America 1982-Chapter 238 - 81: You Are Fulfilled, Tommy

Jim Manzi sat in front of Tommy’s Villa dining table, pulled out a cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and said to Tommy, who was flipping through documents across the table, "That’s about it for Professor Yunus and his Bank for the Poor. Actually, there was also a project about a share farm I didn’t have time to investigate, but it’s not closely related to banking operations. Plus, your phone call a few days ago, so I flew back."

"Based on the exchange rate you provided, that means, Yunus’s bank provides 50 cents in loans to each Bangladeshi pauper every week, and then they have to pay back 52 cents to the bank the following week?" Tommy looked at the data Jim brought back and said:

"50 cents a week, what kind of business can those poor people do? I mean, any part-time job in the United States pays at least 3 dollars an hour now. I can’t imagine what kind of business one can do with 50 cents. With a customer base of 28,000 people, if the bank lends each person one dollar, it would only require less than thirty thousand in principal."

"Most of them are in the furniture business. They use bamboo to make various kinds of beautiful bamboo furniture to sell to buyers, who after purchasing it in bulk, resell it in places like Europe, Hong Kong, or Japan. The 50 cents is for buying raw materials. Bamboo is not free there. Furniture made from 50 cents’ worth of bamboo can sell for about 70 cents. After paying back the low-interest loan of 52 cents, they can save 18 cents. If both husband and wife work, they can earn 36 cents a week. After deducting the most basic living expenses, they can save up 10 cents. This means if they want to continue making furniture, they need to continue borrowing, week in and week out. Yunus actually planned to provide interest-free loans, but maintaining the bank also costs money." Jim glanced at the sumptuous array of food on the table and asked:

"Can I eat this food? Are you having such a lavish dinner all by yourself?"

"Of course, help yourself to the pasta, lobster, fish, whiskey, wine..." Tommy said without looking up. "It was prepared as a welcome meal."

Jim picked up a forkful of sauce-coated pasta and put it into his mouth: "Thanks, I didn’t expect you’d prepare such a meal just for my welcome."

"I didn’t know you were coming back today. Actually, it was prepared for two fellows you’ve met before, Dennis and Pam. They suddenly came to California to visit me today, so I had the chef prepare a dinner in advance. But then Stephen and Jason took them to Los Angeles."

"The table looks quite bountiful already, look at these delightful oysters—so fresh." Jim swallowed the food in his mouth, picked up a piece of oyster meat with his hand and popped it into his mouth, satisfiedly saying, "So are the oysters from Los Angeles tastier?"

"Stephen rented out a nightclub in Los Angeles and hired one hundred and twenty beauties to welcome Dennis and Pam," Tommy said calmly.

Jim suddenly stopped eating and looked at Tommy: "...Both are welcome parties, so why do you only treat me with this pile of garbage that others wouldn’t even glance at? Why don’t you respect me?"

"But you just said the oysters were delicious."

"That was insincere praise, get it? My face wore a smile, but my heart was bleeding." Jim helped himself to a glass of wine and said, "So what did you mean by saying your girlfriend wants to learn about the banking business over the phone?"

Jim closed up the documents and looked at Jim: "She wants to do something meaningful, and what could be more meaningful than what we do."

"Your girlfriend also thinks that making money off black people will make her life feel meaningful?" Jim continued to bring food to his mouth, asking Tommy.

Tommy picked up some strands of pasta and brought them to his mouth. Hearing Jim’s words, he didn’t even bother to swallow before shaking his head: "No, no, no, my girlfriend is an angel, understand? She’s responsible for helping people, bringing them hope, leading them towards the light she sheds. And when those people can’t turn back from the path they are set upon, then she will go and redeem other lambs while you take over to continue guiding others on the path."

"Religious outreach, the missionaries first show compassion at the beginning, and once the brainwashing is done and those people have faith, they switch to another face, telling them that God loves everyone, but also needs everyone’s love. Now your god is short on cash and requires everything you can offer." After understanding Tommy’s words, Jim couldn’t resist teasing him:

"I thought you would continue to play the American Idol, the heaven-sent righteous man, but now it seems you’re ready to bring another righteous woman into the world? When your two’s child is born, are they expected to arrive with some kind of omen, or are you planning to perform surgery on your girlfriend beforehand, placing a Bible and a cross in the baby’s hand while still in the womb?"

Tommy sighed and continued to eat: "You lack reverence for God, Jim, which is not right."

"The fact that you’re alive has completely turned me into an atheist. If God really existed, you should have been thrown into black hell to enjoy the never-ending gang rape of the blacks." Seeing this guy claiming he lacked reverence for the divine, Jim immediately retorted, but then asked:

"So, is your girlfriend going to sacrifice herself to blend in with the black people?"