The morning sun shines into the room through the one-foot-square window, and the yellow light cuts through the dimness in the basement. Occasionally, a mosquito flies through the light.
The weather in June is a bit too hot and stuffy, and the damp basement is filled with a smell of mold.
Although this environment has caused Li Leqin to develop eczema, he has no other choice. After all, this is the only house he can afford.
Two years ago, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, Li Leqin lost his source of income. His family in Jiangsu could no longer support him to study as they did in the past. As a private student, he could not even think about government funding.
"I just need a job..."
Once again, Li Leqin said to himself.
His eyes fell on the newspaper beside him, and he couldn't move away for a long time.
There are many job advertisements in the newspaper, but how many factories are willing to hire a Chinese engineer?
So what if he graduated from New York University?
Watching the light slowly migrating in the dark and damp basement, Li Leqin sighed, then stood up. Once again, after washing, he changed into decent clothes and smiled at the mirror.
"Hello, my name is Leqin, Li..."
A barely perceptible distress flashed across his smile.
Soon, he walked out of the basement and came to the street corner, where he spent a few cents to buy a copy of The New York Times.
As usual, he walked and read the newspaper in his hand, and suddenly an advertisement attracted him.
"Carl Metal Company is recruiting all kinds of engineers and workers, with preferential treatment. If you are interested, please call..."
Anyone would be attracted by this recruitment information because it was published in Chinese. As an engineer, Li Leqin could see at a glance that it was handwritten and transferred by taking a photo. After all, there would never be Chinese character fonts in American newspapers.
The recruitment information in Chinese made Li Leqin so excited that he almost jumped up.
"Oh my god! This, this is for Chinese people, it is for Chinese people..."
The recruitment information was published in Chinese, so it was for Chinese people. A seemingly simple recruitment information immediately caused a sensation in the Chinese circle in New York and other places. This circle is not large, and the news spread quickly. Especially those international students who stayed in the United States because of the war, whether they were private students who dropped out of school for economic reasons, or public students who completed their studies and stayed in the United States, all rushed to New York.
Rush to Carl Metal Company, after all, for them, this is a once-in-a-lifetime job opportunity.
When Li Leqin took the bus to Carl Metal Company, he saw that the company's gate was crowded with people - most of them were Chinese, and people who spoke Cantonese, Fujianese or Mandarin were talking excitedly there, and in the company's office building on the other side, the corridor was also full of people. Li Leqin had just arrived here and met a few familiar people.
"Wenli."
"Le'an."
"Jia De..."
...
Li Leqin not only saw friends who studied engineering like him, but also met a fellow countryman.
"Jing'an, why are you here too? Aren't you studying English and American literature?"
"Hey, brother Le'an, I thought that since the company is so big, there won't be dedicated engineers. Someone will always be needed to handle some paperwork."
Zhao Jing'an adjusted his glasses and said.
"Being an employee here is better than serving dishes in a restaurant!"
"Hey, you have to find someone to hire to serve dishes. You know, when you serve dishes, there may be a customer pointing at you and shouting "japs" excitedly."
"japs" means Japanese devils,
"Haha, then go to the back to wash the dishes."
A few seemingly simple sentences fully express the difficulties of Chinese people in finding jobs in the United States. Not only do you have to be better and more outstanding than others, but you also have to endure all kinds of injustice and discrimination.
"Do you know why this company posted a recruitment advertisement in Chinese?"
"I heard that this company was acquired by a Chinese businessman, so it only employs Chinese people."
"They actually opened such a large factory in the United States. They are really the glory of the Chinese people!"
For a while, the corridor was full of praise. This was not a compliment or flattery, but from the heart. After all, it is definitely a thing worth praising to be able to run such a large factory in the United States in this day and age.
Not only is it worth praising, but it is also eye-catching, especially the Chinese recruitment advertisement brought not only an advertisement, but also some kind of news, so that even the Wall Street Journal is reporting this advertisement and the news behind it.
"They actually bought such a large factory without spending a penny?"
Looking at the news in the newspaper, Song Peilun couldn't help but exclaimed.
"How can a Chinese like him be so cunning and plundering in the United States, robbing other people's property so much, and even the newspaper praised him as "quite skillful"."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Fuqi, who was having breakfast, said.
"Brother Song, you don't know, this is America. For Mr. Carl, the factory is not an asset, but a burden. If he continues to hold it, he will be dragged into bankruptcy. During the Great Depression, many millionaires, even multi-millionaires, were dragged into bankruptcy in this way. Bank interest, property taxes, these are added together, even multi-millionaires can't hold on for long."
Compared to Song Peilun, an engineering expert, Wang Fuqi, who studies economics, not only understands economics, but also understands the United States. After all, he has studied and lived in the United States for fifteen years. Having experienced the Great Depression, he has witnessed how many millionaires went bankrupt.
"So, giving away the company, the machines and the land for free is the best option. And Mr. George is not without risks. If he can't get orders and can't revive the company, the factory may also drag him into bankruptcy..."
"It turns out that it's not easy to take advantage of this for free! If you are not careful, you will lose everything. But this kind of thing is quite fresh."
When Song Peilun shook his head and sighed, Wang Fuqi suddenly looked at Song Peilun as if he thought of something.
"Brother Song, he posted a recruitment advertisement in Chinese in order to take care of my compatriots. Can we also lend a hand to him? After all, the company has a lot of orders in hand."
"You mean, let's give him the order..."
Staring at the news in the newspaper, Song Peilun frowned and said softly.
"But he has no experience. The company's orders are of great importance. If we rashly find such a company, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the chairman."