Chapter 4

After resting for four hours, Jin Hyun-tae got up at the starting time of the next day, began to wash up, and at the same time washed his daughter's face, changed her clothes, and her diaper, and prepared her milk.

After everything was done, it was already 7:30 in the morning.

Prepared as usual, Jin Hyun-tae, like always, put his daughter in a baby carrier and started to head out, riding his second-hand bicycle to the car wash.

On the streets of the community in the early morning, the sunlight filtered through the trees, bringing a fresh and humid air that could make one feel incredibly refreshed.

At this time, the gang members and prostitutes who had been wandering the streets at midnight were all gone, clearly having gone back to rest. After all, they were not robots.

Jin Hyun-tae loved this time of day the most because he didn't have to see those annoying gang members and could fully enjoy the refreshing morning.

Last night, Jin Hyun-tae had already sent out dozens of email submissions. All he needed to do now was wait patiently; there was nothing else he could do.

However, Jin Hyun-tae was not worried that his novel would not be accepted.

Because that would be a joke, something that simply couldn't happen.

"A Song of Ice and Fire" had sold tens of millions of copies in the previous timeline, and that was just the English version, not counting sales from other versions.

In this timeline with a large population base, it was clearly impossible for it to sell poorly.

Especially since the quality of the novel was guaranteed due to it being a 'pirated' version, Jin Hyun-tae didn't believe that the editors at the publishing houses were blind and couldn't tell the difference between good and bad.

Therefore, Jin Hyun-tae was not at all worried about it.

As usual, he locked his bicycle at the basketball court a few dozen meters from the car wash and walked with his daughter to the car wash.

Clocking in, changing clothes, and getting tools, it was time to get busy.

There was no idle time here; as soon as work started in the morning, it was non-stop. Many cars from the previous night still needed to be washed, so Jin Hyun-tae and the other workers, who were mostly Mexican, had to start working right after clocking in.

Work in a capitalist society was never easy; it was completely different from China.

Here, if you received 10 dollars from your boss, you had to do 100 dollars' worth of work. Only then would the boss continue to employ you. This was a very practical reality.

The third-generation owner of the car wash, who had a Taiwanese accent, was already sitting in his office. Compared to the car wash workers outside, he was much more relaxed.

After all, he was the boss, so how could he be the same as the car wash workers?

Jin Hyun-tae didn't pay much attention to this boss with a Taiwanese accent and didn't know much about him. He was just a worker, and the boss didn't want to have much interaction with people like him.

So, apart from a few words when receiving his salary, Jin Hyun-tae rarely spoke to him.

And the young boss wasn't particularly interested in a worker like Jin Hyun-tae.

The reason Jin Hyun-tae was able to find this job was largely due to his legal status. Thanks to the alien elementary school student who caused the accident, he obtained legitimate American identification and a social security number, which allowed Jin Hyun-tae to work without worry.

Otherwise, even if Jin Hyun-tae wanted to work illegally, it wouldn't be that easy.

Within an hour, Jin Hyun-tae had already washed five cars. It was already around 9:00 in the morning, and the number of cars coming to the car wash began to increase, even starting to queue up.

Seeing this, Jin Hyun-tae knew that he would have to wash cars non-stop for eight hours today.

He looked at the expressions of the other Mexican workers, and their faces showed the same resignation as his. They didn't have much hope for the day.

Who wouldn't want some free time? After all, they were all human.

"Hey, Asian kid, my son has set up a taco stand nearby today. How about you come and support him at lunchtime? My son's skills are really good, and I'm sure you'll be satisfied."

At this moment, a middle-aged Mexican man, who was washing a black BMW with a water gun at another car wash station, invited Jin Hyun-tae.

Jin Hyun-tae didn't stop his work and looked up.

This middle-aged Mexican, wearing a Mexican hat, jeans, a plaid shirt, and leather boots, was looking at him with hopeful eyes.

Jin Hyun-tae knew this middle-aged man. Although they weren't very familiar, he knew that the man's name was 'Diego.'

Diego was an illegal immigrant who had come to the United States to earn money. There were many people like him in Los Angeles, and the U.S. government had no choice but to turn a blind eye, as there were many low-wage jobs that needed to be filled, and these Mexican illegal workers could fill those positions.

His salary was even lower than Jin Hyun-tae's, only 4 dollars an hour, but he still gritted his teeth and worked at the car wash.

"Sure, I'll come and support him at lunchtime."

Since it didn't matter where he ate lunch, Jin Hyun-tae wouldn't refuse this small favor. After collecting his thoughts, he responded.

Hearing Jin Hyun-tae's response, Diego's rough face broke into a smile. He said to Jin Hyun-tae, "Don't worry, my son's skills are great, and he won't disappoint you."

Jin Hyun-tae was skeptical about this but didn't say anything.

Since there was nothing else to do, Jin Hyun-tae started chatting with Diego to pass the time. Of course, they didn't stop working while chatting.

"Can you make money by setting up a stand here? I heard this is Southside Gang territory."

