The pier in Western District.
Lin Zhichao, Li Gaofu, Huang Tinggui and others were on the dock, eagerly looking forward to seeing that the cargo ship 'Eastern Traders' was about to arrive at the port this morning. Everyone was waiting at the dock with their staff, family and friends.
Lin Zhichao did not call his family and friends. He would not admit that the Eastern Traders cargo ship was his own ship because he only held 50% of the shares; at the same time, although he would fully participate in the operation of the ship , but he will not make a high-profile announcement that he is the boss of Eastern Traders.
There are many reasons why a low profile approach is best.
When the Eastern Traders ship approached the dock, everyone on the shore cheered. They found that the ship looked very beautiful, and it did not look like it had been battered by wind and waves for 31 years.
"It looks like a new ship! Oh my god, this ship is so big!" Cousin-in-law Chen Shufang exclaimed excitedly.
She never dreamed that her man would be able to achieve what he is today, even though his family was only one of the shareholders of this ship. Thinking of this, I couldn't help but look at my cousin Lin Zhichao, and then at my husband Li Gaofu.
Because she knows that her husband Li Gaofu is where he is today just because he met Lin Zhichao. Back then, she almost rejected Lin Zhichao. If it really turned out like that, she felt scared just thinking about it.
Fortunately, this is all true!
"Ah, mom, why are you pinching me!" Li Gaofu's eldest daughter Li Qian, who was waving her arms excitedly, was suddenly pinched by her mother and protested dissatisfied.
Chen Shufang said quickly: "Why are you making such a fuss? The impact is so bad!"
Lin Zhichao touched Li Qian's head and said with a smile: "Today is a happy day. Cousin, you are so lenient!"
He had been getting along with this girl for several months. At that time, because Lin Zhichao often liked to buy things for the landlord's family, the girl Li Qian liked Lin Zhichao's cousin very much.
When nine-year-old Li Qian saw that she had a backer, she immediately retorted to Chen Shufang: "That's right! My cousin didn't say anything, and my father didn't say anything!"
Chen Shufang was stunned immediately. She was very afraid of Lin Zhichao and felt a little guilty, and Li Gaofu respected Lin Zhichao very much. It could be said that if she offended Lin Zhichao, she herself was worried that her family status would be compromised.
Li Gaofu said immediately: "Yes, I couldn't help but yell a few times. This ship looks so majestic!"
The boat itself, which is thirty years old, is considered a relatively new boat in Hong Kong. In addition, the seller gave it a warranty and refreshed it, so it naturally looks updated.
The group of people spoke freely and all felt extremely excited.
What is a ship in this day and age?
It is a walkable asset.
In war years, as long as you have a ship, you can get out of the war. At that time, Wheelock had two 10,000-ton ships. When RB occupied the Shanghai stock market, Old Madden quickly returned the ships to Europe, saving Wheelock's most important asset. Because of this, Wheelock became one of the four major foreign banks after the war. You know, Wheelock was the last foreign company to be established.
The reason why the "Shanghai faction" is keen on shipping is because they are already frightened, so they like to buy ships and take refuge overseas at any time. As the saying goes, "If shipping succeeds, shipping will fail." This is the reason why there are few real estate tycoons in the Shanghai style.
If a Shanghai-style shipping tycoon develops shipping and real estate at the same time, the Bao family may not be the only one among the top ten real estate developers.
After all, in the 1950s to 1970s, a ship was a building.
The sunlight shining on the hull of Eastern Traders seems to indicate that this is a hen that lays golden eggs. Only Lin Zhichao knows how profitable this ship can be. Of course, this money is risky.
After the Eastern Traders stopped at the dock, everyone saw the whole picture. It was about 65 meters long, about 8 meters wide, and more than 5 meters high.
Thousand-ton cargo ships will naturally be smaller in the future container era; but in this era, the 1,200-ton Eastern Traders is not considered small, and there are also sea-going ships of about 300 to 800 tons.
"Come on, let's get on the boat for a visit!" Lin Zhichao said immediately.
He is considered the largest individual shareholder of this ship, and he has agreed beforehand that Lin Zhichao has been leading the operation of this ship for the past year. A year later, Fuhe Bank spent US$100,000 to buy Lin Zhichao’s shares.
"Yes, let's get on the ship and have a look. I didn't expect that 800,000 Hong Kong dollars could buy such a new ship. This ship is worth 1 million Hong Kong dollars." Huang Tinggui's face was filled with excitement. He was surprised. .
Lin Zhichao and Li Gaofu couldn't help but laugh. Naturally, they didn't disclose their "jumping orders" approach. After all, it was not an honorable thing. As for whether the two of them feel ashamed?
Don't be ridiculous. Are there any blood in Zi B's steamed buns?
