The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Chapter 158 Guangdong Inspection
back home.

The customized 12-seater Coaster has been delivered to my doorstep.

It was personally delivered by the general manager of that luxury car center. Chen Pingsheng opened it and took a look.

It's really quite good. The space is large, and the four seats in the middle two rows are the standard airline-style seats, so you can lie down and take a nap anytime.

The four seats in the back row can also be folded down.

Make it into a standard double bed.

It also comes standard with a TV and a portable karaoke system, which is a song selection machine.

You can also freely request and sing songs on the bus.

It’s pretty good.

A C1 driver's license is not enough to drive this kind of minibus; a B1 driver's license is required.

This isn't a big problem, since it's unlikely he was the one driving it.

Chen Pingsheng felt that this car would be the most comfortable for him to travel long distances or for his family to go on trips in the future.

Compared to those impractical small motorhomes, the Coaster is far superior in both comfort and prestige.

His car is the top-of-the-line model, costing two million yuan after purchase.

All the configurations are already maxed out, so there's basically no need for any further modifications.

Having a car like this at home would make things much more convenient.

My eldest sister and brother-in-law are also going back this year, so it's about the same time.

Chen An'an sat down for a while but quickly lost interest; the little brat didn't understand.

A few days later, the last CEO training course of 14 arrived.

Wang Yanfeng's live-streaming platform, Xiongmao, is becoming increasingly popular, with numerous online articles constantly praising him as the strongest second-generation rich kid born in the 1980s.

With the five small goals given to him by his family, he earned billions in just a few years.

His personal wealth is as high as over three billion.

Most of this comes from the valuation of Xiongmao Live.

As for the rest of the population, they have all made great progress under this booming economy.

There's a saying that goes something like this: you can't tell who's swimming naked when the tide's high.

When the tide goes out, you'll see who's not wearing underwear.

People kept trying to persuade him to invest in stocks. To be honest, Chen Pingsheng was actually a little tempted. The stock market this year was just too good.

He also tested it and found that money earned in the stock market cannot be multiplied randomly at all.

If this works, I could buy it with my eyes closed.

No matter how much you lose, it's not as good as doubling your profits.

He Bijun, who raises pigs, came to see him again. The two were considered to be the best of friends in the class.

The main thing is that we have similar ideas about doing business. We don't like taking big risks, and we believe that only by making real money can we operate in the long run.

"Old Chen, I heard you've spent another billion to start a department store business?"

"There aren't that many, most of them were used to buy commercial real estate."

"Your idea is quite good."

He Bijun sat next to him: "In our situation, we definitely need to invest more in commercial real estate. Don't be fooled by how smug Xiao Wang is now. His live streaming platform is losing 100 to 200 million yuan every month. If his subsequent financing doesn't go smoothly, he'll be worthless."

That's how internet entrepreneurship works.

When fundraising goes smoothly, they're all smiles and glory; when fundraising fails, a valuation of billions or tens of billions becomes a joke.

Chen Pingsheng also agreed with this point, and He Bijun didn't come over to talk to him about Wang Yanfeng.

The main topic of discussion was when Boiling Sheep would go to Guangdong.

He's pretty stubborn over there; raising over 100,000 pigs in the mountains requires real ability.

Chen Pingsheng originally planned to go right after the New Year, but unfortunately, the Series C valuation of 15 billion for Boiling Sheep has not yet been completed.

We need to wait until "The Legend of Hua Qian Gu" airs and Zhao Liying becomes a big star before we can finally achieve this valuation.

However, it would be worthwhile to spend ten million to set up an internal chef training academy for the popular animated series "Boiling Sheep".

Guangdong is a large province, and its cuisine is completely different from that of the South and the North.

We must conduct research tailored to local conditions for a period of time.

A more detailed estimate will have to wait until after the new year.

He Bijun wanted to discuss a dedicated pork supply with him, since Chen Pingsheng not only had Fei Yangyang, but also Tengsheng Fresh.

The amount of pork consumed every day is enormous. If he could secure this distributor, it would be extremely beneficial.

The same applies to Chen Pingsheng's side, since He Bijun's pigs were all raised by himself.

The price is definitely much cheaper than buying from the market, and the quality of the pork is also guaranteed.

"Old Chen, after these three days of classes are over, do you want to come with me to Guangdong and see how well I raise pigs there?"

"Sure, I can learn some aquaculture techniques from you."

Many of my classmates are from Guangdong.

From east to west, north to south, and center, go to Guangdong to make your fortune!

The earliest place to implement reform and opening up.

After Chen Pingsheng agreed, he prepared to inform Zhang Tao and the others to go together.

Tengsheng Fresh now has quite a few stores. Maybe in the future they won't be satisfied with just buying and selling goods, and could even become a large-scale livestock farmer.

It's a vertically integrated industry chain, encompassing both upstream and downstream sectors.

Although he has some ideas about it, he still doesn't plan to do it this year.

The main problem was the timing.

Whether it's Tengsheng Fresh, Tenghui Department Store, or Feiyangyang, they are all still in their initial stages.

