I'm back in 1990

Chapter 542: Coping Strategies

In early July, Huang Xiaochuan obtained his visa. After entrusting Yawen and Luca to Huang Xiaochuan's aunt and uncle, Zhang Yun accompanied Huang Xiaochuan to Singapore.

Although Singapore is a small country, its urban environment is exceptionally good and very clean. This is due to its maritime climate and its strict laws, such as the fact that you can't buy chewing gum in Singapore.

Because Singapore is located in the tropics, it is lush with greenery and abundant with flowers and plants all year round. As a result, its high-rise buildings are also decorated with a lot of greenery, making them look very vibrant and much more beautiful than pure concrete jungles.

Looking at this beautiful garden city, Huang Xiaochuan suddenly had an idea.

He turned to Zhang Yun, who was sitting next to him, and asked, "Can foreigners buy houses in Singapore?"

Zhang Yun was a little taken aback by the sudden question, but she quickly gave an answer.

"Yes, but you can only buy in certain designated areas, such as Sentosa Cove. Most of the properties there are luxury beachfront homes, some even with their own private docks where you can moor your yacht. They offer excellent privacy, and many global billionaires and international celebrities own property there."

The area is also close to entertainment venues such as Universal Studios, casinos, golf courses, and beach clubs. Transportation is convenient; it's about a 15-minute drive to the CBD.

After hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan immediately decided to buy a seaside villa here, the kind with a dock.

"Come with me around here these next few days. I'm thinking of buying a house here so I can come here for a vacation sometime."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yun realized that Huang Xiaochuan's actions were exactly what she wanted. Originally, she had wanted to buy him a villa so that he could come and stay there for a few days each year. Now that Huang Xiaochuan had taken the initiative to propose it, how could Zhang Yun refuse?

"I'll have someone contact the real estate agent right away and schedule a time to view the house."

Huang Xiaochuan nodded: "Okay, you can arrange it!"

The convoy soon arrived near the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a long-established affluent area in Singapore. Most of the buildings were constructed during the colonial period, and some modern mansions were later built nearby. The area is lush with greenery and has a particularly strong cultural atmosphere.

The Xue family's old house is a British Tudor-style building with a floor area of ​​1800 square meters. The building also incorporates the style of Malay village houses, with white walls, black windows, and a high red tile roof, giving it a tropical feel.

Moreover, the building also comes with a garden covering more than 1,000 square meters, and the environment looks very quiet. Huang Xiaochuan knows that Singapore's property tax is very high, and he guesses that the annual property tax of this building is about the same as the annual living expenses of more than a dozen ordinary Singaporean families.

Before the car even arrived at the villa's entrance, a large group of people came out of the house to greet Huang Xiaochuan and Zhang Yun.

After the car came to a complete stop, a Chinese man in his fifties, dressed smartly and neatly, walked to the front of the car and opened the door.

After the car door opened, Zhang Yun didn't rush to get out. Instead, she thanked the person first.

"Uncle Dong, thank you!"

At this moment, Huang Xiaochuan got off the car from the other side and came to Zhang Yun's side.

Zhang Yun introduced him: "Xiao Chuan, this is my maternal grandfather's butler, Uncle Dong."

Huang Xiaochuan politely extended his hand: "Uncle Dong, I'm Huang Xiaochuan!"

Uncle Dong politely shook hands with Huang Xiaochuan: "Welcome, Mr. Huang. The master is already waiting for you in the reception room. Please follow me."

Huang Xiaochuan followed Uncle Dong into the house, while Zhou Wei and the others were led to another meeting room to rest.

The Xue family's reception room was clearly decorated in the old Shanghai style, with a long table, an eight-immortal table, and a grand master's chair in the center.

This style is very common in Jiangnan and Shanghai. Huang Xiaochuan remembers that the layout of his maternal grandmother's house was somewhat similar when he was a child.

An elderly man, leaning on a sandalwood cane, sat upright in a south-facing armchair. Upon seeing Huang Xiaochuan, he stared intently at him.

Upon seeing the old man, Huang Xiaochuan guessed that he must be Xue Xiangsheng, Zhang Yun's maternal grandfather.

He took the initiative to step forward and greet him: "Hello, Mr. Xue, I am Huang Xiaochuan."

Xue Xiangsheng spoke with a strong Shanghai accent, showing that his accent hasn't changed over the years.

"Please sit down! I'm getting old, and my legs aren't strong enough anymore, so I won't stand up."

Huang Xiaochuan was aware of the tradition of respecting the elderly, so he quickly said, "You can just sit down, sir."

As he spoke, he sat down to the seat below Xue Xiangsheng, at which point a servant served him a cup of tea.

