1928: The rise of giant merchants

"Opening a company and doing business? Are you so smart from studying?" After hearing Ye Luo's answer, Ye Yuqiao was so angry that he almost lost his temper.

He tapped his little son's handsome face with his finger, and his mustache trembled slightly, obviously very angry.

If it weren't for the celebrities from all walks of life coming and going around, Ye Yuqiao would have exploded!

Ye Hao quickly went up to support his father, stroked his back with his right hand, and comforted him: "Abba, don't be angry, don't be angry. You know A Luo's character. He just came back from studying with foreigners. It’s normal to think differently than we do.”

Of course, Ye Luo knew how big of a reaction he would get from Ye Yuqiao when he proposed this idea, but he had no choice. A family and one thing could not survive the first day of the new year but not the fifteenth.

If he wants to do business well, and even rely on the influence of his father and brother, he must first convince the people closest to him.

"My little sister's wedding is important. I will discuss this matter with you later." Ye Luo also went up to hold Ye Yuqiao's other hand.

"Yeah!" Ye Yuqiao snorted. Although he felt unhappy, he was not the kind of completely unenlightened parent. As long as Ye Luo could give him a few convincing reasons, it was not impossible to agree with his idea.

At least now, he couldn't understand Ye Luo's thinking.

Who is the most powerful person in this era?

It must be the warlords with guns in their hands.

With fists comes money, women and status.

In Shanghai, General Lu, who holds a large number of troops, is recognized as the number one person among the Chinese, followed closely by the wealthy families who have close relations with the two major warlord factions of Beiyang and Jinling. Ye Yuqiao of the Federation of Labor, the three tycoons who control Yongxing Company, Master Tan who controls major docks, Shen Qingshan who controls the Eight-Party Party, and others.

Pure businessmen, in Shanghai and even across the country, are nothing more than fish and meat to be slaughtered by others.

Making money in business is not as fast as grabbing money. This is the consensus of countless people.

And although we are entering the Republic of China, many people have not yet awakened from the feudal society. Scholars, peasants, industry and commerce, businessmen have the lowest status and are the most looked down upon. They are almost the same as low-level actors.

Ye Yuqiao couldn't understand why his youngest son, who had read poetry and books, chose to take this path.

Ye Luo himself knows better. There are probably not many people in the country who can understand this.

After all, can there be another person like him who came through time and understands the general trend of history in the future?

The three of them came to the center of the banquet hall and sat down at the largest and most luxurious table.

Ye Yuqiao is one of the most popular people in Shanghai at the moment. When his wife's only daughter gets married, anyone who is somewhat famous in Shanghai will come to congratulate her uninvited.

As for people of certain importance, well-known socialites such as Hua Mei will welcome them to the main banquet hall.

Not long after Ye Luo and the others sat down, several familiar figures came laughing and walking from outside.

Those whom Ye Luo could recognize include the three tycoons of Yongxing Company, Lu Yusheng, Zhang Wanlin, and Huo Tianhong, the Bai Gang Bai Leidi, the King of the Wharf, Mr. Tan Si, the Five Lakes Gang Xue Changchun and other gang bosses.

The group at the back is filled with important political figures, such as Zhang Qun, who was then Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Military Affairs and Director of the Ordnance Industry Department, and president of Tongji University, Bai Xiongqi, who served as Minister of Finance, and Wang Boqun, who served as Minister of Transportation.

After that, there were some leaders of wealthy families who were friends with Ye Yuqiao, such as Zhang Mouzhi, the construction tycoon who came from Lushan, Jiujiang to congratulate him, Sheng Shanhuai, the third brother of Sheng Xuanhuai, the former richest man in Shanghai, Yu Qiaqing, director of the Shanghai Public Settlement Industry Bureau, etc. .

These are the most prestigious people in Shanghai today. Naturally, they came to congratulate Ye Qingqing on his wedding because of Ye Yuqiao's face, and Ye Yuqiao had to get up to greet them in person.

