"The most important thing now is to find a way to get that bitch to withdraw the case, otherwise Ethan will have to hide in the corner forever."
"It will be very troublesome if we are caught!"
Lance was already thinking about how to deal with this matter. He had seen clearly this month that the Federals were unreliable.
He has no roots, so this group of fellow countrymen from the empire may become a key force.
"There are two ways. The first way is that we can find a way to borrow some money to shut this person up and make him withdraw the case."
"The second solution is that if we can't borrow money, we have to find a way to convince him."
After hearing this, Erwin thought it was unlikely. "This is not a good idea at all. Where can we borrow the money from? How much money can we borrow? These are all problems!"
I have just been here for a month, I am unfamiliar with the place and I don't have much money with me.
Most people have the opportunity to come here because their families have made great efforts and almost emptied every family's foundation.
Nowadays, many fishermen no longer fish, but instead specialize in transporting people from the shore to the high seas and then onto smuggling boats.
The entire process of smuggling across the border costs about 1,500 yuan, which is a unaffordable amount of money for an ordinary family.
In addition, families in the empire still need to make a living and need some funds to deal with emergencies, so most of the people who smuggled in did not have much money on them.
When Lance got off the boat, he had less than five dollars in total, and the same was true for the others.
At most, it might be just a few dozen dollars.
Erwin was a little annoyed, "The question is where can we borrow so much money?"
Lance asked him to wait for a while, and returned to the bakery to talk to the fat boss about asking for leave.
"My fellow countryman is in trouble, and I have to go check on the situation, so I may not be in the store this afternoon."
The fat boss sat behind the counter, smoking a pipe. His eyes, which were squeezed smaller due to obesity, looked dark and only the pupil in the middle could be seen, like two buttons on a fermented bread.
He looked Lance up and down, "You can ask for leave, but I'll fine you one dollar, and you have to be back before five o'clock, or it'll be two dollars."
"If we sell less than yesterday because you were absent tonight, you have to make up for that loss because it was caused by you."
Lance looked at the fat boss, who met his gaze without fear, "I know you hate me, and I also like the way you hate me but can't do anything about it."
He tapped his pipe on the corner of the table and pointed at Lance. "If you run away or don't come back, I'll call the police and say you stole property from the store. Do you understand me?"
Lance remained humble throughout, even showing a smile on his face, "I think I understand, Boss."
The fat boss sneered contemptuously, "Then get out. I want to see you behind the counter before five o'clock."
"By the way, you owe me four dollars now, and I'm going to charge you interest. If you can't pay me back by the end of this month, it will become four dollars and sixty cents..."
A 15% monthly interest rate and a 180% annual interest rate are simply murderous!
Sometimes people always have the urge to jump down when they stand on the edge of a cliff, but some people will curb this inexplicable urge, but some people take this step.
Lance was silent for a while, but did not refuse. "I'll remember that, Boss."
The fat boss couldn't find any more sense of superiority or the feeling of playing with Lance, so he waved his hand impatiently, "Go away."
Lance took off his apron and left with Erwin. The friends were not far away, a total of twelve or thirteen people.
They squatted in the shade of the alley, and when Lance came, everyone stood up and greeted Lance anxiously.
"I still have five dollars here. How much do we have in total?"
A guy named Melo took out a washed-out handkerchief from his pocket, which looked like it was stained with something heavy inside.
After opening it, it was almost all cents, but surprisingly there were also two two-dollar bills.
In this unfamiliar environment, when faced with a crisis, the unity of these people made Lance see the "power". It was brewing, just like a seed in the dark soil, which would eventually break through the ground.
"Including yours, the total is seventy-seven dollars."
When the young people heard that there was so much money, they all showed some strange expressions on their faces.
During this period, federal inflation was not severe, and with the economy on the rise, the purchasing power of the currency was very strong. Seventy-seven dollars was indeed not a small amount.
But it is still some distance away from two hundred yuan.
"Do you know where the nearest financial company is?"
After careful consideration, Lance decided to borrow some money from a loan shark.
Although usury is scary, if everyone pools money together to pay it back, then based on fourteen people, even if the monthly interest rate is 15%, each person actually only bears 1% of the one hundred and fifty yuan, and the interest per person is just over one dollar and fifty cents.
If they are willing to repay the principal and interest together, then each person only needs to pay three dollars a month and the debt can be repaid in less than half a year.