Although he hadn't tasted it yet, Huang Xiaochuan could tell just by smelling it that it was this year's finest pre-Qingming Longjing tea.

He, a connoisseur of fine tea, unceremoniously picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Then he praised the Longjing tea highly: "Excellent tea!"

Xue Xiangsheng observed Huang Xiaochuan with great interest, and upon seeing his reaction, he couldn't help but laugh.

"It seems you're a tea connoisseur, Xiao Huang?"

Huang Xiaochuan modestly replied, "I just drank it haphazardly, it can't compare to yours, but your Longjing tea is fragrant with orchid notes, it must have come from Hugong Temple at the foot of Lion Peak."

Upon hearing this, Xue Xiangsheng was immediately impressed by Huang Xiaochuan. Such a young person knew so much about tea, able to tell the origin of a tea just by taking a sip.

He raised one hand, and the butler, Uncle Dong, knew what that meant. He then cleared out all the irrelevant people in the reception room, and followed him out, not forgetting to close the reception room door behind him.

Xue Huilan walked over with a worried look and asked, "Uncle Dong! How did the talks go inside?"

Seeing that Xue Huilan was a little worried, Uncle Dong comforted her, "Master seems to like this young man very much, Miss, you don't need to worry."

After everyone had left, Xue Xiangsheng spoke up: "Xiao Huang, I heard you're a university professor? And you do some business with Yun'er, is that right?"

Seeing that Xue Xiangsheng already knew his background, Huang Xiaochuan mistakenly assumed that Zhang Yun had told her family everything. So he first looked at Zhang Yun sitting next to him before saying, "Yes!"

Zhang Yun knew exactly what Huang Xiaochuan meant by that look he gave her. She really wanted to explain to Huang Xiaochuan that she hadn't told her grandfather the truth about Huang Xiaochuan, but she couldn't explain it to him right now.

Xue Xiangsheng then asked, "I heard you study economics? I happen to have a question I'd like to ask you. Would it be convenient for you?"

"I don't know what kind of questions you'd like to ask. If they're related to my field of expertise, perhaps I can answer them."

Leaning on his cane, Xue Xiangsheng posed his question: "What are your views on the future of the world economy?"

Huang Xiaochuan glanced at Xue Xiangsheng. To be honest, he felt that Xue Xiangsheng's question was somewhat of a test. He didn't understand why Xue Xiangsheng had come all this way just to ask him some professional questions.

However, this was certainly not a problem for him. After thinking for a moment, Huang Xiaochuan said, "In general, global economic growth will slow down in the short term, but it still has long-term potential."

Currently, there are still short-term risks in the next two years, mainly due to the bursting of the US internet bubble. If the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates, it may further suppress consumption and economic growth. It should be noted that at this time, the United States is the world's largest consumer country, and its economic downturn will affect the global economy.

However, looking at the long term, information technology and globalization will remain the core drivers of economic development. Although the internet industry is currently experiencing fluctuations, the development of e-commerce, communication technology, and cross-border supply chains continues. Therefore, I am optimistic about future economic development in the long run.

Xue Xiangsheng suddenly asked again, "Then what are your views on the future economic development of Southeast Asia?"

Huang Xiaochuan took a sip of tea unhurriedly before saying, "After the 97 financial crisis, Southeast Asian countries have gradually recovered their economies with the support of the World Bank and other countries. However, as far as I know, the financial systems of Southeast Asian countries are still fragile."

Xue Xiangsheng nodded. After asking about the macro issues, he began to ask some specific questions, such as how the Xue family's businesses should cope with the global economic downturn in the future.

He then pointed to a pile of documents on the octagonal table and said, "Here are some documents about the businesses that our Xue family operates in Malaysia and Singapore, mainly palm oil, rubber plantations, oil refineries, sea and land gas stations, and the Xue's Medical Group. I would like to hear your views on these businesses, mainly to ask you to see how my family's businesses should cope with the global economic downturn."

Looking at the huge pile of documents and materials, Huang Xiaochuan couldn't help but wonder, could it be that this old man wanted to use people for free?

Before Huang Xiaochuan could answer, Xue Xiangsheng stood up on his own, and Zhang Yun quickly stepped forward to support him.

Xue Xiangsheng waved his hand, refusing Zhang Yun's help, and said to Huang Xiaochuan, "You don't need to rush. Take your time and tell me when you have an idea." After saying that, he left the reception room, leaning on his cane.

Butler Dong had been waiting at the entrance to the reception room. When he saw Xue Xiangsheng come out, he immediately went up to help him. This time, Xue Xiangsheng did not refuse.

