A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chen Guangliang visited the Western District and inspected the warehouse of Global Trade, accompanied by Wu Hao, Yang Xiaohu and other management members.

Wu Hao explained from the side, "Boss, Xiangfa Warehouse is the largest grain warehouse in Hong Kong. We have deployed elite personnel here to ensure the grain is well preserved. Furthermore, our Global Trading is not only the largest grain trader in Hong Kong, but we have also expanded our business to Japan, Shanghai, and other regions."

Everyone present was very excited when the topic of this business came up.

In Hong Kong's food trade, Global Trading was one of the first companies to help the Hong Kong government stabilize food supply, and it has since grown into Hong Kong's largest food supplier.

What Global Trade did next surprised all its competitors: it shipped grain to Japan for sale and then transported Japanese steel back to Hong Kong and sold it in mainland China. Global Trade made a considerable profit from this trade.

Chen Guangliang walked into the warehouse and casually checked the preservation of the grain. The overall condition was relatively good.

But he quickly noticed some problems and said seriously, "Is the rat problem serious?"

Inside the warehouse, there were cats, but they were leashed and served more as a deterrent; in addition, some mousetraps were also installed.

The person in charge quickly said, "We take the rat infestation very seriously; it's not too severe. It's just that the grain silo is quite large, so we've implemented various preventative measures, including..."

Overall controllable and well-managed, this is the assessment given by Chen Guangliang.

However, he still said, "People in Hong Kong are not even getting enough to eat right now, so we can't let rats have a full meal. Therefore, we need to strengthen our defenses against rat infestations and not let our guard down."

"Ok"

In fact, Chen Guangliang's concern for such details was a way of indirectly telling his subordinates that he was a boss who paid close attention to details, and that they had better be more careful in their work.

After inspecting the grain warehouse, Chen Guangliang picked up the warehouse's ledgers and sat down to carefully review them. The entire management team and grain warehouse staff dared not utter a sound.

With his years of business experience and exceptionally sharp mind, Chen Guangliang eventually found some problems in the ledgers. He summoned the relevant personnel, confirmed that they had been overlooked, and then gave them a severe scolding.

Everyone says that Chen Guangliang is a good boss. His companies have an extremely low turnover rate and thousands of long-term employees. Some even say that if one person works for the Chen family, the whole family can eat their fill.

But all the employees also understood one thing: Chen Guangliang's temper wasn't good either. If anyone made a mistake, he would yell at them, and sometimes he would even call the management in the middle of the night to berate them.

But one thing is certain: Chen Guangliang's scolding is never without reason; it must be because he found that you did something wrong. Over the years, there may have been one or two times when he scolded someone wrong, and Chen Guangliang even humbled himself and apologized, which became a well-known story in the industry.

"You have to be careful in your work. These assets belong to all of us. It's like if the company deducted ten dollars from your salary, would you feel comfortable?"

Everyone lowered their heads, learning a lesson.

"Alright, admit your mistake and correct it immediately. I don't want to see this error happen again. Also, this issue should be reported to the entire company so that everyone can learn from it."

Wu Hao immediately stepped forward and said, "Okay."

Enterprise management cannot be lax, nor can it neglect the details of management; only in this way can it achieve long-term healthy development.

Of course, managing a company cannot be done by being "strict" all the time; it cannot only talk about the effort but also about the return.

That afternoon, the management team of Global Trade gathered together, but naturally, the heads of various offices were unable to come to Hong Kong for the meeting.

"Manager Liu, please give us a report on the asset situation of Global Trade!"

Finance Manager Liu Zhaolin is from Guangdong and has been with Global for seven or eight years. He gave a report with a hint of excitement.

"Global Trading began operations in November 1945 with an initial capital of HK$1 million. By December 31, 1946, Global Trading's total assets had reached HK$495 million, nearly a five-fold increase. Financially, this was primarily due to the strong support of Ping An Bank. Operationally, Global Trading had several highly profitable 'single items,' including 'ballpoint pens,' which initially earned the company HK$800,000 in profit; grain trading; tung oil; pure steel basins; automobiles; steel; and pharmaceuticals."