After his father left his seat, Ye Luo turned his head to his brother and asked in a low voice: "Brother, speaking of which, I still don't know who my brother-in-law is. My younger sister has corresponded with me over the years, but she hasn't mentioned a word about this relationship."

"Well, you also know Qingqing's character. She is just like you! How dare she mention this nonsense to you?" When talking about the younger sister, Ye Hao, who had always been cheerful, turned bitter. After drinking a lot, he picked up the water glass and drank a large amount of water. "My brother-in-law is Lin Yuan, and he is a Chinese teacher at the Chinese and Western Girls' School. Qingqing met him when he was studying at the Chinese and Western Girls' School."

The eldest brother looked like his cabbage had been eaten by a pig. Along the way, his father didn't mention the younger sister's marriage. Ye Luo knew that this wedding was probably not approved by the family, but he was forced to do so because the younger sister was exactly the same as him. With his stubborn temper, he had to accept it in the end.

Looking at his eldest brother's expression, Ye Luo knew that his brother-in-law must have a very ordinary background. As a time traveler, he didn't take this aspect as seriously as his family members. Anyway, he had everything he wanted at home. Compared with being a good match, He cares more about his little sister's feelings.

Just in case, he still asked: "Isn't it because of the age difference?"

"No, my brother-in-law is only twenty-six." Ye Hao shook his head. His little sister has an out-of-character personality. She is now eighteen years old and has not yet been married. She is considered an old girl in the Republic of China. The other party is twenty-six years old, and there is an eight-year age difference between them. , nothing at all.

"You can't be someone's concubine, right?" Ye Luo also took a sip of water.

"How is that possible! Who of our little sisters dares to marry him as his concubine?" Ye Hao slammed the table hard, and many people turned to look at the brothers. He quickly lowered his voice and continued, "That's the problem. .Brother-in-law turns out to have a real wife."

When Ye Hao said this, Ye Luo understood immediately.

For those who have a real wife, either the younger sister ruined other people's marriages, or the brother-in-law cheated first. No matter which one, in the context of the Republic of China, it is extremely corrupting moral order and good customs.

The last such pair was Ye Luo's classmate at Cambridge University, the famous poet Xu Zhimo during the Republic of China.

The year before last, Lao Xu kicked the first wife and insisted on marrying Lu Xiaoman, who was also married, in Peking. Liang Qichao, the witness who was invited to the wedding, angrily scolded the two for corrupting the morals. This incident caused a sensation.

At that time, Ye Luo was still studying at Harvard. After receiving Xu Zhimo's wedding invitation, he only sent a telegram to congratulate him and did not dare to return to Peking to attend the wedding.

Unexpectedly, the same thing happened to his sister again.

Who is Ye Qingqing? She is the most beloved daughter of Ye Yuqiao, the president of the Federation of Labor Unions. There is no way she can be a concubine, so naturally there is only one way left.

"Big brother, second brother~ What are you guys talking about? They were startled, slapped the table, and whispered. Why don't you let Qingqing hear it~"

Wearing a white wedding dress, the youthful and beautiful Ye Qingqing ran over with a smile.

At this time in Shanghai, after several movements, all walks of life were learning about Western culture, and weddings were also developing in a Western style.

But today’s wedding dresses are still very ugly.

Ye Luo glanced at the headscarf on her little sister's head and couldn't help but hold her forehead.

"I'm saying that your second brother is just like you. He has a bad temper and makes dad very angry." Ye Hao laughed and told Ye Qingqing what Ye Luo wanted to do in business.

"Hmph! Second brother, don't listen to eldest brother and dad! No matter what you want to do, Qingqing will support you!" Ye Qingqing hugged Ye Luo's neck affectionately, hanging on him like a piece of brown candy like when he was a child. He couldn't get rid of it, "Second brother, second brother, did you bring me any gifts when you came back from the West?"

"Come on down, people who are about to get married are still so naughty." Ye Luo stretched out his arms to hug his little sister and pressed her down on the seat. When he left Shanghai six years ago, Ye Qingqing was only twelve years old. Crying, chasing him from one side of Shiliupu Pier to the other, tears and snot flowing all over the floor, not wanting him to leave.

