Chapter 22: Break-Even Transaction

  However, this incompetent master ultimately did not continue to run over and enthusiastically greet, probably because the arrogance and self-righteousness in his bones could not be easily knocked down. In Chen Xiaoqi's family, this is called "dying for face and suffering alive". Knowing that the result would be like that, he still couldn't help but put on a show, but often had the opposite effect.

  Pulling over, Dennis smoothed out his attire, cleared his throat, and with top hat and cane in hand, walked confidently towards the destination. Chen Xiaoqi didn't wait for him to open the car door for her, but instead got out herself, also dressed in a suit, and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Stern.

  Mr. Dawson, who was about to take two steps forward in a ceremonial manner, suddenly stopped and looked at the two of them with puzzled eyes, seemingly unable to understand something. Until Chen Xiaoqi walked up close, Stern took off his hat and bowed slightly: "Hello! Mr. Dawson, sorry to keep you waiting for so long! I am Stern Mate, manager of Zippo Lighter Company."

  "Oh! Ah! Good day, Mr. Matt, delighted to see you!" The Englishman quickly regained his composure and adopted the polite demeanor he had been trained in since childhood, with a standard hand on his chest in greeting. His eyes then shifted to Chen Xiaoqi, who was smiling, and gave him a glance before turning back to Matt and starting to pick at the gifts: "Mr. Matt, forgive me for being blunt, but I don't understand why you would choose to bring a Chinese person as your attendant, and drive yourself too - it doesn't match your status."

  Stern seemed to have anticipated such a question, and smiled: "At least, Mr. Dawson, I think you are mistaken. This Mr. Chen is my partner, and in fact he is the inventor of the 'Zippo' lighter."

  "Jeffrey Dawson's face showed an incredulous exaggerated expression, his hands open and eyes wide: "Such a delicate product was actually invented by this Chinese person? Mr. Mate, are you sure you didn't get it wrong? This is simply unbelievable! I thought it was the work of a master who had a deep understanding of our industrial technology and culture! You really didn't make a mistake?"

  "Mr. Dawson, there are always exceptions to everything, so I don't think you need to feel any surprise. Besides, I grew up in the United States, so it's not a problem at all."

  "But you look very young, and...," Jeffrey Dawson hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Anyway, this is a very strange thing."

  The fundamental meaning of ethnic and racial discrimination is that the discriminated person cannot have any bright spots, no matter how hard they work to achieve their success and wealth. In the eyes of the discriminators, this must be stolen. This explanation is more suitable, and then they will often use this reason to completely destroy these things that should not appear in the first place, without regard for anything. And when everything really turns out as they expected, they will put on a prophetic appearance, pointing at those who are discriminated against and saying: "See, I told you so, they must be like this, born to be, forever unchangeable." Then, logically, they ride on the heads of these people, taking what they want. Since ancient times, such things have happened on every land, without exception.

  Chen Xiaoqi was too lazy to bother with him, this kind of thing he had seen too many times in the country, now almost numb, and after going through the huge changes of life, his maturity speed far exceeded that in the later generations' greenhouse-like environment. The best way to get someone to mobilize their full strength is to throw them into a pack of wolves, if you want to survive, then run with all your might!

  There were two reclining chairs on either side of the tea table, one occupied by Mr. Dawson as the host, and the other originally reserved for Stern. However, now that two people of undistinguished status had arrived, according to Mr. Dawson's thinking, although both Jews and Orientals were equally detestable, Jews were slightly more tolerable than Orientals, so it was only proper that Stern should sit while Mr. Chen stood.

  Stern looked at the situation with some difficulty, it seemed that the stubborn British farmer was not going to move the chair again, what to do now that Chen Xiaoqi was the big boss?

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and gently patted his back, pushing him forward. He himself took two steps back, observing the surroundings and layout, thinking about how to start building a new base, what kind of construction plan to use, and so on.

  After Stern sat down, he exchanged a few words of irrelevant weather-related small talk with Jeffrey before getting straight to the point and asking: "Mr. Dawson, I suppose you're already aware of the purpose of my visit this time? Our company plans to buy out this place and set up a new facility here. Have you considered the price?"