It's hard to imagine that in just a year and a half after the war, Global Trade had already accomplished so much. Of course, this was also thanks to the foundation laid by Global Trade's predecessor—human resources and connections.

In the tung oil business, Global Trading built a tung oil processing plant in Changsha and sold tung oil from the mainland to Western countries through Hong Kong.

Steel basins (helmets), cars, and other items were all surplus war supplies from the United States. Global Trade originally lacked the financial strength to operate in this sector, but Ping An Bank provided a loan, and the US side allowed installment payments, essentially making it 'cost-free operation'. Of course, Ping An Bank also earned considerable interest income, and the US side disposed of the surplus supplies.

The steel business currently mainly involves trading scrap steel (weapon scrap) from Japan to Hong Kong and Shanghai.

After listening to the financial report.

Chen Guangliang began by saying, "The pace of development is quite fast, but we cannot be complacent. While ensuring our business in the mainland, we must not forget our development in Southeast Asia. Of course, this period of rapid development will also bring some problems, which we must correct in a timely manner."

Trade is all about the flow of goods between different regions. For example, Ye Hongying, a Shanghai merchant with large capital, directly imported goods from overseas and wholesaled them to connoisseurs, who then wholesaled them to retailers. These connoisseurs, however, did not wholesale directly to retailers. Their company, Yuanlaihao, was a large wholesaler engaged in import and export business. Goods imported from Japan included sea cucumbers, abalone, shark fins, dried scallops, dried shrimp, and kelp, while exports included timber, cotton, jellyfish, daylily buds, and wood ear mushrooms.

Today, Global Trade has expanded its business even further, aiming to develop into a global trading company.

The subordinates calmed down and then offered their opinions and suggestions.

Wu Hao then said, "The war on the mainland has always given us a sense of unease. We don't know when our business on the mainland will be unsustainable. So, trade with Southeast Asia is actually a 'substitute' for our core business. In addition, once trade with Southeast Asia stabilizes, we can open up trade channels with Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Europe."

Upon hearing this, no one present objected—after all, the boss had been staying in Hong Kong for a long time, and as the bank explained, the business environment in mainland China was subject to change. As people close to him, how could they not have any sense of crisis?

After discussing development...

Chen Guangliang said, "Although Global Trade has made a lot of money, there will be no dividends this year, and the funds will be used as capital for further investment. However, there will still be year-end bonuses."

Everyone agreed, after all, a company is meant to grow bigger and bigger; if the money is divided up, how can it grow?
Global Trade has more than 40 shareholders, all of whom were among the first beneficiaries, meaning their investment has increased fivefold.

Chen Guangliang continued, "The company plans to raise another batch of new shares, valuing Global Trade at HK$500 million. We will raise HK$50 from internal employees, mainly those who joined in the last year or so. For those who don't have enough funds, the amount can be deducted from their future salaries in installments. You need to do this work carefully. Let everyone know that doubling our investment in three years is not difficult. This kind of investment is not easy to come by. If there is insufficient subscription, we will not distribute the shares; the existing employees will subscribe again."

In the past year, more than 200 new employees have joined. Chen Guangliang hopes that everyone will participate and treat Global Trade as their own career.

Wu Hao immediately said confidently, "Don't worry, boss, this is a happy thing for everyone, and everyone's enthusiasm will definitely be very high."

Liu Zhaolin also said, "The company's employees all know the advantages of Global Trade, such as the strong support of Ping An Bank, the support of Global Shipping, and your strategic planning behind the scenes. Everyone is definitely willing to take advantage of such a good thing."