Uncle Dong said worriedly, "Master, why did you give all those business details to that young man? What if..."

The cunning Xue Xiangsheng chuckled and waved his hand, "Hehe, it's alright. These are all publicly available information. How could I possibly give the real core secrets to an outsider?"

In the reception room, Zhang Yun looked at Huang Xiaochuan and asked, "Do you need my help?"

Huang Xiaochuan looked at the pile of documents on the table and said, "I want them!"

Zhang Yun was taken aback when she heard this. She was just expressing her concern, but she didn't expect Huang Xiaochuan to take it seriously.

Seeing Zhang Yun's strange expression, Huang Xiaochuan said with dissatisfaction, "Do you think I can move so many documents by myself?"

Only then did Zhang Yun understand what Huang Xiaochuan meant by wanting to help. She chuckled and immediately called someone to deliver the documents to the guest room.

Huang Xiaochuan refused.

"No need to send me to a guest room, I don't stay here. Just take me to a hotel, I've already had it arranged."

After saying that, Huang Xiaochuan walked out. As soon as he stepped out of the reception room, he saw Xue Huilan. Out of politeness, Huang Xiaochuan greeted her.

"Hello!"

After exchanging greetings, they continued walking outside. When Mai Guangde and Zhou Wei saw Huang Xiaochuan come out, they immediately followed him.

Upon seeing them, Huang Xiaochuan said, "Let's go to the hotel!"

He then said to Zhang Yun, who had followed him, "Could you please arrange a car for me?"

After Huang Xiaochuan and his men left, Xue Huilan walked to her daughter's side and watched the car drive away.

Didn't you tell him you had room at home?

"I told him, but he still wants to stay in a hotel."

After answering Xue Huilan's question, Zhang Yun turned and walked into the house.

Xue Huilan looked surprised, but quickly followed her daughter into the house.

Shortly after arriving at the hotel, the documents were delivered to Huang Xiaochuan's room.

That evening, Huang Xiaochuan began to peruse the documents. After reading them, he shook his head. He hadn't expected the Xue family to have so many businesses. But upon reflection, it wasn't surprising, considering that the Xue family had been operating in Southeast Asia for nearly three generations.

Huang Xiaochuan immediately summoned part of his office team from China and then stayed in the room for four days. During this time, their meals were delivered directly to their room by the hotel. Even when Zhang Yun came to see him, he refused to let her in and gave her the cold shoulder.

Four days later, with the assistance of his team, Huang Xiaochuan outlined the Xue family's business strategy for the next few years.

First, he suggested optimizing the cash flow.

Conduct asset audits of palm oil and rubber plantations, shut down inefficient planting areas, and concentrate resources on maintaining high-yield plots.

Then, establish a palm oil futures hedging mechanism to lock in price volatility risk over the next 6 to 12 months.

Gas stations use the internet to implement dynamic pricing, leveraging Singapore's information technology advantages to adjust fuel prices in real time to maintain profit margins.

The company converted long-term loans for its Malaysian refineries into Singapore dollars and leveraged Singapore's status as a Southeast Asian financial center to obtain lower-interest loans in exchange for its previous high-interest loans.

Given the strong performance of Xue's Medical Group, Huang Xiaochuan suggested that the medical group be spun off and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, so that the cash flow raised from the stock market could be used to support Xue's Group's traditional industries.

Other examples include "policy arbitrage", "medium-term industrial restructuring", "medical industry upgrading" and "long-term strategic transformation".

Huang Xiaochuan also pointed out that attention should be paid to the issue of geopolitical risk conflict and vertical integration should be carried out.

Establish an integrated palm oil-biodiesel base in the Johor Strait, along with a supporting LNG receiving terminal (a forward-looking plan of the Singapore government's 2030 Green Plan).

Acquiring small oil refineries in Indonesia to form the "Malacca Strait Energy Corridor" (circumventing ASEAN internal tariffs).

Upgrading of the medical industry

In collaboration with the National University of Singapore, a tropical disease research center was established to develop affordable vaccines for the Indonesian and Indian markets.

Digital infrastructure

It is recommended to invest in the construction of an Internet of Things (IoT) system for plantations to enable palm fruit ripening prediction.

Develop an intelligent inventory system for gas stations to adjust regional fuel supply strategies using real-time data from the Port of Singapore.

After finishing this lengthy treatise, Huang Xiaochuan found Zhang Yun, handed it to her, then closed the door and slept for a whole day. After getting up, he took Mai Guangde, Zhou Wei, and a few others to tour Singapore. He also gave his team a holiday, chartered a plane to send them to the Maldives, and paid for all the expenses as a reward for them.