Chapter 138 Built in a Mountain City
Chu Yuanchen felt a little embarrassed. Smith was tall and strong, well-dressed, and had an elegant temperament. He looked like a successful businessman.
"Mr. Allen, you are too kind."
"No, I'm not exaggerating. Chu is truly amazing. He saved my life. As you Chinese say, a life-saving grace should be repaid with a fist."
Smith's pronunciation was incorrect, and he interpreted "repaying the debt with a spring" as "repaying the debt with a fist". Chu Lingyun wanted to punch him.
"Come in, my friends."
Smith was still immersed in his acting. After greeting, he made a gentlemanly gesture of invitation. Fortunately, Chu Lingyun had instructed him in advance not to follow Western etiquette towards his mother.
If Smith dared to kiss his mother's cheek or the back of her hand, Chu Lingyun would definitely beat him.
The living room of the villa is large and luxuriously decorated.
Chu Lingyun also temporarily hired two servants. A maid came to make coffee for them. Smith acted like a host and asked them to sit on the sofa.
Chu Lingyun was able to rent this villa through his connections. If the owner had not left for some urgent matter, it would have been impossible to rent it.
Seeing such a nice place, and with Chu Lingyun's guarantee, Chu Yuanchen completely believed in Smith's identity.
Chu Yuanchen was a straightforward person. After sitting down, he asked directly: "Mr. Allen, I heard that you want to donate to build a school..."
Smith suddenly waved his hand: “Mr. Chu, don’t be anxious, listen to me first.”
According to the script given to him by Chu Lingyun, Smith told a beautiful story about himself. When he first arrived in China, he went to Chongqing and lived happily there for a year.
When talking about the mountains and rivers of Chongqing, Smith is very knowledgeable and people who don’t know him would really think he has been there.
"Chongqing is a beautiful city, but it's a pity that I can't visit it again before returning home."
At the end, Smith looked regretful, and his acting skills were worthy of a chicken drumstick.
"Mr. Allen, Chongqing is indeed nice. When will you return home?"
Chu Yuanchen didn't know why Smith talked so much about Chongqing, and thought he was reluctant to leave China before leaving.
"I'm leaving for Shanghai tomorrow, and my boat ticket is in three days. You're here just in time."
"You're leaving tomorrow?"
Chu Yuanchen was stunned and looked at his son with some dissatisfaction. Everyone was about to leave, but he didn't inform him in time. If he had known, he would have come earlier.
"It's okay. I will take care of everything here before I leave. Mr. Chu, you already know that I want to donate to build a school, but I have a few requirements for this school." Smith raised his head with pride.
"Mr. Allen, please go ahead."
Chu Yuanchen said hurriedly that building a school was the most important thing for him. What he wanted to build was not an ordinary school, but a school that waived tuition and offered scholarships.
Such a school is even more difficult to establish and can help more poor students.
"First, this school must be built in Chongqing."
As soon as Smith finished speaking, Chu Yuanchen and his wife were dumbfounded. They had previously thought that it didn't matter where the school was built, so they had specially discussed where in Ningcheng would be the most suitable place to build the school.
As a result, the first requirement was to build the school in Chongqing.
They have never been to Chongqing, and in their impression Chongqing is very far away.
Smith continued, "Secondly, Mr. Chu must be the principal. I don't trust anyone else."
Chu Yuanchen was stunned again. If he was only allowed to be the principal, wouldn't that mean he had to go to Chongqing?
"Mr. Allen, I can recommend a highly respected person to be the principal. I guarantee that he is reliable."
Chu Yuanchen said hurriedly that he had no plan to leave Ningcheng at all. This was too sudden.
Smith extended his index finger and shook his head: "No, it can only be you. This is my return for Chu's life-saving grace. If someone else becomes the principal, I won't build it."
Chu Yuanchen was stunned. He had to be the principal of this school, and it had to be built in Chongqing. Wasn't this asking too much?
He hurriedly looked at his son, hoping that Chu Lingyun could help persuade Smith.
Noticing his father's gaze, Chu Lingyun shook his head slightly and said softly, "I talked to Smith before. He insisted on doing this, and I couldn't persuade him. You know, some foreigners are very stubborn."
"Third, after this school is built, there shouldn't be too many students. 200 is the limit. I don't have that much funding, so I can only help these few people for now."
Smith finished stating his three conditions. There was no problem with the third one. The level of education received by Chinese people was not high nowadays, and 200 students in middle school was not a small number.
But the first two points made Chu Yuanchen very embarrassed.
"Mr. Allen, I know you mean well, but I have a job in Ningcheng and can't leave. If you want to build the school in Chongqing, that's fine. I promise to find you a suitable principal."
Chu Yuanchen was still trying to argue, but Smith shook his head again and said with certainty, "No, it can only be you. I'll give you $5,000 for the school's construction fee. If it's not enough, you can add more. In addition, I'll give you another $5,000 per year for operating expenses."
The school built by Chu Lingyun had no intention of charging any fees. The small amount of fees referred to the food expenses. There was no tuition or book fees.
Five thousand US dollars, equivalent to more than sixteen thousand French francs, is definitely enough to build a school for two hundred students.
The annual operating expenses of $5,000 are definitely enough for a school of 200 people. If you save a little, you can also subsidize the children's meals.
"Besides that, Mr. Chu, your annual remuneration is one thousand dollars. I will give you this money separately, and it does not need to be paid from my donation funds."
One thousand US dollars, more than three thousand French francs, is more than twice Chu Yuanchen's current income.
This price was very sincere. Chu Yuanchen was speechless. Even the principal of his school didn't offer so much.
"Please think about it carefully. I'm taking the train tomorrow morning. Please give me your answer before tomorrow. If you agree, I will give Chu the initial construction funds and three years of operating expenses, totaling 20,000 US dollars. If not, then unfortunately, this school will have to wait until I return to China in the future and go to Chongqing to build it myself."
Smith held up the coffee cup, which meant he was seeing the guest off.
"Smith, thank you for your support for our country's education. We will consider it carefully. Goodbye."
Chu Yuanchen wanted to say something, but Chu Lingyun hurriedly grabbed him and took them away.
Smith's performance was very good, with just the right amount of intensity. Chu Lingyun would never give his father a chance to negotiate with him. He knew that too much talk would lead to mistakes, so he should leave as soon as possible.
This will force my father to make a decision as soon as possible.
"Goodbye, my friends, I hope to hear good news from you, and not regrets."
Smith also walked them to the door and added fuel to the fire before leaving.
First update.
