The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 198 You Have No Future
An estate on Nob Hill on the last day of 1878.

"There will be a special guest today, a Chinese. Don't be rude!" The host of the banquet, Leland Stanford, instructed the servants.

Leland Stanford, former governor of California and a major founder of the Pacific Railroad.

It was because American workers' wages were too high, and in order to lower costs, he hired a large number of Chinese workers to participate in the construction, and arranged them in the most difficult and dangerous areas, resulting in a large number of casualties among Chinese workers.

He even ordered a crackdown on Chinese workers who demanded a wage increase.

"Chinese? That's really surprising!" His wife Jane Lathrop Stanford was a little surprised when she heard this.

"Yes! I was surprised too! I didn't expect that I would invite a Chinese." Leland Stanford smiled and then said:

"But no matter what ethnic group, there will always be some outstanding people!"

He doesn't have much opinion about Chinese people. He even likes them very much because they are cheap and hardworking.

Everything he had done before was just what a capitalist should do.

However, in his mind, the image of Chinese people is dirty, ignorant and rude, so he was surprised when he learned about Chen Zhengwei.

"What's so special about him?" Jane Lathrop Stanford asked curiously.

"Yes, he can bring a lot of votes!" Leland Stanford said with a smile, and didn't say much else.

After all, as a gang leader, the reason he was allowed to attend the banquet was because of the votes.

Leland Stanford handed a piece of paper to his wife: "You need to write down today's guest list, dear. There will be some new guests today."

The list was arranged according to importance, and Jane soon saw a Chinese name on it, Zhengwei Chen.

To her surprise, the name was ranked in the middle of the list, higher than some Republican supporters she was familiar with.

……

"I have beaten you to death, lie down quickly!" In the yard, Qiao Niang was pointing a wooden gun at Chen Zhengwu.

Because Chen Zhengwei warned Qiao Niang not to point the gun at anyone unless you want to kill that person.

Qiao Niang liked to wield swords and guns, so Chen Zhenghu had someone make wooden swords and guns for her.

"If you don't lie down yet, it means you are not dead yet. I'm going to kill you!" Seeing that Chen Zhengwu was hesitating and didn't want to lie down, Chen Qiaoniang pulled out a wooden knife from her waist.

Now Chen Zhengwu became obedient. He glanced at the ground and then slowly fell to the ground.

That wooden knife hurts a lot when it hits someone.

Chen Zhengwei saw this scene from the window and felt that Qiao Niang and Zheng Wu were born with the wrong personalities.

After changing clothes and going out, I saw Lin Changning sitting on the sofa in the living room, covered with a blanket and holding a book in his hand - Three Heroes and Five Gallants.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace not far away, and the wood was crackling constantly.

"What are you going to do?" Lin Changning put down the book, sat up and asked.

Chen Zhengwei was wearing a blue suit and a coat.

The color of this suit is very low-key for him.

"Meeting the Republicans may be related to the general election in a few months!" Chen Zhengwei said as he walked out. In the yard, he took the wooden gun from Chen Qiaoniang and pointed it at her head.

"boom!"

Chen Qiaoniang cried out and fell to the ground pretending to be dead.

Chen Zhengwei casually threw the gun at Chen Qiaoniang, then took out a silk scarf from his pocket, wiped his hands, threw the silk scarf at Chen Qiaoniang's face, and walked outside.

Lin Changning tilted his head and watched the scene, with a hint of smile in his eyes.

Chen Zhengwei rarely acts so childishly.

After getting in the car, I went to pick up Anna. Anna was wearing a red dress with a corset on the upper body and a long skirt with layers of wrinkles on the lower body.

Anna was obviously a little excited and nervous at this time.

"What if I say something wrong?" Anna grabbed Chen Zhengwei's hand and asked nervously.

Those people were big shots to her, and she was just an ordinary civilian that could be seen everywhere.

"That's wrong. You have to understand that they have the responsibility to forgive your mistakes. If someone feels dissatisfied, it is definitely not directed at you, but at me. Let him come to me in person!" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

It was almost seven o'clock when the carriage arrived at Nob Hill.

