Franchise God - Chapter 1634



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Franchise God Episode 1634

349. Divorce is a mess (3)

Jim, an ordinary state government employee in his 40s, left work with a heavy heart today.

“Let’s eat dinner.”

The table where the family of four sat together was extremely shabby.

Soups and salads made with cornmeal.

A few slices of bread.

Who would have thought that such a miserable diet would be served for dinner in the homes of American government employees?

How did America end up like this?

“Mom, when do we eat meat?”

“Hey! Do you want to eat meat made from insects?”

When the little son started whining, the older daughter immediately glared and said something.

Jim took a deep breath and picked up his spoon and fork.

“Where can I get this in this famine?

“Let us eat with a grateful heart.”

Meat has disappeared from American dinner tables.

Corn soup and vegetables, some bread.

This simple arrangement has now become a part of the national diet.

Of course, you can add meat.

If you go to a Fruit Mart store, you can buy plenty of fresh meat at a reasonable price, although it may be a bit expensive.

However, about 100 million Americans would never eat insect meat, even if it was just for soup.

That doesn’t mean it was impossible to obtain beef and pork.

Fruit Mart stores also had a regular meat section. They even had enough stock so you wouldn’t have to wait in line.

The reason is because of the extremely expensive price.

But despite the high price, regular meat sold at a reasonable rate, meaning there were people who bought it for that price.

The price difference between Tiny Meat and regular meat was anywhere from 10 to at least 20 times.

This is why most households could not even dream of eating regular meat.

“I can’t live on just this.”

“I can’t work properly because I’m hungry because I can’t eat properly.”

“Shouldn’t civil servants be guaranteed at least a minimum livelihood?”

“I don’t ask for much! Just let me eat canned beef once a day! I don’t even ask for fresh meat!”

Anger reached a boiling point, and public servants launched a massive strike.

“Let me eat canned beef once a day!”

“We are not cows! We cannot survive on vegetables alone!”

“One meal a day! Canned beef! No need for fresh meat!”

Canned beef was cheaper than fresh meat.

However, in order for low-paid civil servants to eat canned beef with their families every day, they had to spend more than 70% of their monthly salary just on buying canned beef.

In response, civil servants demanded the bare minimum of welfare, asking for a one-third cut in their salaries, in exchange for being able to eat canned beef with their families every day.

Quite a few people did not welcome these protests.

“If there’s no beef, why don’t we just eat tiny meat? We’re eating so well, so why are they acting like that?”

“Because I’m full, because I’m full. Kids these days really don’t have any grit.”

“Who knew that insects were good for eating from the beginning? We all used mind control and put in effort.”

“Honestly, these days, kids don’t put in any effort, they just don’t put in any effort.”

Of course, there were many who sympathized with the civil servants’ strike.

“I can’t help but eat Tiny Meat, and although it tastes good, there are times when I still want to eat regular meat.”

“Honestly, Tiny Meat is delicious, but it’s just a hamburger steak.”

Since Tiny Meat is made by finely grinding insects, the meat ends up in the shape of hamburger steaks.

It’s completely different from a real steak with the tendons, marbling, and meaty texture still intact.

Although there are products that try to replicate the meat quality of sirloin as closely as possible, they still fall short of the quality of traditional meat steak.

“Canned beef is also preserved for a long time, so the meat quality is different from that of regular steak… … ”

“But it has a different taste from Tiny Meat, which is in the shape of a hamburger steak.”

“My kid won’t even touch Tiny Meat after he found out it’s insect meat. I have no choice but to buy canned beef and feed it to him, but he comes over every time I cook to see if I open the canned beef or not.”

“Tiny Meat is so affordable, why don’t you just give up everything and come here like me? If you give up, everything will be easier?”

“During the Great Depression, we used to eat meatloaf made by mixing meat and breadcrumbs, but now… … These days, people are so blessed that they just talk nonsense.”

The federal government took a hard line against the strike.

It was not the President’s will, but the Congress’s.

Vincent signed the order with the mindset that he would shoulder everything himself, since he was the one being cursed on behalf of the council anyway.

The state government also responded harshly to strikes and protests by public servants.

A capitalist country that already disdained welfare could not provide canned food to so many civil servants with government budget.

There was considerable bloodshed during the suppression of the protests, and eventually the officials gave up and returned to the scene.

Fresh meat was only available to the wealthiest 10%.

Only the wealthiest 1% could eat as much as they wanted without any restrictions, as before.

90% of Americans either endured the Arduous March in agony or found solace in eating Tiny Meat.

Although the swimming group has completely withdrawn from American soil, American citizens have not been banned from coming to Korea.

This is because Korea did not break off diplomatic relations with the United States. Also, the tripartite alliance between China, South Korea, the United States, and the United States was still alive.

Americans still had access to hair loss treatment services.