It is far from being mature and stable.

Only when everything here is stable can he go to the upstream to become a large-scale aquaculture farmer.

The three-day CEO training program ended abruptly, with two parties also held during the program.

One was initiated by Huang Bin, and the other was initiated by Lao Yang, who ran a hotel.

Tong Zhelan's Honglan Capital was only recently established. It's quite normal for all the projects she invests in to yield returns in one or two years, or even three to five years or more.

He's going to Guangdong to visit large-scale pig farming operations, and he's taking Zhang Tao and Liu Jing with him.

This is to prepare for the next phase of exclusive pork supply.

Hu Ding, the toy king in our class, also came from that area, so we happened to be traveling together.

When it comes to the four first-tier cities, Guangdong is undoubtedly most famous for its foreign trade.

It's still far ahead.

The garment industry, including the electronics manufacturing industry, is extremely developed.

To save time, everyone came by plane.

Many people in China like to buy private jets after they become wealthy.

That thing is really not very useful; you need all sorts of approvals and reports to fly to any small place.

It's not very useful, and the maintenance costs are high.

Anyway, Chen Pingsheng has no intention of buying it.

He Bijun's pig farm is located in a large town in Huizhou.

People here don't really like going to big restaurants in the city; they prefer to go to farmhouses instead.

That is, it's located in a very remote mountain area.

Not only is the food fresh, but it also has a unique rural charm.

He Bijun started raising pigs in the early 1990s.

From raising dozens of head to hundreds, and now to over ten thousand.

He is a veritable pig-raising king in the area. His pigs are of very high quality, all raised in the mountains, and most of them are supplied to Hong Kong.

Guangdong is close to Hong Kong, so only a small portion of its products are sold nationwide.

The pork is of high quality, and the price is slightly higher than average.

Chen Pingsheng led Zhang Tao and Liu Jing on a two-day tour, after which they signed a pork sales contract worth 500 million yuan annually.

This is to obtain the lowest purchase price.

Of course, good pigs should be given priority in supply.

After all, they are our biggest customer.

Don't be fooled by the fact that 500 million seems like a lot; his three companies combined could easily reach that number within a year.

No matter where you are, pork is the most consumed food.

As departure was imminent.

He Bijun specially invited Chen Pingsheng and the others to have dinner at a famous farmhouse halfway up the mountain.

The fish we eat here are all authentic reservoir fish, and they also raise a lot of geese and pheasants in the mountains.

According to He Bijun, people often come here by helicopter to eat.

Don't think it's an exaggeration; the lifestyles of the super-rich are already beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

They found a private room nestled against the mountain, a place with a rustic charm.

We ordered the famous poached chicken and braised goose.

He Bijun said, "Old Chen, I feel that now is the best time for us to start a livestock farming business. Look at the 1960s and 70s, every family was scrambling to get land to farm. Now look at the countryside, apart from a few elderly people, how many young people are willing to farm? Large tracts of land are being abandoned." To start a livestock farming business, the basic requirement is to have land.

In today's rural areas, it's true that you can contract large tracts of wasteland almost anywhere.

Chen Pingsheng also agreed with this point, and in the afternoon he was going to visit Hu Ding's toy factory.

We couldn't waste too much time, so we didn't eat for very long.

When I left, I was in an Alphard, driven by a driver arranged by He Bijun.

Hu Ding was in Foshan, which, besides being the birthplace of Wong Fei-hung's kung fu, also had many small garment factories.

Hu Ding has been here for over twenty years.

The factory is a large factory with 3,000 employees and is quite well-known in the area.

Chen Pingsheng stayed here for one day and then booked a flight back home.

The main reason is that Yang Qian and Chu Qiuyan have returned.

……

The March study period is over.

Chen Pingsheng invested in 25 milk tea shops in Beijing at once.

The main locations are near university towns and other areas where young people like to spend their money.

They haven't opened yet; we'll conduct the final round of employee training once they return.

To put it simply, it's about standardizing the techniques for making milk tea.

Before I left, there seemed to be nothing there, but after I came back, I found that Bobo Milk Tea had become quite famous online.

It's been making headlines.

Chang Fu, who hadn't seen Yang Qian for over two months, was so anxious that he dragged her to his newly bought house and they spent the day there.

Then I asked him to go to a quiet bar for drinks that evening.

At their age, they no longer really enjoy going to noisy bars.

The bar was quiet and the atmosphere was quite nice.

Ideal for small, private parties.

Chen Pingsheng drove his white Phantom out the door.

Chu Qiuyan brought her roommate Zhao Feifei, as well as Han Jia and Xu Qin.

The two of them had each received one million from the five million, and after a few months apart, they were decked out in designer brands.

They were quite looking forward to this gathering, after all, if it weren't for Chu Qiuyan, they wouldn't have had the chance to sit at the same table with such a big boss, chatting and drinking.

The gathering revolved around Bobo milk tea, so Jiang Wei and the others also came.