Chen Guangliang smiled and said, “Good. Trade is different from other things; everyone’s sense of responsibility is very important. In addition, the company’s pension system should also be put on the agenda. After all, I hope that every employee can have a secure old age. This ‘secure’ doesn’t mean relying on children, but on a sound system. Also, whenever there is a surplus of working capital in the company’s account, we can purchase properties in Southeast Asia such as Sing Tao and Kuala Lumpur. As our business expands to those areas, we can purchase local properties. These properties can be used by ourselves or rented out, forming a virtuous cycle in the long term.”

Everyone took notes; this was a major development plan for the company.

Every time Global Trade establishes an office, it will need office buildings, warehouses, and other properties. Rather than leasing, it is better to buy them, and it can also be an investment property purchase.

Wu Hao then asked, "Properties in Hong Kong?"

Chen Guangliang waved his hand and said, "Don't consider properties in Hong Kong; we can just lease from our sister company."

"Ok"

As a result, both Time Pictures and Global Trade own a large number of properties in Southeast Asia, which can be considered as an expansion of their overseas business.

Two days later, exciting news spread within Global Trade: the year-end bonus plan for this year was as follows: employees who joined before November 1945 would receive three months' salary as a year-end bonus, equivalent to fifteen months' salary; while employees who joined after November 1945 would receive one to two months' salary as a year-end bonus.

Upon hearing the news, employees of Global Trade were excited. "Three months' salary! The boss is so generous! Haha!"

"I heard that the company's capital has increased fivefold. If anyone is willing to sell their shares, they can buy and sell them internally. Shares that originally had a face value of 10 yuan can be sold for 50 yuan."

"My goodness! My HK$1000 investment is now worth HK$5000!"

"Do you want to sell them? I'd like to buy some!"

"Go away. I think it's not enough. Everyone knows that our global trade has even greater potential."

"I knew it. But the company is planning to issue another batch of new shares this time, so maybe I can buy some."

This sentiment resonated among Global Trade's employees, with long-term staff overjoyed and highly motivated. New employees, while envious, soon received a glimmer of hope: the company was preparing to issue another batch of new shares, and importantly, a portion of them could be deducted from their salaries in installments.

This move undoubtedly increased the sense of belonging to the company among the nearly 300 employees, because what is most needed in trade is "our own people".

Several new employees also started chatting privately.

"If our salary is 100 yuan, deducting 30 yuan each month won't affect our lives. We're allowed to deduct it all over in three years, which is equivalent to investing 1000 yuan in shares. If we're even bolder, we can deduct 60 yuan each month, which is equivalent to investing 2000 yuan in shares. What's more, I heard that the shares can be traded internally, meaning they can be sold to the company, so these shares can actually be cashed out."

"Yes, it's a rare opportunity. Global Trade is doing so well right now, and its assets might double in another year. Our investment has also doubled."

"Doubling your assets in a year is difficult, given how much you have now, but doubling them in three years is no problem at all."

"Therefore, we should not waste the opportunity to subscribe to new shares."

Almost all the new employees thought it was a rare opportunity and decided to buy new shares.

The employees of Global Trade have a very high level of education, and many of them are fluent in English, so their salaries are generally higher.

Before the Lunar New Year, Zhuang Zhujiu brought his wife and two children to the Chen family for a gathering.

On the sofa in the living room, Chen Guangliang teased Sheng Qi, "How could you bear to leave Shanghai and come to such a small place as Hong Kong?"

Although she is an elder, she is only Yan Renmei's godmother and there is no direct kinship between them; moreover, they have been familiar friends for many years.

Sheng Qi said with a smile, "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes. My husband is in Hong Kong, so naturally I have to bring my children here."

That statement is correct. Zhuang Zhujiu was entrusted with an important position by Chen Guangliang, serving as the general manager and executive director of Times Film Industry, which meant he held considerable power.

Today, Times Pictures' assets are estimated to be close to ten million Hong Kong dollars, mainly due to the value of its properties in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia. Secondly, its film production, distribution, and theater network are also very valuable.

