Chapter 19: Sito Meitang

  The soft light on the table, on the dark surface of the ancient oriental furniture, flickered strangely in the crystal glass of the chandelier. Anyone who came into this room would feel a sense of wonder at the mixed Eastern and Western decorations, yet despite their strangeness, the Oriental furniture and European decor seemed to blend together in perfect harmony.

  "Boss, Mr. Li has arrived!"

  Listening to his subordinate's report, Situ Meitang struggled to hold back a yawn that was about to burst out and sat up straight again.

  "Ask him in!"

  Situ Meitang said with some fatigue.

  A few minutes later, dressed in a sleek black suit, Li Zichen appeared in the room with an air of a wealthy young master. Before entering this room, he even deliberately sized it up.

  "Overthrow the strong and support the weak, eliminate violence and bring peace to the good!"

  Upon entering, I saw a couplet hanging in the main hall with a portrait of Guan Yu, this is the main hall of "Anliang Tang". When I first arrived in New York, I also received some kindness from "Anliang Tang", although it was only two meals and one night.

  Because Taylor had been scouting for technical personnel in Bethlehem, he went to San Francisco first. Little did he know that as soon as he got off the train, there were people waiting for him at the station, and then they invited him to "Anliang Hall". If it were someone else, he might have been worried, but the one who invited him was Sze-tse An-liang, the head of Anliang Hall, a person he didn't need to worry about.

  "Hello, Mr. Szeto!"

  As he walked into the side room, Li Zichen looked at the man in front of him, who appeared to be around forty years old with a round face, and respectfully bowed his fist as a greeting to this first-rate person on Chinatown.

  "Mr. Li!"

  Situ Meitang, who had originally risen to welcome him, hastily made a fist.

  "Mr. Li is now renowned in America, and it's a great honor for us Chinese!"

  "Mr. Szeto has been wrongly praised..."

  Li Zichen stood beside the carpet and didn't sit down, instead he started muttering to himself. What did Situ Meitang mean by inviting him over? And why was he left at the train station?

  "Mr. Li, why are you still standing? Mr. Li's arrival at my humble abode is an honor that makes my home radiant! Please... take a seat."

  Situ Meitang said enthusiastically, taking the initiative to get up and walk in front of Li Zichen, shaking hands with him while sizing up the young man in front of him who had made a name for himself among Chinese Americans.

  Delicate eyebrows, straight nose bridge, he looks like a handsome man at first glance. His complexion is slightly pale and tender due to his overly fair skin, but his bright and spirited eyes add a hint of firmness to his gentle appearance. Moreover, Situ Meitang noticed that the sparkle in his eyes was unmistakable.

  When the two men shook hands, Sutu secretly applied some force. The young master's hand was not as weak and cold as he had imagined, but very powerful, with thick calluses on his palms, showing that this young man was absolutely not a pampered "rich second generation", at least he was unwilling to be a rich idler.

  While Situ Meitang was sizing up and probing Li Zichen, Li Zichen was also sizing up this master of the Situ school. This person seemed gentle and affable, as if nothing mattered to him, but this was just a facade. This master of the Situ school had killed a white man who ate for free in a restaurant with his fists over a decade ago.

  A few minutes of effort, and the two men had probed each other, both getting the answers they wanted! When they let go of their hands, the two burst out laughing at the same time, their laughter echoing in this room.

  "Please sit down..."

  Situ Meitang casually invited Li Zichen to sit on the sofa.

  "Mr. Li!"

  After Li Zichen sat down, Situ Meitang fell silent for a moment and sighed.

  "Mr. Li, I've asked you to come this time, perhaps some misunderstandings may arise, but Si Tu is just kind-hearted and willing to forgive!"

  Having said that, Situ Meitang raised her eyelids and looked at Li Zichen.

  "Oh?"

  Li Zichen immediately responded with a sentence that didn't make sense.

  "I'm not sure what Mr. Szeto is referring to, but Zi Cheng is a bit confused!"

  If it's said that Situ Meitang invited himself over to "ask for money", he wouldn't believe it even if you killed him, Anliang Tang has a good reputation in the Chinese-American community and would never do something like extorting money from someone, instead he helps newly arrived compatriots and those in need in Chinatown.

  Under Li Zichen's astonished gaze, Situ Meitang walked up to the bar and said casually. He stood in front of the bar for a while, considering what to serve his guests with. Using tea seemed inappropriate. Finally, his eyes landed on an open bottle of white wine, a 20-year-old vintage from Mr. Li's hometown.

  "Now the Republic has just been established, and domestically it is autumn with many things happening..."

  As he poured wine, Situ Meitang said.

  "Mr. Szeto, you say that, but Zi Cheng is really muddled. Now that the Republic has just been established, it's the time for you and me to strive forward together to revive the country's fortunes, how can..."

  "That's the way it is, but how would Mr. Li know about the current situation in the country."

  Situ Meitang suddenly interrupted his words. He poured two glasses of wine, walked to the sofa with the glass in hand, and put it on the coffee table.

