Chapter 795
Domineering Aura Revealed
Beihe Street faces south. Walking along the Sham Shui Po Pier to the left, half of the tenement buildings by the sea have been bought by Kam Tai Pawnshop, and Su Lizhen has set up many offices here.
The hotel includes Jin Da Pawn Shop, Tangshan Company, Jinzhao Group, Plastics Office, and a second guesthouse for Jinzhao Group employees on business trips. There is also a third guesthouse in Yuen Long near the border, mainly for Hong Kong employees working in Shekou.
The buildings are arranged side by side, mostly sharing a wall. A U-shaped staircase on the rooftop connects the buildings, and the offices on the second and third floors are connected. Su Lizhen works on the second floor of the Tangshan company, and people below can go directly to her office from the rooftop, which is very convenient for reporting work.
There is a switchboard room on the third floor, which is divided into external and internal lines. External lines are dialed directly to the telephone company by dialing zero, while internal lines can be transferred by the switchboard room to form an internal telephone network.
Su Lizhen had two telephones on her desk, one for making outside calls and the other for making inside calls.
The internal phone rang.
"I am Su Lizhen."
"Manager Su, two telegrams have arrived requesting quotes. Lebanon wants 5000 imitation Persian carpets with high craftsmanship requirements, while Iraq wants 1 Ningxia carpets and requests a low price."
"Specifically requesting Ningxia?"
"Correct."
"We don't have Ningxia carpets, only those made in Hong Kong. Call back to get a quote from the Hong Kong manufacturers. Which grade of Persian carpet are you referring to?"
"150."
In the Middle Eastern carpet market, Iranian Persian carpets are the best-selling and most expensive, followed by Caucasian carpets and Turkish Anatolian carpets. India and China are in a similar predicament, as their carpets are not considered high-end. However, India has Mughal-style carpets, which can be considered a brand. China's XJ and Ningxia carpets are not well-made and can only rely on their low prices to target the rural market in the Middle East.
波斯地毯按品质不同，市面上售价在50美元至200美元/平米，分为50、100、150、200四个档次，150是指市面上售价150美元/平米级别的波斯地毯。
"Getting 150 might be difficult. Send a telegram to Shekou to inquire."
"Ok."
No sooner had she hung up than the phone rang again. Su Lizhen answered one call after another, handling business for several companies.
The busiest business is naturally the Jinzhao Group, which has both exports and imports. There are many trivial matters to handle every day, but Su Lizhen is busy and happy.
The Jinzhao Group operates with a light asset model. It initially invested HK$50 and later increased its investment by another HK$50, totaling HK$100 million. However, it leveraged trade transactions worth over US$2000 million. In just one quarter, it had already generated US$100 million in "decoupling" profits, meaning that this money no longer participated in the Jinzhao Group's cash flow cycle and was deposited into a secret HSBC account, thus securing its profits.
As the chairman and general manager of Jinzhao Group, Su Lizhen receives two salaries totaling US$1.2 each month. This salary is reasonable and does not constitute abuse of power for personal gain.
She used all the money to buy apartments, buying two each month and paying off the remaining balance slowly. She has hundreds of thousands of yuan in debt outside, mainly owed to Jin Da Pawnshop.
She became increasingly indifferent to the gold market. She did all the work, but only owned 10% of the shares. Her uncle owned 40% of the shares, but received dividends according to the 50% system. When she received dividends, she would suffer a hidden loss. Everyone in the family had a share of the other shares, each with 5%, while she only received 5% more. Just thinking about it made her feel like she was losing out.
Today, she also holds 10% of the shares in the group, while Cen Peipei holds 15%. However, she and Cen Peipei are no longer at odds as before. She knows that Cen Peipei has a heavier burden and earns more than her, so there's nothing to be resentful about. As long as there are no other freeloaders, that's fine.
Making money and power can be addictive. When you're busy, you don't have much time to think about things like that with the master. When the jealousy and rivalry fade, the confrontation naturally fades as well.
"Hey, this is Su Lizhen... Playing cards tonight?... Sure, dinner at the usual place, it's on me."
Yau Ma Tei.
The mountain is now a single line.
Shanjin Building, Shanjin Tea House, and Shanjin Store stand in a row, with more than a dozen adjacent buildings, all of which have been bought by the Shanjin Group. Cen Peipei has a lot of things to do, so she is a little slow in her work. She is currently setting up the office space for the Shanjin Group here.