Jin Hyun-tae asked the most important question right away. In this area controlled by Mexican criminals, the protection fees were high, so he was curious if Diego's son could make money.

Diego had already finished washing the car and was now drying it with a towel. He replied, "I have to give them half the profit, but there are no other food stands here, so making money shouldn't be a problem."

Clearly, he was confident that his son could make money.

As he responded, the middle-aged man's face was filled with happiness, making Jin Hyun-tae feel envious.

There was a time when he had such a happy smile on his face, but since his wife's death, he hadn't smiled like that again.

Time passed quickly, and soon it was lunchtime. Jin Hyun-tae handed over his work and, led by the middle-aged man, went to his son's taco stand and bought two tacos.

Pushcart taco stands were very common in the United States, and most street vendors used this method to sell food.

Those who had food trucks were considered the 'fighters' among street vendors and had a certain status. Most vendors couldn't afford to buy food trucks, so they used pushcarts to do business.

After finishing his tacos, Jin Hyun-tae returned to the car wash and used the remaining time to change his daughter's diaper and prepare a bottle of milk for her.

"I never thought that in this timeline's America, there would be no hamburgers, and instead, tacos and American hot dogs would dominate the fast food industry."

While feeding his daughter, Jin Hyun-tae thought about this amusing fact.

Indeed, unlike the original timeline, this world was not dominated by hamburgers but by tacos and American hot dogs, which made Jin Hyun-tae both frustrated and amused.

He didn't know why, but in this timeline, Americans seemed to love tacos and hot dogs, leading to their dominance in the fast food industry.

Unfortunately, for Jin Hyun-tae, both tacos and American hot dogs were the worst kind of junk food, even worse than hamburgers.

Thinking about this made Jin Hyun-tae feel both conflicted and amused.

During lunchtime, everyone at the car wash went to Diego's son's taco stand, and his father had brought in a lot of business, giving him a good start on his first day.

However, Diego's son's tacos were indeed very tasty. Jin Hyun-tae believed that he wouldn't have to worry about business in the future.

Moreover, his tacos were very cheap, at 1.99 dollars each, with meat, pickles, and shredded cabbage, and the portions were generous. For a street fast food, this was very attractive to customers.

After a half-hour break and lunch, Jin Hyun-tae and everyone else continued their monotonous work until 4:00 PM.

Jin Hyun-tae collected his salary from the third-generation boss and then left the car wash with his daughter.

Although he was unwilling, Jin Hyun-tae had to persist in this work and this life. Until his novel was published and could bring in money to change his financial situation, he had no other choice.

He could only rely on this job and his evening dishwashing job at a restaurant to ensure that he and his daughter had enough to eat and wear.

When he got home, he followed his usual routine, changing his daughter's diaper and preparing her milk, and then preparing dinner for himself.

However, today he had one more thing to do: turn on his computer and check for any email responses.

Unfortunately, after checking his email, Jin Hyun-tae was very disappointed. His inbox was empty, with no emails at all.

However, he didn't lose heart. After all, he had submitted his manuscript in the middle of the night, and the publishers couldn't respond so quickly. He would have to wait a while.

After closing his email, Jin Hyun-tae continued to prepare his dinner.

At this moment, Jin Hyun-tae didn't know that the sperm he had donated six months ago to support his life was about to be used by someone.

---

In a luxurious private clinic in Beverly Hills, a woman in her mid-twenties, with long, smooth blonde hair, wearing a black dress, and with a cold but beautiful face, was carefully reading a document provided by the sperm clinic.

This clinic was a specialized service for the wealthy in Beverly Hills, offering a wide range of medical and health services, including artificial insemination for women with special needs.

The woman currently reading the document needed this service and was willing to pay a high price for it.

"Miss Annie, the sperm donor has fully answered the questionnaire you provided, and we have checked his physical condition, which meets your requirements," said a middle-aged man in a white coat, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and slightly bald, sitting across from her.

The woman blinked, her long lashes fluttering, and her blue eyes showed a hint of hesitation. She pointed to a line in the document and said in a clear voice, "But isn't he a bit too young?"

The middle-aged man leaned forward, looked at the information she pointed to, and replied, "Sixteen is young, but it's not a big issue. You just need a child, and this boy is the only one who answered all your questions. If you're not satisfied..."

The middle-aged man shrugged, implying that there were no other options.

"Miss Annie, although he is young, it also means he won't cause trouble in the future, which is a good thing for you."

The woman's blue eyes flickered, clearly swayed by his words.

"Alright! But we need to sign an agreement to ensure there will be no trouble in the future," the woman finally decided but also made a small condition.

The middle-aged man stood up, extended his hand to the beautiful woman named Annie, and said, "No problem at all."

Subsequently, they signed the agreement, and the woman successfully used Jin Hyun-tae's donated sperm. The middle-aged doctor also received a substantial benefit.

However, Annie didn't know that the sperm she received came from a man who had crossed a time tunnel and been influenced by mysterious energy, and that these sperm would have a significant impact on her future. Perhaps this was fate...