A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Tuesday, April 1934, 12.

Chen Guangliang finally returned to Shanghai, a trip that took almost 80 days.

When they arrived at the Shanghai port, Yan Renmei was anxiously waiting with Chen Wenjie, who was almost two years old.

Seeing Chen Guangliang getting off the boat, Yan Renmei ran up to him, not caring about her son at all.

"Brother Liang, you've lost weight!"

Chen Guangliang immediately hugged Yan Renmei, then let go and said with a smile: "I miss you so much."

Seeing Zhang Shunian and others, Yan Renmei immediately lowered her head shyly and said, "Wenjie and I miss you too."

Then she took Chen Wenjie from the servant.

"dad"

A shout swept away Chen Guangliang's fatigue. This is the meaning of home.

The family was reunited, and Chen Guangliang also arranged for Zhang Shunian and others to go home for a reunion. He also needed to have a good rest before taking care of the company's affairs.

Return to home on Weihai Road.

Chen Guangliang took a hot bath, and Yan Renmei scrubbed him from outside the tub, serving her man. This wasn't a display of status, but rather a marital interest.

"Renmei, this time I bought a lot of apartments and villas in the United States, and also bought stocks. In the end, I saved $300 million, for a total wealth of $680 million."

Yan Renmei gently massaged his shoulders and said, "Well, you've worked hard. Is that Jack reliable?"

Learning to think is a good thing.

Chen Guangliang said, "Of course, I've also hired a lawyer. At least Jack won't be able to obtain the ownership certificates for those apartments and villas. As for the rent, there are lawyers who regularly monitor it, so I believe there won't be any problems."

He still trusted Jack, so of course he had to follow the necessary procedures.

Yan Renmei nodded and said, "You are steady in your work, and you understand these things. I don't understand them at all."

By the end, she was already acting a little like a spoiled brat.

Chen Guangliang immediately held her hand and said excitedly: "Go to the bedroom quickly and change your clothes. We are going to prepare for our second child today."

Yan Renmei said coquettishly: "Everyone is still waiting for you to eat!"

Chen Guangliang said impatiently: "Let them wait. I haven't eaten meat for more than two months. I'm going crazy!"

Yan Renmei said, "You waited for me for more than two years!"

But it's very delicious.

Chen Guangliang decisively washed the soap off his body, put on a bathrobe, and walked towards the bedroom.

Yan Renmei had already changed into a summer silk cheongsam and high heels, but before the room heated up, she had already put on a wool coat, which still couldn't hide her good figure.

Chen Guangliang immediately went up to her, hugged her, and his hand slid down.

"Brother Liang, I really want to go to the United States with you this time!" Yan Renmei's misty eyes were filled with countless threads of affection.

Chen Guangliang said, "I'm going to Hong Kong soon. Just follow me. Next time, I'll take you to the United States."

Sometimes, there is no need to be too cautious. He now has a younger brother who has started working, and the family is becoming more stable.

Moreover, it would be unfair if we don't take Yan Renmei to travel around the world while she is still young.

"Well, thank you, Brother Liang."

"Between us, what else is there to thank? Even if I should thank you, I should be the one thanking you for your forgiveness."

Yan Renmei immediately came close to him, and after a long time of parting their lips, she said, "Don't mention her."

"Don't mention it"

Wow, this wife is so jealous. Fortunately, Yan Renmei really loves Chen Guangliang, otherwise, she would never tolerate such a thing with such jealousy.

Two hours later, Chen Guangliang, with a radiant face, walked down the stairs with his arms around Yan Renmei.

Yang Hui immediately came over with a smile and said, "That's just right, I asked the servants to heat up the food!"

Chen Guangliang immediately let go of Yan Renmei, took his mother's hand, and walked towards the restaurant.

"Mom, you've been working hard lately!"

Yang Hui said happily: "Why do I have to work so hard? I just take good care of the family and Wenjie so that Renmei can go to the company to look after him."

She now also knows how to cater to her son's mood, which is to maintain a good relationship with her daughter-in-law and respect her son's arrangements - her daughter-in-law has to go out and attend company affairs.

If she still held the feudal idea that women should not show their faces in public, she felt that her son would have a bad relationship with her.

So now, Yang Hui is worried about family matters and encourages her daughter-in-law to help her son with some company matters.

