On Friday, April 7, I got up early in the morning, washed up, ate breakfast, and rested for a while, Li Junhao got into the hotel limousine and went to the U.S. Consulate General to report for duty, while Xiaohu went to inquire about renting a house.

It is less than 2 kilometers from the International Hotel to the US Consulate General in Shanghai, although the road at this time is mixed with people and vehicles, it is more congested, and the speed of the car in this era is not fast enough, but after the courtesy car departs from the International Hotel, it goes east along Jiujiang Road and arrives in front of the US Consulate General in the southwest corner of the junction of Jiangxi Road and Fuzhou Road, which is not far from the Bund.

Since the full-scale start of the Sino-Japanese War, the Consulate General has strengthened its security forces, the sentry at the gate has been doubled, and four marines have been standing guard for a long time.

The corporal of the U.S. Army led by him took two steps forward and took the initiative to speak: "Hey! Man, this is the U.S. Consulate, have you encountered something? ”

"Hey, hello! It's not difficult, but I'm here to work. Li Junhao said with a smile, taking the job invitation letter and his passport and handing it over.

"Oh?" The corporal was shocked, took it and looked at it carefully, and quickly looked up and said, "Ognyan· Lee· Welcome, Mr. Panson, I think Mr. Consul General is already waiting for you! ”

"Thank you!" Li Junhao took back his passport and invitation letter and walked into the courtyard according to the corporal's instructions.

On the third floor of the Western-style main building of the Consulate General, Li Junhao met with Political Counselor Justin Sheehan. It was a sturdy middle-aged man in his forties with gray hair, with a distinctly New York accent, and when he saw him come in, he was very enthusiastic, and after instructing the female secretary to pour coffee, he was greeted to the side of the reception area and sat down on the sofa.

Li Junhao sensibly waited for Sheehan to come from behind the desk and sit down, and then sat down on the side of the guest seat, although not very respectful (that would not be in line with the character of an American), but also sat in a proper posture, without the overly casual attitude common to young Americans. Justin Sheehan, the political counselor, was very satisfied with this and felt that he had not chosen the wrong person.

Sheehan flipped through the personal resume he had just found on the table and smiled, "Mr. Panson, you are from Pennsylvania, not far from my hometown. ”

"Sir Sheehan, I heard it just now, you are a New Yorker, and we are very close. Actually, I went to college in my hometown of the state school, and my accent was more influenced by New York — you know, most of the professors and staff at the University of Pennsylvania Park are New Yorkers! Li Junhao also smiled, "Besides, you can just call me Ognyan or Pan Sen, I can't afford to be called Mr. now." ”

"Haha!" Sheehan laughed, thinking that this little fellow was very interesting and sensible, but some things still had to be said first, "Well, I will be called Pan Sen from now on, but you can no longer call me Your Excellency, which is that only Mr. Ayers, Consul General, can be called that in the Consulate General; Of course, this is a different case when dealing with foreign affairs. Remember, you can't go wrong with this in the future. ”

"Yes, Mr. Sheehan." Li Junhao hurriedly bowed and agreed. I thought: Is this the rule of Western officialdom?

"Okay, let's talk about your work." Sheehan said, "I asked the secretariat to send out a job invitation letter before, and you came in time." Before you came, you should already know the current situation of the Sino-Japanese War, the Japanese army has occupied most of northern China and part of the south, and the Nationalist Government can only retreat to the southwest of China, and the current situation is very serious......"

After a brief introduction to the situation, Sheehan added: "Because the Japanese army has now fully occupied East China, our concessions in Shanghai and the British and French concessions have been reduced to isolated islands...... Now, the Consulate General in Shanghai is facing a lot of problems, especially the people who urgently need to communicate with the Chinese and Japanese sides, not only to understand the Chinese, Japanese and the situation in both countries, but also to be reliable personnel on our side, so you can get this job......"

Only then did Li Junhao understand the meaning of being selected and getting this job - a reliable Chinese translation for the American side! But...... He thought to himself: I wonder if the political counselor in front of him will regret it in the future?

"I know that you have a quarter of Chinese ancestry, your grandfather is a Chinese, you can master Chinese from a young age, and you have read a lot of Chinese books and notes inherited from your grandfather, and you have enough knowledge of traditional Chinese culture......," Sheehan continued, "and your university is also majoring in international politics, and you have a master's degree, which is really a rare talent." Supposedly, your best place to work right now is the Congressional Far Eastern Affairs Committee or the Asian Division of the State Department, and they have received your resume, but the situation in China now has to make us intercept you here......"

Speaking of this, Sheehan's words changed sharply, but he said: "Your position is the first class attaché of the Commercial Office of the Consulate General in Shanghai, mainly because you have just joined the work; However, in view of your level of education, I have consulted with the Consul General, Mr. Ayers, and decided to give you the special treatment of Foreign Secretary of the Third Class, in the hope that you will live up to the high expectations of me and His Excellency the Consul General......

"Although it is now in the period of war, but for the international political environment, it is the time when professionals like you can give full play, I hope you can seize the opportunity and work hard to make achievements, there is still a lot of room for growth...... "Sheehan drew a big pie!

Patiently waited until Sheen finished speaking, Li Junhao made a look of digestion for a while, and then said: "I understand, Mr. Sheehan, thank you for your guidance, I will definitely ......" In his heart, it was MMP: The detection radar in his mind showed that the light point representing Sheen was gray and yellow, not only did he not get close to him, but he was slightly hostile! He's going to be on his guard!

After listening to his words, Sheehan said with satisfaction: "There are several important points to remember in your work: first, all work is based on the interests of the United States; Second, within the scope of your clear duties, no one other than your immediate supervisor has the right to interfere with your work.

"Oh, there are currently two of your immediate superiors, one is Mr. Stephen Sein, the Commercial Counselor, and the other is Miss Heath Hampley, the first secretary of the Commercial Division, of course, Mr. Sain is busy right now, so your daily work is mainly to report to Miss Hampry......"

After listening patiently, Li Junhao said seriously: "Thank you, Mr. Sheehan, I remembered. ”