The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

Other relatives also wanted to get some resources from Chen Pingsheng to help them improve their social standing.

I'll always find it hard to speak up because of my pride.

Chen Qi is clearly the first person to be so shameless as to take pride in poaching his brother's resources.

What can you do if you only have one younger sister?

When Chen Pingsheng mentioned Peng Qing to her, Chen Qi wasn't surprised; it seemed she already knew about it.

“She’s really down-to-earth. I mean, brother, she’s been here for so long and you’re only now paying attention to her? That’s not right. If there’s even a little bit of milk under your fingernail, she wouldn’t have to go to the overpass to do a live stream every day.”

"Do you think everyone is like you, opening a shop and poaching your own brother and sister-in-law? When will you ever have your own experience of success?"

Chen Qi looked at him strangely and chuckled, "Brother, you're wrong about that. I never force myself to have any independent success experience. With such a great tree beside me, if I still don't know how to hug it, wouldn't I be a big fool?"

"Speaking of my sister-in-law's cheongsam maker, she's really amazing. After she agreed to come to my place, several of her friends immediately came to order several high-end cheongsams that were purely handmade and embroidered. I quoted them 600,000 yuan each and they didn't even try to bargain."

After saying that, Chen Qi seemed quite proud.

Chen Pingsheng snorted twice, thinking that his own sister had absolutely no independent thoughts.

For her, making money easily is the most important thing. Who needs brains? Just dig into her brother and sister-in-law's resources.

The previous assessment that she could earn five or six million a year from this cheongsam shop was clearly an underestimation.

Chen Pingsheng sat at her door without much regard for his image, taking out a bag of melon seeds from his pocket and slowly cracking them open.

"Is it meaningful for you to earn so much money? Your Hu Lin doesn't drink and has no social skills. I think you should just deposit the money with your brother first."

"Tch..." Chen Qi waved her hand, "You're interested in my little bit of money? My little Qilin is almost three years old. As his mother, I have to save up a fortune for him."

As the two were talking, a young couple, who looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, came in through the door.

The woman immediately took a liking to a certain cheongsam, while the man beside her kept saying that cheongsams were too impractical.

Although it shows off your figure, it's too hot in summer and too cold in winter, so it's not suitable to wear at any time.

The woman stared at him for a while, but when she left, she didn't even glance at the man.

Chen Qi said, "This guy is saving money on a cheongsam, but he's probably going to lose his girlfriend."

"If it's lost, it's lost. It wasn't going to be a life partner anyway."

The man was clearly not very well-off financially, yet the woman got angry with him over buying a cheongsam that cost seven or eight thousand yuan.

Even if you find a girlfriend like that, you'll be very tired.

Most people who come to Nanjing Street have certain spending expectations.

Locals generally don't buy clothes in places like this, simply because the rent is too high.

Those who truly specialize in high-end, top-tier luxury bespoke tailoring wouldn't open in such a location.

Chen Qi is an exception.

The cheongsams that are readily available are fine; they're not luxury items.

For sophisticated people in Shanghai, a cheongsam costing several thousand yuan is simply not high-class.

You simply can't wear that to high-end occasions.

People from other places like to come here to buy qipao styles, since Shanghai is the place where qipaos are most popular.

Many of the older generation here have elegance ingrained in their very being.

Chen Qi also mentioned her older sister's business, which mainly sells handbags; it's nothing special and business is so-so.

Bags and luggage are inherently high-profit items; you don't need a thriving business to make tens of thousands a day just by opening the store normally.

You can easily earn over 100,000 yuan a month.

As for Chen Sai, she was extremely busy. If I hadn't reminded her, she wouldn't have even bothered to hire a few more people.

I always want to do everything by myself.

Deer Antler Coffee is considered the most affordable option on this street. You can buy a coffee for a few dozen yuan and sit at the entrance all day without anyone complaining.

Most out-of-towners who come to shop are very willing.

Nanjing Street offers more than just shopping; it also provides an experience of the Republican era.

Experience the most prosperous and culturally vibrant city in China; foreign friends make up a significant portion of the population here.

