Unless he openly discusses the Likang Company's plan to smuggle embargoed goods with Shi Shek Chi-yik, which would definitely satisfy his financial needs, the good reputation he wants to maintain will be gone once the smuggling business begins, and his reputation will become like that of most colonial officials—greedy and insatiable, which is clearly not what Shek Chi-yik wants.
Moreover, if Shek Chi-yik wanted to get involved in the smuggling of embargoed goods, he wouldn't need to meet so many people. He could simply meet with a few Britain businessmen and that would be enough to resolve the issue. Then he could just wait to collect the profits from the smuggling.
"I don't know if I can satisfy Deputy Director Shek Chi-yik tomorrow, but I can guarantee that if I can't, other Hong Kong businessmen are unlikely to be able to either. It involves foresight, but if things go well, he should be able to get the archway he wants, as well as the huge profits." Song Tianyao looked sharply at Angie Perlis.
Angie Perlis glanced at the glass of red wine in front of her, then at her seemingly confident employer. "Confidence is certainly a good thing, but where that confidence comes from is the question."
"My confidence, of course, stems from Likang Company's legitimate business, huge profits, and good reputation. He wants it all, so he'll have to give me a little time, right? I'll first paint a picture for him, and then get him to do something for us in return. That's the attitude a partner should have." Song Tianyao picked up his wine glass, slowly took a sip, savored it carefully in his mouth, and then swallowed, saying, "Good wine."
Perhaps drawn by the confidence in Song Tianyao's words, Angie Perlis didn't notice that when Song Tianyao picked up the glass of red wine, his hand trembled slightly, a tiny moment, before regaining its steady composure.
Tonight, Chu Yaozong, unusually, did not go for a walk in the garden after dinner. Instead, he sat in his study listening to the long family feud story "Rediffusion Xiao Yue Bai" being told by Li Wo, a Cantonese broadcaster from Guangzhou, on the radio station "Rediffusion."
Chu Yaozong was one of the first Chinese in Hong Kong to install a radio in his home. Back in 1929, there was only one English radio station, broadcasting twice a week, Monday and Friday, for three hours each time. At that time, each radio required a listening license application, which cost Hong Kong dollars 25 for installation and Hong Kong dollars $10 per month for listening. The mere HK$10 per month was enough to make all the Chinese tighten their purse strings. At that time, a foreman of a large trading company could work himself to the bone for no more than Hong Kong dollars 100 a month. Was it really worth spending a tenth of his salary to listen to the Britain chattering on the radio? It was much more reassuring to buy rice and flour to eat.
In fact, Chu Yaozong couldn't understand English, but he had considered that since the radio was broadcast to Foreign Devil, it might broadcast some of their Foreign Devil dealings. So, in those years, Chu Yaozong specially hired a translator whose job was to sit by the radio on Mondays and Fridays every week and have all the broadcasts translated into Chinese for him to read. Later, he even bought all the English newspapers in Hong Kong at the time and translated them into Chinese for him to read.
It was precisely this that allowed Chu Yaozong to understand the needs of the Britain and what businesses he should engage in to generate profits, even faster than other Chinese merchants. When the Britain or Hong Kong Colonial Government had a demand for food, he dealt in grain and oil; when the demand for cloth increased, he went into textiles. When the Britain said that the pharmaceutical industry in Western countries had been severely damaged during the war and was recovering slowly, and that there was a severe shortage of Western medicine in Southeast Asia, he immediately opened Likang and secured the agency rights for two pharmaceutical companies in the United States and Germany to sell medicines in Southeast Asia.
Now, there's no longer a need for a translator to translate the English broadcasts on the radio for him every day. There's a Chinese channel now, and it's started playing 24/7. So, Chu Yaozong has lost the interest in the radio he used to have. For him, the radio has gone from being a tool for getting information to a dispensable pastime.
"Master, Mr. Du. Du Zhaojian has arrived." The family butler, Uncle Yan, appeared at the study door and reminded him in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft.
Chu Yaozong stood up from his seat. "I'll go to the lobby to greet him."
As Chu Yaozong arrived at his foyer, a sprightly old man stepped out of the back seat of a Rolls-Royce. He took a few steps towards the door to greet him, his usual stoic expression replaced by a smile. He joked, "Did you have to come so late? Do you think my cooking is too bad, or my cook is too ugly? Or maybe you just don't want to visit me; you could have sent one of your workers."
The visitor was To Hang Seng Bank, owner of Yau Ma Tei Ferry Company and Kowloon Motor Bus Company, the first chairman and permanent advisor of Tung Wah Group of Hospitals of Hong Kong Po Leung Kuk, and the director and chairman of Po Leung Du Zhaojian. To Du Zhaojian was fifty years old this year, wearing a traditional long gown. After getting off the bus, he walked a few steps quickly and stood side by side with Chu Yaozong- chung, patting each other on the shoulder.
"You know my habits. Even at charity galas, I rarely eat, for fear of scaring people away," Du Zhaojian explained as he and Chu Yaozong walked towards the door.
Behind the two, Uncle Yan was responsible for directing the driver and others who had accompanied Du Zhaojian to rest in the small hall.
When Chu Yaozong out to greet Du Zhaojian, his Self-combed Maid, Sister Hong, had already prepared tea and fruit in the study. After Chu Yaozong and Du Zhaojian entered, she quietly withdrew and closed the study door from the outside.
Du Zhaojian sat down and noticed the tea label from Cuiheng Village next to the tea set. He said to Chu Yaozong, who was brewing tea for the two of them, "It's been over a year since I last visited your home, Sister Hong still remembers that I like Cuiheng Village tea. She even specially put the tea label out for me to see."
"She's afraid of you." Chu Yaozong looked up at Du Zhaojian and slowly said four words.
Du Zhaojian was known as the "Three-Many Gentleman" by his circle of old friends, referring to Du Zhaojian many kindnesses, wealth, and eccentricities.
The first two points are easy to understand. Although wealthy people in Hong Kong have made it a standard practice to label themselves as Philanthropists, not wanting to be ridiculed as stingy rich people, Du Zhaojian has always been the undisputed mastermind in both the annual Community Chest fundraising and the biennial Tung Wah Group of Hospitals general election, which are the two major events in which Hong Kong's richest people compete in wealth and charity.