Chapter 24

Some plots in the first two chapters felt inappropriate, so I revised them. If anyone feels the connection doesn't work, you can go back and reread the first two chapters.

It turned out that Ceng Hongbing's fellow countryman, in phone calls and chat messages, told people back home that blue-collar wages here were very high, and working two or three days here equaled a month's work back home.

Labor costs here were especially high; building a wall or installing appliances and air conditioners could bring in hundreds of dollars at a time.

If one also had skills like welding, forklift operation, or shovel vehicle operation, they could earn even more.

This was called skilled trade work—that fellow countryman did exactly this kind of work and earned quite a lot.

Back then, Ceng Hongbing was desperate, drowning in debt and facing ruin. Hearing that things were easy here, he felt it was no different than when people from Henan, Shaanxi, and Gansu went south to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, and the Pengcheng Special Zone to find work.

Working oneself to death back home, a whole year's earnings still couldn't match what one could make in a month working away.

"A tree moved dies, a person moved lives." He gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and took the last of his money and ran over here.

But he never expected that, just as he boarded the Greyhound Bus to Los Angeles and reported his safety, he heard this news.

Actually, he knew for sure he had been stood up!

If he really went to New York to work at a construction site, he would at least leave a phone number no matter what. But now he wouldn't even leave a phone number—clearly just an excuse.

He didn't want him to find him.

"So what do you plan to do now?"

In this matter, Chen Yaozu couldn't offer any advice either. He could only say that the person Ceng Hongbing was going to rely on was indeed a bit of a scoundrel. If you didn't want people to come, you shouldn't have said so in the first place.

You said it, and even encouraged them to come, but when they actually came, you chickened out! "Let's take it one step at a time!"

Living people can't possibly be killed by holding their urine. Just like going to big cities in the country to find work—if you can't find work yourself, you can find an intermediary company.

It should be the same here! I know welding, masonry, carpentry, forklifts, shovel vehicles, and excavators. I just don't believe I can't find work in Los Angeles!

Ceng Hongbing was still very confident. With skills on his person, he wasn't afraid in his heart—that was the kind of person this described.

To be honest, Chen Yaozu was less confident. Although he still had some money on him—his parents' compensation money plus the 20,000 dollars Songcai brought back, totaling over 100,000 dollars—

this amount wouldn't last long in America. If there were only expenses and no income, he wasn't sure how long he could hold out.

Cindy had talked to him about this. In Los Angeles, just the rent for a year would be over ten thousand, and that was for the cheapest room, in an inconvenient suburb.

If it were a studio apartment in the city center, it would cost at least 2,500 dollars a month.

Then there was food and daily expenses. So he also needed a job. Previously, there was the ticket Cindy gave him, saying she could help him get a work permit relatively quickly.

And there was the ticket given by Officer Grilos—the lawyer named Henry might be able to help him solve his identity issue and work permit.

Both phone numbers were for the work permit! But with a work permit, what kind of work should he do?

What could he do? After transmigrating, he had only integrated a few months of the original body's memories. No matter what skills he used to have, he himself didn't know them.

Moreover, he didn't have any usable certificates.

So he could only count on what he knew how to do. What did he know how to do? In the forty-one years before transmigrating, he had worked as a firefighter for 12 years before retiring, then opened his own barbecue shop, and usually also did volunteer rescue work on the side.

He could drive, had firefighting knowledge and skills, could barbecue, and could cook a couple of home-style dishes on the side. That was all he knew.

With just the cooking skills to make some home-style dishes, going to work as a chef—no one would hire him for sure. So he could only wash dishes?

The two of them pondered how to walk the road ahead all the way, so they didn't talk much, just looking at the scenery outside the window during their leisure time. Actually, the scenery outside America's interstate highways was quite fresh at first glance—everywhere were large suburban villas.

But after looking for a long time, it was all the same, because most of these large villas were old and remote.

However, there were some fresh aspects. The gas stations where the Greyhound Bus stopped didn't necessarily stop for refueling—they might also be buying food.

They made a novel discovery: the gas stations here were actually a combination of gas station, dining hall, and convenience store.

But the food was monotonous. All along the way, it was Mexican burritos, pizza, hot dogs, and donuts eaten in rotation.

Crossing two continents and changing vehicles several times, the two of them finally arrived in Los Angeles with difficulty.

Before reaching Los Angeles, Chen Yaozu held the two tickets and hesitated: should he call the number Cindy gave him to find the Eastern person she mentioned, or call Lawyer Henry's number given by Sheriff Grilos?

He weighed it in his mind and felt he should call Lawyer Henry. The person on Cindy's ticket came here several years ago and would introduce a lawyer to handle the work permit.

But the one given by Officer Grilos was directly a lawyer's phone number, and might even solve the identity issue. Of course, if the identity issue couldn't be solved, it could still solve the work permit problem.

If you go find the person on Cindy's ticket, don't you also need him to introduce a lawyer?

I'll go directly to the lawyer, cutting out the middleman's markup. That's also a good choice.

So he directly took out his phone and dialed: "Hello, I'm looking for Lawyer Henry!"

"That's me. This is my private number. Who gave you my phone number?"

On the phone, a somewhat deep voice answered, but unexpectedly it was Henry himself.

Hearing that it was the other party's private phone, Chen Yaozu realized that Officer Grilos truly sincerely wanted to repay him.

"Officer Ben Grillos gave me the phone number. I am an Eastern person who just arrived in America. He said I can find you to solve the identity issue and the work permit matter."

Concisely explaining the introducer, his own identity, and what he needed to do over the phone—this was the preparation one should have when facing a lawyer.

Otherwise, if the other party pressed a finger on the clock, it might mean having to pay money.

"Alright then!

Sir, I need to confirm with Ben!"

On the other end of the phone was a middle-aged white man with a severely receding hairline. He took a sip of coffee from the table, then found Officer Grilos's phone number and dialed it.

"Ben, what exactly is the situation with this client you introduced to me this time? He actually gave my private number!"

"Henry, he's my friend!

An Eastern Wizard who helped me a great deal! I owe him a big favor, Henry! He's an illegal immigrant. I told him to find you, to see if the identity issue can be solved. Even if the identity issue can't be solved, the work permit matter can be handled.

Henry, listen. He is a wizard, a wizard with very miraculous abilities.

I suggest you try to become friends with him. He saved my life!"

Just as he was speaking, on the other end of the phone, an Eastern Mandarin electronic voice was actually broadcasting: "Please Number 17 b, e, n, G, r, y, l, l, o, s go to Department 2 for checkup..."

(Chapter End)