บท 23: 23 No Way
"Mexico?" Zhu Wencong muttered, somewhat guessing the grand business Lawrent was about to undertake.
Of course! Lawrent's ventures paled in comparison to the profits on the stock market; the former carried the risk of beheading, while the latter was legal and legitimate.
Lawrent stayed in America and whitewashed his past mainly because he didn't want to live his previous life, yet he could never quite suppress his own ambition.
To put it plainly, it was envy! A high-level worker earning tens of thousands of British pounds a month, anyone would be envious, jealous, and resentful.
Lawrent was very rich, but compared to the truly wealthy, he was like a street beggar.
Who doesn't wish to earn more money? The more wealth one has, the more secure they feel. Success in America is linked with wealth.
"How much do you reckon your estate is worth? In British pounds!" Zhu Wencong asked directly.
"Roughly... maybe... I estimate about 500,000 British pounds!
It's mainly that I have many fixed assets and too little liquid cash; I can come up with at most 100,000 pounds.
Some of the business funds will take a while to be unfrozen; I can put together 300,000 pounds within a month.
If I were to do like James and leverage everything, seven to eight hundred thousand pounds would be no problem," Lawrent calculated seriously.
"Then this opportunity has a capacity for tens of millions of British pounds, a gamble worth millions.
The capital game is all about zeros and ones; once all the procedures for the silver mine are perfected, there are several big capitals involved.
State banks, government offices, private banks, Japanese officials, and some wealthy individuals from the private sector.
I need a team of professionals, with certain experience in capital operations," Zhu Wencong laid out his conditions.
"Those professionals are the treasures of bankers; it's difficult to poach a few to come over.
Since you've mentioned it, I'll use my connections; I must build a strong base for you," Lawrent promised.
Zhu Wencong nodded eagerly; having a big boss like Lawrent on board meant he didn't have to worry about personnel or funds.
These days, poaching white elites to work for oneself is as difficult as ascending to heaven; they have stable jobs and incomes and won't give you the time of day.
Reliance on our own people means switching to becoming industrialists, as they lack the concept of finance and the guts for it.
Unless I arrived ten or twenty years later when the Manchu Qing began sending students to Europe and America, then the opportunity would arise.
"The office location can use my previous company's premises; I'll have my butler give you the address.
You should make good use of your Chinese worker friends; they are the most diligent people I have ever seen," Lawrent reminded.
"What do you need them for?" Zhu Wencong was somewhat puzzled, as Lawrent was not an industrialist.
Lawrent replied with a smile, "The state government is planning to push infrastructure projects hard and needs a group of industrialists to lead the charge.
To completely leave my past behind, I think this opportunity is not to be missed, I must keep pace with the official steps.
But those killers by my side are not cut out for this kind of work; they are also unwilling to do these hard labors.
I hope you can persuade the Chinese workers to come to my side; their wages and treatment will not be shortchanged."
Zhu Wencong fell silent, recalling that tragic history where every stretch of the railroad was built on the blood and sweat of countless Chinese workers.
This period followed the end of the Civil War when America was undertaking massive infrastructure projects, with railroads springing up across the nation.
American capital and Eastern labor created the miracle that surpassed England twenty years later.
People like Lawrent were the best contractors for such tasks; no one dared to obstruct them from building railroads.
"I'll consider it," Zhu Wencong didn't commit; he had little prestige, and the Chinese workers wouldn't pay attention to him.
"Sir! Your friend James is at the door and would like to see you!" the butler came over to say.
Zhu Wencong glanced back at the butler, hiding here himself, and James could actually guess it, somewhat skilled!
"It seems he's in quite a bit of trouble, I have something to take care of and must leave first!" Lawrent got up to say goodbye.
Su Yanqiao silently ate her pastry, looking left and right, "Why doesn't he escape by boat overnight?"
"He's afraid of feeding the sharks! The successful James, no matter where he goes, he's always the center of attention in the city.
All of San Francisco's newspapers have his handsome photos, where do you think he can go?
Those who lost money will definitely not let him go, and those who made money are eagerly fanning the flames, making James bear it all.
Luckily we're inconspicuous, in front of those noble White people, we are invisible." Zhu Wencong smiled brilliantly.
Su Yanqiao covered her little mouth, thinking to herself that the money Zhu Wencong invested in the newspaper was really worth it.
Looking at James walking over, disheveled, he seemed to have lost his vitality, no longer possessing his former handsomeness.
James sat opposite Zhu Wencong with red eyes, "Zhu! You left a day early, why didn't you tell me!
Do you know how much pressure I'm under right now, there's a huge crowd outside wanting my life!
I wish I could give them all the money I've earned, but this is far from enough.
And those who made money, each one of them is a traitor, they actually teamed up to set me up."
Zhu Wencong poured a cup of coffee for James, the poor child was almost scared to death.
When making money, one's courage must be as big as it gets, after all, everything was bet, with nothing left to lose.
It was only after he had everything that James remembered that the simple life is the true one, simplicity brings happiness.
When desperate, James thought of Zhu Wencong, where could he be hiding? Where was the safest?
"Zhu! I know you have a good relationship with Lawrent, can you ask him to arrange for me to leave this city?
One thousand British Pounds! Five thousand British Pounds! Is that okay?" James held out his hand.
Zhu Wencong motioned James to calm down, it's no big deal, just taking away some people's life savings, that's all!
James' panicked eyes looked at Zhu Wencong, he was more and more disbelieving the bullshit of White Supremacy.
Didn't he see the Easterners making a killing and getting away with it, was this a standard they themselves could reach?
Those who lost money would never suspect the Chinese, because in their eyes this group simply didn't exist, only they themselves did!
No longer could they be described with words like poor, ignorant, backward, James firmly remembered this profound lesson.
Zhu Wencong patted James on the shoulder, "You are a successful man!"
"No, no, no! That title of a successful man was sculpted by you, purely blown out of proportion by those newspapers.
If there was a chance for regret, I'd definitely not want to be that successful man, becoming so well-known..." James lamented that he'd been duped.
Zhu Wencong looked James in the eye, "But that's not what you said at the time! You thought that the word 'successful' needed some adjectives in front of it.
All right! Now I'll give you two choices, one is to leave this place, the farther the safer.
The second choice is to continue being a successful man, but you'll need to leave here for a while, to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Look! The 'leeks' of San Francisco have almost been harvested by us, it will take five to ten years for them to regrow.
In neighboring Los Angeles, I've heard that the 'leeks' are lush; I think it's the best time for harvesting.
Too bad I can't duplicate myself, I still have to personally deal with the Japan silver mine, it's like having two Gold Mountains in front of me, but I can only choose one."
James suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, he could totally act as Zhu Wencong's double, sharing his worries and solving problems!
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