The waiter bowed to Henry Clark and said respectfully, “Sir, Mr. Hong, the performer, will only arrive in the afternoon. If you want to enjoy some music, you’ll have to come back then.”

Although Henry Clark’s clothes were quite plain, the waiter still treated him with respect. Anyone who enters is a guest, and you can’t afford to offend people. Besides, it was obvious at a glance that Helen Green was no ordinary person.

After the waiter left, Helen Green fixed her gaze on Henry Clark’s eyes and asked, “How long have you been in Shanghai?”

Henry Clark thought to himself that he hadn’t even started, yet she was already taking the initiative. Helen Green had every reason to be suspicious of his appearance. If Helen Green didn’t confront him directly, she might have someone investigate him in secret.

He deliberately tilted his head and thought for a moment before replying, “About ten days, I can’t remember the exact number.”

Helen Green asked again, “How did you come to Shanghai?”

Henry Clark immediately replied, “By boat.”

“What boat? Which dock did you land at?”

“The Ning-Shao passenger steamer, at the public dock.”

“You came from Ningbo?”

“Yes.”

“When did you learn to drive?”

“Three or four years ago in Ningbo.”

“These days since you arrived in Shanghai, where have you been staying? What have you been doing?”

Henry Clark said discontentedly, “Are you interrogating me?”

He had already realized that Helen Green was not easy to deal with. This kind of investigation, starting from the details, seemed ordinary but was actually quite sharp. If he made even the slightest slip in these nine days, she would immediately notice something was off.

Fortunately, he was well prepared.

Helen Green said calmly, “I just want to know your real purpose for coming to my house.”

Henry Clark “laughed in exasperation”: “These days I’ve been staying at the Ningbo Association for Shanghai Sojourners at 480 Xizang Road, looking for work every day, even went to a job agency. Staying at your house is only temporary, and it was at Uncle Green’s invitation. If you’re not happy about it, I’ll move out tomorrow!”

The so-called “job agency” was a place that introduced male and female servants; there were two or three on every major street. He was now “penniless,” and in order to get a meal, he was willing to do any kind of work.

Although he said he could move out tomorrow, Henry Clark believed that George Green would never agree. George Green had been very kind to him, and after so many years apart, still felt guilty—how could he possibly let him leave?

Helen Green asked in a serious tone, “Besides driving, what else can you do?”

Henry Clark spoke well, but she knew very well that unless her father spoke, no one could drive Henry Clark away.

Henry Clark replied calmly, “I’ve studied business, worked as a bookkeeper, written letters for others, and even been a teacher.”

Helen Green asked, “Since you can do so much, why can’t you find a job? Why insist on driving for my family?”

Henry Clark answered calmly, “I just want to find the job that suits me best.”

His work needed to be something that could conceal his true intentions, allow him to move about freely, and ideally let him go in and out of various places. For now, being a street vendor would be best. Vendors could roam the streets and alleys, but that wasn’t suitable for Henry Clark at the moment.

Helen Green sneered, “So you mean, if you can’t find the most suitable job, you’ll just live in my house forever?”

Henry Clark said confidently, “I believe, with my abilities, I’ll find something within a month or two at most.”

Helen Green retorted with a cold laugh, “I’d really like to see what kind of job you can find.”

Suddenly, Henry Clark said, “There’s something I think I should tell you.”

Helen Green was taken aback and asked curiously, “What is it?”

Henry Clark said solemnly, “Uncle Green’s factory has been doing very poorly lately. Maybe ‘poorly’ isn’t even accurate. It’s heavily in debt, and your family might be on the verge of bankruptcy.”

He had already noticed signs of this before coming to the Green family, but it was only after talking to the workers at the factory yesterday that he confirmed it. Zhihua Textile Mill would soon have to stop production due to a lack of raw materials.

The main reason he suddenly told Helen Green this was to stop her from questioning him further. The best way to counterattack was to change the subject.

Helen Green was stunned. “Bankruptcy?”

Chapter 0012: Admirer

The sudden topic disrupted Helen Green’s train of thought. She had originally wanted to bring up the shield plan with Henry Clark, but now she had lost all interest.

Helen Green had never paid attention to her father’s business affairs. She had always taken her comfortable life for granted, never considering how much effort her father had to put into his business.

Henry Clark said slowly, “After the Japanese occupied the Chinese district, all the spinning and textile mills there were taken over by the Japanese army. Your family’s textile mill is in the International Settlement, but this year the domestic cotton supply was cut off. Actually, since last year, Uncle Green has been struggling to keep things going.”

Helen Green asked in astonishment, “How do you know all this?”

She really hadn’t paid attention to the factory, but Henry Clark had only been here a day and already knew everything—how was that possible?

Henry Clark said slowly, “You probably don’t go to the factory much, do you? If you went once, you’d notice it too.”

Helen Green immediately stood up and said, “Let’s go to the factory!”

Henry Clark looked at the tea, sunflower seeds, and pastries on the table and said, “We haven’t even had our tea yet.”

Helen Green said impatiently, “Let’s go!”