Chapter 8: Buying
Balance: 324$
"Wow, I didn't know it was actually this big," Jeff exclaimed in his mind, overwhelmed by the amount.
Just imagine working non-stop for over three hours. A normal person, for example, might only earn around twenty to thirty dollars in that same amount of time, or even less.
But Jeff was different. The reason he earned so much was simple.
It's because of the OP skill, with it he could finish one project in just 5 to 10 minutes. And on top of that, some clients even sent him tips out of pure satisfaction.
He had already lost count of how many works he had finished. His hands trembled since this is the first time he made his own money.
Then he tapped the "Convert to PHP" button, his breath was very much haggard.
Balance: ₱17,658.00
"Seventeen thousand in a span of three hours, this felt like hacking," Jeff muttered with a broken smile.
When Jeff checked again the conversion rate from PayPal to pesos, his eyes blurred. The numbers felt unreal.
Kids his age were dropping out of school to work ten-hour shifts for a fraction of what he had just earned. Even adults, full-time workers grinding under the heat of the sun, often took home less than this after an entire week.
He was only sixteen, and seeing this amount of cash in his account made it feel like a dream.
He then transferred the money to his bank card, choosing the option that allowed instant transfer.
It charged a one percent fee based on the total amount sent, but he didn't hesitate. With that he simply clicked confirm.
[Money was successfully transferred]
A moment later, his phone vibrated with a notification. The balance showed ₱17,481.42. Is the total after the fee.
With this, he could finally buy what he had been wanting.
Lying down on the bed, he couldn't help but feel like everything was still a dream.
It felt like a dream, it was so illusory that if he wasn't careful, he might wake up and return to his ordinary, mundane life.
But after lightly slapping himself, he didn't wake up. This was real.
He stood up from the bed and walked toward his closet. Inside were only a few sets of clothes. Since he was never the type to spend unnecessarily.
He didn't buy new clothes unless it was absolutely needed. For him, money was something to be saved and used with care.
Because of that, he often wore the same outfits, even if they are repeated.
But Jeff wasn't embarrassed by it. On days without class, he hardly went outside. He was introverted by nature, someone who preferred peace and solitude.
He loved being alone, and with no one around to judge his clothings, so he didn't mind this.
With that in mind, he went to take another bath.
He then wore a Levi's t-shirt paired with black pants. Stepping outside and locking the door behind him, he walked down the stairs and noticed that Rose was nowhere to be seen.
The downstairs area served as the living room, while the rooms were upstairs. It felt more like a house than a typical apartment.
Leaving the apartment, he made his way back to the mall. Once inside, he headed straight for the clothing section.
After browsing through the racks, Jeff picked out four Oxgn t-shirts. He chose black, white, navy, and maroon.
Because it looks simple, with clean colors that looked comfortable and easy to wear.
He added three pairs of pants, each from different brands, plus three pairs of shorts perfect for everyday wear. All different cuts, all different colors.
He also picked up a pair of shoes, one for style and another for school use.
His school shoes were already badly worn, and the only other pair he had was a single Nike shoe he used when going out.
When he reached the counter, the cashier began scanning each item one by one, the soft beep of the scanner echoing with each pass.
Total: ₱10,390
Jeff handed his card to the cashier, who glanced at him with a curious look. The total amount was quite large for someone his age, so she treated him with extra respect.
Once the payment was completed, the cashier thanked him politely for shopping at their store.
Afterward, Jeff stopped by a nearby stall to buy milk tea, feeling a bit thirsty. Once he had his fill, he made his way to the grocery section.
There, he picked up a lot of essentials like eggs, canned goods, and breads.
Jeff didn't know how to cook much. And eggs were the only thing he could manage, so he focused on food that required little to no preparation.
Canned goods, snacks, and bread became his go-to choices.
He then hailed a tricycle, as their town wasn't grand or crowded enough to have taxis like in the city.
After about ten minutes, he finally arrived back home. Before getting off, he tipped the driver a hundred pesos.
When he entered, Rose was lounging on the couch, her feet resting on the table as she watched TV. Reclining her head back, she looked over and was momentarily in awe.
She stood up and walked toward him, ready to help, but Jeff politely declined.
He had it under control, his left hand carried the clothes, which weighed over seven kilograms, and his right hand held the groceries, weighing around eleven kilograms.
So it's not heavy for a young man filled with vitality.
"Don't you need help? That's a lot of groceries you got their young man," Rose said to him.
This was the first time in five months, since Jeff started living here, that Rose saw him actually bring home groceries.
"Don't worry, Aunt. I can handle it," Jeff said with a smile as he paused and uttered, "Oh yeah..."
Jeff placed the bags down on the floor and rummaged through the groceries. He pulled something out, it is a bottle of Mogu Mogu.
It was his Aunt's favorite drink, something she always enjoyed because of its taste.
"I didn't know you were actually this thoughtful," Rose said, smiling warmly as she took the drink from him.
Jeff just chuckled. "I'll go up now, Aunt. I still have to do some cleaning."
Rose offered to help again, but Jeff insisted that he could manage it on his own. With that, he headed upstairs and returned to his room.
He placed the eggs and other groceries inside the small refrigerator. It wasn't old, since it had been bought by his mother's allowance five months ago, when he first moved into this apartment.
Next, he hung the newly bought clothes neatly in the closet, and placed the shoebox near the wall.
When everything was sorted, the clock showed that it was 5 PM. It was time to prepare dinner. He cooked a simple meal of rice and eggs, the only dish he knows how to cook.
Once it was ready, he sat down and ate, knowing he needed the energy for what he was about to work on.
After washing the dishes, he returned to his room and sat down to begin. Since he still had enough money left, there was no urgent need to do freelancing right now.
With his laptop fully charged, and his mind focused, Jeff decided to start a project he had always dreamed of.
Something that, if done right, it could take humanity a step further in development.