A century-old wealthy family that rose from Shanghai

Chapter 8 Bad News

In the dark night, Chen Guangliang lay on the hard bed and thought.

After a month of traveling, he earned his first pot of gold. In addition to his own ability, he also had some luck.

The first pot of gold for every successful tycoon is quite varied. For example, the first pot of gold for the "Jiangbei Tycoon" Gu Zhuxuan was from making a lot of money and connections as a patrol officer. The first pot of gold for the "Taxi King" Zhou Xiangsheng was from unexpected wealth - he "picked up" a sum of money.
Chen Guangliang's first pot of gold came from "sponsorship" from university professors.

A full 200 yuan!
Chen Guangliang's plan was to first take out 100 yuan and then raise funds for two rickshaws; after the first two rickshaws were put into operation, he would continue to raise funds for two more rickshaws.

In this way, his team had four rickshaws, which was a good start.

With these four rickshaws in operation, Chen Guangliang believes that he will soon be able to join the middle class in Shanghai.

With good wishes and holding more than fifty dollars in cash tightly, Chen Guangliang began to fall asleep.

Early the next morning.

Chen Guangliang and Yang Qingshan came to Wang's house together and asked Wang Chengyun to return the deposit.

"What's wrong with you two brothers-in-law today? You just said you don't want to do it!"

Yang Qingshan smiled flatteringly and said, "Boss Wang, I have gathered some money and plan to buy myself a rickshaw."

When these words were spoken, many drivers showed envious expressions on their faces.

Wang Chengyun, instead of getting angry, laughed and said, "You two brothers-in-law are oversimplifying things. Don't you know that the Municipal Council stopped issuing new rickshaw licenses after 1924? There were only public rickshaw licenses issued in the entire concession that year. You can't even get a license, so what's the point of buying a rickshaw?"

Chen Guangliang and Yang Qingshan were stunned!

Isn't this even more difficult than Xiangzi's start? Even the license plates are already in the hands of certain rickshaw dealerships, so the rickshaw drivers have no chance of turning things around.

Seeing the two men were stunned, Wang Chengyun said again: "Let me tell you another piece of news. Now these 200 license plates are worth at least yuan each. If someone is willing to sell them, why don't you do it?"

Looking at Wang Chengyun's smug expression, Chen Guangliang felt like he had eaten a fly.

Yang Qingshan immediately said dejectedly: "I will continue to follow you, Boss Wang!"

He tried to signal Chen Guangliang, but Chen Guangliang remained resolute, saying, "I'm done with this. This job is too hard. I'm planning to change careers."

Wang Chengyun did not make things difficult for him. He was not short of people anyway, so he readily returned Chen Guangliang's deposit.

"Qingshan, your nephew is too impatient. He's only been here for a month and he's already thinking about making a lot of money."

"Yes, yes. Young people don't know how to behave. I don't care about them anymore."

"Well, he's just a nephew. There's no need to worry too much."

Yang Qingshan pulled the cart outside and caught up with Chen Guangliang who was waiting for him.

"Guangliang, you're too impulsive. Even though you have that money, you can't just sit back and enjoy it all!"

Chen Guangliang did not become depressed. After all, he still had his first pot of gold of 216 oceans.

"Uncle, you stay with Boss Wang for now. I'm going to go get some information. If I can't get a license, I'd rather drive a rickshaw."

"If you're caught, you'll be fined!"

"A rickshaw costs nearly thirty yuan a month to rent, which is equivalent to buying a new one in a hundred days. What's wrong with taking a gamble?"

He also drove a rickshaw for a month, but never encountered any rickshaw inspections. There was obviously a loophole he could exploit.

"Okay, you figure it out first, I'll do it here with Boss Wang."

"Well, second uncle, remember not to leak the news, especially not to let Boss Wang know."

"knew"

Chen Guangliang spent five dollars to buy a decent Zhongshan suit, and spent another sixty cents to buy a pair of cloth shoes with double soles.

After putting on all the clothes, he immediately looked more stylish.

Although he doesn't look like a rich person, he at least looks like an ordinary citizen.

Afterwards, Chen Guangliang went to the Transportation Department of the Ministry of Works in the International Settlement to inquire about the situation.

