Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 911 The Iron Lady's Wrestling and the Beginning of the Economic Crisis

Max's expression remained unchanged even after hearing the refusal. He said, "Mr. Yang, so many refugees desperately need work. Can you really bear to watch them suffer like that?"

"Shouldn't they just be using Hong Kong as a transit point to get to Europe and America?" Yang Wendong retorted. "Do you mean that hundreds of thousands of refugees are planning to live in Hong Kong permanently? How can Hong Kong, a single city, accommodate so many refugees?"

Actually, the area where the Vietnamese monkeys live is not very close to Hong Kong. It is not easy for refugees from there to come over on their own. So although there are some, the impact is not significant. Even if a few hundred or a few thousand come, it doesn't matter to Hong Kong.
The problem is that some Western countries encourage the rescue of refugees, and then somehow, they have designated Hong Kong as a transit point for refugees. A large number of refugees are being transported to Hong Kong in an organized manner by European and American countries. Then they delay their own progress in absorbing refugees, which ultimately leads to a large number of refugees remaining in Hong Kong.
This not only places a huge financial burden on the Hong Kong government, but also creates enormous instability for Hong Kong society in the future.
Max said, "That's natural, but it may take some time for some Western countries to catch up."

“Then I’m even less capable of doing anything. Even if I were to recruit people, it would be for the long term, not the short term.” Yang Wendong replied, taking the opportunity to back down. “Or is it that the Hong Kong government is planning to keep these refugees permanently? If that’s true, then we can discuss it further.”

Max quickly replied, "Of course not, they're only on a short-term basis. I'm hoping you can provide them with some short-term jobs."

Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "That won't work. Our company only hires workers for long-term employment."

He concluded that Max would not dare to admit that he wanted to keep these refugees in the long term. Even if the Hong Kong government reached some agreements with Western countries, it would certainly not dare to make them public. Otherwise, there would definitely be an uproar in Hong Kong.

Of course, there are quite a few people in Hong Kong society today who are similar to the "saintly liberals" of the past, which is very annoying.

In a large forest, you'll find all kinds of people; this is unavoidable in any place.

Max understood Yang Wendong's meaning and immediately said, "Alright, I hope your company will consider this matter if there is any need in this regard."

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Max left.
Su Yiyi, who had been listening in the background, noticed that there were fewer people around and whispered, "The governor has just taken office, and we haven't shown him any respect. Is that a bit inappropriate?"

“I can give them some face, but this kind of thing is absolutely unacceptable. Our plan is to relocate Hong Kong’s industries in the next few years.” Yang Wendong shook his head and said, “If they are Chinese refugees, then I can help them in other ways, but they are not of my kind. Why should I care so much? I would rather use that energy to do charity work on the mainland.”

He was willing to help many Chinese immigrants in Hong Kong during the 60s when they were in trouble; now he can't be bothered with these Vietnamese bastards.

Su Yiyi then asked, "Didn't you also donate some money to help with the famine in Africa?"

"That's to give face to the International Red Cross Charitable Foundation. Such a big thing happened, we have to show our appreciation appropriately," Yang Wendong said. "Even the mainland, which is short of foreign exchange, has donated some. Some things, once they reach a certain level, are unavoidable."

In the 1980s, Africa experienced an unprecedented famine, with an estimated 10,000 children dying of starvation every day. It was one of the greatest disasters in human history since World War II.

Globally, the International Red Cross, various national departments, celebrities, and many others have begun fundraising, and many large companies are bound to join in as well.

Yang Wendong also owns several large companies in the United States, so he naturally has to give face to the US government and the Red Cross Society, and make appropriate donations, which can be deducted from taxes anyway.

Su Yiyi said, "Yes, that's true."

Yang Wendong added: "The money I donated through the US-listed company did not go directly to the International Red Cross and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Instead, I placed an order with Changxing Trading Group to buy Asian grains and send them to Africa."

I'm also thinking of trying to establish some connections with Africa so I can sell them grain on a long-term basis. If I can control costs well, even with lower profits, it could still be a good market.

