Columbia University's School of Journalism enrollment has come to an end for the time being.

Lu Shi took Goodman back to the hotel.

As a result, as soon as he entered the house, he received a card from the front desk, saying that there was a Chinese named "Situ Meitang" outside who asked to see him.

Lu Shi looked at the card,

It was probably a homemade business card, with a thin cardboard and glittering gold letters, which was quite high-grade.

It reads:

An Liang

Situ Meitang.

Situ Meitang is the future boss of Hongmen, quite righteous, and has repeatedly launched fundraising to support the domestic revolution.

But he should have been in Boston and San Francisco recently.

How did you get to New York?

Lu Shi groaned, decided to call Goodman, and then asked the waiter to invite Situ Meitang into the house.

At this time, Situ Meitang is still young, but he already has some big guy momentum.

It's just that compared with Lu Shi, it is still slightly inferior.

He sat down cautiously, and then greeted:

"Sir Lu."

It is spoken in Chinese, but it is a southern dialect.

Lu Shi poured a cup of tea for the other party and asked, "Mr. Situ, you came to me again, what is the so-called matter?" ”

It's also Chinese.

Of course, Goodman next to him didn't understand,

But he was self-aware, and knew that Lu Shi's purpose in coming to him was only to provide advice when necessary, so he drank tea leisurely and did not ask much questions.

Situ Meitang groaned,

For a long time, he picked up the teacup and drank tea, but he couldn't speak.

Lu Shi smiled: "It seems that there is something unspeakable...... Could it be that you came here because of Anliangtang and Xiesheng? ”

Situ Meitang nodded slowly,

"Brother Li was temporarily held by the NYPD, I went to visit, and heard about you from him, and learned that you have a relationship with Sheriff Rocky, so I wanted to try my luck. As a Chinese, you must also be concerned about ......"

The rest of the sentence doesn't need to be too clear.

Situ Meitang turned around, took out a half-foot square wooden box from his bag, and put it on the table.

"Mr. Lu, I'm sorry for you."

Lu Shi glanced at the wooden box, didn't even open it, and pushed it back directly.

The son of a daughter does not sit down,

He couldn't have gone on a rampage for a congregation.

Situ Meitang's face did not change at all, and asked, "Sir Lu, aren't you curious about what's inside?" ”

Lu Shi said with a smile: "Wine, sex, wealth, and gas, you can give it to me, and I can also take it myself, so why owe favors?" ”

Situ Meitang was speechless,

I know in my heart that I am far from the status of the person in front of me,

What he can get his hands on, people don't look down on at all.

Lu Shi muttered: "It stands to reason that Mr. Li will be detained for a maximum of one day, and then he will be released, right?" ”

Situ Meitang smiled bitterly,

"Off? He is now 'protected'. ”

Land Hours: ???

"What do you mean?"

Situ Meitang sighed helplessly and explained: "The reason given by the NYPD is that Brother Li was physically threatened by the Chinese church and his life is in danger. Staying at the police station can avoid trouble. They say that, and we don't have any tricks at all. ”

Lu Shi complained in his heart,

Look at the Yankees, how much will they play?

It's just way ahead.

Don't protect it for a few days, and suddenly there is news that "seven shots in the back have committed suicide".

Lu Shi leaned into Goodman's ear and whispered for a moment,

The latter nodded again and again,

"Yes. Any experienced lawyer can easily solve it. ”

Situ Meitang understood English, and was stunned for a while, only to realize that his thinking was too narrow.

Since the NYPD is involved, it is not something that can be solved within Chinatown.

In this case, it is better to go off the edge of the sword,

You don't have to attack hooligans to deal with hooligans, you can also ask the litigant to outwit it~

He bowed his hand to Lu Shi,

"Thank you, Sir Lu, for showing the way."

