Chapter 26

Jin Xiantai had a sudden inspiration, which was equivalent to encountering another opportunity, so he had no reason to let it slip. He clearly knew that he had to seize this opportunity. Besides being able to give his daughter a 'gift,' it could also bring him fame, glory, and wealth.

That afternoon, after Jin Xiantai finished writing some chapters of the pirated "Harry Potter," he set up new files and documents and began writing the pirated "Grimm's Fairy Tales."

In his previous life, when his daughter was one and a half years old, he had bought both "Grimm's Fairy Tales" and "Andersen's Fairy Tales" and read stories to her every night.

Therefore, since he had read these stories, he could easily recall their contents, all thanks to the mysterious energy from the time tunnel.

To be fair, not all the novels Jin Xiantai was pirating could be produced.

First, he had to have read these books.

Fortunately, he had read many novels in his previous life, so he now possessed a considerable amount of literary resources, which was an advantage.

For the novels and books he hadn't read, Jin Xiantai was powerless.

Admittedly, this was a bit regrettable.

However, even so, the "A Song of Ice and Fire" he was currently creating, the completed pirated "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," the ongoing pirated "Harry Potter," and the yet-to-be-pirated "Twilight" and "Resident Evil" were all capital and advantages for him to survive and thrive in this world.

Moreover, in the past two months, he had registered and left the screenplays for "The Bourne Identity," "Taken," and "Resident Evil" in the American West Coast script library of this timeline.

If the screenplays were chosen, he could use them to make a name for himself in the entertainment industry and even earn a substantial amount of money.

Currently, the first volume of "A Song of Ice and Fire," which Jin Xiantai had 'created,' was selling well, bringing him a post-tax income of 2.73 million last month. According to Dave, this month's income should also be good.

Basically, Jin Xiantai no longer had any financial pressure.

In this situation, Jin Xiantai could freely write what he wanted, such as the children's fairy tales he was about to 'create.'

Of course, the more important reason was that Jin Xiantai felt the fairy tales in this timeline were not suitable for children.

He didn't want his daughter, Coco, to be left with any psychological scars if she read those peculiar fairy tales when she grew up.

Therefore, Jin Xiantai decided to take this opportunity to write a fairy tale suitable for all ages, as a father's first 'gift' to his daughter in this world.

His daughter was still sound asleep, and Jin Xiantai was completely immersed in the passion of creation (piracy), oblivious to the outside world.

Since it wasn't a holiday, there weren't many people on Santa Monica Beach, but there were still some men and women playing volleyball on the sand or swimming and playing in the sea.

The Monica Beach community was not a tourist attraction, and most of the people who frequented the beach were residents of the community.

Tourists or locals from Los Angeles mostly gathered at the northern and southern ends of the beach, so the middle section where the community was located was quite peaceful.

However, this was a good thing for Jin Xiantai, as he needed a quiet atmosphere and environment for his creation (piracy). It wouldn't be good if it was too noisy.

It was still very hot in mid-October in Los Angeles.

In just an hour, Jin Xiantai had already created (pirated) over a dozen stories from "Grimm's Fairy Tales," which was quite efficient.

Just as Jin Xiantai finished the last punctuation mark of a story, a timid voice came from outside the garden.

"Sir, would you like to subscribe to a newspaper?"

Hearing this, Jin Xiantai looked up and saw a girl wearing a children's safety helmet, riding a bicycle that American children often use, slightly leaning to one side, and looking at him timidly over the half-person-high fence.

The girl was not very old, but she was about 15 or 16 years old, with protective gear on her arms and knees, brown hair, and some freckles on her face, a typical American girl.

Seeing Jin Xiantai look up, she mustered up the courage and continued, "The California Daily, only 15 dollars a month. If you prefer entertainment newspapers, I can also help you subscribe. I will deliver them to your house on time every day, even in rain or wind."

Jin Xiantai then understood that this was a community paperboy.

In this timeline's America, every community had such community paperboys, ranging from six-year-old kids to high school students, many of whom liked this job.

This was because, besides exercising themselves, they could earn pocket money, so many children were willing to use their free time to do this job.

Unlike Asians, most American families did not give their children pocket money casually, even the children of wealthy people faced the same situation.

