A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

The next day, the gold price rebounded slightly, which was obviously the same as Chen Guangliang guessed - although the United States raised the price of silver, it had not yet purchased silver on a large scale, so there was still a slight difference between the silver price in the United States and the world.

In a villa in Shanghai.

Kong Xiangxi's wife, Sister Song, along with partners of the "Seven Star Company" such as Xu Kan and Chen Xing, are plotting.

The Seven Star Company was established last month, that is, after Kong Xiangxi became the Minister of Finance, Sister Song immediately took the lead and established the "Seven Star Company".

Xu Kan was the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Finance's Bureau of Currency and Director of the Public Debt Department. He had previously enjoyed Song Tsai-wen's trust and had performed well during the "Abolition of the Liang-yuan Currency Reform." Song's wooing of him was naturally due to Kong Xiangxi's need for his help and support.

Chen Xing is also an important official of the Ministry of Finance. He is deeply trusted by Song Zaiwen and is their close friend.

Needless to say, Sister Song established the "Seven Star Company" to seek personal gain for everyone on the one hand, and to attract talents for her husband on the other.

In essence, when Kong Xiangxi took office as the Minister of Finance, his policy plan was a continuation of Song Zaiwen's plan, so he only needed to win over these talents and he could sit back and relax.

On the other hand, Sister Song's recruitment of these people to form the "Seven Star Company" meant that they had inherent advantages in speculative businesses such as securities (government bonds), gold, cotton yarn, and flour.

Sister Song sat in the main seat and spoke first, "We've gathered everyone here to discuss the issue of the bidding money. How about the bidding money as the first business of the Seven Star Company?"

Everyone nodded. After all, Sister Song had great prestige, and they were willing to unite closely.

Xu Kan immediately offered a suggestion: "Now that the US intends to raise the global price of silver, the gold benchmark should naturally be bearish. Although it has risen slightly today, the overall situation will not change. Of course, we need to use our skills to make a killing on the gold speculators in the Shanghai market!"

Sister Song immediately smiled and said, "Okay, if we're going to do this, we'll naturally have to do it on a large scale, and we'll also have to invest skillfully. You might know Chen Guangliang, who manipulated investment through market opinion and made a lot of money on the bid price. Of course, we can do better than him. Director Xu, come up with a plan!"

What does she know about investing?
Of course, she knows how to use her power to make money.

The original intention of establishing the Seven Star Company was to use power to engage in speculative business, not to make money through hard work.

Xu Kan said confidently, "What do we have? Power and financial resources, of course. It's easy for us to influence the Shanghai gold market."

Chen Xing immediately responded, "Of course, and I've thought of Brother Xu's method. Of course, I'll still let Brother Xu explain it to everyone!"

Seeing this, Xu Kan continued, "It's simple. We'll first fake brisk buying and selling, creating a bustling gold market and attracting speculators. Then, we'll go short on a large scale, creating the illusion of a bearish gold market. Once Shanghai traders see the sharp drop in gold prices, they'll panic and follow suit, selling short. We'll then buy gold at a low price."

Chen Xing added, "People in the Shanghai stock market have always been indecisive and tend to believe everything they hear. Coupled with the representativeness of the Seven Star Company, they must have believed that gold would depreciate significantly."

Sister Song smiled and said, "This is a great idea. Okay, when do we start?"

Xu Kan said, "The beginning of next month is perfect!"

After the discussion, everyone was looking forward to the Seven Star Company's first battle in the Shanghai Stock Exchange, where they would start a bloody massacre.

At the end of the year, Chen Guangliang brought Yan Renmei to the Ping An Bank Building, and then called Xia Gaoxiang and Qin Bohou.

"Transfer 400 million yuan from my account to my wife's account and deposit it regularly."

Xia Gaoxiang and Qin Bohou are both core senior executives of Ping An Bank and subordinates that Chen Guangliang trusts very much. Naturally, they know some of Chen Guangliang's financial situation.

Last year, Chen Guangliang's ocean savings were about three million, and he later transferred one million to Yan Renmei. This year, the sugar factory in Guangdong Province successfully sold shares and got back one million, and the gold futures profited 100 million. The four first-tier enterprises made profits of over one million, so Chen Guangliang had more than five million in "ocean cash flow" with these funds alone.

Chen Guangliang's expenses this year were not small. He spent 15 yuan on donations to his hometown Ningbo and ancestral hall and house, and 15 yuan on donating an airplane to Shanghai. Other donations also amounted to about 10 yuan. His charity alone cost 35 yuan.

