In the evening, the Lin and Tang families had dinner at a high-end restaurant.

Tang Zhongyuan introduced the second South African customer he harvested, and his joy was beyond words. Because these customers are all large customers, an order is almost an order of one or two months last year, and Scott alone has expanded the scale of the Yangtze River Garment Factory by 50%.

To be honest, Hong Kong's garment factories were generally developed in the late 50s. It was not until the early 60s that the former Lai Yan Garment Factory could purchase a three-storey industrial plant on Castle Peak Road. This also illustrates a problem, the money earned from opening a garment factory in the 50s may not necessarily rise higher than the land and factories.

The Changjiang Garment Factory is currently at the level of annual profit of about 200,000 yuan, which is not very profitable, but it is the largest garment factory in Hong Kong, and it is also an earlier garment factory.

"Father-in-law, how much cash does the Yangtze River Garment Factory have in its account?"

Tang Zhongyuan said with a smile: "You, the major shareholder, are too, and you don't even know how much money you have." Since the opening of the factory, we have invested a total of 600,000 Hong Kong dollars, all out of our own pockets, and we have not touched the money in the account. So in the early part of the year, I earned a total of 175,000 Hong Kong dollars, mainly because after receiving orders from South Africa, it began to rise rapidly. ”

Lin Zhichao did not check the accounts, but paid a full 450,000 Hong Kong dollars. With a total investment of 600,000 Hong Kong dollars, Xiangjiang Garment Factory is the only one, and almost all of the garment factories in this era have invested tens of thousands, or even thousands of Hong Kong dollars.

For example, for a garment factory with more than 100 people, an investment of 100,000 yuan is enough.

"Father-in-law, I think so, let's inject another 50,000 Hong Kong dollars into it. Take out 200,000 Hong Kong dollars of it, and then buy some advanced singer sewing machines, it is best to act immediately. ”

Tang Zhongyuan was stunned for a moment and said, "There are still half of the machines in the warehouse that haven't moved!" ”

Although he knows that the Yangtze River Garment Factory, which has a new type of electric clothing, has more advantages when it comes to undertaking orders from South Africa; But after all, the current scale is enough to deal with it, not to mention the fear that the money will not be able to buy the machine, so why rush it!

Lin Zhichao could only say: "I know, but there is a big opportunity behind the Yangtze River Garment Factory, we need to be willing to invest first, and we will invest 200,000 Hong Kong dollars this time, and we will earn it back soon after anyway." ”

Tang Zhongyuan no longer objected, after all, he could also afford to invest, and his son-in-law's vision has always been vicious.

"Okay, I'll order from them right away!"

Because we have already cooperated once, there is no need to go to the United States to investigate now.

Lin Zhichao nodded with satisfaction and said, "Don't worry, Hong Kong's garment industry must be our son-in-law to be the top spot." ”

"Haha, I'm confident too!"

Weng and his son-in-law quickly drank freely, and the relationship was like buddies, and the relationship between the two families was naturally very good, after all, Lin Zhichao was going to be the son-in-law of the Tang family again.

When Lin Baixin heard that the Yangtze River Garment Factory was using the most advanced Singer sewing machine and won an order from South Africa, he immediately understood where he had lost.

However, he couldn't think of a way for a while, because he only had a cash flow of less than 100,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Lam moved to Hong Kong in 1945 and worked as a garment salesman before opening the Shing Fook Weaving Factory at Yuen Chau Street in Sham Shui Po until the beginning of this year. The Lixin Garment Factory was established before the war, and it was only a very small garment factory at that time.

Therefore, the financial strength makes Lin Baixin anxious!

"Husband, I know you want to buy a new machine to bridge the gap. But there is no need to rush for a while, there are hundreds of garment factories in Hong Kong, and there are a few that can use all the new machines, but very few. As long as you have this perseverance, you will soon be able to realize your wishes, and it will not affect too much for half a year or a year. ”

Lin Baixin suddenly realized that he was too anxious, he didn't know what was going on, and always thought that he should get the order from South Africa; That's why he's obsessed.

