A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 268 A Different Spring Festival
On this day, Chen Guangliang came to the Jinliyuan South Wharf of China Merchants Group to inspect the work.

He now finds that being the general manager of China Merchants Group is not necessarily a bad thing; because China Merchants Group has huge assets, a complex organizational structure, and diversified operations. If he can manage China Merchants Group in an orderly manner, then his experience in shipping will be very rich.

Jinliyuan South Wharf is the main wharf of China Merchants Group in Shanghai. There are also several other wharfs and warehouses such as Sichuan Road North Wharf and Pudong Huazhan.

Today is the day when China Merchants Steam Navigation Company opens two fixed routes, North-South and South-South. In addition to Chen Guangliang's visit, there are also Minister of Communications and Chairman of China Merchants Steam Navigation Company Zhu Jiahua, Chief Executive of Shanghai Wu Tiecheng, Director of Security Department Yang Hu, Du Yuesheng, Huang Jinrong and others in attendance.

At the scene, Chen Guangliang was relatively modest, viewing himself as a "manager" and reporting his work to everyone.

Because he knew very well that arrogant people would never have a good ending, such as Yang Hu, the director of the Shanghai Security Department who was beside him.

In his previous life, this man had occupied Shanghai for ten years and was a big boss of the Green Gang. His influence was even greater than that of Du Yuesheng and Huang Jinrong. Because of this, he was so arrogant that he wanted to be on equal terms with the commander-in-chief, so in 1931 he only got a nominal position in the Southern Whale.

"After the four ships of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company were deployed on these two routes, not only did they make the north-south and south-south coastal transportation smoother, but they also further developed the Chinese shipping industry and enabled it to compete with foreign shipping."

Chen Guangliang introduced to everyone the significance of the opening of these two routes.

Zhu Jiahua said happily, "Speaking of which, it was Mr. Chen who first opened these two routes and competed with the foreigners, causing the always proud foreigners to take the initiative to negotiate. This is a well-known fact."

The others were also quite impressed. Chen Guangliang didn't own a single share in China Merchants Group and had refused its salary offer. But now, under his management, he had actually taken the initiative to introduce China Merchants Group into these two routes.

Chen Guangliang replied, "Westerners bully the weak and fear the strong. As long as we Chinese have the courage and capital to compete, they will be happy to be our friends."

"Ha ha"

Everyone laughed.

What Chen Guangliang said was naturally very convincing.

Soon, everyone arrived at the edge of the dock and saw four 3000-ton ocean-going cargo ships newly purchased by China Merchants Group parked majestically on the sea.

These four ships are only ten years old and are considered "second-hand ships" (of course, for Chinese businessmen). The price of each ship is only 30 oceans; because they were purchased in the UK, the price of the ships is not high.

China Merchants Group's flights just happen to be staggered with those of Global Shipping. As for how the business performs, it depends on the level of China Merchants Group's management.

During this time, Zhu Jiahua said: "It's a pity that it's not a new ship, otherwise it would have shown the brand new look of China Merchants Group."

Chen Guangliang said on the side: "Minister, China Merchants Group still owes 400 million US dollars in foreign debt."

Zhu Jiahua was stunned, then reacted and said, "Yes, the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company has been completely transformed under your leadership. I had forgotten about this. The old ships are in good condition. These four ships look like new ones. And I heard that you personally sent people to the UK to promote them, and the prices are much cheaper."

The value of a ship not only depends on the performance of its equipment, welding methods, etc., but also needs to take into account the age of the ship, its purpose, etc. It is a comprehensive consideration.

If it weren't for the Great Depression in the European and American economies and the shipping industry, these four ships might not have been available even at double the price.

At this moment.

People around him were also worried about Chen Guangliang. A China Merchants Group that borrowed 400 million US dollars might suddenly disappear one day.

Even though Chen Guangliang is carrying out reforms in all aspects at full swing now, if he cannot repay the money, the China Merchants Group will be in chaos again; at that time, Chen Guangliang's reputation will be greatly affected.

Who was willing to take over this mess in the first place? I'm afraid it was only because Song Zaiwen used unconventional means to make Chen Guangliang compromise.

Subsequently.

Everyone boarded the "Haiyuan" together. The four ships were Haiyuan, Haili, Haiheng and Haizhen.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Ma Jiajun, the first captain of our China Merchants Group's ocean-going ships with a tonnage of over 1,000 tons. He is now the captain of the Haiyuan." After hearing Chen Guangliang's introduction.

Everyone greeted Ma Jiajun, after all, he was really capable.