The entire third floor of Shanjin Building will be converted into the chairman's office. The renovation work was contracted to Cen Daniu, who is Xian Yaowen's father-in-law and Cen Peipei's biological father.
Gambling addiction is easy to develop but hard to break. Lin Baiwan still hasn't quit gambling and is basically a useless person. No one knows what he did that offended Cen Daniu, but Cen Daniu actually severed his father-son relationship with him and stopped caring about his life or death.
Six months ago, Cen Daniu gathered a few people to form a renovation team and started looking for work. In less than three months, things started to look up. Cen Peipei gave him a job and he found a Shanghai woman named Lin Cailing, whose family had fallen on hard times, and they remarried. Perhaps because she was fertile, they successfully started a new family, this time with the surname Cen.
Cen Peipei visited Lin Cailing twice. The first time, she observed that Lin Cailing was Lady Xian and wanted to establish her authority so that Lin Cailing would behave herself and not cause any trouble. She had a good impression of Lin Cailing, which led to her sincere second visit.
Even if he's not, he's still his father, and he'll help him if he can.
Cen Peipei carried a pot of Hong Kong-style milk tea upstairs, looked around the office, and then went downstairs to sit in a private room at Shanjinlou.
After a short while and processing a few documents, the guest she was waiting for arrived.
Wang Qingnan, the owner of Zhonghua Soda.
Cen Peipei poured tea for Wang Qingnan and got straight to the point: "Mr. Wang, I'm interested in Zhonghua soda. Name your price."
Wang Qingnan's hand, holding the teacup, froze in mid-air. "Mrs. Xian, is this what you invited me here for?"
Cen Peipei put down the teapot and picked up her own teacup. "In the Hong Kong soft drink market, Watsons accounts for 45%, Coca-Cola accounts for 25%, Chung Hwa Soft Drink accounts for 15%, and other soft drinks account for the remaining 15%."
Based on this ratio, Chung Hwa Soft Drink can be considered a success. However, Watsons' cooperation with Jardine Matheson almost monopolized the import of syrup, while Coca-Cola uses globally standardized raw materials. The production costs of the two companies are quite low, but their selling prices are 3 to 5 cents or 5 to 8 cents.
Wang Sheng's Zhonghua soda had a higher cost than the other two brands, but sold for only 1 or 2 cents. How many cents could Wang Sheng earn per bottle? And how many bottles could he sell in a year?
Wang Qingnan said curtly, "This doesn't seem to be any of Mrs. Xian's business."
Cen Peipei smiled and said, "It's none of my business. I didn't necessarily have to acquire Zhonghua Soda. If Zhonghua Soda continues to operate, it won't be long before Mr. Wang starts thinking about closing it down because it's not profitable."
It's fine if Wang Sheng doesn't run a soft drink business, but the crux of the problem is that Wang Sheng is too ambitious. Using "Zhonghua" (中华) as a trademark, to put it bluntly, Wang Sheng, you can fail, but the name "Zhonghua" (中华) cannot fall.
"Wang Sheng, sell it to me while Zhonghua soda still fetches a good price. You can't support this brand, but I will."
Cen Peipei's words struck a nerve with Wang Qingnan. He was furious and wanted to storm off, but perhaps, maybe, he had to admit that she was right.
Chung Hwa Soft Drinks has been established for 20 years. Apart from the four years it was occupied, it has been in business for nearly 16 years. It has certainly made money, but not much. The market was good the year before last, and it could sell about 4 million bottles a year. But when you calculate the turnover, it was just over 400 yuan. The net profit that could be put into pocket was less than 60%.
Wang Qingnan looked around the private room, calculating in his mind that the annual profit of Zhonghua Soda was probably less than that of Shanjinlou in front of him, and perhaps he should sell it while it could fetch a good price.
Cen Peipei, who had been observing Wang Qingnan closely, noticed the change in his expression and pressed her advantage, saying, "Mr. Wang, I'll give you this price for your factory on Percival Street in Causeway Bay, along with the machinery and the Zhonghua Soda brand."
Wang Qingnan looked at Cen Peipei's right hand and saw the hand gesture of a pistol. He was shocked. "70?"
"Yes, 70 Hong Kong dollars."
"Is Mrs. Sin joking?"
Cen Peipei stated frankly and seriously, "I never joke about business."
Wang Qingnan resolutely said, "I'll sell."
