004 Confused

Jimmy lay on the cardboard reflecting on his half-day experience, still finding it miraculous.

He was just a high school graduate who had joined the fire department, dedicating over ten years to the service. Although he wasn't cut off from society—still engaging with phones, movies, TV dramas, and novels during breaks—more of his time was spent on training and responding to emergencies. He never imagined that he could experience rebirth, something that only existed in novels.

He had very little common knowledge about the United States, having only gleaned some information from news and various movies and TV shows. However, movies are an exaggerated art form, and the gap between their portrayal and the reality of life is vast.

Ever since his rebirth, he had been cautiously interacting with a few people, gradually becoming familiar with their way of talking, understanding the environment around him, and getting to know the people at the gathering spot. Indeed, it was mentally exhausting.

As for the next steps, all he could do was make some preliminary plans for now.

First, he needed to save some cash, at least enough to ensure he could return to California. He didn't yearn to achieve instant success like those predecessors in novels who traveled to another world, becoming Hollywood stars or wealthy celebrities. At least he was now 20 years away from his own death and had a grasp of society's developmental progress. He was confident that he would find a way out; he couldn't be homeless for decades.

Next, he needed to understand more about the societal situation and also needed to catch up on the developments in China. He had not just changed locations; time had shifted forward by 20 years. He had to confirm whether he was still on the same Earth. The simplest way to judge was to check on China's progress; if everything matched his memory, then it was time-travel, a return to the past. He could try to return to China and, by relying on his knowledge of the next 20 years, find many opportunities for success. However, if things were different, then it meant he was in another world, where his past experiences would not guarantee usefulness, as the technology and development paths would likely differ from the original world.

After resting for a while, Jimmy got up and left the tent. He couldn't just wait for Jerry to figure things out for him; he needed to learn more about the society himself. The quickest solution was to read the newspaper, but finding one here wasn't easy. Maybe he should look around the residential area; perhaps someone left their newspaper outside.

Jimmy straightened his clothes, took his wallet without a backpack, and set out. He hadn't gone far when he spotted a stack of newspapers thrown at the doorway of a house. Jimmy approached, glanced at the house, and checked the surrounding homes. Seeing no one around, he bent down, picked up the newspaper, and noticed the name, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The front sections primarily covered state news, government activities, economic conditions in various places, and oddities. Due to his unfamiliarity with the surroundings, he couldn't identify any content that required special attention, so he disregarded most of it and flipped to the international news. Sadly, he failed to recognize the name of the Chinese national leader mentioned in the news article about China. Even as a primary school student in 1999, he should at least know the names of the country's leaders from recent decades. Since the name was incorrect, he could confirm that this was another world.

He folded the newspaper back neatly, placed it where he found it, and returned to his camp's tent.

Having confirmed that this was another world, he dropped the idea of returning to China or using the knowledge from before his rebirth to design products in order to make money. Following his initial plan, he would first take care of the necessities—food, clothing, shelter, and transportation—then think about settling down for a peaceful life. Once he had a better understanding of this world, he would see what things he could "borrow" to increase his wealth.

...

"Jimmy, are you inside? Come out quickly," Jerry called from outside.

"OK, just a moment," Jimmy replied, putting on his shoes and stepping out of the tent.

There stood Jerry outside the tent, accompanied by a chubby middle-aged Caucasian man, roughly the same height as Jimmy at 185 centimeters but weighing at least 130 kilograms by conservative estimate. He looked overweight; from top to bottom, he was round, almost resembling the white tire character from Michelin.

"Jimmy, this is Jon Woolf, owner of Wolfhouse. I happened to meet him nearby. Jon, this is the Jimmy I mentioned, Jimmy Yang, a great young man," Jerry introduced them.

"Jimmy, Jerry tells me you're looking for a short-term job, right? So what can you do?" Jon Woolf asked Jimmy.

"I forgot to say, Wolfhouse is a restaurant," Jon added.

After a moment's thought, Jimmy said, "Whatever you need, Mr. Woolf. I don't have experience working in a restaurant, but I've done some Chinese cooking before. I can help in the kitchen or serve as a waiter."

"Jimmy, Jerry is an old friend, and we've known each other for over ten years. He says you're a good young man, so I'm willing to let you work at my restaurant. Start as a waiter, six days a week with one day off, a weekly salary of $350, with no tips, but you'll need to work for at least three weeks."

"What are the hours, Mr. Woolf?" Jimmy paused, "And is accommodation provided?"

"Don't push your luck, lad. No accommodation. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., eight hours," he said.

"OK."

"Come over tomorrow morning, 5300 Asher Avenue. Be there at 10 a.m."

"Alright, Mr. Woolf, I'll be there on time," Jimmy assured.

"Jerry, I've got other matters. I'll be going now. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." "Goodbye, Mr. Woolf."

...

After Jon left, Jerry waved to Jimmy and headed towards his own tent.

"Jerry, hold on. Do you know where Wolfhouse is? I'm not familiar with Asher Avenue," Jimmy called out.

Jerry went into his tent, came out with a map of Little Rock, and drew the route for Jimmy. It was easy to remember: one long road straight down, a turn at the end, and then about 2 kilometers further. The distance was a bit of a challenge.

"Thanks, Jerry. Can I ask you a question? You know so many people, why don't you ask them for help finding a job? Do you like living like a wanderer?"

"I'm old now, and I've grown accustomed to this life. Jimmy, you're still young; don't waste away here. Try your luck in the big city when you get the chance," Jerry stopped, turned his back on Jimmy, then walked into his tent after speaking.

Jimmy watched Jerry return to his tent, then turned back to his own. Surprisingly, finding work had seemed daunting, but his fortune appeared favorable post-rebirth.

However, Jerry's reaction just now was quite interesting; he seemed to be a man with a story.