Norton thought that the sooner he returned to London, he could get the tiger bone wine business up and running sooner.

Busy said to Chu Xiangqian, "I'll listen to your master, go back early and talk to my grandfather and parents about the business of tiger bone wine and deer glue."

Maybe I can get the support of my parents and buy the share of the 400 bottles of tiger bone wine that you gave me.

When I earn the first money, I will be able to spend my own money to find you to buy more tiger bone wine and make more money in the future. ”

This time, Chu Xiangqian directly sent Norton 100 bottles of tiger bone wine and 100 boxes of deer glue.

But the remaining 400 bottles of tiger bone wine, that is, 60,000 pounds, had to be bought by him.

Of course, before Chu Xiangqian set off, he also told Norton that he could give him a batch of tiger bone wine first, and then repay the money and continue to take the wine when he sold it.

After listening to Norton's words, Chu Xiangqian secretly said that this kid is not stupid after all, no matter how rich his parents are, they will not be at his disposal.

Giving Norton a thumbs up, he thought to himself that he had to find a place to be a warehouse.

Then I thought that when I bought the villa on Kensington Garden Street, there would definitely be a cellar and a wine cellar in it.

Or buying the ranch next to Margaret's estate and transporting wine and other things to the ranch is also a cover-up.

At noon, Norton, Ward, and Bailey were invited to lunch in the hotel, and the other six bodyguards who stayed downstairs were also invited to have dinner at the small restaurant next to the hotel lobby.

Before sending Norton away, the kid thought about it and simply left a Rolls-Royce for Chu to walk forward.

Chu Xiangqian refused without even thinking about it.

This kind of special license plate, and even the car with the noble gold badge on the body next to the window, is not only eye-catching when you drive it yourself, but others will most likely think that you are the driver.

At about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, after Chu Xiangqian washed up, he changed into a clean suit and called the hotel to prepare the car.

20 minutes later, I went downstairs and went out to see a 50-year-old butler in a decent suit and white gloves, standing next to a Bentley.

Seeing Chu Xiangqian coming over, the housekeeper's eyes lit up, Chu Xiangqian's customized suit on Hong Kong Island was still very different from the suit of this era.

The most intuitive difference is that Chu Xiangqian's body is more close-fitting, and the trouser hem is also smaller.

Wear it on people with outstanding figures, show more figure, and look more energetic.

"Good afternoon, sir."

Chu Xiangqian smiled and nodded, "Good afternoon, Simmons." ”

Don't look at this old man as a suite housekeeper, but in fact, he is also one of the owners of this family hotel.

The current owner of the hotel is an old man in his 70s, who is in charge of the affairs of the hotel, but the specific matters have long been handed over to his three sons.

One son is responsible for the first floor, and the grandchildren are responsible for assisting their respective fathers.

Today, Chu Xiangqian moved in alone on the third floor, and heard him specially remind him that he needed to be accompanied by a housekeeper, Simmons naturally did not hesitate to act as today's tour guide.

After getting in the car, Simmons originally proposed to go outside Buckingham Palace first, but Chu Xiangqian was not interested in it at all.

I can't go in, if I just look outside, I've been on TV and videos in my previous life, and I don't know how many times I've watched it.

Moreover, Chu Xiangqian came over this time, in addition to watching the game of the champion knight, he also had the intention of inspecting the business environment in London.

"We'll go to Oxford Street first, and when we come back, we'll wander around Kensington Street."

Simmons was surprised when he heard this, but there was no discoloration on his face.

Smiling and talking to the driver about driving, he secretly thought to himself that this Asian guest not only had a very good relationship with Sir Norton.

I can afford to live in a super luxury suite for 100 pounds a day, and when I took him to visit the suite before, I also saw that what he was wearing was actually a Patek Philippe all-diamond antique watch.

And this watch is very well preserved, that is, this watch is most likely a gift from the family.

Just such a watch is worth the total turnover of the hotel for three years.

Thinking about it like this, Simmons immediately understood that Chu Xiangqian should have come to London for an investigation.

Simmons is proud that his country can attract wealthy people from all over the world to invest and settle down. At the same time, it is a little gloomy.

London's economy has not been good in recent years, and a large number of nationalizations have been good for employment and tax revenues from the perspective of the overall situation.

It can be said that the 50s were the decade with the lowest unemployment rate in England, but there are two sides to everything.

Nationalization is tantamount to a decrease in competitiveness, and the economic growth rate of 2 to 3 percent per year is too slow compared to West Germany, France and the island countries.

If the economic growth is too slow, it basically means that the export of commodities does not have a high share in the world capital market, and the competitiveness and profits of products are far less strong than those of West Germany.

At the same time, it also means that although the unemployment rate is low, the growth rate of income is not high, and it cannot even keep up with the rate of inflation.

