1928: The rise of giant merchants

French Concession, Sino-French Pharmacy.

The famous second young master came to visit in the middle of the night. Huang Chujiu did not dare to neglect. He got up overnight and called Xiang Songmao, the deputy general manager of the pharmacy, to come with him to receive Ye Luo.

The doorbell rings.

Xiang Songmao stood up immediately, looked at each other and quickly ran to open the door after looking at Huang Chujiu.

Ye Luo and Xiao Aqiao, who was holding his arm, stepped in: "Excuse me, Boss Huang, Manager Xiang."

"Oh, by the way, the second young master and the eldest sister are here, and the little place is full of glory." Huang Chujiu came over with a smile, carrying tea and a few cakes, "These are Songyuelou's snacks, no. Do you know if you two can get used to eating?"

"Boss Huang is interested." Ye Luo smiled slightly and sat down next to Xiao Aqiao.

Xiang Songmao took the first step to pick up a piece of pastry and put it into his mouth with natural and smooth movements. Then little Aqiao followed suit and ate a piece, and fed Ye Luo another piece.

Ye Luo saw Xiang Songmao's small move in his eyes and had a favorable impression of this pharmaceutical tycoon who would make a fortune following Huang Chujiu in the next year, but later chose to devote all his industry and business to fighting Japan and saving the country.

After the Fengtian Incident, Xiang Songmao actively supported the anti-Japanese and national salvation movement. He also served as a member of the Shanghai Anti-Japanese and National Salvation Committee and published a newspaper statement stating that he would "not import Japanese goods."

He organized all employees in his company into the First Battalion of the National Defense Forces, appointed himself as the battalion commander, hired military instructors for rigorous training, and required employees to train for one hour after get off work to actively prepare for war, which aroused the hatred of the Japanese invaders.

The Anti-Japanese War broke out in Songhu on 128, and the Kuomintang army suffered heavy casualties on the front line. Xiang Songmao accepted the government's task of producing military medicines and personally supervised the production. He worked day and night to rush for medicines to supply the urgent needs of the front lines.

On January 31 of the same year, he and 11 other store clerks were brutally murdered by Japanese invaders. He was only 52 years old at the time.

Because of his life, Ye Luo came over personally and decided to include both of them in his pharmaceutical company.

"I wonder what instructions the second young master and the eldest sister have for coming so late?" Huang Chujiu asked in a flattering manner, "I will not hesitate to die if I, Old Huang, can be of use to you."

Since New World Amusement Park was acquired by Zhang Wanlin, his properties attached to New World have been transferred and sold one after another. Who makes Zhang Wanlin an extremely domineering gangster leader?

After losing those properties, Huang Chujiu's business plummeted, and now he only relies on the Sino-French Pharmacy for a living.

He really wanted to find a tycoon who could make all the difference in the French Concession as his backer, but those tycoons with some status looked down upon him. He couldn't even get in with the gifts!

Ye Luo came to visit unexpectedly today. Huang Chujiu secretly thought that he must hug this thick leg tightly and make a beautiful comeback!

"Boss Huang is serious. I came here today just to give you a warning. You are about to be in trouble." Ye Luo gently bit the pastry brought by Xiao Aqiao and looked at Huang Chujiu with a half-smile.

Huang Chujiu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and Xiang Songmao on the side turned pale. He asked first, "Second Young Master, how can you say this? We have never offended anyone when doing business here."

The enemy who can make Ye Luo personally come to remind them must be the top tycoon they can't afford to offend!

Huang Chujiu was also frightened.

He thought about it, racking his brain and couldn't remember where he had offended such a big shot!

"Please tell me, Second Young Master!" Huang Chujiu stood up from his seat and knelt down to worship Ye Luo.

Ye Luo stretched out his hand to help Huang Chujiu: "This matter is also an old grudge. Does Boss Huang still remember Boss Jing Ruishan?"

Mentioning Jing Ruishan, Huang Chujiu said "ah" and nodded hurriedly and waved his hands: "Second Young Master! This matter really has nothing to do with me! Boss Jing came to me to ask for a prescription. After I finished prescribing it, I specifically told him that I have these medicines. It was difficult to collect, so I asked him to go to a better pharmacy or hospital to collect it, and I really didn’t participate in anything after that!”

"Oh?" Ye Luo raised his eyebrows. He wanted to use Ruishan's death to draw out Zhang Dingyao's recent plan to rectify the traditional Chinese medicine industry, but he didn't want to get out some new information, "So the aphrodisiacs that Brother Ruishan took and You have nothing to do with it?"

After hearing about the aphrodisiac, little Aqiao's cheeks turned red and she clamped her legs together. She finally understood why Lin Ruxian was always hesitant about her husband's death. Even though the two were already close best friends, she still didn't want to mention it. thing!

Thinking about it, Jing Ruishan is so much older than her and is about the same age as Ye Yuqiao, so it is normal to have some problems in that area.

