America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 2: Getting Rich by Collecting Jars

"Allen, what's the reason you're homeless on the streets?" Dominic asked.

"Wandering? Why? Why do you ask that? Don't I look like an Asian tourist who just arrived?"

Zhang Ailun thought he probably didn't have that obvious homeless vibe.

Look at my clothes, buddy, they're brand new starting red skin.

Most characters in survival games start with just their underwear.

"It doesn't look like it."

Dominic shrugged and said, "Because nobody sits on the roadside in beach shorts for more than two hours. It's February, and most people are still wearing hoodies. You came from a shelter. If you weren't so articulate, I would have suspected you were on drugs. The drinks and meals at that shelter were basically only for unemployed people."

Zhang Ailun exclaimed in surprise, "You could be a detective, buddy!"

"Wait, you've been watching me for two hours?"

Zhang Ailun immediately looked at him warily and said, "I don't have that kind of sexual orientation. You don't actually want to invite me home with you, do you?"

Dominic looked speechless. "I only did this for the jar in your hand. I've been hanging around these streets all my life, and it's one of my main sources of income."

He added, "I have no home anymore, but at least I have a tent to stay in."

"How much money can you make selling cans?" Zhang Ailun immediately became interested when he heard that it was possible to make money.

He is now penniless, without a penny, and relying on the relief station for free is not a long-term solution.

Without legal status, working a normal job is out of the question, especially for someone like me, a yellow-skinned person at the bottom of the food chain. I can't compete with Mexicans when washing dishes, and I can't outsmart Blacks when buying things for free.

Collecting recyclables and opening treasure chests may be considered relatively respectable and well-paying jobs these days.

There are over a million can recyclers in the United States every year, so it's a profession that ensures you won't starve.

"Each recycling station is located in a different place, so the prices will vary every day."

Dominic frankly stated, "At the recycling center I frequent, at 156 16th Street on Fifth Street, a can costs 5 cents, and a clear beverage bottle costs 4 cents. If you recycle by weight, the price per pound is much cheaper."

"Last time I spent several hours staking out the back door of Sanji's Bar and the Carnation Club, collecting cans from the trash cans, and made a total of $64. I also unexpectedly found a Cartier watch!"

"You can find anything in the trash cans of wealthy neighborhoods! Gold, diamonds, cocoa, cigarettes, leaves, US dollars. Brand new, unopened rice cookers wrapped in plastic, wine, everyday items, even designer clothes—you can sell anything you find at the recycling center."

"I can earn about $200 to $800 a week by collecting recyclables. If I can consistently find valuable items in affluent areas, I can even earn $2000 a week!"

Holy crap.

Is selling scrap metal in America really that profitable?

Is the drop rate of the treasure chest really that high?

Zhang Ailun was somewhat tempted.

He had previously researched the prices in the local neighborhood and found that fast food was relatively inexpensive. A McDonald's extra-large burger was $2.8, and a burger and hot dog from a roadside food truck was $1.5. A $10 meal could feed the whole family until they were stuffed.

I'm eating fast food, why would I care about my health?

You can find all your clothes and shoes at dollar stores or upscale secondhand stores.

The discount store also had two T-shirts for $2.8 each. But unfortunately, Zhang Ailun's pockets were emptier than his face.

He only had a one-dollar coin on him, which he had picked up on the street, and he couldn't afford to buy anything.

Like the Adidas sportswear that Dominic is wearing, it's an outdated style and not worth much. It would only cost a dozen dollars to clear it out in a discount store.

Brand-name goods don't do very well overseas either; these days, homeless people all have one.

He had just seen a girl with black pearls wearing Nike clothes.

I don't know if it's a free purchase or what.

"The competition in this line of work must be quite fierce," Zhang Ailun asked.

"Of course, it's not easy to get into the rich neighborhood. Every street is occupied by homeless people, and there are people in the shelters who collect cans. I can only rummage through the trash cans in the shopping malls on the street, and follow people like you around, waiting for them to finish drinking and then throwing them away. My income is very unstable."

