A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 135 I am gifted
At the beginning of February 1929, the end of the year was approaching.

Early in the morning, Chen Guangliang woke up from his bed in "Happy Home". It was not yet half past five.

For nearly two years, he has maintained a sleep time of about 6 hours a day, perhaps taking a nap for to minutes at noon. His life routine has always been the same.

"Mom, are you making breakfast? Ask Ajun, Afeng and the others to buy it outside, it's so convenient!" Chen Guangliang put on his clothes and greeted the kitchen.

"The breakfast outside may not be clean. By the way, you said that two maids will come to work today. When will they arrive?" Yang Hui turned her head and said kindly, she must be very happy in her heart.

Now the status of the eldest son is getting higher and higher, bringing great honor to the family.

Many people in their hometown couldn't make ends meet, so they came to Shanghai to find their sons, who were also well-placed (working in car dealerships or construction jobs).

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "We agreed to stay at home for 7:. From now on, we will have live-in servants hours a day. If you need anything, let them do it. Don't rush to do everything. It will make them feel embarrassed."

Yang Hui muttered, "For things like buying groceries, I have to go myself."

Chen Guangliang smiled and shook his head, but did not persuade her any further. After all, things had to be done step by step, and Yang Hui's "peasant mentality" could not be completely changed in a short time.

When the water is too clear, there will be no fish. There are bound to be some dishonest servants in the house. If you really can't stand it, just replace them, but don't be harsh and criticize them.

Yang Hui then said to her eldest son, "By the way, eldest son, I heard that you're not allowed to celebrate the Spring Festival this year?"

As a woman, she enjoys the Spring Festival every year. Many people come to congratulate their family, which is an honor.

Chen Guangliang said: "We are in the concession, the city government has no control over us. Of course, there is no need to set off firecrackers or anything like that; we can just hang up our own Spring Festival couplets at home and have a New Year's Eve dinner, who cares?"

Since the Nationalist government planned to completely abolish the long-standing Lunar New Year and Spring Festival starting in 1929, their reasons were particularly radical: the Lunar New Year was a product of the feudal superstitious period, and only by promoting the Gregorian New Year could it be in line with the international standards.

The government has regulations: During the Spring Festival, anyone who sells New Year's goods, statues of the God of Wealth, and statues of the Kitchen God will have all their goods confiscated, and both the buyer and the seller will be arrested; anyone who openly defies government orders and secretly takes a holiday to celebrate the festival at home will also be arrested.

Regulations are just regulations and do not have to be enforced.

But many local governments, in order to cater to the Nanjing government, will only intensify the situation, and it is not certain whether they will make money in the process.

Of course, where there is oppression there is resistance. In short, this year will definitely be a year of collision.

"Oh, this doesn't allow people to celebrate the Spring Festival, this is really ridiculous!"

"Don't go out and talk nonsense. There are many spies in Shanghai!"

Yang Hui was so frightened that she shut up immediately and dared not complain anymore.

Chen Guangliang didn't take it seriously. He thought that this matter would take two years at most, and things would return to normal by 1931. After all, it was inevitable that this would arouse popular resistance.

I stretched my muscles at home, then sat on the sofa in the living room and read a book or newspaper for a while.

If the second son, Chen Guangcong, has any learning problems, he will also ask him for advice.

Just after breakfast, two maids, led by bodyguard Ajun, knocked on the door and walked in.

"Mr. Chen"

"Aunts, I'll be bothering you from now on. This is my mother, Ms. Yang."

The two maids he hired were family members of the car dealership. He interviewed many of them and finally chose two live-in nannies in their thirties.

The age should not be too young or too old, and over 30 years old is the most suitable.

After arranging the maid's affairs, Chen Guangliang got up and went to work.

A brand new Chevrolet car is parked in the alley of the community. If there are neighbors on the road, everyone will greet them.

After getting in the car, Chen Guangliang had to drive himself. After all, his subordinates had just received their driver's licenses, and he was not very reassured.

Let them drive to do things normally and practice more.

At around nine o'clock in the morning, ten three-wheeled rickshaws were neatly lined up at the base of the Yangtze River Vehicle Company.

Today is the day when the first batch of "three-wheeled rickshaws" hit the road. For this purpose, Chen Guangliang specially invited Professor Zhang Qihua and reporters from the Oriental Daily to witness it together.

"Professor Zhang, could you please write an article for the Oriental Daily about this 'three-wheeled rickshaw' on the road?"

At this time, 'Tongchang Car Manufacturing Plant' and 'Changjiang Car Dealership' had only persuaded the 'Municipal Council Transportation Department' and the 'Municipal Government Transportation Department' to allow their ten vehicles to be put on the road for testing.

