Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 47: The Relationship between the Li Family and Mr. Zheng (Additional Update)

After returning to the main villa of Li Garden, Li Xiaoshi was not in a good mood for a while.

Seeing Li Jiqian clapping his hands while listening to the Cantonese opera on the radio, he couldn't help but say, "Dad, aren't there Cantonese opera singers outside? Why are you listening to it on the radio?"

Li Jiqian smiled and said, "It's bustling outside, with so many people and so many workers. If I go out, they'll all have to worry about me as the host, and no one will have a good time. Why should I bother with that? I'm so happy today. Come on, sit down and listen to me for a while."

"Dad, where's Uncle Li? Why isn't he with you? You two have been friends for many years, it's not easy to see each other."

"What can I, an old man, do to show my worth? I'm going to block Mr. Zheng."

"Oh."

Li Jiqian glanced at Li Xiaoshi and said, "Why do you look unhappy?"

"Is there any? No."

"So many business tycoons came to our house today, and they are all so interested in Mr. Zheng. Are you a little unhappy? Mr. Zheng, he is a bit wild."

"How did you know?"

"Haha, how should I know? Do you know why Li Huaishuang went to see Mr. Zheng?"

"He...went to persuade Mr. Zheng to return home?"

"Do you know what kind of benefits Mr. Zheng would receive if he returned to China? If he's willing to become an official, he could at least start as a director in the Ministry of Industry. If he's willing to work in a factory, hehe, Wang Zhu, do you know?"

Li Xiaoshi: "The first chief designer of Boeing in the United States. I heard that after returning to China, he designed many aircraft models."

Li Jiqian: "But this first chief designer of Boeing was never able to mass-produce a domestically produced aircraft after returning to China. How do you think Mr. Zheng's ability compares to Mr. Wang's?"

Li Xiaoshi: "That's... hard to compare. Mr. Wang is an expert in aviation. Brother Zheng... to be honest, I don't know what he's best at. He said he's best at chemistry, but I... can't believe it."

Li Jiqian: "Even if he's just bragging about his chemistry prowess, even in mechanics, he still has his strengths and weaknesses compared to Mr. Wang, right? At the very least, they're engineers of the same caliber, right?"

Li Xiaoshi nodded and said, "I personally think that Brother Zheng's ability may be stronger than Mr. Wang's. At least, he is more comprehensive."

Li Jiqian: "Wang Zhu is currently the chief engineer of China Aviation Corporation, director of the Navy Aircraft Manufacturing Department, and holds the rank of colonel in the Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Military Affairs.

You said Mr. Zheng's skills might even be better than Wang Zu's. So what is Mr. Zheng's current military rank?"

Li Xiaoshi: “…………”

Li Jiqian: "With Mr. Zheng's talent and knowledge, if he is willing to be inferior to others and return to China, he can at least become a director or colonel, and serve the country with full justification.

If he wants to save trouble and live a life of wealth and glory, do you think he won't be able to find a job in the United States?

Didn’t you tell me that some Swedish company offered him a high salary to poach him?

So, what is he working for us for? Is it just for your sister? "

Li Xiaoshi was speechless and even couldn't help but reflect on himself.

"It's a good meeting, a good parting. Isn't the Taiyou Machinery Factory already built? Mr. Zheng has made a great contribution to our Li family, hasn't he?
Our Li family has done Mr. Zheng a great favor. No matter how high-ranking Mr. Tan Kah Kee was, no matter how special he was, no matter how much of a leader the Fujianese were, he could never be closer to Mr. Zheng than we are to him.”

"He'll be his own boss in the future. No matter what good things happen, how could he not think of us first? Why did you keep him around? If you keep him around for so long, and this little kindness is gone, then it's completely meaningless."

"Didn't Tan Lark Sye give him 400,000 Malaysian ringgit?" Li Jiqian said as he pulled out a check from his pocket. "This is the 1.4 million Malaysian ringgit I asked your mother to cash from your uncle. You'll give it to Mr. Zheng later."

Li Xiaoshi: "Is this considered... a dividend?"

Li Jiqian: "What the hell is there to share? This is a personal relationship between you, the eldest brother, and him!
His wings have grown strong and he wants to fly, so let him fly. This 1.4 million is our start-up capital. We give it to him to wish him a bright future and smooth sailing. It is our Li family's kindness to Mr. Zheng!"

"How can the relationship between our Li family and Mr. Zheng be compared with the feelings of fellow villagers like Mr. Chen?"

