1928: The rise of giant merchants

No. 32 Xiafei Road is a three-story small bungalow.

Electric lights, telephones, bathrooms and other basic facilities are all available. There is a small attic on the third floor, and there is a small balcony extending out on the second floor. It faces the street and can have an unobstructed view of the street scenery. It is quite a sight. The taste of "quiet amidst the noise".

Looking at it from a modern perspective, Ye Luo naturally didn't think this bungalow was very luxurious, but during the Republic of China, apart from top-notch mansions like Ye Mansion, the single-family bungalow in Xiafeifang was already considered the highest-end civilian residence.

Opposite the clock in the hall, there is an aluminum signboard with the words "Yip's Investment Company" written on it. It was obviously made by George in advance.

"Thank you, George." Ye Luo walked over, stretched out his hand and gently touched the company's sign. He had been waiting for this day for a long time in the past six years.

In the 10s, I was still young and unable to participate in business competition.

In the early 1920s, the war between the North and the South continued, and the major warlords separated their regimes. The garrison commanders in Shanghai changed every few months. Other areas were even more chaotic. Without guns to protect them, business could not be done.

Until the late 1920s, when the north and the south were unified, the country entered a brief period of peaceful development. Although there would be subsequent disputes such as the Central Plains War, they would not affect the bustling Shanghai.

The golden decade is actually the golden decade of the largest city in the Far East.

Relatively stable social conditions, national policies that support business, booming industries, and ordinary people who are awakened to consumption.

If you want to accumulate enough capital before World War II, these ten years are undoubtedly the best time.

So, Ye Luo is back.

"How is it, are you satisfied? Because I didn't know the decoration style you like, I made it minimalist." George looked around and thought it was pretty good.

"Not bad, that's good." Ye Luo nodded, this will be his second home from now on.

The two went upstairs to take a look again.

The second floor is the office area. The rooms are all open. The office appliances such as bookcases and desks are all the latest. The structural layout adopts the structure of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce Bureau. Judging from this era, it is quite innovative.

The last third floor is Ye Luo's private rest area, a large master bedroom, two secondary bedrooms, a study room, a bathroom, and a billiards room.

Arriving at the master bedroom, Ye Luo immediately saw the small desk next to the big bed, the phone on it, and a thick phone book.

Currently, Shanghai Telephone Company is mainly engaged in the telephone industry. It is affiliated to the telephone exchange. Basically all the telephone numbers of major companies come from it. This thick telephone address book is actually a collection of well-known companies in Shanghai.

When you turn the first page, you will see the telephone number 0110 of the British Consulate General in Shanghai in the Public Settlement.

Ye Luo took out Feng Jingyao's business card and made a call.

"This is Feng Yuan, who is this?" came a woman's voice.

"My name is Ye Luo, is Boss Feng here?"

"Please wait a moment."

The sound of hurried footsteps on the other end of the phone faded away.

After a while, the man's powerful voice sounded again.

"Second Young Master, haha, I was still thinking about when I would come over to ask you to have dinner, but you called me right now. Do you think it's a coincidence?"

"Haha, hello, Boss Feng. I happened to be in the French Concession for business today, so I just wanted to ask you to have dinner with me. What a coincidence."

"Second Young Master, are you satisfied with the bungalow on Xiafei Road? Sorry, sorry, time is tight, so I have to live there for a while. When other better bungalows become available, I will help you arrange them as soon as possible. How about ?”

"Boss Feng is so polite. No. 32 Xiafei Road is quite good. I like it very much."

"That's good, that's good. Second Young Master, are you free tonight? I have booked a Western restaurant at Grand Times Department Store. Let's have a casual dinner together?"

Feng Jingyao's voice was warm and sincere. The more he sounded like this, the greater the pressure the three tycoons put on him, otherwise he would not have come to Huxi to find foreign aid.

Ye Luo paused deliberately for a long time. Feng Jingyao was probably a little anxious after waiting, and then he agreed: "Okay, then there will be Boss Lao Feng."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Feng Jingyao laughed loudly, and hung up the phone with satisfaction after making an appointment at a time and place.

"George, just pack up here, and then let's go to the Grand Times Department Store for dinner together." Ye Luo glanced at the confused George next to him and smiled slyly.

George's Chinese was very poor and he couldn't understand what Ye Luo was saying, but by the look in his eyes, he knew someone was going to be in trouble.

Every time he showed this expression in the past, it meant that he was going to screw someone up hard.

After briefly washing up, Ye Luo drove his Ford V8 to the Grand Times Department Store. He had a masquerade party organized by Citibank in the evening, so he had dinner in advance and arrived at the Grand Times Department Store at only four o'clock.

After seeing several department stores in the public settlement, you will indeed be shocked by the Grand Times Department Store.

There are more and better facilities and places here, which shows that Feng Jingyao has invested a lot of money.

Nowadays, a series of entertainment venues such as dance halls and karaoke bars are not common. No matter in the east or west of Shanghai, the most common ones are racetracks, casinos, brothels, theater stages and billiard rooms.

Department stores generally do not involve these industries, because there is a behemoth covering these gray entertainment industries in the public concession, that is, the "New World Amusement Park" opened on August 4, 1915, and was run by a former Zhejiang merchant construction tycoon. It was built with funding from Ruishan.

Once the New World Amusement Park came out, all entertainment clubs were eclipsed. Who dared to compete with it?

