Chapter 69

This August, the climate in Berlin was quite pleasant, with the temperature hovering around twenty degrees Celsius every day, allowing John to enjoy a delightful summer.

If there was anything more pleasant than good weather, it was undoubtedly receiving a letter from a distant friend.

Perhaps it was a prearranged coincidence, but Emma, Joshua, and Steve all sent John a letter at the same time. On this not-so-sweltering afternoon, John poured himself a cup of coffee and leisurely sat in his study to open the first letter—of course, it was from the lovely Miss Emma.

Emma's letters usually contained no substantial content, merely responding to the various matters John mentioned in his previous letter, then recounting the amusing and troubling events she had encountered recently. Of course, she couldn't help but complain about the boredom of life and the confusion in her studies. The lengthy letters, often spanning over ten pages, would often make John smile, as if he could see a younger sister pouting beside him, a warm feeling that would last for a long time.

After finishing the letter, John immediately started writing a reply.

Writing to Emma required no great effort; in just over half an hour, John had written seven or eight pages, which he then casually placed into an envelope.

Next...

John glanced at the other two letters on his desk and suddenly chuckled, deciding to open Steve's letter first. The last time this guy wrote to him was at the end of last year, when the toy factory was just about to start production. In his letter, he expressed some anxiety about the factory's future, seeking some comfort, and also wanted to consult the major shareholder for a catchy brand name for the upcoming toys.

Without hesitation, John wrote down the word "Lego"!

"Is this letter bringing me good news or bad news?"

While guessing the content of the letter, John cheerfully opened the envelope. The establishment of the toy factory was just a whim of his at the time, and he didn't have high expectations, so his mood wasn't affected.

However, after reading the short three-page letter, John was instantly delighted.

Steve's tone in the letter was very cheerful because the Lego toy factory he and John co-invested in had taken everyone by surprise!

When John first proposed this plan, everyone thought the market for such "high-end toys" would be small, and it would be difficult to make much money. However, the old Hunterall and Stone families, leveraging their bicycle sales channels, managed to promote Lego toys to people with sufficient purchasing power. In just the first half of this year, sales reached nearly ten thousand dollars, with profits exceeding two thousand dollars!

This unexpected success made Steve overjoyed. In his letter to John, he not only reported the good news but also strongly requested an increase in investment to expand production. If John was unwilling, the Zola family would invest alone but would demand a larger share. To emphasize that he wasn't just talking, Steve even referenced the development plan of the Pigeon company, proposing to expand into the European market, just like with bicycles!

"Ridiculous, it would be crazy not to agree!"

After finishing the letter, John made up his mind without hesitation. He knew that increasing investment was a must. He was well aware of the power of modern toys in this era. If the materials of this time were up to par, he could easily introduce things like the Rubik's Cube, which only required a concept and a few simple diagrams.

"Perhaps the Lego brand will be even more glorious in my hands than in the future?"

While writing the reply to Steve, John thought happily.

After finishing, John paused for a moment and then wrote another letter to old Hunterall, asking him to discuss the increase in investment with Steve. The old man was not short of money; the bicycle sales were booming, and as one of the main distributors, old Hunterall had made a fortune in sales. John had learned the exact figures from his grandfather's letters, which had left him amazed—under the impetus of the bicycle sales, the revenue of old Hunterall's several trading companies had almost doubled last year and in the first half of this year!

Don't forget, old Hunterall also owned twenty percent of the Pigeon company, and his assets had increased rapidly over the past two years, probably more than his efforts over the past few decades!

After reading the two letters, John first went to the bathroom, then refilled his coffee, and finally opened the third letter, which might be the one that would make him the happiest today—Joshua's letter at this time was likely to report the company's performance for the first half of the year.

"Dear John, have you found a suitable partner in Berlin yet..."

Seeing this line from Joshua, John's mouth dropped open, his face crinkled, and he sighed with a bitter smile.

This was the third time Joshua had urged him this year.

John had underestimated the difficulty of finding a suitable partner. As an American in Berlin, it wasn't easy to integrate into society quickly, especially since most of his energy was focused on the library and his classes.

"I'll do my best, I'll do my best..."

Muttering to himself, as if responding to Joshua's urging, John continued reading.

However, a few minutes later, there was a loud "clunk" as the cup in John's hand fell onto the table! The thick coffee immediately spilled over the letter, jolting John out of his shock. With a cry, he jumped up and frantically tried to save Joshua's letter!

After a while of frantic activity, John finally tidied up the table, but his heart, which had been pounding, couldn't calm down.

"Damn, am I seeing things?"

Swallowing hard, John carefully laid out the dried letter on the table and read it again carefully from the beginning.

"John, I am honored to inform you of the company's performance for the first half of 1884 as a director of the Pigeon Bicycle Company..."

In the letter, Joshua proudly detailed the company's earnings for the first half of the year. The content was very detailed, categorized into various aspects, but as a hands-off investor, John had initially skimmed through it, focusing on the final numerical summary.

It was this part that made him jump!

This time, John tried to suppress his excitement and read the letter carefully from the beginning...

...

Sorry, it was supposed to be a long chapter, but my laptop suddenly lost power, and I only managed to save part of it. I'll post the rest later.

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