Volume 1: A sound on Wall Street, Xinxiang City is busy copying books Chapter 17: Card Partners
Subtitle of this chapter: A master who doesn't play mahjong is not a real master
Manager Zhou was very happy to hear the director's words, so he asked the director to write back: Although my daughter has not married yet, the status of father-in-law and son-in-law remains unchanged. I only have one daughter in my life, and I wanted to have a good time. Now I will use the dowry and the interest earned from the Yuan family's betrothal money for my daughter's business, a total of 8,000 yuan, equivalent to 4,000 US dollars, to give to Yuan Yanshu for her study abroad when she graduates next year..
Yuan Yanshu had never expected such a good thing to happen. He was very grateful to his father-in-law and his deceased fiancée, so he came to New York University to study economics. He wanted to repay his father-in-law and his family with the knowledge he had learned. When he returned to China after completing his studies, he would be able to take care of his parents and inherit the "Dianjin Bank" to comfort the souls of his father-in-law and his family of three.
It's a pity that medicine has been so advanced in recent years that Zhou's father-in-law finally realized it and resolutely went against his in-laws and became a fan of Western medicine. Facts have proved that old Western doctors are still a little better than old Chinese doctors in treating infertility. The concubine Xiaoxing he married a few years ago actually gave Yuan Yan a brother-in-law, which can be regarded as a great joy for an old tree to bloom. Of course, it may be that Zhou's mother-in-law finally agreed to let her "old partner" take a concubine. In fact, Zhou's father-in-law is not that old, he is a tiger and wolf in his 50s and 40s... well, in his prime.
It turned out that being too calculating was not a good thing, as it caused Yuan Yan to choose the wrong major.
As the saying goes: Men are afraid of choosing the wrong career, and women are afraid of marrying a woman without a house.
Fortunately, Yuan Yanshu now has no chance to give up and succumb to fate. The Master Ball System uses a system task to save him... well, save him.
Well, whether you copy or not, the system is there, neither sad nor happy... but you are doomed.
"Host, please select the version, language, and manuscript format."
Yuan Yanshu finally discovered the first benefit of the Master Ball. This service is quite considerate. Especially in the form of manuscripts, such a long academic monograph of 500 pages and millions of words, he was asked to write it out one by one or type it out word by word. It would be better for him not to be a master.
Moreover, as expected of a product of a high-dimensional creature, even the trace detection technology has been taken into consideration. In this way, each work has an original manuscript, whether it is handwriting analysis or trace analysis, it is solid evidence, so that no one will think that the origin of their masterpiece is strange.
Well, let’s exchange it first: “First edition, English, um, typescript.”
"The printing fee is one tenth of the extraction fee, and the B-coin balance is insufficient."
"Wasn't that Fifty Shades of Grey book free last time?"
"Last time it was a benefit, but this time it's not."
Yuan Yan suddenly felt extremely depressed. This was a long novel of over a million words and 500 pages. Did she really have to type it out word by word? !
"Crackle, crackle."
This was the sound of a second-hand typewriter. This UNDERWOOD typewriter, which had the same name as General Xia Mu, was bought by Yuan Yanshu when he first came to the United States and was ambitiously preparing to become a master. It cost him thirty US dollars.
Accustomed to the wifi life, Yuan Yanshu had nothing to do when he was idle. There was no TV in this era. Well, in fact, even radio would not appear until next year. Yuan Yanshu, a "hardworking" student, did not have any books suitable for entertainment in his room. So he simply got up and started his journey to become a master.
However, he did not start plagiarizing directly, but was working on the table of contents and outline. One must always check with his supervisor when writing a paper, not to mention that he was skipping a grade to apply for a doctorate.
I had just sat down and typed three lines when I heard someone banging on the door outside: "Old Yuan, open the door quickly..."
Yuan Yan, whose train of thought was interrupted, opened the door with some displeasure. When he looked outside, he saw three well-dressed Chinese men, one tall, one short and one fat, standing at the door. They were all his old acquaintances and... his card-playing partners.
After the Boxer Indemnity in China, the United States, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries successively signed agreements with China to return the indemnity that exceeded the actual losses. In addition to repaying debts, the rest of the refunded funds were all used for education. China sent corresponding students to the above-mentioned countries every year, and the Boxer Indemnity students came into being. Master Hu Shizhi was one of the second batch of Boxer Indemnity students studying in the United States. The "Preparatory School for Studying in the United States" established by the Qing Dynasty was the predecessor of Tsinghua University.
By 1920, the number of Chinese studying in the United States exceeded 1,500, and five years later, in 1925, the peak number reached 2,500 . Among them, in addition to government-sponsored students, there were also self-funded students. Yuan Yanshu, Xu Zhimo, and the three people in front of us all studied in the United States at their own expense.
Yuan Hongjian has never heard of these gentlemen in later generations, so they are probably not important historical figures. However, they can come to the United States to study at their own expense, and spend their days in luxury without worrying about small amounts of money. They must be the second generation of the rich or noble.
The long-legged thin man in the lead had a yellow face, yellow teeth, and even a tuft of yellow hair on his head, looking like a heavy smoker. But he looked pretty good, and waved the bill in his hand with a beaming face, and said casually: "Old Yuan, I heard that you are well? Then put on your suit quickly. The family sent money. Today is my business, and no one can take it away. We have to go to a restaurant. What to eat? Steak. What to do after eating? As usual, no one can take anyone away during the eight rounds!"
This familiar taste reminded Yuan Yan of the Goubuli steamed buns that she always eats when she goes there and says they are not tasty... Wait, he was talking about steak?! Yuan Yan, who had only eaten hot dog sandwiches since she traveled through time, couldn't help but swallow.
But he came to his senses immediately. He was going to be a master, and he would have to eat less steak and play less mahjong in the future, both of which were standard for masters in the Republic of China. So he politely declined, "Xiangzi, you are too polite. But I have something else to do today, so I have to excuse myself."
This Xiangzi's name is Luo Puxiang, and his nickname is really "Camel Xiangzi". In addition to the fact that he looks like a camel and eats two packs of "camel" every day, his family is a Shanxi merchant who went west. When Zuo Xiangyin pacified the rebellion in the northwest, the Luo family sent their children to serve in the army and made a lot of money. One of them then followed "my great Qing Zhuge Liang" into the interior and finally settled down in Tianjin. So by the generation of Camel Xiangzi, there is no taste of old vinegar from Lao Xier, but the taste of Weizui's fried dough twist. Although the Luo family is not listed among the eight imperial merchants, the coal boss of my great Qing... well, Shanxi merchants, can they still be short of money?