Jing Ruishan is Ye Luo's sworn brother. Speaking of this, there is an interesting anecdote. Back then, Jing Ruishan wanted to be in the entertainment industry, but unfortunately he didn't understand it at all. After being introduced, he met Ye Luo, who was only fourteen years old.

Ye Luo gave him some advice and helped establish what became the New World Amusement Park. As a result, he also made a small sum of money and received a small share of the shares.

Jing Ruishan, who is almost the same age as Ye Yuqiao, is also a strange person. He insisted on dragging Ye Luo to become his sworn brother, which became an interesting story in Shanghai for a while.

This is one of his previous anecdotes. Because there are so many such anecdotes, many people have become numb to Er Shao Ye.

If he hadn't left Shanghai suddenly six years ago, Ye Luo's fame would have grown even higher in the past six years.

Unfortunately, Jing Ruishan died of illness three years ago, leaving only orphans, widowers and a bunch of concubines. The huge family property fell apart in a short time. The New World Amusement Park was coveted by Yongxing Company and was in danger.

Feng Jingyao probably noticed this and quietly started the entertainment industry in Grand Times Department Store, hoping to seize customers while the New World Amusement Park was in turmoil.

This awareness is very good.

It's a pity that Ye Luo has already planned his own entertainment city project, and Feng Jingyao can't get a share of this pie.

Feng Jingyao had been waiting in a French restaurant for a long time. When he saw Ye Luo and George approaching, he immediately stood up and greeted them.

"Second Young Master, seeing is better than hearing a hundred times. Today I finally meet the leader of the Four Young Masters in Shanghai in real life." He warmly welcomed the two of them to the table.

"Boss Feng, don't bury me." Ye Luo waved his hands repeatedly, "The Four Young Masters of Shanghai are just random nicknames given by friends. In the eyes of Shanghai tycoons like you, Boss Feng, they are just a joke."

"Where? Among the four young masters in Shanghai, Mr. Lu is willing to be ranked behind you, which shows the prestige of the second young master." Feng Jingyao poured a glass of wine for him, and asked the maid to pour a glass for George as well, "I heard that, then He is a master who is not afraid of anything. There is no one he dares not offend on the beach."

"Oh, I'm older than Xiaojia." Ye Luo took a sip of the red wine. It tasted mellow and sweet, and had a lot of flavor in the mouth. It was definitely a fine wine. Looking at the surrounding area, the place was cleared, and there were only three of them at the table. , but there were more than twenty men and women accompanying him.

The ostentation was so grand, Feng Jingyao wanted a lot.

"Second Young Master, why don't you serve the food first?" Feng Jingyao asked.

"Don't be in a hurry to serve the food. Let's chat while we eat." Ye Luo looked at him with a smile. Since he didn't want to speak, he would just get straight to the point. "Boss Feng invited me this time, do you want to discuss business?"

"The second young master is quick to speak quickly. In that case, I will tell you directly." Feng Jingyao put down his wine glass and gave him a meaningful look, "I want the second young master to do me a favor and punish that little red guy Yu Likui to death."

"Yu Likui?" Ye Luo raised his eyes slightly, the smile in his eyes getting stronger, "Boss Feng, you don't know about his relationship with my Ye family, right? Boss Yu is the first old man who came to Shanghai with my father to make a living. These He worked hard for the Ye family every year. During the Knife Gang period, he was at the forefront and licked blood. After the Labor Federation was established, he dealt with various forces and helped my family solve a lot of troubles."

"When he came back, his father gave him a sum of money and asked him to start a rickshaw business. Now he is a well-known rickshaw king!"

Ye Luo looked embarrassed. He paused for a moment and looked up at him.

"Moreover, he also recognized my father as his godfather, so he is also my brother after all."

"The second young master is joking, what did Yu Likui do during the six years you stayed abroad? He was ungrateful, ungrateful, and greedy for money!" Feng Jingyao sneered and talked about it. It was nothing more than the contradiction between the rickshaw dealer and the Labor Federation, and him The whole thing was backed by three tycoons.

The biggest point of conflict between Feng Jingyao and Yu Likui lies in the French Concession.

He and the three tycoons are competitors, so Yu Likui will not make it easy for him.

In order to prevent the smooth operation of Grand Times Department Store and its other businesses, a group of rickshaw drivers always gather around every now and then, which not only congests the traffic, but also affects the mood of customers.

The main customers of Feng Jingyao's properties were either rich or noble, so they couldn't bear the stench of a bunch of big old men hanging around.

The Board of Directors was all related to the three tycoons, so Feng Jingyao could only hold his nose and endure it.

But he can't handle the three tycoons, so why can't he handle you, Yu Likui?

"I know everything." Ye Luo looked embarrassed, "But Yu Likui is still from our side after all."

"Second Young Master, I heard that you want to start a car business. Our company happens to be short of cars and we plan to order ten of them." Feng Jingyao took out his checkbook directly. "In addition, there is a car rental business in the French Concession. I will also help you a lot." Pay attention."

He took out another VIP card from Grand Times Department Store and pushed it in front of Ye Luo.

"Boss Yu is my brother, brother, and my father's adopted son."

Ye Luo glanced at him, took the VIP card in his hand, then raised his eyes and smiled,

"Boss Feng wants me to do him, so I have to pay more."