Of course, there were exceptions, such as overly indulgent parents, but they were rare.

Most American children had to earn their pocket money or complete household chores assigned by their parents.

According to American values, one must work to earn, and unearned gains were not acceptable, even from parents.

Therefore, community paperboys emerged.

These children, besides picking up newspapers in the morning and delivering them, also had the responsibility of attracting subscribers for the newspapers they were responsible for, and they could earn commissions for each new subscriber.

Jin Xiantai was a new resident in the community and had not subscribed to any newspapers, so the girl must have noticed this and approached him.

Since he had lived in this timeline's America for nine months, almost ten, he was quite familiar with this practice.

He immediately understood the girl's intention.

"Can I place an order with you?"

Subscribing to a few newspapers was not a big deal, as it didn't cost much, so Jin Xiantai asked.

Clearly, this question indicated interest, which excited the girl.

"Yes, sir, I handle the delivery and subscription of many newspapers, and my service is the best in the community. If I don't have the newspaper you need, I can help you order and deliver it, and it will only cost you 10 dollars a month."

Jin Xiantai didn't comment on this, as Americans didn't know what modesty was, but the 10 dollars a month was acceptable.

However, Jin Xiantai hadn't calculated that if the girl could deliver one-fifth of the community's newspapers, her earnings and commissions would be substantial.

Of course, compared to adults, children earned small amounts.

But for a girl her age, it was a significant sum.

"I need the California Daily, Hollywood Entertainment, Los Angeles Times, and American Literature. Can you help me subscribe to these four newspapers?"

Jin Xiantai decided to subscribe to four newspapers, which delighted the girl.

However, no matter how happy she was, she still needed to answer Jin Xiantai's question, as he was a potential customer who needed to be treated well.

"The first three newspapers I can handle, and I can help you order the American Literature. There shouldn't be any problem. However, since you're subscribing to four newspapers, the commission for delivery will need to be slightly higher."

The girl even tried to negotiate with Jin Xiantai, which amused him.

Although Jin Xiantai didn't look much older than the girl, he was a 36-year-old man in spirit, so he saw her as a child.

"This guy, he doesn't look much older than me, and I'm calling him 'sir.' If it weren't for the newspaper subscription, I wouldn't be so polite," the girl thought, seeing Jin Xiantai's smile.

But since Jin Xiantai was subscribing to four newspapers, she wouldn't offend such a 'big customer.'

Although she claimed to be the best in the community, it was just her own claim, not a fact.

In reality, in a community of 700 to 800 households, she only handled the newspaper delivery and subscription for about 30 households, earning her only a hundred dollars a month.

The rest were monopolized by boys who did the same job.

Most community paperboys were boys, and although girls could join, they were at a disadvantage.

Therefore, the girl cherished every customer.

"So, how much do you want?"

"25 dollars!"

After considering, the girl responded to Jin Xiantai.

This price wasn't high, but it wasn't low either.

However, considering the effort required to fetch and deliver newspapers every morning, 25 dollars was a fair compensation.

Nodding, Jin Xiantai agreed.

Seeing Jin Xiantai nod, the girl's face lit up with a bright smile.

Ha, one more customer, one more income, the girl was naturally happy.

With Jin Xiantai's 25 dollars commission and the rebate from the newspaper company, she could earn an extra 40 dollars a month.

With this money, she could buy some small items she had long wanted.

"Do you live nearby, or in another part of the community?" Since they had agreed on the price, Jin Xiantai took out his wallet to pay and asked casually.

"I live next door," the girl replied, revealing that she was his neighbor.

"How about you? Don't you participate in school club activities? Did you come home right after school?" It was already 4:00 PM, and school had ended at 2:30 PM. Clearly, the girl hadn't participated in any school club activities, or she wouldn't have returned so early.

The girl adjusted her pink safety helmet and said, "There was no club activity today, so I came home. Sir, you don't look much older. I guess you're a student too? High school or college?"

Jin Xiantai pretended not to hear and didn't answer her question.

After all, he didn't know how to respond. Should he tell her he wasn't in school?

No way!

At such a young age, looking only 16 or 17, not being in school would definitely invite disdain.

The girl didn't mind Jin Xiantai's reaction and introduced herself, "I'm Demi, a ninth-grader at Monica Public High School."