Volume 1: Laying the Foundation Chapter 9: A Small Gift

  Lu Jiaju is a down-to-earth person, but he's not stupid. On the contrary, this man is extremely intelligent, with a rich family background. These tactics of intrigue and behind-the-scenes maneuvering were all explained to him by his old master at home before he even went abroad. The classics like "The Counter Classics" and "The Yin Fu Jing" have all talked about these things - they're the classic works on Chinese politics for thousands of years!

  Did Chen Xiaoqi tell the whole truth? Of course not, he was originally going to fabricate a story to deceive people, so the story had to be fabricated to be more valuable. He crossed over from somewhere, fell from the sky, and telling the truth would only get him killed early without any benefits! So he simply followed his own plan, step by step reversing a series of lies, a large pile of almost unprovable lies.

  Is he a person from Yexian County? Of course, his ancestors were indeed. His grandfather was still a soldier, but since his father's generation, they moved to Jinan. His father was the director of the Jin Steel Design Institute and had always been an assistant to others, but he didn't make less money. He said that his ancestors were from Yexian County for a reason, which can't be revealed now. Yexian County is also known as Laizhou later on.

  He wasn't raised in America, but he really went to Illinois, where many rural areas have retained their original appearance for decades with little change. Having studied it specifically, he could naturally come up with a whole set of responses to deal with people. As for his parents' situation, it was even simpler - would anyone care about the life and death of a Chinese family there? No! So even if someone wanted to ask around, they wouldn't be able to find out anything.

  The story about Huang Dao's relatives is nonsense, but the village that was burned and killed by the Germans is true. He brought it up to explain how he fell into the sea; otherwise, how could you explain jumping over the sea? Is there anyone who carries such a heavy package to jump into the sea because they don't want to die fast enough? The problem is that once the words are out, they have to be followed! As for the Japanese warship capsizing the small boat, the devils do it many times a day, and the locals are already used to it.

  These are almost bare-faced lies, and at this age, it's almost impossible to verify, except for those with great energy. And he is now just an ordinary person, who would care about him? Maybe one day he became a superstar, and everyone listened to him. At that time, all the lies and loopholes will be tightly sealed, when billions of people believe in your lies, what you say becomes truth, not lies.

  It was settled like this, and the three of them were very happy. Chen Shou immediately shouted that he wanted to go out and celebrate, but Chen Xiaoqi quickly pulled him back: "Sixth brother, just now we were too excited and forgot to tell you something. Don't rush to eat first, let's talk about it later, anyway, it's still early."

  Chen Shou furrowed his brow and said: "What matter is more important than eating? It's not too late to talk after finishing the meal."

  Chen Xiaoqi shook his head firmly, then handed him the paper filled with symbols, letters and equations. Chen Shouting was stunned: "What is this? I think it's even more complicated than those old Taoist priests' talismans! Don't you know that your sixth brother can't read?"

  Lu Jiaju smiled and took it, his eyes fixed on it and couldn't let go, hastily asking Chen Xiaoqi: "Xiaoqi! What is this thing? Why does it look like a dye formula to me? But some of the words are written in a way that's similar but not quite right, I'm not sure!"

  Chen Xiaoqi's face turned red, thinking that you would understand if there were ghosts. He wrote in simplified characters, and many chemical symbols had not been fixed at the time. Lu Jiaju was not a chemistry student, of course, he didn't recognize them, but among the materials, he recognized some, such as phenol, color base, azo, caustic soda, etc. Some symbols and fonts, although with fewer strokes, could still be made out.

  Chen Xiaoqi's face was quite thick, and he smiled slyly: "What you said is right, this is a formula for dyeing aids and colorants. If there are no problems, it should be able to produce purple and bright red colors. The color is relatively stable, not afraid of washing or sun exposure. I see that on the whole street, except for blue cloth and black cloth, it's really too ugly. I estimate that these bright colors won't work for anyone, maybe they'll be useful for you guys. However, when I wrote this, I was afraid someone would steal it, so I intentionally left out some strokes. As long as I can recognize it myself, that's enough."

  Chen Shou listened and was overjoyed, patted his shoulder with force, and laughed: "Good job, old seven! You're still catching your breath from the fight, but you're already thinking of helping your sixth brother with dyeing cloth. That's great! Even if this method doesn't work, just for your kind intentions, your sixth brother would be delighted even in death! Good brother!"