  Jeffrey was good at this, he didn't hastily respond, but instead first filled his pipe with new tobacco, then took out a "Zippo" lighter from his pocket and lit it. When the flame ignited, he suddenly realized that this thing he used to show off was actually invented by Chinese people, and he felt a bit uneasy in his heart. He paused for a moment before closing the lid and gently placing it on the round table, taking a deep breath of smoke. Then, with the hand holding the pipe, he made an arc shape in front of him, speaking with some emotion: "When my grandfather first came here, this was still a wasteland, and Shangpa Town hadn't been established yet. The land was much larger than it is now. After several generations of our family's efforts, we turned this place into a fertile field with abundant produce. But due to war and various reasons, only this small piece of land remains. Honestly, I'm reluctant to sell it."

  This speech is just a cliché, the meaning is nothing more than giving one's own goods a dazzling halo and then using this to sell at a good price. This trick was learned by Stern's ancestors 100 generations ago, it's not surprising, so he doesn't take the bait and waits to see Jeffry's performance.

  Playing the role is only fun when it's a duet, but Stern doesn't pick up the cue, and Jeffries' raised eyebrow just hangs there, unable to drop. Looking at his opponent's face, which seems to be smiling with courtesy, he can't help but curse in his heart: "Sly, greedy, damn Jew!"

  He coughed lightly into the smoke to cover his embarrassment and continued, "I grew up here since I was a child, every tree and blade of grass is filled with my memories. To be honest, if it weren't for my kids making a fuss about moving to the big city, I really wouldn't want to leave this place."

  Stern said sympathetically, "Well, I completely understand your feelings. It's like when my family moved from Germany and left our old house behind. Although it was very old, it still held a lot of sentimental value. If I were in your shoes, I would also think carefully before giving it up forever."

  An old house, commemorative significance... Alright! Damn Jews, why don't you mention a word about "money"?

  Mr. Dawson thought indignantly. He seemed to have carefully considered the details of the negotiation, and now that one trick didn't work, he immediately pulled out another one, turned his head and asked Stern: "Mr. Matt, since your company has already decided to buy this land, I suppose you have carefully surveyed it before. Do you know what estimated value you place on this land? How much do you plan to pay for my land?"

  The ball was kicked over. Stern's chest had a confident answer: "Indeed, we all know that most of the farmland in this state was bought or enclosed by our ancestors, and simply calculating the original value of the land seems meaningless. You know that at that time, 160 acres of land only needed $10. Of course, your land is absolutely much more than this number, but to be honest, the agricultural output and input of this land are almost equal, so it's hard to make money by simply farming. For a gentleman like you, it's really not worth spending time and energy to take care of it. Given that our cooperation will perfectly solve your heart disease, our company plans to spend $50,000 to buy it. This price should be very fair."

  "What? $50,000? Are you kidding me?" Mr. Dawson almost jumped up, the price was almost as if they were being robbed! If it weren't for his gentlemanly upbringing, he would have almost burst out in anger. "Mr. Mate, I think you're not showing any sincerity at all. This is a huge piece of land - at least 2,000 acres. Even if I didn't do anything with it and just rented it out for farming, the annual income wouldn't be less than this! You need to understand that you are buying it! We are discussing the ownership of the land! Please take this seriously!"

  Stern's expression didn't change, completely ignoring Jeffrey's reddening forehead that was almost under his nose. He spoke in a slow and even tone: "According to our measurements, the actual area here is only 1,250 acres, which includes a hill that occupies one-tenth of an acre and a thicket that occupies more than three-tenths. After deducting some water facilities and roads in between, I think the calculable area of this land is at most 550 acres. At current market prices, our offer is quite reasonable."

  The old bottom was exposed, and the dilapidated farm owner's gentleman had some blushes. He was also shocked by Stern's detailed investigation of his materials, which made his chips much less. However, the price of $50,000 is absolutely unacceptable, so he said: "I think this land is very suitable for a price of $200,000. You can own it all at once! This is a permanent investment!"

