老年队
“我老了，”克利夫宣布。“我看你就是个小屁孩。”
他眼睁睁地瞪着我，假装忘记了我已年过四张。然后他就大笑起来。
当然，他完全有资格这么怼我。他和他的老伙计们，布鲁斯和理查德，三个都71了，跟我爹妈一个年纪。这里我说老伙计，不是说门球队友或者桥牌搭档。我们四个组的队，是搬砖队。
具体来说，我们搬家具。各式各样----沙发，餐桌，梳妆台（旧式的是真特么沉啊），五斗橱。有时候在平地上移动家具们，比如在人行道上，我们会借助一个小四轮平板车（dolly）。不过大多数时候，我们需要把家具们从地下室搬到地面层，从屋子里搬到卡车后厢，这时候唯一能依靠的就是一把子力气。通常情况下，一个上午我们要搬六次----三次从房子到卡车里，三次从卡车到家具店。或者相反。
那是2017年年初的一个周一早上，我第一次遇见这三位老伙计。我在学校里选了一门英文课，上课内容就是做志愿者。是的，三位老头子都是志愿者。我从来没想过英语课还可以这么上，所以选课时在看见的一瞬间就注册了。可是见到这三位搭档的那一刻，我不禁有点怀疑人生。
当然，你们都能猜到，我肯定被啪啪打脸了。
利润
一间二手家具店能有多少利润？
作为业余半瓶醋经济学爱好者，我对这个问题很感兴趣。老头子们带我到店里，说，你先熟悉熟悉，随便看。我就跟个刚出道的小贼一样，鬼鬼祟祟地开始看价签了。除了前面我提到的沙发餐桌梳妆台（带大镜子）五斗橱，还有书架，衣柜，壁挂画，等等等等。没看见床和床垫，估计不卖此类物品。价格从15刀到1500刀不等，大多数是两三百刀。
以我自己有限几次从别人家里买二手家具的经验，这价格贵，相当贵，非常贵。我很怀疑这店能有多少利润----如果它真的能卖出去任何东西的话。
然而，我又被啪啪打脸了。墙上贴着一张醒目的表格，那么大一张，你简直不可能忽视它。数据显示，NOVA（本地一个慈善机构）旗下的三家二手家具店（包括这一家）和一个小书店，每年为慈善事业获款50万刀。这家15分钟我就逛完的二手店，每个月收入是15000刀到20000刀。
成本是很低的，只有场租和电费。所有店员都是志愿者，所有家具都是捐的。
利润，全部被慈善机构用来帮助本地居民，主要是帮助老年人。带他们去购物逛街。送他们去社区中心玩bingo。上门陪聊天帮做饭。打电话聊天。送餐上门。组织活动。等等。
“不错。”我对自己说。
===英文版分割线，不尽相同，非逐字逐句翻译===
英文版肯定有错和不地道的地方。敬请斧正。多谢。
@风雪夜
An aged team
“I am old,” Cliff always said. “And you’re a baby.” He said it with his bright eyes staring at me, pretending he has forgotten that I am actually forty years old, and then he began to laugh.
He has all the right to say so. He is seventy-one, the same age as our other two partners, Bruce and Richard. He is also the same age as my parents. Nevertheless, when I am saying ‘partner’, I do not mean the partners in a Gate ball team or a Bridge game team. We are in a team moving heavy staffs. Specifically, we move and delivery furniture – all kinds of it: sofas, tables, dressers (many are old style and extremely heavy), china cabinets, etc. Sometimes when we move them on a flat surface such as sidewalk, we use a four wheel dolly. However, in most time, when we move the furniture between the house and the truck, or from the basement to the ground, the only thing we can rely is our muscles. In a typical morning, we will do the moving job for six times – three from the house to the truck, three from the truck to the furniture shop. Or vice versa.
This is Monday XXX, 2017, the first day I met my three aged partners. The reason I am being here is that I registered an English class in College XXX, VOLUNTEERING: Community and Communication. Yes, Bruce, Cliff and Richard do the work voluntarily. I have never thought an English course can be taught like this, but here I am, readying to work with the team for fifteen Mondays. At first glance, I certainly doubted how this aged team can move any heavy staffs. However, in the days afterwards, they proved that I was totally wrong.
The Profit
How much profit can a second-hand furniture shop make? Since I am a former amateur economist, I am interesting in the question. When I took the tour in the shop, I studied all the price tags. There are sofas, dinner tables and chairs, dressers with mirror, bookshelves, cabinets, and paintings, etc. The price varies from $15 to $1500, but most of them are two or three hundreds. I did not see beds or mattress so I supposed that the shop does not deal this kind of stuff. I have bought several second-hand furniture from other people’s house before. In my opinion, most of the furniture in the shop does not worth the price on its tag. Therefore, after I wandered around the whole place in fifteen minutes, I was wondering how much profit it can make – I mean, if it can make any.
After a while, the reality hit me in my face. I found a schedule on the wall which is so obviously that cannot be ignored. The graph on it announces that every two years the three furniture shops and a book shop belong to NOVA can collect one million dollars for the charities. The shop I work for, can get an income of $15,000 to $20,000 per month. The cost is low, which only includes the rent of the place and electronic fees. All the employees are volunteers and all the furniture is donated, which also help to keep the cost in a low level.
These profits are used to help those people need help in the area. I think the donators and the volunteers are great people and I am very happy to be a part of the work.
