The Two Heroes of the Ye Family

The two Ye brothers had a conversation with Manager Tong at the IKEA agency in Chinatown.

Then, Manager Tong took the keys and personally took the Ye brothers to see the house.

After walking for about ten minutes, Manager Tong stopped in front of a big gate at No. 226 Chinatown.

Chairman Liu’s house is next door, No. 228, Chinatown, and No. 227 is opposite.

Shopkeeper Tong took out the key to unlock the door. He put the lock away, pushed open the door, and then made a gesture of invitation.

Brothers Ye Xiaoyang and Ye Mingyu followed Manager Tong into the yard.

This is a set of Hui-style buildings, and the original owner should be from Huizhou, Anhui Province.

In China, the architectural styles of the north and south vary greatly.

For example, the courtyard houses in the capital, the garden architecture in Suzhou, and the Hui style architecture all have very local characteristics.

The walls are made of blue bricks and small tiles, and the corridors are decorated with lattice windows.

The whole house is very large, divided into a front yard, an upper hall, a lower hall, and a back yard. The houses on both sides are connected, and there is a patio in the middle.

However, the side of this house is longer. Ye Xiaoyang counted that there are five rooms on one side.

When they walked into the yard, they saw rooms on both sides of the gate that should be occupied by servants or guards.

The back door has the same layout, with white walls more than three meters high on both sides.

The walls of Hui-style buildings are mainly white.

Ye Mingyu was very satisfied with this house. It was fully furnished and did not require any redecoration.

Just buy some pots, pans, daily necessities, and some quilts, mattresses, basins, etc.

"Two guys, what do you think of this house?"

Ye Mingyu quickly replied:

“Very satisfied.

Shopkeeper, I wonder what the price of this house is?"

"As long as I'm satisfied, the original owner did a great job with the layout of the house and the usual maintenance.

If it weren’t for a major family emergency, they wouldn’t be willing to sell such a nice house.”

Ye Xiaoyang quickly replied:

"Shopkeeper, since the other party is having trouble selling, as long as your offer is reasonable, we won't bargain."

"Dollars, fixed price. What do you brothers think?"

"Okay, let's go back to your store and sign the contract today. We'll pay a deposit of $1200 first.

Tomorrow morning, we will bring the money to trade, and you will take us to handle the transfer procedures."

Ye Mingyu was still surprised when he heard the price. If it was converted into large gold bars, it would cost more than twenty or even thirty bars.

Their Ye family's old house in Gusu City is much bigger than this one, and it doesn't require one-fifth of the money.

Is housing so expensive in San Francisco, the United States?

My third brother was really generous. On the cruise ship, my third brother Ye Xiaoyang specially gave my husband and me some private money in US dollars.

The family stayed in the highest room on the cruise ship and had very good food.

He could imagine that the prices on the cruise ship must be several times, or even ten times, higher than those in Gusu City.

In fact, Ye Xiaoyang knew that the price offered by Manager Tong for this house was not very expensive.

Today, the average worker in San Francisco earns twenty times or more than the average worker in Hujiang.

The corresponding prices must be more than ten times higher than those in Hujiang, China.

Shopkeeper Tong was very impressed by Ye Xiaoyang's straightforwardness. He looked to be about 20 years old and had a big vision for his work.

There is a heroic air on his face.

"What are your names, young men?"

"My surname is Ye, you can call me Xiao Ye, or Ye Xiaoyang. This is my brother Ye Mingyu, from Gusu City.

May I ask the shopkeeper's name?"

"I dare not say you are rich, my surname is Tong, and I am alone this winter."

"Nice to meet you!"

“Two young men Ye, I will take you brothers to visit Chairman Qin’s house next door.

President Qin is highly respected. All Chinese people in San Francisco's Chinatown respect him. He is a patriotic Chinese.

He is particularly caring towards young people from China who have just arrived, some of whom come to study abroad.

If they didn't have enough money, he would use it to support them so that they could complete their studies successfully.

Later, our fellow countrymen in San Francisco's Chinatown learned about these things and established the San Francisco Chinese Association.

The San Francisco Huaxia Association specializes in helping young people who have just arrived from China and need help."