In reality, however, he had only been in the garment industry for less than half a year, although he had entered the textile industry very early.

And in any case, with such a large market in South Africa, more customers will choose to place orders in Hong Kong in the future, and then it will be another opportunity.

"Baozhu, it's really my blessing to be able to marry. Well, we will work hard to make money and strive to be able to change to Singer's new sewing machine next year. ”

After the two of them talked to me in the small room, they walked out of the door and regrouped.

At this time, Lin Baixin had two careers, a Chengfu Weaving Factory and a Lixin Garment Factory, and after marrying Yu Baozhu, Lin Baixin felt that he had a right-hand man.

Of course, what Lin Baixin didn't know was that if Lin Zhichao did not appear, Hong Kong might only have Lixin Garment Factory to undertake orders from South Africa, so it became a big opportunity for Lin Baixin to win the title of 'African King'.

Without a large number of orders from South Africa, it would have been difficult for Lixin Garment Factory to become one of the 'Big Four Garment Families' because the meat is very fatty.

At the same time, soon the United States will ban the export of machinery to Hong Kong, and it will be difficult to import machinery to Hong Kong by the end of the year, and it will be difficult to import machinery to Hong Kong if it is expanded to the whole of Europe and the United States, and then Hong Kong's garment factories will fall into a situation of 'no advanced new sewing machines', so they will not have great potential until the mid-fifties.

Of course, this is only one of the links, after all, the textile industry to enter Europe and the United States, but also need the accumulation of technology, as well as Europe and the United States to restrict the Japanese textile industry, and then Hong Kong to undertake.

Until then, the coveted markets were Indonesia and South Africa. As for Southeast Asia, it was originally a market for Hong Kong. (Indonesia is separated due to population and other reasons)

In late May, Lin Zhichao came to London again and found Willis, a shipbroker.

Upon meeting, Willis did not ask for guilt, and it seems that Williamson did not disclose the buyer's information last time; The reason is simple, Williamson is also worried about offending the intermediary because of the matter of dealing directly with customers.

Lin Zhichao came to Willis this time, but it was a sincere cooperation, because he felt that Willis was one of the few honest brokers among shipbrokers. The last time I talked about the shortcomings of the free wheel, it is the best proof.

At the same time, Willis's sincerity in hospitality is also what Lin Zhichao values more.

In the next ten years, Lin Zhichao may have to deal with second-hand ships, although in the late fifties, he will also build new ships; But throughout the fifties, second-hand ships would be the workhorse of round-the-world shipping.

Therefore, if Willis is worth cooperating, there are many opportunities for both sides. Even, Lin Zhichao can be entrusted to executives and Willis without going to Europe later.

"Lin, did you buy a boat last time?" Willis asked enthusiastically.

"Bought it!" Lin Zhichao answered truthfully.

"Congratulations! If you come this time, you need to buy a boat again, then you are really amazing! "Willis only has customers in his eyes, no skin color, and is very sincere.

Seeing this, Lin Zhichao also said generously: "Yes, this time I need to buy two more 8000~10000 ton cargo ships, which can be coal-fired and fuel-burned!" ”

Coal-burning ships were still very common in this era, after all, ships in their twenties and thirties.

At this time, Global Shipping has more than 1 million US dollars in hand, and two ships are not a problem.

The last time the two freewheels were purely leaky, and soon the freewheels will shine in the fifties, proving that they are performing very well.

"No problem! It just so happens that I have a lot of ship sources in my hands, so I'll make sure you like it this time. ”

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao looked at the information, and indeed some ships were very good, mainly because the price was good. For example, an 8,600-ton (deadweight) coal-fired cargo ship, the shipyard was built by a famous shipyard in Glasgow, built in 1928, only 22 years old (not old for Lin Zhichao).

