The birth of the Hong Kong Island family

weekend.

Deep Water Bay Golf Course is affiliated to the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club, which was founded in 1889 (the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty). The club was initially located in Happy Valley, and later moved to Deep Water Bay to build a 9-hole golf course. In 1911, it settled in Fanling and built an 18-hole golf course. Bei Lu, who served as Hong Kong Governor from 1930 to 1935, liked golf and horse riding, so he built a holiday villa near the famous Fanling Course.

Lin Zhichao occasionally comes to Deep Water Bay and Repulse Bay to check the property conditions here. Since he has robbed Li Jiacheng and the charter king of luck, he naturally wants to snatch away the Feng Shui treasure house No. 79 in Deep Water Bay; as for Deep Water Bay 78 Lin Zhichao felt that the Feng Shui at No. 80, the Bao family's residence, did not seem to be very good, so he did not dare to take action. On the contrary, the Xu family's No. 80, Deep Water Bay, he could not miss if he had the opportunity.

The reason why he greedily wanted two Deep Water Bay houses was because Lin Zhichao wanted to marry a bungalow, and naturally he would also leave a Feng Shui treasure house for the bungalow family.

The Deep Water Bay mansion that would cost billions in later generations only cost a few hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars at this time. However, taking into account various factors (economic development, public security environment), Lin Zhichao planned to seek acquisitions in the mid-1950s. Most of the owners of these properties were British military officers. They were just passing by in Hong Kong, so they naturally sold them for money.

Lin Zhichao walked into the Deep Water Bay Golf Course and met Sandus under the guidance of the staff. In order to attend this appointment, Lin Zhichao deliberately understood the rules of golf in a simple way, thus saving time. After the coach gave a brief introduction, he was already playing with Sandus.

Of course, making waves is not the purpose, talking about things is.

After Sandus took a swing, he said, "How are you going to get the loan?"

Lin Zhichao knew that Sandus decided to participate, so he said: "We will take a loan of 500,000 US dollars, use the charter contract in our hands as a credit guarantee, and mortgage the 'Gold and Silver' to HSBC. Because this is our first cooperation, I did not I want to gain so much, but more importantly, I hope to cooperate with HSBC once.”

After he finished speaking, he also swung a shot, but it didn't hit the ball. On the contrary, it looked pretty good.

Sandus observed Lin Zhichao and found that this young man was very commendable. He knew that he was going to this appointment and specifically understood the rules of golf. This saves time and allows the two to communicate more smoothly.

Afterwards, Sandus and Lin Zhichao concentrated on playing the first hole. Naturally, Sandus won completely, beating Lin Zhichao by four strokes, but Lin Zhichao could barely be considered an entry-level player.

"With a loan of US$500,000, do you want to buy a boat?"

"Yes, I want to buy another ship to open a fixed route between Hong Kong and Yokohama. Yokohama will start rebuilding this year, and this route is an opportunity for me."

After the war, Yokohama has been a US military base and has not been rebuilt. According to a survey by Global Shipping, Yokohama has started reconstruction in the first half of the year, but now there is no fixed route from Hong Kong to Yokohama. This is an opportunity.

Japan is short of resources. In developing its economy, it is indispensable to import resources from overseas, and Hong Kong is the trade transit point.

Sandus couldn't help but marvel in his heart. Lin Zhichao's information was so fast. Although he didn't know the specific situation in Yokohama, he felt that there was much to be done just because there was no fixed route for reconstruction.

However, if the loan is only 500,000 US dollars, he believes that Lin Zhichao's strength will not cost so much.

Therefore, Sandus asked again: "The contract for your three ships will be completed early next year (1951). What are your plans next?"

Lin Zhichao immediately said: "According to the current shipping situation, it is inevitable that prices and business will increase significantly by the end of the year, so I plan to seek a long-term contract of 2 to 3 years. Naturally, it would be better if I can sign a five-year contract. And renewing such a long-term contract, although It was much cheaper than the one-way trip at that time, but the price was much higher than now. Therefore, I wanted to take advantage of the long-term contract at that time and continue to seek loans from HSBC Bank to immediately purchase a large number of freighters and expand my fleet. "

Sandus stopped and said: "These are just your speculations, I won't comment for now. But for the current loan of 500,000 US dollars, I can act as an intermediary for you. Next Tuesday, you come to my office and I will take you to see Project Manager Charlie."

