The three elders of the Zhong family all looked at Zhong Shi, and even Liu Lan, who was clearing the table, stopped her hands and stared at her son with a strange look.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Despite Zhong Shi's decades of life experience, he couldn't withstand the inquiring gazes of the elders and complained in a low voice.
"Come, come, everyone, let's have a cigarette and talk inside!" Seeing that everyone was stunned, Liao Chengde realized he had said something wrong. He quickly came up with an idea, took out cigarettes from his pocket, and distributed them to the three men of the Zhong family, coaxing them back into the hall. He then winked at Zhong Shi.
Zhong Shi glared at him angrily and followed into the hall. Since he couldn't avoid it, he had to face it head-on.
Liao Chengde had lived in Hong Kong for twenty years and had long adapted to life there. Hong Kong was different from mainland China, where the old society's customs were still very strong.
In the old society, there was a saying that there were three types of people who were particularly special, or even dangerous, in the world. One was the religious, such as monks and Taoists; the second was women, and the more beautiful they were, the more dangerous they were; the third was children. Therefore, with Liao Chengde's current wealth and status, he did not underestimate children like Zhong Shi at all.
After everyone was seated, Liao Chengde thought for a long time before carefully saying, "To be honest, I do some small business in Hong Kong, but I won't go into details. A few days ago, one of my subordinates told me that a young friend named Zhong Shi wanted to discuss something important, so I came here boldly. I hope you won't blame me!"
"Hey, old man, what did I say?" Before anyone else could react, Zhong Shi said sarcastically. He was certainly unwilling to admit the shocking words he had said.
"Xiao Shi, shut up! How do you talk to your elders? You're so impolite. How do I usually teach you?" Zhong Jianjun scolded Zhong Shi, and at the end, he lightly patted his head, clearly not really angry.
"Since it's not a government matter, I'll go back first!" Although Zhong Shi's words were impolite, they didn't escape Zhong Fangzhuo's keen eyes. He was old and wise and understood that his grandson didn't want to talk about it in front of others. So after sitting for a while, he proposed to leave.
"Father, Big Brother, we're all family. Why can't we talk openly?" Seeing his father's reaction, Zhong Jianjun quickly stood up to stop him and glared at Zhong Shi, who was really angry this time.
Seeing his father's stern look, Zhong Shi panicked and had to tell the truth: "Grandpa, Uncle, I came to Mr. Liao to do some business with him!"
"Do business? What kind of business can you do at your age?" Zhong Fangzhuo asked curiously. He had two grandsons and a granddaughter. The eldest grandson was ambitious and had been admitted to the most prestigious university in China. The eldest granddaughter was also doing well in school, and the teacher said she might be able to get into a high school in the county. Now, only this youngest grandson, who was still young, didn't need to worry about anything yet.
The Zhong family was a scholarly family, and they had always been proud of their academic pursuits, looking down on merchants. When Zhong Fangzhuo heard Zhong Shi's words, he was displeased and didn't even notice the unusual behavior of his grandson.
Zhong Jianguo was meticulous and noticed something odd. Why would Mr. Liao come all the way from Hong Kong and be so humble? And from the attitude of the official earlier, Mr. Liao didn't seem like someone who could be easily deceived.
Seeing that his grandson wasn't speaking, Zhong Fangzhuo stomped his feet in anger. He stood up shakily and said sternly, "You talk, you talk!"
With that, he stormed out. Zhong Jianguo and Zhong Jianjun quickly followed, whispering in his ear to calm him down.
"This... this..." Liao Chengde was speechless, staring at the sudden change.
"Mr. Liao, let's take a walk!" Zhong Shi felt helpless but knew it was impossible for his stubborn grandfather to accept the reality immediately. He could only try to persuade him gradually in the future.
Liao Chengde followed Zhong Shi, said goodbye to Liu Lan, and left the courtyard, wandering around.
As the Santana drove away, the crowd dispersed, and only a few people remained near the Zhong family's house. Zhong Shi walked along, sweetly calling out "Uncle" and "Aunt," leaving Liao Chengde behind, awkwardly nodding to everyone.
When they reached a secluded place, Liao Chengde finally spoke: "Young friend Zhong, I was skeptical at first, but when I saw you, I felt that what you said might be true. It seems I didn't make a wasted trip this time."
"Of course not, I won't let you make a wasted trip. As long as you listen to me, I guarantee you'll make a fortune and earn a lot of money in the future," Zhong Shi said irritably.
Liao Chengde had never heard anyone talk to him like that before. He was stunned and stood there, speechless.
"What? Liao, don't you believe me? Have you heard of Cheung Kong Holdings in Hong Kong?" Zhong Shi saw Liao Chengde's reaction and thought he didn't believe him, so he continued in a mocking tone.
"Cheung Kong Holdings? Li Ka-shing? How do you know?" Liao Chengde was surprised again, but then he chuckled. Li Ka-shing was already well-known in Hong Kong, and it wasn't surprising that people on the mainland knew about him.
