Li Heng is the grain and oil business that the Chu Family started with. It was through the grain and oil business that Chu Yiu- Chu Yaozong built the Chu Family into a leading figure among the Chinese in Hong Kong. Later, as he acquired more and more titles and his business ventures expanded, Li Heng Company was handed over to Chu Xiaozhong to manage. This is the main reason why Chu Xiaozhong is regarded as the next head of the Chu Family.
Today's trading companies are no longer like they were in the early days of Hong Kong's opening to trade. As long as you had goods and ships, you could set up a shed at the dock, hang up a sign for a certain trading company, and do business. Now, Chinese trading companies follow the example of British companies, registering companies, choosing company addresses, and paying more attention to their company image. The scenes of bosses and employees crammed into warehouses, shirtless, unloading goods together are no longer seen.
Although there are still manual laborers working at the docks, Accounts Room for various businesses, and warehouses, the boss no longer needs to go to each dock every day to check the goods and accounts. The people at the company headquarters no longer need to go to the docks to load and unload goods. Therefore, the employees of Liheng Trading Company on Murray Road in Central are all dressed in Western-style clothes, with smart hats and shiny leather shoes.
Chan Ah-sap arrived outside the building where Li Heng Company was located at around 7 a. m. Even though the employees inside had already started cleaning, he didn't dare to step inside. He just craned his neck to look at the street, waiting for Chu Xiaozhong to come to the company by car. His eyes were so eager and anxious that he looked like a woman missing her husband. There was not a trace of the aura of a gangster Big Brother.
At 8:10, a Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn pulled up precisely Xiamen, Chu Xiaozhong, dressed in a sharp suit, stepped out of the car.
Unlike the cheap Ford 49 that Chu Xiaoxin bought like a toy, this Silver Dawn was ordered by Chu Xiaozhong from Britain. Ever since the Britain royal family switched their cars from Daimler to Rolls-Royce immediately became the favorite of high-ranking officials and wealthy businessmen in Britain and its colonies. Although even the Governor of Hong Kong could not buy the Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, which was only available to royalty and heads of state, buying a Silver Dawn, which was of noble lineage and came from the same lineage as the Phantom IV, was no problem at all.
In Hong Kong, Justice of the Peace of the Peace are now embarrassed to go out without a Rolls-Royce.
Chu Xiaoxin drives Ford 49, while Chu Xiaozhong drives Rolls-Royce Silver Dawn. This clearly shows the brothers' status in the Chu Family – their cars reflect their personalities.
"Young Master Zhong." Chan Ah-sap didn't dare to rush over, but instead stood at a distance and called out loudly with a forced laugh.
Chu Xiaozhong turned his head and saw Chan Ah-sap, smiled, and stopped in his tracks. "Ah Sap, you're here so early? Is something the matter?"
Chapter Forty-Nine: See Clearly
When Chu Xiaoxin returned to the Chu Family, Chu Yaozong had just finished washing his body with the Self-combed Maid and changed into a Tang suit to prepare for tea. Every morning at seven o'clock sharp, Chu Yaozong would get up and practice a set of Hakka Boxing routines in the garden without fail. After finishing a routine, his training clothes would be soaked with sweat.
Of course, Chu Yaozong was not a martial arts master; he only knew this one set of boxing techniques, which he used specifically for fitness.
"Father." Chu Xiaoxin walked into the living room carrying a floral bundle that clashed completely with his suit, and greeted Chu Yaozong, who was sitting on the sofa drinking Ginseng Tea and flipping through some documents and newspapers.
Chu Yaozong turned his head and saw Chu Xiaoxin sitting on the sofa below him. He was somewhat surprised. His Second Son never sat too close to him unless there was a reason. He would avoid him like the plague, afraid that he would be scolded. Why was he acting so strangely today? He actually came back from outside so early in the morning?
Chu Xiaoxin placed the bundle on the coffee table, untied it, and revealed fourteen gold bars inside. "Father, do any of your acquaintances in the merchant guild own gold shops? I'm planning to sell some of my gold."
"Where did this gold come from?" Chu Yaozong asked, glancing at the floral-patterned wrapping.
"It was a gift from the head of a triad. I plan to have his gang manage the business at the docks for my Likang Trading Company," Chu Xiaoxin said respectfully to Chu Yaozong. "After selling this gold, I plan to help the trading company acquire a new ship."
If his son said he would buy him another car or help a singer become famous, Chu Yaozong would believe him. But when Chu Xiaoxin said he would help Likang Trading Company get a ship, Chu Yaozong couldn't believe it was something he should say, even if Chu Yaozong said it to him himself.
"Did your secretary, Song Tianyao, teach you to say that?" Chu Yaozong stirred the ginseng slices in his tea with the lid, took a sip, and asked Chu Xiaoxin casually.
Chu Xiaoxin was also self-aware and didn't immediately insist it was his idea. He probably knew that even if he insisted, his father wouldn't believe him, so he simply confessed:
"Recently, many Foreign Devil -owned companies have been involved in smuggling, and the British Hong Kong Government has relaxed its crackdown on smuggling considerably. So A-Yao advised me to add a ship and do some pharmaceutical business with Macau or Shenzhen."
"I've never seen you so dedicated to the business before. This little bit of gold, does it really require Uncle En to make a special effort? No need. It's rare to see you care about the business, Uncle Yan." Chu Yaozong glanced at the fourteen gold bars and called to Uncle Yan, who was standing at his sides in the living room, "According to today's gold price in the newspaper, collect Ah Sin's gold bars and give him cash."
"Understood, sir." Uncle Yan walked over from behind, smiled at Chu Xiaoxin, picked up the gold bar to check its purity, then put it down, turned, and left the living room. A short while later, Uncle Yan took out several stacks of thousand-yuan bills and placed them in front of Chu Xiaoxin.
"Young Master Shun, here is seventy-eight thousand yuan."
Chu Xiaoxin hummed in agreement, not bothering to count the money, and let Uncle Yan take the gold and its bundle away. Chu Yaozong, flipping through the newspaper, continued to ask:
Is there anything else?
A-Yao told me that there are two ways to grow a business in Likang Trading Company: one is fast, and the other is slow, and asked me which one I would choose.
"Fast means smuggling, slow means you can register or acquire a Western medicine pharmacy?" Chu Yaozong's eyes never left the newspaper, as if he already knew what the fast and slow methods were.
Chu Xiaoxin nodded. "I plan to choose the fast approach first, make some money, and then proceed with the slower method he suggested."