  Stern shook his head: "This can't be considered an investment, this expenditure is actually a liability. If we can't make the most of this money, we'll lose everything. We all know that the recent grain prices have been getting out of hand!"

  Since the end of World War I, after a sharp decline in food consumption stopped, American agriculture, which had already implemented large-scale mechanized operations, was actually very developed. Their neighbors Canada and countries such as Brazil and Chile also had huge grain yields at low costs. As a result, under shrinking demand, grain prices fell year by year until the economic crisis arrived, when half of the farmers went bankrupt, while China, which needed food the most, had no money to buy it.

  Stern waved his hand slightly and said: "Our argument is actually unnecessary, so, sixty thousand dollars, we will make this deal, how about it?"

  Jeffrey was disappointed and raised his voice in a bid: "This price is outrageously low! I can only go as far as $1.5 million!"

  Stern shook his head: "This is impossible, Mr. Dawson, you would blush at the price yourself. Seventy thousand dollars, paid in one lump sum, and with that money you can buy a house in Chicago or wherever you want, and live comfortably for the rest of your life. This is a very good deal, what are you hesitating about?"

  Jeffrey was somewhat desperate, and he even weakly shrank his body in the recliner, gritting his teeth to bid up to 120,000. Due to excessive tension and exertion, when smoking, he was severely choked, suddenly "coughing" violently, almost unable to catch his breath.

  At the sound of his urgent cough, a young woman appeared at the door of the wooden house, shouting "Dad" as she lifted her skirt and ran over. She had a fair face and a golden braid behind her head, with a slender neck and full breasts that were equally eye-catching.

  She ran over to support Mr. Tao, her pale and delicate small hands gently patted his back, somewhat anxiously asking: "Dad, what's wrong with you? Do you feel better now?"

  "Lisa! How many times have I told you to mind your manners?! And who allowed you to come out?! Don't you know there are strangers here?! Go back! Go back to your room! You're not needed here!"

  Lisa then used a pair of slightly playful eyes to take a closer look at Stern, and slightly turned her head to look at Chen Xiaoqi who had come over to see what was happening. She saw that Chen Xiaoqi's handsome face was now showing a sunny smile, with his eight white teeth reflecting dazzling light.

  Lisa's face turned red, and she thought to herself: "Why is this Oriental man smiling at me? I didn't expect that among the rough and barbaric people Dad talked about, there would be such a handsome man. And why doesn't he have a queue and wear those strange clothes? His waist is really straight!" She suddenly realized that the object of her thoughts was a strange man, and her heart began to beat faster.

  However, she did not go back to the house as Mr. Dawson said, but stood behind him very obediently, using her hand to pat his thick back and help him catch his breath. Mr. Dawson drank a cup of tea quickly to stop that severe coughing fit, and apologized to Stern with a sense of impropriety.

  At this time, Chen Xiaoqi slowly walked over and stood beside Stern, gazing at the warm scene of the father-daughter relationship. In a tone that seemed like a suggestion but was actually a decision, he said: "Mr. Dawson, I think it's meaningless to continue arguing like this. The bottom line is too far apart between both parties. How about this? This land costs $1 million in total, and we can pay the full amount within three years without interest. Additionally, we can consider arranging a job for your daughter at our company."

  It would be better if Stern said that, but Chen Xiaoqi brought it up and it's a bit different. Mr. Dawson glared: "What do you mean? Let my daughter work in your company? Lisa is a university graduate from Women's College, she's going to be a high-level employee in a big company, not some textile worker you can find anywhere! You must have made a mistake!"

  Chen Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Mr. Dawson, the purpose of our company buying this land is to establish a large research laboratory on site. Our partners will be universities like the University of Illinois and institutions like DuPont and the Rockefeller Foundation. Your daughter has excellent innate conditions, as long as her ability is sufficient, I think she should be able to take on the role of general manager's secretary. How about it? This way, won't it be a waste of her talent?"

  Mr. Dawson was like hearing a huge joke, exaggeratedly waving his arms and saying: "Oh! God! Did I hear that wrong? This Chinese man said he wants to cooperate with DuPont Company and Rockefeller Group? Who do you think you are? Mr. China, please don't make such jokes! That's not pleasant at all."