What's more, it was the ship broker who teased the two of them first. If the two hadn't done a lot of homework, they might have spent 1 million to buy a 'problem ship'.
At that point, they become victims.
After arriving on the deck of Eastern Traders, Captain Liu Hu and his crew members greeted everyone.
"Boss Lin and Li, everything is going well with the Eastern Traders. The performance is very good and all facilities are well maintained. It can be put into operation immediately."
Lin Zhichao patted Liu Hu on the shoulder and said: "Captain Liu, you are indeed an old captain. We can rest assured that the ship will be left to you to pilot!"
This Liu Hu was the captain of the first trip to transport Weihaiwei trade, and he was poached by Li Gaofu. Lin Zhichao personally named him, because he felt that Liu Hu was familiar with the northern seas, which would be beneficial to Li Gaofu or Lin Zhichao.
After everyone visited the Eastern Traders account, the next step was to go through the registration procedures. Of course, the Eastern Traders account must be registered in Hong Kong and fly the Union Jack!
Lin Zhichao will also often participate in the operation and management of the Eastern Traders, which can be regarded as an early internship in shipping. After all, if Lin Zhichao wants to officially enter this industry, it will not be just a small ship of more than a thousand tons, but two large ships.
Lin Zhichao and Li Gaofu came to the Hong Kong government's ship inspection agency to apply for a certificate. Without this certificate, you can't even enter the port, and if something happens to the ship, the insurance company won't pay compensation.
In other words, once this certificate is obtained, Eastern Traders can start collecting goods and transporting them.
"Your cargo ship Eastern Traders is simply a piece of scrap metal. It cannot get a navigation certificate." The British ship surveyor said in a arrogant and official manner.
If it had been anyone else, his heart would have sunk, and he would have been frightened and overwhelmed. After all, such a ship is worth nearly one million, which is almost all the assets of the average ship owner. If it cannot transport cargo, it will be almost a disaster.
Lin Zhichao said in fluent English: "This truck was purchased from Xingdao Neptune Steamship. All aspects have just been overhauled, and its performance is very new." After speaking, he motioned to Li Gaofu.
Li Gaofu immediately came to Will's desk and handed over a big red envelope.
Sure enough, Will blatantly took out the pounds from the red envelope, counted them, and his expression immediately softened. After all, it was a full 500 pounds, which was more than his annual salary.
"Looking at the difficulty of starting your own business, I think we should issue you a certificate. Remember, annual inspection is required at the end of every year! As for the money, he will take it to the inspector for you and ask them to inspect it again for you tomorrow. Come sail the boat and get the license!”
"Thanks"
It must have been too much. Lin Zhichao and Li Gaofu looked at each other and saw it in each other's eyes.
After the two left, Will counted the banknotes again. After confirming that it was 500 pounds, he said happily: "These two fools! The ship is so new. If you go to the ship inspection agency a few more times, you can finally issue a certificate. Unexpectedly, They came up to give me a big gift. I drew 300 pounds and gave the rest to others."
Indeed, the Eastern Traders is a relatively well-preserved second-hand ship, and there is no problem in issuing the certificate. As long as people who have no problem with their English come to the ship inspection agency several times, these British ship inspectors will definitely give a certificate, otherwise they will easily get into trouble (complaints).
In fact, these people did not know that Lin Zhichao was deeply affected by it. In his heart, he believed that even if he was qualified, he still had to give gifts, otherwise he would definitely be made things difficult for him.
And Lin Zhichao no longer wants to be a grandson in this life. Why not spend it if he has money? A mere 500 pounds is regarded as the hard work of these British people, while others have traveled tens of thousands of kilometers to come to Hong Kong.
Get out of the ship inspection agency.
Lin Zhichao said: "Finally everything is settled and the goods can be officially shipped!"
Li Gaofu nodded and said: "Actually, it went smoothly. The main reason is that we have no problem communicating in English, and we are generous and quick. If we meet other Chinese shipowners, I don't know how much we will suffer here. These foreign devils are really greedy. ah!"
In his opinion, the Eastern Traders is so well-maintained that it will not make things difficult for her, just like other ships.
"Is there any way? What do you think is not the case?"
"Too!"
Next, the Eastern Traders will begin to set sail and make money, and the two of them will soon forget what happened today.
Tsuen Wan.
The second industrial building of Oriental Textile Factory was put into use. Tang Zhongyuan enthusiastically invited relatives and friends to visit. Lin Zhichao, as his son-in-law and partner, naturally came to congratulate him.
Oriental Textile currently supplies 70% of Cheung Kong Industrial's textile fabrics, and the other 30% is due to the use of imported textile fabrics. After all, European and American customers have higher requirements.
