A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Winter in this mountain city is damp and chilly, no wonder people from Sichuan love to eat chili peppers, yet they have such great skin.

During the daytime, Chen Guangliang brought his family to Duyou Street, the most bustling commercial district in Chongqing, to shop and have hot pot.

This street clearly reflects the changes brought about by Shanghai businessmen:

When Guanshengyuan came to Chongqing, it brought the top baking bread and cookie technology to the area, and business was booming. It even had "agents" in the county towns of Sichuan.
Vitasoy has come to Chongqing, bringing the most delicious 'White Rabbit Milk Candy' and nutritious 'soy milk powder' to Sichuan. The products have also been sold throughout the entire rear area.

Of course, besides food, there are many more financial and industrial sectors.

In fact, since 1938, the industrial output value of the three years that moved westward was equivalent to the industrial output value of Sichuan in the previous 30 years.

On Duyou Street, seven properties invested by Ping An Bank are also quite conspicuous. These properties were successively purchased by institutions such as Huaxia Bank, Bank of Communications, and Zhongnan Bank, and used as their Chongqing headquarters.

These seven buildings are all two- or three-story reinforced concrete structures with underground vaults. These financial institutions, relocating westward, urgently needed these properties for their offices.

While strolling around, Chen Guangliang suddenly approached a security guard maintaining order and asked, "Sir, do you know how to get to the nearest air-raid shelter?"

A security guard in his thirties or forties saw Chen Guangliang and his family and immediately said respectfully, "Sir, Madam, there is no air raid siren now, you don't need to go to the air raid shelter."

"I just want to go and take a look, to familiarize myself with the place beforehand!"

"Then come with me."

It's only a couple hundred meters away. The people who designed the air-raid shelter naturally knew the importance of Duyou Street, so one of the entrances and exits is located near here (Jiaochangkou, Shibatidi).

"This is called a large tunnel air-raid shelter; it can hold several thousand people!"

Chen Guangliang nodded, then had his bodyguard give him a small tip.

As Chen Guangliang stepped into the air-raid shelter in the large tunnel, he felt a chill. He had visited this place in Chongqing in his previous life, and it seemed that tens of thousands of people had died here in 1941.

"Brother Liang, what's wrong?"

Chen Guangliang shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I just wanted to check if there are any safety hazards in this air-raid shelter."

At this moment, a person who looked like a 'safety personnel' said, "Sir, this air-raid shelter will not pose any safety hazards. It has many exits, and the interior is interconnected. Some of the exits lead to the suburbs. There are also ventilation openings inside the shelter, equipped with blowers to regulate the air inside."

Perhaps seeing that Chen Guangliang's family was extraordinary, as they were accompanied by bodyguards when they went out, the security personnel began to introduce them.

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, "Since I came in, I've already noticed some safety hazards. The slope at the entrance is steep, and the path is muddy; the ventilation blowers seem to be rarely checked, and there's a lot of dust; there's no rescue phone inside the cave, so in case of suffocation or trampling, we can't send anyone out."

"May I ask you are?"

The members of the protection team immediately asked questions earnestly, as if Chen Guangliang had come to inspect from higher-ups.

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "Don't worry about my seeking refuge in Chongqing. I will communicate with the people above. I'm not here to cause you any trouble."

"Yes Yes"

As they stepped out of the air-raid shelter, Chen Guangliang said to Yan Renmei, "The Ning'an Foundation is about to allocate funds to eliminate safety hazards in this large tunnel air-raid shelter. I will also contact the relevant departments and responsible persons."

Yan Renmei, who is now in charge of the foundation's funds, knew that her husband must have discovered a major hidden danger. She immediately said in support, "Yes, air-raid shelters are very important. If a large number of people flood in and stampedes and suffocation occur, it will be a major disaster."

Chen Guangliang nodded. This time, he would fund the investigation of potential hazards. Even if such a day were to come, there would be a way to make an emergency call from inside. The ventilation openings would be improved in both quality and quantity, more blowers would be added, and the entrances and exits would be paved with cement (to facilitate faster escape).
I don't strive to be perfect, but I strive to have a clear conscience.

However, there were some things he simply couldn't intervene in, such as the Henan famine of 1942. First, Henan was still being requisitioned for grain by the Nationalist government at the time. Second, there was no water transport, so distant water couldn't quench immediate thirst. Finally, as the War of Resistance entered this stage, overseas grain channels and grain from other provinces could no longer circulate.

Therefore, some things can be intervened on if you can, and if you can't, you can only let history continue.