  "We are all sojourners abroad, one day we will have to return home..."

  He drained the cup of wine in one gulp, then raised his head to stare at Li Zichen, who was either genuinely or feigning ignorance, and the silver in his hand was too eye-catching.

  Li Zicheng also pondered in his heart, Shi Yudang and Sun Wen were old friends, now that Yuan Shikai had become the President, could it be that he wanted to persuade himself to help Sun Wen and others? Or was it...

  "Now that the Republic has just been established, but at home there are many troubles. At present, the most important thing in the country is finance. The government has no money to use, and diplomats abroad have to run around to borrow money..."

  "Ah - is that so? No wonder, I just heard about it!"

  He responded with a sentence, holding this wine glass, Li Zichen didn't drink it, he himself didn't have the habit of drinking on an empty stomach.

  "Ah, yes... and Mr. Li is now a household name. In terms of intelligence, I think Mr. Li is the smartest person among Chinese people. In terms of wealth, you can be considered the richest Chinese person. If Mr. Li returns to China..."

  Situ Meitang blinked, reminding the young man in his early twenties who had become a billionaire overnight with a patent. The reason he didn't want to say it clearly was that Mr. Li was different from others. Among Chinese people, there were businessmen, rich men, and university students, but someone like him, a "great inventor", couldn't be found even if you searched the whole of China.

  "What does Mr. Szeto think about this matter?"

  Li Zichen retorted.

  "I don't have much of an opinion."

  Situ Meitang kicked the ball to Li Zichen, and he himself wouldn't take any stance, just reminding him out of kindness that in America, no one would touch him, but once back home, for those "officials" who were almost "crazy poor", who would let go of this fat meat?

  Silently, Li Zichen finally understood what Situ Meitang meant. He was worried that after returning to China, he would become a piece of meat fought over by various forces. However, he didn't know that staying in the US was actually more dangerous. Only by returning to China and taking advantage of the current situation before Morgan reacts could he find an opportunity to protect himself and survive.

  After a long silence, Li Zichen did not speak, but instead took out a pen and a checkbook from his pocket, tore off a check, and wrote a few words on the back in the midst of Si Tu Mei Tang's astonishment.

  As soon as he finished writing, Li Zichen raised his head and looked at Situ Meitang.

  "Does Mr. Szeto know what this is?"

  Looking at those foreign letters, Sze-to Man Tang was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing and shook his head.

  "Mr. Li, don't make fun of Sze-toh, he's just an uneducated man, how would he know what this thing is?"

  "Over a decade ago, when Zicheng was still young, he traveled abroad with his father and learned various things, although not many, but because of the diversity of what he learned, he came up with this national strength equation!"

  This will make Li Zichen look like a big talker.

  "National Strength Formula?"

  What is this thing, Sito Meitang really doesn't know.

  "The iron and steel industry is an important factor in a country's achievement of industrial independence, even economic independence, and it is also a key component in measuring a nation's strength. According to this national power equation: mt = ((ms)t + (me)t)/z, where the three coefficients are population, steel production, and energy production. It can be seen that iron and steel play a crucial role in a country's comprehensive national strength. Moreover, according to this formula, anyone can conclude that if a country's population, steel production, and energy production are not as high as those of other countries, it will be bullied by others. This is exactly what happened to China. Today, how many people are willing to invest in the iron and steel industry, which requires a long time, a lot of money, and has a long payback period? However, without steel, a country cannot become strong. China has been bullied by powerful countries for decades, but now that our nation has gained liberation, it is up to us to work towards making our country stronger. How can we avoid this responsibility just because of some unexpected difficulties?"

  Looking at Sze-to Lam, Li Zicheng said this passage from "The Equation of National Power" and his own thoughts.

  "Ah, I've decided to return to China! But my return is not for any other reason than one thing: to sell the patents I've obtained and invest in industry back home. I'll be investing in steel, machinery, and mining to strengthen our country's power and pave the way for China's prosperity. If people think of me as a fat sheep to be slaughtered..."

  With a wry smile, Li Zichen seemed to sigh, but in his heart he was also muttering to himself, wondering if he had just escaped the tiger's mouth only to enter the wolf's den. According to Sutu Meitang's words, he now had a reputation, and sometimes, perhaps reputation was the best thing. Wasn't it said that this was precisely in order to borrow Sutu Meitang's voice to spread the word of his "concern for the country and its people" and his "industrial ambitions"?

  "Mr. Li..."

  "Zi Cheng thanked Mr. Situ for his concern, but he had already made up his mind and asked Mr. Situ not to persuade him."

  The country is definitely going back, his own drawings, gold and even the Boeing 727 are now all on Captain Louis's ship, which is heading towards the Panama Canal, he has to go back to receive the goods!

  Upon hearing this, Situ Meitang nodded vigorously, his expression turning solemn. He then picked up his tea cup and sat in contemplation for a moment before lifting his head to look at Li Zichen in front of him.

  "If so, then... Mei Tang, if you continue to obstruct, I fear it will bring shame upon yourself!"