Chapter 5: Bewilderment
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Jimmy lay on a piece of cardboard, reflecting on the events of the past half day, still feeling amazed. He was just a high school graduate who had joined the fire department right after school, serving there for over ten years. Though he wasn’t cut off from society—he had a phone, watched movies, TV dramas, and read novels during breaks—he spent considerably more time training and responding to emergencies. He had never imagined that something like rebirth, a concept found only in novels, could actually happen to him.
He had almost no knowledge about America beyond some news and the various movies and TV shows he’d seen, but those were exaggerated forms of art and differed greatly from real life.
Since his rebirth, dealing with these few people had been a cautious affair. He gradually got used to their way of speaking, learned about the surroundings, and familiarized himself with the people gathering there—it was mentally exhausting.
As for the next step, he could only make a preliminary plan.
First, he needed to save some cash, at least enough to get himself back to California. He didn’t expect to achieve the fame and fortune of those predecessors in novels who crossed worlds to become Hollywood stars or wealthy celebrities. Given that he was now more than twenty years away from the time of his death, and aware of how society would develop, he was confident he could find a way forward. He certainly couldn’t spend decades as a vagabond.
Secondly, he needed to understand more about society here and also check on the situation in China. This wasn’t just a change of location—time had shifted backward by twenty years. He had to confirm whether he was still on his original Earth. The simplest way to tell was to look at the development in China. If everything matched his memories, then it was a time travel back to the past, and he could find a way back to China. With the knowledge of the next twenty years, many opportunities for success would surely arise. But if it was different, this world was another reality. His past experiences would be of limited use since the technological development paths would diverge.
After a brief rest, Jimmy got up and left the tent. He couldn’t just wait for Jerry to figure something out for him; he had to start learning about the society. The quickest way was to look at newspapers, but those were scarce here. He decided to check the nearby residential area, hoping someone might have left a newspaper behind.
Jimmy tidied his clothes, carrying only his wallet, and stepped outside. Not far away, he spotted a stack of newspapers tossed at the entrance of a house. He walked over, glanced at the house and neighboring homes—no sign of people around. He bent down, picked up a newspaper, and checked the title: The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. The first few pages mainly featured state news, government activities, local economic conditions, and odd stories. Since he wasn’t familiar with the environment, nothing stood out as particularly important, so he skimmed most of it. He then flipped to the international section, only to sadly find a news story about China whose national leader’s name was completely unfamiliar. While he was only a child in 1999, he knew the names of several leaders from recent decades. Since the name was wrong, it confirmed this was indeed another world.
He folded the newspaper neatly and left it where he found it, then returned to his camp tent.
Now that it was certain this was another world, he abandoned thoughts of returning to China or using his pre-rebirth knowledge of social development to design products and make money ahead of time. He would follow his initial plan: first secure food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, then consider settling down and prospering. Once he understood this world better, he could see if there was anything he could borrow to increase his wealth.
…
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“Jimmy, are you in there? Come out quickly,” Jerry called from outside.
“Okay, just a moment,” Jimmy replied, putting on his shoes and stepping out of the tent.
Jerry stood outside, accompanied by a stocky middle-aged white man, about 6 feet tall, roughly the same height as Jimmy. Judging by the build, the man weighed at least 130 kilograms, appearing rather overweight, round from head to toe, somewhat resembling the Michelin Man made of white tires.
“Jimmy, this is Jon—Jon Woolf, the owner of Wolfhouse. I happened to run into him nearby. Jon, this is Jimmy, Jimmy Yang, a good guy I mentioned,” Jerry introduced the two.
“Jimmy, Jerry told me you’re looking for short-term work, right? So, what can you do?” Jon Woolf asked.
“Forgot to mention, Wolfhouse is a restaurant,” Jon added.
Jimmy thought for a moment. “I can do whatever you need, Mr. Woolf. I don’t have experience working in a restaurant, but I’ve cooked some Chinese dishes before. I can help in the kitchen or work as a waiter.”
“Jimmy, Jerry is my friend—we’ve known each other for over ten years. He says you’re a good guy, so I can hire you at my restaurant. Start as a waiter, working six days on, one day off, weekly pay $350, no tips. You’ll need to work at least three weeks.”
“What are the working hours, Mr. Woolf?” Jimmy asked, then added, “Also, is lodging provided?”
“Don’t get greedy, kid. No lodging. Work hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., then 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.—eight hours total.”
“Okay.”
“Come by tomorrow morning, 5300 Asher Street. Ten o’clock.”
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“All right, Mr. Woolf, I’ll be there on time.”
“Jerry, I have other things to do. I’m leaving now. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.” “Goodbye, Mr. Woolf.”
…
After seeing Jon off, Jerry waved to Jimmy and headed back to his own tent.
“Jerry, wait. Do you know the address of Wolfhouse? I’m not familiar with the Asher Street area.”
Jerry went into his tent, pulled out a small map of Little Rock, and drew a route for Jimmy. The path was easy to remember: a straight main road to the end, then a turn, and about two kilometers further. The distance was a bit far.
“Thanks, Jerry. Can I ask—why don’t you seek help from those people you know to find a job? Do you like this homeless life?”
“I’m old now and have grown used to this life. Jimmy, you’re still young. Don’t rot away here. If you get the chance, try your luck in a big city.” Jerry stopped, turned his back to Jimmy, and went into his tent.
Jimmy watched Jerry retreat and then returned to his own tent. He was a bit surprised—he had expected it would be hard to find work, but luck had been on his side. It seemed his luck after rebirth was quite good.
Still, Jerry’s reaction was interesting; he was clearly a man with a story.