Lu Shi shook his head, didn't dwell on this topic anymore, and asked instead: "You and Xiesheng conflicted, just because of the smoke house and gambling stall?" ”

Situ Meitang shook his head,

"Not only. You must know about the Chinese Exclusion Act, right? Some time ago, because of "Upside Down", the bill was slightly relaxed. But the economy is getting worse and worse, and it is starting to get worse again. ”

Lu Shi was puzzled: "What does it have to do with the bill?" ”

Szeto replied: "The implementation of the bill has led to a serious shortage of Chinese women in Chinatown. So, in Chinatown, the appearance of a Chinese woman will receive a lot of attention from men. This in turn leads to various ...... The prettier, the more troublesome. ”

Of course Lu Shi knows,

He even heard that because of the large number of monks and the lack of porridge, many Chinese men would marry women of Irish or Italian origin who were also at the bottom of the class.

This thing sounds quite magical in modern times.

But at the beginning of the 20th century it was quite normal.

"Tsk......"

Lu Shi was speechless,

"So, the matter also involves jealousy?"

Situ Meitang said: "At the beginning, there was such a thing. But then it wasn't just a personal vendetta. ”

The congregation is very important to face,

Whoever shows weakness will be ridiculed on the rivers and lakes.

In general, the NYPD does not care about Chinatown, because the Chinese usually do not turn to the police, but solve the problem internally.

As a result, once congregational fighting began, it was difficult to stop, and it took a long time to negotiate a ceasefire agreement.

After all, no one wants to lose their voice.

Lu Shi groaned and asked, "I heard, this time there was a fire?" ”

Situ Meitang is embarrassed,

“……”

This silence is tantamount to an answer.

Lu Shi said: "I think you need a legal adviser. ”

Situ Meitang was a little confused,

"Sue or not?"

In his opinion, suing is a nest behavior that sues the teacher if he can't beat it.

Lu Shi said: "This time the house was burned, and there were deaths, so I can't go to court if I don't want to." I mean later. Because hiring legal counsel is a long-term matter and should be considered in the long run. Moreover, didn't Mr. Li have extended invitations to many lawyers before? ”

Situ Meitang's complexion changed slightly,

In this matter, he and Li Xiling's views are diametrically opposed.

Lu Shi also probably knew what the other party thought,

On the resume,

Szeto Mei Tong took the oath in 1885, when he was not yet 18 years old;

In 1886, he was sentenced to ten months of hard labor for beating to death a white man who ate overlord's meal;

In 1894, a separate system was established to organize Anliangtang, which expanded rapidly under the banner of "hoeing the strong to help the weak and eliminating violence".

……

The young Situ Meitang is the age when he dares to fight,

It is therefore not surprising that he sees the hiring of legal counsel as weakness.

And Li Xiling is old, thinking about seeking stability and whitewashing, which can also be understood.

In the direction of developing An Liangtang, the two have some differences in thinking.

Lu Shi saw that Situ Meitang's face was uncertain, so he waved his hand and said, "I just said it casually, so you shouldn't have heard it." Well, please. ”

After that, I will send off the guests.

He doesn't have any likes or dislikes for each other,

If you have a different point of view, please go out.

Situ Meitang stood up and walked in the direction of the gate,

As a result, he held the doorknob and didn't turn it for a long time, but finally turned around, sat down again, and saluted Lu Shi respectfully.

"Mr. Lu, please give me advice."

His "sir" means teacher,

The posture is very low.

Moreover, after finishing speaking, he also bent down and raised his hands above his head to serve tea for Lu Shi,

Lu Shi was dumbfounded,

"Why is that?"

Situ Meitang replied angrily: "I don't read much, so I can't understand a lot of things. And Mr. Lu is knowledgeable and wise, and he will definitely be able to solve my doubts. ”

Goodman doesn't understand Chinese, but he can understand tea ceremony.

He whispered: "I said earlier, this Anliangtang is different from Xiesheng. They are all normal people. ”

Lu Shi looked at the teacup and didn't take it immediately,

"Say it in advance, I won't come forward for anything."

Situ Meitang wills,

"I understand."

