"Do you need an advance on your wages? Two hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, Yan Hung has already deposited it into Tianming Company's bank account, you can withdraw it anytime, you're now a big spender!" Scribe Hui said irritably as he sat behind his desk flipping through the orders.
That night, Lui Lok paid Hong Kong dollars 300,000 for Nine-Tattooed Dragon's broken legs. With Song Tianyao's permission, Yan Hung Hong Kong dollars Hong Kong dollars 100,000 to bribe Lam Kong and his men and appease his Foreign Devil superiors. The remaining Hong Kong dollars 200,000 was deposited into the bank account of the Scribe Hui Tianming Company, as a payment for Nine-Tattooed Dragon's medicine.
If it were anyone else, becoming rich overnight might have prompted Scribe Hui to take out Hong Kong dollars 200,000 to start their own business and go their separate ways. However, Nine-Tattooed Dragon insisted that he didn't have a share of the money. Scribe Hui had HK$100,000, and Mr. Song had HK$100,000. His life belonged to both of them, so the money remained untouched in the bank account.
Because he was angry that Jiu Wenlong had gone to fight Handkerchief Qing behind his back, Scribe Hui offered to take out the money and give it to Nine-Tattooed Dragon several times after Nine-Tattooed Dragon's injuries had mostly healed, so that Jiu Wenlong could leave on his own and stay away from him. But every time he asked, Nine-Tattooed Dragon would pretend not to hear him, or simply act like a rogue and say that if Brother Hui kicked him out, he would immediately go to the Sai Kung Pier to take revenge on Handkerchief Qing.
Scribe Hui was so angry at Nine-Tattooed Dragon's shamelessness that he gritted his teeth, but he was helpless. As long as the guy didn't seek revenge or cause trouble, he actually worked very hard by his side. In addition, Nine-Tattooed Dragon's downfall had persuaded the soft-hearted Sister Fen and Xiu'er also pleaded with Scribe Hui on his behalf not to drive Nine-Tattooed Dragon away. This made Scribe Hui seem like the big Big Brother among them who had the power of life and death.
In the end, Nine-Tattooed Dragon remained at Tianming Company and continued to work for Scribe Hui.
"Brother Hui, calm down. It's all my fault. How about this, I'll go catch some eels..." Nine-Tattooed Dragon said with a grin as he stood across the desk.
Scribe Hui took out his wallet, pulled out five hundred-yuan bills, and bluntly interrupted Nine-Tattooed Dragon: "Screw you... Take this, you can use it to buy Xiu'er a gift, but don't go causing any more trouble."
"Don't worry, Brother Hui, I'm really just buying Xiu'er a New Year's gift. I'll go back as soon as I'm done." Nine-Tattooed Dragon grabbed five hundred Hong Kong dollars, turned around and walked out.
The Scribe Hui, glared hatefully at the bastard's figure from behind, muttering under his breath, "How can he be so shameless? He's been stripped naked and still has the nerve to go shopping. Damn it, if it were me, I'd never want to step out of the house again."
Nine-Tattooed Dragon really wanted to buy Wu Xiu'er a New Year's gift after taking the money. Wu Xiu'er, who had just turned seven, was enrolled in the Anglican Church's Diocesan Girls' Junior School under Song Tianyao's arrangement. She was very sensible and knew that the opportunity to study was hard-won. Moreover, her foundation was poor. In addition, all the classes at the Diocesan Girls' Junior School were taught in English, so she often studied English diligently until late at night after school and dinner. Although the family now had a grocery store and no longer had to worry about making a living, Sister Fen found that her daughter had become even thinner than when she was poor. The baby fat that a child should have was almost gone.
Now that the school is on holiday for the Gregorian New Year, Wu Xiu'er doesn't even leave the house. She does her homework in the morning and practices her musical instrument in the afternoon. This is because Diocesan Girls' Junior School requires students to master the skills of a musical instrument and to perform in an orchestral ensemble or solo at the school's concert hall at the end of each semester. Most of her classmates are daughters of wealthy families, and their instruments are often pianos costing tens of thousands of Hong Kong dollars or high-end violins bought from abroad. In addition to practicing at school, the school also encourages students to bring their own instruments to practice at home. Wu Xiu'er chose to practice the flute, and then used an ordinary wooden piccolo at home for practice.
Sister Fen was busy managing the grocery store business and didn't notice the problem. However Nine-Tattooed Dragon, who had been recovering from his injury, learned about it from Xiu'er and kept it in mind. As soon as his leg injury healed, he went to the music store to inquire. The cheapest brass flute cost more than four hundred Hong Kong dollars. Since Wu Xiu'er had never asked her mother for help, he asked Scribe Hui for an advance of five hundred dollars of his wages, planning to buy Wu Xiu'er a flute during the New Year holiday to entertain the children and make their New Year holiday happy.
When they arrived at the music store in Kowloon Tong, Nine-Tattooed Dragon didn't even dare to ask about the price of silver or gilded flutes, and he didn't even dare to look at pianos. He simply took out his money and bought the cheapest brass flute. As soon as he paid and walked out of the music store, he saw two rickshaws rushing past him.
"Master Song... Sister Wen..." Before Nine-Tattooed Dragon could even greet the people in the rickshaws, the two rickshaws had already sped past. The drivers seemed to be running for their lives, and pedestrians on the side of the road were so frightened by the speed of the two rickshaws that they took two steps to the side, muttering, "Are they in such a hurry to be reborn?"
Nine-Tattooed Dragon sensed something was amiss. Before he was injured, he delivered vegetables to Longjin Charity School and the Elderly Home, and saw Song Chengqi and Qi Weiwen almost every day. Neither of them seemed to be impatient, especially Song Chengqi. Nine-Tattooed Dragon knew this old scholar too well. Would he be willing to spend money to take a rickshaw? If he had a penny in his pocket, he would only buy some food and drinks to make things cheaper for the lonely elderly people in the Elderly Home.
Could it be that Song Advisor Sister Wen have run into trouble? Song Advisor is Mr. Song's grandfather, Sister Wen has recognized him as her sworn brother. Nine-Tattooed Dragon felt that if the two were in trouble, he had no reason not to help. Moreover, Song Chengqi in the rickshaw was not as neat as usual. His hair was messy, his face was dirty, and his clothes were patched and tattered.
Thinking of this, he also flagged down a rickshaw and, pointing to the two rickshaws that were almost out of sight, urged the driver, "Chase after them, chase after them!"
This chase actually took them out of the city. The two rickshaws headed west past Cheung Sha Wan, and the roadside gradually turned into forests and barren mountains. Pedestrians were scarce, and even the rickshaw drivers had to rest four or five times. Just then, the drivers of the two rickshaws in front also slowed down and caught their breath. Nine-Tattooed Dragon managed to shout to the two drivers to stop, then caught up with the two rickshaws and jumped off to ask:
"Song Advisor, Sister Wen, what happened? Where did you two go?"