1928: The rise of giant merchants

In 1925, a 40-room mansion on Xizhimen Street in Beiping, fully equipped with "electric lights, telephones, and greenhouses", cost only NT$5,500.

The total price of such a mansion in Shanghai Beach County in 1928 was approximately 67,200 oceans.

What is the concept of 1.4 million oceans?

A few years later, Zhang Shaoshuai independently developed a domestic car, and the investment cost was only 730,000 yuan.

During this period, if you had one million oceans, you could raise a regiment (with an establishment of 2,000-2,500 men) and support them for a year, and you would be considered a small and powerful warlord.

"Ye, are you kidding me?" Alfred Sloan's heart was pounding. He only had less than 3,000 Chevrolet 490s in stock in his large warehouse in the United States.

Ye Luo's business almost wiped out all his inventory.

If he could really buy 2,000 Chevrolet 490s, even if he sold them for $300 each, excluding other costs, Alfred Sloan would be able to make a net profit of more than 1 million oceans.

This is equivalent to directly solving the problem of his capital chain being broken.

"I'm always very serious when discussing business." Ye Luo took a sip of coffee. He had already noticed Audrey who was listening quietly not far away, but it didn't matter, he just wanted everyone to know.

The more people know about it, the better.

How can a product become a best-seller?

Countless classic cases in later generations have given the answer.

First, capture the largest customer base.

Second, there are all kinds of advertisements overwhelming.

Consumers are often blind. When something fills their lives, they can't help but understand, buy, and try it.

"To be honest, it's still a little hard for me to accept." Alfred Sloan drank another cup of coffee.

He never imagined that the financial problem that had troubled him for several years would suddenly be solved.

"This is normal. After all, who else would be willing to spend 1.4 million oceans to buy 2,000 Chevrolet 490s?" Ye Luo laughed. "Is President Sloan worried that I won't have the money to pay?"

"I'm really a little worried." Alfred was anxious and uncomfortable now. He had to negotiate this business no matter what, but how many people could give 1.4 million oceans just as he promised?

"To be honest, it's impossible for me to pay 1.4 million oceans in one go." Ye Luo crossed his legs and said, "If President Sloan agrees with this business, we can sign a detailed transaction contract, the content of which I have already drawn up. alright."

"Of course it's impossible to pay in one go." Alfred Sloan nodded repeatedly. If Ye Luo said that he could pay the full amount, he would only think there was a problem. This is 1.4 million, not 140,000. "Ye, then I can Do you see the transaction contract you wrote?”

Ye Luo took out a standard contract that had been written long ago from his bag.

At this time, the contract law was not yet perfect, and Chinese businessmen and workers mostly agreed on their respective rights and obligations in the form of verbal promises or receipts.

Ordinary workers are at a disadvantage in this environment and are easily deceived by unscrupulous capitalists.

Even if there is a hastily written contract, most of the terms in it are unreasonable, and if it is ruled by the court, the workers will still suffer.

It can be said that during the Republic of China, workers’ meals depended on the conscience of businessmen.

In the concession, when doing business with foreign companies and foreigners, they generally have to adopt the contract templates prescribed by them. At this time, the Chinese businessmen become "workers" and the foreigners become "bosses." The status reversal is also quite interesting.

After several experiences of being cheated, Chinese businessmen now rarely discuss business with foreigners unless they work in a foreign bank or have such connections.

It is very rare for businesses like Ye Luo to write their own transaction contracts and have Chinese businessmen taking the lead.

Alfred Sloan was a little reluctant to accept it, but no matter how he relied on someone else, the other party was still his own rich man.

He carefully read the English version of the transaction contract and was instantly shocked!

The standard contract written by Ye Luo has a distinct style and clear terms. It is better than the latest ones he used in the United States, and it does not have any overly exploitative measures against him, a weak party, like the previous transaction contracts.

"Ye, you are really amazing. Did you create this yourself?" Alfred Sloan said sincerely, "Can I make a copy and bring it back to China for use? Don't worry, I will go to the patent office to apply for a patent. If there is any benefit, a part of it will be given to you."

These days, there is little awareness or argument for copyright protection. If he really wants to copy it and use it in the United States, Ye Luo has nothing to do.

But when he said this, it meant that part of the profits would be given to Ye Luo.

This was originally expected by Ye Luo.

"No problem. I also have a bank account in the United States. I will make a copy for you when the time comes." Ye Luo nodded, "So, does President Sloan have any doubts about this transaction contract?"

There are four most important clauses in it:

First, transactions must be settled in U.S. dollars.

Second, Ye Luo first paid a 20% deposit, which is 288,000 oceans, equivalent to 120,000 U.S. dollars.

Third, all import, export, and transportation costs will be borne by General Motors. The cars will be shipped in four batches, each batch of 500 vehicles.

Fourth, within one year, all cars are subject to warranty, and major failures that are not caused by human factors can be returned or replaced free of charge.

"No problem." Alfred Sloan shook his head.

He read the transaction contract carefully several times. It was a relatively equal business contract.

It's just that these days when foreigners and Chinese sign contracts, they usually take the dominant position. Suddenly an equal contract appears, which is a bit unaccustomed.

But these are all details in the face of huge profits.

"I will pay the deposit through Citibank, and the subsequent payments will be made as stated in the contract when the cars arrive at the Shanghai Bund Pier." Ye Luo said with a smile, and then looked at Audrey not far away, " Miss Audrey, when will Consul General Barton come back?"

"Eh?!" Audrey, who had been eavesdropping, was still immersed in the huge sum of 1.4 million yuan. When she saw Ye Luo looking at her with a smile, her cheeks flushed, she stood up and bowed, "Mr. Ye Luo, Consul General Barton is going to pass. I won't be back at the consulate for a few days. If you have something important to do, I can make an appointment for you first."

