Chapter 62: Recruiting Talents 1

Just as Yanik was preparing to sleep comfortably, the sunshine of a new day in the United States on the other side of the ocean was shining on this land of hope.

If you look down from the sky, Newark on the other side of the Hudson River looks like an ugly patch of moss, dotted with "matchboxes" huddled together for dozens of kilometers. Since the economic crisis, a large number of New Yorkers have had their houses taken away by banks because they were bankrupt and unable to repay their loans. In addition, Manhattan and Long Island are both famously expensive and wealthy areas, so in the end they had no choice but to move here and rely on tin houses and tents to become new cities." Scavengers”.

As long as adults have free time, they will go to the other side to try their luck. Children drop out of school and help collect all the garbage and metal that can be sold to support the family. Women go to the countryside to pick wild fruits and mushrooms. This is America now, an America that has lost its dreams, future, and color. Everyone is at a loss, confused, and living numbly just to fill their stomachs every day.

There is a popular children's song in New York: "Mellon pulled the whistle, Hoover rang the bell, Wall Street gave the signal and the country went to hell!" to hell) With the collapse of the stock market, the U.S. economy immediately fell into a devastating disaster. A terrible chain reaction quickly occurred: crazy runs, bank failures, factory closures, workers' unemployment, the advent of poverty, organized resistance , on the brink of civil war. Agricultural capitalists and large farmers destroyed "surplus" products in large quantities, used wheat and corn as fuel for coal, and poured milk into the Mississippi River, turning the river into a "Milky Way." The homeless in the city built simple shelters using wooden boards, old iron sheets, oilcloth and even brown paper. The villages where these huts gathered were called "Hoovervilles". The begging bags of homeless people are called "Hoover bags." The cars that are pulled by animal power because they cannot afford to buy fuel are called "Hoover cars." Even the newspapers covered by homeless people sleeping on street benches are also called "Hoover bags." Buddha blanket". The street apple vendor became one of the most familiar symbols of the Great Depression. Among those forced to make a living running fruit stands, many were formerly successful businessmen and bankers.

In the crowd was the diminutive Lilienfeld, a former Foster Telephone Company engineer. This used to be an enviable job, but because the boss was overburdened by the stock market crash, the company was seized by the bank and he lost his job instantly. Originally, he was planning to teach at a university, but thousands of students began to drop out of school during the Great Depression. The school was only willing to keep the top talents in order to protect itself. People like him had no hope at all.

From the enviable middle class to abject poverty overnight, this gap is unimaginable to ordinary people. Many of his colleagues divorced or committed suicide because of this.

Lilienfeld moved forward slowly with the snail-like crowd. Just as he was thinking about whether to go to Washington to try his luck and find a new job after receiving this award, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder from behind. When he turned around, he saw an unknown middle-aged man. He was well-dressed, and it was not difficult to tell from the material of the clothes that he was a rich man. "Is this Mr. Lilienfeld?"

"I am Lilienfeld, who are you?"

"Hello, Mr. Lilienfeld, my name is Louis. This is not the place to talk. Let's find a place..." The middle-aged man who called himself Louis briefly introduced himself and pointed not far away. cafeteria. "How about we go over there and have a drink and talk?"

Lilienfeld couldn't help but swallow his saliva. It was a high-end restaurant, and even when he was an engineer, he didn't get to go there a few times. "A treat for you?"

Lewis smiled gently and nodded. "Of course, please."

Lilienfeld's footsteps turned to the restaurant uncontrollably.

Entering the restaurant, Louis asked for a private room directly and ordered several dishes and a bottle of high-end red wine in one go. Lilienfeld couldn't help but secretly marveled. The price of this bottle of red wine was worth his previous month's salary.

While Lilienfeld waited anxiously, the waiter finally brought in the dishes one after another.

Lewis said while pouring him wine. "You're welcome Mr. Lilienfeld, please enjoy."

"Thank you, thank you." Lilienfeld couldn't wait to pick up the knife and fork, cut up the tender and juicy steak in front of him, put it into his mouth and chewed it. It had been a long time since he had eaten such delicious food, and he was so happy that he almost cried. His stomach seemed to be moving more violently, urging him to bring in more food.

Louis always had a gentle smile on his face, pouring wine for Lilienfeld from time to time.

After eating the steak for two people in one go, Lilienfeld finally burped and wiped his face that was slightly red from the alcohol. Asked. "Mr. Lewis, what do you want from me?"

Lewis took a sip of wine before speaking. "Mr. Lilienfeld, your life doesn't seem to be easy lately, right? I'm here to hire you on behalf of the company to work as an electrical engineer in our company."

Lilienfeld scratched his head, still a little confused. "Well, Mr. Lewis, let's put it this way, there are many people with better skills than me at the place where I was lining up just now. Why did you have to choose me?"

Louis did not hide it. "Our company has taken a fancy to your transistor patent. As long as you sign the patent transfer contract, you can get a patent fee of 1,000 US dollars. And you can be paid 300 US dollars a month. Your wife and children will also be arranged by the company, and your children's tuition fees for college will be paid by our company. Your family can at least live a middle-class life."

"300 US dollars a month?" Lillianfeld opened his mouth in surprise. You know, even before the disaster, the annual income of an ordinary American doctor was only about 2,000 US dollars, and a T-type car was 200 US dollars. Then he came to his senses and shook his head quickly. "Mr. Louis, I'm afraid you misunderstood. I registered a transistor patent, but it is a useless thing with many defects and is not practical at all." He is also an honest man. He doesn't want the other party to suffer a loss after being treated to a good meal.

Louis' smile remained unchanged. "That's why we asked you to go back and study and improve it together."

"..."Since the other party is willing to buy garbage, Lillianfeld will no longer persuade him. "I agree. By the way, you haven't told me which company you work for?" He was a little curious. Now that American companies are laying off employees, which company would be so generous to hire a small engineer like him?

Louis narrowed his eyes slightly. "German Zeus Company."

Lillianfeld almost spit out the mouthwash tea he had just put in his mouth. "Germany? You are German? Zeus Company? Is it the company founded by your Crown Prince himself?"

Louis nodded. "Yes, that's right. Are you willing? Your family can leave for Germany at any time, and we will provide a place to live."

Lillianfeld only thought about it for a second, and when he thought of his wife and son who were not getting enough food at home, he nodded and responded quickly. "No problem. I will go back and pack my things now, and I can leave in the afternoon."

"That's really great." Louis picked up the wine glass. "Come on, cheers to Mr. Lillianfeld's upcoming wonderful life." As he spoke, his other hand reached into his pocket and touched a booklet. The booklet contained dozens of names and addresses, all of whom were important people that he needed to visit and lobby to work in Germany.

This Lillianfeld had given him a good start, and he hoped that the subsequent tasks would continue to be so smooth.

It would be fine if the people in the booklet agreed, and they could move to Germany and live a happy life. As for those who refused, he didn't know what would happen. He just had to report the list of people who refused to his superiors.