A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

The next day, Chen Guangliang received an invitation from the Commander-in-Chief to attend a casual banquet.

Chen Guangliang was naturally very familiar with this person and went to the banquet without any hesitation. Upon arrival, he discovered that Mu Ouchu was also attending the banquet.

Mu Ouchu is an older generation industrialist, textile maker, and philanthropist who is now also entering politics.

After the three sat down, someone served them simple food and drink, without any extravagance or waste.

The Commander-in-Chief began by saying, “Mr. Chen, we have been waiting for you for a long time. I know that you have done a lot for the cause of resisting Japan and saving the country, including setting up sugar factories, alcohol factories, textile factories, and food factories in the rear. I have also heard that you have been supporting Professor Tang Feifan, who invented penicillin, and have secured a lot of medical aid for our country. This time, you have resolutely come to the rear to serve the country. Your spirit is truly commendable and admirable! Tonight, I will only invite you and Mr. Mu Ouchu to dinner. Mr. Mu can testify that if you come to the rear to do business, you will have access to raw materials, manpower, and favorable policies!”

These words made Chen Guangliang feel a little smug, but fortunately he quickly calmed down.

"Commander-in-Chief, in addition to ensuring that the existing factories continue to operate without interruption to provide resources for the war effort, I have also ordered 120 trucks from the United States, which will be delivered from Rangoon and used to make the Burma Road smoother."

"That's good. Here's what I'll do: I'll give you a written order to ensure your caravan has unimpeded passage."

This imperial edict is probably not very effective, but it's better to have it than nothing. Moreover, Chen Guangliang plans to take some time to visit Yunnan and seek the support of the warlord.

However, he wasn't really doing it for the money.

"Thank you for your support, Commander-in-Chief! Furthermore, I have another idea: to use all the profits from my factories in the rear, the concessions, and Hong Kong to establish a charitable trust company for the war effort and relief until the war ends. I would like to ask the Commander-in-Chief to suggest a name for this charitable organization!"

Chen Guangliang had this idea on the plane.

In recent years, he had earned tens of millions of US dollars through speculation in the concessions, which was enough for his post-war commercial capital.

Although the profits earned by all the companies are still very high, they are not so important to him anymore. Now that there are still five years left until the end of the war, let's use these profits for charity!
The Commander-in-Chief and Mu Ouchu were both shocked. Putting everything else aside, they knew that Chen Guangliang owned three factories in the rear—those were definitely money-making machines. To be honest, the Nationalist government was actually very envious of the sugar and alcohol factories, but they couldn't just directly seize them by force.

"Is that true? I've heard that your factories are top-notch factories in the rear."

“This is no child’s play. I will also invite government officials and respected figures in society to participate in the supervision of this charitable trust.”

The Commander-in-Chief exclaimed, “You have made tremendous contributions to the country. I know you don’t have a courtesy name yet, so let me give you one. Your courtesy name is ‘Ning’an,’ and the charitable trust will also be called the Ning’an Foundation.”

"Thank you for bestowing the name and title upon me, Commander-in-Chief. I will certainly develop the Ning'an Foundation into a charitable organization that benefits society and the country."

"well"

That evening, the Commander-in-Chief was also very pleased. He took out paper and pen and even wrote an inscription for the Ning'an Foundation.

Chen Guangliang was happy to relax. Over the years, he had made a lot of "speculation money," which was actually the money of speculators in the Shanghai Stock Exchange. He felt at ease robbing these speculators.

But for the next five years, he didn't want to keep the profits from the factories back home anymore; he decided to donate them all to charity. Of course, the factories in Hong Kong and the concessions also had a year's worth of profits that could be used for charity.

News of Chen Guangliang's meeting with the Commander-in-Chief quickly spread through Chongqing's financial and business circles. While it cannot be said to have elevated his reputation and status (because Chen Guangliang was already the top businessman before the War of Resistance), it did create a sense of "the return of a king."

Moreover, as everyone knows, Chen Guangliang's three factories are making a lot of money in the rear, practically like money-printing machines.

Therefore, there is much discussion in the business community.

Yu Qiaqing: "I heard that this guy made a lot of money speculating in the Shanghai stock market. Looks like he's made enough!"

Du Yuesheng: "He was truly a business tycoon."

Liu Hongsheng: "I am far inferior to him! What I lack most in running my factory is money, while he has no shortage of money."

Amidst the discussions among his business associates, Chen Guangliang has begun organizing the 'Ning'an Foundation'. Although these factories are all under the umbrella of Ping An Bank, Ping An Bank is actually Chen Guangliang's 'private bank', and the few shareholders are just there for show.

Chen Guangliang holds 92.5% of the shares, Yan Zhiduo holds 5%, and the remaining shareholders hold 2.5%. Over the years, these shareholders have actually received more than ten times the return by borrowing money, while Ping An Bank has gradually written off these loans as 'non-performing loans'.

Therefore, Chen Guangliang will gather all the profits from these factories into the Ning'an Foundation without any resistance.

