Chapter Nineteen Chicago (Revised)

  In the early 920s, shortly after the Chinese New Year, Chen Xiaoqi arrived alone in Chicago, Illinois. At that time, Chicago was one of the world's leading cities, with a construction and composition that set an example for industrialized nations. The city had already formed a preliminary scale of skyscrapers and steel-concrete forests, which would not be seen in other parts of the world for decades to come. As the country's first transportation hub, Chicago brought together navigation, railways, highways, and other national lifelines, making it the busiest and most important transfer station. The development of steel, coal, and agriculture also made it a core region controlling major industries across the United States, both now and in the future.

  When Chen Xiaoqi got off the train, he slowly moved with the crowd towards the exit, looking around before spotting a person holding an 8x10 inch cardboard sign with his name "Chen Xiaoqi" written in crooked Chinese characters. The person was a foreigner who didn't look very impressive, likely under thirty years old, not very tall, slender, with black hair and a slightly pale complexion, but with very lively eyes. He wore a tight-fitting suit with a black overcoat, holding the sign with a somewhat timid and shrinking motion, as if afraid of being noticed by others.

  Chen Xiaoqi was wearing a suit made by Dennis himself, carrying a common leather suitcase of that era, and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, his tall and straight stature standing out in the crowd. He waved at the person who was carefully looking around, then quickly walked over with his suitcase. The foreigner's name was Stern Matt, a Jew and classmate of Lu Jiaju, who had come to America from Germany a few years ago to inherit his late father's small agricultural machinery factory, which was said to be doing poorly.

  Chen Xiaoqi needed an invitation letter that could directly grant him admission qualifications to study in the United States, as well as a local guarantor (this may or may not be true, but it was a condition). Chen Xiaoqi's appearance surprised Stern, who had expected someone from China to have a more timid and servile attitude. Most Chinese people living in America at that time were treated poorly by the government's exclusionary policies, without any ability or even thought of resistance.

  Except for his looks, Chen Xiaoqi gave off an impression completely unlike other Chinese people of that era. He walked up to Stern with big strides, put down his suitcase, took off his hat, and stretched out his right hand, saying in fluent English: "Hello! Are you Mr. Matt? I'm Lu Jiaju's friend Chen Xiaoqi, thank you for coming to pick me up." Stern was taken aback, hesitated for a moment, quickly folded the paper and put it in his pocket, then stretched out his hand, suddenly realizing he was wearing gloves and being impolite, so he took them off and shook hands with Chen Xiaoqi: "Hello! Oh, I'm Stern, you're Mr. Chen? Welcome to America!"

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said: "You must have waited for a long time? The weather is really too cold." Stern shook his head and said: "It's nothing, you've been on the train for a long time, you must be tired, let's go get some hot tea and rest first." As he spoke, Stern led Chen Xiaoqi through the crowded people towards the car exit, seemingly not wanting to stay there, especially with Chen Xiaoqi being so conspicuous as an Oriental person.

  At this time, Chicago was already an era of cars running all over the streets. The wide streets were lined with high-rise buildings on both sides, and various industrial product sales stores were densely packed, dazzling and eye-catching. If it were a person who really came from China, I'm afraid they would have been dizzy from the rich and nameless products by now. Chen Xiaoqi, however, was a seasoned traveler of supermarkets, and except for local customs, no modern industrial product could spark his interest, let alone surprise him. He simply observed various products to gauge the level of industrial development at this time, using that to continually correct and plan his own plans. Stern hailed a taxi on the street, and the two squeezed into a T-shaped car without air conditioning or heating, looking out through the flat glass at the wet streets outside, chatting occasionally to reduce the awkwardness of their first meeting. Stern didn't take Chen Xiaoqi to any hotel, but instead took him directly to his own home - a small factory on the outskirts of the city. This was the inheritance he received from his father after coming to America, and this machine factory, worth less than $50,000, looked somewhat unspirited, which seemed out of place with the rapidly developing American economy, it's unknown where the problem lay.

  But to Chen Xiaoqi, who has seen financial crises and economic booms, this factory seems to have a decadent and dilapidated atmosphere. Everything looks listless and lacking in energy. If it were a well-developed factory, the roads wouldn't be so dirty, there would be workers on site even on weekends, and as a production machinery factory, there should be tire tracks at the entrance that are not old.

  Here is the translation:

  Considering these factors, Chen Xiao thought that Stern's family business was not doing well. The old man had been stubbornly insisting on continuing the business, but his mother had been complaining about it for years. She felt that they should change their ways and adapt to the new situation.

