pjbooks Chapter 192 Head East, for there lies the Promised Land
Chapter 192 Head East, for there lies the Promised Land
Winters in Detroit are bitterly cold, chilling to the bone.
Jack Mercer threw the last piece of firewood into the fireplace.
The flames licked the dry wood, crackling and popping, but this did little to raise the temperature inside the room.
The cold wind that seeped in through the cracks in the window cut like a blade against one's skin.
He sat on the floor, holding a pink notice in his hand.
This is the landlord's ultimatum.
Three days.
If he couldn't pay the rent in three days, he, his wife Susan, and their six-year-old son Timmy would be out on the streets. Jack was a lathe operator.
He worked at a Ford parts factory for fifteen years.
He thought he would be like his father, working on an assembly line until retirement, and then using his pension to go fishing in Florida.
However, the factory closed down six months ago.
The boss said this was an industrial upgrade, and he wanted to move the production line to Mexico.
Jack and his two hundred brothers, receiving meager severance pay, were politely ushered out of the gate by security guards.
From that day on, Detroit became hell.
Jack went to the employment center and the temporary labor market.
It was crowded with people like him.
Strong men, as big as oxen, fought tooth and nail over a mover job that paid eight dollars an hour.
Susan took two part-time jobs, standing for sixteen hours a day. When she came back, her feet were swollen like steamed buns, but the money she earned was only enough to buy bread and milk. She ran out of money and her savings were gone.
Dignity is gone too.
Jack watched the fire in the fireplace gradually dim.
He's a man, but now he can't even provide his wife and children with a warm roof over their heads.
"Jack".
Susan came over and draped an old coat over his shoulders.
She was holding a phone with a cracked screen in her hand.
"Look at this."
Jack took the phone; a video was playing on the screen.
That was a GG (Goblin) moment.
The footage is very rough, like it was taken by an amateur.
The background is a huge construction site bustling with activity, with countless cranes at work, sparks flying, and machines roaring.
A young man stood in front of the camera, wearing a dusty work jacket with the sleeves rolled up.
"I am Leo Wallace, Mayor of Pittsburgh."
The man's voice was powerful and exuded confidence.
"I don't know where you are, maybe in Detroit, maybe in Cleveland. You have hardworking hands, you have skills, you want to work, but your city has abandoned you."
Come to Pittsburgh.
The camera pans to show rows of brand-new workers' apartments, factory gates that are recruiting workers, and long lists of pay slips.
"We're short of people here. We're short of welders, lathe operators, drivers, and everyone who wants to change their destiny with their own hands."
"We have houses, heating, and the highest blue-collar wages."
"We have a strong union, no one dares to fire you arbitrarily."
"As long as you come, as long as you're willing to work, Pittsburgh is your home."
At the end of the video, there is a prominent website address and a line of large text.
The last bastion of laborers.
Jack stared at the screen and watched it three times.
"This is a scam, isn't it?" Jack's voice was hoarse. "Where can you find such a good deal these days? A house to live in?"
"It's true," Susan said eagerly. "Old Tom next door left with his whole family last week. He sent back photos yesterday; he's already back at work, operating an excavator, earning 1,200 a week, paid in cash."
Jack's hand trembled slightly.
Weekly salary of 1200.
In Detroit today, that's an astronomical figure.
"But...we don't even have money for gas." Jack looked at the empty house.
Susan took a cloth bag out of her pocket and opened it layer by layer.
Inside was a pair of gold earrings.
That was a gift Jack gave her on their tenth wedding anniversary.
"Let's pawn it." Susan's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. "Plus the half tank of gas left in that pickup truck, it'll be enough for us to drive all the way to Pittsburgh." Jack looked at his wife.
He saw the light in his wife's eyes.
That was a ray of light that had never appeared during the despair of the past six months.
"it is good."
Jack stood up, crumpled the pink expulsion order into a ball, and threw it into the stove.
"Pack your things, let's go."
The ten-year-old Ford F-150 pickup truck was breathing heavily on the interstate highway.
The truck bed was filled with all their belongings: two boxes of clothes, a few chairs, and Timmy's toy box.
They headed east.
Crossing the state border, we entered Pennsylvania.
As we got closer to Pittsburgh, the traffic on the road started to pick up.
Jack was surprised to find that not only him, but also many old cars with Ohio, Michigan, and even Indiana license plates around him were all heading in the same direction.
