A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 40 Protection Fees

The base of Changjiang Motors was bustling with activity.

The makeshift "wholesale department" had drivers coming to purchase goods from time to time, which was a source of income. Yang Qingshan and Yang Xiuying were very busy.

Although the two men were not well educated, they could still do some simple calculations. In addition, the drivers did not dare to deceive Chen Guangliang, the "conscientious boss", so Chen Guangliang handed over the "commodity wholesale" business to Yang Qingshan and Yang Xiuying, father and daughter.

Now, Chen Guangliang has made it clear to the drivers that he will only take a 10% cut of all sales, and they themselves will also earn 10%. It can be said that their income has increased from 6% to 10% in one fell swoop, which is Chen Guangliang's "virtuous policy."

On the other side, He Xiangdong and Zhou Xinggao are also responsible for part of the business respectively, and the business in all aspects can be said to be thriving.

In the office, Chen Guangliang was reading the newspaper, searching for information that would be beneficial to him, especially information about land sales.

He knew that the Shanghai Stock Exchange was expected to usher in a wave of "land speculation boom" from the end of this year, and even the major banks in Shanghai would set up "real estate trusts" to participate in land speculation next year.

It can be said that Chen Guangliang also wants to get a piece of the pie in this wave of land speculation.

Today, he still has 6800 oceans in his hands, and can generate dividends of to oceans this year (current scale).

According to Chen Guangliang's recent understanding:

The average price of land in the entire Chinese area was 300 yuan per mu. The highest price was 1800 yuan per mu in southern Shanghai, 1400 yuan per mu in Zhabei, and the lowest was 80 yuan per mu in Gaoqiao.

In the International Settlement, the average price is 7500 yuan per mu. The Central District averages 30000 yuan per mu, with the highest being around the Bund and Nanjing Road, where prices can reach 90000 yuan per mu. The North District, adjacent to the railway station, has higher land prices than the West and East Districts, reaching 10000 yuan per mu. The West District is quieter and more suitable for living, and because the Central District's commercial businesses extend into the West District and are close to the Shanghai-Hangzhou and Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo railways, land prices reach over 6000 yuan per mu. The East District, bordering the Huangpu River, is home to many factories, but workers have limited purchasing power, and industrial land cannot compete with commercial land, resulting in only around 3500 yuan per mu.

The French Concession is divided into two districts, the old and new districts. The old district was established in 1849. Its back is connected to the International Settlement area, namely the Huangpu Beach area, and the land price is almost above 30000; followed by Xiafei Road, Lafeide Road, Kandi Road, etc., because of the complete commercial facilities, the prices are also not cheap, and it is even difficult to buy land; the land in the new district of the French Concession is relatively cheap.

After learning this information, Chen Guangliang felt that he was not incapable of land speculation!
Not to mention that he has at least 14000 oceans of funds available this year, even with his flexible mind, he can also use methods such as loans and social deposits to help him.

"Done"

A horse will not be fat without night grass, and a man will not be rich without windfall.

The more courage a person has, the more real estate he can own.

"Boss, this gentleman is looking for you!"

Zhou Xinggao walked in with a man in his forties or fifties. The man was wearing a long gown with white cuffs and a top hat.

You can tell at first glance that he's an old-fashioned person, like a manager or butler who runs a business for a wealthy person.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Chen Guangliang from the Changjiang Motor Company?"

"I am, are you?"

"I was sent by Mr. Gu Zhuxuan. I'm Sun Yingjie, the general manager of Gu's Car Dealership!"

"Mr. Gu (thinking). Please take a seat here!"

What is coming will come sooner or later. Chen Guangliang's expression did not change. He politely invited the person to sit on the chair.

After Sun Yingjie sat down, Chen Guangliang sat down with him, while Zhou Xinggao and He Xiangdong stood beside him.

"Mr. Sun, what brings you here?"

Sun Yingjie crossed his fingers, leaned back in his chair, and explained the reason as if it were a matter of course: "The thing is, all the rickshaw shops in this area give 125% of all their revenue to Mr. Gu. I am here to inform you that the rickshaws of the Yangtze River Rickshaw Shop will also be given to Mr. Gu according to this amount in the future."