"Then I'll trouble Miss Audrey." Ye Luo smiled and nodded, then stood up, "President Sloan, shall we set off to the Licha Hotel now?"

"Oh, okay, okay!" Alfred Sloan's heart finally fell.

During this trip to Licha Restaurant, the two of them ate to their heart's content.

The business world is so magical sometimes. When the two parties have concluded a deal, everything seems to go smoothly and fall into place.

If the negotiations break down, no matter how delicious the food is, it will be as tasteless as cement in your mouth.

After lunch, Alfred Sloan proposed to go to the big stage to listen to a play, and then thought about how to let his big sponsor ride a Ocean horse to further draw the relationship between the two people closer.

"It's a pity that there are no decent ballrooms and karaoke halls in Shanghai. The ballrooms in the Richa Hotel and the Majestic Hotel are too formal and are generally only used for banquets." Alfred Sloan sighed. As a foreigner, he was actually very familiar with domestic affairs. He was not interested in the drama at all and suggested going to the big stage just to please the Chinese.

He prefers the civilian-style dance halls and karaoke halls that are popular overseas. Under the flickering lights, hot or sexy girls dance with their arms around you and move their hands up and down in time with the music. It is much more interesting than listening to those weird dramas.

"President Sloan, you don't have to spend money." Ye Luo laughed, "Don't worry, in less than half a year, there will be karaoke bars and dance halls all over Shanghai. At that time, the car rental and taxi business will be the hottest time."

In ballrooms, ballroom dancing also became popular this year. When civilian ballrooms rose from the ground and women gradually let go of their courage and entered the dance floor, this social entertainment activity gradually reached its heyday.

In the early days, Chinese dancers were extremely scarce, so many speculators started the dance training class business and made a lot of money.

"Haha, Ye, do you also want to do the dance hall business?" Alfred Sloan was quite familiar with this area. "I know many dancers in the United States. There are too many dance halls and karaoke bars in the United States now, and their income is not as good as If you need it, I can introduce it to you."

"I do have this plan, but don't be in a hurry. Let's eat the food in hand first." Ye Luo smiled lightly, "I don't need a dancer, but if there are excellent dance hall operators and dance teachers, you can recommend them to me. "

"Okay, no problem. I will help you ask when I return to China this time." Alfred Sloan assured him with a pat on his chest.

The two chatted for a while, and Ye Luo drove directly to Citibank with him.

It’s not that he really doesn’t like listening to operas. The operas these days are divided into two types: “vegetarian” and “vegetarian”. What everyone sings on stage is vegetarian opera. They are good at singing and it sounds unique. Moreover, the Republic of China was the heyday of the theater industry, even if some A moderately famous opera singer can also sing very well, but he will not be able to enjoy it in later generations.

Another kind of "meat opera" is commonly known as Yanqu'er. Bi Yunxia, ​​the fourth concubine of the Ye family, is one of these people. This type of opera is more popular among warlords and lower-class people. The singing is bright and not vulgar, and it is also the most common folk opera. This is the kind of thing that Lu Xiaojia’s bunch of friends come to listen to and drink with him, and they usually listen to this stuff.

That's why Ye Qingqing looked down on these rich young people who were shouting around.

Ye Luo didn't go to the big stage for one reason: it was Huo Tianhong's territory of Yongxing Company, and he didn't give money to others.

Soon, the Citibank building arrived.

Citibank is one of the two most capitalized foreign banks in Shanghai, the other being the British bank HSBC.

At this time, half of the receptionists in the bank were Chinese. They were considered middle class among Chinese, but they nodded and bowed to foreigners every day and looked down upon their compatriots.

Seeing Ye Luo walking in, no employee took the initiative to ask. However, after Alfred Sloan came in, two or three bank employees immediately gathered around and greeted him warmly: "Sir, what business do you want to handle?"

Their English is not fluent, but their attitude is surprisingly good.

"It's not me, it's Mr. Yello who wants to transfer the money to me." Alfred Sloan shook his head.

Only then did the bank employees look at Ye Luo.

It is quite common for Chinese people to transfer money to foreigners, especially employees of some foreign banks in the concession. In order to maintain their jobs, they often have to dig into their pockets to satisfy the appetites of their colleagues and leaders!

"Sir, please wait aside. This is your number." When the bank clerk faced Ye Luo, he was obviously not so enthusiastic.

"I need to see the president of your bank. The transfer amount is too large and you can't handle it." Ye Luo smiled and did not take the piece of paper.

"How much? We can handle 5,000 oceans directly." The bank clerk became increasingly impatient.

"Two hundred and eighty-eight thousand, can you help me deal with it?" Ye Luo looked at him with a smile.

Then I saw the bank employee's face suddenly change, and the hand holding the piece of paper began to tremble slightly.

This kind of mess would never have happened. When Ye Luo wanted to transfer large amounts of funds, he would definitely make an appointment with the president of Citibank first. But he didn't expect that the conversation would go so smoothly today. The two hit it off immediately and simply came over to transfer the money.

The bank clerk was startled, and ran to the second floor without caring about the rudeness.

"Hello, sir." A middle-aged man in a black suit sitting in the corner suddenly came over and stretched out his hand to Ye Luo, "My name is Chen Guangfu, can I get to know you?"

Ye Luo looked down at him, a little stunned, and then chuckled.

Well, that nonsense just now is not meaningless.

The man in front of me is Chen Guangfu, the future Chinese first bank tycoon in Shanghai and the president of Shanghai Comprehensive Savings Bank.

"I have long admired your name, Mr. Chen. My name is Ye Luo, and my father is Ye Yuqiao." Ye Luo stretched out his hand and shook his hand.