Most of these vehicles were dilapidated, packed full of luggage, and inside sat families who looked tired but had eager eyes.
This is a migration.
An escape for survival.
As the dilapidated Ford pickup truck entered the Pittsburgh Tunnel, the interior was instantly bathed in a dim, yellowish light.
"Dad, are we here yet?" Timmy asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes from the back seat.
"It will be soon, child."
Jack gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes fixed on the approaching circular exit ahead.
The tunnel is very long, like a passage through time leading to the unknown.
"boom"
The light exploded.
The pickup truck sped out of the tunnel to the other end.
In that instant, the entire Pittsburgh skyline burst into their field of vision in an almost violent manner.
Jack instinctively slammed on the brakes.
The tires screeched as they rubbed against the ground, and the car shook violently.
But he couldn't care less about that now.
He, Susan, and Timmy in the back seat were all frozen in place, staring blankly at the magnificent, almost unreal view before them. This was Pittsburgh's famous tunnel view.
Below you lies a deep valley where three wide rivers converge.
A golden suspension bridge spans the river, connecting the two banks of the city.
In that delta region embraced by the river, skyscrapers rose from the ground, their glass curtain walls reflecting a blinding gleam in the sunlight. This was completely different from the gloomy, dull, and lifeless rusty city he remembered.
Yellow and red tower cranes stand tall on both sides of the river valley, their booms slowly rotating in the air.
The construction site was filled with billowing smoke and dust, and the roar of the machines could be faintly heard even from several kilometers away.
On the river, huge barges lined up end to end, forming a long queue, waiting to enter the inland port.
Countless heavy trucks shuttle across bridges and highways, forming flowing steel arteries.
This bustling scene, this construction brimming with energy and hope, reminded Jack of Detroit's most glorious days twenty years ago. No, it was even more spectacular then.
This city is alive.
It is breathing, it is growing, it is burning.
Following the navigation, Jack drove to a huge plaza in the South District.
A banner hangs here: New Citizens' Housing Service Center.
The square was full of cars and crowded with people, but it wasn't as chaotic as I had imagined.
A group of volunteers wearing orange vests are maintaining order.
They were quick and efficient, and their attitude was amiable, completely lacking the annoying bureaucratic airs of government officials.
Jack and his family got out of the car and stood somewhat bewildered in the crowd.
A young girl walked over.
She held a tablet in her hand and wore a name tag around her neck that read: Elena Rodriguez, Special Community Advisor. "New here?" Elena glanced at the pickup truck with Michigan license plates. "Detroit?"
"Yes." Jack rubbed his hands nervously. "We saw GG online..."
Welcome home.
Elena gave a warm smile.
"Come with me, we'll get the paperwork done first. Don't worry, the process will be quick, and you'll be able to move into your new home before dark."
Jack was stunned.
So fast?
He originally thought he would have to fill out countless forms, wait for weeks of review, and even spend several days crammed into a shelter.
He followed Elena into the service hall.
Dozens of service windows were neatly arranged in the hall.
There are no glass partitions, only long tables facing each other.
"Give me your ID," Elena asked while operating the tablet. "Occupation?"
"A skilled lathe operator can also operate CNC machine tools."
"Do you have any proof?" Elena looked up. "Like a technician's certificate certified by the union, or a certificate of service from the factory before." Jack paused for a moment, then carefully pulled out a worn-out blue card from the inner pocket of his wallet. It was the advanced technician qualification certificate he had earned after working at Ford for fifteen years.
Elena took the card and scanned it on the tablet.
"Family members?"
"Wife, and a six-year-old boy."
Elena's fingers flew across the screen.
"Data entry complete. The system is now matching data."
Only thirty seconds had passed.
"alright."
Elena raised her head.
"Given that your skilled occupation is listed in the urgently needed talent directory, you are eligible for Category A priority placement policy."
She took a form from the printer next to her and handed it to Jack.
"This is your new citizen ID card. With this card, you can enjoy all the benefits of being a Pittsburgh citizen."
Next came the second order.
"This is the housing allocation form."
Elena pointed to the address above.
"402 Third Avenue, Brooklyn, apartment 204. Two bedrooms, one living room, fully furnished and renovated. It's a low-rent housing project we just renovated."
"According to the Rent Stabilization Act and the New Urban Residents Subsidy Ordinance, the first three months are rent-free. From the fourth month onwards, the rent is fixed at 15% of the household's monthly income, and utilities are waived."
Jack's hands were trembling as he held the list.
