Rebirth of Hong Kong Island, I, the rice class leader

Chapter 284 Chapter 284: The mountain of swords has to be overcome, and the mountain of gold will not be spared.
This sentence woke up Gao Jin. Since there are no rules in Haojiang, the most suitable person to go to Haojiang under the concierge system is Double Gun Li Aji!
First of all, this guy is invincible and courageous, and can hold the opponent down.

Secondly, Li Aji was already engaged in arms trading, and a lot of this stuff was transferred from Haojiang.

It's just the right time for him to go!
After Gao Jin returned, he summoned Li Ahji, who was occupying Tsim Sha Tsui: "Big brother wants us to go to Haojiang to wave a flag."

"You go."

"I go!"

Li Ahji agreed without hesitation. He said, "Boss, I have to go there several times a month to pick up the goods."

Gao Jin thought to himself that he still knew a little bit less about the following, otherwise he wouldn't need Brother Luo to remind him to think of this.

"This time I go, I want to lower the flag there."

Gao Jin knew about Brother Yao's ambitions. When he was working as a concierge, Brother Yao had made it very clear.

Wherever the business is, the concierge is there.

Now if I want my brother to make a fortune in Haojiang, the concierge must have a firm foothold there.

"Brothers from the past will receive double their salary."

Gao Jin said: "You must dare to fight and fight hard."

"I believe you know where Haojiang is better than I do."

"Boss."

Li Ahji said sincerely: "What we came out to talk about is loyalty and loyalty."

"The high school students give us food, and they are the parents who provide food and clothing for our brothers."

"Everyone's head has long been tied up in the waistband of high school students."

"If we go this time, there will be no brothers who bleed, and no one will escape."

Gao Jin nodded indifferently, raising troops for a thousand days and using them for a while. The concierge has been recuperating on Hong Kong Island for a long time, so naturally it is time to make a move.

"Go there with peace of mind, just in case anything happens."

Gao Jin said calmly: "The concierge has your back."

……

The world is at peace in Gao Mansion, at least in front of Gao Yao.

As for what happens secretly, Gao Yao doesn't care as long as it's okay on the surface.

Now?It’s still about charity.

Gao Yao is now a director of many charitable organizations here on Hong Kong Island. With the current situation on Hong Kong Island, there is really something to do every day.

Since Gao Yao did not hold a grand banquet in Hong Kong Island, but his concubine would inevitably have to show up later, so whenever it was a Western occasion, Gao Yao now would bring Li Wanhua to appear.

Nothing else, the main thing is to allow Li Wanhua to integrate into the circle of Westerners as soon as possible.

From now on, she will mainly take on the important task of smoothing the Western circle for the Gao family.

Jardine's Building in Wan Chai is now the office of the Jardine's Charitable Foundation, and all the foundation's affairs will be held here in the future.

Old Jardine acted quickly. After putting the charity fund in place, he gave up the building.

Today is the official move of the foundation, and according to Western habits, it is natural to hold a salon.

Li Wanhua, who had just arrived, quickly integrated into the circle of Western celebrities. As for Gao Yao, he met an acquaintance, Shi Huaiya from Taikoo.

"MR. High."

Schweizer said: "We solemnly invite you to join the telephone company's board of directors."

"As for the shares."

He gritted his teeth and said, "We can cut out 10%, but that's really all we can do."

"Good."

Gao Yao said: "I am happy to contribute a little bit to local companies."

In 1881, the Great Northern Telegraph cooperated with a company called Oriental Telephone to obtain the patent for the Bell Telephone System, and applied to the British Hong Kong Government to establish a telephone relay station in Hong Kong to operate telephone communication services.

This is the origin of Hong Kong Island’s telephone number.

Later, the company signed an agreement with the British Hong Kong government on February 1905, 2, obtaining a 1-year telephone service franchise, and began to invest more resources in business development.

Unfortunately, it encountered a war later, causing its operations to suffer losses for consecutive years.

After the war, on the one hand, the company reorganized its business, and on the other hand, it negotiated with the British Hong Kong government to increase fees and make up for losses.

The British Hong Kong government took into account the poor economic environment inside and outside the post-war period and the excessive fee increase, so it rejected its request and instead suggested that the company should invest more resources to improve service quality.

The company concerned was not to be outdone, stating that if charges could not be raised, the company would not consider increasing investment, and proposed that the British Hong Kong government could extend the franchise as compensation (according to earlier regulations, the franchise would expire in 1930).