In recent years, the scattered shares of Times Pictures have been gradually acquired by Ping An Bank. Chen Guangliang and Ping An Bank together hold more than 40% of the shares, while Sheng Qi and Zhuang Zhujiu also hold 23%.

This means that the two companies now hold 65% of the shares.

Sheng Qi then added, "There's something going on about you in Shanghai's business circles. Do you want to hear it?"

Chen Guangliang laughed and said, "I'm not blind in Shanghai."

The implication is that he has informants in Shanghai, namely his own younger brother, who travels between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Sheng Qi insisted, "Everyone is saying that your trip to Hong Kong to recuperate is a pretense, and your real intention is to move to Hong Kong. As a result, many people are considering developing a secondary business center in Hong Kong to prepare a backup plan for themselves."

"pretty good"

Although they are not 100% reliable guides, everyone has at least been more cautious.

Sheng Qi then asked, "Will this situation really escalate to an uncontrollable level?"

Chen Guangliang said directly, "Anyway, you'll follow your husband wherever he goes, so don't worry about anything else."

He usually doesn't say things outright. Some people might analyze it, but he also listed two possibilities.

Sheng Qi was still curious, but when Zhuang Zhujiu placed a hand on hers, she stopped.

Zhuang Zhujiu understood that Chen Guangliang only told those kinds of things to his closest relatives. He happened to have heard it before, but when he told his wife, he didn't describe it as so terrifying. He just used the "risk of war" to get his family to reunite.

It wasn't that Zhuang Zhujiu was deliberately trying to hide it, but rather that he felt the timing wasn't right. Some things wouldn't be as authoritative if they weren't said by Chen Guangliang.

If the situation on the battlefield truly reverses and becomes clearer, then he can persuade some relatives to come to Hong Kong, which will be more convincing.

Right now, I'm not that nervous!

On the other side, Sheng Qi couldn't help but smile as he watched his 12-year-old daughter, Zhuang Yuanzhen, interacting with Chen Wenjie.

As a father, Chen Guangliang was certainly concerned about such matters. He didn't oppose the two families' matchmaking, but he would definitely respect his son's wishes. As someone from a later era, he had seen many wealthy families go astray because their parents interfered in their relationships—for example, in his previous life, Guo Bingxiang and his confidante maintained a lingering relationship, and Li Jiajie even chose not to marry and opted for surrogacy.
Therefore, although Chen Wenjie and Zhuang Yuanzhen are childhood sweethearts, their future is still up to them to decide.

At this moment, Sheng Qi called out to Zhuang Yuanzhen, "Yuanzhen, your brother Wenjie is about to go abroad to study. Learn more from him. When you go to university, we will also send you to America. Then your brother Wenjie can take care of you."

Good grief, isn't this just stating the obvious?!

Zhuang Yuanzhen blushed, but fortunately Chen Wenjie said generously, "Yuanzhen is coming to the United States to study at university. I might still be a junior, but I'm already familiar with the American environment. Don't worry, Grandma!"

After the two left, Yan Renmei said, "Godmother, the two of them are from different generations!"

Sheng Qi laughed and said, "If you don't agree, and if Wenjie doesn't agree, then let's pretend this never happened. But if you're going to bring up seniority, that won't work. What about Aunt Thirteen and Huang Feihong? Besides, we're not really related."

Yan Renmei then said, "I respect the children's own opinions."

Same meaning as husband.

Zhuang Zhujiu quickly stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "It's too early to talk about the future."

Chen Guangliang nodded as well.

In fact, he knew that Zhuang Zhujiu's children must have suffered greatly in their previous lives, especially during those ten years, when the family had essentially been wiped out.

If it weren't for his intervention, they would have suffered countless hardships.

Of course, in this life, since they came to Hong Kong to develop their careers, and with the added benefit of their ancestors, they can be considered a good match.

But he still insisted on not interfering in his children's marriages, as long as Yan Renmei's four sons didn't marry foreigners. (End of Chapter)