33: Chapter 33 Patent Acquired, Lin's Rifles Enter Mass Production!

In a great mood, Lin Tian took matters into his own hands and grilled a large platter of meat skewers for everyone.

After finishing, he untied his apron and handed the grill over to the maid, Helen.

He walked over to the long table and sat down next to his father, Lin Shi, and Old Smith.

"What are you talking about?" Lin Tian asked casually.

Lin Shi exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "A large number of Chinese have been pouring into the San Francisco docks recently. The local officials have spoken, telling the Zhigong Hall to find a way to settle them."

Lin Tian nodded. "With so many new immigrants clustering together, there's bound to be trouble if we don't arrange things properly."

A while ago, a diplomat from the Qing Dynasty specifically went to The White House to complain to the foreigners, protesting against the Chinese cutting off their queues and cursing them as rebels without a ruler or father.

The current President didn't even show his face, just casually sending a clerk to dismiss them.

The clerk spoke in bureaucratic jargon to the queue-wearing diplomat, "These Chinese people are legal citizens of the USA. The USA protects the personal freedom of its citizens, and whether or not they cut their hair has nothing to do with you. Please respect our national sovereignty!"

The Qing diplomat was snubbed and had no choice but to slink back home.

Lin Shi suggested, "I plan to send a group of people to Oklahoma, as I hear they are short of manpower for the Western development."

Lin Tian highly agreed.

Keeping hundreds of thousands of Chinese people all in one place was definitely not a good thing; just feeding and employing them would become a major problem.

To get white people to drop their hostility, the primary task was not to steal their jobs.

For the time being, the Chinese population and armed forces were at an absolute disadvantage.

They had to play the humble underdog and focus on development to lull the foreigners into a false sense of security.

Once they had more people, more guns, and widespread education, who would truly have the final say on this land was not necessarily set in stone.

For the sake of the big picture, Lin Tian set the livelihoods of his fellow Chinese primarily on opening restaurants, farming, and the service industry.

At the same time, the major factories under his name were also frantically recruiting Chinese workers, which barely managed to stabilize the situation.

"By the way, son, the shops you asked me to have people buy in New York, Buffalo, Philadelphia, and Boston have all been acquired. Are you really planning to pour money into the catering business?" Lin Shi asked.

"Of course! Fu Man Lou Restaurant is learning to make German hamburgers, and with the Coca-Cola patent in my hands, the fast-food business has a bright future in the USA!" Lin Tian said confidently.

Speaking of this, there was a big joke recently.

Lin Tian specifically sent someone to Louisiana to learn how to make "New Orleans roasted wings."

As it turned out, when his subordinate arrived and asked around, the locals hadn't even heard of any roasted wings; there was only a type of Cajun-style seasoning created by French immigrants.

The subordinate had no choice but to bring the Cajun seasoning back to San Francisco.

When Lin Tian tasted it, it was worlds apart from the New Orleans flavor of later generations.

Only then did he recall that this thing was clearly a gimmick created by later fast-food restaurants by modifying Turkish doner kebab; it didn't exist in the USA at all!

Although it was a misunderstanding, Bruce's determination to enter the fast-food industry hadn't diminished in the slightest.

He not only wanted to replicate the money-making model of future KFC but also wanted to thoroughly promote Chinese cuisine across the entire USA.

Steamed buns, fried dough sticks, hamburgers, and roasted wings paired with ice-cold Coca-Cola—he refused to believe he couldn't conquer the stomachs of these foreigners!

Old Smith chimed in from the side, "Lin Tian, the Germans have sent a telegram. They agree to exchange patents and are sending people over to discuss the contract in person."

"Once the matter is settled, the lin-style 1882 rifle can be mass-produced without any restrictions!" Lin Tian nodded with satisfaction.

Browning, who had just poured a drink, leaned over and reported loudly, "Boss, our Lin-Browning Arms Company has already hand-polished one hundred trial rifles. I'm currently cozying up to the Rifle Association, preparing to organize a national shooting competition in the Midwest!"

"A national shooting competition?!"

Old Smith's eyes lit up, and he quickly grabbed Lin Tian, "Can I sign up to compete too?"

"Uncle John, you should just take it easy."

Lin Tian laughed and dissuaded him, "Your pockets aren't lacking the few tens of thousands of dollars in prize money, so why bother joining in the fun? Besides, we are the organizers ourselves; if you go and win the championship, outsiders will definitely suspect foul play."

Old Smith shrugged helplessly, having no choice but to reluctantly give up the idea.

Browning suddenly asked with great excitement, "Boss, did you see today's The New York Times? Chinese Kung Fu, just like your new invention, has become absolutely huge in Washington and New York!"

"What's going on?"

"A professional boxer from the land of the polar bears has publicly challenged you in the newspaper. He says that if you dare to go to New York, he will punch your head off in front of all the people of the USA!"

Ever since Lin Tian showed off his skills on the streets of Utah, the name of Chinese Kung Fu had completely taken off.

Coupled with the fact that the Smokeless Powder patent was widely exposed by the media, the USA became the first country in the world to master Smokeless Powder.

The news spread to Europe.

The British Empire was unhappy, the Gauls were jealous, and the Germans could only be envious.

They had spent massive amounts of money researching for decades without any results, only to be beaten to the punch by a boy who had just turned eleven.

Once this was reported, the patriotism of the people of the USA was satisfied to an unprecedented degree.

