mijobooks Chapter 15 Camp Gathering
Chapter 15 Camp Gathering
"You want this?"
Emily was somewhat surprised, as "C variant type 3 influenza" had recently been rampant on the West Coast, and oseltamivir granules were one of the few drugs that could produce significant therapeutic effects against it.
As a result, many people took the opportunity to sell and resell oseltamivir granules in small quantities, causing its price to skyrocket and making it even harder to buy than gold on the market.
"You have a friend who has been infected with the mutated flu?" Emily observed Simon Lin in front of her and recalled their interaction just now.
She confirmed that Lin Ximeng was in good health, and naturally guessed that it was his friend who needed it.
Simon Lin nodded. "He may have been infected for several days."
"But this isn't quite in accordance with the rules," Emily said, her voice tinged with difficulty.
"Last week, a homeless man coughed up blood, and our supervisor didn't budge on the case, saying that it had to go through the full application process for trial."
"Perhaps outside of the application process, there are some solutions for dealing with unforeseen circumstances."
Although, according to Emily, the shelter had strict control over oseltamivir granules, Simon Lin was not discouraged.
He knew that on the West Coast, if any rule was unbreakable, it was only to make it easier for certain people to break it.
Otherwise, what do you think Commissioners Smith and his team are busy with all day?
"You mean..." Emily was a little surprised, feeling that the Asian youth in front of her knew more about the West Coast than she did.
She nodded. "Indeed, if the supervisor breaks the rules personally, that's a different story."
"Our shelter supervisor, Miguel, secretly hid a batch of supplies when they arrived a few days ago," Emily said with a mischievous grin.
"And I just happened to see where he hid it."
She turned and closed the door, then quickly walked to the examination table, squatted down and pulled open the bottom drawer, where an orange metal box was hidden. Inside, several kinds of medicines could be seen, including oseltamivir granules.
Emily took out a box of blue-packaged oseltamivir granules: "You can take this box first."
Lin Ximeng took the medicine box and asked, "Will it cause you any trouble?"
"No," Emily said, flicking a strand of blonde hair that fell beside her cheek and winking at Simon Lin, her words carrying a pointed meaning.
"Supervisor Miguel has a lot to worry about."
Although Emily didn't say it explicitly, Simon Lin immediately understood what she meant.
It's obvious that the supervisor has hidden far more than just oseltamivir granules in such a large shelter!
A journalist once investigated and found that in some American cities, it costs $170 million to build a toilet specifically for the homeless.
Furthermore, a local senator stated that this was a very reasonable offer.
Such a large hole wasn't dug by supervisor Miguel alone.
Miguel certainly wouldn't bother to record the quantity of every single item in detail.
You remember it so clearly, what will Commissioner Smith think?
Just then, there was a knock on the door from security guard Tom: "Emily, are you free right now? A few injured homeless people have just arrived and might need your help."
"I'm coming right away."
Emily and Simon Lin gave a few more instructions, including how to use the medicine and precautions, before opening the door and leaving.
Instead of following immediately, security guard Tom took advantage of Emily's inattention to secretly give Simon Lin a thumbs up, revealing a knowing look that every man would understand.
Clearly, the scene of Simon Lin being alone with Emily shirtless had left a deep impression on him.
......
evening.
Lin Ximeng returned to the camp with the box of oseltamivir granules in his pocket.
Riley and the others were not at the camp at this time; they must have gone out to hunt or collect cans.
"Chris?" Lin Simon walked to the innermost tent and gently tapped the metal pole of the tent.
A muffled cough came from inside, followed by rustling sounds. The tent zipper was pulled open a crack, and Chris, wearing a mask, poked his head out—his face was ashen, and his eyes were dark and swollen. "Simon? I advise you to stay away from me. I feel like I'm in even worse shape these past few days..."
Lin Ximeng glanced inside the tent. Two old blankets were laid on the moisture-proof mat, several empty cans were piled in the corner, and there was toilet paper all over the floor.
He pulled out a blue medicine box: "Oseltamivir granules, I heard they're effective against your C variant type 3 influenza."
Chris's eyes lit up instantly. He reached out to take it, then quickly pulled back and wiped the sweat from his palms. "This medicine... I heard Gloria say the other day that it's selling for $120 a box on the black market. How did you get it?"
"I traded it for a cat that had stolen a doctor's bracelet."
Lin Ximeng opened the package and poured out two white pills: "Try it, twice a day, two pills each time."
Chris took the pill, tilted his head back, and swallowed it with water.
He smacked his lips, and after a couple of minutes, he suddenly laughed: "Hey? My throat really doesn't hurt anymore. Just now, swallowing saliva felt like swallowing shards of glass, but now it feels much better."
He tried to sit up, but was interrupted by a light cough. Unlike before, he didn't cough so hard he couldn't straighten up. He just waved his hand and said, "It's okay, it's much better than last night."
Just as Simon was about to advise the other person to get some rest, he heard Riley's voice coming from afar: "Simon, you're back just in time. We brought back some good stuff."
Then came the sound of footsteps and the clinking of cans, followed by Gloria's voice: "Riley, slow down, don't spill my honey sauce."
Lin Simon turned around and saw Riley and Gloria returning to the camp carrying large bags and small boxes.
Following behind was a Black man with a cane who looked somewhat like a Black celebrity, and he had a sign around his neck that read: "$5 for a photo."
Riley pointed to the black man and said to Simon Lin, "Let me introduce you. This is Jeff, the most business-minded person in our camp, and the record holder for the highest single-day earnings. He just closed a big deal yesterday and didn't come back to camp."
"I barely slept last night because of that order," Jeff said, taking down the sign and looking exhausted. "These tourists these days are too much trouble."
After a brief introduction, Simon Lin learned that Jeff, because he looked somewhat like a celebrity, often went to tourist attractions to trick foreign tourists into taking paid photos with them.
If you're lucky, you can earn quite a bit in a day.
As Jeff spoke, he moved out a table, which, although somewhat worn, was just the right size for the group to put the large and small bags they had brought back on.
He took a can of beer from one of the boxes and handed it to Simon Lin: "Hi Simon, nice to meet you. I heard from Riley that you taught those hooligans a lesson for him."
"Just a quick thing," Lin Simon said, taking the beer and taking a sip.
"Now that I've become a member of the camp, I can't let anyone bully us. Otherwise, how can our camp grow stronger?"
"To grow bigger and stronger, hey, I like that way of putting it," Riley said excitedly, pointing to the several large boxes he had just brought back.
"This is the money we earned in the past two days, which we used to buy pizza, hot dogs, a can of beer, and a Coke."
"Of course, I mainly buy things on sale or near their expiration date; otherwise, I couldn't afford them," Riley added with a smile.
"But at least it's all fresh and hot food, which is better than the food at the welfare center."
"To celebrate Simon joining..."
Before Riley could finish speaking, she saw Chris emerge from the tent: "Oh, Chris, get some rest. We'll save your favorite pizza for you..."
But Riley quickly noticed the difference in Chris: "Hey man, you look much better than last night. Is it just my imagination?"
Chris smiled and said to the curious crowd, "No, I am indeed much better."
He hesitated for a moment between beer and cola, then finally picked up the cola and snapped open the tab.
As the bubbles hissed out, Chris held up the jar and gestured to Simon Lin:
"Respect Simon—without the medicine he brought, I'm still coughing my heart out in the tent."