As both sides held different positions and the negotiations made no progress, in order to review and deal with the problem of telephone communication, the Hong Kong government established a Telephone Committee to review.

Later, the committee believed that the company was registered in London, and it was difficult for shareholders and management to take care of the interests of Hong Kong Island. The reasons for each request for fee increases did not take into account the actual local situation. It also believed that the profit tax paid by the company was only given to the London government. , rather than to the local government.

Therefore, they have been criticized as having no contribution to the local government.

As a result, a local telephone company registered on Hong Kong Island was established, and the original telephone company was fully acquired through a share exchange.

It is precisely because of this premise that Gao Yao would say such things.

Shi Huaiya breathed a sigh of relief, now that Mr. Gao has married a Portuguese wife, given time, he will truly enter the circle of Westerners.

It's getting really difficult to deal with.

"Then I think MR. Gao must have a way to resolve the current controversy?"

Shi Huaiya said: "Engineers have been working overtime, and it is expected that the line transfer automation system will be operational within a week."

"Good."

Gao Yao praised: "In fact, the citizens' demands are nothing more than to be able to use telephones as soon as possible."

Since the establishment of this local telephone company, it has developed rapidly. By 1931, it had introduced an automated line switching system, which greatly improved the level of communication services.

Before the fall of Hong Kong Island, there were 25 telephones installed in Hong Kong. If the population in 1941 was about 140 million, then every 60 people would have one telephone.

Unfortunately, most of this was destroyed during the war.

Now the phone company is starting over from scratch.

Under such circumstances, the telephone company, which is equivalent to a new company, cannot withstand the huge pressure of public opinion.

And they did underestimate the determination of the Chinese.

"of course."

Shi Huaiya said: "This is also the company's wish."

Gao Yao said: "Even so, there can be no compensation."

Shi Huaiya had expected this, and he said quickly: "We have a draft for MR. to review."

"To make up for it, the company will waive the usage fee for half a month after the phone goes live this month."

"At the same time, the installed capacity this month will be discounted by 9%."

Therefore, Gui Lao is really cunning in doing business.

This plan was actually prepared by the telephone company for high-profile purposes.

But suddenly they heard that Gao Yao had married a daughter of the Li family in Haojiang. They naturally knew Li Deng's name. After thinking about it, they decided that peace was the most important thing.

There is no way, these Westerners know very well that the Chinese are very good at using the marriage covenant between Qin and Jin to pursue the interests of the two families, which not only achieves the convenience of complementing human resources, but also strengthens the mutual benefit of the two families.

In fact, Westerners are also doing this, which has led to many circles on Hong Kong Island.

Westerners are a circle, and this circle has to be subdivided, such as nobles, fellow countrymen, etc.

The Chinese are another circle, and this circle is even bigger.

In addition, there is another circle in Hong Kong Island, mixed-race people!
Marrying Li Wanhua's Gao Yao meant that he could step into the circles of Westerners, Chinese, and mixed-race people at the same time. After much deliberation, the people at the phone company felt that with MR. Gao's current status, it was reasonable to invite him to the board of directors. matter.

That’s why he finally relented.

Gao Yao nodded gracefully: "I think the citizens' anger will dissipate soon."

"Excuse me."

"Led the wolf into the house."

It was Keswick who spoke. He benefited from the Jardine family. Although he was a little dissatisfied with Jardine's refusal to sell his shares to him, it did not affect his support of this charitable act.

"Big class."

Shi Huaiya said quietly: "The war has changed a lot. There is nothing we can do about it."

If not for the war, would this have happened to the phone company?

You must know that at that time, the telephone company not only had relay stations on the main island, but also in Shau Kei Wan, the northern part of the Kowloon Peninsula and Tai Po.

war of the Damned!
Shi Huaiya feels the most about this aspect. The Swire Group's presence on Hong Kong Island is almost like starting over from scratch.

However, thanks to the fact that Taikoo's treatment was the highest among the foreign companies in Hong Kong, there was an endless stream of people willing to come to Taikoo to start construction, so their various projects were constructed very quickly.

Even sugar factories have begun production. "Looking on the bright side, there were already two Chinese positions on the board of directors."

The telephone company was established entirely under the leadership of the Hong Kong government. The members of the first board of directors at that time were Chairman Ho Li-yu, Chater, RG.Shi Yun, J. H. Taggart, Father Robbert, S. Haston, Zhou Shoushen and Luo Xu and eight others.

