Chapter 164: 163, This Trip To The United States: Only Profitable Deals, Wall Street Observations
At 2 a.m., three guests who had come from far away in Europe were dining in a Chinese restaurant in a Manhattan alley.
Fang Wen stated his plan.
As a future person, looking at this era with forward-looking vision, he had too many ideas.
But one person’s energy is limited, and time is limited too; it was impossible to grab everything.
Fang Wen had come to the United States this time only to pursue huge profits.
He spoke slowly.
“Nevada is building a gambling city, and I plan to invest in it; that’s the first thing.”
“The second thing is to go to Wall Street in New York, find a securities company to open an account, and purchase stocks.”
“The third thing is to buy some things that are very useful to me to take back home, and if I can hire a group of technicians to go back with me, that would be even better.”
After Fang Wen finished speaking, he looked at the two.
Lin Shuiwang was biting into a roast goose leg, unconcerned: “I don’t understand; whatever the general manager says, I’ll just do it.”
Indiana was different; he was an intelligence officer, with far more grasp of information than ordinary people.
Out of concern for his friend, he advised.
“Fang, I suggest you not invest rashly; I think your first two plans have no feasibility at all.”
To show he was very serious, Indiana stated his analysis.
“I know about the gambling city; it’s to serve the workers on the Hoover Dam. But in March this year, Hoover stepped down, and Roosevelt became the new president. You don’t understand our country’s situation: Hoover is Republican, Roosevelt is Democrat, and the new president will surely make things difficult for the dam project named after Hoover. If the Hoover Dam stops work because of this, the gambling city without customers will lose its reason to exist.”
Fang Wen smiled without speaking, listening to Indiana continue.
“As for your idea of opening an account on Wall Street to invest, that’s a very dangerous notion. My colleague, because he invested in stocks a few years ago, now can’t even afford his housing loan, so he had to take on the most dangerous work missions just to pay off the mortgage. You simply don’t understand the situation America faces now; it’s really too awful. As a friend, I must advise you to stop.”
Indiana analyzed the current situation from the perspective of someone who stood higher and knew more about America.
Completely negating Fang Wen’s plans.
This was the cognition most Americans currently had of their own country: America was still in the Great Depression, and no one believed it could rise.
Even oil tycoons probably wouldn’t think that America would dodge most of World War II’s processes and miraculously escape its predicament by massively selling various supplies.
In this world, Fang Wen was the only one who knew clearly.
Moreover, he didn’t need to convince Indiana, because the money was his, and no one could stop how he spent it.
Therefore, Fang Wen calmly replied: “Indiana, I said the big plan I invited you to join is this; if you think it’s not feasible, I won’t force you to join.”
Indiana was stunned.
The man in front of him not only had superb flying technique but was also a successful entrepreneur.
The Taishan Airlines he established was developing explosively and would soon become the first airline company to open Asia-Europe international routes.
He was very capable and very insightful; it was impossible for him to be so foolish as to cross oceans, risking great danger for investments that seemed doomed to fail.
As an intelligence officer, while analyzing information, he also analyzed people.
He couldn’t help but have a thought: could my judgment be wrong?
Indiana hesitated, wondering whether to join.
Lin Shuiwang, eating a barbecue leg nearby, suddenly said: “Indiana, how much of what you have now is related to our general manager?”
Just one sentence deeply struck Indiana.
No matter how much he thought, everything he had gained in the past half year was all related to Fang Wen!
Profit sharing treasures had made his life affluent and even given him thoughts of early retirement.
Delivering the True Cross to the church had earned the bishop’s praise, as if his soul had been purified.
Fang Wen was like a lucky angel who had brought all this.
So, believe in an angel or believe in himself?
Indiana chose the former.
He extended his hand.
“Alright, maybe you’re right; I’ll follow you then. I hope these 70 days of vacation can yield something as you wish.”
Fang Wen nodded and shook hands with him, gaining another helper for this trip to America.
After the three finished their late-night snack, they simply stayed overnight in the shop.
Three hours later, it was already dawn.
Nearby residents came to the eatery for meals; locals were surprised by the luxury car parked at the door, and the shop owner pointed at the three sleeping with heads on the table.
This commotion woke Fang Wen.
He remembered Zhao Jiu, who had come to New York ahead of time to find someone.
According to his prior arrangement with Zhao Jiu, he needed to find a man named Zang Chun Nian to make contact.