  Lu Jiaju scolded: "Sixth brother, what are you talking about! I think Xia Qi's formula makes a lot of sense! Although I'm not very sure, but I've seen many formulas before, and this one seems to be feasible. If it really can produce these two colors, then our dye factory will be booming! Xia Qi, where did you get this formula from?"

  Chen Xiaoqi said, "This formula was actually developed by myself. When I was in the United States, I worked part-time at a coal chemical plant and studied chemistry on my own. This is what I came up with using their experimental equipment, although it's not yet finalized, I believe the success rate will be very high. Additionally, I heard they are also researching a new type of dye, once successful, it may revolutionize the entire printing and dyeing industry!"

  Chen Shoutang's face turned solemn, and he exchanged a glance with Lu Jiaju before they both looked at him and asked: "What kind of dye is so formidable?"

  Chen Xiaoqi said: "Specifically what is not yet known, but I heard that this dye can be dyed out of blue and green will be much brighter than now, the nature is very stable, color is very close to natural dyes, now the fabric compared to that is simply garbage!"

  Chen Xiaoqi said that Malachite is actually not as powerful as it seems, but it does have a lot of uses in other industries such as glass and plastics, far beyond what ordinary dyes can do. As for why Chen Xiaoqi said that, only he knows.

  Regardless of whether what he said was true or false, the prescription in front of him was a real thing. As long as its effectiveness could be proven, everything would be self-evident. Chen Xiaoqi's thoughtful words made them realize early on that they had planned to repay Chen Shou, and this kind of gratitude made them cherish it even more. The decision to become sworn brothers with Chen Xiaoqi also felt even more correct.

  From a certain perspective, Chen Shoutian can also be considered a workaholic. Since he started working in the dyeing and finishing industry ten years ago, he has worked tirelessly every day for ten years without exception, persevering through wind and rain on the front lines. It is precisely because of this unyielding determination that he, an illiterate vagrant who used to beg for food, was able to rise from a small dye workshop in Zhoucun Village to become one of the most prominent dye factories not only in Qingdao but also throughout Shandong Province.

  After a brief exchange, the three of them didn't mention eating again. Seeing that there was still some time left, they suddenly took a rickshaw and headed straight to the dye factory. Normally, Chen would be running back and forth on his two legs, accustomed to hard days, where he wouldn't waste a whole day riding in a car, even though he had ten cars at his disposal.

  At that time, Qingdao city was very small, basically only the area from Taicheng to Tuan Island was developed, and places like Sifang were no different from rural areas except for being a cargo terminal. Most of Qingdao's middle and lower-class workers couldn't afford to live in the city, they all formed clusters of shantytowns on the outskirts, chaotic and similar to slums.

  Mr. Chen himself did not bear to live in the small Western-style house, but instead rented an old single-door courtyard house in a relatively remote corner, making do with it. During the start-up phase, his wife didn't even come to live with him, and he often ate and slept at the factory.

  The Dahua Dyeing Factory is not actually very large, but in this era, there are only a handful of large industrial factories throughout China, and the majority are located in Shanghai and Tianjin. In Shandong Province, the largest industries have always been dyeing and textile production, with the saying "above Qingtian" referring to the region's importance. Since ancient times, Zhoucun in Shandong has been a major center for dyeing and weaving, while Qingdao became prominent due to its early opening as a port under German occupation. For decades now, due to the lack of government management, the business environment here has been advantageous, attracting merchants from inland areas to set up factories. Apart from the convenience of transportation and commercial activities, the most important reason is that there are almost no tax authorities or regulatory departments here, resulting in much lower overall expenses compared to areas controlled by warlords.

  The rickshaw pulled up to the entrance with three people on board, and then they got off and walked in. Chen Shou was a rough-looking man who didn't look like much, but he had the highest status among the workers, so he led the way, strutting confidently into the courtyard. The servants and laborers on both sides all bowed to him as he passed by. Meanwhile, Lu Jiaolong, the master of the house, was normally a laid-back person who didn't have much of a temper, but with his Western suit and leather shoes, he had an air of authority that made the old-fashioned servants not dare to cross him.

