Chapter 14: A Chance Encounter with a Physics Expert

In Chinatown in 1943, there were only Cantonese restaurants, after all, most of the residents there were from Guangdong.

Although Li Yian was really craving Sichuan cuisine, it would have to wait until the new century for it to become popular. Currently, in Chinatown, there were only Cantonese restaurants. However, the dishes served in these Cantonese restaurants at this time were very authentic, with not too many changes made to cater to foreigners.

The Cantonese-style roasted goose and barbecue pork were so appetizing that one couldn't help but indulge in the delicacies. Being able to successfully complete the deal on the day of arrival in the United States was definitely Zhu Yihai's skill. During the meal, Li Yian naturally expressed his gratitude.

"Mr. Li, I'm truly grateful for your help with my business. If there's anyone to thank, it's me!"

For Zhu Yihai, who hadn't opened for business for several days, the money he made today was almost equivalent to his income for the past two months. From Covell, he received a fifty-dollar brokerage fee, and another fifty dollars from Anastasia in Little Italy, making it a total of one hundred dollars!

This was equivalent to the monthly salary of an ordinary worker in America. In fact, the income of Americans wasn't high at the moment. Even the monthly salary of a U.S. soldier was only fifty dollars, which was enough to make many rednecks leave their hometowns and fight for the country.

Earning a hundred dollars in a day!

This already made Zhu Yihai very satisfied, but of course, it would be even better if he could continue like this.

"Mr. Zhu, do you mind sharing how much you earn each month now?"

For Li Yian, who intended to turn this business into a long-term venture, he needed someone to manage operations in the United States, not just someone sitting in Chinatown but operating as a company.

Originally, Li Yian didn't have anyone to handle business operations on this side, but Zhu Yihai's performance this time made him very satisfied. Perhaps Zhu Yihai wasn't particularly shrewd, but he was reliable, so Li Yian decided to give him a chance.

"Well..."

After some thought, Zhu Yihai said, "To be honest with you, as you know, it's not easy for us Chinese to find jobs abroad. During the Great Depression, white people would definitely hire white people first. After graduating from high school, I couldn't find a suitable job in Chinatown, so I had to do odd jobs everywhere. Originally, after the war broke out, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that various factories were hiring, to work in a factory. But because there were often sailors selling goods in Chinatown, I stayed here. This business has its ups and downs, but it's just about making a living..."

Facing the fact of irregular income, Zhu Yihai didn't conceal anything but chose to tell the truth.

"I plan to establish an import and export trading company in New York. How about working for me?"

"You plan to set up a company here?"

Zhu Yihai was surprised.

"Why are you so surprised? The business I plan to do is not just cigarettes. I will definitely do other businesses in the future. Setting up a company will be more convenient."

Entering a company?

Wouldn't that mean having a decent job wearing a suit and tie? Wasn't that the kind of job he had longed for?

"What would I be responsible for if I work for you? And what would my salary be?"

Although eager, the salary was still the most critical factor. No one would refuse a stable income, but whether this job was stable, only heaven knew.

"Your job is simple, just responsible for the daily operation of the company. You only need to purchase goods according to my requirements and then transport them to the warehouse for storage and management. Of course, this is an early-stage job. As the business expands, we will definitely need to hire new employees. As for the salary..."

Thinking about the job advertisement he saw in the newspaper, Li Yian said, "A monthly salary of eighty dollars. If performance is good, there will be additional bonuses."

After considering for a moment, Zhu Yihai nodded in agreement, saying, "Mr. Li, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely not let you down."

Although he knew that the conditions he offered were hard to refuse, Zhu Yihai's agreement still made Li Yian very happy. He needed someone to be responsible for purchasing and collecting market information on this side.

Especially the latter was more important; information was wealth!

Sometimes, things could be more complicated than imagined. The simplest way to register a company was to find a lawyer to handle it. That afternoon, Zhu Yihai went to nearby law firms one by one, but no lawyer was willing to take their case.

Because they were Chinese.

"Oh, it's much better now than it was ten years ago. When I was in high school more than ten years ago, even black people didn't want to sit with me. If worst comes to worst, we can find a black lawyer. They should be willing to take our case. It's just registering a company. If not, we can do it ourselves..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man approached their table. He said, "Gentlemen, sorry for the intrusion. My friend and I were dining next door and accidentally overheard your conversation. Do you need a lawyer?"

The young man smiled at them.

"If you don't mind, I can help you. I am a lawyer myself, licensed to practice in the entire United States and New York. If you're not averse to it, I can lend a hand."

The fate between people was quite peculiar.

Just when Li Yian couldn't find a lawyer, someone took the initiative to approach them, and surprisingly, he was also a fellow countryman.

Zhang Weilun's eyes also carried a hint of anticipation. It was well known that Chinese people didn't like, or even know how, to sue others, so they naturally didn't need a lawyer.

Encountering an opportunity that required a lawyer, Zhang Weilun certainly wouldn't miss it.

"It's you!"

Without hesitation, Li Yian said, "How much is the agency fee? According to the market price in New York, it's good to let our fellow countrymen earn some money!"

After saying that, he looked at the other person and invited, "Mr. Zhang, why don't you invite your friend to dine with us?"

"Well..."

Zhang Weilun looked at his friend, who didn't refuse, so he nodded in agreement. His friend, wearing black-framed glasses, looked gentle and polite. He walked to the table, and Zhang Weilun introduced, "This is my friend, Yuan Jialiu, currently working in the radio company's laboratory in the United States."

Yuan Jialiu!

In an instant, Li Yian was stunned. This person... was a heavyweight in the physics world! Both he and his wife were heavyweights in the physics world. His wife, Wu Jianxiong, almost won the Nobel Prize, but offended some heavyweights in the physics world due to her straightforward personality, thus missed the Nobel Prize.

...

With the help of the lawyer, things went smoothly, and all the necessary procedures were completed in just one day.

While they were busy renting offices and warehouses, Li Yian, accompanied by others, spent only five days to tour the entire New York City, thus gaining an understanding of the current market situation.

After running around for several days, Li Yian felt somewhat troubled.

"Things are not as simple as I thought..."

After a simple comparison of the controlled materials between the two countries, Li Yian had to face a fact — compared to the United States, resources in the UK were more scarce. There simply weren't many suitable items to transport.

As he pondered with his head in his hands, an advertisement in the newspaper caught his eye. At first, he didn't pay attention, but as he scanned the entire page, he was stunned. He hurriedly checked the ads on the table and then picked up several other newspapers, flipping through them frantically. Suddenly, he seemed to have discovered a new continent, and he exclaimed excitedly:

"I've got it..."