However, he has already instructed Ye Ximing and his team to exchange this year's profits for US$120 million, plus the import of 120 trucks (US$30); therefore, the profits for the remaining two months of this year will naturally not be transferred to the foundation.

However, the foundation needed funds to be established immediately, so Chen Guangliang decided to use a portion of the gold that Ping An Bank had exchanged for the 500 million yuan of legal tender it had received from the sale of its commercial properties in Chongqing.

This portion of the funds consists of gold worth US$100 million. However, Chen Guangliang only needs to contribute a portion, namely US$30 worth of gold, which corresponds exactly to the remaining two months' profits—400 million yuan (at most more).

"Brother Liang"

"dad"

At the airport in Chongqing, Chen Guangliang greeted Yan Renmei and her son, who were running towards him, with a happy expression. Yan Renmei excitedly rushed into Chen Guangliang's arms, drawing the attention of those around them.

"It's good as long as it's safe, it's good as long as it's safe!"

The two embraced, finally releasing the tension they had been feeling lately.

The main reason is that Chen Guangliang always regarded airplanes as a "monster," and Yan Renmei was influenced by this and also maintained a fear of airplanes.

Immediately, Yan Renmei's face flushed slightly as she separated the two. This was the first time she had acted so "out of line" in public.

"Aside from some turbulence, the plane didn't encounter any other dangers, and it was really much more convenient."

"Well, it might be because my thinking is too rigid, that I believe airplanes are an unsafe mode of transportation."

"You're just thinking about safety, right? Besides, being in the sky with your feet not on the ground can feel really bad."

After chatting for a few minutes, Chen Guangliang patted his eldest son Chen Wenjie's head.

"Good lad, did you show any manly responsibility this time?"

Chen Wenjie is already over seven years old, and he has a maturity beyond his years. He said, "We're scared, Dad!"

Yan Renmei added from the side, "Wenjie isn't afraid at all, and he always takes care of me."

Chen Guangliang happily picked up his eldest son and then walked towards the motorcade. Since they were now in the capital, Chen Guangliang adhered to the concept of 'saving on vehicles,' using only two cars: one for his own family and one for his servants and bodyguards, making no waste.

Upon arriving at the villa in Nanshan, Yan Renmei immediately picked up her two youngest sons, her eyes slightly red. Friends and relatives envied her, saying she had given birth to three sons, and she considered them her own lives, placing great importance on the education of each child.

"Okay, our family of five has finally arrived in Chongqing safely. This time we can live peacefully for four or five years until the war ends. Today, let's celebrate properly."

"Yes, it's worth celebrating."

Afterwards, the maids began preparations. The four maids who came to Shanghai were brought from Hong Kong and then from Chongqing. In fact, these maids had families, but they followed the Chen family, and their families in Shanghai were also taken care of (monitored) by the Chen family, so they lived a worry-free life.

After Yan Renmei washed up and came downstairs, Chen Guangliang greeted her with a smile, took her hand, and said, "Renmei, you're so beautiful!"

The way modern people interact made Yan Renmei feel very romantic, and also a little shy. She said, "Thank you for the compliment, Brother Liang."

Despite being married for over eight years, the couple did not grow tired of each other; on the contrary, their relationship remained excellent.

The sons were already used to it.

Afterwards, the family began to enjoy lunch.

“Renmei, you probably won’t be idle this time in Chongqing. I have donated all the remaining profits from the factories in the mainland to establish a charitable foundation. Madam Chiang has agreed to be the honorary chairman of this foundation, so you will be the chairman and be in charge of our Chen family’s charitable work.”

When Madame Chiang heard that it was a matter that would benefit the country and its people, and that she could also make a name for herself, she readily agreed to serve as the "honorary chairperson." She did not have any specific duties, but she had the right to supervise the charitable foundation to see if it was truly doing charity work.

Upon hearing this, Yan Renmei said, "Of course I want to do such a thing, but the work involved is enormous, and I'm worried that I won't do it well enough!"

"Don't worry, I am also a standing director. The other standing director is Guo Deming, who is usually in charge of the specific work."

After returning from studying abroad, Guo Deming served as Chen Guangliang's 'secretary-general', so it was only natural that he was now in this position.

"Okay, that puts my mind at ease!"

Throughout the entire process, Yan Renmei showed no reluctance whatsoever. She knew Chen Guangliang's inner thoughts and fully supported him.

The Ning'an Foundation was established quickly, and its first tranche of funds, more than 400 million yuan in gold, was prepared immediately.

On the day of its founding, the Ning'an Foundation prepared a charity dinner and invited celebrities from Chongqing to attend. Although the Commander-in-Chief did not come, he sent Madame Chiang Kai-shek. H.H. Kung attended with his wife. Also present were Minister of Transportation Zhang Gongquan and his wife, Vice Minister of Transportation Lu Zuofu and his wife, Yu Qiaqing, and others.

At the conference, Chen Guangliang introduced relevant information about the Ning'an Foundation.

