20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 262 Demao Foreign Company

Demao Foreign Trade Co., Ltd. is located in the northern section of Jiushi Street, adjacent to the dock on the south bank of the Liaohe River.

The store of this foreign store is not big, just a two-story building. It was established here not long after Yingkou opened as a port. At that time, it was enough to take a look. Now, compared with the British Taikoo Foreign Store not far away, it can be called Shabby.

In recent years, although there have been clamoring for expansion, there has been no movement.

There are not many goods in the store, they are sparse and sparse. After looking at a few items, I don’t even have the slightest urge to buy them.

Although there were not many individual visitors coming and going, the service hall on the first floor looked quite busy.

The Huayang clerk was on the counter, checking the accounts, and was so busy that he didn't even have time to look up.

The second floor has both office area and bedrooms.

Fang Yan led Jiang Lianheng and others up the stairs to a guest room at the end of the corridor. He lightly knocked on the door with two fingers and opened the door after hearing a response.

"Mr. Jiang, please come in."

Jiang Lianheng took the lead and stepped in, only to see a square hut with its own private bathroom. Under the window, there was a single iron bed, and he could see thousands of sails passing by on the river.

Zhao Guoyan was leaning on the head of the bed, with a layer of gauze tied around his left ear and under his ribs.

Seeing everyone coming in, he nodded without a smile: "Brother Dao!"

Jiang Lianheng walked over quickly in response, sat down on the chair next to the bed, patted Zhao Guoyan on the shoulder, and said bluntly without any pretentious nonsense: "Brother, Qiao Er is dead."

It is enough for men and women to understand each other's thoughts by asking and answering questions.

Even if it is a matter of life and death, it may not be something that cannot be laughed off.

Fang Yan stood aside and explained with a smile: "Mr. Zhao is lucky. His injuries are not serious. The bullet was stuck in two ribs. Fortunately, it did not hurt any vital parts, but he will have to suffer a little and have to rest well."

If your ribs are injured, unless you are not breathing, you will inevitably feel a dull pain even if you are lying on the bed.

But after all, it was a blessing among misfortunes, so there was no way to complain.

Jiang Lianheng stood up and quickly thanked and rewarded: "Thank you brother for saving me! You know my name. If you have the opportunity to go to Fengtian in the future, if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me at any time."

Fang Yan declined and said with a smile: "Mr. Jiang, I didn't save him, but the general manager here, Mr. Yasipson, saved him. If you want to thank him, you should thank him."

It turns out that Yas Pusheng, the general manager of Demao Foreign Company, like many foreigners who come to China, has a hobby of photography on weekdays. He likes to take random pictures at street corners and river banks when he has nothing to do.

That day, Yasifeng hired a small boat with his dialect and took pictures of the dock scenery along the coast. He happened to see Zhao Guoyan falling into the water, so he rescued him.

After Jiang Lianheng heard this, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. He looked at the bedside and asked, "Why did you go to the river?"

Zhao Guoyan smiled bitterly and said, "I miss home."

Jiang Lianheng didn't say anything more. He just thought about how to express his gratitude, so he turned his head and asked, "Where is this IELTS student now?"

Fang Yan quickly replied: "Sir, you should be at the German Consulate now and won't be back until this afternoon."

"Hey! Still an official?"

"Hehe, it's actually been in the past two years, and I was just appointed as the consul."

Jiang Lianheng asked: "Then what did he do before?"

Fang Yan replied: "Mr. used to do business at the dock here. He was the first to open this foreign company."

After careful inquiry, this IELTS is by no means a fuel-efficient lamp.

In the early years, people traveled thousands of miles across the ocean to the Far East because they could no longer make ends meet in their own country.

After arriving in Yingkou, he gained many privileges by virtue of his status as a foreigner, but his life never improved. He worked as a salesman for German merchant ships on the dock all day long, selling everything.

Except for a piece of foreign skin, he is essentially the same as a street kid outside the customs.

Later, when the Russo-Japanese War broke out outside the customs, Yasipson began to focus on the business of bristles and ponytails, which gradually evolved into a "single rubbing" business, and the business gradually expanded.

He purchased pig bristles and horsetails in Yingkou at low prices, transported them back to China via sea, made them into gun brushes and paint brushes, and sold them to arms companies such as Krupp and Mauser.

As time went by, he gradually developed a relationship with the top executives of the two arms giants.

When he had nothing to do, he smuggled some guns and ammunition out of the customs. Although there was some stain, he made a significant contribution to the German arms manufacturers. Therefore, he transformed into a black and white man and became the German consul in Yingkou.

Although Jiang Lianheng had never met Yasi Pusheng, after this description, he already had some rough outlines of this person in his mind.

Anyone who starts from the bottom, no matter Chinese or foreign, is more or less wild and cunning.

People who have been hanging out on the streets all year round have a different background than those rich boys.

Therefore, before they met, Jiang Lianheng had a hunch that he might be able to chat with the foreign devil.

Fang Yan served the drinks, settled everyone, and then exited the room wisely.

Jiang Lianheng chatted with each other for a few words.

Outside the window, the shadows of sails on the river gradually became thinner.

Looking at the time, it was already past three o'clock in the afternoon. Fang Yan finally opened the door again and entered the house.

"Mr. Jiang, Mr. Yasipson is back and is waiting for you in the office!"

Jiang Lianheng stood up in response and ordered: "Nanfeng, follow me."

The three of them walked through the red carpet corridor and stopped in front of a door facing the stairs.

