New York, America's largest city, became even more prosperous after the war. Beginning in 1865, the American economy entered a period of recovery-driven growth, and everyone's lives seemed to improve overnight.
Of course, that was only an illusion. Happiness came from comparison; compared with wartime, life had indeed improved greatly.
America was rich in resources, but the war had caused a massive loss of population, with young and able-bodied adults suffering the greatest losses.
Driven by supply and demand, capitalists had no choice but to bring in cheap Black laborers while raising wages and benefits to retain their original workers.
Rising incomes eased social tensions. It was the weekend, and Tom had asked his girlfriend Elena out for the day.
"Tom, have you noticed how much cheaper things have become lately? There was a dress I liked last month, and its price has actually dropped by more than half."
Tom said miserably, "Sorry, darling. We've already spent this month's budget. How about waiting until we get paid next week?"
Influenced by American culture, young people had no habit of saving money. As one of the moonlight clan, Tom only cared about prices during the half month after payday.
Other than money left for living expenses, his wages could support him for at most half a month. That was only because he had a decent job—as a proud employee of a securities company, he could barely count himself among the middle class.
New York was both heaven and hell.
It was only suitable for the rich. The poor were better off staying indoors. Otherwise, the more they saw, the harder life became.
For Franklin's sake, Elena nodded. It couldn't be helped—if they did not carefully budget with their limited income, they would not survive in New York.
Not the best, only