At half past six in the morning, Lin Zhichao came to the Lu Yu Tea House on Yongji Street, this time he did not bring his family; Although he usually takes his family to a high-end teahouse for morning tea many times.

In this era, Hong Kong people are popular for 'three teas and two meals', that is, morning tea, afternoon tea, night tea, lunch and dinner.

Some teahouses open from 4 a.m., because many fruit and vegetable bars, fresh fish rows, etc., need to get up early; A little later, blue-collar, white-collar, gold banking bosses and practitioners; At eight o'clock in the morning, it is the peak period of morning tea, and all walks of life have come to take their seats.

Afternoon tea is mostly for entertainment, business entertainment for businessmen and brokers; Late-night tea is the most leisurely, entertaining and truly enjoyable time of the day.

There is a hierarchy when entering the teahouse, and nowadays there is a saying that "there is money upstairs and no money squatting underground" or "rice is expensive and goes to a high-rise building". Because the tea house at this time is generally a two- or three-story business area, the price of tea upstairs is generally more expensive than the price of tea downstairs, so as to distinguish the completely different realms of upstairs and downstairs; The high-end tea shop is on the third floor, and even a music arena is set up, and the price of tea is even higher.

As soon as Lin Zhichao stepped into Lu Yu's teahouse, the teahouse at the door greeted him as soon as possible, thinking that this was probably the most distinguished guest of Lu Yu's teahouse.

"Lin Sheng, please upstairs!"

Lin Zhichao nodded, and walked towards the third floor with Xue Junshan alone.

There are already people singing small songs in the music arena on the third floor, and their voices are tactful and pleasant, even if it is early in the morning, they don't feel noisy, on the contrary, they can calm down.

When Lin Zhichao arrived, he immediately changed to a teahouse to greet him, and he was an old acquaintance. Naturally, there is a teahouse on the third floor on the third floor, and the one on the first floor belongs to the doorman.

"Lin Sheng, Li Sheng has arrived, please come here!"

Pushing through the door of a private room, Li Gaofu was sitting, then got up and said very formally: "Lin Sheng, you are here!" ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, then sat down and said, "Have you ordered?" ”

Li Gaofu said politely: "Wait for you!" ”

Lin Zhichao then stopped talking nonsense, and nodded skillfully: "Ah Jin, bring us two portions of aged Pu'er, and the dim sum will be stuffed with pig run siu mai, barbecued pork buns, and lotus paste buns!" ”

Stuffed pig run siu mai, with an aged pu'er, that's really excellent!

There are a lot of orders, but Lin Zhichao is an old customer, and Ah Jin is no longer surprised by his appetite; The important thing is that this eater is not fat at all.

"Haole, Lin Sheng, Li Sheng, wait a minute!"

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao and Li Gaofu chatted. Because of Li Gaofu's career, the two families naturally 'do not get along', only Lin Zhichao and Li Gaofu privately find a tea room to get together together.

Lin Zhichao asked, "How is the situation of the Oriental Trader?" ”

He cared a lot about the boat, after all, it used to be in business. The performance is good in all aspects, the only thing is that the load capacity is too small.

Li Gaofu said: "After the end of the dangerous journey, and then settled it, from the time you handed it over to us, there was a profit of 1.52 million Hong Kong dollars." In just two dangerous trips, he made a profit of 1.1 million Hong Kong dollars. ”

It's very profitable, just a year's time!

Lin Zhichao said with a smile: "Why do you end it when you make so much money?" ”

Li Gaofu said: "It's just too profitable, and I feel very scared. I heard that a ship was hijacked to Taiwan Island; There are also ships that encounter torpedoes in the Taiwan Strait, and the insurance company will not pay for it, saying that it is a war zone. ”

This is very reasonable!

To tell the truth, the British insurance companies are really reputable, even the ships in the mainland are covered by their insurance, and the British insurance companies actually pay for the detention because of Taiwan Island. It is said that a certain big man was very surprised when he heard it.

Ships in the Far East are basically insured by British insurance companies. However, as far as Lin Zhichao knows, around the 60s, British insurance companies saw that Hong Kong shipowners and ship kings were buying second-hand ships, and each one was older than the other, and felt that they were not cost-effective, so they simply increased the insurance premium of second-hand ships significantly.

In this way, Bao Yugang, Dong Haoyun, etc., have begun to build new ships.

