I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 81 Hemingway

After dropping off Jia, Luther turned his car around and went to the New Youth Club.

Today, the club is located on a hillside not far from Jim's house, in a scenic and secluded area with a 1.7-kilometer-long tree-lined path.

Originally, this house belonged to one of Jim's clients. This client had no children, and after his death, Jim bought the villa. It had been vacant for a long time, but now it's finally being put to good use.

Because it's quiet and undisturbed, this place has become a paradise for young people. Many young people come here often, some to run newspapers, some to talk, and some to hold gatherings.

Luther parked his car at the entrance, quickly walked up the steps, and went to the conference room on the second floor.

Upon closer inspection, I saw that the founding members of New Youth—Brother-in-law, Tom Flint, Jim Green, Tony, and Sam Goldstein—were all there.

Of course, today's meeting is a bit special because, in addition to the founders, some new faces have joined us.

Among these new faces, Luther immediately recognized Hemingway, who would later be known as America's toughest man.

Hemingway was 28 years old this year. Although he was still very young, he had already participated in World War I, received a hero's medal from the Italian government, and was a rising star writer with some fame in the literary world.

In 1926, just last year, Hemingway gained immediate attention in the American literary world with his novel "The Sun Also Rises," becoming a representative of the "Lost Generation."

Why do I feel lost?

Because this story will leave anyone confused.

The protagonist lost his sexual ability due to war trauma, but he fell in love with a British noblewoman who was also juggling three or four men, leading to a chaotic and messy situation.

This setup means that neither of them can truly possess the other; they love each other but cannot touch each other, and a perfect ending will never exist.

Of course, all of this is in the context of war, because the trauma of war has resulted in damaged souls and wounds that cannot be healed.

Anyway, I don't know if it's related to this book or the protagonist, but Hemingway got divorced this year. Although he quickly found someone else, I heard he's not very happy.

That's why, when everyone was greeting Luther, he just stood there motionless, looking quite annoyed.

Luther didn't seem to mind, and instead asked Sam, "How's our newspaper lately?"

Sam nodded, his face beaming with joy, and said:

"Luther, I think we are being recognized by more and more people!"

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"That's right. Since we published the first issue of 'New Youth,' our newspaper sales have been getting better and better. Now, not to mention anything else, in the Boston area alone, we sell more than 8 copies per issue..."

That's truly an impressive number.

Keep in mind that Boston's total population was less than 90 at the time, and excluding those who didn't read newspapers, probably less than a third of them actually had the habit of buying newspapers.

Needless to say, the Boston Post is a nationally renowned newspaper that once boasted a circulation of 60 copies, a record that the New Youth cannot currently match.

Publications like the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald have circulations between 10 and 20.

In other words, New Youth, which had only been established for a little over a month, had already entered the ranks of mainstream newspapers in Boston in terms of circulation.

Although its circulation figures are not as high as its peers, this achievement is already quite remarkable.

"That's not all," before Sam could explain, his brother-in-law said excitedly, "And you know Luther, our newspaper has quite a few subscribers in other states, probably around forty or fifty thousand."

Jim Green said, "Yes, in terms of circulation, we can't compare with those in Boston, but our customers are all over the country. We even have subscribers in faraway Los Angeles. In other words, in terms of geographical reach and influence, we are by no means small."

A joy radiated from their faces—the joy of being recognized, respected, and fully accepted.

A few months ago, they were a group of idle rich kids, but now they are a group of idealistic young people.

The older brother-in-law nodded, then turned to Hemingway and said:

"Luther, I also want to tell you that the reason our newspaper sells so well and is recognized by so many people, besides you and Sam, is mainly because of Mr. Hemingway. Without his writing, we wouldn't have so many readers, and people wouldn't recognize us so much."

After he finished speaking, a round of applause broke out, and the other members of the new youth group also looked at him with admiration.

Luther stood up and extended his hand to the other man, but Hemingway remained unmoved.

Not only did he not move, but he also looked at Luther with displeasure, his face full of provocation.

The atmosphere became awkward, and no one knew what to say. Although the two had never met, they did have a history of conflict.

Earlier, Hemingway had written several articles criticizing the US government and Wall Street, but Luther had stopped them, which greatly displeased him.

Of course, what bothered him the most of all was the removal of his articles criticizing Hoover. In his view, Hoover was a clown, and if such a person became president, it would be a disaster for the entire United States.

Luther immediately removed this article because he believed Hoover would actually become president.

Hemingway was furious upon hearing this, his anger reaching its peak, but there was nothing he could do. The newspaper belonged to Luther, who was the boss there, and Daniel and Tom were clearly on his side.

Thus, although the two have never met, they have indeed formed a grudge due to these few exchanges.

Now that Hemingway has finally met Luther, it's no wonder he's not happy about it.

In his view, anyone who stood in his way of spreading the truth was an enemy, whether it was the US president or the secretary of commerce, whether it was Luther or anyone else, not even God.

"So you're Luther, that old nobleman who fled from Europe?" Hemingway asked provocatively.

"Yes."

"Why did you censor my articles? Don't you know that the public has the right to know these things? It's their right. What right do you have to do that...?"

“Mr. Hemingway,” Luther smiled, then paused and said, “I know you’re right, but I’m sorry, these articles can’t be published, at least not now.”

"Why!" Hemingway asked, glancing sideways.

"Because it's not the right time. Once your articles are published, the government will come knocking on our door in a few days, and then not only you, but we'll all go to jail together..."

The others felt quite embarrassed upon hearing that they would be going to prison. Although they had ideals and were determined to make a career for themselves, they never thought about going to prison.

Luther was equally reasonable, but he had to consider the practicalities. The new youth movement had just been established, and he couldn't push everyone into a fire pit.

This is only human nature, and it's perfectly normal.

But Hemingway wasn't buying it!

In front of everyone, he raised his fists, each the size of a sandbag.

"But Mr. Luther, truth is truth, even if it kills me, it's still truth. If they want to arrest me, let them come! I have a double-barreled shotgun!"

"Struggle, too, requires method..."

"Mr. Luther!" Hemingway stood up abruptly.

"I think neither of us can convince the other, so how about we use the most primal method between men and have a fight? Whoever wins gets to decide."