In the blink of an eye, she has become a tall and graceful girl.

"No, no! Second brother, you have been gone for six years. You know how sad I am! Humph!" Ye Qingqing hugged his arm tightly and refused to let go as if he was angry, "I will give you a gift when I get married this time. You didn’t reply to my wedding invitation. If you didn’t come, I, I would hate you forever!”

"Okay, okay, it's the second brother who was wrong. He brought you a gift, okay." Ye Luo smiled slightly and looked at the young man who was walking towards him with a somewhat reserved expression, "Why, also Why don’t you introduce your brother-in-law to your second brother?”

The person coming here should be his brother-in-law Lin Yuan.

"Second brother, please have tea." Lin Yuan was in a neat suit and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked gentle and talented, but he was faced with the powerful Ye Hao and the people who had crushed him in all aspects. Yeluo looks a bit like green leaves.

Ye Luo took the tea cup and took a sip, then took out the red envelope prepared for the meeting from his pocket and handed it over, which was regarded as recognition of his brother-in-law.

Ye Qingqing grabbed the red envelope with a smile, weighed it, and was a little surprised by the thickness of the red envelope.

Lin Yuan handed Ye Hao a cup of tea, then sat aside obediently, listening to the excited conversation of the three brothers and sisters who had reunited after a long separation. After chatting for a while, Ye Qingqing reluctantly took Lin Yuan away to receive other guests.

After the younger sister and his wife left, Ye Luo looked at his eldest brother: "Seeing that my brother-in-law's character is so eaten up by my younger sister, I feel relieved."

"If a person is not good, my father will not let him into our Ye family." Ye Hao nodded slightly. As his younger brother, he was extremely accurate in recognizing people. Even Ye Yuqiao often felt ashamed about this, saying that Ye Luo beat him Xiao Zhi is a monster with very strong eyesight. "With your words, I feel more at ease."

Not long after, Ye Yuqiao took a group of Shanghai's big guys to their seats, and the wedding officially began.

The witness for the younger sister's wedding was Bai Xiongqi, the Minister of Finance who had a good relationship with the Ye family. After some impassioned blessings, the energetic Bai Xiongqi returned to the banquet. He sat next to Ye Luo and Ye Yuqiao. In the middle, I was particularly fond of the soon-to-be brother-in-law who had just returned from studying abroad in England and the United States. He was an extraordinary person and had been very famous since he was a child.

"What are Aluo's plans for coming back this time? If you are interested in working in the government, I can make some recommendations."

Bai Xiongqi smiled and raised his wine glass and touched it lightly with him.

The other big guys at the same table also looked sideways.

"Thank you, Brother Bai, for your concern. I got an MBA from Harvard and know nothing about politics. If I go to work for the government, I will definitely make a big joke." Ye Luo took a sip of wine and replied with a smile, "When I come back this time, I I just want to open my own company and do some small business.”

"Business is good. Huh? Business?" The smile on Bai Xiongqi's face solidified little by little.

Ye Yuqiao's face on the other side was not very good, and he knocked on the table with his hand, but did not make a sound to reprimand or object.

Ye Luo had already told him about this matter just now, and bringing it up again this time showed that he was determined to do it and seemed to be well prepared.

Growing up, Ye Luo had done many things that shocked him.

For example, the anecdote that "a millionaire earns a building for a hundred dollars" is still widely spread in Shanghai, and the genius deeds of being admitted to the Qingbei Academy at the age of only sixteen and studying abroad as the number one scholar, etc.

Let the bullets fly for a while, Ye Yuqiao came to the conclusion after dealing with his youngest son for many years.

"Yes, when I studied abroad, I read mostly economics and management-related content. The teacher often said that you should apply what you learn, so I plan to come back and give it a try."

Ye Luo smiled and observed the reactions of a group of big guys.

As expected, the tycoons present seemed to agree, but in fact the twinkles in their eyes meant they disagreed.

Doing business?

What business can be done now?

Those who can make money and those who are easy to make money are either monopolized by foreign firms or taken over by comprador groups.

