Chapter 32: The Talent Pool of Those Studying in America (Second Update—Please Vote)

"This factory is mine now!"

Standing by the window and looking out at the sprawling complex of factory buildings and towering chimneys behind him, Li Yi'an lit a thick cigar. Like any big boss, he puffed on it with an expression of pure triumph.

"I truly never expected this!" Zhang Weilun walked up to his boss, gazing at the massive industrial site. "A factory this large, and you didn't even have to spend a single cent!"

"Don't talk nonsense. I spent a fortune. Didn't you see? The interest payments to the bank alone are two hundred and fifty thousand, and on top of that, I’ll be burdened with high property taxes every year..." Li Yi'an nearly added, "Don't suggest I’m the kind of person who resorts to strong-arm tactics," but instead continued, "Besides, this business is difficult to manage. One wrong move, and this factory could easily become a money pit."

*If only someone understood my hardships!*

Watching Li Yi'an’s theatrical display, Zhang Weilun chuckled. "Business is certainly difficult, but I believe you didn't acquire this company without a reason, and you certainly wouldn't let it lose money." As the company lawyer, Zhang Weilun studied Li Yi'an with a discerning gaze.

"No one wants it to lose money—Carl didn't either. But the key is to keep the business running. Otherwise, it’s destined to fail." Seeing that Carl looked a bit dejected, Li Yi'an walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "From now on, I’ll need you to work hard on the company side of things."

"The hard work isn't the problem, the only issue is..." Carl stopped smiling. "If we want to resume production now, we have to hire workers. But you know that people have either gone to the military or to other factories. It’s hard enough to find skilled workers, let alone general labor. Unless..." Carl paused, as if making a major decision. "Unless we go South and recruit those Black laborers. Many factories are using them now; they are not only cheap but also submissive..."

*Submissive? Of course they’re submissive, they’ve been beaten down by the Ku Klux Klan in the South for nearly a century.*

World War II was precisely the catalyst for the mass migration of Black people to the North, where they would eventually fill the industrial cities. At the time, the United States, which prided itself as a "beacon of freedom," was blatantly discriminatory, even considering Black people too inferior to serve as cannon fodder. Consequently, while one out of every ten white men was drafted, fewer than a few hundred thousand Black men were recruited—less than 5% of their total population of 23 million. Meanwhile, Northern factories, stimulated by the war, were expanding production and desperately needed workers. With white men being drafted in droves, Black workers became their only option.

The Black migration to the North eventually led them to occupy cities like Chicago. And what did Chicago become after that? A slum. That is the definition of a self-inflicted wound.

Though he didn't mind contributing to the "blackening" of America, Li Yi'an replied bluntly, "What? Hire Black workers? That is absolutely out of the question!"

The boss's rejection caught Carl off guard, forcing him to quickly backtrack on his "un-ancestral" proposal. "The boss is absolutely right. We certainly shouldn't use them. But we still need to find workers!"

Zhang Weilun, standing to the side, added, "Indeed, Boss. To restart the factory, we definitely need to hire."

"Hire the Chinese!"

*Hire the Chinese?* Zhang Weilun was stunned.

Li Yi'an took a drag of his cigar. He had never even considered using white workers. Why didn't Zhu Yihai get into a factory in the first place? Wasn't it because of the Yankees' discrimination?

"Weilun, those Yankees would rather use Black workers than Chinese. Why can't our factory exclusively employ Chinese?"

"Exclusively Chinese... is... is that possible?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Li Yi'an sneered as he smoked. "From now on, my factory won't indulge the sensitivities of those white skins or black skins. Exclusive Chinese employment—what’s wrong with that? Of course, if we are short on technical personnel, we can supplement from other sources, but whenever there is an opportunity, under equal conditions, Chinese come first!"

Carl, listening to Li Yi'an, didn't feel any discomfort at all. In fact, he felt this was the absolute truth and gave his full support.

*Well, it’s not exactly truth; it’s just human nature.*

Human nature is such that when one's family is harmed, one doesn't look for faults within oneself, but instead seeks to kill the perpetrator and tear them to shreds. *Well, that might be the "woke" mindset, but things aren't that far left right now; some countries are actually trending a bit to the right.*

In truth, Li Yi'an had his own secret agenda. After all, the United States was merely a stepping stone; his ultimate goal was to become an uncrowned king in North Borneo. He wouldn't just be moving himself—he would be moving this entire factory. Bringing along a group of skilled workers was essential for the development of North Borneo.

After laying down the law, Li Yi'an remembered something else and instructed Carl, "By the way, Carl, a factory this big cannot be without security. I don't want to be surrounded by the Mafia all day. I only trust our own people. We need to recruit some armed security guards."

"I understand, Boss." Carl smiled. Every factory needed security. "I happen to know some people—they are, well, people you can certainly trust."

Li Yi'an looked at Zhang Weilun and said, "Weilun, our factory doesn't just need workers; we need a lot of engineers. Do you have anyone suitable to recommend?" He asked this because of Yuan Jialiu; Chinese students in the U.S. during this era were mostly interconnected, and among them were undoubtedly many engineers.

"Boss, you've certainly asked the right person." Zhang Weilun adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled. "Boss, there are quite a few Chinese engineers in the U.S. Not to mention those who have come over from the National Southwestern Associated University in recent years, there are also many government-sponsored and self-funded students who came before the war from Tsinghua, Jiaotong, Central, and Zhejiang universities. With the war cutting off transportation, most of them are currently working in American companies. If you are willing, I am sure they would be more than happy to work for a company of our own people!"

"Indeed, we Chinese are no worse than the foreigners. Weilun, you tell them—including Mr. Yuan, whom we dined with last time—as long as they come to my company, I guarantee their compensation will be no less than that of foreign firms! Whatever equipment foreign companies have, we will acquire. In short: our people should work for our own people!"

Others might not know, but how could Li Yi'an not? Among these students were many brilliant minds—several Nobel Prize winners or near-winners among them. If he could recruit them, not only would the company gain an abundance of engineering talent, but when the time came to move to North Borneo, he wouldn't have to worry about a lack of skilled professionals.