Of course, dollars are no longer used. To receive hair loss treatment services, you had to bring Euros or gold.

“20% discount when paying with real money!”

Since a 20% discount is usually not a huge profit, American hair loss patients tried to pay with as much gold as possible.

Americans’ use of food and beverage packages has also skyrocketed.

‘Rather than buying expensive and tasteless canned food, it’s better to save up that money and go on a food tour package.’

‘It’s much more profitable to save money and visit London once or twice a month.’

Americans, accustomed to flying, began to favor Cheongsu-ter (London).

American airlines responded quickly.

The number of stopovers in London on European flights has increased.

Most European air routes now have a mandatory stop in London.

Americans with tight pockets would stop by London, stay for a night or two to satisfy their cravings, and then return to the United States.

Most of them were rational Americans who did not dislike sewerage.

Again, the swimming group withdrew from American soil, but that did not stop Americans from coming and spending money.

Anything but dollars is fine.

* * *

Retired senators and representatives who signed the American Treaty visited Cheongdam-dong.

Ha Soo-young did not treat them rudely, but welcomed them with a smile.

They are one of the few Americans who do not refuse to talk.

“The hardliners in Congress have incited China and Russia to start a war. Although the two countries are still hesitating, the instigation of war has already been established.”

“We are not here to ask you to make unreasonable demands. We just want to let you know that not all Americans are on board with this foolish decision.”

“I know. It’s because the legislature is controlled by people who pursue irresponsible pleasures. But in a democracy, isn’t solidarity responsibility an unavoidable fate for voters?”

Ha Soo-young shrugged.

“I have withdrawn completely from the U.S. market and have no intention of taking on any responsibility beyond not pursuing a partnership with the United States.”

“What is the status of your relationship with the American company you previously interacted with?”

The supply of ingredients to Nanofood and Fruit Mart has also been completely halted.

The politicians who came here were most concerned about that point.

“I told the two companies to arrange for ships to be sent to Korea. They must be recruiting cargo ships to form a food transportation network right now. They need to transport regularly.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. We can’t transport them on our farm ship, because they might be detained if they enter a US port. In any case, it’s a complete withdrawal.”

We had already discussed this with Nanofoods and Fruit Mart before we withdrew.

“The same goes for the feed that the Calon Group imports. They will bring it here by ship. I don’t know if we will be able to secure enough ships, but anyway, we are now out of the United States.”

A former congressman in his 60s asked cautiously.

“What will happen to semiconductor foundries in the future?”

Those words really tightened the atmosphere.

Rohan will be fully capable of delivering semiconductor designs that outperform its competitors.

However, Seojin Foundry focused only on production so as not to compete with customers.

Now that they have completely withdrawn from the US, there is no problem in entering the semiconductor design business. US semiconductor companies can only feel heartbroken and cannot blame Seojin Foundry.

It started in America.

“Now we have to do design and production ourselves. We have to change our name. From Seojin Foundry to Seojin Semiconductor.”

” ….! ”

“Oh, but you don’t have to worry about the existing foundry partnerships being terminated. We are just planning to prepare for the US government’s restraints from now on, but we are not severing ties with existing customers. However, we will no longer accept dollars.”

“… … This is at least a story that gives the United States something to breathe a sigh of relief about.”

“I came here expecting the worst, but I feel a little better now.”

The lawmakers also talked a lot about their future relationship with Ha Soo-young.

They clearly confirmed the basic principles established by Ha Su-yeong.

‘The Federation of Koreas is not making any effort to improve relations with the United States, and the United States does not need to exert any effort. Since they have already incited war, they will not change their minds even with a little sincerity.’

“Now that you’re retired, why do you work so hard? People don’t even notice that you’re doing this. They just point fingers at you and ask why you’re being so stubborn.”

“… … I know. But I can’t just sit by and watch my country fall into the mud.”

“What happens to the weapon I decided to purchase?”

“If the federal government doesn’t ban exports, we’ll buy them as per the contract. So we’ve got a nice trillion dollars left in California after all that calculation.”

* * *

The swimming group withdrew completely, and the United States was left reeling for a while.

But the United States demonstrated the power of Pax Americana, the strongest power.

They have successfully overcome the aftermath of the swimming group leaving and have found their center.

A fusion plant fire shut down California’s power grid, but the state has safely restored its power. There have been no more blackouts.

Of course, there was a dark side to this, with many robot-related factories shutting down, reducing electricity demand, and carbon-spewing power plants being rushed to full capacity.

On the surface, America appeared to be back to normal.

The statistical agency reported that the number of people who rejected tiny meats, which numbered 100 million, has decreased to 50 million.

It seemed as if peace had finally come to the American home.

Until news broke that a high school student, outraged that insect meat was served in school lunches, went on a shooting rampage at his school with an automatic rifle.