Given how Chinese people liked to gather in groups, perhaps someone here knew where Zang Chun Nian was.
He stood up, pulled out a few 10-dollar US dollar bills, and handed them to the shop owner.
The shop owner immediately beamed with joy, taking the banknotes: “No need for so much; I’ll return the excess.”
“No need to return it; per Western rules, consider it a tip. By the way, boss, do you know a man named Zang Chun Nian?”
“Boss Zang?” The shop owner shook his head: “Don’t know him.”
This was probably the worst lie Fang Wen had ever heard; he even said Boss Zang but claimed not to know him—what could be more obvious?
He was probably afraid Fang Wen and the others were enemies of Zang Chun Nian, so he replied that way.
Fang Wen explained: “My friend came over from Europe by ship and said to find him through Zang Chun Nian; no ill intent.”
“Oh, like that.” The shop owner relaxed and pointed diagonally opposite: “His shop is right there; it should be open now—it’s Chun Nian Zhai.”
Fang Wen turned to glance at the two still sleeping soundly, then said to the shop owner: “Please watch over them; I’ll go over and come right back.”
“You go ahead.” The shop owner agreed.
Fang Wen went out, checked if the car doors were securely locked, and confirmed the travel bag under the pilot seat was still there, then walked across the street.
Chun Nian Zhai was a place selling antiques and calligraphy, very elegant and quiet.
Fang Wen entered and saw the room divided in two by a curtain; he lifted the curtain, walked into the inner room, and asked: “Is Zang Chun Nian here?”
“Yes.”
Two men emerged from behind Fang Wen; the speaker was short, and the one beside him was a 1.9-meter tall giant with a fierce face.
Fang Wen turned, smiling: “Zhao Jiu said I could contact him here.”
At these words, the other side immediately relaxed their vigilance.
“The one Zhao Jiu mentioned, huh? Wait a moment; Ma San, go call your Ninth Brother.”
The 1.9-meter giant shouted and turned to leave.
Fang Wen then chatted idly with Zang Chun Nian.
“I heard from Zhao Jiu that Mr. Fang opened an airline company back home; why come to New York?”
“To buy some things.” Fang Wen replied: “Before coming to New York, Mr. Zang was an accountant at Sanxin Company, right?”
Sanxin Company was no ordinary company; everyone in Shanghai knew its special significance.
It was the company opened by Green Gang leader Huang Jinrong; that year, Huang Jinrong was a patrol officer in Shanghai’s concession, eating from both black and white paths—openly running Sanxin Company for accounts, secretly gathering Green Gang disciples to grow big and strong.
Thus, mentioning Sanxin Company, people in Shanghai territory had to show respect.
This Zang Chun Nian could be an accountant at Sanxin Company and be sent by Huang Jinrong to develop in New York; he was no ordinary man.
Hearing this, Zang Chun Nian showed a proud look: “Don’t mention it; now I’m just a small businessman, incidentally helping friends from out of town make connections.”
At this time, Zhao Jiu arrived with the strong man Ma San.
Seeing Fang Wen, Zhao Jiu had much to say, but it wasn’t convenient in this setting.
Soon after, Fang Wen took his leave and went out with Zhao Jiu.
The two talked in the car.
“General manager, I’ve pretty much investigated the matter. Al Capone of Chicago is the boss of ‘Outfit’; he once managed the entire Chicago gang. Two years ago, Al Capone was arrested and imprisoned for tax evasion, so the Chicago Mafia is no longer under his control.”
“Imprisoned for tax evasion?” Fang Wen was surprised.
“Yeah, I was puzzled too. He had dozens of murders on his hands, yet he was caught for tax evasion.”
“So now, besides him, are there other gangs wanting to invest in Las Vegas?”
“Not for now. But I think as long as this area can make money, they certainly won’t let it go.”
As a Green Gang member, Zhao Jiu saw through all this thoroughly.
He then shared his understanding of the gang situation in America.
In today’s America, due to the Great Depression, gangs are rampant.
Chicago Mafia, New York Mafia, Irish gangs, Jewish gangs all have great power.
According to Zhao Jiu, even if the casino company gets established, in the future it must choose one of these gangs to cooperate with, to protect the casino’s interests.
This scene gave Fang Wen a sense of déjà vu; right, he recalled The Godfather—back then, the casino shared profits with the Mafia to maintain its interests.
