Material Empire

On the outskirts of Charlottesville, where the University of Virginia is located, there is a small white two-story building, and the family of Liu Hansong, a doctor studying in the United States, lives in a small room downstairs.

It was already past nine o'clock in the evening, and his wife Tian Ruzhi still did not come back from the Chinese restaurant where she worked. Liu Hansong put the 5-year-old child to sleep, closed the curtain in the middle of the room, and went to the small room separated by the curtain. Turn on the desk lamp and start reading the literature I checked during the day.

"Tut Tuk, Tuk Tuk." Someone knocked lightly on the door.

Liu Hansong looked at the small alarm clock on the table, wondering what kind of person it would be to visit at such a time.

"Senior Brother Liu, are you still asleep?" A girl's voice came from outside.

"Is it Xiao Xu?" Liu Hansong recognized that it was the voice of Xu Xiaoqi, a new Chinese student who came to Virginia University last year. This little junior sister from the Capital University is kind-hearted. Knowing that the couple is struggling, she often comes to visit. Every time, she brings some food, children's clothes, toys, etc. in the name of giving things to the children.

He knows that Xu Xiaoqi's family is also an ordinary working class, and he also relies on part-time jobs to subsidize the expenses of studying abroad, so every time he persuades Xu Xiaoqi not to send him anything here. But Xu Xiaoqi said that she liked the children of Liu's family very much, and it was hard for Liu Hansong and his wife to refuse just to come and play with them. In Liu Hansong's heart, he felt that he owed too much to Xu Xiaoqi and some other Chinese students. After he graduated with a Ph.D. and found a job in the United States, he would repay these debts double.

Gently opening the door, Liu Hansong saw three people standing outside the door, one was Xu Xiaoqi, and the other two young men were unknown to him, but they were all Chinese, and they felt close to each other.

"Xiao Xu, why are you here so late?" Liu Hansong asked strangely.

"Let's talk in the yard, don't disturb Xiao Liang." Xu Xiaoqi said. Xiao Liang is the child of Liu Hansong and his wife, and Xu Xiaoqi knew that he must have fallen asleep at this time.

Liu Hansong nodded, took a few plastic stools from the house, went to the yard, asked Xu Xiaoqi and the two young men to sit down, and sat on the place opposite to them. He pointed to the two young men and asked Xu Xiaoqi, "Xiao Xu, is this a new foreign student? Why haven't I seen it before?"

"They came to the United States from China to do business. This is Qin Hai, and this is Ning Mo. They are salesmen of Jintang Chemical Materials Group." Xu Xiaoqi pointed to two people and introduced them to Liu Hansong.

"Oh, hello, my name is Liu Hansong, and I used to work in Beijing University of Technology." Liu Hansong said to Qin Hai and Ning Mo politely, but he was muttering in his heart, wondering why Xu Xiaoqi brought these two people to his house What's the meaning.

Qin Hai smiled and asked: "Dr. Liu, you said that you used to work in Beijing University of Technology, so do you know Mr. Sun Yuzhi?"

"Sun Yuzhi? Of course I know him." Liu Hansong had a smile on his face, "We live diagonally opposite each other in the tube building. He is engaged in metal materials, and I am engaged in mechanics. There are some complementary research areas. And , His wife Wang Jin and my wife are also good friends."

"Haha, this is getting closer and closer." Qin Hai smiled, "Mr. Sun and I are also good friends, and Mr. Wang Jin and I are also very familiar."

"I heard that Yuzhi was transferred to work in Anhe Province. Do you know about this?" Liu Hansong asked. He heard about Sun Yuzhi's going to Anhe Materials College from others, so the details are not clear. Hearing that Qin Hai and Sun Yuzhi were good friends, he just inquired casually. Since Qin Hai and his party refused to disclose the purpose of their late-night visit, he could only pretend to be false and wait to see what the other party would say in the end.

Qin Hai replied: "Mr. Sun's trip to Anhe was arranged by me."

"You arranged it?" Liu Hansong was taken aback for a moment, he faintly felt that the Qin Hai in front of him seemed really prepared. A person who can help Sun Yuzhi transfer to Anhe suddenly appeared in front of him, what does it mean? Also, he didn't figure out why Sun Yuzhi went to Anhe. In my impression, there is no famous university in Anhe, which is worthy of an expert like Sun Yuzhi condescending to go there.

In front of Liu Hansong, Qin Hai didn't want to hide anything. He said: "Our company has built a material college in Anhe, which specializes in the research of various new materials. Teacher Sun is very unhappy in the industrial university because of lack of funds and scientific research. He couldn’t do it, and his life was very poor, so I persuaded him to work in our School of Materials.”

"Why haven't I heard of the Anhe Institute of Materials you mentioned? Also, after Yuzhi left, how is the salary, and has there been any progress in scientific research?" Liu Hansong asked eagerly.