"Wow!" Anna exclaimed when she saw the luxurious manor on the mountain.

Even though the streets of San Francisco were dim at night, illuminated only by gas lamps, the estates on Nob Hill were brightly lit.

After a while, the two carriages of the men in front and behind were led to the side, where the bodyguards' carriages were parked, and Chen Zhengwei's carriage was led into the manor.

It was the peak arrival time, and the other guests were surprised to see a Chinese man getting off the carriage, but most of them remained polite.

Entering the hall, there were well-dressed gentlemen chatting and laughing in groups of two or three.

Leland Stanford was talking to someone not far away.

"Why is there a Chinese here?" A voice came from not far away. The speaker was a blond young man.

Chen Zhengwei walked straight towards him.

Seeing this scene, the people around the young man pulled him.

The young man also looked at Chen Zhengwei, but did not say anything. He did not think he needed to apologize to a Chinese person.

Chen Zheng said to the people around him: "I am Chen, you will all know me in the future, trust me, this is very important to you."

Then he looked at the young man and narrowed his eyes: "Do you have a problem with me, or with my skin color?"

The young man shrugged and didn't care about Chen Zhengwei. Although this was a Republican dinner, there would be many people sneaking in to look for opportunities, and in his opinion, this Chinese was one of them.

"I told them it was important to meet me in San Francisco, but not you. If I were you, I'd buy a boat ticket to Chicago or New York right now."

"Are you threatening me?" The young man's face changed, he looked a little angry, and his voice became louder, attracting the attention of others around.

"No, this is a well-intentioned advice!" Chen Zhengwei smiled at him.

Such short-sighted people can be found everywhere, especially in San Francisco.

There's nothing we can do. Those who came before were not up to the mark.

"You actually threaten me at a banquet like this! I really don't know how you got here." The young man became even more annoyed.

It was an insult to him to be threatened by a Chinese at a Republican banquet.

“You have to understand that maybe your parents dote on you so much that you can’t see the world clearly! But outside, other people don’t feel the same way!” Chen Zhengwei helped him brush off the non-existent dust on his clothes and smiled with squinted eyes.

"Talking nonsense can kill people! Of course, this sentence is of no use to you." Chen Zhengwei patted him on the body.

He has no future.

"What happened here?" Leland Stanford heard the voice and came over. "Nothing, just a little misunderstanding, Mr. Stanford!" The young man smiled immediately after seeing Stanford.

Leland Stanford is a real big shot.

Just as Chen Zhengwei guessed, he followed his parents to broaden his horizons, and he didn't want Mr. Stanford to think he was impolite.

"Is that you, Mr. Chen? I'm sorry, I was busy when you came in just now." Stanford looked at Chen Zhengwei and smiled.

"I've heard of your name. It's amazing what you've done at your age!"

After hearing this, the young man's face turned a little ugly. He found that this Chinese man was more important than he thought, because Mr. Stanford knew his name.

You know, he doesn't even deserve to have his name remembered by Mr. Stanford.

"Young people are full of energy. It would be strange if they couldn't accomplish something." Chen Zhengwei smiled and shook hands with Stanford.

He didn't like Stanford, and if he had the chance, he wouldn't mind sending Stanford's entire family to heaven.

But not now.

"What a refreshing statement!" Stanford said with a smile. He chatted with Chen Zhengwei for a few words and then went on to talk to other people.

He came here just because he didn't want anything unpleasant to happen at his party.

"Chen, so you are here!" Judge Brown came as soon as Stanford left.

"What just happened here?"

"Nothing, just an immature young man." Chen Zhengwei laughed.

"It's better if nothing happens!" Judge Brown said meaningfully. He knew what kind of person Chen Zhengwei was.

"I'll take you to meet some people!" Judge Brown pulled Chen Zhengwei away. Before leaving, Chen Zhengwei leaned close to Anna and whispered in her ear, "Listen around and find out what that guy's name is."

Then he followed Judge Brown away.

Judge Brown led Chen Zhengwei to a group of seven or eight people: "This is Congressman Thomas, a member of the Oversight Committee."