Lin Zhichao nodded and said, "Thank you, I believe this is a win-win situation!"

Win-win is Lin Zhichao's attitude.

As for flattery, that's completely unnecessary.

Throughout the morning, the two had a great time playing waves, and Sundarshi did not forget to teach Lin Zhichao his skills.

A new week begins.

With Sandus' recommendation, Global Shipping finally received a US$500,000 loan from HSBC.

This loan was not easy to come by, and in the end it was all down to Sandus to intercede with the project manager Charlie to finally get HSBC to make an exception. Of course, the hard power of Global Shipping and Lin Zhichao is the foundation of everything, otherwise it will be in vain to talk about it.

Returning to Global Shipping, Lin Zhichao recruited Feng Yongfa and said: "HSBC has agreed to lend money. You should immediately ask Global Maritime Academy to recruit another group of students. About 20 will be enough."

Feng Yongfa immediately said happily: "Okay, I'll make arrangements right away!"

This is a very happy thing. Although it is only a loan of 500,000 US dollars, it is less than a quarter of Global Shipping’s assets of more than 2 million US dollars; but the meaning is obviously different, because it represents Global Shipping Already contacted HSBC.

After a while, Gao Qiqiang also came to Lin Zhichao's office.

"I want to open a fixed route between Hong Kong and Yokohama. You personally take people to Yokohama for inspection and preparation. Report to me if you have any situation."

Gao Qiqiang understood that his boss had obtained a loan commitment from HSBC, so the company had the ships to open this fixed route.

"Okay, I'll leave as soon as possible."

Lin Zhichao was worried that Gao Qiqiang did not understand the importance of this route, so he said: "Yokohama will start rebuilding this year, and the materials needed are very huge, so we opened this route. It can be said that the right time, place and people are right. You must do the preparatory work well." good."

Gao Qiqiang nodded seriously and said, "Well, I will definitely not disappoint the boss."

Although he had not yet conducted an on-site inspection, but hearing his boss speak so confidently, Gao Qiqiang felt that this was most likely true. Japan is small and lacks resources. Once a certain place is rebuilt, a huge amount of materials will be needed, and Hong Kong, a trading port, cannot be bypassed.

Next, Lin Zhichao arranged for his senior executives, and soon the entire global shipping operation was running at a faster speed. Even Lin Zhichao has decided to set off for London and seek to buy ships again.

Before that, he can make an overseas call to Willis and ask him to prepare the information. After all, Lin Zhichao will only stay in London for less than a week.

evening.

The Lin and Tang families had dinner at the Hong Kong Hotel (Peder Street).

This hotel is actually the first five-star hotel in Hong Kong. It was also the tallest building in Hong Kong (6 floors) when it was built. The furniture inside has always been European style and is very popular among Hong Kong people. It is a very good choice for dinner parties.

"Next week, I have to go to London to buy a ship of about 10,000 tons."

Tang Caiying's eyes lit up, and she immediately said, "I want to go too!"

Then, I felt a little embarrassed.

Song Qiaoling immediately said: "What are you going to do, Zhichao bought a boat and ran around, why is he still taking you to play?"

Tang Caiying didn't say a word for a moment, she just stared at Lin Zhichao, as if to say - it's up to him.

Lin Zhichao went to London this time and had a date with Audrey Hepburn, so he really couldn't take her with him.

So he adopted a roundabout tactic, promising to travel to Europe next year before the end.

Later, Tang Zhongyuan asked: "Global shipping has obtained new funds so quickly?"

Lin Zhichao nodded and told about the loan from HSBC.

Tang Zhongyuan immediately looked at Lin Zhichao in disbelief, and then said happily: "Okay! If the bank helps, your shipping industry will be greatly improved."

Lin Zhichao said modestly: "It's just a bank loan that was very difficult to obtain. Everything in the future is unknown. However, overall it is a good start."

Anyway, Tang Zhongyuan understood that Lin Zhichao must have a great future in the shipping industry.

On the way back from the dinner party, Tang Caiying said unhappily: "Brother Zhichao, why didn't you mention taking me to London, do you not want to take me there?"

Lin Zhichao explained: "I was running around here and there, I was really afraid that you might make a mistake! And this time I'm going to hurry back, I really don't have time to play with you."

After saying that, he did not forget to comfort the little girl.

Tang Caiying laughed suddenly, and then said: "Look at how nervous you are, and I'm not self-willed, so I won't go if I don't go!"