Lin Zhichao asked again: "If you don't run a dangerous journey, how do you plan to operate?" Have you considered stepping into the shipping industry? ”

Li Gaofu smiled bitterly: "The shipping industry is not so easy to do, and only Zhichao can you do well, the most important thing is that there must be a bank or backer, we have self-knowledge; So, just take the Oriental trader to run a one-way lease and continue to make money. ”

Lin Zhichao said: "You will definitely be put on the prohibited list by the U.S. Department of Commerce, and you can't do business with the U.S. for at least ten years, I can tell you in advance." ”

Li Gaofu was surprised and said, "Is there anything else going on?" ”

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Otherwise, what do you think so many spies from the United States and Taiwan Island are doing in Hong Kong!" They can't do anything to you themselves, at most they will threaten you with lip service, and then they will be blacklisted. ”

Indeed, these spies did not dare to mess around in Hong Kong, because the Hong Kong government was already somewhat obedient to the tune and did not listen to the announcement, and even Britain itself was forced to follow the United States under pressure. Once someone is really killed, the Hong Kong government will definitely investigate it, and the gains will outweigh the losses.

What's more, there are so many people in Hong Kong engaged in this business, if you dare to come hard, I am afraid that the safety of your consulate personnel cannot be guaranteed.

After thinking about it, Li Gaofu said, "It's okay! I don't think about it that long-term, just make money in Hong Kong. ”

Lin Zhichao nodded, these people have no choice, including all the people who are engaged in the 'smuggling' industry, they don't have a choice.

After making the tea.

Lin Zhichao smelled the fragrance of tea and couldn't help but feel refreshed.

The tea leaves in high-end teahouses can be brewed 4~5 times on average and still have a very fragrant tea taste, while the so-called high-end tea leaves in general teahouses have no tea taste after brewing 2~3 times at most.

Lin Zhichao tasted the tea and said: "Drinking too much Longjing in summer hurts the stomach, and only high-end teas such as Lu'an tea and Pu'er tea are suitable for drinking more." Some people bring their own chrysanthemums and sugar to the teahouse, and add them to Pu'er tea to brew and drink, which is said to have the function of cooling off. The Pu'er tea in each tea house is different, and the Pu'er tea in Deyun Tea House has a strong taste and is generally bitter; The Pu'er tea in the First Tea House is smooth and sweet, and it is easier to eat. If you say that the highest Pu'er tea is recognized, it has to be Lu Yu Teahouse. ”

Li Gaofu usually has time to taste tea, and he racks his brains to transport goods every day, but after hearing Lin Zhichao's explanation, he is naturally very useful, after all, when the smuggling business stops, he is also a big boss.

"I still don't know much about the tea ceremony, so I should take the time to learn more in the future."

Lin Zhichao said: "Their family has attached tea for sale, which is specially prepared for regular customers, and you can buy some later." When you are busy, make a pot of tea to recharge your brain and activate your thoughts. ”

Li Gaofu nodded.

Subsequently, Li Gaofu said: "This time I paid more than 900,000 Hong Kong dollars in dividends and wanted to invest in property, after all, I didn't think about what to do with this money for a while." ”

Lin Zhichao immediately asked: "Do you want to be a developer, or a rent collector?" ”

Li Gaofu is now worth a little, and even if Fuhe Bank completes the 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars, the asset value will still be nearly 2 million (including ships). According to the 62.5% shareholding, Li Gaofu's net worth is already as high as more than 2 million, which is much richer than the airship Taidu at this time.

Unknowingly, Lin Zhichao has cultivated a huge wealth. Of course, the road in the future is for him to go by himself, and Lin Zhichao will no longer help him with his staff.

The reason why Li Gaofu was instructed before was because Lin Zhichao couldn't do the 'smuggling' business, so he supported Li Gaofu to do it. Anyway, they are relatives, not to mention that Li Gaofu's ability is acceptable.

However, Li Gaofu seems to understand that investment property is a very good choice, so he said: "I want to buy a piece of land or an old building, and invite Changjiang Real Estate to cooperate in the development in the future, what do you think?" ”

It is a kind of reward, after all, he knows that Lin Zhichao can empty the white wolf, but he also feels that he will not lose.

Lin Zhichao looked at Li Gaofu, who was smart, and said, "Why don't you develop it yourself?" ”

Li Gaofu said with a smile: "Not everyone is suitable to be a developer, not to mention that my strength is not strong, if I can cooperate for a win-win situation, of course it is the best choice." "The subconscious meaning is that I can make the same money by cooperating with you.

Lin Zhichao nodded, there has always been a loss in real estate, and it cannot be said that it is a steady profit or a loss.

"In this way, you will keep the money in your hands first, and I will ask people to find an old building, and when the time comes, I will introduce you to buy it and collect the rent. When it is necessary to rebuild in the future, I will ask you for your opinion, whether it is a cooperative or a sole proprietorship, in short, I will find a good time for you. ”

Hearing that he was looking for a good time, Li Gaofu understood that he had found the right person. My cousin was able to brake in time in 1948~1949 and did not do real estate, which shows that the analysis of real estate prospects is very good.