"Everyone has a clear division of labor, and this is what a harmonious family brings prosperity!"

Afterwards, everyone sat at the table and ate together.

Yang Hui took the opportunity to say, "Xiuying is pregnant too. Do you want to call her back to Shanghai to give birth? The conditions here are better!"

Chen Guangliang said, "Let them decide for themselves. We won't get involved. Although conditions in Hong Kong are worse, Guangcong and his family won't suffer hardship there."

If you have money, what hardship can you endure?

Chen Guangcong currently works for the shipping company in Hong Kong, which owns two second-hand ships of 5000 tons. This is already a very powerful shipping company; in fact, even a single ship of 5000 tons is a very large shipping company.

Chen Guangliang hopes that Chen Guangcong and Yang Xiuying can adapt to life in Hong Kong as soon as possible and gradually become "localized."

After hearing this, Yang Hui did not express any opinion. Although she felt sorry for her second son and Xiuying, she understood that as the eldest brother, it is the responsibility of the eldest brother to train his younger brother.

"You guys should hurry up and have another child."

"Mom, Wenjie is here."

Yang Hui quickly coaxed her grandson and changed the subject.

The next day, Chen Guangliang brought Yan Renmei to the Ping An Bank Building. His wife was already a director of Ping An Bank and had her own exclusive office in the Ping An Bank Building.

In this era, the Shanghai market was already very open-minded, and it was not uncommon for women to hold positions of power. For example, after Hardoon's death, his mixed-race wife inherited his property, and the property tax alone was 1700 million yuan, which was paid with a loan.

Chen Guangliang also hoped that Yan Renmei could support the family once he was gone, so he had been cultivating her business talents.

"boss"

Xia Gaoxiang and Ye Ximing came to the office immediately to prepare to report their work.

"Well, let's have a meeting with the senior management later to discuss the recent situation and the future development of Ping An Bank."

"Okay, let's get ready."

The two men left again immediately, knowing that nothing that happened in Shanghai could be hidden from the boss. It was probably not that the boss was well-informed, but that the boss had already calculated all of this.

Ten o'clock in the morning.

Chen Guangliang held a meeting with a group of senior staff in the conference room of Ping An Bank.

"Tell me, what is the current situation!" I roughly know it, but it is not easy to know it specifically.

Xia Gaoxiang immediately sat up straight and said:

"Withdraw money. All of China is short of silver, especially China, where too much silver has been flowing out. The Shanghai Money Trade Association, in particular, can no longer hold on. Recently, the Banking Association and the Money Trade Association are in consultation, jointly requesting the Zhongyang, ZhongG, and Communications Banks to provide mortgage loans to member banks and money houses. The total amount of the loan is expected to be 1000 million yuan."

"As for interest rates, the interest rates charged by banks have risen from 6% per year to over 16%. In the Shanghai Stock Exchange, it has almost reached the point where you can't borrow money no matter how high the interest rate is."

Ye Ximing added: "Although we have ample deposits, we have been adhering to a tight monetary policy due to concerns about unknown risks."

Ping An Bank does have sufficient cash flow, but with such high interbank and loan interest rates, it has to tighten its monetary policy and reject many loans.

It's very simple, everyone knows it - the boss also has to be on guard against the Southern Whale side who might demolish the bridge after crossing it and take advantage of the situation to rob.

Ping An Bank has grown into a large, high-quality enterprise with 2600 million in deposits, 860 million in loans, and 450 million in assets.

This is enough to attract the attention of the Nanjing government, which regards it as a high-quality asset and takes it into national ownership.

The specific operation is also very simple. It is nothing more than spreading rumors and then causing a bank run at Ping An Bank. Once Ping An Bank cannot cope with the bank run, your asset value will be "positive", and the Nanjing government can also inject capital to acquire it.

Deposits need to be loaned out, but loans cannot be recovered in a short period of time. If a bank run occurs, how many banks can handle it?
Judging from the current situation, Ping An Bank's loan-to-deposit ratio is only about 33%, which is very low; what's more, Chen Guangliang's family has more than 900 million in deposits, plus deposits from friends in the business community, so there will be no problem at all.