Li Xiaoshi couldn't help but smile bitterly.
I thought to myself, at least in terms of courage, I am still far inferior to my father.

Zheng Yi had just returned home and had no time to drink a sip of water when he was blocked by Li Huaishuang. He had no choice but to make tea to entertain him.

Li Huaishuang also got straight to the point. "I heard from Ji Qiangong that you, Mr. Zheng, are a capable person with a deep sense of national sentiment and great abilities. I wonder if you have ever considered...returning to China?" "No, I haven't considered it, and I don't consider returning to China."

"Oh? Why is this?"

"I don't like politics, and I can't be an official. Nanyang is a good place. It's a small place, but it's more suitable for me to show my talents. I can rely on my skills to get things done, and I don't have to worry about so many messy things. I just want to be free."

Zheng Yi could only use this specious reason to prevaricate him, otherwise he couldn't say that he simply looked down on the Nationalist government.

Wouldn't that make you a reactionary?

China's hope lies in Jiangxi, but if you really ask him to go to Jiangxi to suffer now, he will not be happy.

He is such a vulgar person. He admires Tan Kah Kee, but he will never become Tan Kah Kee in his life. He is also patriotic, but at most he can become a person like Li Xiaoshi.

On the contrary, Nanyang is really suitable for him.

Although the industrial base is a bit poor, these Nanyang tycoons are rich.

Moreover, Tan Kah Kee, Lee Hsiao-shih, and other foreigners may actually be more patriotic than many people in China. Even when living in Kuala Lumpur, he sometimes doesn't feel like he is living in a foreign country.

Li Huaishuang: "Well, then... Mr. Zheng, would you be willing to return to China with me temporarily to exchange ideas with experts in the same industry? Take this airplane, for example. Mr. Wang Zhu returned to China three years ago and has been working on aircraft design, but he has always..."

Zheng Yi interrupted, "In the field of aircraft manufacturing, Mr. Wang and I are definitely no match. It's just that our approaches are different. What I designed might not even be called an aircraft at all."

Li Huaishuang: "You mean, Engineer Wang took the wrong road?"

"I...haha, then I'll tell you the truth."

"You say."

"When Mr. Wang returned to China, the difference between China and Japan in aircraft manufacturing was very small. The first aircraft engine copied by Japan was a Boeing one, and Mr. Wang even participated in the design of that engine."

"Both countries are learning from the United States, both are mobilizing their national strength, and both attach great importance to aviation development. Both countries are bound to have a war. To be honest, this seems to be quite similar to the Sino-Japanese naval competition before the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.
I suspect Mr. Wang gave up his position as Boeing's chief designer and returned to China because he wanted to compete with the Japanese in air force and avenge the humiliation of the First Sino-Japanese War. How could a junior like me dare to say he was on the wrong track?

Li Huaishuang: "But now..."

"But now Japan's planes have been mass-produced and are dropping bombs over Northeast China. Where are our government's planes?

Mr. Wang Zhu is the chief designer of Boeing. Japan's aviation industry started by imitating Boeing engines. Now the gap is so big. Is this because Mr. Wang is incompetent, or is it..."

Li Huaishuang: "It's not entirely the government's incompetence. After all, China and Japan have different foundations and objective environments..."

Zheng Yi: "Mr. Li, what are you talking about? When did I ever say that the government was incompetent? What I was talking about was the difference in industrial base."

Li Huaishuang: “…………”

"Nanyang's industrial base is even worse than China's. Don't worry if you laugh at me, I haven't developed any special aircraft engines at all. The powered delta wing is made with a motorcycle engine, which was also bought from Japan."

"We definitely can't compete with them in a serious airplane race, so why not just give up on the airplane track for now and do the opposite. Instead of pursuing high, fast, and far flights, we should focus on cheapness, large quantities, and ease of use. Honestly, we don't have time to slowly build airplanes anymore."

"This thing is useless in serious air combat, but if it is distributed to the army, especially Ma Zhanshan and the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, it would be very suitable for guerrilla warfare."

Li Huaishuang: "Guerrilla warfare..."

Zheng Yi: "Mr. Li, would you like the technology for a powered delta wing?"

Li Huaishuang: "Is it okay?"

"Of course, but I want you to exchange something for it."

"You say."

"I heard that the Longyan Iron Mine and the Shijingshan Iron and Steel Company had a large steelmaking furnace imported from the United States as early as 1919, which was considered one of the most advanced in the world. But it's been more than ten years, and such a large steelmaking furnace has never been put into production. Anyway, the furnace is useless, so why not sell it to me?"

(End of this chapter)