..."

"Your grandfather is right."

Grandma Su Jierui chimed in, laughing:
"This time you're back, take a good rest and get well soon. You'll be going back to school soon, right? It'll be a long time before I see you again."

"Oh, and you too, Arou. You're still growing, so eat more. The few bites in your bowl aren't even enough to feed a cat. You're so skinny. What's the use of being pretty if you're going to be blown away by the wind?"

"By the way, it was really windy the other day, and I found a thong that had been blown over from next door in the yard. At first, I thought it was a string, but when I picked it up, I realized something was wrong. What's wrong with young people these days... doesn't it feel uncomfortable with it stuck in their crotch?"

Grandma suddenly looked at him.

Arou, who was eating, paused for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and said:

"Why are you looking at me? How should I know? I never buy those kinds of things. You should ask my sister; she suddenly got pregnant back then..."

Su Yaxin, who was caught in the crossfire: "..."

Su Jierui was very curious, but he didn't dare ask anything while the family was eating.

I just remembered that my grandma mentioned at the beginning of the year that a female internet celebrity had moved in next door. She made a lot of money by shooting videos and bought a mansion worth several million US dollars outright. The design and quality of the house were much better than my grandparents' old house...

(End of this chapter)