A few days later, Chen Guangliang, carrying the Commander-in-Chief's order, found Jiang Kui, the Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Chongqing Air Defense Command, and went to the site for an on-site inspection.

He can now directly contact the Commander-in-Chief and receive private audiences at any time. Because this is a matter of great importance, Chen Guangliang is also worried that his subordinates will not take his suggestions seriously. Only with the Commander-in-Chief's written order can the Chongqing Air Defense Command take it seriously enough.

“Commander Jiang, look at this exit. It’s muddy and slippery. If there’s any chaos inside, people will inevitably be pushed out of the opening, which will cause people to slip and fall, and eventually lead to a stampede.”

Jiang Kui looked around and said, "Mr. Chen, according to air defense regulations, once the gate here is closed, you cannot leave."

He was somewhat inexplicably dragged to the scene by Chen Guangliang, but Chen was now a favorite of the Commander-in-Chief, and he couldn't afford to offend him.

Chen Guangliang said, "What you're saying is true. If there's suffocation inside, people will collapse in droves. At that time, everyone's thought would be that they would rather be bombed to death by fighter jets than die in that kind of painful way. Everyone will definitely rush out of here."

Jiang Kui asked, "Are there many ventilation openings here?"

Chen Guangliang said directly, "I know a lot. Have you considered what would happen if the Japanese bombing lasted longer, say four or five hours, and the ventilation shafts were blocked? I hope Commander Jiang can listen carefully to the many problems I have discovered. After all, if a safety hazard occurs here, thousands or even tens of thousands of lives will be lost."

Jiang Kui also became serious and said, "Alright, Mr. Chen, please!"

Chen Guangliang then pointed out many potential air defense vulnerabilities, and Jiang Kui became increasingly serious.

Chen Guangliang specifically suggested reinforcing the ventilation shafts with reinforced concrete and adding more blowers; installing telephones inside for guards to watch over, and also installing telephones at the entrances to maintain communication.
Later on, Jiang Kui added his own ideas. He was in charge of building the air-raid shelter, so he was naturally very professional.

Finally, Chen Guangliang promised that the Ning'an Foundation would provide 30 yuan to conduct a safety hazard investigation of the air-raid shelter and make improvements.

Jiang Kui was naturally pleased that someone was offering to pay, since it would be difficult to secure funding from the government.

Chen Guangliang was naturally very happy. After all, if he could really stop this disaster, even if no one knew that someone was making sacrifices, he would feel very satisfied.

On this day, Chen Guangliang and his wife were again invited to a banquet by the Commander-in-Chief, along with Tang Feifan and his wife, who had returned from the United States. In early 1937, Tang Feifan had just been able to confirm the efficacy of penicillin through experiments; subsequently, Chen Guangliang gave him some funds, allowing him to apply for protection from the South Whale government and to apply for a patent and further support in the United States.

Because Tang Feifan happened to be an international student in the United States and had his own network there, he quickly gained attention from all sides, including support from the military.

The reason is simple: there are already experimental results, such as the successful extraction and crude purification of penicillin, which is the "world-shaking result" on site.

The Commander-in-Chief and his wife attended the banquet, which clearly shows how much he values ​​Tang Feifan.

Of course, Tang Feifan and Chen Guangliang had an agreement not to reveal his understanding and contributions to penicillin, but only that Chen Guangliang was a staunch investor from the beginning.

"I invited everyone here today because I was amazed at how much the Chinese people can make in medicine. I've heard that penicillin is now known as 'soft gold,' it's extremely precious. It's not just the United States that needs it now, but also Britain and the entire Allied nations. In particular, Britain sent a letter of thanks to Professor Tang for his invention."

The British were bogged down in the war and shared the same roots as the Americans, so the main customers for penicillin were the British, followed by the Allies. As for China, they simply couldn't afford much of it.

But what is certain is that the United States has already begun mass production using culture media made from corn flour, a step that is about three years ahead of the previous life.

Tang Feifan sighed and said, "When I first discovered the British paper, Mr. Chen invested a lot of money to set up a laboratory for me. This research and development lasted for six or seven years, and the funding was never lacking. So when I obtained the patent, it was already quite smooth."

The Commander-in-Chief smiled and said, "Mr. Chen always has a vision that surpasses others; he is truly remarkable."

This is true, as everyone knows. Before other factories even moved west, Chen Guangliang's factory was already built and in production. When everyone else's factories moved west, the difficulties along the way became much greater.

Chen Guangliang quickly replied, "I don't deserve such praise. It's just that I'm young and interested in some things and taking risks."

"Haha, that's true. Others don't dare to move west, but you opened your factory in Sichuan ahead of time, which will be of great use in the war effort."

