Chapter 130: If You Want to Get Rich, Cut Your Braids First!

Wu Yuanhua is the one who knows California best among these merchants. Both Guangzhou merchants and Fujian merchants gathered around Wu Yuanhua to talk, wanting to learn more about Liang Yao from him. Google Search Reading

Especially the content of Wu Yuanhua's conversation with Liang Yao on the road just now, which is what they are most curious and concerned about.

"My brother is so promising."

Hu Jinchen sat on the sofa in the reception room with his legs crossed and a teacup in his hand. He was very glad that he had been to California earlier than others and successfully established a relationship with Liang Yao.

"The deputy governor of California is the lord of half a state. The states in the United States are similar to the provinces in the Qing Dynasty.

Brother Liang is a governor-general in the Qing Dynasty, and he also holds the military power of California. His future is limitless. You must be polite to him like an imperial envoy in a while, and you must not neglect him."

The Chinese merchants agreed again and again. They had just arrived, and it was right to be polite to others on their territory.

Hu Jinchen, who was greeting them on the side, didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Liang Yao was now more than the ruler of half a state. He had the final say on almost all matters of California.

"Liang Yi (Wu Yuanhua's name is Liang Yi), you and I are from the same hometown of Quanzhou Prefecture. We will have to help each other in California in the future."

Fujian merchant Zeng Jinsong came up and said to Wu Yuanhua.

"My dear nephew Liang Yi, we are both from the Thirteenth Hong. I held you in my arms when you were a child. Don't forget your uncle. You must say a few words for your uncle in front of Mr. Liang later."

A Guangzhou merchant with gray hair and beard said.

"Since you have a close relationship with Mr. Liang, you must know his preferences. Tell us some of his preferences so that we can prepare another gift for him."

Another Guangzhou merchant said.

Although it was the first time for these Chinese merchants to come to Liang Yao's house, they did not come empty-handed. The servants accompanying them all brought gifts.

It's just that they don't know Liang Yao's preferences, and whether these gifts are appropriate.

"To be honest, I don't know what gifts Mr. Liang likes."

Before leaving Guangzhou, many people had asked this question, and Wu Yuanhua was a little annoyed.

These businessmen always thought that he was hiding something, but in fact Wu Yuanhua didn't know Liang Yao very well. Wu Yuanhua still looks at Liang Yao and thinks that Liang Yao is a particularly mysterious person who is hard to see through.

"Gold, silver and silk are the things that Mr. Liang lacks the most. If you want to give gifts, you can give some more special gifts, maybe Mr. Liang will be interested." Wu Yuanhua evaded.

"What about beauty? Since ancient times, heroes have been unable to resist beauty, and Mr. Liang is at the age of blood and vigor. I heard that Mr. Liang has passed the age of twenty-crown and has not yet married."

Zeng Jinsong said, pulling the sparse beard on his chin, looking at the young white maids coming and going in the reception room.

"I just don't know whether Mr. Liang likes foreign women or women from the Qing Dynasty, or whether Mr. Liang has a homosexual tendency?"

Twenty years old in the Qing Dynasty at that time was already an unmarried young man of advanced age.

While the Chinese businessmen were talking, Liang Yao had changed his clothes and walked down from the second floor.

"Don't think about it, what I like most in my life is making friends, especially reliable friends like you."

Liang Yao, who had changed his clothes, walked down the stairs. He had just heard the conversation of these Chinese businessmen.

"Mr. Liang."

Seeing Liang Yao coming, the Chinese businessmen immediately stopped discussing and stood up to bow to Liang Yao.

Some Chinese businessmen even knelt down subconsciously.

"Greetings, Vice Governor Liang."

This made Liang Yao laugh: "Kneeling is not a custom in America. When you meet in the future, you can follow the local customs and just say hello and shake hands. If you are not used to it, you can just bow."

"I am Zeng Jinsong from Quanzhou Prefecture. I hope Mr. Liang can take care of my business in California in the future. I heard that Mr. Liang is a provincial governor of the United States?"

Zeng Jinsong, wearing a Qing Dynasty fifth-rank official robe, climbed up from the smooth floor clumsily and patted his clothes habitually.

"I can't say I am a provincial governor, but in California, I, Liang, have the final say."

Liang Yao found a seat and sat down. After sitting down, he waved and said to the Chinese businessmen.

"Everyone, please sit down. Don't be restrained."

The Chinese businessmen found a seat and sat down.

They looked at Liang Yao curiously, especially the back of Liang Yao's head. They were a little surprised to see that Liang Yao had no braids.

However, thinking of what Wu Yuanhua had told them, Liang Yao had already been naturalized in the United States, the laws of the Qing Dynasty naturally could not bind Liang Yao. Thinking of this, they felt relieved.

"Mr. Liang, I am Pan Zhengwei from Fuxing. Before coming to California, Brother Liangyi told us that Mr. Liang has a ready-made shop in Jinshan that he can sell to us?" Pan Zhengwei asked.

"Of course." Liang Yao said after taking a sip of tea.

"I have a lot of shops in Jinshan City. The best idle shops on the commercial street of Jinshan City are available for you to choose, whether you buy directly or rent.

This commercial street is the most prosperous shop in the entire western United States. Many foreigners may not be able to buy it if they want to."

Liang Yao is not exaggerating. Don't look at the current urban population of San Francisco (Jinshan City) is only 50,000 or 60,000, but it is not an exaggeration to say that it is the most prosperous and wealthy city in the western United States.

Perhaps a handful of rising central cities like Chicago and Kansas City will have larger populations than San Francisco.

However, the wealth and prosperity of San Francisco are unmatched by Chicago and Kansas City.