He talked to his friends first, and finally everyone agreed that this was a suitable option, although it might cause financial strain.
But after working for a month, they have gradually become familiar with the work and everything here.
They know where they can find shelter from the wind and rain and a place to sleep, and they know when and where to get free relief food.
I also know when and where to go, and if I'm lucky I can get some old clothes.
As long as you live in the Federation long enough, there will always be a way.
And recently the news and newspapers have been saying that Congress may soon sign a bill related to black immigrants.
Then they can go to the Immigration Bureau to register and get their own work card.
At that time, all the money they earn will be theirs, and it may not take long for them to pay back all the money.
Lance walked in front, followed by a dozen young people in their teens and 18s, and they entered a financial company together.
There are many federal financial companies, especially in a city with a rapidly developing economy like LOS City.
Ninety-nine percent of the people in the Federation have a Federation dream. Many people have witnessed some ordinary people who are similar to them, just because they seized an opportunity that they might also be qualified to touch, and quickly jumped from the ordinary class to the middle class, or even capitalists. People are going crazy!
Miracles are born every day, and the media reports all of this, as if miracles and the Federation have become an equation. These miracles have also created the idea and motivation for the people in the Federation to strive for entrepreneurship.
If you don't have money to start a business, it may not be very convenient to borrow from a bank.
In order to reduce loan risks, banks will require borrowers to have real estate or collateral, and will only lend at 60% of the market value.
Strict audits and harsh loan conditions have blocked many people's path to entrepreneurship, but financial companies on the side of the road will not do this.
As long as they can be sure that you have the ability or something that is worth the money, they will dare to lend you the money.
Some people did borrow money and never paid it back, but these people were eventually put into oil drums and became the foundation of the port.
If someone is willing to exchange his or her life for a few hundred, a few thousand, or even tens of thousands of dollars, the financial company will have no choice but to accept the loss.
The only thing they can do is to bear the loss and then kill you!
Of course, there are very few people who can really do this. The desire to survive is the strongest desire of human beings, nothing else.
So during this period, the area around the port and every street and alley was almost entirely filled with financial companies.
Lance randomly found a club that looked larger, and the gatekeeper stood in front of them, "This is not a club. If you want to find girls, go across the street."
The gatekeeper was facing so many young men and was not sure what they were here to do. For safety and deterrence reasons, he put his hands on his waist, and the hem of his shirt was lifted up, revealing the holster and the pistol inside.
The pistol with a metallic luster was inserted in the holster. Some of the friends took a step back immediately, while others were so nervous that they couldn't speak.
Lance seemed calm and composed, and without any hatred, no one would shoot him.
Even if he is a black immigrant.
In the judicial system, there is no distinction between black and white immigrants when it comes to the victims of murder cases.
"We want to borrow some money."
The gatekeeper looked at Lance and thought he might be more reliable. "You, add one more person in, and the others wait outside."
Lance looked back and saw that although most people did not back down, they did not take the initiative to stand up either.
After about three or five seconds, Erwin stood up and said, "I'll go with you."
Lance nodded, and the gatekeeper made way for him and Erwin to enter the company, while everyone else was asked to stay outside the company.
The company's decoration is luxurious, but not very large.
As soon as you enter the door, there is a front desk where a pretty girl is trimming her nails.
She looked up and glanced at the person who came in, then focused on her nails again.
Lance walked to the front desk and knocked on the countertop. "I want to borrow some money."
"Go to the end and turn left. There is only one room there," the girl said without raising her head.
Lance curled his lips and walked inside with Erwin.
Erwin seemed a little nervous, so Lance didn't talk to him. Sometimes distraction not only fails to relieve tension, but makes it worse.
The corridor is not long, with offices on both sides. However, the people inside don't look like office workers, but more like thugs.
Everyone's eyes were on the two of them. Lance could clearly feel that Erwin was following him closely, which made him even more nervous.
These guys with tattoos, strong physique and vicious looks made Alvin lower his head, but Lance didn't think there was anything to be afraid of.
Walk to the end and turn left. The only door is labelled "Manager's Office". Lance knocked on the door and a voice answered, "Come in."
He pushed the door open and saw a guy who looked somewhat like the real deal, wearing a suit and tie, sitting behind the desk.
He looked to be about 32 or 33 years old. He was stunned at first, then invited the two to sit down.
"What would you like to drink?"
"Water, thank you."