"This is Mr. Frank, he runs the San Francisco Coaster newspaper," Judge Brown introduced several people.

"This is Chen!"

"Hello, Mr. Chen!" Thomas was very enthusiastic.

And Frank Nash, after his expression changed slightly, became even more enthusiastic than Thomas.

Thomas only knew that Chen Zhengwei could bring votes, but Frank knew what Chen Zhengwei had done. A reporter from his newspaper died on the roadside for unknown reasons after reporting on Chinatown.

Moreover, in recent days, most of the murders in San Francisco are related to the young man in front of him.

After Chen Zhengwei talked with them for a while, he realized that this Thomas was the real boss and was preparing to run for mayor in a few months.

He is one of the candidates within the Republican Party.

Chen Zhengwei chatted with a few people with a gentle smile on his face.

However, we didn't talk too deeply. I just heard Thomas talk about some of his campaign plans, which were mainly about creating a better environment for new immigrants and the treatment of workers.

In Thomas's opinion, the new immigrants he mentioned also include Chinese, but in Chen Zhengwei's opinion, that is not enough.

However, there was not much discussion at this time. These Republican candidates were also looking for their supporters. The really core things needed to be discussed in private rather than at the banquet.

Three candidates within a party compete, and then there will be a vote within the party to decide one candidate.

In this process, the parties need to consider many factors.

For example, how a candidate's public image, speaking ability, and political stance can attract voters...

For example, the candidates’ political experience…

For example, whether candidates can raise funds and other resources for their campaigns...

While observing Thomas, Chen Zhengwei was thinking in his mind that he was more interested in Frank than Thomas.

The San Francisco Coaster, also known as the San Francisco Examiner, has a history of several decades and has considerable influence.

After a while, Chen Zhengwei took a business card of Thomas and left, and found Judge Brown who was chatting with someone.

"How was your conversation?"

"What do you think of him?" Chen Zhengwei asked back. He felt that Thomas was a bit boastful, a typical politician.

Although he was not afraid that someone would take advantage of him and not do his job, doing things and doing things well were two different things.

Judge Brown smiled, then took Chen Zhengwei to see another person, whispering as they walked:
"James Odis, he used to be a lawyer! He's very good at persuading people."

"What are you talking about? We're not disturbing you by coming here, are we? James, this is Chen! As you can see, he is a Chinese, but he does big business!" Judge Brown took Chen Zhengwei to another place where there were seven or eight people.

“I’ve heard of you, Mr. Chen, but I didn’t expect to see you here!” Audis is younger than Thomas, gives people a sense of energy, and his attitude is also very enthusiastic.

In fact, except for those short-sighted people, anyone who knows Chen Zhengwei's identity doesn't want to offend him.

"I read the newspaper every day. Recently, I saw some news about Chinatown, which made me very interested. Maybe I can go to visit one day?" James smiled at Chen Zhengwei.

And he expressed his concern about the situation of Chinese people.

Chen Zhengwei chatted with James for a while and felt that James had a clear mind and good conversation. Just as Judge Brown said, he was very good at persuading people.

The most important thing is his profession.

lawyer.

Chen Zhengwei likes lawyers.

Because most lawyers are very rational and they take money to do their jobs, which is their professional ethics.

Moreover, his status is not high, so he is easier to control.

After a brief exchange of ideas, Brown took Chen Zhengwei to meet the last candidate, William Alvaro Arlette, a banker and director of the Bank of California.

After chatting for a few sentences, Chen Zhengwei was sure of one thing: he didn't like him.

Because the other party is not short of money.

And capital can sell out anyone for profit.

……

In the distance, several young men stood in the corner, looking at Chen Zhengwei.

One of them looked increasingly unsightly after seeing Chen Zhengwei being introduced to Thomas, James and William by Brown.

"Morris, you seem to be in trouble." said a young man.

"Just a Chinese!" Morris gritted his teeth. He couldn't admit that he had offended an important person because of his bad mouth, right?
And the other party is just a "Chinese".

(End of this chapter)