Li Ka-shing was born in 1928 in Chaozhou, Guangdong. In 1940, to escape the Japanese invasion, his family fled to Hong Kong, where he began his legendary life. He worked as a waiter in a teahouse, a watch repairman, and a salesperson in a hardware factory. Later, he founded his own plastic factory, "Cheung Kong Plastics." In 1958, he officially entered the real estate industry. In 1972, he became a well-known tycoon in Hong Kong. In 1979, "Cheung Kong Holdings" and the Chinese shipping tycoon, Pao Yue-kong, jointly acquired 22.4% of the shares of the old British trading company, "Hutchison Whampoa," for 620 million Hong Kong dollars, becoming the first Chinese to acquire a British trading company.
In the 1980s, "Cheung Kong Holdings" experienced rapid growth, becoming a leading real estate company in Hong Kong. Li Ka-shing's wealth also increased significantly, making him the richest Chinese person. By the time Zhong Shi was reborn, he was still the richest Chinese person globally.
In 1984, China and the UK signed the "Joint Declaration" on Hong Kong, agreeing to return Hong Kong to the Chinese government in 1997. With the political future becoming clear and the economic recovery in Hong Kong, the real estate industry entered a 10-year boom. During this period, "Cheung Kong Holdings" became the biggest winner.
"Cheung Kong Holdings" was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 1, 1972. It raised a large amount of capital during the bull market and invested it in the real estate industry. By the end of 1981, its market value had increased from the initial 126 million Hong Kong dollars to 7.877 billion Hong Kong dollars, making it the second-largest real estate company after Swire.
Although it was already 1984, Zhong Shi knew that "Cheung Kong Holdings" was just getting started. In the coming years, with its large-scale expansion and the bull market in the Hang Seng Index, the stock price of "Cheung Kong Holdings" would soar even higher.
Zhong Shi's first pot of gold was aimed at "Cheung Kong Holdings."
"Of course, I know Li Ka-shing. He's a... big figure in the Chinese community!" Zhong Shi almost said "richest Chinese person" but caught himself in time.
Although Li Ka-shing was already a well-known tycoon in Hong Kong, he was still a bit behind some of the older tycoons. Compared to the Pao and Ho families, Li Ka-shing was still considered a rising star.
"What should I do?" Liao Chengde, being a businessman, asked immediately after hearing Zhong Shi's words.
"Hehe, naturally, you should buy as many shares of Cheung Kong Holdings as possible and then wait for the dividends!" Zhong Shi said boldly, not afraid that Liao Chengde would back out.
"Aren't you afraid that I'll turn around and leave without cooperating with you?" Liao Chengde asked curiously. He didn't take Zhong Shi's words seriously. Although Cheung Kong Holdings was growing rapidly, its stock price was always around 5 to 6 Hong Kong dollars due to frequent new share issues.
"Hehe, I'm terrified, but if you miss this opportunity, I'm sure you'll regret it in the future!" Zhong Shi laughed and tried to reassure Liao Chengde.
"Also, that Ding kiln porcelain bowl is probably worth about 1 million Hong Kong dollars. You should exchange it all for shares of Cheung Kong Holdings. Remember, my methods of making money are not limited to stocks. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to make money in the future!"
Liao Chengde's face alternated between sunny and cloudy, clearly undecided.
Liao Chengde knew about stocks, but trading stocks was risky and far less profitable than smuggling antiques. However, he was also concerned that with the development of the mainland economy and the government's control over the smuggling of antiques, his business would become increasingly difficult.
He had invested in real industries in two provinces and one city, also considering his future.
"What? Still undecided?" Zhong Shi saw that Liao Chengde hadn't spoken for a long time and couldn't help but sneer.
This Mr. Liao was clearly someone who had sneaked into Hong Kong in the past. Otherwise, he wouldn't speak Mandarin so fluently in private. Such people, once they achieved some success, were keen on returning home in glory and showing off. This Mr. Liao was even more despicable, engaging in the smuggling of antiques, which made him even more detestable.
If he had a choice, Zhong Shi wouldn't have chosen him as his agent. Now, it was up to him to decide!
Liao Chengde looked at the child who claimed to be eight years old, feeling as if he were in a dream. He bit his lip and finally said, "I'll tentatively believe you. I'll invest some money in Cheung Kong Holdings. If it doesn't achieve the 20-fold return you promised, our cooperation will end."
"You won't be disappointed. Let's set a three-year limit. By then, you'll be proud of today's decision. Let's sign an agreement now, and bring a formal power of attorney next time you come!" Zhong Shi breathed a sigh of relief. It was hard to meet people from Hong Kong and Taiwan in those days. Now that he had found one, he didn't want to spend more energy finding another.
"What? You want to sign a contract? Don't you trust me?" Liao Chengde exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing. Was this child really eight years old?