“Mr. Lance, I know this is asking too much, but we’re really out of options.”
An old man, who looked to be in his fifties, stood before Lance. His back, bent by life and this recent blow, made him look not so well.
He was very thin and wore a gray cap. “I no longer have the ability to work. I’ve been looking for a job recently, but… no one is willing to hire me.”
“All my life savings were in the bank. I could have lived on those savings, but now…”
His voice choked as he spoke, “I’ve lost the hope to live, Mr. Lance.”
“I know this isn’t your problem, but I… I want to live, Mr. Lance. My grandson hasn’t grown up yet.”
“I want to see him graduate, see him get married, see his children…”
He wiped away his tears. “I don’t know what to say, but I want to live!”
Bolton, standing to the side, explained the old man’s situation to Lance.
His wife had been dead for many years, and his son had also died from a work-related injury. The good fortune was that he had left behind a child.
The factory was unwilling to fully accept the compensation plan for a work-related death. They took the old man’s family to court, trying to reduce the amount of compensation.
Although the old man’s family won the lawsuit, after deducting the lawyer’s fees, they did not receive enough compensation to change their lives, only about $800.
Adding some of his own savings, he had a total of $1,000 deposited in the bank.
They all trusted Mr. Jobav and had deposited their money in Jinda Bank. The annual interest was about 8-point-something percent, which was more than $80.
Calculated this way, he could receive an interest of $8 a month.
Occasionally finding some odd jobs, he could at least ensure that he wouldn’t starve to death, and he also had $1,000 in emergency money.
His son had left him a child, but the child had been taken away by his mother, so now, strictly speaking, the old man was living alone.
Originally, although his life might not have been that prosperous, at least he could live and would not starve to death.
But now that he had lost this money, it was equivalent to losing his hope in life.
Lance’s mood was also a little heavy after hearing this. The other people around him also gathered around, talking about their roughly similar tragic experiences.
Many of them were elderly people who had lost their ability to work. They were the real, the worst victims.
And only the elderly would deposit a large amount of savings in the bank.
For young people with the ability to work, they were more accustomed to consuming and had no habit of saving.
Because they could earn money, they were willing to spend money. Only the old people who could no longer earn money would save and be frugal.
After the disaster, the situation of the younger victims was slightly better to solve. They could still find jobs.
Although they had lost a sum of savings, they could still live on and still had hope.
After all, their wage demands were lower than those of local workers, and at the same time, they were not like the refugee workers who had no legal status.
Some capitalists who were not so reassured about the refugee workers and were unwilling to pay more salary preferred to hire immigrant workers.
But what about these elderly people who had lost their ability to work?
They simply couldn’t find a stable job. The factories couldn’t possibly want these old people with no ability to work. They could only face the cruel society and be eliminated.
Lance looked at them and comforted them, “This is indeed a problem. I will think of a solution.”
“Jobav is already dead. He can’t possibly find a way to raise funds in his grave to pay you back.”
“I can’t pay this money for him either, because it will make more people think that I should pay off debts that are not mine.”
“I have to think about it and see if there are other ways to help you.”
After comforting these people for a while, they took the initiative to disperse. They also knew that it was unrealistic to ask Lance to be responsible for this money. They just hoped that Lance could help them get through the current trouble.
If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t even have said anything, just thought alone about how to deal with the upcoming winter.
Trying their best not to freeze to death in their own cold beds on some cold night.
But it was because the person in front of them was Lance, a gangster leader with a human touch, that they had the courage to come over and say something.
Back in the car, the atmosphere was a bit gloomy. Lance looked at the constantly receding scenery outside the window and fell into deep thought.
This was the busiest part of the Empire District. The roads on both sides were full of pedestrians, among whom there was no shortage of elderly people.
They were pushing small carts, or pulling a simple small trailer with a rope, on which were some garbage that could be sold for money.
There were also many people rummaging through trash cans, looking for unfinished cigarettes from them.
Before there were cigarette filters, people would not continue to smoke when they got to the very end, as it would burn their mouths. They would throw away that small section of the cigarette butt.
These cigarette butts had no value to them, but for these old people with no income, it was more or less a way to make money.
They would gather the unburned tobacco, re-roll it into cigarettes, and then sell them to passersby.
Five for a cent, or even more. After picking up cigarette butts for a whole day, they might only be able to sell them for a few cents.
But it was these few cents that could allow them to eat a few bites of bread and not starve to death.
Sometimes, only by looking down can one know how hard people’s lives are, and only then can one know that just being alive has already used up all of some people’s strength.
