N-A-A Chapter 7 Western American Bank
Chapter 7 Western American Bank
The plane tree leaves on Rue Albert were just sprouting, and there was a slight chill in the morning mist. The French-style building of the West American Trading Company stood on the street corner, its copper signboard polished to a shine and engraved with gilded German characters.
Across the street is the Asakusa Trading Company, with a Japanese-style entrance adorned with red lanterns. Several Japanese women in kimonos go in and out, while a man in a black suit always loiters behind the door.
Yan Shuo chose to work as the accountant at Ximei Trading Company because of the Asakusa Trading Company across the street: it was hiding a lot of contraband, such as opium, seamless steel pipes, and radio transmitter parts. As long as you paid, you could even get your hands on a whole radio transmitter. Those Japanese were incredibly audacious and would do any kind of business.
He pushed open the door and entered the West American Trading Company. The aroma of coffee mingled with the scent of cotton and linen fabrics, and the clatter of typewriters and the whispers of the staff rose and fell.
Yan Shuo is a wealthy young man who returned from studying in the United States. His family owns a pharmacy. With a degree from a prestigious university, he is very good at financial matters. No one doubts his background. After all, students from White Oak High School are always highly sought after in foreign firms in Shanghai.
"Bernder, you're here! Come to my office!" Lucas's voice came from the second floor, his accent thick with German.
Yan Shuo looked up and saw Lucas von Wolf, the owner of the trading company, standing at the top of the stairs. He was in his forties, with a thick beard that covered almost half of his face, and his eyes narrowed into slits when he smiled.
He was particularly fond of Yan Shuo, not only giving him the German name "Bernder Klaus," but also arranging for him to obtain a German residency permit in China, complete with taxes and insurance. He even said that Yan Shuo could move into the German community at any time if he wished. However, Yan Shuo's German was still halting, and he only knew a few everyday phrases. He spoke fluent English and Japanese, and could understand most of Cantonese, but spoke it very clumsily. He needed to quickly check the system store to see if there were any language learning cards. He had to learn German, French, and Russian, otherwise it would be difficult to eavesdrop on intelligence in high-end hotels. Those foreigners used a variety of languages when discussing business, and missing even a single sentence could be crucial information.
Yan Shuo followed Lucas into the office. Inside, there was a heavy wooden desk, a map of Berlin on the wall, and an open cigar box on the desk, emitting a strong smell of tobacco.
He took out a cigarette and handed it to Lucas, then pulled out a frosted silver lighter, flicked off the cap with a "ding," and the flame shot up, making the Berlin emblem engraved on the lighter gleam.
He lit a cigarette for Lucas, placed the lighter beside him, and said with a smile, "A friend brought this back from Germany. Mr. Wolf, you can keep it if you like."
Lucas picked up the lighter and examined it closely, his eyes lighting up. "Hey kid, where did you get such a nice thing? This badge is a symbol of Berlin's old town, that's where I'm from!" His Chinese wasn't perfect, but it was clear enough, showing that he had clearly put in a lot of effort in private.
"My friend came back from Germany with a batch of these lighters. If you're interested, I'll have him telegraph back to Germany and send over a few more." Yan Shuo leaned against the table, his tone casual. "These things would definitely be in high demand in the foreign firms in Shanghai. They'd sell for ten silver dollars each. What do you think?"
"Oh? What was the purchase price?" Lucas became interested, playing with the lighter, opening and closing it repeatedly, the crisp sound of metal clashing echoing in the room.
"How much do you think is appropriate? It wasn't easy for him to ship them from Germany. He can't use them all himself. It's just a matter of how much he earns." Yan Shuo pretended to be nonchalant, but in his heart he was calculating: This batch of lighters could not only bring him closer to Lucas, but also allow him to use the guise of transportation to find out information about the port. Maybe he could even smuggle some small items along with them.
"Three silver dollars?" Lucas asked tentatively, raising an eyebrow.
"Let's add some more, we're all on the same side." Yan Shuo shook his head with a smile.
"Alright, for the sake of us being on the same side, four silver dollars?"
"Is a silver dollar all that our own people are worth?" Yan Shuo raised an eyebrow, deliberately teasing him.
Lucas laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder: "Five silver dollars! No more than that! At least two hundred, or four if you must—too few and it's not worth it!"
"Deal!" Yan Shuo snapped his fingers. "Let's get a thousand for the first batch. If they sell well, he can get some fancy designs, like engraving the company's logo on them." Although shipping from Germany to Shanghai is troublesome, there are plenty of brokers with connections. He doesn't care how it's transported, as long as there's cargo. He can also use Lucas's connections to check the cargo ship information of the Asakusa Trading Company.
Lucas fiddled with his lighter, clearly enjoying it, then suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled a document from his desk drawer. "Oh, right, I called you here for something important—take a look at this. The cargo ship is arriving at the port tomorrow, and we need to pick up our fabrics and wine." Yan Shuo took the document. The paper bore the logo of the West American Trading Company, with clear German and Chinese text side-by-side. The cargo ship's name was "Rhine," and its arrival time was 3 PM tomorrow. He glanced at it and silently noted it down: Tomorrow, when I go to the port to pick up the goods, I can conveniently check if the Asakusa Trading Company's cargo ship has arrived and which dock those contraband goods are unloaded at.
"No problem, Mr. Wolf. I'll take two people with me tomorrow. Leave the handover of the agency and customs matters to me." Yan Shuo folded the documents and put them in his bag, his face showing no sign of anything amiss. Lucas nodded in satisfaction—since discovering that Yan Shuo was adept at port and dock affairs and could even speak to the customs officials, he had given him a raise and a promotion, and even specially arranged for him to obtain a German residency permit. Such a capable and worry-free helper would be sought after anywhere.