Such things couldn’t be avoided, but with the casino’s huge profits, it wasn’t a big deal.
Future cooperation with gangs could be handled by Zhao Jiu; first, Fang Wen needed to go through official channels in Las Vegas, get the approval document, and buy the land.
But before that, he still needed to settle the investment matter in New York before heading to the Western United States.
At 9 a.m., Lin Shuiwang and Indiana woke up; after a brief introduction to the new partner Zhao Jiu, the four got in the car.
The car returned near Trinity Church and rented rooms at a hotel on Broadway in New York.
Wall Street was nearby, so they could go anytime.
At 2 p.m., the four left the hotel and walked to nearby Wall Street.
Wall Street during the Great Depression was probably its quietest period.
Walking on the quiet streets, Fang Wen needed to understand how to invest in this era.
He arrived at the New York Stock Exchange.
It wasn’t a place anyone could enter.
Seeing security stopping Fang Wen, Zhao Jiu and Lin Shuiwang immediately got angry and were about to act.
Fang Wen quickly stopped them.
A man coming out from inside passed by, understood the situation, and voluntarily explained: “The New York Stock Exchange has always used a membership organization form. Under this form, only authorized members can trade stocks inside the exchange. If you want to trade, there are only two methods: one is to find a qualified brokerage firm to act as agent. The other is to establish a financial company and apply to become a member.”
Using a brokerage firm to act as agent for trades was the widely used method in the future.
Fang Wen had no intention of running a financial company he didn’t know how to operate.
He directly asked: “I want to find a reputable brokerage firm.”
The man was delighted and pulled out a business card: “Our Westfrey Brokerage Company is dedicated to assisting clients with investments; our reputation is absolutely reliable. It’s an honor to serve you.”
Fang Wen hadn’t chosen Westfrey Brokerage Company, but it was fine to learn more.
He nodded and followed the man to Westfrey Brokerage Company in a nearby building.
It was a small brokerage firm.
The boss was this man, and the company was named after him.
Five employees were in the 20-square-meter office area, constantly calling clients.
Fang Wen was taken to the office for private talk.
Westfrey asked: “Sir, may I learn about your situation? This is some initial understanding of the client.”
“I come from the East; I’m the owner of an airline company.”
Hearing Fang Wen’s impressive background, Westfrey’s interest surged. “Do you want to invest or raise capital on the NYSE?”
Raising capital probably meant listing on the NYSE, which Fang Wen hadn’t considered.
He couldn’t help but ask about it first.
“Can foreign companies raise capital on the NYSE too?”
“Though troublesome with complex procedures, it’s possible. The best case is if your company has industry in America and pays taxes to America, then we can use split listing for financing.” Westfrey replied.
Fang Wen nodded; currently Taishan Airlines had no assets in America, so financing could wait.
He continued: “If I want to purchase stocks, how do I do it?”
“You need to first open an internal client account at our brokerage company, establish the brokerage relationship, then deposit funds. After deposit, we’ll issue a receipt and begin entrusted trading.”
Westfrey carefully explained how the brokerage company provided service to clients.
It was actually not much different from the future.
The main differences were.
Deposits went directly into the brokerage company, with safety relying mainly on the brokerage company’s reputation.
Clients wanting to buy specific stocks had to communicate in advance via telephone or telegram with the broker, who would then manually place orders with exchange staff at the New York Stock Exchange.
After understanding this, though surprised by the primitiveness of securities trading in this era, Fang Wen accepted this trading environment.
He felt this brokerage firm was decent, so he decided to try it here.
He then opened his first Republic of China era securities account and deposited 1000 US dollars.
1000 US dollars was no small amount; Westfrey was very pleased.
He eagerly recommended stocks to Fang Wen.
“I suggest you buy Boeing Company stock; it’s been surging recently. According to my information, Boeing Company has a good cooperative relationship with an Asian airline company, selling 4 Boeing 247s, then exporting fighter jets to multiple Asian countries. There may be more orders soon.”
Fang Wen smiled at Westfrey: “That Asian airline company is my Taishan Airlines; I’m glad Boeing Company rose because of it, but I only want to buy cheap stocks; any recommendations?”
In these times, with the US stock market crashing repeatedly, cheap stocks were everywhere, but those stocks had no bottom, falling every day.
Westfrey hesitated and advised: “I think investing in penny stocks is very dangerous.”