Looking at the street scene outside the window, Lance took a drag of his cigarette. “We can provide some free food, free winter supplies, to let them get through this winter first.”
“But don’t give them cash. Giving cash will make some things troublesome and bad.”
“We just want them to survive, not to become completely dependent on us.”
Elvin recorded it down. “This might cost a lot of money, and it might cause some controversy and trouble.”
His ability to think about things had improved significantly from before. In fact, when a person is in a different environment and takes on different responsibilities, they will have different growth.
He could already think of more things, for example, the trouble of “you have it, but I don’t.”
Who could receive this relief, how was it divided, and would some people have some resentment because others had it and they didn’t?
All of these could become trouble.
Lance quite agreed with his idea. “People are like this. If everyone’s life is not good, there is no problem.”
“But if someone’s life suddenly becomes better, then it will make some people feel unbalanced.”
“At that time, pay attention when distributing the supplies. If someone makes trouble, teach them a little lesson.”
“Remind me after we go back. This matter needs to be discussed with William.”
William was now the municipal councilman of the Empire District. This was clearly a good political achievement. If Lance cooperated with him to push this matter, it would definitely allow him to gain a lot of prestige.
No matter for whom, prestige is an important resource, especially for public figures.
Prestige can help them a lot, in all aspects, especially for politicians.
Elvin nodded. “I will remind you.”
“If we do this, it might cost a lot of money.”
Lance pursed his lips. “We can earn tens of thousands of dollars every day. Added up, this expenditure is still within our acceptable range.”
“For us, it is also a kind of resource.”
The old people on the roadside, those who were rummaging through the trash heaps for food and resources to live on, were no longer moved by the speeding vehicles on the road, because they knew…
No matter how bad their lives were, those who drove cars, especially luxury cars, would not stop and give them a second glance.
Working hard to earn even just one more cent today was their most important job at the moment.
When William heard that Lance was going to distribute relief food, he quickly drove over. This had a great attraction for him.
Why, in a capitalist society, can capitalists corrupt politicians at a speed that is hard for people to imagine?
In fact, it’s very simple, because capitalists hold everything that politicians desire.
Public opinion needs financial support, policies need financial support, and realizing a political platform needs capital support even more.
Capital has already integrated and penetrated into all corners of this society, and behind everything related to politics, there must be financial support.
This makes it impossible for politicians to get rid of capitalists.
For example, what William was doing now. He wanted to fulfill the campaign speech he had made when he ran for municipal councilman. He wanted to build a new high school.
This cannot be achieved with just a flick of the tongue. It requires finding a suitable site, then building a house, and hiring teachers, and equipping the faculty.
This kind of educational resource outside the government plan all belongs to “self-funded projects.” William had no money, and the public could not possibly pay. So they could only ask for help from the capitalists.
If the capitalists, in this process, proposed some requirements that would benefit both sides, should William agree?
If he agreed, the capital would pay for him to build a new middle school, allowing him to gain the recognition of the voters, thus gaining a greater political prospect.
But this would also bind him more highly to the capitalists, because now he might just need to build a middle school, but in the future, what he might promise would be things that required more funds, such as the employment rate, the public security rate, and so on.
If he didn’t agree, then the school could not be built, and he would not be able to continue to get the support of the voters. People would think he was a liar, thus preventing him from going far in the political arena.
William had already begun to gradually feel this atmosphere. As soon as Lance’s side said something, he drove over.
“Have you seen the new house?” After the two sat down, Lance asked.
William had already been there. He had a smile on his face. Mr. Jobav’s villa was very luxuriously decorated, very large, and the location was also very good.
It was not far from the city center. It might not even take ten minutes by car.
The surroundings were very quiet, and the environment was also very enclosed. Except for the Empire District itself not being so bustling and rich, there were no shortcomings.
But William didn’t care about these. He believed that with Patricia’s efforts, he would eventually have a villa in the Bay Area as well—
He might not be able to afford to buy it himself, but as long as Patricia worked hard, Lance would definitely remember him.
“The house is great!” he first gave Lance a positive answer. “But it will take some time to tidy up. Emily has hired six maids. They only managed to solve a small area today.”
“And I think our housing expenses will increase by a large margin.”
Lance said with a laugh, “These are not a problem. I will be responsible. You don’t have to manage it. This is why I didn’t put the house in your name.”
Now the house was still Lance’s property. Lance paid various fees and expenses every month. Strictly speaking, William and Emily were just “tenants” of the villa.