  Chen Xiaoqi didn't argue with him either, and said straightforwardly: "Believe it or not, we'll see. Mr. Dawson, I don't think it's necessary to debate these temporary irrelevant matters. Let's first decide on the land transaction, and then you can wait and see. If our company really cooperates with DuPont, at that time, the agreement I mentioned will still be valid. Your daughter's salary won't be less than $200 a month, and she can still live here."

  Mr. Dawson's eyes wavered, turning around in circles, unable to make up his mind. To be honest, although the price was disappointing, it was also reasonable, because he really wanted to get rid of this burden urgently. However, this sum of money was not very secure, and he didn't want to have to look for a job when he couldn't move around anymore. But if his daughter really had a high-paying job, perhaps he could give it a try?

  "In a daze, he subconsciously said: 'Oh, my son Jack is going to Britain to attend a noble school for strict training, this is no small expense! This money...'"

  Chen Xiaoqi immediately added, "This sum of money will be borne by our company until he graduates from university. If he is willing, we can even arrange for him to work in our company after graduation. Our company will go public once it reaches a certain scale, Mr. Dawson, as a partner, you may have the priority to purchase our stocks, and at that time, you will become one of our shareholders. You should have confidence in our products and development speed."

  There's a ghost of confidence! The eight characters haven't even been written yet, and Chen Xiaoqi has already started to bluff. This layered coding made Mr. Dawson, who was completely unsuitable for business, utterly confused, and as a result, he couldn't make a final decision until Chen Xiaoqi and his group were about to leave. In the end, both parties agreed to make a formal decision in a week's time, at which point, if there were no issues, they would directly sign the contract and complete the transaction.

  On the way back, Stern complained to Chen Xiaoqi: "Chen, I think you're a bit impatient. I think if we drag him on for a while longer, he won't be able to hold on. We don't even need to pay that extra $30,000, and this way we'll still have to bear the huge expenses of two people. It's not very cost-effective!"

  "Stearn, this is nothing, we don't have time to waste on discussing such trivial losses."

  "What's with the time?" Stern really didn't understand what Chen Xiaoqi meant by this concept of time, in his view, things had already developed quickly enough.

  Chen Xiaoqi said again: "Stearn, how is the weapons production license I asked you to handle? When can it be done?"

  Stern said, "It should be soon. Originally, neither of us was qualified for this matter, but after Lieutenant Keton joined, everything went smoothly. As a return, we have to give the lieutenant 10% of the shares. Chen, don't you think that's a bit too much?"

  Chen Xiaoqi said, "This is not a problem, we can earn more money, don't worry about having strong and powerful partners to join in the division. Captain Keaton's family has lived in Chicago for over 70 years, their generations of construction have already deeply rooted their power, this kind of person we should borrow strength from, but prevent being swallowed by him. However, the weapons company is not our focus, it's just a transition, won't affect our overall plan. After finishing the land deal, you must seize the time to supervise him to get it done, otherwise if delayed again, it will be troublesome, all things will pile up!"

  Chen Xiaoqi's plans are endless, as if his brain is constantly generating new ideas. Just as the lighter and jeans factory are on the right track, he is busy proposing plans for a weapons company and laboratory. The investment required for both projects is not small, and after draining the profits of the two companies, they can barely meet the initial funding requirements. But if the weapons company and laboratory do not produce results, trouble will be big! Once the funds are not circulating smoothly, the entire company will go bankrupt!

  But Chen Xiaoqi's requirements were unquestionable, and so far, there seemed to be no mistakes, so Stern, despite his doubts, went all out to do it, because every item in this had his great interests at stake. In just half a year, he had thoroughly surpassed the things left by his father that year, which made him more confident in Chen Xiaoqi, a Chinese man who was much younger than him.

  If Chen Xiaoqi can really get in touch with DuPont and the Rockefeller family as he said today, the future development will be unlimited. If that's true, following this Chinese man might not be a bad idea.