Lu Shi took the teacup, took a sip, and asked, "What do you want to ask?" ”

Situ Meitang said: "Why do you need legal counsel? ”

Lu Shi said: "In the shortest possible time, from the perspective of safeguarding your rights and interests, we can provide you with the most professional advice, so that you can avoid or reduce economic losses." In some cases, it can even eliminate prison time. ”

This answer is quite official.

Situ Meitang sighed,

"Mr. Lu, can you stop being official, it's ...... for us"

Lu Shi interrupted: "What I'm talking about is the real thing. ”

Situ Meitang still looked puzzled,

"Is it really necessary to have legal counsel?"

Lu Shi said: "How many people are there in Anliangtang now? ”

Situ Meitang estimated in his mind,

"If you just look at New York, it's about 1,700 people. But in the United States, say less than 20,000. ”

20,000 members of the congregation,

What should be the size of the Chinese community?

Lu Shi sighed in his heart,

The Chinese are indeed tenacious, and they can take root in the United States despite the "Chinese Exclusion Act".

He asked, "Mr. Situ, haven't you considered setting up an Anliang main hall in a place like New York or Boston and consolidating the various halls?" ”

Szeto Mei Tong: !!

couldn't help but look at Lu Shi in shock,

"Sir, you ...... You really think of me. The place I set was in New York. ”

Three years later, in 1905, he founded the Anliang Church in New York.

The corners of Lu Shi's mouth are hooked,

"You didn't think about getting legal counsel because your jurisdiction hasn't grown to that size. However, once the Anliang General Hall is established, the scale will be large, and there will be a lot of disputes. Among them, some can be solved with fists, and some cannot. For those who can't, there are too many occurrences and too many losses, and you have to find legal counsel to eliminate the risk. ”

Situ Meitang was still confused,

Apparently didn't understand.

Lu Shi could only let Goodman next to him explain.

The latter thought for a moment and said helplessly: "The responsibilities of legal counsel are too broad, and all content that has anything to do with the law must be advised. Such as contracts, disputes, risks, ......"

Lu Shi said: "Just give me a simple example. ”

Goodman said, "For example, when reviewing a contract, sometimes a single clause can save a customer thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. ”

Situ Meitang understood the numbers.

He bowed his head and pondered for a moment,

"Contract...... But the problem is that a lot of the business in the church is not very clean. ”

Lu Shi complained: "What is 'not very clean', you clearly say that it is not legal." ”

Situ Meitang was also a bachelor, and generously admitted: "It is indeed illegal. In this case, what kind of contract is signed? ”

Lu Shi glanced at him,

"You're going to run a smoke shop forever?"

"Ah......h

Situ Meitang was a little embarrassed,

But he is a mess after all, and it is impossible to let go easily.

Lu Shi also knew that he would not be able to persuade the other party with emotion, and he knew that he was reasonable.

"It's too profitable, it's not a good deal," he said. ”

Situ Meitang was surprised,

"Is a big profit a bad thing?"

Lu Shi replied: "Aren't you afraid that the people below will set up their own doors?" ”

High profits, quick money, and with it swelling ambition and power,

After that, it's time for the old and the new to change.

The American drama in this area is clearly acted,

XX Society, XX Family, XX Company......

It will not flourish for more than twenty years.

Among them, only a few were strangled to death by the authorities, and most of them died from infighting and mutual strife.

On the contrary, it is those who are conservative and engage in "small business", many of which can be whitewashed.

But the ultra-high profits lead to the killing of the head of the business is always done,

Those who think they are "heroes" feel that they are diners at the table, and they can leave after a feast, but they do not know that they have already appeared on someone else's menu.

Situ Meitang meditates,

He found that although Lu Shi was a literati, he had an extremely clear understanding of these twists and turns.

He was a little moved.

Lu Shi continued: "Hongmen should have more than thirty managers, right? ”

Situ Meitang was surprised,

"Sir, you know that?"