"Okay! Thank you so much, otherwise I wouldn't even have a way! ”

"You're welcome, I won't let you suffer anyway!"

In fact, Lin Zhichao already has a goal, and he has long taken a fancy to the two properties in the hands of the He Dong family:

One of them is the 16,000 square feet of commercial land on Des Voeux Road in Central, which he plans to build the 'Global Tower', which of course cannot be cooperated with people.

Another plot of land is 16-20 Kimberley Road and 40-46 Canadon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, which occupy about 23,000 square feet and are still old residential buildings for rent.

The land at 16 to 20 Campari Road and 40 to 46 Canada Part, which is the Champagne Mansion in the future, is currently worth about 90~1.2 million.

If Li Gaofu is allowed to buy it, and stay until the mid-fifties, Lin Zhichao will cooperate with him, and he will pay for the land, and he will pay other expenses for the development of the integrated building.

However, these things are not in a hurry, Lin Zhichao can't make up the money to buy the land on Des Voeux Road, and the price will not increase anyway, so he is not in a hurry.

A month later.

At the beginning of August, Lin Zhichao came to the global shipping company, and he asked the financial department to take the statement to his office, and then checked it carefully.

There are a total of 12 freighters in the world, that is, 12 companies (the name is the name of the ship), and the finances are calculated separately. Although Lin Zhichao was packaged and leased to a Japanese shipping company, when he signed the contract, he signed a contract for one ship.

After a while, Lin Zhichao stretched his waist, and he already knew in his heart:

The combination of two Liberty ships and one Victory ship (36,000 tons) has received eight months of rent this year, with an average monthly profit of about 200,000 US dollars, and the monthly profits are used to repay HSBC's debts, which will be repaid in about 18 months, with more than 3.6 million US dollars in principal and interest, that is, there are 10 months of repayment, which will be completed in June next year.

Later, the seven ships purchased, a total of about 75,000 tons, were subcontracted to two shipping companies, but the rent was about the same, and the monthly profit was about 400,000 US dollars, and the charterer had paid 7 months of rent, and the profit was about 2.8 million US dollars. It needs to repay $180,000 in monthly installments until February next year (12-month period), and has already repaid $1.08 million for 6 months. So, this part of the ship has a cash flow of $1.72 million.

Two 7,000~9,000-ton bulk carriers have opened up fixed lines, with a total profit of 720,000 US dollars in the first seven months.

As a result, the cash flow of Global Shipping has reached 2.4 million US dollars (the donation funds have been disbursed); In terms of debt, the total amount of interest, is $3.08 million.

In other words, as soon as the rent in September was collected, the debt of Global Shipping was equivalent to being emptied.

"I'm going to buy a boat this month, but I have to go to HSBC to get a new loan first."

Lin Zhichao is confident that he will get the loan, because all the cash flow of global shipping is stored in HSBC's account, and the money is visible.

At the same time, Lin Zhichao was also calculating an account.

As far as he knew, it was the Suez Canal, which was closed in the second half of 1956, and the war broke out in October, so if this batch was signed for five years, even if it was cheaper, it would be very suitable. When the five-year contract expires, you can sign up at a higher price.

Once the Suez Canal crisis breaks out, ships sailing through Europe will have to make a double detour, which is equivalent to a great 'reduction' of cargo ships and oil tankers in the whole world.

For example, the ships on this route account for 30% of the world, but now 30% of the ships are needed to run this route, which is equivalent to the world's ships urgently need 30% of the ships to replenish. In fact, shipbuilding is not so fast (about 2 years), so the freight rate is generally more than three times.

At that time, the Japanese shipping company was afraid that it would take the initiative to lease a long-term lease period of five years, and Bao Yugang just caught up with that wave of market in his previous life, so he had the status of the king of ships in later generations.

Others need to run around the world, understand the politics and local market, and then decide the lease term based on this information. Lin Zhichao is good, he doesn't have to worry about those problems, he is already confident, although he will also collect information and understand current affairs.

Following.

Lin Zhichao came to Sandas's office, made his request, and went directly to Charlie, the project manager, which was difficult to communicate. Therefore, it is necessary to convince Sandas first, and then the two of them will go to the project department.

Sandas personally made tea for Lin Zhichao, and he knew about global shipping and felt that its prospects were limitless. And the development of this company is also equivalent to a performance of its own in HSBC, and it is the best performance.

Lin Zhichao thanked him, and then said: "This time, I want to persuade the HSBC project department to borrow another $3 million for global shipping to expand the fleet. We can use the monthly rent of the seven ships we signed at the beginning of this year to repay the monthly loan and interest. ”

Sandas was not surprised, he had calculated that Lin Zhichao would come to talk about this matter either this month or next month.

"So, you want to buy seven large cargo ships of about 10,000 tons?"