In late July, Lin Zhichao arranged for Cheung Kong to take out 1.5 million Hong Kong dollars of its working capital, and then import copper and aluminum alloys from the United States. For safety reasons, we specially communicated with the supplier.

Fortunately, Hong Kong is not yet classified as a no-trade zone, so you only need to explain the use to obtain these raw materials. But Lin Zhichao knows that the trade ban will become more and more severe, and it is estimated that after November, Hong Kong will also be strictly controlled.

The atmosphere in Hong Kong at this time can already be seen. The other side is rushing to buy various materials, and the port is extremely busy. The other side also knows that a more severe trade blockade will soon come, so the foreign exchange in hand must be spent as soon as possible and all be exchanged for supplies.

In this way, shipowners in Hong Kong will naturally be able to receive high-cost shipping routes. The mainland lacks seagoing ships, so shipping relies on leasing in Hong Kong, causing coastal shipping prices to rise. For example, goods from Shanghai to Beihai (Xiguang) once reached 150 Hong Kong dollars per ton in the previous life; shipping to the north is even more expensive. After all, there is a stronghold of US warships, and a meal can cost 750 Hong Kong dollars.

All supplies require sea-going ships, and there are only a few ocean-going sea-going ships on the opposite side. Almost all of them rely on entrusting others to rent ships.

Of course, these prices fluctuate wildly, but overall, shipping costs have definitely skyrocketed. There is a saying in Hong Kong that in the Peninsular War, having ships means turning on the money printing press.

After arranging matters for Cheung Kong Holdings, Lin Zhichao said goodbye to his family and flew towards London. The six- or seven-day round-trip flight was a bit painful for Lin Zhichao. However, the technology of civil jet aircraft has not yet matured, and the Boeing 707 is not expected to be put into operation until the late 1950s.

Although the flight was long, I was obviously in a good mood at the thought of dating Audrey Hepburn. Of course, his purpose is still to buy ships. Adding another ship means increasing a lot of profits.

When Lin Zhichao arrived in London, Hepburn came to the airport to greet him. The two wanted to hug each other, but tacitly stopped this idea. At this moment, Lin Zhichao had already felt the pressure that the two of them had to face. If Hepburn became famous, their relationship would definitely come to an abrupt end.

Fortunately, Lin Zhichao is a very handsome man and does not have many ties.

Sitting in the taxi, Hepburn said: "Lin, why did you come to London again so soon?"

As they spoke, the two of them seemed to feel a little more strange. Hepburn's tone was somewhat serious, which reminded Lin Zhichao of the last scene of "Roman Holiday".

When Lin Zhichao was lost in thought, Hepburn suddenly took his arm and laughed again.

"What, are you scared?"

Lin Zhichao smiled, it turned out to be a prank, and then responded with a smile: "No! I just thought for a moment that you have the temperament of a noble!"

Audrey Hepburn is originally a descendant of aristocrats, and of course there are too many such descendants of European aristocrats.

It was a noble performance. In fact, even if she won the Oscar for Best Actress, she could still only be an actor, and an actress at that.

If Lin Zhichao had not gotten married, it can be said that marrying her was more than enough. Even if the news was released by the media, Lin Zhichao would not be criticized much as the "Oriental Shipping King" (a fleet of hundreds of thousands of tons).

Of course, taking concubines is another matter, and I'm afraid it will be immediately reviled by the whole world. Of course, if it's just a lover's scandal, it's another matter. For example, if it's a Monroe scandal, it doesn't matter if it's true or false.

Hepburn said happily: "Really?"

Lin Zhichao nodded, then took out a camera from his bag and said, "In addition to buying a boat for this trip to London, I hope to travel around London with Miss Hepburn during the rest of the time and use this camera to capture this time. , as a souvenir.”

Hepburn nodded, then nestled on Lin Zhichao's shoulder.

The two returned to the rented place, and Hepburn did not let her mother move in. She must have been worried.

However, Lin Zhichao didn't care too much. Instead, the two hugged each other and then began to get crazy into it.

At this time, he felt that the unattainable 'Her Royal Highness' was not great. She was very poor and her job was not going well. She had needs and liked talented men.

"Lin, if you marry me now, I will definitely agree to it!"

Out of the blue, Hepburn suddenly said such a sentence, which frightened Lin Zhichao to the point where he almost fainted.

"Audrey, you have no control over life, right?"

