Chapter 359: The Success of the Charity Foundation and Future Directions
Time quickly moved to October 3rd, and at long last, a light rain finally fell in Hong Kong.
Yang Wendong arrived at the sixth floor of the Changxing Tower, where the Changxing Charity Foundation's office was located.
"Dong-ge," Lin Haoyu and Zhao Liming were already waiting for him.
Yang Wendong smiled. "Let's head inside."
"Sure, I've prepared some fruit and drinks," Zhao Liming said with a grin.
The three of them entered a meeting room. Yang Wendong grabbed a banana, took a couple of bites, and then pulled a tissue to spit out the seeds.
In this era, bananas still had seeds. There were no seedless versions of watermelons, tangerines, or any other fruit yet. Before genetic engineering, all fruits and vegetables were 100% natural.
Lin Haoyu handed over a prepared folder and said, "Dong-ge, this is the operational report for the past year of the Changxing Charity Foundation. It includes all donation income and corresponding expenditures."
Yang Wendong took the file, flipped through a few pages, and asked, "So the donations we've received are now almost covering our expenses?"
"Yes," Lin Haoyu replied. "Take last month, for example—we received HKD 447,000 in donations and spent HKD 510,000 on charity. The gap is shrinking.
Plus, with summer ending, our spending on water procurement is going down. It rained today, too—maybe the drought is finally coming to an end. If that's the case, our monthly expenditures will decrease significantly."
"This rain was barely anything. We can't count on it," Yang Wendong shook his head.
Although the worst of the drought had passed, its aftereffects were still felt. Even next year wouldn't be back to normal levels—though not as severe as 1963, it would still be worse than most years.
Lin Haoyu nodded. "That's true. But it's already October, and the weather is cooling down. In any case, it looks like we've made it through the toughest part of the drought. Water consumption in winter is much lower."
"Yes, this year is about wrapped up," Yang Wendong agreed.
When it's cold, people need less water—bathing and drinking are less frequent. Water doesn't evaporate as quickly either. Even industries like power plants require less cooling water in cooler temperatures.
Lin Haoyu added, "But a large portion of our donation income came from Watsons. They made a lot of money selling purified water. Once it cools down, their sales will drop too."
"Disaster profits really are easy money," Yang Wendong laughed. "But if Watsons wants long-term growth, they'll need to rely on regular business. Making too much from a disaster is not a good look."
For those aiming to live modestly, this kind of fast cash was indeed attractive.
Lin Haoyu continued, "On the whole, thanks to our strategy of giving away water for free in some areas and selling it at a discount in others, we've won a lot of public support. Many people are happy to donate."
"Excellent. That's exactly why I set up the foundation," Yang Wendong nodded. "I want our foundation to be one the public can fully trust. Only then can we maximize its impact and help those truly in need."
The power of society always outweighed that of the individual. Even a billionaire couldn't keep funding disaster relief indefinitely. But if a foundation could earn the public's trust, it could consistently attract donations.
This was the long-term strategy Yang Wendong envisioned: he'd contribute part of the funding, and the rest would come from the public.
It wasn't that Yang Wendong was stingy. But charity required long-term thinking. There were many types of needs—natural disasters were unpredictable. He couldn't afford to go all-in every time. What if there was another emergency next month?
Even with deep pockets, he couldn't donate endlessly without jeopardizing his business. And his business supported tens of thousands of jobs—that, too, was a form of charity that couldn't be allowed to fail.
So relying on public donations was both rational and sustainable. In major disasters, public fundraising could move mountains. But individuals could only give so much—and if they gave less next time, they'd be criticized for it.
Lin Haoyu smiled. "True. And it really helped that you insisted on publishing the foundation's financial data in the newspaper. That transparency was like a shot of confidence for everyone."
"Yes. Keep doing that," Yang Wendong said. "All large donations and expenditures must be made public. That's the only way we'll grow stronger."
He had no interest in making shady profits from a charity foundation. So it was better to keep everything transparent. There was no internet yet, so newspapers were the only way to disclose this information. And only key financial data would be published.
Plus, the foundation underwent internal audits every six months. A financial loss was manageable—but a scandal would damage his reputation and the public's trust in the foundation.
"Understood," Lin Haoyu said. "We're still working closely with the Oriental Daily on that."
Yang Wendong nodded and continued reviewing the foundation's expenses. Right now, the biggest cost was supplying water to squatter areas—around HKD 300,000 to 400,000 per month.