According to Lin Zhichao's mode of buying a boat, Sandas guessed.

"Not bad!"

Seeing that Lin Zhichao was full of confidence, Sandas said very calmly: "After buying the ship, do you plan to lease it all for a long time?" Has the object of the lease been finalized? ”

This is important, if Lin Zhichao has already found customers, then the hope of success of this loan is greater and more stable.

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "The intent charters of the four ships have been determined, and as for the remaining three ships, I don't think there is much of a problem." First of all, Japan's economy is in a period of development, and there are still a large number of goods to be shipped; Secondly, I have reached a subconscious friendly relationship with Japanese shipping companies and even the business community, and no one can take my place for the time being; Finally, the shipping industry in the Far East is still thriving, and I would like to open up fixed routes to Europe. ”

This year and next year are the most intense years of the war, and the shipping market has not cooled down much. Lin Zhichao is the first shipowner to charter to Japanese customers for a long time, and he is also the most trusted shipowner, so leasing is not a problem.

This time, Lin Zhichao plans to take out a ship and open up a fixed route to Europe, which can be regarded as expanding his business. He can charter most of the boats for a long time, but he will also operate fixed routes and even enter short-term charters in the future.

Sandas asked again: "Let's go, let's go to the project department today to negotiate, I believe the problem is not big." ”

Lin Zhichao was overjoyed, it seems that HSBC is really optimistic about him. In fact, since Lin Zhichao bought all old ships, and it coincided with the high price of shipping, HSBC felt that it could provide some loans, and there was still a certain distance from support.

Europe to build an 8000 tons of cargo ship, about 180 ~ 2 million US dollars, if the bank loan to the shipowner, the market is good for three years to return to the capital (such as now), the market usually takes five years, if the market is poor, not only do not make money, but also lose money (interest).

Therefore, the real need to test the relationship between Lin Zhichao and HSBC is when a new ship is built in the future.

In the conference room of Global Shipping, more than a dozen high-level executives gathered together.

At the beginning of the meeting, Lin Zhichao asked; "Why is the maintenance cost of the ship being paid by the management of the technical department?"

This is a problem he found when he checked the accounts.

Everyone trembled, they all knew that the boss didn't like his subordinates to waste every penny of his money, and he wanted to put an end to the possibility of waste and corruption.

He Yunjin, the manager of the technical department, immediately said: "Boss, every time I pay this maintenance fee, I have personally reviewed it."

Lin Zhichao waved his hand and interrupted: "It's not for this reason! As technicians, you only understand technology, do you still know how to bargain? You can't even put it mildly, you don't have much sense of money. ”

He Yunjin could only acquiesce, and he was relieved in his heart, it was not that the boss suspected corruption in the technical department. As for not knowing how to bargain, there is always some basis.

At this time, Fang Ping of the Finance Department said: "Boss, do you mean that this expense needs to be negotiated and paid by someone from our Finance Department in person?" ”

Lin Zhichao asked rhetorically: "Otherwise? Then he said: "You must know that in each of your departments, I am full of recruits, and the reserve of talents is enough." For things like this, the technical department is responsible for docking, and your finance department communicates about money and silver, and you can communicate with the technical department if you don't understand the place. In short, the annual maintenance fee is given to my province. I'd rather give benefits to my employees than waste my money. Give employees good treatment, everyone read me well; I gave a sum to the maintenance factory, and they scolded me behind my back. You say, "Do you want to change that?" ”

"I want to change!"

The management immediately understood the boss's idea and echoed it. The boss does not distrust the people in the technical department, but thinks that the people in the technical department do not know how to bargain, and the people in the finance department do not know how to make money; Therefore, this expenditure should be the responsibility of the Finance Department.

Lin Zhichao's management is very strict, and he does not allow the captain to accept banquets and the like, and does not allow gambling on the ship.

In short, he cares a lot about the company's frugality, because he wants to develop a good habit of the company. Otherwise, if it is left unchecked for a long time, it will become more and more difficult to manage.

"Okay, you can solve this problem! Next, the company needs to be fully prepared for the new cargo ship to be put into operation. HSBC has promised to lend $3 million to Global Shipping for the purchase of ships, plus more than 2 million on our account, this time we can buy at least 70,000 tons of freighters. Of course, seven or eight thousand tons of freighters, I will also consider it. ”

Feng Yongfa immediately expressed his position and said: "There is no problem with the senior crew, it is feasible to adopt the old with the new, and mix and match." Ordinary seafarers have no problem and can get on board at any time. ”

Lin Zhichao said: "Well, but you can't take it lightly. ”

"Okay!"

Subsequently, all departments made arrangements, and Lin Zhichao was relieved.

Of course, he did a lot of the things himself. At present, Lin Zhichao's center is still on shipping and zippers.

(End of chapter)