Chapter 14: A Fortuitous Encounter with a Renowned Physicist (First Update—Please Bookmark and Follow)

In 1943, Chinatown only had Cantonese restaurants since most residents there were from Guangdong. Although there was a strong craving for Sichuan cuisine, it wouldn’t become popular until the new century. At that time, only authentic Cantonese dishes were available, and these restaurants had not yet adapted much to cater to foreigners.

The roasted goose and barbecued meats typical of Guangdong cuisine whetted one’s appetite irresistibly. As they enjoyed the meal, completing a successful transaction on the very day of arriving in America was undoubtedly Zhu Yihai’s skill, and Li Yi’an naturally expressed his gratitude during the meal.

“Mr. Li, I am deeply grateful for your support of my business. If anyone should be thanking, it should be me!” Zhu Yihai said.

For Zhu Yihai, who hadn’t opened his shop for several days, the money earned today was roughly equivalent to his income over the past two months. He had received a fifty-dollar commission from Corville, plus another fifty from Anastasia in Little Italy—a total of one hundred dollars!

That amount was roughly equal to the monthly wage of an average worker at the time. In fact, incomes in America were not very high then; even a U.S. soldier’s monthly pay was about fifty dollars. Yet, this was enough to compel many “rednecks” to leave their hometowns and fight for their country.

Earning one hundred dollars in a single day! Zhu Yihai was already very satisfied, and of course, he hoped this could continue.

“Mr. Zhu, may I ask how much you currently earn each month?” Li Yi’an inquired.

As someone intending to turn this business into a long-term enterprise, Li Yi’an needed someone dedicated on this side of the ocean—not just someone hiding away in Chinatown, but someone running it as a formal company.

Originally, Li Yi’an had no staff to manage operations here, but Zhu Yihai’s performance had impressed him. While he might not be particularly shrewd, he was reliable, and that was why Li Yi’an decided to give him an opportunity.

“Well…” Zhu Yihai hesitated for a moment before replying, “To be honest, it’s not easy for us Chinese to find work abroad. During the Great Depression, white people were always hired first. After graduating from high school, I couldn’t find suitable work in Chinatown either, so I took various odd jobs. When the war broke out, I wanted to take advantage of factories hiring, but because sailors frequently came to Chinatown to sell goods, I stayed here instead. This business has its ups and downs; it’s just enough to get by…”

Zhu Yihai chose to be honest about his irregular income rather than hide the truth.

“I’m planning to establish an import-export trading company in New York. How about working for me?” Li Yi’an asked.

“You’re thinking of setting up a company here?” Zhu Yihai said in surprise.

“Why the surprise? The business I intend to engage in isn’t just cigarettes—there will be other ventures later. Having a company is more convenient.”

A company? That implied a respectable job, wearing suits and ties. Such a position was exactly what Zhu Yihai had long desired.

“If I were to hire you, what would your responsibilities be? And what’s the salary?” Although eager, the terms were the most crucial. Nobody would refuse a stable income, but whether this job was truly stable was anyone’s guess.

“Your job would be simple—managing the company’s daily operations. You’d need to purchase goods according to my instructions, then transport them to the warehouse for storage and management. Of course, this is just the initial stage; as the business grows, we’ll need to hire more employees. As for salary…” Li Yi’an recalled a help-wanted ad he had seen in a newspaper.

“Eighty dollars a month, with bonuses for good performance.”

After some thought, Zhu Yihai nodded in agreement. “Mr. Li, thank you for this opportunity. I won’t let you down.”

Though he knew his offer was hard to refuse, Li Yi’an was pleased by Zhu Yihai’s acceptance. He needed someone here to handle procurement and gather market information—especially the latter, since information was wealth.

Sometimes, matters proved more complicated than anticipated. The simplest way to register a company was through a lawyer. That afternoon, Zhu Yihai visited nearby law firms but found no lawyer willing to take their case.

Because they were Chinese.

“Ah, it’s much better now than a decade ago. When I was in high school, not even black students wanted to sit with me. If it comes to it, we could try finding a black lawyer—they’d probably help us. If not, we’ll just handle it ourselves…” Li Yi’an said.

Just then, a young man approached their table.

“Excuse me, sirs, sorry to interrupt. My friend and I were dining next door and overheard your conversation. Are you looking for a lawyer?” the young man smiled.

“If you don’t mind, I can help. I’m a lawyer, licensed to practice throughout the United States and New York. If you don’t mind, I’d be glad to assist.”

Fate among people was truly mysterious. Just as Li Yi’an was struggling to find a lawyer, someone had come forward—an ally, and a fellow countryman.

Zhang Weilen’s eyes reflected a hint of hope. It was well known that Chinese people generally disliked, even avoided, lawsuits, and thus rarely needed lawyers.

So, when the opportunity to engage one arose, Zhang Weilen certainly wouldn’t miss it.

“You’re hired!” Li Yi’an said without hesitation.

“How much is the fee? Pay according to New York standards. If there’s money, it should go to our own people!” Li Yi’an declared.

Seeing Zhang Weilen had a friend with him, Li Yi’an invited, “Lawyer Zhang, why not invite your friend to join us for the meal?”

“Well…” Zhang Weilen glanced at his companion. Seeing no objection, he nodded in agreement.

His friend, wearing black-rimmed glasses and appearing scholarly, approached the table. Zhang Weilen introduced him.

“This is my friend, Yuan Jialiu. He currently works in the laboratory of an American radio company.”

Yuan Jialiu! Li Yi’an was stunned. This was a luminary in the field of physics. Both he and his wife were prominent figures; in fact, his wife, Wu Jianxiong, had nearly won a Nobel Prize but missed out due to her straightforward nature offending some leading physicists.

…

With the lawyer’s assistance, matters proceeded smoothly, and all necessary formalities were completed in just one day.

While they busily rented office and warehouse spaces, Li Yi’an, accompanied by others, spent five days traversing all of New York to assess the current market conditions.

After several days of investigation, Li Yi’an felt a headache coming on.

“Things aren’t as simple as I thought…”

After a brief comparison of the controlled materials in both countries, Li Yi’an confronted a harsh reality—compared with the United States, Britain’s supplies were even scarcer. There was hardly anything suitable to ship.

Resting his hands against his head in deep thought, his eyes happened to fall upon an advertisement in the newspaper. At first, he barely noticed, but as he scanned the entire page, he froze, then hurriedly examined the ads on the table, and quickly flipped through several other newspapers.

Suddenly, as if discovering a new world, he exclaimed excitedly, “I’ve found it…”