If you include expenses, it’s nearly 50 yuan a year.

However, Chen Guangliang also owns Vitasoy, Tongchang Car Dealership, Changjiang Car Dealership, and Jierui Coal Briquettes, all of which can bring him considerable profits.

Qin Bohou smiled and said, "The boss and his wife are so loving and affectionate. It's really enviable!"

The implication is that Chen Guangliang giving all his "private money" to his wife is a manifestation of love and trust.

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "Go ahead and do it. Come back and give us the certificate and signature later."

"Ok"

After the two left, Yan Renmei sat in Chen Guangliang's office chair and jokingly said, "Why did you suddenly think of using money to bribe me? You underestimate me a little, don't you?"

But to be honest, it is not common for a wife to have control over such a large sum of money in this era.

Chen Guangliang smiled and shook his head, saying, "If a person doesn't think about the future, he will have immediate worries. I have both long-term and immediate worries. I've already told you about long-term worries, and the same principle applies to immediate worries."

What this means is that Chen Guangliang is worried that he will suddenly pass away one day, and Yan Renmei will need money first, so the cash flow in hand is the most appropriate.

Yan Renmei immediately said, "You can't always think like this. It makes me feel insecure!"

The word "sense of security" must have come from Chen Guangliang's mouth.

Chen Guangliang placed his hand on Yan Renmei's shoulder and said, "We shouldn't be afraid of the future, but rather actively plan for it. Come, your husband will tell you about the general distribution of our family's business and assets."

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang sat aside and explained to Yan Renmei the details of his business and assets to facilitate his joining in July next year.

In terms of career, it is divided into:

The five major "first-tier enterprises" - Changjiang Real Estate, Shangri-La Hotel, Changjiang Taxi, Global Shipping, and Ping An Bank; the first four companies have annual profits and dividends of up to millions of dollars; Ping An Bank is not planning to distribute dividends for the time being.

The profits of other 'secondary enterprises' - Times Pictures, Jierui Coal Briquette Factory, Tongchang Motor Manufacturing Plant, Changjiang Motor Dealership, and Vitasoy - are generally used for charity and expenses.

Cash flow, divided into:

The first amount was over 600 million yuan, and Yan Renmei alone had 500 million yuan in deposits.

The second payment was 800 million taels of silver, but it was necessary to repay a loan of US$180 million and interest of about US$35, and it was estimated that there would be about 400 million taels of silver left.

After hearing this, Yan Renmei said in surprise, "You mortgaged all four companies to borrow dollars to buy silver. Aren't you worried about failure?"

Chen Guangliang said, "What do you think?" Yan Renmei immediately understood what was so special about this man, that is, he had a very accurate grasp of the future situation, and even planned the future of her and her son many years later.

After listening, Yan Renmei suddenly asked, "Do you have any assets that you haven't told me?"

"How did you know?"

Yan Renmei immediately turned into a detective and said, "I remember you said you were going to the United States to purchase assets, and today you put so much money in my account. Of course, it's also possible that the funds after paying off the 800 million taels of silver debt can be used in that way, but didn't you say you were going to buy assets in Hong Kong as well? Humph, if I'm not mistaken, you want to take care of Jiang Meiying, and you're not afraid of losing both her and her money!"

In the end, it was obvious that he was jealous.

Chen Guangliang immediately said, "No, it has nothing to do with her. I will personally go to the United States to exchange the money for US dollars and US dollar assets. Of course, if there is someone in the United States to keep an eye on it, it would naturally be a good thing. Maybe one day when we can't keep our money, we can still go to the United States to make a living!"

"Bah!" Yan Renmei said coquettishly, "If there ever comes a day, she wouldn't want to become big!"

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "What do you mean by big? We are a married couple married in a formal ceremony. Even if we are in trouble, we are still a couple in trouble."

Yan Renmei then grabbed Chen Guangliang's hand and said, "Brother Liang, if you cause me to fall in love again, I will never forgive you again!"

What can we do?

She thought about it for a long time and could only stick to the last bottom line - that is, not letting Jiang Meiying enter the house; and more importantly, she must be more favored.

Otherwise, she could not accept the fact that Chen Guangliang had "cheated".

"I regret this incident so much that I will never make the same mistake again in my life!"

Yan Renmei stopped there and didn't even ask about the money.

She now roughly understands that Chen Guangliang's total assets are about 2000 to 3000 million oceans (actually more than that, it should be around 3500 million oceans).

"Brother Liang, why don't we spread our investments widely? It seems that you only have about ten investments now. Even in terms of real estate, are we all concentrated in the concession?"

