2 Time Traveler Josh

After leaving the door, Josh walked cautiously for two blocks and confirmed that no one had noticed him before he finally breathed a sigh of relief and walked into a decent restaurant on the side of the road.

It had been a week since he traveled through time, and the best thing he had eaten was just a hamburger. Now that he finally had some money, he naturally had to have a good meal.

Yes, Josh did not doubt that he was a time traveler.

Initially, he was just a tiny white-collar worker in a third-tier city in China in the 21st century. But after drinking with a friend who had just broken up with his girlfriend, he woke up in Chicago in 1943 and became a 15-year-old boy wandering the streets.

Heaven pitied him. In his previous life, although he was not from a wealthy family, he was still a young middle-class man with a car and a house, living a reasonably comfortable life in his early thirties. Although he often read online novels, he never thought of time travel.

His drinking buddy had failed in his entrepreneurial venture and had been dumped by his girlfriend of eight years, leading a failed life. Wasn't he the model for time travelers? Or did God make a mistake when choosing people?

Now, Josh found himself in Chicago in 1943, living in the Starting Point Orphanage, where he had eaten one meal but had no guarantee of the next.

The only benefit was that he had become 15 years old, gaining over ten years of life. But this life wasn't easy, as it was hard to say how long he could survive in this era.

Furthermore, some good news is that the original identity was not always an orphan. The parents passed away due to an accident in less than half a year, and they were legitimate American citizens, not illegal immigrants.

In addition, although his deceased parents did not leave him much property, they left him with a small apartment, at least giving him a place to sleep.

When he entered the restaurant, Josh did not order anything particularly extravagant. He ordered a large American beef patty, a serving of fries, a portion of cheesy macaroni, a salad, and a large cup of Coca-Cola.

It was a standard American blue-collar meal with plenty of food. As for the taste, it was just okay.

However, Josh was surprised that the Coca-Cola of this era tasted more potent than the Coca-Cola of the future. Since he was still growing, he quickly finished the meal.

After finishing the meal and paying, he spent seventy-five cents. Was it cheap? It was not cheap. According to the official gold exchange rate, this cost was equivalent to more than thirty dollars in the early 21st century.

During the economic crisis a few years ago, such a meal would not have cost more than fifty cents. The high price was because of the war, which caused a shortage of supplies.

Indeed, even though the United States had not experienced the war, prices began to rise in 1941, and from May 1942, the country started a rationing system.

Everyone received a ration book, which allowed them to purchase 48 blue and 64 red tokens made of plastic each month. Blue tokens were used to buy processed foods such as canned or bottled goods, while red tickets were used to purchase meat, fish, and dairy products.

Ordinary people could only buy goods according to the rationed amount, while stores and restaurants received larger quotas. All remaining supplies were sent to the front lines.

At the front lines, the rationed supplies of an ordinary soldier were three to four times that of a regular civilian.

It can be said that everything was prioritized for the war effort.

This rationing system was not expected to end until the second half of 1944 when the production of various goods in the United States peaked and became surplus. Of course, just like the private liquor business during the prohibition era, if you were willing to spend money, you could buy more goods.

After finishing a meal, Josh left the restaurant and relaxed as he walked down the street, ensuring no one was paying attention to him before calling a taxi. Don't be surprised; taxis were available in both Shanghai and Chicago during this time, not to mention in the United States.

He gave the driver an address and soon arrived at a used car dealership. As the world's leading industrial nation then, the United States had an extremely high number of cars, reaching 25% in 1937, or one car for every four Americans on average, with the majority concentrated in major cities like Chicago.

However, due to the country's entry into World War II, civilian car production was temporarily banned, and companies focused on producing military vehicles. As a result, new cars were difficult to come by and were subject to rationing, with only certain occupations like doctors and priests receiving quotas. Gasoline and tires were also subject to rationing.

Despite basic traffic regulations already being in place for some time, they were not as strict as today. Therefore, even though Josh was a bit younger than the legal driving age, he could obtain a driver's license with some extra money. He didn't need a new car, just a used one to make things easier in Chicago.

And with money, everything was possible, even with rationing. Eventually, Josh bought a good-condition used Ford for $200, nearly half what he had.

Driving the manual transmission car took some time, but with more specific traffic regulations, Josh could navigate the roads without any issues. He soon arrived at a gun store in a remote location.

Inside the store, Josh saw a variety of firearms. Although not as advanced as modern weapons, there were still light automatic weapons like the Thompson submachine gun, the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, and the Colt automatic pistol. However, they were too expensive for Josh.

His target was an old rifle from World War I, the M1917, which was cheaper due to its simple structure and large surplus stock. He bought four of them, along with an M1911 pistol for self-defence.

The store owner, a chubby man, didn't question Josh's purchase of four rifles at once. He had seen worse during the Great Depression. As long as he paid, it was none of his business what he did with the guns.