"It really has nothing to do with it, Second Young Master! I just gave out the prescription according to Boss Jing's needs, and then he went to the Japanese to prepare the medicine." Huang Chujiu nodded repeatedly. He probably knew something about the relationship between Ye Luo and Jing Ruishan and his wife. Jing Rui Shan was poisoned to death. The Songhu Police Department came to investigate this matter two years ago, but there was no evidence, so nothing was settled.

If Ye Luo and others want to pursue this matter and target him, then disaster is indeed imminent!

"Japanese? Tell us in detail." Ye Luo suddenly became interested. Originally, Jing Ruishan's death had already become a mystery. If there were later generations of crime-solving technology, he might still be able to find out the truth. But in the Republic of China, in the past After two years, there is a ghost only if the truth can be found out!

But now, it seems that some clues have been caught.

"Does the second young master know the elixir of benevolence?" Huang Chujiu asked in a low voice.

Ye Luo nodded.

After the Japanese invaders and other foreign powers entered China, they also started from the money-making industries in various major cities.

The Japanese invaders focused on textiles and medicine. Their textile products continued to be imported into the country, impacting the textile industry in the north. As a result, this largest domestic industry during the Republic of China was completely invaded. Many domestic textile factories closed down and bankrupted, leaving workers unable to make a living. .

As for medicine, they are mainly rooted in the Beijing-Tianjin area and Shanghai Beach, with many Japanese-funded pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies and hospitals in these areas.

For example, Suzuki Hospital, located in the French Concession, only treated Japanese invaders.

Rendan is a health care product introduced into China by Hiroshi Matsushita, the director of Suzuki Hospital. Its origins are the cooling and detoxifying pills made by the indigenous people of Baodao Province to resist the summer heat. After Hiroshi Matsushita learned about it, he saw the business opportunity and transformed it into Rendan in China. issued.

Such a small bottle of Rendan contains more than 400 small pills, but it only costs 90 cents. It is cheap and good-looking. It became popular in Shanghai when it was launched a few years ago, and it is still the best-selling medical and health care product.

"Rendan also contains medicinal materials that strengthen yang and nourish the kidneys, and Suzuki Hospital has a large stockpile of such medicinal materials. Boss Huang wants to get my prescription. All the ingredients can be obtained at Suzuki Hospital." Huang Chujiu smiled bitterly when he said this.

It wasn't that he didn't want to do Jing Ruishan's business at the beginning, it was just that he was powerless.

The Chinese medicine ingredients for the prescription passed down from my family were not available in my own pharmacy, so I had to send the customers to the hospital opened by the Japanese invaders to get the medicines. When this became public, the brand of the Sino-French Pharmacy was completely ruined.

Therefore, Huang Chujiu asked Jing Ruishan to go to Suzuki Hospital to get medicine and prepare medicine on the grounds that the two knew each other well and it was not convenient for them to prepare medicine.

"Have you ever told the people at the Police Department and Patrol Room about this?" Ye Luo frowned. Looking at it this way, the poison Jing Ruishan took probably came from Suzuki Hospital.

The Japanese aggressors had ulterior motives. If they tried to do anything in this regard, Jing Ruishan would definitely not be able to tell.

But whether the Japanese invaders united with the Yongxing Company is hard to say.

When he asked Ding Li and Ma Yongzhen to ask Wang Guozhen in advance, they only knew that she was indeed having an affair with Zhang Wanlin, and later Zhang Wanlin disliked her old age and sex, and made her hate her because of love. This is a good show by Zhang Wanlin.

But in fact, Wang Guozhen didn't know where the problem was with the medicine.

Now she just followed Ye Luo's wishes and insisted that Zhang Wanlin was coercing him.

"Of course I said it! I didn't hide anything! But after I said it, someone was sent over to tell me that no one could tell me about it again, including Miss Lin Ruxian! I was so scared that I didn't mention it again," Huang Chujiu said bitterly. Face, if Ye Luo hadn't come to visit him today and told him that he was in danger, he wouldn't have wanted to mention this secret. After all, the people who interrogated him were still there. "At that time, they were afraid of arousing the dissatisfaction of the Japanese invaders and amplifying the situation to everyone." None of them were good, so I shut them down.”

The more Ye Luo listened, the more he felt that there were more entangled forces inside. Jing Ruishan's death was complicated and confusing, and it might not be as simple as "a common man is not guilty but he is guilty of carrying a jade".

"I see, but it seems that after two years, Brother Ruishan's death will most likely be settled as an unresolved case, and the old matter will not be brought up again." Ye Luo nodded and looked at Huang Chujiu.

Huang Chujiu let out a long breath: "I don't know what the catastrophe you are talking about, Second Young Master, is about to happen."

"Boss Huang, you don't know yet. A few days ago, Mayor Zhang sent people to re-investigate the case, and accidentally learned some truth from Wang Guozhen. It turned out that she had an affair with Zhang Wanlin, and the medicine that poisoned Brother Ruishan was , the ingredients inside are very similar to the medicine he is taking to treat lung disease."