Glasgow is the third largest city in the United Kingdom, the largest industrial and commercial city and port in Scotland, the center of the British shipbuilding industry, along the banks of the River Clyde, with dozens of shipyards.

The price is also very good, with only £171,000 ($478,800) including brokerage fees. Generally speaking, the intermediary fee is about 5%; If you buy a European ship in Hong Kong, the intermediary fee will be 5~10%.

When Lin Zhichao saw a 'Victory Ship' for sale, his eyes couldn't help but jump, how could there be such a ship in the hands of the British?

"This victory wheel, the Americans also sold it to foreign shipping companies in the first place?" Lin Zhichao asked directly.

Willis was pleased to answer these questions: "Of course, at the beginning of 1948, the United States sold a total of 98 Victory ships to foreign companies, including the British Chunard Company, the Dutch American Steamship Company, the Argentine International Steamship Company, the South African Shipping Company, and so on. Another 20 ships were leased to the US Army, and the rest were all leased to the US Navy. You must know that the United States built a total of 570 Victory ships, and after the war, there were almost more than 400 Victory ships. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, he knew that compared to the free wheel, the victory wheel was simply strengthened; First of all, the shortcoming of the free wheel - speed, the victory type is already much faster, can reach 15~18 knots; The second is the cargo capacity, a free ship can carry 5000~9000 tons (depending on the cargo), while a victory ship can carry 12000~15000 tons; Finally, there is the cost, a Liberty ship costs $1.8 million, while a Victory ship costs $2.5 million.

"Why would the Chunard Company sell such a good ship?" Lin Zhichao asked curiously.

Willis was stunned for a moment, and then understood that Lin Zhichao had guessed the owner, but he was not worried that the shipping company would not sell directly to an Asian.

"Problems with operations! The Chunard company is now focusing on large cruise ships, and its business in this area has decreased, so it will naturally choose to sell one. To be honest, the price is 250,000 pounds, and they don't lose money, and in two years, they have almost made a profit. They can still sell it at this price, and they will definitely be happy to do so. And for you, it's an opportunity, although the ship is welded, but the age of the ship is only 6 years, which is quite cost-effective. ”

It is cost-effective, after all, it only costs 700,000 US dollars, but Lin Zhichao has prepared a total of 1 million US dollars.

This time he overspent by $200,000, and he didn't have the money to come up with it. Although there are still more than 30,000 US dollars in global shipping, that is the operating expenses, and it is still insufficient.

"Can this Victory ship make a down payment of $500,000 and pay off the rest in half a year?"

Willis said with a smile: "Of course this is not a thing, even our company can vouch for you!" ”

Large ships need ports and supplies to dock, so it is impossible to escape. For example, Dong Haoyun's two ships were detained by the United States because of the unpaid payment (because of ZZ), and it was the US Embassy that made a ghost and was detained at the port.

So Lin Zhichao doesn't owe much, and others don't worry about you running away.

Finally, Lin Zhichao expressed interest in the 8,600-ton cargo ship in Glasgow and the 15,000-ton cargo ship Victory.

Willis was overjoyed!

However, Lin Zhichao still proposed: "Mr. Willis, you may not know my shipping business, after buying these two ships, I have 4 10,000-ton cargo ships." I bought all these boats with all my money, and I plan to charter all four boats to Japanese customers for a long time to obtain stable income. As a result, I will soon be coming to London again to buy a ship. So, can you reduce the intermediary fee, even if we are a bridge for long-term cooperation. ”

Williston thought about it, Lin Zhichao is indeed a powerful businessman, the four ships are almost 800,000 pounds (actually 720,000 pounds), and he can have such purchasing power in a year, he is obviously the top rich man in China.

"Why did you choose to rent for a long time?" Willis asked.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "The cost of a long-term charter is generally 75% of that of a short-term charter, although so, in my opinion, the ship must make money, if it is empty, it is obviously a waste, and the long-term charter is stable, the risk is small, and it is easy to obtain the trust of the bank." ”

In fact, his long-term lease is not Bao Yugang's long-term lease in his previous life, Lin Zhichao chooses a more profitable long-term rental, that is, to use cyclicality to obtain greater profits.