Dominic said, "But this isn't my main source of income. You know, collecting recyclables can lead to conflicts with a lot of people. To do well, you have to minimize those conflicts. Making money from this isn't easy; it's very hard work."

"Many of the homeless are drug addicts. They don't have the patience or energy to do this. Sometimes, my friends and I will also choose to take some things from stores or alleys."

It seems quite normal for homeless people to readily admit what they have done.

"Okay, I understand. But I'm homeless now. Do you know where I can get free tents and daily necessities?"

Zhang Ailun pulled a coin out of his pocket and said helplessly, "This is my only dollar, which is not enough to buy anything."

Dominic glanced at it and kindly reminded him, "This is one cent, Allen."

"?"

Zhang Ailun was taken aback.

He immediately became furious, "Fxxk!! This is a penny?! Who's so bored as to cast a penny into a steel coin? The material cost is probably more expensive than this! Are all Americans this bored? Or is there some kind of profit to be made here?"

Zhang Ailun had never actually seen what a one-dollar coin or a one-cent coin looked like before.

Who cares about that? In this era of ubiquitous online payments, we've long been used to not using cash.

He doesn't even recognize the currency from his hometown. The new currency looks obviously fake.

One dollar became one cent.

This made things even worse for families that were already struggling financially.

Dominic looked at the exasperated Zhang Ailun and sighed, "Alan, although I really want to help you, I don't have any extra money to give you. Perhaps you could go to a pawn shop and sell your valuables to buy a cheaper tent, otherwise it might get stolen or robbed if you keep it on you."

"You have a good point! But, buddy, keep a close eye on me. Come on, tell me, what else on me is valuable? My ass?"

Zhang Ailun shrugged.

He was only wearing a pair of beach shorts.

Do you think I'm showing off my figure here because I don't want to wear clothes? Doing street art in February when the temperature is barely in the teens?

I don't have any clothes to wear.

"If you don't mind, you can come with me to stay under Bridge No. 19 today. I have a spare mattress and tent there; it's a friend's spot. The shelter also provides tents and clothes for free every week, or you can think of another way," Dominic said after thinking for a moment.

"Thank you so much, buddy."

Zhang Ailun's gratitude was palpable, but then he suddenly froze. "So you really do want to take me home..."

Is kidney-cutting popular in America too?

Zhang Ailun became secretly wary. He then asked, "But won't your friends mind?"

"She was locked up because she committed a crime."

"...Oh, I deeply regret this."

Dominic's single sentence deeply shocked Zhang Ailun, confirming that he was most likely acting out of kindness.

After all, tents in California are very expensive! The San Francisco government, for sanitation and safety reasons, provided 260 tents in six campgrounds for the homeless, costing a total of $18.2 million, averaging about $60,000 per tent per year…

Oh shit!!

These bureaucrats are utter garbage.

Otherwise, he would definitely be sleeping on the streets tonight.

"It's okay, she'll be out in a while. Because what she took didn't exceed $950, she just had bad luck running into a patrolling officer in an affluent area. The owner happened to report the theft, and she found the stolen goods in a dumpster. She's being charged with theft and will have to pay a $200 fine or be detained for twenty days."

Dominic didn't take it to heart. California law states that a zero-dollar purchase without injury and with a value not exceeding $950 is only a misdemeanor.

Although buying things for free is illegal, generally speaking, as long as you are not caught on the spot and you run away quickly after taking the items, the police will not interfere.

If someone is caught buying something for free on the spot, and it's their first offense, they will only be taken back to the police station for a verbal warning.

However, if you encounter a police officer in a bad mood, and you are a repeat offender, they will find various reasons to fine you around $200 to $1000 and detain you for half a month.

Those with serious offenses may face imprisonment for six months to five years. Bail is also very expensive.

Zhang Ailun could only sigh that the West Coast is a place of freedom.

(End of this chapter)