On the way there, I rode in a Tesla.
The driver was still a blonde bombshell.
Plus, it was a free ride, not a penny spent.
But the return trip wasn't so sweet.
Cheng Daqi ordered an Uber and waited twenty minutes, only for a Corolla to show up.
After getting off on Red Street and seeing the bill of several dollars, Cheng Daqi couldn't help feeling a bit sour.
Many things in America are "cheap", like electronics and meat.
The cheapness is relative to the income of the American people.
But the services in America are truly expensive.
You have to tip when dining out, and over the years, the tipping rate has kept increasing.
The most annoying part is, if you tip too little, the server won't thank you.
You're paying money, and still have to look at their faces.
At home, there are micro-essays blasting crummy men and women, while abroad, servers will social media pinpoint your location, exposing those who tip too little or not at all.
Quite a few Hua Country people have been shamed on apps like Bald Eagle or similar.
It's truly hard to bear.
Living in America, another thing you can't do without is a car.
Without one, you can hardly move an inch in America.
The big cities are still okay, but in slightly smaller places, you have to wait for a bus for at least half an hour.
Just as Cheng Daqi explained to Li Haiping.
When many people dream of escaping, they see everything about America as good, as advantages.
Police firing their clips at the drop of a hat—they see it as a strong arm strike, maintaining public order.
What lies behind is the extreme deterioration of America's social stability compared to decades ago.
Top-notch medical resources, and even free medical support—look, such respect for the right to life!
Sky-high insurance premiums, sky-high medical bills, community doctors carelessly prescribing addictive pain medication for any ailment—they get a commission!
The medical capital colludes with both parties, and ordinary people are duped into using addictive drugs in large quantities.
For more details, refer to the American TV show "Addictive Dosage".
The medical capital knows they're doing evil, the regulators know they're doing evil, and America's smart people are well aware of what is happening.
But America's capital is now extremely intertwined, the regulators have become accomplices, and the smart people are dogs for them.
Relentless exploitation, spirit control of the lower class through drugs, and the media's iron net that silences all negative news....
The glory of great America is real, but within that reality exists a vast amount of darkness, shielded by the spotlight of capital-controlled media.
Some say that 2023 is the first year of electronic pets.
Through electronic pets, people have seen another side of America.
But Rome wasn't built in a day!
The anthill that caused the dike to collapse needed a long time to grow!
America, long before 2023, was already sprinting towards the cliff!
In 2023, despite being plagued with illness, Cheng Daqi still maintained the habit of collecting information every day.
He vividly remembered America 2023, from the skyrocketing non-combat casualties at the Middle East Base, the scarcity of aircraft carrier repair docks, to the millions of illegal immigrants...
Cheng Daqi wouldn't indulge in discussions about "the collapse of America", after all, there was the author of "The Collapse of Hua Country" as a cautionary tale.
But he was sure, America was inevitably on a downward spiral.
This path was taken in extreme disarray: the withdrawal from Atta, the quagmire in the Middle East, financial bombs, fiscal overdraft...
This is why he didn't return home!
To relive a life without making a big splash in America would be a disservice to God's favor!
——Separation Line——
When Cheng Daqi found Sani, she was charging up in the library.
Modern humans might not have a fixed residence, stable food supply, but they can't live without the internet.
Charging, an unavoidable need for the homeless.
The shelters in America are interesting; they offer charging services but don't allow you to play with your phone while charging.
This rule is to prevent the homeless from hogging the charging ports and playing on their phones indefinitely.
The library, on the other hand, is different. You just need to find an empty seat, and you can play as much as you want before the library closes, and there's even free WiFi.
Seeing Cheng Daqi coming, Sani was curious.
"Where have you been? I sent you messages and you didn't reply?"
The Black sister always felt that the neighbor's behavior had been strange these past few days.
Hitting on women the moment he saw them, every day intertwined with women from the relief point.
Completely unlike an Asian.
Her attitude towards him was strange too, as if showing a bit more care, but then again, not really.
Just annoying.
Cheng Daqi smiled apologetically, grabbed a chair from the corner of the library, and sat next to Sani.
"Went out to lunch with a female volunteer from the rescue station, and all the way there I was thinking about how to get legal status."
Pulling out his newly bought power bank, Cheng Daqi plugged in the charging cable for it.
Achieving a small goal, he realized relative freedom from power constraints.
As long as he charged it every day, he could use his phone at any time.
No more worries about battery life.
Seeing Cheng Daqi sorting out his photo album, Sani didn't look further and instead asked him.
"There's an anti-abortion protest coming up where we hold signs on the street, wanna come?"
"Not going, no time."
"Six hours for a hundred dollars, and they throw in a lunch."
"They're paying? When and where is this sign-holding happening?"
"Thought you weren't coming? I already turned them down for you."
"Sani, you're my best friend in America..."
"Alright, alright, Wood Street, starts at ten in the morning tomorrow. We need to get up at eight, head over early. Can you wake up in the morning?"
"Of course, I got up earlier than a certain black sister today."
"Hmph, that was a one-time thing."
As Cheng Daqi kept editing his album, Sani asked.
"What are you doing?"
Without looking up, Cheng Daqi replied.
"Editing videos. I plan to share my experiences as a homeless person in America on Hua Country's TikTok, similar to posting videos on YouTube."
Sharing experiences as a homeless person?
What's so shareable about being homeless?
"Would anyone watch a homeless person's life?"
Cheng Daqi gave Sani a look, his eyes carrying an indescribable meaning.
In this age where entertainment is paramount, there is an audience for all kinds of videos.
The key is to make it interesting.
Cheng Daqi's editing skills were very basic, but it was enough as long as the content was interesting.
There are many vloggers sharing their American life experiences, but he was the first to share the life of a homeless person in America.
First in the field, leading the race!
No need for advanced editing skills; at this moment in time, the field is empty.
Cheng Daqi had no competitors!
"I think it's worth a try. If it turns out successful, it'll be a surprise, and if not, it won't be too regrettable."
The black sister nodded thoughtfully.
Cheng Daqi's video wasn't long, just a few seconds.
From a cramped tent to the park at dawn.
Inevitably featuring the numb homeless on Red Street and the long lines queuing for aid.
Cheng Daqi wanted to post longer videos too, but TikTok currently had restrictions on the length of content new creators could post.
Only quality creators were allowed to publish videos longer than fifteen seconds.
That quality benchmark was ten thousand followers.
Though he could post longer videos on a sub-account in the future, for now, Cheng Daqi could only make do within these constraints.
Fifteen seconds to show America from a homeless person's perspective.
It only needed to be real.
Those who think the grass is greener on the other side will naturally boost his popularity.
Cheng Daqi wasn't worried about the video going unnoticed.
He picked a fitting soundtrack, continuing to edit the text.
The caption for the video read, "Made it to America, queuing for aid today, so many people."
Simple words, easily stirring the hearts of those who romanticize the West from afar.
Done and dusted.
Hit send.