The Ministry of Works, a government unit in the concession, was the highest authority consisting of a board of nine directors.

Before this, all nine directors of the Ministry of Works were foreigners, but this year three Chinese directors are expected to be added.

Therefore, a gangster tycoon like Du Yuesheng must have very much hoped to be elected. This was the highest goal that the Chinese in the concessions strived for.

"Who are you looking for?" As soon as I walked into the traffic department, I was stopped by a Chinese staff member.

"I'm looking for the head of the traffic department. I have something to discuss with him."

The Chinese staff member stepped forward, looked at Chen Guangliang, and then said rudely: "Do you have an appointment? Besides, do you know English? Do you need to see the section chief?"

It is obvious that the head of the transportation department is a foreigner.

“I know a little English.”

"What are you doing here?"

“license plate”

"With your English level, it's no use talking to our section chief. You can't communicate. By the way, what kind of license do you want?"

The Chinese staff immediately realized that Chen Guangliang only knew a few words at most.

Although Chen Guangliang was exposed, he did not blush, but said honestly: "I want to ask about the license plate of the rickshaw?"

"Come here"

The Chinese staff were quite enthusiastic, probably because Chen Guangliang was wearing a Zhongshan suit and could speak a little English.

Through the introduction, we learned that the Chinese employee was called Li Chao and was an employee of the Transportation Department.

"The licences for public rickshaws were issued in 1924, and the number is fixed at 10000. However, the licences are also time-limited. We will recycle some of them over a period of time, but we will not issue new licences to the public."

Wang Chengyun actually didn't lie to him, and things were indeed very bad.

But Chen Guangliang heard a subtle ulterior motive and asked, "Can I buy the license from you, perhaps at a higher price?"

Li Chao saw that Chen Guangliang was also a smart man, so he asked, "Which car dealership are you from?"

Chen Guangliang said: "I want to do this business, which is to run a car business."

Li Chao nodded without question and said, "There are over a hundred car dealerships in the entire concession, including the French Concession. With license plates costing less than 150, the competition is fierce. Since you're interested in joining, I'll tell you a way. We do have some license plates, but they cost yuan each."

Obviously, this is an internal benefit of the Transportation Department.

However, a license that costs 200 dollars outside only costs 150 dollars here, so this is obviously an opportunity.

"Can you register it under my name?"

"Yes, if you buy it from another car dealership, you naturally cannot register it, but if you buy it from us, it is naturally legal."

In other words, the rickshaw license plate cannot be transferred.

Transfers between other car dealerships are nothing more than written evidence, which is equivalent to the "resettlement housing" in later generations.

"Mr. Li, why are you willing to help me?"

Chen Guangliang suddenly asked a question.

But this problem is not surprising, because if a license plate costs around 150 yuan outside, it only costs yuan here. So the traffic department can easily collude with larger car dealerships.

Li Chao was very satisfied with Chen Guangliang's ingenuity and said naturally, "The higher-ups don't want the car dealership to have too much of a monopoly. Plus, we're all young, so I'd rather make the decision to sell it to you. Of course, my power isn't very great, so I can only make a few decisions."

It's not a big help. The price would be the same if sold to other car dealerships. It's just that Chen Guangliang left a good impression on him just now.

Chen Guangliang knew that sometimes when luck comes, you must seize it.

Therefore, he was not satisfied with just buying one or two license plates from Li Chao, but had other intentions.

He said, "Mr. Li, are you interested in a partnership? The rickshaw business is very profitable, and even the value of this license has room for growth."

Now it was Li Chao's turn to be surprised. The young man before him was a shrewd man. He lowered his voice and asked, "How much capital do you have?"

"I'll treat you tonight. How about we have a simple meal together?"

"it is good"

Chen Guangliang was very excited, although he appeared calm on the surface.

Because as someone from the Transportation Department, Li Chao is a network of connections, and it would definitely be a blessing for him if he could do business together.

Of course, it is impossible for other car dealerships to do business with Li Chao. After all, who would be willing to share their cake? And Li Chao doesn't seem to be a person with much power in the Traffic Department.

(End of this chapter)