Cen Peipei picked up a book from the table, revealing a business card. She pressed it with two fingers and pushed it toward Wang Qingnan. "Mr. Wang, call this number when it's convenient for you tomorrow. My lawyer and I are going to the factory to take a look."
After a short while, only Cen Peipei remained in the private room. She opened the book, took the bookmark in her hand, and continued her butterfly stroke, following the ripples from before.
"I could read you a thousand times and never tire of it; reading you feels like March, a romantic season, an intoxicating poem. Ah~ I could read you a thousand times and never tire of it; reading you feels like spring, a joyful classic, a beautiful ending. Ah~"
In the lobby outside, Wang Xiamin stood lazily, one hand on the microphone, humming a lazy afternoon tune.
Just then, the egg tarts came out of the oven, and the waiter carried a tray and moved between the tables. Even customers who weren't eating asked the waiter to put one down, just so the waiter would leave quickly and not interfere with their admiration of Miss Fang.
Miss Fang's singing voice can be heard on the radio, but her stage performances can only be witnessed in high-end restaurants. It's rare to be able to appreciate her charm for just a few cents in a teahouse, and one can't bear to miss a single moment.
At the Twelve Beauties' private table, Chen Yan was there, as were A Yue and A Mei.
Amei raised her left hand, showing off her watch to the other two, "President of Bulova, it's a new one, two hundred US dollars each, isn't it beautiful?"
Chen Yan scoffed, "You've been fooled. Watch shops sell them, the most expensive one is 450 yuan. I don't think yours is even the best, it's not even worth 300 yuan."
Amei's face changed. "Damn it, Jinshan dares to lie to me. I curse him to get syphilis."
Chen Yan chuckled and asked, "Out on the street?"
Amei spat, "You think you can take me out in public with just a watch? Dream on. I downed a bottle of foreign liquor and got my breasts touched a few times. Damn it, I should have just handed it over to the foreman since it wasn't worth much. I have a chance to be number one in KPIs this month and get a performance bonus."
A-Yue asked, "What is KPI? Is it some foreign thing?"
"I don't understand either. Anyway, it's a monthly quota. The one who gets the highest commission gets a higher percentage and can also get an extra thousand or a few hundred dollars in bonus."
"The bonus is over a thousand dollars?" A-Yue exclaimed in surprise, "Don't you earn several thousand dollars a month?"
"You might not get the bonus, but it'll be much easier to make money after you move to Ritz. Mr. Sin's idea is brilliant. Ritz has the Eight-Nation Alliance, with White Russian women stationed there, and Americans, Italians, and French coming in turn. You didn't see how obsequious those men were in front of the women. They didn't use silver, they used American dollars, and they'd throw out tens of dollars in one go."
"Is there a lot of big water taps in Lichi?" A-Yue turned to Chen Yan, "Second Sister, shall we pull off a heist?"
Chen Yan poked A Yue's face with her finger, "Li Chi is a British business. If you keep talking so recklessly, you'll get yourself into trouble."
Ah Yue pouted and said, "We don't need to make a move at Li Chi. We can just find someone and wait for them at our doorstep..."
Chen Yan glared at A Yue, "Shut up. Things aren't like they used to be. Tying up a big water pipe is a big deal. The cops and local officials will be looking for you. A Yue, are you short on cash lately?"
“I was poorer than Lü Mengzheng, and I never missed a day when the pond dried up,” A-Yue said playfully.
Hearing A-Yue's tone, Chen Yan knew that she was not short of money, but still said, "Tell me if you're tight on money."
"I know."
After the two finished their conversation, Amei said, "Second Sister, it's been a while since you've come here for tea. Have you been very busy?"
“I’ve been quite free these days, playing cards on Beihe Street. I’ve been on a winning streak, winning seventeen games in a row. Yesterday, my luck peaked, and I swept all three opponents.” Chen Yan showed her left hand. “When I woke up today, I found that my nail was broken. I guess this is a sign from God that my good luck has run out. I’ll take a few days off before playing again.”
"We'll know if it's reached the end once we try. Give me a thumbs up."
"What's the use of giving you numbers? Whether you win or not is up to the lottery dealer. If you can get your hands on the hot numbers, you can win by betting against them. As the master said, the lottery dealer is all about winning big and losing small; it's not about luck, but about using statistics."
"What statistics?"
"You'll lose a lot and a little."
To the right of the Twelve Beauties' private table, a woman sat at another table. Her figure was perfectly accentuated by a gorgeous cheongsam, and she smiled at Wang Xiamin on the small stage. She promptly applauded when Wang Xiamin finished her performance.