So much so that in the sixties and seventies, there were several large-scale strikes and the depreciation of the pound in England, and then the economy became more and more deviant and downturned.

It's a vicious circle.

After an afternoon of wandering around Oxford Street and other places in the car, to be honest, Chu Xiangqian was very disappointed.

But even a few decades later, there are only a few truly prosperous places in London.

I wanted to find a place to rent as a warehouse, but I couldn't find a suitable store or warehouse for three or four hours, so I had to wait for the to fly over, let it fly around, and I looked for it through the sight of the.

Looking at Simmons in the co-pilot seat, "Is there a good restaurant recommendation?" ”

After listening to this, Simmons glanced at his watch, and it was already half past five in the afternoon, which was not the time for Londoners to have dinner, but tea time.

But considering that Chu Xiangqian is a native of Xiangjiang, Simmons is not surprised.

He smiled and said, "Sir, I highly recommend a French restaurant not far ahead." ”

Chu Xiangqian laughed, it seems that the British themselves know that they can't get their own dishes at all.

But that's a good thing, otherwise there wouldn't be as many foreign restaurants in London, and Chinese food wouldn't be one of the favorite dishes of the British.

Although Simmons is now serving himself, Chu Xiangqian will not really treat him as a housekeeper.

After entering the French restaurant, I invited him to sit with him, and then ordered 13 dishes according to what he knew.

I ordered several kinds of wine, and then I looked at Simmons.

Seeing that Chu Xiangqian was so familiar, the old man immediately smiled and said to the waiter, "Give me the same." ”

The waiter nodded hurriedly, and when he withdrew the menu, he glanced at the watch on Chu Xiangqian's left hand again, and then went to pass the menu with envy.

Simmons couldn't help but look at the waiter a few more times, and then hesitated for a few seconds to remind, "SIR, although the security in Kensington is good, there are still outlaws occasionally at night.

And I strongly recommend that you don't go to the East and South Sides alone, even during the day. Last month, there was a daytime robbery at the Tower of London. ”

Chu nodded forward, raised his hand and glanced at the watch on his wrist, this thing was indeed conspicuous.

But how to say it, in the future, there will be gunfights and zero yuan purchases in the United States every day, but when you really live in the United States, you will find that although there are many such reports on the news, the lives of the vast majority of people have not been affected.

Although the security in the East and South Ends of London is indeed bad, it is certainly not bad enough to rob the streets in front of pedestrians.

If that's the case, the first unlucky person must be the police.

But Simmons' suggestion was also kind, and he nodded with a smile and said, "Don't worry, I won't make trouble for myself." ”

Simmons was relieved at this time, the two of them chatted while eating during a meal, and French food was originally less dish, and there were many dishes.

Thirteen dishes are eaten and are normal for an hour or two.

Fortunately, the food will be served at 6 o'clock, which means that Chinese people will go to the restaurant at 4 o'clock to eat, and the speed of serving will not be slow.

At 7 o'clock, the two finished eating and began to drink and chat.

Hearing that Chu Xiangqian had a thoroughbred horse that was about to participate in the first round of the Triple Crown, Simmons' attitude immediately became more enthusiastic.

Chu Xiangqian said simply, "Before the game starts, I will give you two tickets." ”

Simmons thanked him without hesitation, and then let go of the conversation and said a lot about horse racing.

Not long after returning to the room in the evening, Simmons knocked on the door and gave a bottle of champagne, saying that it was to celebrate Chu Qianqian in advance.

Chu Xiangqian took it and thanked him with a smile, he wanted to keep it, but after thinking about it, he still planned to drink it tonight.

Holding a glass of wine, standing on the huge balcony of nearly 20 square meters on the third floor, looking at the Buckingham Palace in the distance at night and the pedestrians and vehicles on the street, Chu Xiangqian suddenly had an unreal feeling.

Hurriedly shook his head and shook off the thoughts in his heart.

I was about to go back to my room to take a bath, but before I turned around, I suddenly saw a seven- or eight-story building with a huge area a few hundred meters away, and my heart suddenly moved.

After looking at it for a while, I realized that the building seemed to be really the Cultural Oriental Hotel.

But at this time, not only does it not look like a hotel, but the exterior wall of that building looks a little dilapidated.

Chu Xiangqian thought about it for a long time before realizing that Cultural Oriental seemed to have been established in London in 63.

In other words, there is a high probability of buying the building near Knightsbridge, which occupies the triangular lot of the crossroads.

Go back to the living room and take out the map to compare, and secretly say that the geographical location of this building is really good.

To the south are the Spearne Street Boutique, the Harros Boutique and the Harvey Nix Fashion Store.

London Bridge to the west, Hyde Park to the back, and Buckingham Palace a few hundred meters to the east.

It's no wonder that Culture Oriental will choose to open a hotel here in a few years.