Africa may be poor, but with such a large population, it still needs a lot of food. These markets are controlled by the four major giants, ABCD, etc., but it is not absolutely impossible to find opportunities.
After all, the United States is a major advocate of global free trade in this era, and as long as its prices are lower, there is an opportunity.

Su Yiyi asked, "Africa? Do they have foreign exchange?"

Yang Wendong said, "That's why we got Changxing Trading Company involved, to see if they have anything other companies need, and the trading company can act as a middleman."
I just wanted to give it a try. Whether it works or not, nobody knows. If it does, great; if not, oh well, it's not a big deal.

Although those African countries are notoriously difficult to deal with, they are still sovereign states. If we can exert significant influence over them through various trade channels, it would be a good thing, and even if things are a little worse, it wouldn't be a bad thing.

The banquet continued, and it was clear that Hong Kong's wealthy community, whether Chinese or British, was not very welcoming of the refugees from outside. This was a rare instance of unity between British and Chinese businesses in Hong Kong.

The entire banquet only raised a little over HK$30 million, far short of the Hong Kong government's original target of HK$100 million.

It's been a long time since many wealthy people have had such a large gathering, so they took the opportunity to chat about everything from the real estate market to the global political landscape.

"Bao Sheng, you look at least five years younger than I did last time," Yang Wendong joked after meeting Bao Yugang.
Bao Yugang laughed and said, "Haha, Mr. Yang is joking. I've been spending all my time at home playing with my two kids lately, and I'm in a great mood. It might have really affected my appearance a bit."

"That's normal. When people are happy, they laugh and are cheerful, which is very good for their health," Yang Wendong said, raising his glass.

Maintaining a cheerful mood is truly beneficial to one's health; conversely, if one is in a bad mood, or experiences anxiety or depression for a long time, it can cause real harm to the body.

The root cause is likely related to hormones released by the brain. Yang Wendong is not sure of the specifics, but he maintains a cheerful mood, sleeps well, eats well, and exercises moderately to keep himself healthy.

"Perhaps. After having my son, I did feel more energetic. It's just a pity that by the time they grow up, I will be completely old." Bao Yugang sighed and said, "It's a shame that in vitro fertilization technology was invented ten years earlier."

Yang Wendong said, "It's not too late. With our wealth, as long as we don't develop those rare and serious illnesses, we can live for a long time. Also, we should not overwork ourselves and should delegate authority appropriately."

Many wealthy people in their past lives, if they hadn't died of cancer or some rare diseases, would have lived to around 90 years old, such as Buffett, Soros, Li Ka-shing, Lee Shau-kee, the gambling king, and so on.
There are actually some methods involved that cannot be disclosed to the outside world;
Even if they get cancer, super-rich people can prolong their lives for a long time. For example, a wealthy man in mainland China was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, a highly malignant disease. Most people would die in a few months, but he lived for 5 years at the age of over 70.

Bao Yugang nodded and said, "Yes, I won't pursue wealth too much anymore. We have enough for now. My Bao family will be worry-free for at least five generations. There's no need to make any more trouble. So, apart from the existing businesses, I don't plan to expand excessively. However, I plan to invest in bioengineering."

"Biotechnology?" Yang Wendong was also taken aback for a moment, and said, "You mean, investing in similar companies overseas?"

Bao Yugang said: "Yes, for example, some top universities in Europe and America have done research in this area, but many projects are too expensive. If I sponsor some, maybe we can get some results ahead of time."
It might not only benefit super-rich people like you and me, but also hundreds of millions of ordinary people, right?

Penicillin, which was expensive back then, is very cheap today. My youngest daughter was saved by penicillin when she had a fever as a child.

"Hmm, that's a good idea. Actually, I've been planning on that too," Yang Wendong said. "I'll invest in Europe and America as needed, but I'd like to focus primarily on investing domestically. What do you think?"

Many ancient emperors were shrewd and capable in their early years, but became senile and incompetent in their middle and later years. This was largely due to the change in mentality caused by aging, which is why many emperors engaged in alchemy in pursuit of immortality.