Wang Xiamin bowed to all sides in thanks, then walked lightly to the woman's table and sat down. Seeing that there were still no snacks on the table, she said, "Madam Lü, did you not order any snacks?"
"I was so captivated by Miss Wang's singing voice that I forgot to call her."
The woman is Cai Zhen, Lu Le's wife. Yesterday, she called Wang Xiamin to ask to meet up.
"Madam Lü, you flatter me." Wang Xiamin beckoned to the waiter, "We just launched a new type of custard bun. We learned it from a teahouse in America and improved it. It has a unique flavor. Madam Lü, you may want to try it."
"Are American teahouses different from Hong Kong teahouses?"
"They are basically the same, but American teahouses would introduce dim sum that suited the eating habits of white people in order to cater to their business. Custard buns were invented by a teahouse in Los Angeles and are very popular with Hollywood stars."
Wang Xiamin told the waiter about a few snacks, then lifted the lid of the new teapot the waiter brought over, opened a small tea caddy, and while putting tea leaves into the teapot, said:
“My home is not far from the Longjing tea fields, but I was only fortunate enough to taste Longjing tea when I came to Hong Kong. When I was a child, I would go up the mountain with my mother to pick nameless wild tea. I didn’t know how to kill the green, and the tea leaves were fried like pickled vegetables. The brewed tea was like yellow soup and very astringent, but I got used to drinking it.”
Wang Xiamin showed Cai Zhen some tea leaves in her palm, saying, "These are wild tea leaves picked from Damao Mountain. I asked a tea master to help with the processing. The appearance is not bad, and the taste is not bad either. However, wild tea is still wild tea. It cannot be compared with famous teas. It is not presentable. Please don't look down on it, Madam Lü."
Cai Zhen smiled and said, "I am deeply honored to be able to drink Miss Wang's treasured wine."
Wang Xiamin nodded slightly, brewed the tea, and poured two cups.
"Please have some tea."
Cai Zhen picked up the teacup, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip. Instantly, the taste of inferior tea assaulted her taste buds. The taste was very bad, extremely bad. But she swallowed it gently and said, "The taste is very special, and the tea flavor is very strong."
A smile blossomed on Wang Xiamin's face as she brought the teacup to her lips and took a light sip.
It's true that she picked wild tea as a child, but she didn't like the taste of wild tea. Going to Da Mao Shan to pick wild tea was just to reminisce about her childhood. Picking was the main thing, drinking was secondary. Most of the tea leaves were sent to Shan Jin Lou to make tea eggs.
Setting down her teacup, she asked softly, "Does Madam Lü know how to play cards?"
"I can play, but I don't play well."
“I’m not very good at playing either, but I’ve been having a lot of parties lately. If Mrs. Lü has some free time, why don’t we play together? We’re all family members of police officers, so Mrs. Lü is easy to get along with.”
Cai Zhen was startled; Wang Xiamin had actually guessed her thoughts.
Lu Le often came home late, and sometimes his clothes smelled of perfume. She didn't like it, but she didn't say anything. It was inevitable that men would have affairs outside. But when the same perfume smell appeared several times, she felt threatened, fearing that her position as Mrs. Lu was in jeopardy.
Her father disliked Lü Le, but she insisted on marrying him anyway. If it turns out to be a mistake, she will not only be unable to bear it emotionally, but also lose face.
She wanted to have a son as soon as possible to secure her position as Mrs. Lui and also to help her husband climb the social ladder. She had just made a move, choosing to become closer to Sin Yiu-man, with whom she had some connection, but unexpectedly, her intentions were immediately guessed by the "wild housekeeper."
After calming herself down, she chuckled and said, "I'm so bored these days, it would be great to have some cards to play."
"Great, another card-playing partner, how exciting!"
As Wang Xiamin spoke, she glanced at the doorway out of the corner of her eye; Zheng Yueying had arrived.
In recent days, Zheng Yueying has been coming over for tea at this time every day, always accompanied by a new henchman named Ah Hao. Her purpose in coming here is quite obvious.
Wang Xiamin turned to look at Chen Yan, and seeing that the other woman had noticed Zheng Yueying, she came back to her senses and continued to deal with Cai Zhen.
Hours later, in America, it was a new day.
After their run in Central Park, Sin Yiu-man and Jane sat down together at a breakfast shop for breakfast. (End of Chapter)