"Different."

Keswick said: "Sir Zhou and others are on the same line as us. They have won the trust of the Hong Kong government and they have completely delegated power."

"This high-ranking person is very ambitious. I think he will cause trouble sooner or later after joining the board of directors."

"so what?"

Shi Huaiya chuckled: "Unless he can handle the Legislative Council, all this is just unfounded worries."

When the Telephone Company was established, it was stipulated that the company could not issue bonds, borrow money, or allocate shares in any other form to raise funds without the approval of the Legislative Council.

Those who preside over the overall situation of the Legislative Council are Westerners, and these people will not take sides.

On the other side, the cheerful Gao Yao was clinking glasses with Ruttonji and others. These were like-minded partners, and they spoke to each other more casually.

"Congratulations, MR. Gao."

Ruttonji smiled and said, "I really envy your youth."

At his current age, the people he envies most are young people.

Gao Yao laughed.

Over there, Zhou Xinian said again: "President Gao, you are so powerful this time. The majority of citizens say that you are bringing glory to the country."

Hong Kong people like to ride ocean horses.

Prostitution was not banned on Hong Kong Island at that time, and the Great Depression swept the world in 1929. The blond and blue-eyed golden cats couldn't find bread to eat, so they went south to Hong Kong Island to go to sea.

At that time, Hong Kong people rode croaking horses.

Because the matter was so exaggerated, a group of Westerners couldn't stand it anymore, so they ordered a ban on prostitution.

As a result, the business was transferred to Fulong New Street in Haojiang, and the horse riding continued.

Gao Yao laughed again: "I know how to be lustful and admire Shao Ai."

"When I fall in love with her, I want to marry her and take her home."

Zhou Xinian gave him a thumbs up. Being young is good, especially when there is no one to restrain him. These days he is really free and comfortable.

Unlike myself, who has to act affectionate every day.

“What about the phone company?”

Zhou Xinian still had the same idea, and he advised: "Peace should be the most important thing."

"Dr. Zhou is really compassionate."

Gao Yao said: "I am ready to join the board of directors of the telephone company."

Zhou Xinian was envious in his heart. So far, only the two big bosses of the telephone company, Zhou Shoushen and Luo Xu, had sat on the board of directors.

Among them, Sir John Chow is the first Chinese member of Parliament in Hong Kong Island and is also the chairman of the Bank of East Asia. He has countless laurels and is an absolute boss.

As for Luo Xuhe, he is one of the pillars of Mixed Blood Boxing and the first Chinese official to guard the Taiping Bureau.

After the general strike in the province and Hong Kong, in order to restore the economic vitality of Hong Kong Island, he borrowed a huge amount of 3000 million pounds from England on behalf of the Hong Kong people to promote economic recovery.

Later, he proposed a tiered rates payment plan for buildings (the basis for tiered sales), promoted Cantonese opera performances by men and women on the same stage, and organized the first inter-school sports meeting in Hong Kong...

The only regret is that when Hong Kong Island fell, the elderly Luo Xuhe did not run to Haojiang for refuge with He Dong and others.

After the fall, he served as chairman of the Chinese People's Representative Association and assisted the Japanese military in Hong Kong.

After the war, he suffered a reckoning and is now bedridden.

"congratulations."

Zhou Xinian was filled with emotion. President Gao was really capable of tossing people around.
"Recently, both the official and the market, there has been a lot of public opinion because of the phone company's lawsuit."

"It can calm down now."

He said politely: "It is a good thing for all parties."

"After all, the Chinese New Year is coming soon."

Yes, time flies, this is the only thing that is fair to everyone.

Last year, Gao Yao spent the New Year in Hong Kong Island at Lei Liusan's house. Thanks to his third aunt and a few younger brothers, he actually had a good time that year.

Gao Yao smiled gently: "What Dr. Zhou said is that the most important thing is safety."

Zhou Xinian thought that Chairman Gao liked to use the general trend to oppress the Westerners. Although this trick was a good thing, it was often easy to succeed.

But in the end, Westerners are the class that holds the power in Hong Kong Island. If they do this kind of thing too often, it is easy to annoy Westerners.

Ta da da, da da, the small high heels hit the ground.

Zhou Xinian smiled and said, "Madam sister-in-law is here."