Business during the Republic of China was a big cake, but it was already overcrowded with people sharing the cake. Now it is difficult to even eat the leftovers, let alone serve them on the table.

What's more, there are ongoing wars in the north, and the two major factions are fighting endlessly. Without a stable market, where can stable income come from?

If you are lucky enough to succeed, the warlord will pick peaches and eat them.

The most important thing is that Ye Luo's father is Ye Yuqiao, now a famous man in front of General Lu, the governor of Shanghai.

With this kind of relationship, instead of crowding into the warlord army, you actually want to go down the commercial route?

Bai Xiongqi tried his best to bring his sister Bai Xiuzhu and Ye Luo together, just because he took a fancy to the relationship between the Ye family and the Lu family. Now he is stuck in the Ministry of Finance. If he goes up, foreigners, warlords, and high-level officials will see He couldn't afford it and didn't bother to invite him into his circle. Looking down, he saw gang bosses and ordinary families and he didn't want to get too involved. It was impossible for his sister to marry these people and become his concubine.

After some choices, the Ye family was the best destination, and Ye Luo was good enough.

But now, Ye Luo actually said that he wants to be a businessman? !

Businessman of the Republic of China?

"Ahem, cough, cough, it's also a good choice. Indeed, you should apply what you have learned." Bai Xiongqi's enthusiasm obviously cooled down a lot. He looked at Ye Luo, as if he was still a little unwilling to give up, "A Luo, your company is preparing to Is it affiliated with Uncle Ye’s Labor Federation?"

A group of tycoons nodded when they heard this.

This is something that Ye Yuqiao would do.

After all, the Federation of Labor is nominally to serve all the workers in Shanghai. There is a lot of money, but it is hard to scoop it out and stuff it into your own pocket. Let your favorite son set up a company to deal with this black money, just to flatter yourself. It's called doing business, but in reality it's a good way to line your own pockets and gain a reputation.

However, Ye Luo's answer once again surprised them.

"No, I want to set up a venture capital company. It has nothing to do with the Labor Federation." Ye Luo shook his head.

Venture capital company?

To them, this new term is like the foreign language of foreigners and they cannot understand it at all.

Venture Capital (VC, also known as venture capital), as an investment method, originated in the United States.

In 1946, the world's first venture capital institution was officially established in the United States.

It is only 1928, and this concept does not exist abroad, let alone at home.

"Haha, young people who have studied abroad are different. They are talking about new things that old antiques like us can't understand." Lu Yusheng stood up, held the wine glass, and winked at Ye Yuqiao. He was actually only thirty-nine this year. I said this purely to flatter the older Ye Yuqiao.

Then he laughed at Ye Luo again,

"I, Mr. Lu, don't know how to say anything polite, so I would like to toast the Second Young Master, congratulate Miss Qingqing on their happy marriage, and wish the Second Young Master the rise of a great businessman and great wealth!"

"Thank you very much, Mr. Lu." Ye Luo stood up and clinked glasses with him.

Lu Yusheng habitually lowered his glass to show respect.

Unexpectedly, Ye Luozhen did not refuse, raised his glass, and accepted the toast etiquette of a junior to an elder.

Lu Yusheng had never seen such an unconventional style, so he acted as a "junior" to Ye Luo in front of everyone.

He smiled but didn't smile, drank it down in one gulp, and then said sullenly: "Haha, if Er Shao ever loses money in business, then you can come to Yongxing to find me. Although I, Lu, am not a big deal, If you are a rich man, you can still do it by giving a small amount of money to help the Second Young Master tide over the difficulties. Otherwise, the Second Young Master will not be able to make enough money and have to sell some Fengming Building or something to pay off the debt, which would be bad."

"It's time for Mr. Lu to worry." Ye Luo looked at him with a smile, as if he was not aroused at all. "If Mr. Lu encounters a similar problem, I will definitely help him."

"Anyway, thanks to your good words, great businessmen will rise." Ye Luo drank all the wine in his hand, as if he had swallowed not only liquor, but also the huge commercial market of the Republic of China!