Chapter 15: A New Job
Chapter 15: A New Job
The chubby shop owner prepared the bakery’s supplies and left in the morning, a rare occurrence, as mornings were peak business hours.
The streets outside were dirty and chaotic. Customers mentioned that all of Jingang City’s street cleaners had gone on strike today—a polite way of saying it. In reality, most of the city’s street cleaners were undocumented immigrants who worked for a meager twenty-five dollars a day to clean the streets twice. Hiring locals, on the other hand, cost at least thirty-five dollars per day. A ten-dollar difference might seem minor, but with enough workers, the savings added up quickly.
There were two kinds of city cleaners: those working directly under the City Management Bureau as government employees with standard pay, social and medical insurance, government benefits, and plenty of time off. The others worked for private cleaning companies contracted by City Hall, hired as cheap labor—often undocumented immigrants—with minimal pay while the company pocketed the difference as profit.
As clashes between locals and immigrants intensified, even the few local cleaners were too scared to work alone, forcing a strike. This strike might have also served as a political statement, subtly urging citizens to calm down.
After just one night and morning without cleaning, the streets already looked filthy, animal droppings on the roadside emitting a stench in the heat. If it rained, the water would mix with the droppings, spreading the foul odor throughout the city.
The morning rush passed quickly, with customers arriving early, buying bread, and leaving without stopping to chat.
Around eleven, the same car Fordis had driven last time pulled up outside. He stayed inside, honking and calling to Lance, “Get in!”
Lance handed his apron to the shop owner’s daughter, asked for a quick leave, and got in the car.