The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 546: Wencun Chen Family, Chen Zhengwei
"Brother Wei, I've had someone check it out. Six days from now will be an auspicious day, but that's a bit too soon. How about thirteen days from now?"

"Just six days later!" Chen Zhengwei thought for a while and said.

Judging from the time, the fleet that went to Hawaii to perform will be back soon.

After they come back and rest for a while, we can go to South America.

It's not just about rest and recuperation, but also about waiting for the construction of a radio station.

Before he went to Houston, he gave the radio drawings to the laboratory. Although the laboratory had not yet fully figured out the principles of wireless telegraphy, it had already made a hand-cranked wireless telegraph.

It's like not understanding the principle of leverage, but it doesn't prevent you from making a shovel.

Since wireless telegrams can travel a very long distance in the atmosphere and there is no interference at sea, as long as the communication time is agreed upon, communication with San Francisco can be maintained even at sea.

This is what he values ​​most.

Chen Zhengwei thought the ship would soon return to San Francisco, but due to a storm that lasted for several days, his fleet had just sailed out of the port of Honolulu.

Watching the fleet leave the port, many people in Honolulu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether it is Chen Fang or the local American businessmen.

However, many local Chinese people became concerned after learning about the situation in San Francisco.

In a dilapidated house, two Chinese people were sitting on a bed made of wooden boards and chatting.

"I heard that Chinese people have a very high status in San Francisco! And they earn more than here!" said a young man.

"Want to go?" Another older man glanced at him while smoking his pipe.

"I want to go!" The young man nodded. "Chinese people are not bullied there, and they earn more money. Why not go?"

"I heard it all from others! Those people praised Cuba to the skies, but what happened? Once you go there, you can't escape! How many people can come back alive?" The older man said as he puffed on his pipe, "It's not bad here! At least we can have food to eat. If we save up for a few more years, we can go back and get married!"

"They also have warships!" The young man snorted unhappily after hearing this.

I made up my mind to ask more people coming from the United States.

These Chinese came to Honolulu to do hard labor, and now they have finally taken root here, but there is still discrimination against the Chinese in Honolulu.

First class are white people, second class are indigenous people, and third class are Chinese.

The workers here, apart from the Chinese, are the natives and Portuguese workers. The Chinese are considered the lowest class here, and their salary is only 50 cents a day.

So when they heard that the Chinese in San Francisco lived a good life and saw so many Chinese sailors coming on warships, many people were tempted.

It’s just that I can’t make up my mind for the time being... Of course, the most important thing is that many people haven’t even paid for their boat tickets.

I can't even leave even if I want to.

Those who have paid off their boat tickets can earn more than ten dollars a month and don't want to leave here and go to a strange place.

……

Chinatown has been festive since Chen Zhengwei returned to San Francisco.

The main thing is that as long as Chen Zhengwei's subordinates are happy, other Chinese people must be happy too.

Moreover, Chinese businessmen in San Francisco are doing well nowadays, and their textiles and leather shoes are sold to neighboring states of Oregon and Nevada through the Chamber of Commerce.

Nowadays, factories operate day and night and it is difficult to recruit workers.

The entire social environment is positive. As long as workers have sufficient hands and feet, they will not have trouble finding work. Chinatown is naturally busy and joyful.

At this time, Wanyun was sitting in front of the mirror, letting several sisters help her to dress up, and they all showed envious looks on their faces.

"You are lucky. Mr. Chen is a nostalgic person! We are happy to see that you have found a place to stay!" Behind Wanyun, Hong Ma sighed while helping her comb her hair. Her eyes turned red when she was moved.

Hong Ma was the madam of a brothel. It was she who introduced Wan Yun to Chen Zhengwei.

Wanyun is also her adopted daughter.

I never thought that Wanyun would actually get to visit me one day.

At this moment, she looked quite relieved. Mr. Chen had a large family and a big business, and he was not harsh on Wanyun.

Wanyun now has a place to stay, and the girls who know Wanyun will have someone to help them in the future.

"Master Wei is a good man!" Wan Yun said softly.

"Who says it's not true? First, it was the girls in the brothels who all remembered his kindness, and later, it was the Chinese in Chinatown who all remembered his kindness! But you are the most blessed!" Hong Ma said with a smile.

"But you must remember that you must follow the rules after entering the door! Mrs. Chen is not a harsh person, but you must remember your identity and remember to ask her for advice on everything..." Hong Ma taught again.

After Wan Yun finished dressing up, a carriage took her to Chen Zhengwei's residence a moment later.

At this time, the yard of Chen Zhengwei's house was filled with tables and chairs, half of which were occupied by Chen Zhengwei's men, including Xiucai, Yan Qingyou, Chen Zhenghu, Situ Ye, A Long and others, as well as a foreigner like Green.

The remaining half of the yard was reserved for the Chinese merchants. Chinese merchants kept coming in to register their gifts. Aaron looked at them while picking his teeth: "What did you take?"

"Ginseng? To nourish Brother Wei's body? Brother Wei will beat you up if he finds out!"

"Boss Li must have spent a lot of money on such a big golden Buddha!"

"No way, no way. All the Chinese in Chinatown have benefited from Mr. Chen. If it weren't for Mr. Chen, how could our business be what it is today?" The man called Boss Li was a wealthy businessman dressed in gentleman's suit, who quickly put on a smile.

"Boss Li is indeed sensible!" Aaron laughed.

Only after all the wealthy people had arrived did Chen Zhengwei and Lin Changning come out with smiles on their faces to greet everyone.

"Mr. Chen!" Seeing Chen Zhengwei and Lin Changning come out, everyone stood up.

