Just as Fei Ping opened his mouth to speak, a member of the Green Gang, who was standing at the door of the private room, seemed to have received some information and quickly walked to Li Caifa's side, whispering in his ear:
"Mr. Choi Fat, Incense Master Chen from 14K has arrived at the Heavenly Time Pavilion."
Li Caifa raised an eyebrow, glanced at the seven old men opposite him, and stood up with a smile, "elders of He-prefix gangs, I, Caifa, will be leaving for a moment and will be back soon. Please bear with me. You few, please keep these uncles company and have a good chat."
After saying that, Li Caifa left the old men behind and strode out of the private room.
The seven elders of He-prefix gangs started with "He" were left behind, their faces immediately turning ashen.
Li Caifa walked through a small corridor to the Heavenly Time Pavilion of Rising Sun Teahouse. Pushing open the door of the private room, he saw Chen Zhongying and Qi Weiwen sitting in their seats. Li Caifa greeted them with a smile, "Brother Zhongying, Hall Master, I am so sorry for not welcoming you sooner."
"Mr. Choi Fat, you're too kind." Chen Zhongying stood up and shook hands with Li Caifa. "Regarding the matter you mentioned earlier, Mr. Choi Fat, I've already discussed it with the old Old Mountain Master. He said that Qinghong has always been one family, so I came specifically to inform you, Mr. Choi Fat, that the matter is settled."
"Many thanks to Old Mountain Master Ge and Incense Master Chen their righteous help. I will definitely visit Old Mountain Master Ge when I have time." Li Caifa's face lit up when he heard Chen Zhongying get straight to the point and say that 14K had agreed to join forces with him.
Chen Zhongying sat back down and said to Li Caifa with a half-smile, "Although the Old Mountain Master says that Qinghong is one family, we can't let the brothers in the mountain gate do their work for nothing, so it's best to clarify the matters that need to be discussed first."
Li Caifa inwardly scoffed at the paupers of 14K, but his face remained warm as he said, "Of course, even brothers need to keep clear accounts. 14K helped me wipe out the He-prefix gangs this time, and my Green Gang will definitely join forces with 14K to take down the Chiu Chow Gang. As for money, I'm willing to allocate three million Hong Kong dollars upfront for Brother Zhongying to use as tea and wine money for the 14K brothers who contributed. After the battle, I'll offer you more."
"Three million Hong Kong dollars? With so many brothers on the 14K scraping together, we can manage. The money isn't the issue; the main thing is that Mr. Choi Fat showed me the morphine factory, which I truly envy." Chen Zhongying looked at Li Caifa and said slowly, "The Old Mountain Master has always praised you for your business acumen."
Li Caifa laughed heartily, "Brother Zhongying, there's only one morphine factory in all of Hong Kong, Li Caifa. There are no other branches. If Old Mountain Master Ge wants to interfere in my morphine factory, I really can't agree to that."
"Of course not. Mr. Choi Fat set up the morphine factory himself. If 14K were to interfere like this, where would the code of honor be? People would laugh at us. But I really envy your heroin business. How about this? 14K has territory in Kowloon. Mr. Choi Fat, 14K will be the exclusive distributor of your heroin in Kowloon. As for the price, of course we can discuss it. What do you think?" Chen Zhongying slowly rubbed his fingers together as he spoke to Li Caifa.
This time, Li Caifa didn't hesitate and agreed with a smile, "Brother Zhongying is straightforward, and I don't want to beat around the bush either. Alright! As long as 14K helps me sweep up the He-prefix gangs, from now on, I, Li Caifa, won't open a single noodle shop in Kowloon. 14K will handle all the sales."
In Li Caifa's view, even if 14K opened noodle shops all over Kowloon, only he could supply the goods. If 14K had any dirty dealings with him in the future, he could stop supplying the goods and contact other gangs to continue supplying them, which would easily shut 14K down.
"Good! Mr. Choi Fat is indeed straightforward!" Chen Zhongying smiled. "I just wonder when exactly I'll need my brother from 14K to help you cheer you on?"
Li Caifa said, "A few old guys from the He-prefix gangs are about to arrange a time and place with me. I wonder what manpower Brother Zhongying has?"
"The sooner the better, of course. All the people from the Outer Eight Halls the 14K are eager to help Mr. Choi Fat suppress the He-prefix gangs and then do some profitable business. What do you say, Mr. Choi Fat?" Chen Zhongying gave Li Caifa a knowing look and said.
"I think it would be better if the Green Gang and the brothers from 14K clashed with the He-prefix gangs tonight, letting these local tyrants know that two outside gangs aren't easy to bully." Qi Weiwen, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up after the two finished talking, "The longer it drags on, the more the He-prefix gangs will think that Mr. Choi Fat is cowardly."
Chen Zhongying and Li Caifa were both taken aback for a moment, then laughed simultaneously. Li Caifa said with a smile, "Hall Master Qi is indeed a woman who doesn't yield to men. Alright, Incense Master Chen and I will listen to Hall Master He-prefix gangs. Tonight, we'll test the true worth of the 'Harmony' brand!"
Chapter 167 Closing the Coffin
After finishing his work, Shek Chi-yik glanced at his watch and prepared to leave the Industrial and Commercial Administration Office to go home and change into an evening suit for a small celebration dinner that the Hong Kong Club had specially prepared for his wife. Ever since newspapers and radio began continuously reporting on his wife's initiatives to establish Oxfam, investigate Hong Kong's water safety, provide free medicine, and so on, and even the incident where many Hong Kong citizens spontaneously walked to their villa to lay flowers, the whole matter had not only taken root in Hong Kong but Shek Chi-yik believed that, with his prior notice, reports had also begun to appear in London.
The special dinner that Hong Kong Club prepares for his wife is a small indicator of this trend.
When he usually attended some of the Hong Kong Club's events, even if he brought his wife, she would end up waiting in the women's lounge. The wives or lovers of the Hong Kong Club members rarely talked to his wife about women's topics, except for the necessary polite perfunctory treatment. Shek Chi-yik even knew that they would call his wife an Australia aborigine behind her back.
"Australia Aborigine" is a very malicious term for most women in Hong Kong Club come from London.
But tonight was different. The Hong Kong Club secretary in charge of telephone communications not only called him but also called the villa separately. Moreover, he no longer addressed his wife as Mrs. Deputy Director Shek Chi-yik but as Mrs. Bess, the Philanthropist.