When Ma Jiajun joined the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company in 1928, despite having passed the examination and obtained a captain's certificate, the company's oceangoing vessels had always been captained by foreigners. After repeated calls from the Chinese maritime community for a fairer interpretation of their rights, calling for the appointment of captains with qualifications from the China Merchant Marine College, the call for justice prevailed. In July 1928, at the age of 7, Ma Jiajun became the first Chinese to be promoted to captain of the 1500-ton Tu Nan steamer, and was awarded the rank of Class A captain. In March 36, the company transferred him to replace a foreign captain, taking over the helm of the 1929-ton Xin Chang steamer, sailing on the South China Sea route.

Now, Chen Guangliang has once again transferred Ma Jiajun to be the captain of the Haiyuan, sailing on routes to Shanghai, Xiamen, Shantou, Hong Kong and Guangzhou.

Wusong Merchant Marine School has trained many ocean-going captains.

Honestly, the Maritime Academy founded by Chen Guangliang probably won't be able to train captains for ocean-going vessels. At best, it might be able to train a few excellent Class A captains in ten years. Of course, it could also train important senior seafarers like first, second, and third mates, and chief engineers.

Now that Chen Guangliang has become the general manager of China Merchants Group, he is also ready to use this platform to vigorously train senior seafarers for China.

Ma Jiajun was also very excited to take everyone to visit the Haiyuan and gave an introduction.

This time he was promoted to the captain of the 3,000-ton Haiyuan, which was also a milestone for him personally.

Finally, when everyone was getting off the ship, Chen Guangliang said to Ma Jiajun, "Captain Ma, drive the ship well. You are the representative Chinese captain of China Merchants Group. I also hope that more Chinese captains will emerge from China Merchants Group."

Ma Jiajun said with a little excitement: "I have fulfilled my mission."

This time he was promoted to captain of a seagoing vessel of more than 3000 tons. He was also the captain of the "Yuan" class of these four ships and was personally appointed by Chen Guangliang.

Chen Guangliang also revealed an attitude in China Merchants Group: that is to fully support and train Chinese captains.

"Okay, have a nice trip."

"Take care"

Chen Guangliang was in a good mood. His own maritime academy still did not have enough strength to realize his ideas. Now, by using the platform of China Merchants Group, he could prepare "career advancement" for more senior Chinese seafarers, such as studying abroad at public expense.

When he has needs in the future, he can also come to China Merchants Group to recruit talents.

Regarding China Merchants Group's addition of fixed routes along the north-south and south-south coast of China, the British companies - Jardine Matheson and Swire - did not make much of a move this time. It seemed that they knew that the price reduction measures would not work, or they believed that both Global Shipping and China Merchants Group were now presided over by one person, their old rival Chen Guangliang.

Based on this, the two shipping companies did not take any targeted measures, but seemed to be calm.

the other side.

Li Guojie, a nobleman of the Qing Dynasty, was sentenced to eight years in prison for reselling state land without authorization, which attracted a lot of attention and public opinion. After all, in this era, "Li Hongzhang's eldest grandson" was a very popular topic.

Sentenced together with Li Guojie was Chen Fumu, Deputy Minister of Transportation, who was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for crimes such as corruption and treason.

Historically, this Deputy Minister of Transportation had fled abroad, but this time, a single encounter with Chen Guangliang at Citibank changed the course of his family's history. Needless to say, even if he were released from prison, he and his family would likely die in turmoil.

January 1th is the annual New Year’s Eve.

A light snow fell on New Year's Eve this year, but there was no doubt that Shanghai had returned to its bustling life. Furthermore, the Nanjing government's ban on celebrating the Spring Festival was now effectively dead, making this year's Spring Festival celebrations in Shanghai particularly extravagant. The Shangri-La Hotel's New Year's Eve dinner was already fully booked, and the hotel was planning a fireworks display at 8:30 p.m.

Chen Guangliang's family and his second uncle's family had their New Year's Eve dinner in one private room, while his father-in-law's family had their New Year's Eve dinner in another private room. After all, they were also a big family.

As for why Chen Guangliang has always regarded his second uncle's family as family, it is mainly because he used to spend the New Year with them when he was making a living in Shanghai; not to mention, his own younger brother might marry their eldest daughter, which would naturally strengthen the relationship.

During the meal, Chen Guangliang said with a smile: "This year's Spring Festival is very special!"

Yang Xiuying immediately said happily: "Of course, because you are going to be a father soon!"

Everyone laughed, it was a kind of family cohesion.

Now that Chen Guangliang has his own children, others will also feel the power of "family".

Because sooner or later everyone will understand that Chen Guangliang trained them just to build a "royal family network" for his own children.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "It's not just this reason. Another reason is that the Shanghai Stock Exchange has finally entered a period of peace, and many people have this idea."

