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"You should be familiar with them, the most influential Chinese here."
"I have a very good friendship with them, and from now on, we are all good friends," Lawrent introduced his friends to Zhu Wencong.
Zhu Wencong gazed at the elderly men before him, Su Jingmin, Yang Wanxiong, and Wang Bideng, representing Su merchants, Zhe merchants, and Min merchants, respectively.
The Qing Dynasty was the most merchant-friendly dynasty; merchants just needed to settle things with local officials, and then they could do whatever business they wanted.
Following England's forceful opening of the market, domestic businessmen also gradually went overseas to do business.
Many White people were also willing to work for Chinese businessmen; first, because the pay was better, and second, because the work was simpler.
"Where is your hometown?" Wang Bideng asked directly.
"Quanzhou Prefecture!" Zhu Wencong replied, knowing that as soon as he spoke, they would recognize his accent and know where he was from.
"Fellow countryman! I'm from Quanzhou Prefecture too! Old Yang is from Qiantang, and Old Su is from Songjiang," Wang Bideng said as if he was well acquainted.
Zhu Wencong felt a rush of excitement, as encountering someone from his hometown in a foreign land was a rare occurrence.
"You two chat then! I'll go and meet some other friends!" Lawrent said his farewells, to him, the Chinese businessmen were nothing more than leeks ready for harvesting.
Lawrent managed the leeks in America, while Zhu Wencong would manage the leeks of the East, their roles were clear.
Zhu Wencong didn't actually want to harvest these leeks, but in those times, how many wealthy businessmen had clean fortunes?
Honest people could only engage in small businesses to scrape by; to make a fortune, one inevitably had to be dishonest.
The rules were tailor-made for ordinary people; to change one's status, one had to break the existing rules.
"A genius has emerged from our hometown, how have I never heard of you before? Hahahaha!" Wang Bideng inquired about Zhu Wencong's background.
"Perhaps I'm a bit closer to foreigners, so I haven't integrated into the Chinese circle.
I initially worked at the mint, and later rose to prominence thanks to the appreciation of my boss, James.
That Japanese man's family has connections to mine, so when he came to San Francisco, he looked for me first.
He wants to leverage America's financial markets, and hopes our uncles and aunts don't miss this opportunity," Zhu Wencong explained.
Wang Bideng and the others pondered. In principle, they knew more or less every Chinese who came to San Francisco.
Unless it was an inconspicuous laborer, first mining for gold, then working in various factories as laborers.
Talented Chinese usually presented themselves at the Chinese Chamber of Commerce seeking a job to escape slave status.
Zhu Wencong never reported his arrival; perhaps he had gained the recognition of foreigners through his own talents.
"What's your father's name? I might really know him!
Quanzhou Prefecture is not that large; I keep a record of all the talents that emerge in my mind," Wang Bideng pointed to his head.
Zhu Wencong's memories unfolded; indeed, he was from Quanzhou, and his father, Zhu Fuming, had been a local wealthy businessman.
When Heavenly King Hong called to arms, the world responded. Zhu Fuming promptly renamed himself Zhu Yiming and followed the White Lotus Sect in their rebellion against the Qing Dynasty.
The White Lotus Sect rascals were only after Zhu Fuming's wealth, so they turned him over to the Government Office.
The then-young Zhu Wencong witnessed his father's execution and the downfall of his family, before roaming the streets, making the world his home.
To survive, Zhu Wencong always did odd jobs at the docks, until he was spotted by a human trafficker and sold off.
At that time, Zhu Wencong was keen to sail to America, after all, food and accommodation were provided on the ship, and once landed, there was the opportunity to mine for gold and get rich.
"I remember now! There was indeed a group from the White Lotus Sect who started a rebellion, but it was quickly suppressed by the government troops.
Your father claimed to be a descendent of the King of Jingjiang, the 24th generation heir, and you are the 25th generation heir, Zhu Congwen.
To be honest, I supported your father back then, but unfortunately, those White Lotus Sect scoundrels betrayed your father."
Ah, it wasn't until later that I learned, those rebels were simply finding ways to make money, none of them were truly for the country or the common people," Wang Bideng sighed heavily.
"I am a descendant of the King of Jingjiang? The 25th generation?" At this moment, Zhu Wencong was quite bewildered, suddenly realizing that his name spelled backward... Cong and Congwen sound the same!
Wang Bideng nodded, Zhu Yiming's survival was doubtful, but his son, Zhu Congwen, could be managed.
Although they couldn't protect Zhu Congwen openly, they could still do so in secret, such as taking care of his food and lodging.
Zhu Wencong then remembered, as a child, an old man at the docks who took extra care of him, it seemed they had arranged it all along.
They just hadn't expected their rebellious younger self to sneak onto a ship heading to America.
"Ajiu! Look, who's this!" Su Jingmin called out to the young girl behind him.
Zhu Wencong stole a glance and found her somewhat familiar, but something didn't quite feel right.
These old men must have been very close to his own, so they certainly had a part in the rebellion.
"Darn it! My cheap foster father was a scapegoat!" Zhu Wencong had an epiphany; no wonder they silently looked after him, they must have felt guilty.
With rebellion comes great risk but equally great rewards; businessmen typically won't start their day without the promise of profit.
Hong Xiuquan could succeed, so naturally, everyone else would vie to rebel, unlikely to end up worse off than Hong Xiuquan.
The girl by Su Jingmin's side was named Su Yanqiao, and Zhu Wencong often visited their house for food when he was young, where he also got to know her.
In ancient times, daughters of large households would never leave their homes, living their lives confined to their boudoirs year-round.
Zhu Wencong, to improve his meals, often climbed over the wall to her room. She didn't like rich dishes, but Zhu Wencong did!
By simply talking about the outside world, Su Yanqiao would give him her snacks and meals.
"Wenge!" Su Yanqiao spoke softly.
"Jiumei, you've grown so much after three years!" Zhu Wencong showed a brilliant smile, taking Su Yanqiao on a tour of Lawrent's castle.
Those three old men clearly came prepared, deliberately dragging Zhu Wencong into their schemes to trick Americans out of their money.
Private parties generally don't include children, but of course, the host wouldn't refuse them; otherwise, it would seem ungentlemanly.
Zhu Wencong wasn't in a position to harvest any "leeks" now and could only target Americans; he had to double down on this opportunity.
It's better to rely on one's own people than the power of outsiders, at least Zhu Wencong had a slight familial connection with them.
"Why do you look so preoccupied?" Su Yanqiao looked up at Zhu Wencong.
"Tonight, I've been schemed against twice!
Why is everyone from this era so cunning? They're not easy to fool at all, it's so painful!" Zhu Wencong felt intellectually insufficient.
"My father says, 'Those not of our kin, are sure to have a different mind,' so you can trust your family.
I'm not my father's messenger, but I believe in your judgment, brother. You've always been smart!" Su Yanqiao responded in English.
Zhu Wencong found the young lady as clever as ever, her knowledge of a foreign language naturally meant she could follow her father to America.
It was probably his own vivid descriptions of the outside world that had inspired Su Yanqiao to learn.
"Did you decide to follow because you heard I was going to America?" Zhu Wencong suddenly asked.
Su Yanqiao looked down, her face flush, "I remember that year, you told me America is a place full of dreams.
There's a huge gold mine waiting for you to dig, and just one year's time, you could return home in a blaze of glory."
Zhu Wencong scratched his head, realizing he had been too naive back then, thinking too highly of others.
Only by leaving one's comfort zone can one understand the treacheries of society and the difficulties of life.
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