  Stern's mother interrupted their conversation, saying that she didn't understand why her son was so stubborn. She said that the family business had not made any progress in years, and that they were still using old-fashioned methods. She complained that even washing machines were now commonly used in American households, but she still had to wash clothes by hand.

  Stern's mother also mentioned that many of their friends who had come to America with Stern's father had become successful and wealthy, while they were still struggling. She said that it was not wrong for them to want a better life, and that the teachings of their faith did not prohibit them from improving their circumstances.

  Stern sighed and asked his mother to let them continue their conversation in peace. He told her that Chen Xiao had not yet eaten dinner, and asked her to prepare something for him. His mother continued to mutter to herself as she went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

  Chen Xiao listened with interest to the argument between Stern's mother and son. Although he didn't understand everything they said due to their accents and dialects, he was able to guess the general content of their conversation. After a moment of silence, he spoke up, saying that the Jewish people were known for their financial acumen.

  Stern was surprised by Chen Xiao's knowledge, asking if Lu had told him these things. Chen Xiao replied that he knew more than Stern or anyone else he knew, and that this information was not secret to him. He said that as long as one paid attention, there were no secrets in the world.

  Chen Xiao then mentioned that Germany was currently suffering from a disaster, having lost the war and being forced to pay massive reparations. Many German businesses would be sold off cheaply, and many people would lose their jobs. However, some people were taking advantage of this situation to acquire these businesses at low prices. The main players in this game were the bankers and capitalists led by the Rothschild family.

  Stern was shocked, stuttering that he didn't understand how this related to him. Chen Xiao replied that it had everything to do with him, as this situation presented opportunities for him to get involved and make a profit.

  "But we don't have so much money and such great strength to participate in this big feast."

  Chen Xiaoqi said: "So, I advise you to quickly change your mind, transfer your money and power to a more valuable place, strive to grab a large amount of funds in the shortest time possible, so that we can catch up with this cake-cutting feast. As long as we can get even one bite from it, we'll be prosperous!"

  Things went around in a circle and came back to the starting point. Stern asked subconsciously, "But how are we supposed to change? Everyone is doing everything, except for stocks and gambling, we don't have a faster way to accumulate funds."

  Chen Xiaoqi shook his head: "Things are not that absolute. You have to know, the current United States is at the starting stage of a volcanic eruption-like economic boom, we caught up with the good times, as long as we take the right path, it's impossible not to get rich, I have some inventions and patents here, if we turn them all into real products, then I believe that in the near future, you, Mr. Matt, will become a famous person and a wealthy man in the entire Chicago."

  The great law of Hu You is Chen Xiaoqi's unorthodox method for success. Why did he rush to have a heart-to-heart talk with someone? No other reason, just to quickly establish his own position. Although Jews didn't mix well in Europe, it was different in America, where everything was about money and morals were not as persuasive as gold coins. The best way to convince a Jew is to be better than him at making money. At least that's what Chen Xiaoqi thought.

  Before coming to the United States, Lu Jiaju had already explained in detail to Stern all that he knew about his situation. After arriving in the United States, Stern's life was not going well. Compared to Lu's successful business performance in China, which was booming day by day, Stern once complained in a letter that his father had left him with such a mess, not only did he not have an ideal business foundation, but also because of poor management and lack of funds, if it weren't for the good times, they could still sell some products, but he feared that they wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

  He was able to accept Chen Xiaoqi's arrival because Lu Jiaju told him in a letter that this might be the greatest opportunity of his life. With half-believing and half-doubting thoughts, Stern received Chen Xiaoqi. And after Chen sat down, he immediately expressed his opinions, also with the intention of taking the lead. Obviously, he succeeded again.

  Stern's spirits lifted immediately, he weighed his words and asked again: "You mean invention patents? In what aspect? What kind of products are they? Are they suitable for this factory?"

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said, "I've told you before, it's not just one or two patents, but many. This factory of yours will definitely play its role, we're not going to give up on it, but rather use it as a foundation to build an industrial city that can rival Ford Motors. Is this Chinese man bragging? Starting tomorrow, you'll see. For now, let's stop here today, I think I need to take a hot bath."

  The fish food was scattered all over, and as a result, Stern was absent-minded for the rest of the day. He even managed to poke his fork into his nostrils while eating and spilled soup on his pants. His mother scolded him severely for this behavior, but Chen Xiaoqi just smiled silently, pretending he hadn't seen anything.