America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

The generator roared all night.

Sarah slept exceptionally well that night, even though the noise of the diesel engine sounded like pile driving, to her it was the sound of money flowing.

Seven o'clock in the morning.

The air inside the greenhouse was intoxicatingly fresh. Chen An turned off the generator to save on the expensive diesel fuel.

Anyway, the sun is out during the day, so the insulation is sufficient.

"So beautiful..."

Sarah knelt before the planting bed, looking at the rows of wasabi plants that had been violently ripened overnight.

The unique minerals in the underground river water, combined with the high humidity of the greenhouse, allow these green creatures to grow as if by magic.

The rhizome has become noticeably thicker, the leaves are lush and green, and it emits a faint spicy aroma.

"Begin the harvest."

Chen An handed Sarah a pair of sterilized scissors.

"Be careful of the roots; every single one is a treasure. We'll only take the largest ones and leave the smaller ones to continue growing."

Sarah nodded, and as if stroking a baby, carefully dug out the selected wasabi, trimmed off the excess leaves, and washed away the dirt.

An hour later.

The two foam insulated boxes were packed full.

Chen An weighed it.

"22 pounds."

At a price of $200 per pound, that's $4400.

Chen An did the math: after buying the generator, he had about a thousand yuan left, and with this 4400 yuan, he had less than six thousand yuan.

We're still more than $2,000 short of that deadline of $8500.

"Ann...it doesn't seem like enough." Sarah looked at the pile of wasabi, pleased but with a hint of worry in her eyes.

"How about we sell my gold necklace too? It was from our wedding..."

"Put away your jewelry."

Chen An closed the styrofoam box, his eyes confident and determined. "I said I would solve it today, and I will."

"Sometimes, the value of a business lies not only in the goods themselves, but also in the word 'exclusivity'."

He picked up the suitcase. "Change your clothes, we're going to town. Today is your day of rebirth, dress nicely."

………………

10:00 AM. Aurora Restaurant.

Chen An did not go through the back door, but led Sarah directly through the front door.

It wasn't lunchtime yet, and the restaurant was somewhat empty.

"Chen! Over here!"

Katie had been waiting impatiently for a while, and when she saw Chen An come in, she immediately jumped out from behind the counter.

But when she saw Sarah, who was dressed up and arm in arm with Chen An, she was surprised.

The little girl paused, a barely perceptible hint of hostility and disappointment flashing in her eyes.

"This is your partner?" Katie curled her lip, sizing up Sarah's mature and voluptuous figure. "Hmph, she's just a bit big-breasted."

Sarah smiled awkwardly and clung tightly to Chen An.

"Stop fooling around, Katie." Chen An put the box on the table. "I need to see your boss, Mr. Robert."

"I think we need to talk about something specific regarding that 'long-term supply contract,' such as the signing fee."

Five minutes later.

The VIP rooms on the second floor.

Chen An met Robert White.

This was an elderly gentleman in his sixties, with gray hair, wearing an elegant three-piece suit, and holding a cigar in his hand.

"Is this the Eastern magician who made my genius chef so infatuated?" Robert looked at Chen An with a smile, then glanced at the wasabi on the table.

"I'm only interested in making money, Mr. White," Chen An said, sitting down with neither arrogance nor servility.

"You've seen the goods, and you've drunk the water. This quality of wasabi is only available from my store in all of Montana."

"You could even say that you can't find another one like it on the entire West Coast."

Robert picked up a wasabi stalk, examined it closely, and then nodded:

"It is indeed top-quality. Wasabi is extremely picky about water quality. Young man, the water source you have is priceless."

"So, let's talk business."

Chen An leaned forward and held up three fingers.

"First, this batch of goods, 22 pounds, is all yours. At the agreed price of $200 per pound, that's $4400."

"Secondly, I can sign a six-month exclusive supply agreement with you. I guarantee that I will only supply Aurora Restaurant and not your competitors."

"But..." Chen paused, "I need a signing bonus. Or you could call it an advance payment for capacity expansion. Five thousand US dollars. Cash. I need it now."

Robert raised an eyebrow: "Five thousand? You're short of money?"

"It's in short supply. If someone tries to take my land, I'll have to break their teeth first," Chen An said without any hesitation.

Robert burst into laughter, a hearty laugh.

"Great! That's got character! I like young people who fight for their territory."

Robert pulled out his checkbook from his pocket, quickly wrote a check, tore it off, and pushed it to Chen An.

"This is ten thousand US dollars. Four thousand four thousand is for the goods, and five thousand is a prepayment for signing fees."

"The extra six hundred is my treat for you to drinks, to celebrate your impending victory in this war."

Chen An looked at the bank's cash check and a smile appeared on his lips.

"It's a pleasure working with you."

………………

If there's anything in this world more satisfying than making money, it's paying it back.

11:30 a.m. Whitefish, Wells Fargo Bank.

Chen An sat with Sarah in the credit manager's office.

The manager was a fat man with thick-rimmed glasses, and he was looking at them with the eyes of someone looking at beggars.

"Mrs. Miller, I must remind you again, today is the deadline."

"If you cannot pay the $8500 late fee in one lump sum, our legal department will submit an auction application to the court at 2 p.m.

The manager twirled his pen casually. "Actually, it wouldn't be bad if it sold."

"Hongyan Company has already contacted us; they're willing to take on this mess. It's good for everyone, isn't it?"

"Who are you nice to? Is it nice to the kickbacks you get?"

Chen An suddenly spoke.

The manager's expression changed: "Who are you? This is a matter between me and the client."

"I am her financial advisor and also her...personal bodyguard."

Chen An took out a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills and some change from the counter he had just cashed.

"Snapped!"

The stack of Franklin's, still smelling of ink, was slammed heavily onto the manager's desk, making his coffee cup jump.

"Eight thousand five hundred US dollars. Not a penny less. Count it?"

Chen An leaned back in his chair, his eyes mocking. "Don't miscount. If you're not sure, you can check it twice with a money counter."

"But I suggest you hurry, because I don't want to smell the decay here."

The manager's face turned a deep purplish-red. He glanced at Sarah, then at the pile of money.

"Hmph...consider yourself lucky."

He typed a few keys on the keyboard, printed out a receipt, and wrote, "Stamp and sign."

"This default is considered settled. But don't be too happy yet, what if the loan defaults again next month..."