Fang Yan knocked on the door as a signal, and when he heard the response, he opened the door and invited Jiang Lianheng and others in.

Inside the house was a rather spacious office, with two pens, a pipe and a magnifying glass on the mahogany desk. On both sides are towering bookcases, black leather and gilded, neatly stacked, and you can't even look at them at first glance. In contrast, there is a small book on the corner of the desk. The cover is slightly raised and the paper is a little yellowed. It looks more like a dictionary that is often read.

Yassi was less than forty years old, tall and thin, with a thick beard on his upper lip, a hooked nose, thin lips, and signs of baldness.

A pair of gray-blue eyes simultaneously reflected the cunning of a man in the city and the aura of a man in the temple.

Jiang Lianheng stepped forward and shook hands with him: "Mr. Yasifeng, right? Thank you for saving my brother's life."

"You're welcome, Mr. Jiang——"

Yasifeng's words were obviously not finished, but he stopped inexplicably. He looked at the top of Jiang Lianheng's head. He held it in for a long time before finally remembering what to say.

"As a wise saying goes, rely on relatives at home and depend on oil when going out!"

"Ah, yes, yes!" Jiang Lian agreed with a smile, "I will be the one who gets the most out of you from now on."

Yasifeng has been living in Yingkou for many years and actually speaks Chinese quite well, but when talking to people, he is still used to holding a dictionary in his hand.

It's not easy to fool him. Whenever a word comes up that he doesn't understand, he immediately stops talking. He holds a dictionary and has to look it up before he can continue.

The ax is a bit clumsy, but there is no businessman without a treacherous heart, and the heart of guarding against others cannot be ignored, and it seems that there is no fault.

Jiang Lianheng was wearing a suit, but when he spoke, he was still talking about the world.

"Mr. Ya, you have helped me so much. I wonder if you can reward me by asking me to treat you out for a meal?"

"That's no need."

Yasifeng refused and immediately sat back at the desk, pulled out a note from the drawer and handed it to Jiang Lianheng.

"This is the cost of medicine, nutrition, food, and housing that Mr. Zhao uses here. Please take a look at it, Mr. Jiang."

Ah, it’s not in vain to save someone if you dare!

Jiang Lian smacked his lips, thinking that these foreigners were still foreigners after all, and their human touch was a bit weak after all.

In fact, with his generous character, Yasifeng didn't need to say anything. The rewards and gifts would surely come soon.

But when the other party opened his hand and asked for money, the taste changed.

Jiang Lianheng felt a little unhappy. He took the note without looking at it, turned around and handed it to Wang Zhengnan, saying: "Take the whole number up, don't lose money, and send the money over tomorrow."

Yasipson smiled and nodded, as if he didn't think there was any need to continue the conversation, so he stood up and walked to the door, already showing off his attitude of seeing off guests.

"Mr. Ya!"

Jiang Lianheng had no choice but to interrupt: "Besides my brother's matters, I also want to talk to you about business."

"Business?" Yasipousheng immediately stood still, "It's good to talk about business! What do you want to buy?"

"Let's not talk about what to buy." Jiang Lianheng asked blankly, "Are you still collecting pig hair?"

"It's boar bristles!" Yasipson corrected, "Take both boar bristles and ponytails. Boar bristles are the most expensive."

"How much do you want?"

"how much do you have?"

"I'll have as much as you want."

"I want as much as you have."

Jiang Lian turned his head, looked at Fang Yan, and asked, "Does he know what it means to argue?"

Fang Yan quickly explained with a smile: "No, no, no! Mr. Jiang, our manager didn't mean to make excuses. What he said is true. No matter how much you have, he will take it all."

"Is it that exaggerated?"

"Mr. Jiang doesn't know. If it had been before, it might not have been so exaggerated. But now European countries are expanding their armies and preparing for war. This year alone, they plan to recruit hundreds of thousands of new troops. Artillery and machine guns will all be maintained with bristle. So, don’t worry, no matter how much you have, our Demao Bank will accept it. If other banks contact you, we are willing to pay a higher price."

Hearing this, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but look at Yasifeng.

The German nodded solemnly, indicating that everything the dialect said was true.

Jiang Lianheng pondered for a moment, then said: "I dare not say how far away it is. Just talking about Fengtian and Qianshan. Unless the government intervenes, as long as there is something for sale, I will be able to take it over nine times out of ten."

When Yasipson heard this, his eyes suddenly burst out with a green light, and he quickly asked: "Is what you said true?"

When it comes to starting a business and doing some technical work, Jiang Lianheng may not be sure yet.

But if you can't settle even if you collect pig hair in Fengtian, then just stop messing around.

"If you don't believe it, you can go to Fengtian and ask around. If you can't get it, I'll shave off my hair and give it to you."

After hearing this, Yasifeng immediately walked up to Wang Zhengnan, grabbed the note he just handed over, tore it into pieces, and immediately suggested: "Mr. Jiang, why don't we find a restaurant and chat while eating?"

Yes, I dare say that this foreign devil actually knows the habits of the Chinese, but he just doesn't want to waste time on useless people.

Jiang Lianheng ignored the past grievances and said with a smile: "That's alright. Whatever you want to eat, I can be the host."

Without thinking, Yasipson blurted out: "Sauerkraut, blood sausage!"

Jiang Lianheng was stunned, turned to look at Fang Yan, and asked, "Are Germans good at this?"

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(End of this chapter)