English, which is generally not very useful, is a stylish and standard feature on the streets of Nanjing.

Whether they are foreign friends or people from China, they always like to include a few English words in their sentences.

In their words, this is called being fashionable.

Even ordinary barbershops will give their barbers an English name.

Such as Tony, David, and Andy.

The exquisite beauty of Shanghai shines through both inside and out.

Most people only learn the superficial aspects, that is, integrate into the city of Shanghai from the outside. But people like Chen Qi and Chen Yao are also, over time, truly integrating into the city in terms of lifestyle and habits.

This is a process of shedding worldly dust and returning to emptiness, and also a necessary process of seeing mountains as not mountains and water as not water.

To get rid of the dust means to get rid of the bad habits that were formed in the countryside.

"Huanxu" means to learn the elegance of this city.

Perhaps this is the real meaning behind their opening a shop on Nanjing Street, rather than making money.

Chen Pingsheng acted like a middle-aged man wandering around aimlessly.

She wandered around here with her little hands behind her back.

He actually knows very well the general stages of life.

No matter what happened before, in the end, mountains are mountains and water is water.

There's not much mystery involved, and it doesn't involve any grand philosophy.

When everything comes to an end, it can all be described in two words: reality.

Many out-of-town couples stroll along Nanjing Street, and many of them are on pre-wedding trips.

Take a cruise on the Huangpu River and experience the charm of old Shanghai.

For many people, it is a cherished memory.

Some people stand on high ground and look down, only to see that those rushing about are nothing more than韭菜 (chives, a metaphor for being exploited).

Only when you stand among this crowd will you realize that this is the best world.

It has joy and sorrow, but mostly regret.

"Uncle, could you take a picture for us?"

“I brought my girlfriend to Shanghai for a trip, and her mother asked me for a dowry of 400,000 yuan. My wife secretly took out her household registration book and wanted to marry me.”

Standing in front of him was a young couple, the kind who had just graduated from university. They had made a pact to see the Huangpu River when they turned twenty-four.

I will come again when I am sixty years old.

After Chen Pingsheng took a few photos with their phones, the young man and his girlfriend politely thanked him several times.

He then took out a bag of wedding candy from his small bag and gave it to him. The young man smiled and said, "Uncle, don't mind. We didn't have a wedding ceremony. This journey is our best wedding."

"Great, great, this is the best gift I received today."

Chen Pingsheng said, "Since I've accepted your wedding candy, I can't just leave without giving you anything in return. How about this, I have a small house here that I can give you, but it can't be transferred to your name. Once you're both over sixty and still together like this, the house will belong to you completely."

What is money?
It's just a tool, and for Chen Pingsheng now, it's merely a tool to bring happiness and a sense of security to his family.

To effectively manage money, the key is not to let it cloud your judgment or cause you to lose sight of your original intentions.

From the moment he was determined to make more money, his goal was to provide the best haven for his family.

This will remain true until the day he dies.

It's just that perhaps it will grow from a small family into a larger one.

We'll see how things unfold when he's alive.

The young couple paused for a few seconds, but then just laughed and didn't take it seriously.

You'll know how expensive houses are in Shanghai once you come here.

It can drive even a millionaire's salaryman to despair, let alone ordinary people.

Who would give them such an expensive gift on their first meeting?

That's absolutely impossible!
In fact, Chen Pingsheng's words were never empty promises.

Since he said he gave it to me, then he definitely gave it to me.

It was just a small apartment with three bedrooms and one living room, about 100 square meters. The secretary, Lin Qiunan, personally drove an Audi R8 to deliver the keys to them.

Then there's a sixty-year agreement: if the two of them are still holding hands and laughing as they watch the Huangpu River when they turn sixty, with their temples half-gray.

Only then can you truly own this house.

Right now, it can only be considered temporary accommodation without rent.

This feels a bit like your own father suddenly becoming the director of the lottery.

Then, the feeling of winning three or four times in a row felt a bit unreal and unbelievable.

He realized even more clearly that he had met a truly important person.

It's easy to talk about important people, but in reality, they are extremely difficult to encounter.

(End of this chapter)