Following the movement of pushing up his glasses, he cautiously glanced at Alice: "Are you from Aunt Sarah's house?"
"Alice, Alice Mason." Alice stretched out her hand generously, "Just moved in, we'll be neighbors from now on."
"Oh, I'm Peter, Peter Parker."
Peter wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants before daring to gently shake Alice's fingertips, then quickly retracted his hand as if he had been electrocuted.
"I know you, I mean, I heard Aunt Mei say that Aunt Sarah had a niece coming. Welcome to Queens, although it's, uh, a bit messy here."
"Actually, it's not too bad." Alice shrugged.
"Um, if you need any help, like getting familiar with the area, or, uh, moving things or something." Peter gathered his courage and pointed to his thin arms, "I live right next door."
"Thank you, Peter." Alice nodded with a smile, "I do need to go buy some cheap food right now, do you know where is the most affordable place around here?"
"Turn left at the street corner ahead, Old Joe's Grocery Store." Peter answered immediately, as if reciting a list of treasures, "The bread nearing its expiration date there is 70% off, and it tastes pretty good. If you go early, you can also grab the discounted sandwiches left over from last night."
Every word and sentence was the survival wisdom of the poor.
"Thanks, professional advice." Alice raised an eyebrow.
"You're welcome, oh my god, the school bus, I'm going to miss it." Peter glanced at his watch and suddenly cried out, "Goodbye, Alice, nice to meet you."
Watching that figure with the big backpack messy in the wind, Alice finally couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"It's really hard to imagine that this guy will be the hero who saves New York in the future."
On the streets of Forest Hills, the morning bustle had already begun.
In this community filled with various immigrants, workers, and bottom-tier vendors, Alice's unremarkable attire blended perfectly into the background.
Passing by an abandoned newsstand, Alice discovered a silver coin lying quietly beside a gap in the roadside gutter.
It was a 25-cent coin.
Alice looked left and right, confirming no one was paying attention to her.
She squatted down and picked up the coin.
At the moment her fingertips touched the cold metallic texture of the coin, she silently chanted in her heart.
"System, recharge."
Without any delay, the coin stained with dirt disappeared into thin air in her hand, as if performing magic.
Immediately after, a pleasant prompt sounded in her mind.
"Beep! Recharge successful."
"Obtained points: 0.25."
It was a bit small, but even a mosquito's leg is meat.
Alice brushed the dust off her hands, shoved them into her pockets, and turned to walk towards the grocery store Peter had pointed out.
The prices in Queens were indeed much more consumer-friendly than in Manhattan, but for Alice, who only had 40 dollars in her hand, every purchase needed to be calculated down to the cent.
Old Joe's Grocery Store.
A few loafers were standing at the entrance.
One of the bald men saw her and whistled: "Hey, babe, new here?"
Alice ignored him and walked straight inside.
Standing in front of the shelves, she held a bag of whole wheat sliced bread, her brows furrowed.
"Original price 2.5 dollars, and it still costs 1.2 dollars even with the nearing-expiration discount?"
She used to eat brioche flown in from France and drink Evian water.
But now, she was engaged in a psychological battle over a few dozen cents with the bald owner, Old Man Joe.
"Hey, girl, if you want to buy it, buy it; if not, don't block the way." Old Joe sat behind the cash register, holding half a cigar, and tapped the table impatiently.
"Boss, the seal on this bag of bread is a bit loose, and it's about to expire."
Alice turned around, a very sweet smile appearing on her face.
"0.8 dollars, and I'll take it. By the way, I'll also buy a bottle of milk and a carton of eggs."
Old Joe was stunned for a moment.
He had been running the shop on this street for thirty years and had seen countless middle-aged women bargaining, but this was the first time he had seen such a pretty young girl nagging him for a few cents.
When those blue eyes looked at you, it was as if refusing her would be committing some unforgivable sin.
"Fine, 0.8 it is." Old Joe muttered, "Why are young people these days even stingier than my grandmother?"
"Thanks, Uncle Joe."
Alice quickly checked out and hugged her spoils in her arms.
Bread, milk, eggs, and a bunch of wilted discounted vegetables.
Total cost: 8.5 dollars.
31.5 dollars remaining in her hand.
"The first proper meal is settled."
Alice walked out of the grocery store and took a deep breath of the cool air, which carried the smell of car exhaust.
Although she was poor, this sense of accomplishment from obtaining food through bargaining was surprisingly not bad.
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