"If I didn't do this, would you have come to see me?" Song Tianyao said to Lei Yingdong with a smile, "Let's not beat around the bush. Mr. Lei, you do some business on the water. My help to you is also a way of asking you to help me. Twenty boxes of waterlogged and ruined military supplies hemostatic powder plus 100,000 Hong Kong dollars, in exchange for twenty boxes of genuine Penicillin in the warehouse. Are you in or not?"
Even though Lei Yingdong was prepared to listen to Song Tianyao's roundabout talk, or even to discuss the sale of a batch of medicines, upon hearing Song Tianyao's words, his cigarette trembled twice, and he stared into Song Tianyao's eyes as he slowly said:
"Secretary Song, are you joking? I'm here as a businessman, where would I get military supplies like hemostatic powder? But I'm interested in twenty boxes of Penicillin if Secretary Song 'd like to sell them; cash payment is available immediately."
"Others say he has military supplies, I take it as a joke. Mr. Lei says he doesn't have any military supplies, I take it as a joke too. You may not have machine guns or explosives, but ordinary military supplies, like hemostatic powder, hehe. Since I'm here to see you, I sincerely want to talk business. Twenty boxes of spoiled military hemostatic powder, in exchange for twenty boxes of genuine Penicillin in the Customs warehouse. You'll compensate me five thousand dollars per box for the price difference, twenty boxes for one hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars. If you're not comfortable, you can even have someone go to the warehouse with me to inspect the goods yourself." Song Tianyao spread his arms to Lei Yingdong and said earnestly.
Lei Yingdong, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, remained silent for a long while before finally speaking, "Why are you suddenly giving me this advice? Twenty cases of Penicillin —you should know the price outside better than I do now."
"I need twenty boxes of hemostatic powder, even if it's waterlogged and spoiled, it must be genuine. If you're telling me now that you can't produce military-supplied hemostatic powder, then it's too early to talk about me helping you out. The door is behind you, I won't see you off." Song Tianyao said to Lei Yingdong, "You know Likang has been very busy these past few days, I don't have time to meet with a businessman like you for a chat."
"That Mr. Chu from Likang just went to do some free medicine distribution with the Foreign Devil today. They're working seamlessly together. Just half a month ago, the British Army were chasing my fleet with machine guns mounted on the Foreign Devil. How could I not know if you wanted to make your Mr. Chu of the Justice of the Peace title more secure and use me and my brothers to curry favor with the Governor of Hong Kong?" Lei Yingdong flicked his cigarette ash, not actually getting up to leave because of Song Tianyao's words, but instead shaking his neck and continuing to ask.
Song Tianyao reached for the teapot and poured Lei Yingdong a cup of tea, slowly pushing it towards him. "The work has already been done. Oxfam's donation of medicine is enough. Doing too much is not good. Water overflows when it's full, and the moon wanes after it's full. Now, after achieving success, we need to prepare for the benefits. Let me tell you, Likang is now dirt poor, but it happens to hold the knife given to it by the Foreign Devil. It can kill and cut flesh at any time. The military-supplied hemostatic powder is obviously used to intimidate those companies whose medicines have been seized, forcing them to give up some benefits to fill Likang's stomach. Otherwise, it's smuggling military funds, a fatal blow."
"Then why must the water-soaked military supplies hemostatic powder be ruined instead of the intact packaging?" Lei Yingdong looked at the cup of tea in front of him, then at Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao sat back in his chair, leaning back, and said, "In all of Hong Kong, who can get their hands on genuine military-grade hemostatic powder? And you, who can get your hands on spoiled or even counterfeit military-grade hemostatic powder? Many people, some people, recycle the discarded hemostatic powder you get and continue to sell it. If Likang wants to find this kind of thing, it's easy, and no one will connect it to Likang or you, right? As long as the Foreign Devil believe that the military-grade hemostatic powder is genuine, regardless of whether it's spoiled or not, the company that owns it will definitely be in trouble. Besides, isn't it better to use the intact hemostatic powder to save lives? The scrap is enough, why waste the genuine product on the Foreign Devil?"
"Chao Yong Yi and Chan Ah-sap know where to get that batch of spoiled hemostatic powder. My men won't show themselves; they'll just wait for the Penicillin to arrive, cash on delivery." After a few minutes of silence, Lei Yingdong stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and turned to leave. But when he reached the door, he stopped and said:
"Considering your consideration for my twenty boxes of Penicillin, Secretary Song, you're too young. Don't go too far with this kind of underhanded dealings and colluding with Foreign Devil to frame your opponents, lest you have no way out. Foreign Devil can't be trusted. Remember what you just said: 'Water overflows when it's full, the moon wanes when it's full.' Be careful not to let your joy turn to sorrow and your stomach burst."
Chapter 136 Du Mansion
Du Mansion, 18 Kennedy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong Island.
Shanghai Bund the Hong Kong residence of the Du Mansion Du Yuesheng, a prominent figure in Shanghai, hundreds of cars lined up outside the Du Mansion, while others, dressed in Western suits, long gowns, or even shirtless laborers, gathered. These were all Green Gang followers working under Li Caifa. The crowd was even larger than when the Du Mansion distributed bonuses during the Lunar Spring Festival. They all stared expectantly at the tightly closed gates of the Du Mansion, waiting for word to come from inside.
That residence in Tsim Sha Tsui was a gift from Mr. Choi Fat to Du Yuesheng when he arrived in Hong Kong. Although Mr. Du never lived there, all the members of the Hong Kong Green Gang knew that the house belonged to Mr. Du. Mr. Choi Fat even arranged for servants and gardeners to clean and maintain it daily, demonstrating his devotion. And today, the local gang actually poured kerosene on that house?
The Green Gang members outside naturally had no idea that Li Du Yuesheng, known as the Du Yuesheng of Hong Kong, Mr. Choi Fat, or Uncle Li Caifa, who used to be able to go straight to Du Yuesheng's bedside to pay his respects, was blocked from visiting him today. He did not see Du Yuesheng and was only accompanied by Wan Molin, the chief steward of the Du Mansion, drinking tea in the study.
Forty-two-year-old Li Caifa sat in the study of the Du Mansion. Even with Wan Molin accompanying him, his face remained ashen. He gripped his teacup and said in a sarcastic tone:
"Brother Molin, Mr. Du's health is of utmost importance. This matter shouldn't disturb Mr. Du rest. As long as Mr. Du sends a word, the court will handle the whole thing perfectly."
Wan Molin cursed inwardly with disdain. He had known Li Caifa for twenty or thirty years. Back then, this nobody was hardly qualified to sit and talk to him. He wasn't even qualified to mention Mr. Du's name, let alone meet Mr. Du. In Shanghai Bund the 1920s and 30s, not to mention the three top tycoons Huang Jinrong, Du Yuesheng, and Zhang Xiaolin, who were incredibly powerful, or even second-rate figures like Gu Zhuxuan, Yan Jiuling, You Agen Ye Qinghe, Ye Qinghe, Pu Jinrong, and Wan Molin, who each dominated their own region, even the hundreds of third-rate members of the Green Gang, such as Rui Qingrong, Gao Xinbao, Ma Xiangsheng, Sun Jiefu, and Xu Rongfu, who were already famous, would have to bow and scrape before Li Caifa, not daring to raise his head even slightly.