The Federation people actually really buy this set, especially those at the bottom. They like this kind of clearly defined relationship. William even specially signed a contract with Lance.
Although they might be a family in the future, before Lance and Patricia got married, they could not have this kind of behavior that could potentially involve interest transfer.
Funny Federation people.
After a few simple sentences about the house, their topic naturally shifted to relief.
“How much money do you plan to invest in this?” William asked, “And, can your funds support this relief?”
Lance told him his thoughts. After listening, William considered for a moment, “Each person can have half a pound of meat and bean stew canned food a day, and half a pound of whole wheat bread, with some added ingredients.”
“Add some plant fiber, so that the feeling of fullness is stronger, and it also takes more time to digest. To put it simply, it’s not so easy to feel hungry.”
“We might also need to distribute some candies that can quickly replenish heat. I have to calculate it.”
He took a pen from the pen holder and a piece of paper to calculate. After a while, he said, “If we add some other things, such as matches, your daily expenditure will be about fifteen to twenty cents.”
“What are your thoughts?”
“Not everyone can get relief!” Lance first set a tone. “Only the elderly who have lost their ability to work can get relief. For those who still have the ability to work, if they also can’t live, we can find them a job.”
“There are so many factories in the west of the city. There will always be one suitable for them.”
William frowned after listening. His worry was the same as Elvin’s. “This will cause trouble.”
Lance laughed “ah-ha” twice. “William, you’ve forgotten what we do.”
William was taken aback for a moment, and then couldn’t help but laugh. He had only then remembered that Lance was not a government official, nor was he the president of some large enterprise. He was just a gang leader.
You cause trouble with a gang?
Are you tired of living?
Thinking of it this way, this matter actually became very easy to implement, and some problems could also be solved. “You need to provide these materials for at least twenty to thirty thousand people every day. Counting other costs, it’s about more than $10,000.”
He himself was a little tongue-tied when he heard this number. More than $10,000 a day, that’s more than $300,000 a month.
From this month on, until the end of winter in March, there were at least more than four months, which was almost $1.5 million.
$1.5 million, used for relief without asking for anything in return. Even he, at this moment, had some… he himself didn’t know how to express the emotions that were churning inside him.
“This winter will definitely be golden, because for you it will be worth more than a million.”
William’s tone became a little heavier, and then he asked, “Is it worth it?”
“$1.5 million is not a business. You pay, and you will get a return, even if it’s not much, even if it’s a loss, there will be some.”
“This $1.5 million, once invested, there will be nothing left. Even if people remember your good deeds, you are just a gang leader. You can’t get any political or other transformations from this gratitude.”
Lance, on the other hand, still maintained his previous attitude. He spread his hands with a smile. “Although I’ve lost a large sum of money, William, this will make me very comfortable.”
“I’m not short of money!” he lit a cigarette, “hissed” and took a big drag. “When my bar in the Starlight District is fully open, my monthly income will be seven or eight hundred thousand.”
He held up a finger. “Every month, at least.”
“I take out a part of it and use it here. It won’t have any change on my overall income and expenditure, but it can make me feel very good.”
William seemed to be trying to discern the truth of this matter, but he couldn’t see it. He shook his head and said, “I really don’t understand.”
Lance thought for a moment. “Yes, you don’t understand, and it’s very difficult to understand, because you are not me.”
“We just have to do this well now. As for the rest, who cares.”
William nodded. “Yes, we just have to do this well.”
He paused. “But you will make the mayor, and the rich in the Bay Area, lose a lot of face. You have done what a government should do, what those big capitalists should do.”
“They will only dislike you more.”
This was a fact, a bloody fact.
Sometimes doing good deeds will also cause trouble, and some people will dislike you, because you have made yourself noble, and those who would not have been considered morally low before will become morally low in contrast to your nobility.
If they also want to become noble, they have to spend money, but not everyone is willing to spend this money. In the end, this will only further highlight your nobility.
The more noble Lance appeared, the smaller the others would appear, and the more they would dislike him, and even hate him.
Lance still had the same attitude. “I don’t care.”
“William, if you care too much about others, you will only make yourself uncomfortable. If they don’t like me, they can come and give me a punch. Otherwise, it’s best to hold it in and not let me know.”
Looking at the strong self-confidence that was almost shining from Lance’s face, William felt the call of a charismatic personality.
He also laughed. “They probably don’t dare to do that.”
He let out a long sigh of relief. “I will plan it out, and then arrange it. You can rest assured about this matter.”
After the business was discussed, William’s expression suddenly became a little awkward. “I have something, I need your advice.”
(End of chapter)