America 1881: Legend of the West

"Long time no see, Chen." Roosevelt looked at Chen Jianqiu with a smile.

"Long time no see, Teddy (Author's note: Old Roosevelt's nickname, pay attention to the relationship with Teddy Bear)." Chen Jianqiu shook Roosevelt's hand.

He glanced at the two Italians who were pinned to the ground, and looked at the police chief apologetically: "It seems like every time I see you, I'm beating someone up."

"That's right." Roosevelt laughed heartily, "But these people just need to be dealt with."

He glanced at the passengers who were still craning their necks and staring at the platform here, and said with some emotion: "New York is lacking people with a sense of justice like you."

"Maybe they just don't have the ability." Chen Jianqiu shook his head. "It is human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. This is understandable. Of course, if they are willing to stand up, that is courage."

Roosevelt was stunned for a few seconds, but he quickly came to his senses.

"Take them back to the police station. I'll take care of them when I get back." He ordered his men to take the two Italians out of the station, and he walked to the carriage stop with Chen Jianqiu and little Astor.

"By the way, you said in your letter that you needed my help, but you didn't make it very clear. Is there something very important?"

Chen Jianqiu asked while walking side by side with Roosevelt.

"It's a long story." Roosevelt was not in a hurry to tell Chen Jianqiu his plan. "You can follow Astor to rest first. I will send someone to pick you up tomorrow."

Chen Jianqiu nodded.

They got into the gorgeous carriage that little Astor had prepared for them.

The snow is still falling in New York City, and pedestrians on the road are in a hurry.

Pedestrians gathered their clothes for fear of the cold wind and snow coming in.

This winter is not ordinary cold, both physically and mentally.

The carriage deliberately avoided lower Manhattan.

It is a place where all kinds of poor people live together. In the words of the coachman, it is also the most chaotic place in New York now.

However, Chen Jianqiu still saw some thinly dressed homeless people freezing to death on the street, and just across the street was the bustling wealthy area of ​​Manhattan.

"Dad, what is that gorgeous-looking building?" Xiaopengkun pointed out the carriage window.

At the junction of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, next to the original Astor home, a magnificent hotel emerged from the heavy snow.

The facade of this hotel is filled with a Gothic style, and the bell tower-like spire makes the whole building look like a square castle.

Chen Jianqiu counted briefly and found that this hotel had 13 floors. Among all the buildings in Manhattan, New York at that time, it was already considered a skyscraper.

Next to it, the original house of the little Astor family was also demolished and replaced by a building under construction.

Due to the heavy snow, the construction site has been suspended, but the full of scaffolding still cannot hide its domineering prototype, which is faintly surpassing the neighbors next to it.

The carriage did not stop. Instead, he drove straight ahead and finally stopped in front of another private house owned by Astor Jr. on the Upper East Side.

Chen Jianqiu and his family got off the carriage.

Seven or eight servants ran out of the house, planning to move their luggage inside.

But when they saw there were only two small boxes, they were still surprised.

"My eldest brother doesn't care about this. You guys hurry up and prepare the room!" Little Astor shouted to the servants.

"The room is ready, Master." the servant replied respectfully.

Little Astor and Eva accompanied Chen Jianqiu and his family as they walked towards the house.

"What's going on with the hotel next to your house?" Chen Jianqiu asked as he walked.

It's okay not to mention this. When this topic is mentioned, little Aster seems to be holding back his anger.

"It was built by my cousin William Astor, and it's called the Waldorf."

"This guy has never dealt with me since he was a child, so he built a hotel next door to our house that is called 'the most luxurious hotel in the United States.' His hotel blocked the sunlight in our garden. My mother was so angry that she directly Moved to the suburbs."

Little Aster said angrily.

"So you demolished your original mansion and built a bigger one?" Chen Jianqiu sighed at the willfulness of these top wealthy people in New York.

"Yes, I plan to build a 16-story hotel, which is bigger and more luxurious than his one!" Little Astor curled his lips and replied, "I plan to name this hotel Astoria, which means Starry Night. Goddess, my hotel will be as bright as her.”

"Okay." Chen Jianqiu walked into the door of the house.

The house suited his usual knowledge of the tastes of the young Astor family.

Whether it is the decoration of the house or the furniture, including the famous paintings hanging on the walls and the antiques on display, they all highlight the idea of ​​not seeking the best, but the most expensive.

"You can live here." Little Astor took off his coat and sat down on the luxurious sofa in the middle of the main room.

Although the whole house was heated, a fire was still lit in the fireplace, which made the hall of the house extremely warm, in sharp contrast to the cold outside.

Chen Jianqiu sat down on another sofa next to little Astor.

He found a stack of comic strips on the table at hand, probably based on a new novel written by young Astor.

Chen Jianqiu took one of the books and started browsing.

"Chen, are you really not planning to buy a house in New York? The land here is becoming more and more valuable." Little Astor asked, half lying on the sofa.

"Let's talk about it." Chen Jianqiu flipped through the comic strips and said casually, "The economic situation is not very good now."

Little Astor chuckled;

"Hey, you didn't know this. In the United States, the way to make really rich people poor is never the financial crisis, but another group of rich people!"

"Because we control everything."

"Are you talking about Freemasonry?" Chen Jianqiu raised his head and stared at little Astor.

"Yeah, but I never go to the meetings of those old guys. Ever since my father died, they have been asking me to fill in the vacancies." Little Astor said disapprovingly, "I just need to run my business in New York honestly. Industry is enough, what Morgan and their research are not very attractive to me. But..."

Little Astor paused for a moment, and his expression became a little serious:

"I heard John Rockefeller has been trying to get you, so you have to be careful."

"This is not really new news." Chen Jianqiu continued to read comic strips. "It's not the first day he wanted to deal with me. It's hard to say that Hawke and Walter Hopper didn't have their handwriting behind the golden story."

"You'd better be careful. This old guy is not a good person. His wealth and power are beyond what Dugan can match. Moreover, he has done many shameful things." Little Astor reminded kindly. road.

Chen Jianqiu laughed it off.

He very much welcomes Rockefeller to show his talent in the dark track in front of him, and also very much hopes to see which one is more shameful compared with the small luck in the East and the wildness in the West.

Emma took Camilla and Xiaopengkun around the whole house and came to the living room:

"Aster, Chen and his family are probably tired from their long journey. Otherwise, we can leave and let them have a good rest," Emma said.

Little Aster nodded, stood up, bid farewell to Chen Jianqiu, and left the house with Emma.

The next morning, the snow stopped and the sun came out.

When Chen Jianqiu got dressed and went downstairs, he found that the first floor was already warm.

The fireplace in the living room was burning again, as if it had never been extinguished.

"Mr. Chen, breakfast has been prepared for you." The servant saw Chen Jianqiu coming down the stairs, bowed deeply, and took Chen Jianqiu to the restaurant.

Milk, chicken pudding, oyster stew, and fried eggs and steak.

Chen Jianqiu could understand others, but this was the first time he had seen eating oysters so early in the morning.

After breakfast, someone knocked on the door of the house.

The servant ran to open the door, and soon came to report:

"Mr. Chen, the person sent by Sheriff Roosevelt to pick you up is already waiting for you outside the door."