Chen Guangliang nodded and said, "The first half of next year will be even more difficult for everyone, so we must be prepared in all aspects. By the way, are there any problems with the loan for Jinxing Business Company?"

Ye Ximing quickly said, "Boss, Jinxing Business Company has gone bankrupt. Sun Chunsheng owes over 180 banks over million yuan, and they're pressing for repayment. Ping An Bank will also mortgage the villas on Xiafei Road for disposal. The problem now is that those villas may not be worth million yuan, so we'll have to wait for the court to hear the case!"

Chen Guangliang was stunned that Sun Chunsheng hadn't even made it through this year.

But it's normal to think about it. The money house is short of money now, so naturally Sun Chunsheng has to pay back his debts. As long as there is one debt that cannot be repaid, all the creditors will get nervous and then rush in.

Moreover, as silver outflowed and the economy began to decline, the number of tenants decreased and houses in the concession began to become vacant on a large scale.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Guangliang said, "The matter needs to be resolved. We should still give Jinxing a valuation of at least 180 million for those houses. This will facilitate bankruptcy disposal."

Everyone, step aside!
Ye Ximing nodded and said, "Okay"

Next, Chen Guangliang immediately said: "We will take advantage of this opportunity to set up our own real estate trust department. Next year, based on stable development, we will invest in real estate."

Even though the acquisition of the fifty high-end villas on Xiafei Road cost 200 million yuan (tax included), Ping An Bank's three properties (the other two are the headquarters buildings in Shanghai and Hong Kong) only have property assets of 400 million yuan, but in fact they are all Ping An Bank's own funds.

Chen Guangliang's idea is to convert a small portion of the deposits into properties to collect rent, which will be beneficial to the bank's income and healthy development.

"it is good"

At this time, the senior executives of Ping An Bank finally understood that the boss's foresight was the biggest project that led to Ping An Bank's development to where it is today.

In the evening, Chen Guangliang got off work early and brought his family to the International Hotel, which opened at the beginning of this month, to meet with Yan Zhiduo's family.

Since he returned to Shanghai, he naturally wanted to get together with his father-in-law.

At the International Hotel, Chen Guangliang took a look around and roughly understood:
The main hall downstairs is the business place of the West District Branch of the Four Banks Savings Association. The mezzanine between the 1st and 2nd floors is rented to the Zhongxing Steamship Company, the Zhongxing Coal Mine Company and the Guangyi Photo Studio. The 2nd floor is a large restaurant for guests in the guest rooms. It is gorgeously decorated and has small restaurants in red, orange, purple, green, blue and yellow. The 3rd floor consists of a living room, a bar and a Western restaurant. The 4th floor is a restaurant for buffet and afternoon tea, and the 5th to 13th floors are guest rooms. The 14th floor has a restaurant open to the public, a salon and barbecue house for celebrations and private parties, a huge landscaped terrace, a skyscraper hall that is famous in Shanghai for being able to be with nebulae, and a late-night teahouse. The 15th to 19th floors are also guest rooms. The 20th and 21st floors are equipment rooms. The 22nd floor is the fire lookout tower in the concession, and there is also a garden on the roof. The 24th floor is the vantage point for guests to watch the night sky and overlook the Shanghai city.

For the next two or three decades, this 24-story international hotel will be the tallest building in the Far East.

The International Hotel's appeal lies, first, in its exterior, which is clad in Qingdao Laoshan black granite from the ground floor to the fourth floor, and in brown Taishan tiles from the fifth floor onwards, creating a sense of elegance and solemnity. Second, it boasts three automatic elevators capable of reaching 4 feet per minute, providing swift access to the top floor. At the time, New York had two such high-speed elevators, making the International Hotel the second major hotel in the world to boast such modern elevators. Third, its basement vault is the largest in the Far East and the only hotel in Shanghai to have one.

In the 'red' box, Chen Guangliang's family and Yan Zhiduo's family met.

During the dinner, Yan Zhiduo said, "This year, the Yangtze Hotel and the International Hotel opened, which had a certain impact on the Shangri-La Hotel. But to be honest, we learned a lot from them, like the buffet, afternoon tea, the hotel's band, sports team, and dance troupe. All of these were copied by the International Hotel."