In terms of millionaires alone, there are already several millionaires in San Francisco. And these millionaires are the richest people in the so-called big cities in the middle of the country!

Currently, the only state in the Midwest of the United States that has so many millionaires is California!

The millionaires of this era are not the millionaires of later generations. They are very valuable. Even in New York, where rich people are everywhere, a millionaire has a lot of status.

Of course, the "gold content" of millionaires in California is higher, because they do have a lot of gold.

"Thank you, Mr. Liang. I heard that Mr. Liang is involved in a wide range of businesses and does all kinds of business in California. I would like to ask, are there any taboos about doing business in California?" Pan Zhengwei asked tentatively, "Do you want to join the Chamber of Commerce? "

Pan Zhengwei heard that Liang Yao had a wide range of businesses in California and was involved in almost every industry.

He wanted to know what business he could do in California and what business he couldn't do, so as not to accidentally conflict with Liang Yao's interests.

When Pan Zhengwei was young, due to his youth and ignorance, his father asked him to go to Songjiang to collect cotton cloth. When he saw that the cotton cloth sold by small merchants was relatively cheap and of good quality, he became greedy and forgot his father's advice before leaving. The local wealthy merchants in Zhejiang collected cotton cloth directly from local small merchants.

As a result, these merchants were not only unwilling to sell cotton cloth to him, but he was also given a lesson by the cotton merchants in Songjiang Prefecture, and he was beaten and beaten in vain.

This incident is still fresh in his memory. Fortunately, the beating was not in vain. Pan Zhengwei learned the lessons of this beating and was extra cautious when doing business in Guangzhou.

"I'm just about to tell you about this. You are all doing business. It is inevitable to make profits and losses in business, especially in this foreign country, where you have to face more difficulties. I want to establish a relationship with you. What do you think of a Chinese Chamber of Commerce that helps each other?" Liang Yao put down the tea cup in his hand.

Pan Zhengwei was quite knowledgeable, and Liang Yao also knew more or less about businessmen from all over the country. The most profitable activities in each place were basically controlled by the local gentry and wealthy businessmen, and it was difficult for outsiders to get involved.

Not only the Qing Dynasty was like this, but the United States was not doing well at this time either.

Almost every state in the United States has trade barriers, which are even worse than those in the Qing Dynasty.

After all, the Qing Dynasty had centralized power and could directly exercise jurisdiction over local areas, while the United States was a federation. The powers of the states and the federal government were parallel. The federal government had no power and could not exercise jurisdiction over the states, even indirectly.

The people who hold real local power in each state are nothing more than a consortium composed of gentry and wealthy businessmen in each state, and the state government has naturally become a tool to serve them.

Let's not talk about the distance, just say that these eastern consortiums who came to California to prospect for gold basically hugged each other on a state basis to keep warm.

"Very good, very good, that's what I meant."

Wu Yuanhua stroked his hand and said that this was a good thing he could only ask for.

Other Chinese businessmen also agreed, and they had no reason to refuse such a good thing.

"I propose that Mr. Liang be elected as the president of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Liang is young and promising, and he is an official in the United States. It is most suitable for Mr. Liang to serve as the president of the Chamber of Commerce."

Zeng Jinsong suggested.

Although everyone knew that Zeng Jinsong was flattering Liang Yao, Liang Yao was indeed the most suitable candidate for the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chinese businessmen had no objection to this, and they unanimously recommended Liang Yao as the president of the chamber of commerce.

"What do you think, Mr. Liang?" Pan Zhengwei looked at Liang Yao with a smile. He also agreed with Liang Yao as the president of the Chamber of Commerce.

"Since everyone is so enthusiastic, I will be disrespectful." Liang Yao didn't show off, and said after thinking for a moment.

"The name of our chamber of commerce is the Huaxia Chamber of Commerce. Tomorrow I will let people free up a place to be a hall. But if you want to join the chamber, I have two conditions."

"What's the condition? Mr. Liang, it's okay to say nothing?"

All the Chinese businessmen asked in unison.

It is reasonable for Liang Yao to set the threshold for membership. Not everyone can join the chambers of commerce in various provinces of the Qing Dynasty. Each chamber of commerce has a higher or lower threshold.

It's just that the Chinese businessmen didn't know how high the threshold was to be set by Liang Yao. Some businessmen with relatively weak financial resources began to feel nervous, fearing that Liang Yao would exclude them from the chamber of commerce.

"Cut your braids and become an American citizen. These are the only two conditions I have." Liang Yao looked around at these Chinese businessmen with sharp, knife-like eyes.

Upon hearing this condition, some decisive Chinese businessmen expressed their willingness to naturalize, while others were hesitant.

There are even more people who resist the idea of ​​cutting their braids.

Keep your head but not your hair, keep your hair but not your head

Cutting off braids is a capital crime punishable by beheading

Only a few of these Chinese businessmen, such as Wu Yuanhua, have the idea of ​​staying in California for a long time.

Many people still hold on to the idea of ​​​​making a fortune in California and then returning home with a rich life.

If all these people did this, wouldn't Liang Yao's work be in vain?

He hoped that California could develop a large conglomerate like the New York consortium, rather than a group of speculators who came to California to make a fortune and leave.

"I am doing this for your sake. Just now, Brother Liangyi asked me if I could donate my official status in California. I am here to answer you all together. Yes, you can, but if you want to be an official in the United States, you must first become an American citizen."

Liang Yao stood up and walked to the hesitant Zeng Jinsong. He stared at the fifth-grade crown on Zeng Jinsong's head and said, "Officials from the Qing Dynasty are not useful in America, not to mention that your official position was donated."

Then Liang Yao waved his hand, and Hu Jinchen called for a group of maids to come up with a plate. A pair of sharp scissors was placed on each plate.