Everyone nodded. Last year's Spring Festival coincided with the "January 28 Incident". There was the sound of gunfire outside and everyone was too busy to take refuge, so how could they have the mood to celebrate the New Year?

Moreover, Chen Guangliang had another idea - the Shanghai Stock Exchange was entering a five-year period of peace, so he had to seize these five years to have two children with Yan Renmei.

After a while, the delicacies were served one by one, but the serving time was definitely not fast today.

Fortunately, today’s menu is basically the same, and many dishes can be prepared in advance so that the chefs have time.

The first dish served was eight cold dishes - red dates, braised beef, smoked fish, cucumber. Then came the hot dishes - braised pork with abalone, squirrel fish, crystal shrimp, stir-fried eel, bird's nest soup, and steamed yellow croaker.
It is not difficult to see that this cuisine is mainly based on local cuisine and Huaiyang cuisine. Of course, today's New Year's Eve dinner also has recipes based on Cantonese and Sichuan cuisine, with three options.

Chen Guangliang himself does not have the habit of being fond of one type of cuisine. He is used to eating Sichuan cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, and local cuisine, and his taste is quite diverse.

However, considering Yan Renmei's situation, the family still focuses on light flavors.

Everyone had a great time chatting at the New Year’s Eve dinner.

"Get ready for the fireworks!"

Seeing that it was almost half past eight, Chen Guangliang helped Yan Renmei up, put on her coat, hat and scarf.

But I didn't go out to watch the fireworks, but came to the window.

I pushed open the window and a cold breeze blew in, making me feel a little more awake.

This box faces the 'hotel square', and sure enough, I saw staff members preparing to set off fireworks.

The street lights and neon lights are intertwined, and snowflakes are falling, creating a unique scenery.

"Swoosh, swoosh, bang!"

With the fireworks blooming, the whole night sky is very beautiful.

Yan Renmei snuggled in Chen Guangliang's arms, while the rest of the family rallied around them.

A century-old wealthy family is about to rise!
The next day is the Spring Festival, which is the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Chen Guangliang and his family naturally spent the day in the villa. It was snowing lightly outside, so it was not suitable to go out.

He has no interest in playing mahjong or cards, but he has started learning calligraphy in recent years. I don't know why, a young man who was used to watching Douyin and reading online novels in his previous life now also likes traditional culture such as calligraphy and Confucianism.

Chen Guangliang calls this change "adapting to the times."

If he had smartphones now, he might still like to surf the Internet.

Yan Renmei held her belly and came to Chen Guangliang's side, praising him: "Brother Liang, your calligraphy has improved very quickly."

After Chen Guangliang put down his last stroke, he said, "I know myself well. When it comes to calligraphy, what I'm pursuing now is persistence. But I know that I can't concentrate on my work right now, and ultimately I won't achieve much."

Calligraphy is about spirit and calming the mind, and being less concerned with fame and gain.

Obviously, Chen Guangliang couldn't do it before he was sixty years old.

So, just keep it as a hobby and don’t even do it to make a fool of yourself.

Yan Renmei smiled and said, "I knew you would be modest. How about I buy you some calligraphy and paintings by famous people so that you can enjoy them and also decorate your home."

The Chen family has been living in the villa for almost two years, and Chen Guangliang has been rich for many years, but he has never invested in antiques, calligraphy and paintings, nor in gems and jade.

After Yan Renmei's reminder, Chen Guangliang finally said, "I'll take care of this. You just take good care of the baby. You're going to give birth next month!"

He calculated the due date based on the time it took to hit the bull's eye for the first and second time.

Yan Renmei immediately caressed her belly with maternal love and said, "I just don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "That's not important. What's important is that mother and child are safe. Don't worry about it. We are both in good health and will have everything we want."

Yan Renmei thought about it and it made sense. Ever since she had that thing with Liang Ge, she felt that her health was much better. This was really a secret.

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang packed up his writing brush, ink, and paper, but an idea also emerged in his mind:
Now that he has sufficient cash flow, it is time to invest in some antiques (porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, etc.), as well as collect some gems and jade, to diversify his investments!

These things don't cost much anyway.

It's not that he wants to rely on these things to "invest and make money" or "profit", but he wants to build a "century-old wealthy family", which naturally requires sufficient foundation.

Antiques and jewelry can be appreciated as works of art, and can also be given as gifts to younger generations.

However, if these things were to be preserved during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, they would eventually have to be placed in a safe in the Macau Concession, or taken to the United States and stored in a bank safe.

In short, in times of war, the most important way to preserve wealth is not to put all your eggs in one basket.

However, Chen Guangliang is familiar with history, so his wealth can be preserved to the greatest extent.

(End of this chapter)