The title of "Miracle Boy" once again resounded across the country.

A group of white people even wrote a joint letter to The White House, requesting that a special contribution medal be awarded to Lin Tian.

Consequently, "Chinese Kung Fu," which was rumored to be miraculous, also spread wildly across the entire country along with Lin Tian's fame.

New York and Washington reporters all ran to Chinatown to inquire about the news.

Among the Chinese making a living in the USA, many had fled to escape the pursuit of the Qing imperial court.

Many of them, like Lin Shi, were veterans who had gone into exile after the defeat of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

Although twenty-plus years had passed, these veterans were still alive and well.

Recalling the days of living on the edge, these old men took turns telling the foreigners about the various schools of Chinese martial arts.

The reporters compiled the interview content and published it in the newspapers.

Within a few days, the newspapers were full of pages about Chinese Kung Fu; the millennia-old Chinese martial arts had completely unveiled their mystery before the foreigners.

Only then did the people of the entire USA realize that there was actually such a miraculous self-defense technique on the other side of the ocean.

Of course, some people also jumped out to smear them.

A group of people with ulterior motives insisted that Chinese Kung Fu was made up and that Bruce Lin was a big swindler who had deceived the trust of the Federal Government.

They clamored that the invention patents were all stolen, that Lin Tian was just a puppet pushed to the front stage by the Chinese, and that it was all a big conspiracy.

Some white politicians even jumped up and down, cursing that using a ten-year-old child to deceive people was immoral and that the Chinese must publicly admit their mistakes immediately.

Incited by conspiracy theories, all achievements became fake packaging.

But a few reporters refused to believe it; in order to dig up big news, they tracked all the way to Weber County, Utah.

At the local hospital, they found the gang leader, Buck, lying in a hospital bed.

The reporters interviewed eyewitnesses.

The neighbors swore on their chests that they had seen with their own eyes a three-hundred-pound fat man, along with the door, get kicked several meters away.

The reporters then went to the hospital to verify.

The doctor took the medical record and gave a definitive answer: this fat man had taken a kick and would have to lie in bed for at least three months before he could get up.

Once the report came out, Lin Tian's true combat power became an unsolved mystery for the people across the USA to discuss over tea and after meals.

A large number of reporters swarmed in, wanting to interview him in person, but they all encountered a closed door and were sternly refused by the guards.

The outside world was in an uproar, but Bruce sat calmly on the fishing platform, busy celebrating his move to a new home.

...

New York.

On the banks of the North Hudson River.

Here sat a luxurious manor covering four thousand acres.

Anna, wearing a long blue dress, stepped down from her own high-end box carriage.

She instructed the coachman to drive the carriage directly to the backyard and walked into the manor alone.

In the courtyard, the British The Old Butler, wearing a tailcoat, came up to meet her and reminded her with a smile, "Mr. Edison is waiting for you in the study!"

"Thank you."

Anna gave a hasty curtsy, walked quickly past the butler, and went all the way to an empty corner.

Confirming no one was around, she quickly lifted her skirt and ran all the way to a large door at the end of the second floor.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open, walked in, and shouted loudly:

"Elizabeth! Lin Tian has written back to me again!"

Inside the door was a huge private library, with rows of towering bookshelves packed with hardcover books.

A little girl with skin as white as snow and long black hair was lying on a large desk, flipping through a thick book.

Hearing her friend's shout, she suddenly raised her head, her big eyes full of excitement: "Really, Anna?"

"Of course!"

Anna responded happily while waving the letter in her hand.

The postmark on the envelope clearly read San Francisco, California.

Anna trotted to her best friend, Elizabeth, sat down next to her, and joyfully opened the letter.

Come to think of it, this was already the third time she had received a reply from Bruce.

Every time she received a letter from afar, she would run over to share it with her best friend.

"In the last letter, Mr. Lin Tian said he somewhat regretted creating Smokeless Powder because he was afraid it would take more lives. He is truly a gentleman with principles!"

Elizabeth's young face was full of yearning.

"Yes, he is just so full of love. Actually, even if he hadn't created Smokeless Powder, black powder would still kill people. If humans want to fight and kill each other, what does that have to do with the inventor!"

Anna said indignantly while unfolding the letter paper.

The letter paper was filled with clean and elegant English words.

In the first sentence, Lin Tian expressed his deep gratitude for their guidance and comfort regarding the Smokeless Powder matter in the previous letter.

Subsequently, he also specially complimented Elizabeth, whom he had never met, saying she must be a beautiful and kind lady.

Looking at the words of praise in the letter, Elizabeth blushed, her heart pounding like a little deer.

Continuing to read, Bruce mentioned in the letter that he was going to hold a national shooting competition in the central city of Chicago soon.

If they were free, they were welcome to visit at any time.

"God bless! Bruce invited us to go to Chicago to watch the national shooting competition!" Anna was so excited her eyes were shining.

"Ah? Go to Chicago? Anna, what should we do? I've only ever been to Buffalo at most; I've never been to a big city in the Midwest!"

Although Elizabeth was very tempted, she was too unfamiliar with Chicago, and she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"What are you afraid of, Elizabeth! Aren't you talking every day about wanting to meet Bruce? Don't you even have that much courage?" Anna kept encouraging her from the side.

"But... but..." Elizabeth's face was full of hesitation.

On one hand, she was afraid of going to an unfamiliar place.

On the other hand, she really wanted to meet this legendary hero, inventor, and kind Chinese gentleman.