Shangri-La has its own football team - the former Oriental Football Team, which has been sponsored by the Shangri-La Hotel since last year; it has its own song and dance troupe, which is actually a collaboration with Li Jinhui. In short, the international hotel is now learning from it in a very good way.

Chen Guangliang said nonchalantly, "It's normal. Everyone wants to make money. But no one expected that the once well-developed Shanghai market would now be in a 'cash shortage'. I'm afraid the next step will be a recession in industry and commerce."

Yan Zhiduo would take notes from his son-in-law every time they met, so he said, "I listened to you for the first half of the year. The bank has maintained a relatively sufficient amount of money, and now life is relatively stable."

The father-in-law and son-in-law drank and talked, and the other two families were also able to chat and were relatively united.

Of course, this is not because Chen Guangliang is Yan Zhiduo's son-in-law, but because the two are doing business together and have the same identity (pure businessmen), so they can chat with each other.

"Next year, father-in-law, do you want to go to Hong Kong to investigate and buy some property there?"

Yan Zhiduo was stunned for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Do you have any predictions?"

Chen Guangliang said: "It's not peaceful. It's always a good thing to leave a place for myself and my family to move to."

Just enough, and now is not the time to persuade Yan Zhiduo to develop in Hong Kong, just let him get familiar with and investigate.

In fact, even during the isolated island period, Yan Zhiduo and his family had no problem living in the Shanghai Concession.

"Are you going to America this time?"

“Purchased some properties and stocks”

Yan Zhiduo nodded and started to fiddle with it in his mind. He understood how powerful Chen Guangliang was, although he was always one step ahead of others.

Afterwards, the two stopped talking about this matter.

"Renyun, I heard that you are getting to know Mr. Du's son?" Chen Guangliang said, concerned about his cousin.

Yan Renyun is not as good-looking as her sister, and her personality is not as independent and strong as Yan Renmei, so she is not Chen Guangliang's type. Of course, even if she is, Yan Zhiduo will not give his second daughter to him as a concubine, after all, the family's dignity still needs to be maintained.

Yan Renyun lowered her head shyly and said, "I'm just beginning to understand, I don't know yet!"

Chen Guangliang took the opportunity to say, "You are lucky. Now your father-in-law has the open-mindedness of grandfather (Yan Zijun) regarding your marriage, so he has the right to say no or agree."

Yan Zhiduo's face froze and he couldn't help shaking his head. This son-in-law was pointing at him!
Yan Renyun immediately said obediently: "Well, thank you brother-in-law for your concern!"

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "I only found out about this because your sister told me."

What he meant was that he had to support his wife Yan Renmei - as the saying goes, an elder sister is like a mother, so Yan Renmei has a certain responsibility to care about the affairs of her younger sisters and brothers.

Yan Zhiduo then said, "Wei Fan is a good kid. He studied at Hujiang University and is also engaged in the banking industry."

This is the adopted son of Du Yuesheng and his first wife Shen Yueying. To put it bluntly, he is the eldest son.

However, Chen Guangliang didn't care so much and just wanted to support his wife.

Yan Zhiduo's suggestion that his second daughter be betrothed to Du Weifan was somewhat suggestive of currying favor with power. According to Chen Guangliang, Du Yuesheng was someone to be respected but not approached, and he inherently looked down upon his "class background."

On the way back, Chen Guangliang sat in the car and said to Yan Renmei, "How was it?"

Yan Renmei immediately said: "Thank you, husband, for supporting us sisters."

Chen Guangliang said proudly: "My father-in-law still gives me face!"

He earned millions of wealth for Yan Zhiduo and saved his son-in-law from danger. Yan Zhiduo valued Chen Guangliang more than Du Yuesheng.

Yan Renmei immediately took Chen Guangliang's arm and said, "Brother Liang, what do you think of my sister marrying Du Weifan in the future?"

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Although Mr. Du's background is a bit questionable, he will have no problem educating his children. Moreover, Mr. Du is smart enough, and his children will not fall into hardship in the future. So don't worry!"

Yan Renmei finally felt relieved and said, "I feel relieved now."

Chen Guangliang patted her hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything. As long as it's something you care about, I'll think of it."

He has to coax his wife, otherwise how can he go to Jiang Meiying's place tomorrow night!
As expected, Yan Renmei leaned on his shoulder again, her face full of happiness. (End of this chapter)