Chapter 35

After the commotion, in the living room, Old Hunter and John sat facing each other in silence.

John quietly waited for his grandfather to speak, while Old Hunter stared at him intently. His eyes flickered with relief, admiration, sadness, and loneliness, as if he were an actor performing in an opera.

"Congratulations, John, on earning your first fortune in life."

After a long pause, Old Hunter's voice was low and deep: "I was already 24 when I achieved this, and I was far from as successful as you."

"Thank you, sir."

John bowed slightly and responded with a smile.

Of course, John was very pleased. Just ten minutes ago, he and Old Hunter had signed the patent transfer contract. In no more than three days, $32,000 would be deposited into the New York bank account that Old Hunter had set up for him. In other words, he would soon become a millionaire with over $30,000 in cash.

"Besides Karl Witt, who lived several decades ago, you are the most outstanding child I have ever seen."

Old Hunter sighed lightly, his face showing a hint of sadness. His voice was somewhat hoarse as he said, "Clever, stubborn, and gifted, just like... just like Elizabeth used to be..."

"Mother?"

Hearing the name Elizabeth, John's heart stirred, and his gaze softened as he looked at Old Hunter. Although he didn't know much about her past, John knew that his mother in this life, as Old Hunter had said, was smart and stubborn, independent and hardworking, and had taught him many things.

Suddenly, John sensed the sadness beneath Old Hunter's indifferent exterior.

"Grandfather..."

John used this affectionate term again, his expression becoming complex.

However, this time Old Hunter was not moved by the term. He waved his hand before John could continue, stood up with a somewhat sluggish movement, and said, "John, I've said it before, this money is what you earned, so you should decide how to use it. I've already found someone to make a prototype of the bicycle, and it will be reliable. It will be delivered to you in no more than a week. As for what you and Joshua talked about... go ahead and do it. Come to me when you need me."

"Thank you, Grandfather."

Suddenly, the term felt natural, and John no longer felt awkward.

Old Hunter paused, then turned his head and smiled, "John, although we are in New York, the best workers are still Germans! Remember this, and it will greatly benefit your business."

With that, Old Hunter turned and went upstairs without hesitation.

Watching his grandfather's somewhat unsteady steps up the stairs, John remained silent for a long time before a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on his lips...

...

On Monday morning, just as Mr. Auf had finished his lesson and John was about to go to the dining room for breakfast, Joshua walked into the Hunter family's front door, his face full of excitement.

Seeing his expression, John knew without asking that the $40,000 from Edison had arrived.

Quickly entering the dining room, Joshua immediately handed John a small envelope and urged him, "John, open it quickly!"

"Ha ha..."

Seeing his friend's excitement, John couldn't help but laugh. He opened the envelope unhurriedly and saw an old deposit slip.

$32,000!

Joshua had directly deducted his $8,000 fee and deposited the remaining $32,000 into John's account. Even with John's composure, seeing this number made his heart beat faster!

"Your money!"

After handing the deposit slip to John, Joshua let out a long sigh, and the excitement and tension from before quickly dissipated, making him feel much more relaxed.

"Yes, my money."

John murmured softly and then smiled happily.

Joshua patted John's shoulder a few times, looking understanding, and said, "John, about the bicycle blueprint..."

"I've already had someone start making a prototype."

John took a sip of coffee from the table and said, "It will be delivered by the latest this weekend. Then we can register the patent and start planning the factory... or perhaps we should consider acquiring an existing factory?"

"Are you that confident?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

After putting down his teacup and looking at his friend, John smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, Joshua. You can start thinking about whether we need to invite others to join, the total investment, and the share distribution."

His voice was not loud, but the confidence on John's face quickly infected Joshua.

"Okay."

Joshua rubbed his chin and lowered his head in thought. Without the previous success with the light bulb and battery, Joshua wouldn't have so easily believed this young man, but with the $40,000, he was now fully convinced of John's words.

"Do you think we two... can do it?"

After a moment of contemplation, Joshua suddenly looked up and asked.

"Difficult."

John shook his head without hesitation and said calmly, "Let's be clear, I will only provide the money and the patent. I won't be involved in the management. And you? Do you have the ability to manage everything? Besides building the factory and production, we also need to handle sales. Can you handle all of that?"

John spoke bluntly, not sparing his friend's feelings. Joshua had studied law in college, and while being a boss might be fine, managing a factory and selling products was beyond his expertise.

Sure enough, John's words made Joshua think again.

At this moment, John stood up and signaled to the butler, Mr. Hans, to start lunch, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Elber, has Miss Philip not arrived yet?"

Miss Philip worked from Monday to Friday afternoons, so she usually came in the morning on Mondays and left in the afternoon on Fridays. However, she hadn't shown up by lunchtime, which made John a bit curious.

"She just arrived, sir."

Hans shook his head and said, "I saw her rush upstairs just now, looking very hurried."

As John frowned, Joshua had already finished his contemplation. He tapped his fingers on the table and said seriously, "John, I think we can invite Funk to join the factory. He is already helping his father manage a textile factory and should have enough experience. As for sales, I believe Mr. Hunter has already thought about it."

The Hunter family was a merchant family, and Joshua didn't believe Old Hunter would let John seek help elsewhere.

After considering for a moment, John nodded and said, "Sales are not a problem. I think Mr. Stone would be very interested. However, can we really bring Funk into the factory? After all, he is already helping manage the family business."

"Definitely!"

Joshua said confidently, "Funk is not very interested in the textile industry, and the competition is too intense. He mentioned this to me when we were studying in London. Besides, his father is not old enough to retire. If he manages the bicycle factory, his father will definitely agree."

"Then let's talk to him."

John didn't hesitate and agreed with Joshua's suggestion.

After discussing this, the two fell silent. They knew that since they had decided to do it, the next very important and critical issue was the distribution of shares. Although they were friends and had a close relationship, they had only known each other for two or three months. In business, they were both from merchant families and understood the importance of clear boundaries.

"The shares will be distributed based on the amount of capital each person invests."

After a moment, John said solemnly, "Additionally, the patent will account for 10%."

"Oh? Are you sure?"

Joshua's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and he asked in return. 10% was not too much but rather too little. In Joshua's view, the total investment for the factory would not exceed $60,000. The two of them could contribute $50,000, and Funk at most $10,000. However, if the bicycle prototype turned out to be as excellent as John said, even $10,000 would be an underestimate.

John waved his hand and smiled, "Let's do it this way. After all, I won't be involved in any management, and it will all depend on you and Funk. I think it's a fair deal."

"Alright! Let's do it this way."

Joshua thought about it seriously and nodded.

After exchanging a glance, the two almost simultaneously smiled. John turned his head and called out cheerfully, "Mr. Elber, could you bring us a bottle of wine? Today is a happy day, and we should have a drink!"

"Sorry, sir."

The butler quickly walked to the table, his expression very serious, "Mr. Hunter specifically instructed me that you are not allowed to drink until you are 16 years old..."