For example, at the beginning of next year, Global Shipping will choose to lease a long-term lease with a Japanese shipping company, and the freight may rise to $20 a ton, even if it is 75% of the rent, it is considered $15 a ton (long-term lease), which is also a 50% increase from the current $10 a ton. And he leased it for two years, and two years later, in 1953, the price of shipping was still high, so he rented it for another three years. Or rent it for five years! But you can't rent it for three years!

With this adjustable lease term, you can make a greater profit.

After all, customers don't understand the future market, and they don't suspect anything!

And Lin Zhichao rents for a long time, not only in the ordinary market, but also in the ordinary market, but also in the end, to obtain a letter of credit from the bank.

Whether it's HSBC or a Japanese bank (which is available for shipbuilding in Japan), if they support you, they want to see a steady style from you; After all, shipping is a risky asset-heavy business, and it is self-evident how to obtain a banker's letter of credit.

Finally, Lin Zhichao must also be engaged in long-term leasing, short-term leasing, and fixed shipping together, and the long-term leasing has a larger share of the business mode.

Williston saw the shining point on Lin Zhichao, so he reduced the intermediary fee by 1 point and only took 5% of the intermediary fee.

Lin Zhichao knows that it's okay, it's enough!

Willis, as the host, warmly entertained Lin Zhichao, and the two also made an appointment to watch the song and dance drama "Appetizer Sauce" together.

The two sat in the front row, and immediately attracted the attention of many people, after all, it is still rare for Chinese to come to see this artistic song and dance drama. If it weren't for Willis leading, there might have been some unnecessary trouble.

"Lin, take it easy, you're my friend!" Willis smiled and reassured.

He only saw the surprised eyes around him, but he didn't see that Lin Zhichao was not affected in the slightest.

"Of course, I'm relaxed and looking forward to it!"

After a while, the revue began, and the two had already quieted down.

Soon, it was Hepburn's turn to appear, and she was seen wearing a tutu and nylon meat stockings on her thighs, performing a stage solo.

When she saw Lin Zhichao in the front row, she almost made a performance error, but fortunately, Lin Zhichao didn't seem to know her, and she quickly stabilized her mind and didn't let herself make mistakes.

It turned out that in the past few months, the 500 pounds had troubled her a lot, she was living very poorly, and she didn't want to use strangers' funds; But she soon had to use the money again because her mother was sick.

Therefore, when I saw Lin Zhichao today, I felt a little ashamed and uneasy.

And Lin Zhichao is admiring Hepburn on the stage, although he is small, he looks like an elf.

End of the show.

The audience was ready to leave, and Lin Zhichao asked Willis: "Are you familiar with this place?" ”

Willis then said, "Of course, I don't believe I can take you backstage to meet the actors!" ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, and then followed Willis into the backstage, and sure enough, the staff at the door said: "Mr. Willis" did not stop him.

In this way, the two met many actors backstage, including Hepburn, who had changed his costume, and the two tacitly did not pretend to know each other.

It's just that when Lin Zhichao was about to leave, Hepburn handed him a note, and this scene happened to be seen by Willis.

"Did you know each other, or did you fall in love at first sight?"

"Acquaintance!"

Then Lin Zhichao looked at the note and said, "Don't mind having one more person at night!" ”

Because the two of them are still ready to go to the bar!

"Sure, but I'll have to change my plans, you know!"

Willis smiled, originally he also wanted to take Lin Zhichao to see the foreign chickens in London, and use the women of the British Empire to corrupt this potential shipping man, and get more cooperation in the future.

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "I can't accept such an open thing. ”

"Well, you're so boring! No, it's funny, you actually got an actor, it's incredible. ”

The two stood outside and teased, and the relationship soon became a lot closer, of course, business belongs to business, and entertainment belongs to entertainment.

(End of chapter)