"Mrs. Chen!"

"Congratulations, Mr. Chen!"

Both of them were dressed in ordinary clothes. In fact, the process of taking a concubine was simple.

Even if you want to get married in a grand ceremony, have you asked your wife what she thinks?
Normally, they would invite their relatives and friends to have a drink, but Chen Zhengwei's status was different, so he simply used this opportunity to hold a drink and make it a bigger event. "I'm sorry for all the expense! I don't like to be polite, and I didn't want to make such a big fuss. But everyone, please take this opportunity to meet each other!" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

"What are you saying, Mr. Chen? For others taking a concubine is a small matter, but for Mr. Chen, it is a big deal. Who among you present here does not rely on Mr. Chen's care?" Liang Yi Yue, the president of the Zhaoqing Guild Hall, immediately said loudly.

"That's right, Mr. Liang is right!"

"It would be too polite if Mr. Chen didn't notify us!" everyone spoke up.

"Besides, this is not just a happy event. It is even more joyous that Mr. Chen has a successor. Mr. Chen was not in San Francisco before, so we can come to congratulate him now! Congratulations to Mr. Chen, congratulations to Mrs. Chen!" Liang Yi Yue changed his tone and spoke again, without a single mistake, taking Lin Changning's face into consideration.

"You all look beaming with joy, and it seems that you are all doing well recently. This makes me feel relieved. Find an opportunity in a couple of days and tell me about any difficulties you encounter in your business." Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

He felt that he was becoming more and more kind now.

The yard was filled with joy. After a while, the carriage arrived at the door and Hong Ma led Wan Yun in. Wan Yun lowered her head slightly, her heart full of joy.

Chen Zhengwei and Lin Changning sat in the main seats. Wanyun picked up the teacups from the tray on the side and placed them in front of them.

"Master, have some tea!"

"Ma'am, have some tea!"

Lin Changning didn't make things difficult for her. He took the tea and drank it directly.

After the banquet, Lin Changning went back to his room, which made Wanyun feel relieved. He said to Chen Zhengwei: "Master Wei, I will help you to rest!"

When the master takes a concubine, the wife usually watches while they have sex.

Lin Changning didn't know about this, but Wanyun knew about it, but she didn't say anything.

Chen Zhengwei didn't know either, otherwise he would have dragged Lin Changning back.

……

A few days later, the fleet returned to San Francisco from Hawaii.

When Chen Zhengwei was having breakfast at noon, his henchman came running over and said, "Brother Wei, the boat is back!"

"Finally they're back! I thought they had sunk!" Chen Zhengwei raised his eyebrows. The ship returned several days later than he expected.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Changning glared at Chen Zhengwei.

Qiao Niang, Zheng Wu and Li Xiwen were all laughing secretly. Wan Yun also lowered his head with a smile on his face.

Lin Changning is indeed not a harsh person, and has a straightforward personality. In fact, he is easy to get along with. She has been very comfortable staying in his house these days.

"Tsk tsk, that's not very auspicious!" Chen Zhengwei was too lazy to argue with Lin Changning.

"Tell Liu Guanchang and the others to come see me later!" Chen Zhengwei ordered.

Liu Guanchang is from the Six Surnames Hall, which includes the four surnames Liu, Guan, Zhang and Zhao. This is one of the few halls that have been preserved intact in San Francisco's Chinatown today.

When Chen Zhengwei was recruiting navy before, Liu Guanchang brought a group of people to join him. They were all experienced sailors.

Liu Guanchang was familiar with maritime affairs and had some skills. After those British navy officers left, he managed to become the captain of the Warrior.

After dinner, Chen Zhengwei sat in the yard.

In the afternoon, Captain Liu and several other captains rushed over. When they entered the yard, they saw Chen Zhengwei sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed and a cigar in his hand.

Several people said respectfully:
"boss!"

Even though Chen Zhengwei was sitting there, they felt that Chen Zhengwei seemed to be taller than them, and a sense of pressure was overwhelming them.

"Sit down! Why are you standing? Do you want to appear taller than me?" Chen Zhengwei raised his chin and motioned for everyone to sit down:

"How was the trip?"

"It went smoothly, but we encountered a storm, which delayed us for a few days!"

Chen Zhengwei nodded: "If we start from San Francisco, go to South America, and then go around Cape Horn to Cuba, can you do it? Think about it first!"

"It should be possible, but it needs to be repaired first, and the ship also needs to be inspected!"

"What about fighting? Can we fight?"

"We have trained everyone who needs training. We will never have any experience if we don't fight! But building ships and training sailors are not easy. It's best to fight some weaker opponents!" Liu Guanchang said after thinking seriously, feeling a little excited at the same time.

He also thought that Chen Zhengwei could establish a country in the United States, so he brought a group of people from the Sixingtang to join him, hoping to create a future for himself.

Therefore, when Chen Zhengwei mentioned fighting, he felt that the opportunity had come.

"That's fine! I'll give you half a month to recover!" Chen Zhengwei nodded. Chile, Peru and Bolivia have been fighting for a year and a half for the guano. If he doesn't go now, it will be too late.

"Look at the people on that piggy boat, who can stay?" Chen Zhengwei asked again.

“Make me a list!”

"Or rather, who can't stay!"

……

At the same time, in the Qing Dynasty, Dong Xun walked into the East Warm Pavilion.

"I pay my respects to the Queen Mother!"

"Have you found out?"

"I sent someone to Guangdong to inquire and got some clues."

"That group of laborers are mainly from Taishan, Guangzhou!"

"The leader among them is from the Chen family of Wencun! His name is Chen Zhengwei!"

(End of this chapter)