As a modern person, he naturally understands that immortality is impossible, but if biological gene technology is improved, it is still possible to extend lifespan by a few years or make the body healthier.

Today, Yang Wendong often feels this way: the most important thing now is not making money, but health.

No matter how much wealth you have, if it can be exchanged for health or a few more years of life, then it's all worth it.
“Investing in the mainland? The mainland's foundation is much weaker,” Bao Yugang retorted.

Yang Wendong said, "I know that, of course, but there are many talented people in the mainland, but they lack equipment. We can provide sponsorship, which is complementary."

The rewards for achieving results go beyond just financial gains; the intangible benefits to health make it even more worthwhile.

However, it depends on the project and the team. We could start by contacting top universities in mainland China like Tsinghua, Peking University, and Fudan University, what do you think?

“Sure, it’s only a few companies anyway, it won’t cost much.” Bao Yugang thought for a moment and agreed, “Besides, many infectious diseases are rampant in the country, and I was planning to raise another sum of money, so let’s do it together now.”

“Yes, let’s go together then. There are indeed many infectious diseases on the mainland that pose a huge hidden danger, and they could affect Hong Kong at any time,” Yang Wendong agreed.

In disaster relief, apart from sudden natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, infectious diseases are the most troublesome, even more so than droughts.

In China, public health is still quite poor. When people born in the 80s were young, very few of them didn't have roundworms. Although roundworms aren't life-threatening, they are enough to detect other infectious diseases, and there are bound to be many.

Bao Yugang asked, "When can we go back to China together and discuss it with people in Yenching?"

"Let's wait and see. Things are a bit sensitive lately." Yang Wendong shook his head and said, "Thatcher is about to visit Beijing. If we go around the same time as her, it won't be good whether we do anything or not."

However, even if neither you nor I go, we can send someone to discuss the previous cooperation matters first. At the very least, we can take stock of which infectious diseases are currently rampant in the country, which require emergency aid, and which projects urgently need research funding or equipment imports. Once this is determined, our subsequent actions will be much easier.

Thatcher is about to visit the mainland to discuss the Hong Kong issue, and the world's attention is focused on this. On one side is the mainland, which has been on good terms with the West since the reform and opening up, and on the other side is the United Kingdom, which has just defeated Argentina. The importance of Hong Kong is known to the world, and the outcome of this meeting will have a great impact on the future global situation.

In this context, Yang Wendong also had to avoid suspicion, because there was no need to talk about other things at this time; they could wait until the storm had passed.
Bao Yugang nodded and said, "Alright, anyway, it's no use for you and me to go directly first. We'll just be responsible for paying."

"Well, let's talk about it after the negotiations are over," Yang Wendong replied.

He had been looking forward to this day for several years and had been preparing for it for years.

After the banquet, Yang Wendong held an internal meeting and strictly prohibited his companies from hiring Vietnamese people, even if they were cheap and had some education.

At the same time, there will be some monitoring of suppliers. If a supplier hires a small number of people, that's fine. But if it's a large number, we will gradually give up cooperating with them.

However, these were all verbal orders without any written implementation. After all, such things could cause a stir if they got out, so it was best not to make a fuss.
Although my abilities are limited, I absolutely cannot let the Vietnamese refugees discover that there are plenty of high-quality jobs in Hong Kong, otherwise even more people will come, which will only make Hong Kong's future more problematic.

Time quickly passed to the end of September, and as in history, Thatcher went to Yanjing, where the negotiations naturally failed.

When Thatcher left, she did indeed stumble, just like in the original history, but even more seriously;

In the past, he had been helped up by others, but this time he was not. He fell hard, scraped his knees, and was photographed by reporters.

The photo quickly spread to Hong Kong and other parts of the world.

As a result, the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong immediately plummeted, and many blue-chip companies, especially those involved in trade and real estate, experienced sharp declines.

There is no clear index on housing prices, but a wave of selling has already begun. Many real estate agents have started receiving requests to sell quickly, and at the same time, many large companies have also begun to liquidate their properties.

Hong Kong is once again experiencing an economic crisis that occurs on average every ten years.

PS: Please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)