The textile level and technology in Hong Kong and Shanghai are not as good as those in Europe and the United States, and they still need some time to grow; even some high-end fabrics have always been in the hands of Europeans and Americans.
Tang Bingyuan pointed at the industrial building and said, "You are spinning on this floor, weaving on the second floor, and are you going to use the third floor as an office?"
This cousin of his has really found a good son-in-law. As far as he knows, Oriental Textile can make a monthly profit of 50,000 to 60,000 Hong Kong dollars, about half of which comes from orders from Cheung Kong Industries.
Now, he doesn't dare to peek at his cousin, because Yangtze River Industries' zippers have already entered Europe and the United States, and the future prospects are unlimited; with the development of Oriental Textile, it will naturally grow; moreover, the cousin seems to be a different person. As the war progressed, Dongfang Textile's products developed very well overseas.
Tang Zhongyuan said: "My son-in-law and I have cooperated in a garment factory - Yangtze River Garment Factory. We plan to move into the third floor as a production base in the future. There will also be a printing and dyeing factory in the old factory."
People around were surprised. Dongfang Textile was going to develop one-stop development of "spinning, weaving, dyeing and clothing"!
With this courage, he is already at the top of all his peers in the textile industry from Shanghai!
For a moment, everyone couldn't help but look at Lin Zhichao. After all, Oriental Textile not only undertook a large number of orders from Yangtze River Industries, but Tang Zhongyuan also received loan facilities from the Bank of East Asia because of his son-in-law Lin Zhichao.
Oriental Textile has received loans of 800,000 Hong Kong dollars (200,000 has been repaid), which is a treatment that many entrepreneurs do not have. The brand-new factory buildings, brand-new equipment, and excellent management system are all admired by those who came to visit today.
"Okay! Brother Zhong, this is an example for our textile industry in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is so big. They have to work hard to expand their products overseas." Tang Bingyuan looked happy for his cousin.
"My cousin is joking. Compared with your Nanhai Textile, Oriental Textile is a bit inferior." Tang Zhongyuan said modestly.
"You two brothers should stop being humble. You are both our role models. We must learn from them."
"Yes, it's no wonder that we are a textile family that came to Hong Kong to open up business so quickly."
Although they felt that Tang Zhongyuan had a good son-in-law and a local snake son-in-law, they still sent out congratulations because this was also a kind of ability.
When going back, Lin Zhichao was carrying his sister-in-law Tang Caiying. Because Tang Caiyun was about to give birth, she did not attend today's party. It happened to be Saturday, so Tang Caiying came to visit her new factory.
In the car, Lin Zhichao couldn't help but look directly at his sister-in-law. Her youthful and beautiful appearance made him feel a desire in his heart.
Of course, Tang Caiyun is only 20 years old this year, and she is also young and beautiful; but obviously, Tang Caiyun and Tang Caiying are not the same beauty.
"Brother-in-law, don't look!" Tang Caiying put her palm sideways, trying to cover Lin Zhichao's eyes.
Just like my sister said, my brother-in-law likes to 'look' at beautiful women. If I had known earlier, I would have taken the initiative to get in his car. His eyes are so scary.
Lin Zhichao held Tang Caiying's hand, then put it down, and said as if nothing was wrong: "Let me see what's wrong!" But he was helpless.
Other girls would be either angry or shy, but Tang Caiying is different. She likes to be more serious.
"It's okay, but you can't stare at others like this. It's so rude!" Tang Caiying took out the hand held by her brother-in-law, as if nothing was wrong, and instead educated Lin Zhichao.
Lin Zhichao was stunned, this girl is very powerful!
"Don't you want to know why I'm staring at you?"
Tang Caiying straightened her body and said matter-of-factly: "Because I am very beautiful! If you men want to see it, some of you will see it secretly, and some of you will see it openly. But brother-in-law, you are different, you stare at it shamelessly. .”
Good guy!
This girl may know a little bit, but she is indeed a master at pushing and pulling. With Lin Zhichao's appearance, how could Tang Caiying, as a girl, not understand his intentions, but she could pretend not to know and did not avoid Lin Zhichao.
Lin Zhichao was immediately speechless. He couldn't express directly, "Caiying, will you be my equal wife?" ’, if you say it like this, there will be no chance of relaxation. After all, even if Lin Zhichao is very good, it is still very difficult for others to be equal wives.
Seeing that Lin Zhichao no longer looked at her or spoke, Tang Caiying suddenly showed a victorious smile. In fact, she did not understand Lin Zhichao's deeper meaning, but she knew that her brother-in-law liked to look at beautiful women and was quite lustful.
However, she doesn't hate her brother-in-law, so she won't be angry.
"Brother-in-law, am I more beautiful or my sister is more beautiful?"
"Both are beautiful, Xin'er is beautiful too!"