"The initial capital for the Ning'an Foundation is gold worth 4 million yuan. Starting from January 1st next year, all profits from eight factories, including the Xin'an Sugar Factory in Neijiang, the Xin'an Alcohol Factory in Zizhong, the Xinfeng Textile Factory in Chongqing, the Vitasoy Factory in Chongqing, the Xinfeng Textile Factory No. 1 and No. 2 in Shanghai, the Vitasoy Factory in Shanghai, and the Xinfeng Textile Factory in Hong Kong, will be injected into the Ning'an Foundation. I believe that under the leadership of the Nationalist government, we will definitely achieve victory in the War of Resistance and become a great power in the world (hypocritical). What I have done is only what I should do. Thank you all!"

The crowd applauded.

There are probably over four hundred guests here today, all of whom are prominent figures in the city. Of course, some people came with their wives after seeing that Madame Chiang Kai-shek was there.

Subsequently, Madame Chiang Kai-shek delivered a speech on behalf of the government, roughly expressing her strong support for such patriotic and people-loving actions, while also praising Chen Guangliang's contributions to the rear-area industry, and so on.

Next, there will be a 'charity segment,' where Madame Chiang, Madame Kung, Madame Chen, and others will donate an item for a charity auction.

This part was discussed in advance with Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Madame Kung, and others, and participation was voluntary.

The two also gladly donated a piece of jewelry for auction, with the proceeds going to help military families. The auction was also announced in the Oriental Daily News.

The gestures of Madame Chiang and Madame Kung are valuable in themselves, but their prices have been driven up due to their husbands' connections. Both women were very satisfied and had smiles on their faces the whole time.

Yan Renmei then took out a string of gemstone necklaces, which were very beautiful and valuable, and were being hyped up, but the price was slightly lower than that of the jewelry worn by Madam Chiang and Madam Kong.

Everyone present was a shrewd and intelligent person!
In short, the charity banquet that evening was a great success, and the Oriental Daily News publicized the event extensively the following day.

At this time, the Oriental Daily News had already been taken over by the D branch of the Nationalist government, and its shares were 40% government-owned, but Chen Guangliang didn't care.

The next day, Lu Zuofu found Chen Guangliang.

"Mr. Chen, your 100 million yuan investment in the shipping industry has made a lot of money over the years. Since you're here in Chongqing this time, we'll give you 150 million yuan in profits. If you'd like to manage it, you can also manage these ships!"

Chen Guangliang's investment of 100 million yuan back then was a real sum. Lu Zuofu purchased a total of six ships, two of which were large passenger and cargo ships on the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

"The rate of return is very high. It seems that Vice Minister Lu is indeed a shipping magnate in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. His ability to operate shipping is admirable."

In fact, Lu Zuofu's Minsheng Company operated far more than just shipping, encompassing various industries including factories, land transportation, and finance. During Liu Xiang's era, he was already the "Director of the Construction Department" in Sichuan, and he was now the Vice Minister of Transportation in the Republic of China.

Lu Zuofu laughed and said, "This is hardly a high return. However, the legal tender has depreciated quite a bit, and I feel a little ashamed. In fact, your shipping assets made a great contribution during the great evacuation in Yichang. These are things that truly benefit the country and its people. Of course, two of the six ships were destroyed, but fortunately, the two largest ones survived."

Chen Guangliang said with satisfaction, "As long as there is a contribution, the profit is actually irrelevant. However, of the 150 million profit, I will invest 100 million into the Ning'an Foundation. As for the remaining 50, could Mr. Lu help me purchase a ship? This ship will mainly be used as a cruise ship to tour the scenery along the Yangtze River. As for the shipping assets, Minsheng Company can continue to operate them. I have no interest in operating shipping on the Yangtze River."

"How big of a ship does Mr. Chen want?"

"A ship over 30 meters long, with 200 horsepower and over 100 tons would be most suitable. As a cruise ship, it will continue to be operated by Minsheng Company, mainly to open scenic routes along both sides of the Yangtze River from time to time, similar to foreign tourist cruise ships."

Lu Zuofu asked, "Not as your private cruise ship?"

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "Wouldn't that invite scorn? My idea is that operating such cruise ships can not only generate profits and allow funds to continue to be used for charity, but also make money from the rich and keep the funds circulating; on the other hand, it also allows people to experience the great beauty of our motherland."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zuofu was immediately intrigued and said, "This is a great idea. I'll have Minsheng Company make the preparations."

"well"

Lu Zuofu could tell that Chen Guangliang was a man who truly regarded money as dirt. He had never asked for dividends from the 100 million yuan he had invested back then. During this time, Lu Zuofu had contacted Chen Guangliang to ask for dividends, but Chen Guangliang refused.

In fact, with these ships, Minsheng Company expanded its scale considerably—the profits generated from the six ships were used to purchase new vessels, and many of the foreign ships left in the Yangtze River were bought by Minsheng Company at cheap prices. (End of Chapter)