  Today, Chen Xiaoqi suddenly appeared behind him, and the people around him were confused. Although he looked young in age, his temperament and demeanor were no less than Lu Jia's, and his height was slightly taller and more robust. As he walked, his waist was straight and his eyes shone brightly, and the suit seemed to be made for him, giving off an air of authority that left people staring in amazement. Apart from the factory workers who were busy, foreign merchants also came to buy cloth, and since supporting the "May Fourth Movement" had gained them a good reputation, Dahua Dyeing Factory's "Flying Tiger" blue cloth was very popular after it hit the market. Students, citizens, and other intellectuals helped spread the word, making this business impossible to fail.

  In just over two months, the total of 10,000 taels that Dahua Dyeing Factory had invested initially has already earned back more than half. It seems that the profit for this year is a sure thing, and the prospects for surplus are quite good.

  Chen Shou didn't bother with small talk and hastily led his two brothers to his office. Accountant Old Wu came out to greet them, but before he could say anything, Chen Shou waved his hand: "Old Wu, see this young man? He's my brother, Chen Xiaoqi. From now on, consider him one of our family members. If he has any tasks or instructions, treat them as if they're from me. We have important matters to attend to today, so go to the Haiqing Building and order a table of good dishes to be sent over. The master is also present, let's celebrate properly today. I won't come down, don't bother calling me up there, just do it like this."

  Old Wu responded in a heap, and saw Chen Xiaoqi rush towards him with a slight smile. He hurriedly bowed his head to greet him, and then watched as the three of them hastily went upstairs. Old Wu shook his head inexplicably, he really wasn't used to this kind of stern and reckless style of Chen's.

  Three people went upstairs, and at the corner was a separate reception room. At the other end was a place where the dye factory tested the configuration of dye samples, similar to a modern chemical laboratory. However, the number of experiments and equipment were vastly different, and even test tubes and measuring cups were scarce.

  Chen Shoutang is a dyer by birth, with little understanding of chemistry and even less knowledge of reaction principles. He relies solely on his familiarity with dyes and reagents to get by. Simple color matching is one thing, but ensuring the uniformity and durability of colors during printing and dyeing requires repeated practice. His current level of skill is a result of ten years of hard work and practice.

  In this era, color was really scarce. Natural dyes had to be extracted from plants and minerals, which was extremely costly. The majority of it was used for high-end silk fabrics, while ordinary cotton and hemp fabrics couldn't afford it, let alone mass production in the industrial age. The emergence of chemical dyes, especially synthetic organic dyes, solved this problem. It wasn't until then that ordinary people's clothes had color. Don't be fooled by the ancient dramas where people often wore white robes, which seemed elegant, but actually, ordinary people couldn't afford colored fabrics.

  In the early 20th century until World War II, the development of the dyeing and printing industry was not rapid. It wasn't until the mid-1930s that printed fabrics became widely available, but at that time, it was still a luxury for Chinese people to wear clothes made of printed fabric. Don't be fooled by old movies where village girls are often dressed in printed fabrics - that's just nonsense. Between the 1920s and 1930s, even the cheapest printed fabrics cost between 12 cents and 14 cents per meter. At that time, the average monthly income of Shanghai residents was less than $30, and for working-class people, a monthly salary of $5 was considered high. Apprentices earned only a few cents per day. In 1925, when workers at a Shanghai silk factory went on strike, their daily wages were only 13 cents, from which insurance and food expenses were deducted, leaving them with very little take-home pay.

  That's right, how many people in China can get a salary? 12 million! At that time, China had a population of 450 million, and the proportion was pitiful. Take the fabric industry as an example, except for the boss and the head, the apprentices at the front desk did not have a salary. After the unification of the Republic of China, the salary was also very low. The country's total economic output value was only that little, and the textile industry was still an important part, second only to agriculture!

  Due to the slow development of the dyeing and weaving industry, in the first thirty years of the 20th century, dye houses and factories like Chen Shoutings were still viable. However, after 1931, due to the pressure brought by the economic crisis caused by Japan's invasion, relying on its strong industrial foundation and the advantages of the textile printing and dyeing industry, China's printing and dyeing industry was devastated, with a significant gap in overall quality being the core competitive disadvantage, rather than just government incompetence.