When Ye Mingyu heard this, he felt awe. This President Qin was truly amazing.

Shopkeeper Tong left the No. 226 mansion with the Ye brothers. He walked last and locked the door.

The three men came to the gate of the mansion at No. 228, and Manager Tong went forward and knocked on the door.

After a while, the gate of the mansion No. 228 opened and a middle-aged man opened it.

Shopkeeper Tong greeted him quickly:

"Hello, Butler Liu! Is Chairman Qin home?"

"Hello, Shopkeeper Tong! I'm here. Who are these two guys...?"

Ye Xiaoyang took a step forward and quickly bowed and said:

"Hello, Butler Liu, I'm Ye Xiaoyang, and this is my eldest brother, Ye Mingyu."

"Welcome, two young men from the Ye family."

Afterwards, Butler Liu welcomed Manager Tong and the Ye brothers into the courtyard and closed the gate.

Butler Liu walked in front, followed closely by Manager Tong, and the Ye brothers walked at the end.

The four of them came to the Qin family's living room, where an old man with a kind face was sitting.

Ye Xiaoyang guessed that the person in front of him was President Qin.

"Master, Manager Tong from IKEA Agency is here with the Ye brothers to visit you."

Chairman Qin did not put on airs. After hearing what his housekeeper said, he saw Manager Tong and the Ye brothers quickly stand up from their seats and said:

"Welcome to you three. I am deeply honored. Please take a seat, my three distinguished guests."

"Thank you, Mr. Qin!"

After exchanging some polite words, the four of them sat down again.

Butler Liu arranged for someone to bring tea, and after doing all this, he left the living room.

Shopkeeper Tong briefly told Chairman Qin about the Ye brothers' purchase of the No. 226 mansion.

Only at this time did President Qin understand why Manager Tong brought the two Ye brothers here.

President Qin said:

"Two young men from the Ye family, did you arrive in San Francisco yesterday?"

“In response to Mr. Qin, yes, the cruise ship arrived at the port of San Francisco yesterday afternoon.

I asked some passersby today and finally found Tong’s IKEA agent.”

"Well, San Francisco's Chinatown is American territory after all, and living in a foreign country isn't easy.

Since your Ye family has moved here, you must have thought about how to survive in the United States.

There are not many Chinese in the United States, and Chinese people in San Francisco used to be bullied.

Later, the older generation of Chinese people here united and bought a piece of vacant land.

We build houses here and keep each other warm, even though there are locals in other places who bully us Chinese.

But in Chinatown, they dare not act recklessly.

Do you brothers understand what I am saying?"

Ye Xiaoyang said:

"Thank you, Mr. Qin. Before we came here, Shopkeeper Tong reminded us that sticking together to keep each other warm is the best strategy in a foreign country.

What's more, our motherland China is weak, so I think it's normal for immigrants from other countries to bully us.

But as long as we, the immigrants from China, are united, we are not afraid of anyone."

"Brother Ye is right! You are very knowledgeable despite your young age. If you have any difficulties in San Francisco in the future, please come and find me."

"Thank you, Mr. Qin. I will visit you again after I have settled my family.

It is unbecoming of us, the Ye brothers, to come here today without bringing anything with us, which is not in line with the manners of the Chinese people.

I apologize here and hope Mr. Qin will forgive me."

"Young man from the Ye family, you're welcome. I'm very happy to see young people like you.

What are your plans next?"

"Personally, I'll probably stay in the United States for a few months or even a year, depending on how my business goes.

If everything goes well, I will personally return to China. Now the entire China is being watched by the Japanese Empire.

In my opinion, it won’t be long before the Japanese Empire attacks China.

Their ultimate goal is to occupy the entire China and enslave us Chinese people.

Among the three brothers in our Ye family, my second brother had the same idea as me, so he did not come to see our family off this time.

Considering the high risk of our work in China, I sent my relatives here in advance."

When President Qin heard Ye Xiaoyang's words, he was filled with awe. He suddenly felt that China could not decline with such young people.

He originally thought that the Ye brothers came to San Francisco to pan for gold, so he just wanted to make friends with them with a normal mentality.