Ye Luo raised his eyebrows. As soon as these words came out, the nerves of Huang Chujiu and Xiang Songmao, who had just relaxed, became tense again.

"Now that you have said that this medicine is most likely dispensed by Suzuki Hospital, and the prescription is from you, do you think Mayor Zhang will check you again?"

"No wonder someone suddenly called me for a secret interrogation a few days ago." Now, Xiang Songmao didn't hide it anymore and answered truthfully, "These people from the security headquarters also told me to keep it secret and not to say anything. What I am asking is the origin of this aphrodisiac prescription."

"Were you also interrogated?" Huang Chujiu looked stunned. He was also called for questioning by the Songhu Police Department a few days ago.

Also asking him to keep his mouth shut.

The two looked at each other and then looked at Ye Luo.

"Second Young Master, help me!"

This matter is no small matter.

Huang Chujiu knew very well that the people above him were unreasonable. Although he did not participate in it and only gave out a prescription, it would be very simple to deal with him.

Since the Second Northern Expedition, the prestige and power of the Nationalist Government have far surpassed the local tycoons and remaining warlord forces in Shanghai!

Even the foreigners in the concession will give them some face.

The other party is the number one person on the beach at the moment. With just a move of your fingers, not to mention the Sino-French Pharmacy, even their head can be easily taken!

"I don't know how to deal with the Sino-French Pharmacy at present, but I can clearly tell you, Boss Huang, that the traditional Chinese medicine industry will be rectified, and your medicines are also suspected of being poisonous. You said that the business of the Sino-French Pharmacy can Can you keep doing it?"

Ye Luo glanced at him.

Huang Chujiu was sweating profusely, and Xiang Songmao was silent.

At this time, are you still doing a shitty business?

Your life is at stake!

"Please Second Young Master, please point me to a clear path! I'm willing to pay any price!" Huang Chujiu is not stupid. Ye Luo came to him specifically in the middle of the night to tell him this. Naturally, there is a way to help him tide over the difficulties, but the price depends on Ye Luo. Luo wanted something.

Ye Luo raised the corner of his mouth slightly and glanced at this small pharmacy. Who would have thought that the two people sitting here could rely on it to create the first pharmaceutical trust controlled by Chinese businessmen in Shanghai in the next two years? ?

This pharmacy is nice, but from now on, it's mine.

"Boss Huang, let me ask you something. Tell me the truth."

"Second Young Master, please ask me! I can tell you everything I know!"

"Do you want your life or your money?"

"Ah? Of course it would be fatal!" Huang Chujiu had a vague feeling in his heart.

"That's good. I guarantee your life will be safe, but this Chinese-French pharmacy will be owned by my Ye's Pharmaceutical Company from now on." Ye Luo spoke directly without being secretive.

Xiang Songmao was stunned for a moment, more puzzled in his heart.

The Sino-French Pharmacy is indeed the largest Chinese pharmacy in the French Concession. It is full of money, with total assets of only 200,000 to 300,000 yuan.

I heard that this second young master bought a luxury car worth 80,000 yuan from a foreigner a few days ago!

This small amount of money is not worth it at all for him to come over in the middle of the night for an interview in person.

Huang Chujiu had the same reaction, but he subconsciously refused: "Second Young Master, can you allow me to think about it again?"

Ye Luo has always been famous for his kindness to Chinese businessmen and his generosity.

But this time, he didn't give me any money, and threatened to use the pharmacy to pay for his life.

This made Huang Chujiu, who was very sensitive, subconsciously feel that things were not that simple.

Moreover, although the Sino-French Pharmacy is not big, it is the last resource for him to turn around. Giving it away is not much different from giving up his life.

"That's all, you two can take care of yourself." Ye Luo clapped his hands, stood up, picked up another piece of Songyuelou's pastry, and stuffed it into his mouth, "Boss Huang, I advise you, money is as good as this Songyuelou's pastry. In the same way, some people can have it, and some people don't deserve it. It's about life or wealth. It's just a matter of thought, don't harm yourself."

After watching Ye Luo and the two leave, Huang Chujiu collapsed on the ground, and Xiang Songmao beside him didn't know how to admonish him.

After leaving the Sino-French Pharmacy, Shi Jianqiao was smoking next to the Rolls-Royce. When he saw the two of them approaching, he quickly put out the cigarette butts.

"You, you, you haven't learned well since you came to my house. First you learned mahjong from Qingqing and the others, and now from whom did you learn to smoke?" Ye Luo knocked Shi Jianqiao's head.

Shi Jianqiao snorted coldly, turned away with a blushing face and said nothing.

If it had been another man, she would have hit back immediately, ensuring that he couldn't get out of bed for three days.

But if it were him.

"Baby Qiaoer, Jianqiao, let me test you. Do you know why I have such a strong attitude towards the Sino-French Pharmacy?" Ye Luo got into the car and smiled at the two women.

He briefly told Shi Jianqiao what happened, and the two women suddenly fell into deep thought.

The car started and before it had driven far, the co-pilot Shi Jianqiao slapped his thigh: "Second Young Master, I know why!"