Chang Fu was the one who hosted the dinner. His wife had jumped from being the head of the public relations department to the president of the Bobo Milk Tea business unit, which seemed like a promotion and a raise.

As her husband, he should at least make some arrangements.

The location was a nice, quiet bar with soft lighting, not as glaring as a typical bar.

On stage was a pretty girl with shoulder-length short hair, singing a very melodious BJBJ.

Her voice is beautiful.

Chen Pingsheng arrived quite early. He parked his white Phantom on the side of the road, making it the most eye-catching car in the group.

Inside the bar.

Chang Fu booked a semi-circular bar counter. After Chen Pingsheng arrived, he ordered three bottles of brandy and sparkling wine.

Once Chu Qiuyan and Zhao Feifei arrived, the atmosphere became lively.

The two of them traveled with Yang Qian for three months and saw quite a bit of the world.

When we met again now, he had clearly lost some of his youthful naiveté and gained more maturity and assertiveness.

"Old Chen, it's been months since we've had a drink. We have to celebrate today!"

"You're so excited about Yang Qian's return?"

"That's right, a day apart feels like three autumns."

Chang Fu winked at him. The two had already registered their marriage, and if it weren't for this trip, they probably would have already held a wedding.

"Come on, come on, you guys have a drink too. We have beer and wine, pour whatever you like."

"Old Chen, is my Yang Qian staying in Beijing for the Chinese New Year this year?"

"That's for sure. Once they've trained all the employees, dozens of Bobo Milk Tea shops will be opening at the same time."

Chang Fu nodded. He didn't care anyway; nothing much ever happened when he went back home every year.

His wife is here, so naturally he won't go back.

"I heard you're leaving at the beginning of February?"

"More or less, I'll be back after the Lantern Festival."

Chang Fu drank two cups with him, and then Chu Qiuyan started talking about some things that had happened to her in the past few months.

After leaving Beijing, they went directly to the headquarters of one of the largest milk tea companies in Taiwan to learn about milk tea.

The main purpose is to learn how others operate and train their businesses.

Of course, there's also franchising.

Then I spent another half a month working and learning at a milk tea shop.

Simply learning at headquarters is definitely not appropriate.

The three of them went to three different headquarters to learn, and then worked at three different milk tea shops.

Finally, I went to Shanghai to thoroughly understand the domestic milk tea market.

This industry can't compare to those so-called live streaming platforms, but if you do it well, earning several dozen small fortunes in a few years shouldn't be a big problem.

Chu Qiuyan was quite grateful to him anyway. Without his arrangement, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to go directly to their headquarters to learn.

This is clearly a misunderstanding; Old Chen doesn't have that many connections.

If they say they'll arrange for someone from Taiwan to go, then they can arrange it.

This is clearly Tong Zhelan's skill.

He didn't explain; there was simply no need to.

What seemed difficult to them was nothing more than a simple gesture or a phone call for someone like Tong Zhelan.

All they want is for her to make money.

Chen Pingsheng also shared his thoughts: "Investing in a slightly larger milk tea shop in a prime location in Beijing would cost between 300,000 and 400,000 yuan. This time, we're opening 25 shops, and the investment is about 10 million yuan."

"Once you've established your physical milk tea shops, the company will start franchising. As I said before, the future of milk tea shops mainly depends on franchising."

This is normal; the technical threshold for opening a milk tea shop is extremely low.

What you can do, others can easily do as well.

There are no particularly high technical barriers.

Given this, the milk tea market is bound to expand rapidly in the future.

In this situation, the best approach is to operate a small number of directly-owned stores and franchise the majority.

Rapidly expand the national market through franchising.

Tong Zhelan's idea was more direct; she had planned from the beginning to buy a shell company in Hong Kong.

Once Bobo Milk Tea has grown significantly, it will directly issue shares through the stock exchange.

They packaged and launched the Bobo milk tea product.

This allows them to achieve a return on investment of several tens of times.

The two have very similar opinions on this matter, both believing that there will inevitably be excessive competition among milk tea shops in the future.

The main problem is that the entry barrier is too low.

Anyone can get involved.

In this situation, their best course of action would be to go public, reap substantial returns, and then operate prudently.

To put it bluntly, it's about making money in your own pocket first, and then thinking about more stable things.

Before you make money, do things as quickly as possible.

That's just how bubble tea shops are.

Chu Qiuyan didn't quite understand his thinking and always felt that opening twenty-five stores at once was a bit too much.

It's quite troublesome to manage.

It's not troublesome at all; it's just that she's not good at this area.

Yang Qian understood his thoughts quite well.

Once the directly operated stores here are open, Yang Mi will likely transfer to Tencent Video.

Then we'll coordinate with her publicity efforts.

Bobo milk tea will soon become a hit.

Anyway, Chen Pingsheng didn't think selling milk tea was a difficult business. He just wanted to make a few small profits through this small investment.

If things go well, I might even earn a dozen or so.

Anyway, you don't need to invest too much money to open a milk tea shop.

With this money in hand, he can open two more Tenghui Department Stores.

So cool.

(End of this chapter)