It's just that not long after this thought appeared, Chu Xiangqian shook his head helplessly.

Opening a hotel requires management talents, and if you rely on yourself, you will be trapped in the hotel for a lot of time, or even most of the time.

As he was sighing, he suddenly remembered Simmons and his family, all of whom were senior practitioners in the hotel industry.

This family looks harmonious now, but when you think about it, you know that when outsiders don't know, competition between brothers and juniors is absolutely indispensable.

Maybe one day the founder of the hotel who was a father and grandfather will pass away, and the family business will fall apart.

Just as he was about to call Simmons over to talk, Chu Xiangqian smiled and shook his head.

Opening a hotel in London, the investment will definitely be several times that of the Xiangjiang side.

The appreciation prospect of Heung Kong Real Estate is much higher than that of London.

Spend millions of pounds to open a five-star hotel in London, and you can build three or four similar hotels on the other side of the Xiangjiang River.

However, even if you give up the idea and talk to Simmons, there is nothing to lose.

Thinking of this, Chu Xiangqian returned to the living room and made an internal call to Simmons.

Soon a knock was heard at the door.

After Chu opened the door, he invited Simmons to the balcony, also holding the champagne and wine glasses he had just delivered.

And Simmons was in the hotel, and he also fulfilled his responsibilities as a housekeeper very well, where was he willing to let Chu Xiangqian help him pour wine.

I don't even drink alcohol.

Chu Xiangqian was not verbose, pointed to the building in the distance, and asked with a smile, "If I want to buy that building and open a hotel, how much money will I need?" ”

Simmons was stunned for a moment, then glanced in the direction Chu pointed forward, and couldn't help swallowing.

"SIR, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT KIDDING?"

Chu shrugged forward, "Just take it as small talk, and I'll invest if it's appropriate." If it's too expensive, give it up. ”

Simmons was a little relieved, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "That building is now the headquarters of the Lykn Steel Company.

I heard that the efficiency of Kern Steel has not been good in recent years, and there is indeed a possibility of selling.

I just really want to buy it, I think it's less than 4 million pounds, and I basically don't even have a chance to negotiate.

After all, this is the most central part of London. Prices are one or two times more expensive than elsewhere. ”

Chu nodded forward, there are not only several museums and several commercial streets nearby, but also backed by Hyde Park, the geographical location is indeed excellent.

"If I want to open a large luxury hotel in Xiangjiang and want to find a hotel manager, do you have any good candidates to recommend?"

Simmons was stunned for a moment, and then he realized that the young man in front of him might be recruiting himself.

Simmons' first thought was to refuse, and then it occurred to him that even if he refused, he could recommend his daughter or son to try.

Although it is far away from home, it is much better than staying in this small hotel of your own house and taking care of your chores all day long.

In case you don't get famous, you can go back to London and work in the family hotel.

In the end, Simmons decided that he had better discuss it with his father, "I, I need to make a call, sir." ”

Chu nodded forward and motioned for him to be casual.

Simmons hurriedly walked into the living room, picked up the phone, and called his father.

This is said to be half an hour, and Chu Xiangqian also heard a lot of conversations between the two because of his excellent hearing.

Neither Simmons nor his father had any objection to letting the child go out on a rampage.

As for the building on the other side of Knightsbridge, Simmons's father thinks that in addition to the 4 million that bought the building.

The cost of renovations, renovations, furniture, and all kinds of supplies add up to millions of pounds, to say the least.

Converted into Hong Kong dollars, it is 80 million.

This price scared Chu Xiangqian at once, it was too expensive.

As for Simmons' son, although Chu Xiangqian would not feel that the other party was inexperienced just because he was only in his early 30s.

But after all, it's certainly not as experienced as Simmons.

After thinking about it, this is not in a hurry in advance, talk slowly, and watch slowly.

Besides, he didn't have to hire Simmons or his son.

As long as the money is sufficient, it is not difficult to poach the managers of existing large hotels.

After Simmons came back from the call, Chu waved his hand forward, "Tomorrow I'm going to Kensington Garden Street to see the house, and the building in Knightsbridge will be discussed in a few days."

And my horse is about to compete in the Triple Crown, so if you have time, you might as well go to the racetrack to watch.

If my horse does win, maybe I'll be able to make up my mind and buy the building. ”

Simmons nodded approvingly and said, "You really can't make a decision so easily. ”

PS: I checked the information before, I saw the 'dry' tons of iron ore as 'thousand' tons, and I was aware of the problem when I wrote it, but I only thought that the price of iron ore in the 60s was indeed so cheap.

In the plot later, I will find a way to round it up.

PS: Thank you for the reminders of the book friend 'The Past in the Dust' and 'The Bodhisattva Under the Moon', thank you.

(End of chapter)