America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 72 Selling Jars

It took some effort to completely clear out the treasure chests on Y1 and Y2 streets near Sanji's bar.

The haul was plentiful; they also found two boxes of cookies, half a box of cigarettes, half a bottle of whiskey, and a total of $9 in bills and coins.

At Zhang Ailun's suggestion, David drove the garbage truck back to the base camp to load up the other cans, preparing to sell them at the garbage recycling station on Aitou Street. Having a garbage truck would make transportation much more convenient.

Monica and Leo led the newly recruited Beggars' Sect disciples back to the construction site shelter camp and arranged accommodation for them.

The blatant misuse of the company vehicle also caught the attention of bar manager Mary, who immediately sent Zhang Ailun a message.

Mary: There was a black guy who drove the garbage truck away earlier. Was he one of your men?

Zhang Ailun: That's right, I used that car to clean up some trash cans on the street, contributing to the city's environmental protection! Don't worry, I'll fill the car up with gas!

Mary: Okay, then you'd better bring the garbage truck back before dark, otherwise I won't be able to explain it to the boss. Remember to patronize my business when you have time! You can also bring your wealthy friends.

Zhang Ailun: OK.

After chatting with her for a couple more minutes, Zhang Ailun promised to take care of her business, which made Mary turn a blind eye to the matter, and the two reached a pleasant shady deal.

After putting away his phone, Zhang Ailun rode his bicycle to the scrap metal recycling station run by Old Karl on Aitou Street.

"Hey! Carl!" Upon arriving, I saw a fat, white old man tidying up jars.

"Why are you the only one here? Where's that white kid Dominic?"

Old Carl also remembered Zhang Ailun and was somewhat surprised that Dominic wasn't with him. "You're here because you've collected enough jars, or do you have something else to sell? If it's something valuable, I suggest you sell it at a pawn shop. I only take junk here."

You're a really nice person.

Zhang Ailun explained with a smile, "Dominic is at the police station with a friend right now and probably can't come. We have indeed accumulated a lot of cans these past few days, more than you can imagine. We hope you can give us a reasonable price!" He glanced at today's recycling prices.

Clear beverage bottle, $1.35 per pound.

Aluminum cans, $1.65 per pound.

Cardboard, $0.01 per pound.

Glass bottles, $0.15 per pound.

The price is much lower than before, and the recycling price fluctuates almost daily.

"What happened? Did he get into trouble? That kid doesn't seem like the type to break the rules." Old Karl was taken aback.

"Relax, Carl, it's not what you think. On the contrary, Dominic will benefit from this, and might even get a Good Citizen award. Don't you watch the news?"

Zhang Ailun casually took out his phone and searched for recent popular videos from Los Angeles on TikTok, then showed them to the other person.

"I really don't like playing on my phone. That's something you young people do. I'm an old man who spends all his time surrounded by garbage, half-buried in the ground, I don't have that kind of hobby at all. I only like beautiful women and alcohol!"

Old Carl glanced at the video and noticed that the media footage also included the mayor and city council members of Los Angeles, giving speeches on stage, praising the fearlessness of Los Angeles police officers and the helpful behavior that good citizens should emulate, in order to reduce conflict and racial discrimination.

This is a free country, and it should not be filled with hatred and conflict.

Old Carl immediately scoffed, "These politicians always try to grab attention like this, constantly arguing about black versus white people. There's nothing new under the sun! Believe me, they're talking about love and peace now, but behind my back they'll be pointing at a black person and calling them a nigger."

"You're right, saying one thing and doing another, that's the essence of politicians, isn't it?" Zhang Ailun said.

They simply moved a stool over and sat down to chat while waiting.

Not long after, David brought all the cans from the Bridge Cave Camp and drove his garbage truck to the recycling station on Aitou Street.

Under Zhang Ailun's direction, the car was stopped and all the canisters were unloaded.

"So many jars? You've really given me a pleasant surprise!"

Old Carl was stunned when he saw the garbage truck. "If there were more, this number of cans would be enough to call a recycling company to come and collect them."

"The recycling company will send people to collect the cans? Does that mean there will be a fleet of vehicles specifically for transportation?" Zhang Ailun asked in surprise.

"That's right. At first, there were indeed people driving garbage trucks and vans to contract to transport cans, but later their fleets were taken over by major recycling companies. They became middlemen who cooperated with various private recycling stations, and each time they were called to transport goods, they had to pay the drivers a profit of about 1 cent per can."

"Do you have their contact information?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"That's an industry secret, kid!" Old Karl immediately refused to reveal the information.

"If you don't have the necessary recycling qualifications and environmental permits, recycling companies will only try to lower the price when they send someone to collect your items, or they might not even pay you at all, instead charging you exorbitant transportation fees. This industry is profitable, and you can make money in it, but it's not that simple, and not just anyone can do it!"

"Okay." Seeing that Old Karl was unwilling to say more, Zhang Ailun didn't ask any further questions.

In this industry, major recycling companies are the big bosses. All cans eventually end up with them, where they are processed into materials and sold to other material manufacturers or beverage companies to make new bottles.

Drinking water is practically worthless; the cost of a cheap beverage is even less than the price of a can.

Drink it, pee it, and that's it. Its sales success depends entirely on GG's marketing, technology, ruthless tactics, and sugar content.

Major recycling stations act as middlemen, while can recycling teams are laborers, primarily engaged in transportation.

Shoppers are like gods, and there's no end to the exploitation; they pay for everything, from drinks to cans!

Old Carl, running a recycling center, was clearly a middleman making a profit from the price difference. Zhang Ailun, on the other hand, was just a can collector, essentially a member of the working class.

If he opened his own recycling center or bypassed the transfer station to partner with Big Brother, he would definitely be competing with other recycling centers for business, which was something Old Carl didn't want to see. He preferred to cooperate with Zhang Ailun for the long term. But a true man should not remain subservient to others for long.

Sooner or later, Zhang Ailun will be sharpening his knives and charging into the secondary market, cutting through everything and wreaking havoc on the streets.

I want both the movers and the middlemen who make a profit!

After weighing everything, old Carl went back to get the money. The total value of the cans and other items recovered was $632. David and Gates also recorded how many cans each of them had collected.

Zhang Ailun doesn't need to go through all that trouble. Regardless of who picked up the jar, 20% of the amount will be taken directly at checkout, and the rest can be divided equally among them.

On their first day of work, Eddie and his fellow beggars received their wages. Although it wasn't much, only a dozen or twenty dollars per person, it was enough to buy new clothes or a hearty meal at a discount store!

This was undoubtedly a historic milestone for the development of the Beggars' Sect.

The Grand Master also received a $126 commission, bringing his total net worth to $7357!

No matter how sweet the words are, nothing is more motivating than actually handing out US dollars. Making empty promises is never a good thing.

Everyone came here because of the Grand Master's promise. If the Grand Master can't keep his promise, his prestige will definitely decline.

Water can carry a boat, and it can also overturn it.

(End of this chapter)