When Hepburn heard these words, she was slightly disappointed at first, and then became more active. The two of them showed their deep affection passionately.

afterwards.

Hepburn didn't even want to raise her eyelids and lay in Lin Zhichao's arms.

"Audrey, you will become the most beautiful star in Hollywood. Stick to your dreams and I will support you behind your back!"

"Aren't you worried that one day the pressure will all be on you?"

Hepburn raised her eyelids and asked a question. In the scene between the two of them at the airport today, they both felt the distance due to their skin color.

Lin Zhichao smiled confidently: "No! I will never feel pressure, because my career has just started."

Audrey Hepburn thought of Lin Zhichao's dream, and then said intimately: "Yes, my Mr. Ship King!"

The two of them chatted close to each other, and then fell asleep.

The next day.

When Willis saw Lin Zhichao, he happily said: "Lin, I have prepared all the cargo ship information you need?" Then, he took out a lot of information.

At this time, he seemed to have believed Lin Zhichao's words. This young man must be a great figure in the shipping industry in the future. Because of this, he wanted to improve the relationship between the two.

Lin Zhichao was flipping through the ship information and said, "Willis, are there any fluctuations in the price of second-hand ships in London?"

The price of second-hand ships in Europe and the United States will definitely rise in the past few years. Of course, it will only rise slightly. For example, in his previous life, Bao Yugang purchased a 28-year-old 8,700-ton cargo ship in 1955 for 200,000 pounds (the Hong Kong intermediary price was 22 million pounds, which he purchased directly from the London Shipping Company). It can be inferred that second-hand ships will probably increase by 30 to 40% in the future.

There is only one real reason. The global economy has begun to recover since World War II, and the demand for ships has gradually increased.

Willis said: "There are no obvious signs yet, so don't worry!"

Lin Zhichao nodded, and soon two Zhongyi ships came into view.

Generally speaking, the construction period, construction shipyard, and ship parameters are all factors that need to be considered at the first glance. Lin Zhichao is no longer what he used to be, and he already knows a lot about cargo ships.

As for falsifying parameters, shipbrokers and shipping companies will not do this because these are all evidence presented by lawyers in court when signing contracts.

Subsequently, Lin Zhichao selected a 7,800-ton 18-year-old cargo ship at a price of US$450,000 (£160,000). The price of a ship depends not only on the tonnage, but also on the year and operating conditions of the freighter.

Lin Zhichao does not like to buy ships that are too old. This will affect the credibility of Global Shipping, and it will be said that he only picks up broken ships. Of course, if there was a pie in the world and someone sold him a batch of old cargo ships at a super cheap price, Lin Zhichao would take it without saying a word.

Compared to making money, face is nothing!

"Do I need to pay in installments?" Willis said enthusiastically.

Installment payments also require interest, but the interest is lower. Lin Zhichao is undoubtedly a powerful businessman with a very good reputation.

"No, the full amount can be paid at any time!" Lin Zhichao said firmly.

Paying in installments, he only likes to use this method when building new ships in the future. He now prefers to get a loan from a bank.

"OK! But I'm curious, did you get a loan from the bank?" Willis asked a question.

"Yes, there is a bank that is willing to provide a small loan so that I can add another cargo ship." Lin Zhichao said.

Although he did not mention which bank it was, Willis also admired Lin Zhichao for his strong strength and now a bank was willing to provide loans. It seemed that he had to take this friend more seriously and strive for a long-term partnership.

Later, when he heard that Lin Zhichao was going to spend a few days with Hepburn in London, Willis immediately enthusiastically handed over his car to Lin Zhichao, and provided a company employee as a driver. The service was warm and thoughtful.

Lin Zhichao did not refuse this kindness, just like they entertained overseas merchants, the same was true.

five days later.

Lin Zhichao was about to take a flight back to Hong Kong, and Audrey Hepburn came to the airport to see him off again. This time the two had no scruples at the airport, hugging each other and even kissing.

It can be seen that Lin Zhichao's hard work has had a great effect in the past few days.

After talking about love, the two reluctantly separated, and Lin Zhichao boarded the plane. I'm afraid we will have to wait a long time for the next meeting.

Sitting on the plane, Lin Zhichao couldn't help but take out a thick envelope containing the photos taken.

He showed a smile, and he will treasure these photos, including Audrey Hepburn's naughty and lively look, Audrey Hepburn's sexy and charming look, and Audrey Hepburn's noble and temperamental look.

All in all, the two of them had a great time.