"Rent-free...free of charge?"
"Yes," Elena said calmly. "The mayor said that the construction workers can't be left sleeping on the streets. The key is with the apartment manager; you can just go there directly."
"And then there's the issue of school enrollment for the children."
Elena handed over another red card.
"This is an enrollment slip for a public daycare center. It's just two blocks down from your apartment building, and you can send it there tomorrow. They provide free lunch and dinner, and there's someone to look after you if you work late."
Susan covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.
In Detroit, she ran herself ragged trying to find an affordable daycare for Timmy.
Here, everything was resolved in just five minutes.
Finally, there's work.
Elena looked at Jack.
"Turn right after you leave. That's the Industrial Revitalization Human Resources Center. Mr. Frank is recruiting there. Take your ID card. Your technical rating is very high; you don't need an interview, you can sign a contract directly."
"Good luck."
After Elena finished speaking, she turned and walked toward the next family she had just arrived at.
The whole process took less than ten minutes.
There were no difficulties, no queues, and no bureaucratic jargon that was hard to understand.
It's like a sophisticated machine, efficient and ruthless, yet full of touching warmth.
Jack and his family walked out of the lobby and went to the human resources center next door.
This place is much livelier than the previous hall.
Job postings scroll across a giant electronic screen.
"Inland Port Phase II urgently needs welders, $35 per hour!"
"North Shore Machinery Factory is hiring lathe operators. Weekly pay, lunch provided!"
"Revival Construction Team is recruiting strong laborers, daily pay!"
This is simply a blue-collar paradise.
An old man wearing a union jacket and a baseball cap was standing on the ground shouting.
"Line up! Don't push!" Frank's booming voice made everyone's ears ring. "There's plenty of work in Pittsburgh! As long as you have hands and feet, nobody will go hungry!"
Jack walked over with his ID card in hand.
Frank glanced at the words "Senior Machinist" on the card, and his eyes lit up.
"From Detroit?"
"Yes, sir."
"Great, those car makers are all pretty good."
Frank simply pulled out a contract and slammed it on the table.
"Sign it."
"Inland Port Equipment Maintenance Department, Senior Technician. Base salary 4,000, overtime pay extra. Full medical insurance, union pays pension contributions." "Can I start work tomorrow morning at 7:00?"
Jack looked at the numbers on the contract.
four thousand.
This was a salary he never dared to dream of in Detroit.
"Yes!" Jack answered loudly, "I can start right now!"
"No need." Frank waved his hand. "I just arrived. Settle things at home first, then take your wife and kids out for a nice meal so you'll be more alert for work tomorrow." Frank opened a drawer, took out an envelope, and stuffed it into Jack's hand.
"This is a week's salary in advance. It's Pittsburgh's rule that newcomers can't be empty-pocketed."
Jack clutched the thick envelope, somewhat surprised: "This is... an advance on salary? No need to wait for the probation period or..." Frank looked at him and grinned.
"You are a highly skilled technician with fifteen years of experience, not a fresh-faced newbie. In Pittsburgh, skills are credibility, and skilled workers receive preferential treatment."
Frank patted Jack on the shoulder.
"Welcome to Pittsburgh, brother. I hope you become a true Pittsburghite."
Jack clutched the thick envelope.
Inside were brand new banknotes, US dollars that still smelled of ink.
At this moment, the man who had lost everything in Detroit finally couldn't hold back anymore.
He turned his back and rubbed his eyes hard with the back of his rough hand.
An hour later.
The Jack family entered the apartment in Brooklyn.
The room wasn't big, but it was very clean.
The walls were painted a warm yellow, and the floor was polished to a shine.
Although the furniture was old, it was all very sturdy.
Most importantly, the radiators were scalding hot.
Susan opened the refrigerator and found several cartons of milk, bread, and eggs inside.
That was a "welcome package" prepared in advance by community volunteers.
Timmy cheered and pounced on the soft sofa.
Jack walked to the window and drew back the curtains.
The view of Pittsburgh is spread out from the window.
The roar of the machines was barely audible.
That's a heartbeat.
It is the powerful heartbeat of this city.
Jack took the envelope out of his pocket, pulled out a few bills, and handed them to Susan.
"Go buy a chicken," Jack said with a smile. "We'll have a good meal tonight."
Susan took the money, nodded vigorously, and tears streamed down her face again.
They survived.
In this unfamiliar city, in this cold winter.
They found a home.