The question was correct, but Yan Renmei shouldn't have asked it that way. She understood some of Chen Guangliang's ideas.

Of course, the Yan family, for example, has investments in at least hundreds of locations, including Ningbo, Hangzhou, Tianjin, and Beijing. And it's not just the Yan family; many large families invest in this way, taking stakes here and there.

"What do you say?"

Yan Renmei suddenly realized and said, "I understand, but I can't say it!"

"Children can be taught"

If Yan Renmei told it out, Chen Guangliang would hit her head instead, because they had a secret - Chen Guangliang said that Yan Renmei should remember it in her heart but not tell it out.

After a while, the matter was finally settled, and Yan Renmei had a deposit of 500 million yuan.

This deposit can be regarded as the "backing" of Ping An Bank.

The next day, Chen Guangliang came to Changjiang Real Estate.

Today, Cheung Kong Properties has evolved into a 'leasing' and 'property' developer.

Among them, the leasing business is not only about owned properties, including 50 villas on Xiafei Road and seven street-facing villas in Xincheng Garden; moreover, the leasing business also includes the "commissioned leasing" business, which has developed quite well, including some properties in the Oriental Press Building and a large number of commissions from scattered customers.

To put it bluntly, the entrusted leasing business is a second-hand landlord. Many owners are away from home all year round, or are unfamiliar with the leasing business, so they entrust it to Changjiang Real Estate. You should know that this kind of business entrustment was once the patent of foreign companies, but now Changjiang Real Estate can also get a share of it.

In addition to its leasing business, Changjiang Real Estate has also developed into Shanghai's leading property management company, Changjiang Property Management. After several years of development, this company manages nearly a thousand buildings and has a very large business.

Therefore, in the past two years, Changjiang Real Estate has not only not disbanded, but has become increasingly prosperous.

meeting room.

Chen Guangliang and the main management team sat together, a total of seven people.

The two general managers, Guo Deming and Lu Yuantai, were going abroad for further studies one after another. Another general manager, Yan Kuan, also led a team to Hong Kong to serve as the construction supervision unit for the Ping An Bank Building.

"I want to sell all 50 villas on Xiafei Road. However, there's no need to worry about Changjiang Real Estate's business problems. This temporary reduction in assets is for the sake of future real estate development."

There are now 20 employees at the headquarters of Changjiang Real Estate, and there are also employees from the property management company and leasing company.

Lin Hongying, the new deputy general manager and a veteran of the company's founding, immediately explained, "Real estate in the concession experienced a decline during the January 1932 Incident, by approximately 1933% to 1931%. It then quickly rebounded between 260 and , exceeding the level by approximately %, reaching an all-time high. The fifty villas on Xiafei Road have been consistently under-supplied, driven by the road's rapid development in recent years. The most recent valuation puts the value of these fifty villas at approximately million yuan."

Land in the middle section of Xiafei Road (Huaihai Middle Road) now costs between 5 and 18 yuan per mu (land facing the street is certainly more valuable). This is mainly because many people like to live in the French Concession, especially some of the old Eastern European aristocrats, who like to live on Xiafei Road and do business there.

Chen Guangliang said: "If it is sold at this price, it is really ideal!"

He thought about it and decided to sell the 50 villas on Xiafei Road first. After all, a large amount of silver would flow out of Shanghai in the second half of next year (1934), and the real estate market in Shanghai would plummet from 1934 to 1935, including the concessions.

If you buy at the bottom at the end of 1934 or 1935, you can collect rent until 1941. Of course, Changjiang Real Estate will not buy again. Chen Guangliang plans to let Ping An Bank set up a real estate trust department to buy at the bottom at that time.

After all, Ping An Bank’s funds are the depositors’ money, which means they cannot be transferred to Hong Kong, nor can they be kept in the bank without investment because interest must be paid.

Then, Lin Hongying said, "Okay. Changjiang Real Estate has now diversified its business and can support this period of calm."

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction: "Well, you management should do a good job of managing the company's atmosphere. Even if you are a little idle, you should not be slacking off. While ensuring your work, you can also learn more!"

"Ok"

After the meeting, Chen Guangliang couldn’t help but wonder - who would buy the fifty Xiafei Road villas from Changjiang Real Estate?

Generally speaking, it is most likely the real estate trust department of a Chinese bank, and with a small chance it is a new Chinese real estate developer that has emerged in recent years.

Chinese people generally do not buy buildings directly, but choose to develop them themselves; established real estate developers generally stick to their old properties and collect rent, rather than buying new ones. (End of this chapter)