Therefore, Chen Guangliang's next move is to "stir up public opinion" to make everyone sympathize with the rickshaw pullers' "illness and disability caused by fatigue". In this way, the more advanced "three-wheeled rickshaws" will be recognized by society and supported by the government for replacement.

Zhang Qihua's serialized novel "Camel Xiangzi" has been completed, and a separate volume was published at the end of last year, which sold very well. At this time, he can be said to have gained a lot of fame and money.

Of course, he always sympathized with the rickshaw pullers, so when he heard that the "three-wheeled rickshaw" had been successfully developed, he was very happy.

"Okay, I will spare no effort to promote this matter!" Zhang Qihua agreed on the spot.

Although there are commercial elements involved, Zhang Qihua feels that he must do his best in this matter.

Chen Guangliang then said, "Then please get on and let someone take you for a ride. Let's see if this really saves the driver a lot of effort."

"Okay, then I'll try it today. But to be honest, I knew it was a great innovation at first sight, but the price was 150 yuan, which was very expensive for many drivers," Zhang Qihua exclaimed.

Over time, Chen Guangliang has become a capitalist. Although he is still his friend, he will still stick to his position.

Originally, a rickshaw was beyond the reach of many drivers, and now a three-wheeled rickshaw costs twice as much, so it is destined to be unaffordable for the poor.

Of course, there is also the matter of licenses.

Chen Guangliang said frankly: "There's nothing we can do about it. After all, a bicycle and a rickshaw are two products combined. What's more, the concentration of license plates in major car dealerships has become even more concentrated. So, just having a car is not enough!"

Intellectuals are too idealistic, and of course this society really needs their ideals.

Zhang Qihua sighed, "That's true! But now you've finally solved one problem. As long as three-wheeled rickshaws are popularized across the country in the future, these rickshaw pullers will suffer fewer injuries."

After saying that, he got on the three-wheeled rickshaw and started to experience it.

Chen Guangliang then asked the reporter to ride on a three-wheeled rickshaw and take some photos as news material.

Afterwards, ten three-wheeled rickshaws filed out of the Yangtze River Base.

These ten three-wheeled rickshaws were replacements for Project D (24 vehicles). Chen Guangliang held a 95% stake in this project, with Li Chao holding the remainder. Therefore, the 1300 yuan purchase price was to be repaid in six installments, amounting to a little over 200 yuan per month. The rent hadn't increased either; the three-shift system cost a total of one yuan per vehicle per day. After all, Chen Guangliang couldn't bear to raise the rent.

In fact, it can increase. After all, these ten bikes are so cool, the driver's income will definitely increase a lot, and the bike shop has also trained him to ride.

Therefore, even if you go through the Changjiang Motors, replacing a tricycle is a long process, and it may take two years to complete the replacement. After all, the purchase price is a huge sum. In addition, government support must be considered before a large number of tricycles can be legally put on the road.

Because the New Year was approaching, Chen Guangliang also took the initiative to order a good suit for himself, so he drove to Nanjing Road in the afternoon.

On Nanjing Road, there are many famous "Fengbang tailors," tailors from Fenghua, Zhejiang. Most of the owners of these tailor shops are surnamed Wang, because they were brought up by a tailor named Wang Caiyun.

Wang Caiyun, the owner of Rongchangxiang, even custom-made the world's first "Sun Yat-sen suit" for the founding father of the Republic of China. There's a story behind this: According to the founding father's request, the suit had already become widely circulated.

The straight lapel indicates strict governance;
The four patch pockets represent the "four virtues of a country", namely courtesy, righteousness, integrity and shame;
The bag-covered pen is in the shape of a mountain, indicating that it values ​​intellectuals;
The five buttons represent the five-power constitution, namely executive power, legislative power, judicial power, examination power, and supervisory power;
The three buttons on the cuffs represent the Three Principles of the People, namely democracy, people's livelihood and people's rights.

There is a reason why the back piece has no seams, which is said to represent the great cause of peaceful reunification.

Because it was custom-made by the founding father of the country, it is also called the "Sun Yat-sen suit."

From then on, Rong Changxiang became famous.

Chen Guangliang parked the car steadily in front of the Rongchangxiang store, which was a three-story building.

As soon as he entered Rongchangxiang, he was received by a special person, and soon an old tailor began to take Chen Guangliang's measurements.

"What business does Mr. Chen run?"

"Um, real estate, newspapers. Here's my business card. Call me when you're ready!"

