50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 328 National Rifle Association of the United States

Belinda promptly presented the beautifully packaged 'Moses Parting the Sea Platter', then smiled and said to the guest:

"This is your 'Moses's Distribute of the Sea' plate. Please handle it carefully. It is $16700. Will you be paying by check or credit card?"

The old man took a Dalai card out of his wallet and handed it to Belinda.

Belinda didn't recognize this credit card, so she looked at Sun Zhiwei. Sun Zhiwei glanced at it and nodded at her.

Although he had never used it, he was still familiar with the "Dalaika" brand.

This was the world's first modern credit card, issued by a credit card company called Diners Club.

From its founding in the 50s to the early 60s, Diners Club grew into a super giant with annual revenue exceeding $10 billion.

Although they have been declining in recent years, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse; they still have millions of credit card users and millions of contracted merchants.

Sun Zhiwei's shop has never signed a contract with Dalai Company, but this does not affect the use of the "Dailai Card".

All he needs to do is go to Dalai Company with the user's signed receipt and complete the necessary procedures.

However, the credit card company charged a 5% processing fee, which annoyed him.

Because he will have to pay $835 to Dalai Company for this transaction, which is a bit painful for him.

The old man signed a purchase contract and also signed and stamped a payment confirmation document, thus completing the transaction.

After all the guests left, Belinda jumped up and down with joy.

That's right. She gets a 5% commission on this transaction, which is $830, equivalent to two months' salary for her.

Sun Zhiwei was making money without any initial investment, so he wasn't stingy with the commission. He just smiled and looked at the girl.

"Well done, keep it up. Your commission will be settled together with your salary on Friday."

"Thank you, boss." Belinda's smile was so wide she couldn't stop.

The opening of the first exhibit was like opening a hidden door.

One after another, people started coming specifically to buy the exhibits, and the store's second business finally took off.

After all, there are experts who realize that all the antiques on display in this store are genuine, and sales naturally pick up.

To Sun Zhiwei's surprise, these guests who knew the truth all subconsciously kept the secret.

This is a rare opportunity; elsewhere, even auction houses wouldn't guarantee the authenticity of the antiques they sell.

The customers who had bought antiques from Sun Zhiwei's shop gradually became familiar with each other.

Sometimes we'd show off the antiques we bought, and sometimes we'd have coffee together and discuss the other exhibits in the shop.

Before anyone knew it, a group of wealthy and leisurely members had gathered in Sun Zhiwei's small shop.

February passed quickly. He originally thought the lieutenant would contact him soon, but he ended up waiting for more than half a month.

It wasn't until early March that the lieutenant called.

It turns out that his grandfather had been bedridden for some time and had only recently recovered.

Because he was concerned about the antique appraisal, his grandfather would immediately ask the lieutenant to contact Sun Zhiwei as soon as his condition improved.

When Sun Zhiwei heard that the customer was delayed because of illness, he didn't mind. However, he was even more impressed by the lieutenant's unreliability.

His grandfather was sick, but he didn't even call Sun Zhiwei to tell him, and just left Sun Zhiwei to wait around.

He found out his grandfather's name, address, and phone number, told Belinda about it that day, and left a message for Deputy Director Han on his way home. The next day, he drove off to New York.

Washington is 350 kilometers from New York. He set off in the morning and arrived at the outskirts of the Big Apple before noon.

The lieutenant's grandfather, Som Lancaster, owned a farm in northwestern New York, across the Hudson River.

If you board the boat at the pier closest to the farm, it will only take half an hour to reach the heart of Manhattan.

To be precise, this area belongs to New Jersey, but it's so close to New York that it's often considered part of New York's suburbs.

A few kilometers from the farm, Sun Zhiwei found a public phone and called the lieutenant's grandfather to let him know that he was about to arrive.

After that, he continued driving and soon arrived at the farm gate.

The area was surrounded by a three-meter-high wall, and he could even see barbed wire and guard towers on the wall.

He was a little confused. Wasn't this a farm? Why did it look like a military base?

He parked his car in the parking lot at the entrance, explained his purpose to the security guard, who then made a phone call.

Soon, a small jeep drove out of the gate, driven by an elderly white man in an old-fashioned military uniform.

The old man drove up next to Sun Zhiwei, stuck his head out of the car window, and asked, "Mr. James?"

"Ah, it's me. Are you Mr. Somme Lancaster, the grandfather of Lieutenant Milan?"

"Yes, get in the car, let's go inside."

Sun Zhiwei couldn't back down now, so he opened the back seat, picked up his toolbox, and sat down.

The jeep made a U-turn and drove back through the gate. Soon, the gate closed behind them, and Sun Zhiwei couldn't help but look back.

Seeing his actions in the rearview mirror, old Lancaster comforted him:
“Mr. James, don’t worry, this place is called a farm, but it’s also a club.”

"What club?"

“NRA Club,” the old man replied after glancing at him in the rearview mirror.

Upon hearing this familiar abbreviation, Sun Zhiwei raised an eyebrow, thinking, "No wonder."

The unassuming three letters NRA represent the National Rifle Association of the United States, the largest gun rights organization in the country.

It originated during the Civil War because at that time, Northern soldiers were clearly inferior to Southern soldiers, who were accustomed to hunting and a culture of gun-wielding chivalry, in terms of marksmanship.

Therefore, William Church and George Wingate founded the National Rifle Association in New York in 1871 to study and improve the shooting skills of Union soldiers.

Initially, it was a sports organization and the governing body for shooting at the Olympic Games.

Later, because its core ideology was to protect the right of citizens of the United States to bear arms, it also actively participated in American political activities.

As its influence has grown, it is now a nonpartisan, nonprofit interest group.

Its influence extends beyond the military and police systems, and it also enjoys a large following in state legislatures and Congress.

To put it simply, the most prominent organization in the US opposing gun control is the Rifle Association.

Not only in the legitimate world, but the Rifle Association also controls many criminal organizations throughout the United States.

It can be said that he is the leader of all non-governmental armed groups.

(End of this chapter)