Lu Shi said: "If I'm not mistaken, there is a position called the bronze medal, which is specifically in charge of the waist card. If, he earns hundreds of dollars in a few days, most of them are handed over, but he can only keep a few dollars, can he not rebel? ”

Situ Meitang sighed,

"I can't say no."

Because, now there are some smoke houses and gambling stalls that have this situation.

Money comes too quickly, and so easily, and it does lead to the risk of a downward spiral in the power structure.

Situ Meitang said: "But this kind of business, there are always people who will do it. ”

Lu Shi smiled and didn't speak.

What he meant had already been made clear, and he didn't want to repeat it.

Situ Meitang gritted his teeth,

Since we are going to build an Anliang General Hall in New York, we must have the determination of a strong man to break his wrist and remove those tumors that will create instability.

What's more, he has now figured it out,

Those who do those who buy and sell will not last long, and at most ten years will die, and the old will come and the new will come, and so on.

Therefore, we still have to take a long-term view.

Situ Meitang said, "Sir, I think you are right. How can my generation of Chinese, after experiencing the bitter lessons of 1840, be poisoned again? ”

These words are righteous, and the emotions are very sincere.

Lu Shi smiled: "I know, this is what Mr. Situ is talking about. ”

Situ Meitang sighed,

"Ashamed~ashamed~"

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"It doesn't matter. The human heart is complex. ”

Situ Meitang glanced at Lu Shi deeply,

"Sir, do you have something you have to do, something you are forced to do?"

Lu Shi replied: "With my current position in Europe, there is almost no 'must' anymore. ”

This is also said by Lu Shi,

If others talk about it, it will be regarded as bragging.

Situ Meitang admired more and more in his heart,

He said: "In that case, I will be done with the matter here in New York...... Not...... Since you have to find a lawyer, it is better to do it in one step. I'd better go back to Boston first, hire a legal counsel, and let him resolve this conflict with Xiesheng as an aptitude test. ”

Lu Shi asked, "Why do you want to go back to Boston?" There are also many practicing lawyers in New York. ”

Szeto explained: "The first Anliang Hall was established in Boston, and I personally ran it. It can be said that this is my big tent of the Chinese army, and I am very familiar with it. Moreover, Boston also has good schools, such as Harvard. ”

Lu Shi was curious,

"You're going to Harvard and get legal counsel?"

Situ Meitang said: "After all, it is the best university in the United States~"

"Tsk......"

Lu Shi couldn't help but be secretly speechless.

Unexpectedly, the world line would always go around to the original point in strange places.

According to the real history, the legal adviser invited by Situ Meitang is the future President of the United States, Roosevelt Jr.,

Roosevelt Jr. even called Situ Meitang a "big man".

And Roosevelt Jr. at this moment is studying at Harvard.

Situ Meitang looked at Lu Shi seriously,

"Sir, would you like to serve as a ...... in our Anliang Hall?"

Before the words fell, Lu Shi shook his head,

"Thank you Mr. Situ for your kindness, but I don't think I can satisfy your family's "Thirty-six Oaths", so let's stop there."

The "Thirty-six Oaths" can be understood as the precepts of the door, which must be recited with other brothers before entering the house.

Like what:

"The brothers of the Hong family, although they don't know each other, when they encounter a foreign brand, they talk about speculation, but they don't recognize each other, and they die under ten thousand knives."

Very strict.

Lu Shi definitely can't do it.

What's more, his current status is not suitable for joining the congregation.

Situ Meitang chuckled,

"It's okay, for a talent like Mr., "Thirty-six Oaths" can be simplified, you just need to swear, 'love brother, not gold', and the matter will be done."

Lu Shi smiled,

"I love gold. So, forget it. ”

Continuous refusals, how could Situ Meitang not understand?

But he had already made up his mind in his heart,

If the Anliang General Hall is successfully built and can exist for more than 30 years, Lu Shi'an must be given a position in the first line.

(End of chapter)