Oh, Li Deng from Haojiang?
Zhou Xinian couldn't help but wonder, could it be that President Gao had realized this a long time ago, so he wanted to marry this foreign woman?

This is a mountain of swords that you have to cross, and a mountain of gold that you won’t let go of?

Thinking of this, Zhou Xinian suddenly took a breath of cold air.

"Darling!"

Li Wanhua had a restrained smile on his face. After all, he came from a well-known family, so there was nothing wrong with his etiquette.

"This is Sir Ruttonji."

"Let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Zhou Xinian, our first otolaryngologist and rhinologist on Hong Kong Island."

"Just call Dr. Zhou."

Li Wanhua greeted the two of them politely. In fact, she learned something when she was with the female family members.

Seeing that Darling had been communicating with Zhou Xinian and Rutton Chi for the longest time, he knew that these two people were probably Darling's important allies on Hong Kong Island.

It only took a moment for Li Wanhua to distinguish clearly.

Of course Li Wanhua came to Gao Yao because of dancing...

Western salons are always inseparable from dancing.

In the elegant dance music, Gao Yao led Li Wanhua to dance gracefully.

"Darling."

Li Wanhua whispered, "Ms. Luo He Jinzi invited me to go to the Jockey Club to watch the horse racing tomorrow."

Luo He Jinzi is the wife of Luo Changzhao's eldest son Luo Wenjin, and her biological father is Gao Yao's neighbor He Dong!
This He Dong and Luo Changzhao have a common identity, mixed race!
Gao Yao's eyes lit up, but Bai Yuechang and Axia often went to He's house to learn flower arrangement from He Dong's wife, and sometimes went to the Buddhist hall to chant sutras.

But they are rarely invited to the salon by He Dong's children, because these people belong to another circle, the mixed-race circle!
Yes, the Chinese have the Wuyi Clan, the Dongguan Clan, the Chaozhou Clan, and the Westerners also have it. Then another important group on Hong Kong Island, the mixed-race people, naturally have their own circles.

Of course, mixed-race children are the blood descendants born from the union of "Huayang" men and women.

In early societies, interracial interactions between men and women were strongly opposed and excluded.

That is to say, after the war, coupled with Gao's extraordinary status now, otherwise he would never be able to marry Li Wanhua.

Prior to this, mixed-race children born from "Huayang" male-female unions were discriminated against and excluded by both societies.

To put it simply, in addition to being looked down upon in daily life, mixed-race people are more difficult to get hired without connections in work and employment, and marriage is even more strictly guarded.

For example, He Dong, who is now known as the leader of the Chinese people, suffered a lot because of his mixed-race identity.

Later, the reason why He Dong became Jardine's comprador was because his sister He Boyan was the concubine of Cai Xingnan, the former comprador of Jardine.

At that time, Cai Xingnan was old and his English was not very good, so the foreign company planned to replace him, so he recommended his brother-in-law He Dong to work in the comprador department of Jardine Matheson.Later, in 1882, He Dong was promoted to the assistant comprador of two fire and marine insurance companies under the Foreign Bank.

However, what enabled He Dong to advance his career to become a comprador of Jardine Matheson, and even serve as the general comprador in the future, was because he first married Mai Xiuying, who was also of mixed race, and Mai Xiuying's biological father, Mai Chilian, was Partner of Jardine & Co.

Only then did He Dong's journey to the sky truly begin.

Therefore, Hong Kong tycoons like to enhance their status through in-law relationships. Here, visiting a housewife and the like are not a joke.

There is a saying in Hong Kong that no matter how humble your background is, as long as you have money, you can become a master.

Beginning with He Tung, the mixed-race children in Hong Kong Island began to respect and strengthen themselves. On the one hand, they formed their own living circles and rescue organizations. On the other hand, they adopted the so-called "endogamy" arrangement in traditional society and practiced intermarriage among mixed-race groups. , and then form a layer-by-layer marriage network where the interests are shared and the people share the same boat through thick and thin.

To put it simply, because of Li Wanhua, Gao had a relationship with this circle.

Gao Yao had to admit that no matter when, blood or identity was the bond of the circle.

In the past, it would have been difficult for Axia or Bai Yuechang to truly enter these circles.

"That's a good thing."

Gao Yao smiled and said: "It will help you further integrate into Hong Kong Island."

"Angela, my angel."

He said leisurely: "Your stage is not only in Haojiang, but also in Hong Kong Island."

"This world is your stage."

(End of this chapter)