"Ms. Sun is a key talent introduced by our college. The basic salary is 1,000 yuan a month. According to the situation of scientific research results, there are additional bonuses. He has made a major breakthrough in the research of the third-generation permanent magnet material. Two articles will be published in one or two months. His family now lives in a three-bedroom house, and both of them are fatter than before." Qin Hai said to Liu Hansong like a treasure.

"That's good, that's good..." Liu Hansong replied nonchalantly, although there was a smile on his face, it was somewhat stiff. Of course he is happy that his old friend can get a high salary and produce results. But thinking of his own difficulties, he felt like a lump was blocked in his heart. The so-called envy, jealousy and hatred are nothing more than the psychological portrayal of Liu Hansong now.

"Qin...uh..." Liu Hansong wanted to address Qin Hai, but suddenly found that he couldn't find a suitable title. He heard Xu Xiaoqi introduce Qin Hai as a salesperson of some company, and thought that Qin Hai must have no title, but it seemed a bit blunt to call him by his first name. What's more, when Xu Xiaoqi introduced the names of these two people, Liu Hansong couldn't hear clearly. He couldn't remember whether it was Qin Han or Celery.

Qin Hai quickly said, "You and Teacher Sun are colleagues, so let's call him Xiao Qin. Teacher Sun also calls me that."

"Uh, okay, then I'll call you Xiao Qin." Liu Hansong said, "What's the matter with you guys coming to me so late?"

"I heard from Xiaoqi that Dr. Liu's family life is a bit tense because he is busy with his thesis. Our company intends to provide some help to students studying abroad. I don't know if Dr. Liu is willing to accept it." Qin Hai said.

"Your company?" Liu Hansong became vigilant. A gigantic pie fell from the sky, his first feeling was not joy, but suspicion, who knows what kind of filling is in this pie? After working hard in the United States for the past few years, he is also used to seeing the cruelty of the world, and he will instinctively have doubts about the benefits delivered to his door.

"Yes, our company." Qin Hai said, "Our idea is to provide a monthly life loan of 500 US dollars for a period of three years to some foreign students who study abroad at their own expense and have certain difficulties in life. If you stay and work in the United States, you need to repay the loan within 5 to 10 years. If you return to work in your country, you can use the same repayment method, or you can choose to work in our company and use the service years to offset the loan.”

"$500 per month!" Liu Hansong's eyes sparkled. If there is an income of 500 US dollars per month, the wife does not need to work two jobs every day, and can switch to a relatively light job. Three years is enough time for him to finish his studies and find a job with a relatively good salary in the United States. If his salary can reach $30,000, it will not be difficult to repay the loan. However, such a good condition, will there be any ulterior clauses attached to it?

"So, how is the interest calculated?" Liu Hansong asked tentatively.

"We provide interest-free loans." Qin Hai replied.

"Then... what are you planning?" Liu Hansong finally asked what was in his heart.

Qin Hai smiled and said, "Dr. Liu, you are all talents in our country. It is a disregard for talents to ask you to make such a big sacrifice for studying. Our company is a technology-led company and has always respected Knowledge, respect for talents, and the establishment of such a loan is a small contribution we make to you talents."

"But... I might not go back to China to work." Liu Hansong said, he felt that the company Qin Hai mentioned might be a large state-owned enterprise, and maybe the loan was provided by the state in disguise. However, the government should only provide loans to those who will go back to work in the future. How can the country provide funds for foreign students who plan to stay in the United States after graduation.

Qin Hai still smiled and said: "Dr. Liu made a mistake. We provide this loan without considering whether you will return to China in the future. To put it bluntly, whether you stay in the United States or return to China, you are Chinese. It will not change. Isn’t it the glory of the country that overseas Chinese have done well?”

The more Qin Hai said this, the more Liu Hansong felt that there was a trap in it. He shook his head and said, "I still don't understand. What good does this matter do for your company?"

Seeing Liu Hansong's hesitation, Xu Xiaoqi couldn't help being a little annoyed. The little girl now trusts Ning Mo and Qin Hai with all her heart, and she is naturally very upset to see Liu Hansong doubting their character.

"Senior Brother Liu, Brother Qin is an enthusiastic person. He didn't do this for any benefit, so don't hesitate. With this loan, Sister Tian doesn't have to work as hard as she is now." Xu Xiaoqi said.

"This..." Xu Xiaoqi's words touched Liu Hansong's weakest point. Why doesn't he want to get this loan so that his wife can no longer be as tired as she is now. At this moment, he was full of thoughts. For a while, he felt that eating a free lunch was not at ease, and for a while, he felt that even if it was a trap, he should jump into it without hesitation. After thinking about it, he really had a hard time making a choice.