The old tailor, Wang Hesheng, quickly took the business card with both hands. After taking a look at it, he feigned surprise and said, "So you're the owner of Changjiang Real Estate and the Oriental Daily. I'm sorry for not welcoming you!"

Chen Guangliang said politely: "I'm just a small boss, not a big deal. Even the founding father of the nation has patronized Rongchangxiang. Who am I?"

He wasn't treated with any disdain from the moment he entered the door. The service was very good and everyone was treated equally, so he didn't want any special treatment.

However, when tailors tailor suits, they will always communicate with the customer about his or her business so that they can better understand the customer's preferences. That's all.

The old tailor said politely, "We are in business, and we only welcome distinguished guests when we open our doors. The founding father was received by the previous boss, and we don't know the specific circumstances."

"Did you change your boss?"

"It's not really a change. The previous owner retired normally and handed the store over to his nephew-in-law, Mr. Wang Hongqing, to continue running it."

Wow, this is like marrying your own cousin, who is both the nephew and son-in-law of your former boss.

It seems that in this era, the good things really are kept within the family, and they all have the surname Wang.

It is impossible for people with the same surname not to get married. It is said that in the place where Wang Caiyun lives, basically everyone has the surname Wang. If people with the same surname do not get married, many people will not be able to get married.

Next, the old tailor asked again: "Boss Chen, do you usually put it on the left or the right?"

This is a code word, but many people who have custom-made suits understand that the tailor is asking about 'bird'!
Chen Guangliang said, "I usually put it on the left side, but Master Wang, this one is a bit big. Can you please make it more comfortable?"

The old master's expression remained unchanged. He stared at Chen Guangliang for a few seconds, then said, "Well, Boss Chen is gifted."

Chen Guangliang nodded. This was something to be proud of!

After taking measurements, Chen Guangliang said goodbye. The fabrics had been selected and were all imported. This time he spent 600 yuan on a full set.

It is equivalent to four or five years' salary of an ordinary person, and the price in later times is 200,000 yuan per set.

This is not the most expensive one, a set costs 1200 yuan.

Chen Guangliang is not pursuing enjoyment, but sometimes a good suit is a must-have in the business world, especially in Shanghai, where everything is about "style".

He himself does not have too high requirements for clothing, and one or two good sets are enough.

It’s like his first suit, which he still wears frequently now, and maybe he will still be wearing it in five years.

After sending Chen Guangliang to the door, the old tailor watched Chen Guangliang drive away.

"Master Hesheng, what business does this boss do?" Boss Wang Hongqing stepped forward and asked.

It's a bit strange that he drives a car and has his own bodyguards, but doesn't hire a driver.

He is very young, but he has an extraordinary bearing, and the nobility between his eyebrows cannot be hidden (confidence, right?).

Wang Hesheng immediately said, "He said he's the owner of Changjiang Real Estate, Oriental Daily, and Changjiang Car Dealership. This is his business card. He told me to let him know when the clothes are ready."

Wang Hongqing took out the business card and said immediately, "So it's him! He's a newly wealthy man in Shanghai. His Changjiang Real Estate built hundreds of villas last year. He recently entered the newspaper industry. The Oriental Daily News sold over 10,000 copies upon its launch."

People in the business world form a circle of their own, and Wang Hongqing immediately knew everything about Chen Guangliang.

"What a great character he is!" Wang Hesheng exclaimed.

He didn't know how powerful Chen Guangliang was, he just thought he should be good.

Wang Hongqing said, "He's more than just a figure; he's a self-made tycoon. He's become so rich in just two or three years. That's truly remarkable. By the way, I must prepare it for him before the New Year, and then I'll personally deliver it to his door."

"Okay, boss."

Wang Hongqing's father-in-law, Wang Caiyun, the founder of Rongchangxiang, was originally called the "burden boss".

Back then, Wang Caiyun was a tailor, not a sedentary businessman, but a traveling trader. He was known as the "bag boss."

What does it mean? It means carrying a bag with some fabric inside, running around, taking the initiative to go to the homes of customers who need suits, taking measurements on the spot, and then delivering the suits to their homes.

In this way, he certainly earned more money than a sedentary businessman. It is said that this is how he made his "first pot of gold".

With his "first pot of gold", Wang Caiyun saw an empty storefront on Nanjing Road, which happened to belong to his fellow townsman, the "landlord" Yu Qiaqing. With the help of his fellow townsman, Wang Caiyun was able to gain a foothold in this prime location of Nanjing Road.

Wang Hongqing has now learned some of the essence. For some big shots, he would personally go to their homes to tailor-make and personally deliver the goods. This "personally" does not refer to the chaebol, but to himself, the boss.

(End of this chapter)