Still, from the perspective of the larger Changxing Group, this wasn't a loss. Watsons was pulling in nearly HKD 1 million a month from bottled water sales. And the company's cargo ships transporting water—though low-margin—were making small profits from government contracts.
The second-biggest expense was food aid for newly arrived refugees and children in squatter settlements. Most of it went to rice porridge and small portions of flour-based dumplings.
"These porridge distribution points—there aren't many, are there?" Yang Wendong asked.
Lin Haoyu replied, "Not many, really. Hong Kong's economy is doing quite well now. You already have two or three ten thousand workers under your companies, Dong-ge. Most people aren't going hungry.
But there are still a few living in squatter settlements or rural parts of the New Territories. They're not exactly starving, but it's hard for them to get decent food. A bowl of noodles costs 50 cents, and cooking for themselves requires time and effort. So a lot of them come to us for simple meals."
At that moment, Zhao Liming spoke up, "Dong-ge, about the porridge distribution—I have a different opinion from Haoyu."
"Oh? Let's hear it," Yang Wendong said.
Zhao Liming said, "I don't think most of these people are truly destitute. Lately, we've seen more freeloaders—even local punks. The efficiency of the porridge distribution is getting lower and lower."
"So what's your proposal?" Yang Wendong asked.
Indeed, distributing porridge or rice has always been a challenge through the ages: how do you ensure that only those truly in need receive the aid, while keeping out those who don't need it?
He remembered a historical drama where Heshen mixed sand into relief grain—not a pretty method, but it made sense. Similarly, public housing without private bathrooms followed the same logic.
But he couldn't do something like that now. This was a modern society. He'd be crucified by public opinion.
Zhao Liming said, "I think we should only give food to children. That way, we can filter out many of the freeloading adults."
"Only to children?" Yang Wendong thought for a moment. That made some sense.
If there's any other option, no parent would willingly send their child to queue for food. Meanwhile, some lazy adults without kids might still come just to score a free meal.
Lin Haoyu countered, "Liming's method may help, but not all childless people are freeloaders."
"I agree with Liming on this one," Yang Wendong finally said. "You're right too, Haoyu, but we can't be perfect. There are hungry people even on Hong Kong Island, but we're not running charity operations there.
Charity should aim to help as many people as possible within reason. If we miss a few cases, so be it. Our resources are limited."
"Alright then, since Dong-ge says so, I'll go along with it," Lin Haoyu replied.
Yang Wendong added, "Still, don't make it strictly for children. If someone is elderly, disabled, or clearly frail, we should help them too. Use your judgment."
"Got it," both Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu said.
Yang Wendong continued, "But I don't think we'll need to do this for many more years. Hong Kong's economy is getting better and better. Eventually, even the poorest will at least have enough to eat."
Back in 1958 when he first arrived in this world, hunger was everywhere. Children were out helping their parents hustle; some were even forced to beg. Even grown adults like himself often went hungry for days.
Now, five years later, Hong Kong's economy was vastly improved. Industrial development was booming. The real estate sector was growing too. These two factors alone created countless jobs, which in turn funneled income into the service sector, benefiting everyone.
Only squatter settlements and recent immigrants were still struggling, but they just needed time to adapt.
Give it another five years, and these groups would all but disappear. That would mark the beginning of a true modern society.
"You deserve at least half the credit for that, Dong-ge," Zhao Liming joked.
"Half is too much," Yang Wendong laughed. "Maybe a tenth. Or one-fifth at most."
Changxing Group employed over 20,000 people directly. Its suppliers probably had another 10,000 to 20,000. Add in high-income employees and their families, plus the secondary employment and consumption they generated, and the total impact likely touched 300,000 to 400,000 people—nearly 10% of Hong Kong's population.
"One-fifth is already impressive," Lin Haoyu said, then asked, "Dong-ge, if Hong Kong's poverty issue gets resolved, where will our charity foundation go next?"
Yang Wendong replied, "Then we'll gradually shift focus to medical aid and education—especially for young kids whose families can't afford to treat their illnesses."
Lin Haoyu thought for a moment. "Helping those families isn't hard. The tricky part is figuring out who truly needs help. What if people start abusing the system?"
"Exactly. That's why you'll need solid vetting policies," Yang Wendong nodded.
That was the hardest part of any charity program. He thought of "Shuidichou," a crowdfunding platform from his previous life that started with a noble goal—but was eventually ruined by capitalists who abused the system. The idea was excellent, but it was destroyed by greed.
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