Normally, looking at the three beauties is a pleasure to the eyes, and they seem to be in a good mood.
After hearing this answer, Tang Caiying was not satisfied. She immediately grabbed Lin Zhichao's arm (not held it) and shook it.
"Can you only choose one?"
Lin Zhichao turned around and looked at Tang Caiying. This time Tang Caiying deliberately straightened her back, which almost made Lin Zhichao lose his temper.
"In my heart, your sister must be the most beautiful! But I have to admit that in the eyes of the public, you are a little bit more beautiful."
"Tch, a man who talks what he means!"
Lin Zhichao immediately blushed and was looked down upon by others. Although Tang Caiyun was beautiful, she was indeed inferior to Tang Caiying. Of course, Tang Caiyun's personality was more suitable for the first wife.
Later, in order to regain face, Lin Zhichao quietly grabbed Tang Caiying's hand. Now it was Tang Caiying's turn to blush slightly.
This is different from looking at each other. After all, my sister said, "My brother-in-law likes to look at beautiful women," which means that my brother-in-law will look at many beautiful women. But the current situation is that her brother-in-law came to grab her hand, and she found that she had a glimpse of her brother-in-law's courage.
Tang Caiying quickly withdrew her hand and said, "Stop having sweet dreams!"
After saying that, he did not forget to cast a warning look.
Lin Zhichao was immediately defeated by Tang Caiying and could only admit defeat temporarily. After all, he knew that the difficulty was indeed high.
These eldest ladies in Shanghai have a relatively high level of education and are not actors like Meng Xiaodong, so it is difficult for them to accept being a 'concubine'.
However, Lin Zhichao was not disappointed. It was obvious that Tang Caiying had a good impression of him. Therefore, it is only a matter of time for both parties.
Although Tang Caiyun is also in trouble, as a rational woman, she will not have any problems. After all, the Lin family has a small family and a large industry, so someone needs to share the pressure for her.
In the evening, the Lin family and the Tang family had dinner together at a high-end restaurant in Central.
During the dinner, Song Qiaoling was inevitably proud of what happened today, because she had once again won a match in front of Wen Jinmei.
To be honest, Lin Zhichao has nothing against this kind of 'comparison' between women. On the contrary, it is quite interesting. What's more, in Song Qiaoling's words, she and Wen Jinmei have a long history, and they can't be compared.
But then again, Tang Bingyuan entered politics in the 1960s, and Tang Xiangqian later entered politics. Lin Zhichao was wondering whether he should support his father-in-law in the future and make some achievements in politics.
"Wen Jinmei lives in a bigger house than ours now, but it's still rented. There's nothing to be proud of." Song Qiaoling said proudly.
Tang Zhongyuan shook his head, showing helplessness to his wife.
Lin Zhichao immediately curried favor with his mother-in-law and said, "Don't worry, mother-in-law. Next year we will go back to Mid-levels and buy a building as a family, a single-family house with a garden."
During this period, the Mid-levels area was the highest-level residential area for Chinese people.
Apart from Ho Tung, there are no Chinese living on the top of the mountain. The main reason is that the Chinese still like to keep their tail between their legs and don’t want to be high-profile;
Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay are currently too remote and will gradually become wealthy areas in the future.
Therefore, Mid-Levels Mountain is the best choice in this era.
Song Qiaoling immediately beamed with joy. The more she looked at her son-in-law, the more she liked him. He was the most pleasing to her among the people present.
However, she was not a woman who did not know what was right and wrong. She said: "Let's forget it. Oriental Textile still owes a loan of 600,000 yuan. Your father-in-law has worked hard enough. It's okay for me to enjoy the blessing in a few years."
Tang Zhongyuan suddenly showed an expression of shame.
Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "A loan of 600,000 yuan is not too much. I can make it back in one year. But father-in-law, how much money do you still have on your account?"
After hearing this, Tang Zhongyuan perked up.
He likes to do business with this son-in-law, he is so visionary and well-planned.
"Not much, less than 150,000 Hong Kong dollars!"
Lin Zhichao said casually: "Try to convert it into US dollars as much as possible, and the same is true for subsequent income, unless it is used. After World War II, the pound was going to depreciate. After resisting for so many years, when I went to the UK for inspection, I found some problems. We Make more preparations to at least preserve the value of the U.S. dollar."
What he said is true. The British economy was in poor condition after World War II, and some people had been betting that the pound would depreciate. But now four years later, the pound is still strong. So no one expected that they wouldn’t be able to handle it this year.
Tang Zhongyuan immediately nodded and said, "Yeah."
Afterwards, Lin Zhichao didn't say much, but Song Qiaoling knew that her son-in-law would be satisfied with her living in a single-family house next year.
(End of chapter)