"I dare not accept such praise. It is everyone's responsibility to resist the Japanese invasion and defend our homeland."

These are just polite words; as long as your family's safety is guaranteed, anything is negotiable.

Next, Chen Guangliang added, "Given Professor Tang's contributions, he is destined to win the Nobel Prize in Medicine. This is not just an award, but a recognition that since the Industrial Revolution, we Chinese have finally invented our own things, and every Chinese person will feel proud of that."

Everyone was incredulous; the reason behind this was something no one had thought of for the time being.

“Great, I think this Nobel Prize in Medicine is definitely going to Professor Tang.”

Tang Feifan quickly said, "Actually, the earliest paper on penicillin was written by the British."

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "But he gave up the research, otherwise it wouldn't have taken so long to come out. After all, China's equipment and scientific research are still far behind those of Britain. Of course, I think it should be a joint achievement. Professor Tang definitely got it, and the British got it second, which is also a good thing."

In fact, a Chinese person had been nominated in 1938, but nomination is one thing, winning the award is another.

If the Nobel Prize in Medicine hadn't been suspended from 1940 to 1942, Tang Feifan might have won it within those two years.

But now penicillin is proving incredibly effective on the battlefields of our allies, and the West will surely award it.

Next, the Commander-in-Chief said, "Penicillin is too important to our country. The reason for inviting Professor Tang back to China is that we hope we can also produce penicillin."

The commander-in-chief knew that penicillin could cause wound infections. Soldiers might not need it, but for officers, it was a lifesaver.

Professor Tang said, "No problem. When I return this time, I will definitely cultivate penicillin as soon as possible. The relevant equipment has already arrived in Yangon, and I hope the Commander-in-Chief will transport it back as soon as possible."

“This is a special case, and I have given Dai Li a strict order to take charge. We can bring it back to Chongqing this month.”

Seeing this, Chen Guangliang said, "The Ning'an Foundation is willing to contribute funds to continue supporting this cause!"

The Commander-in-Chief laughed and said, "Very good!"

With Tang Feifan's current skill level, after a period of practice in the United States, and with access to equipment, excellent strains, corn culture medium, etc., China will soon be able to produce tens of thousands of units of penicillin, probably next year.

In his previous life, he also produced 5 units in 1943. In this life, he produced them two or three years earlier, but in the United States, it was three years earlier.

In fact, Tang Feifan had already made significant progress in 1935, but on Chen Guangliang's advice, he continued to refine the product discreetly. It wasn't until early 1937 that he formally applied for a patent in the United States and published a detailed paper, which caused a huge sensation.

Of course, the subsequent purification, high-yield strains, and mass production all depended on the support of the United States.

At the behest of the Nationalist government, Tang Feifan opened up his patents to the United States, thereby securing US government aid for Chinese medicine. Throughout the entire process, neither Tang Feifan nor Chen Guangliang profited.

Now that China has obtained high-quality bacterial strains and imported culture media, a batch of penicillin will soon be produced in China, which will be good news for the soldiers on the front lines.

However, China still does not have the ability to independently mass-produce green plums, not even Japan, the Soviet Union, or Germany; only the United States does.

When she got home, Yan Renmei's eyes were still filled with admiration. She had actually known for a long time that her husband was helping Tang Feifan, but today she thought of a possibility: her husband might have been the one to propose the idea of ​​penicillin, but he was not the one who developed the technology.

"Okay, some things put a lot of pressure on me too. After all, an individual's strength is insignificant. Don't think of me as so great!"

Yan Renmei's expression changed, and she reassured her, "You're right, an individual's strength is insignificant, so you shouldn't feel too much pressure. Besides, since we firmly believe that the War of Resistance will be won, we should just do what we can!"

She knew many things, such as that the War of Resistance against Japan was expected to end in 1945 because the Japanese would drag the United States into the conflict and bring about their own destruction; more importantly, after the victory of the War of Resistance, there would be a civil war in China, and her family had to move to Hong Kong to develop their business and avoid getting involved in it; at the same time, they needed to settle down in Hong Kong and firmly believed that Hong Kong would remain stable, so developing real estate was the best foresight.

Yan Renmei's views were naturally instilled in her by Chen Guangliang, who worried that if he suddenly passed away, the family business would come to an abrupt end. Therefore, as long as Yan Renmei remembered these words and took her three children to Hong Kong to develop her business, with the real estate assets he left behind and the genes of her children, she would at least not lose to the Li family of Hong Kong.

Of course, these were merely foolproof preparations; Chen Guangliang would never put himself in danger. (End of Chapter)