Chen Guangliang crossed his legs, thought for a moment, and said, "Excuse me, could you please tell Mr. Gu that half of our Changjiang Car Company is owned by the Municipal Council's Transportation Department, and more than 5% belongs to those poor drivers. I personally own less than %. Therefore, this % commission is too high. I can only give %, but I hope Mr. Gu will give me some more time."

Sun Yingjie sneered and nodded, saying, "Boss Chen, do you know who Mr. Gu is?" Chen Guangliang stood up, then walked around the office a few steps before saying, "Of course I know. Mr. Gu is a local tycoon in Zhabei, and his influence even extends to the International Settlement. Along with Mr. Huang, Mr. Du, and Mr. Zhang, he's known as one of the 'Four Tycoons of Upper Hi Beach.' And because Mr. Gu is from Jiangbei and has many laborers there, he's also known as the 'Jiangbei Tycoon.'"

Nice words can be said, but money must be negotiated!
Sun Yingjie also stood up, walked over to Chen Guangliang, and said, "Then are you still bargaining with him?"

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "I have decided to do this. Please inform Mr. Gu."

Sun Yingjie glanced at the three people in the room, without saying a word, and then left.

"Boss, Gu Zhuxuan's power is not that of a small character like Wang Chengyun. I heard that he has nearly 10,000 disciples." Zhou Xinggao said with some concern.

Facing Wang Chengyun, Zhou Xinggao was never afraid. He even ran to his house and robbed him of five thousand dollars.

Now facing a person like Gu Zhuxuan, Zhou Xinggao felt deeply insignificant.

Chen Guangliang said calmly, "Needless to say, I believe they dare not act rashly."

Since he dared to refuse, he must have thought it over carefully before making the decision.

First, he has only been in power for three months (four months since time travel), and he is not seizing other people's territory, so there is no reason to pay protection money immediately;
Secondly, 40% of the shares of Changjiang Motor Company belong to the Transportation Department, and even foreigners are involved. Gu Zhuxuan will definitely have some concerns.

After all, Gu Zhuxuan was just the local tyrant of Zhabei, and his influence in the concession was far less than that of the 'three big gangsters'.

He did not refuse outright, but hoped that the protection fee could be reduced to 5%, and it would be best if the calculation started next year.

These requirements can be considered as giving him face.

"Ah Feng, come with me. I'm going to order a decent suit. You two stay at home!"

"Yes"

Soon, Chen Guangliang forgot about this matter and planned to order a suit for himself.

Chen Guangliang is now considered to be "a little powerful" and it is time for him to dress himself up and get in touch with more of the outside world.

Living in Shanghai, it is more convenient to wear fashionable clothes than rustic ones.

If you wear old clothes, the conductor of a public tram will not stop for you, the park guard will check your entrance ticket with extra care, and the doorman of a mansion or guesthouse will not let you through the main gate.

Therefore, some people would rather live in a small room and feed bedbugs, but they have to put a pair of Western-style trousers under their pillow every night, so that the creases on both sides of the trouser legs become sharp every day.

To dress up as a 'young man', you need a complete set of clothes:

Dark gray suit: 30 dollars
Woolen coat: 38 yuan
Leather shoes: 8 yuan
Top hat: 3 oceans
Collar shirt: 2.5 yuan
Silk scarf: 2 yuan
Stancom: 2 Oceans
White gloves: 1.2 oceans
Shorts: 0.4 yuan
Vest: 0.4 ocean
All in all, it would cost 88 dollars.

In a reputable suit shop, the owner told Chen Guangliang the above words!
Wow, I originally wanted to buy a suit to show off, but I didn’t expect there were so many tricks involved.

"Then I'll order one set according to the boss's suggestion. If the effect is good, I'll order another set next time!"

I thought that sooner or later I would need a woolen coat or something, so I just bought a whole set.

"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, you'll be satisfied!"

Next, the boss arranged for a tailor to take Chen Guangliang's measurements. The suit had to be made on the spot to make it fit him properly.

Finally, we agreed to pick it up three days later.

(End of this chapter)