After leaving the office, Song Tianyao drove back to the tenement building he had rented while researching at the library on High Street. He was supposed to cancel the lease after finishing his research, but Meng Wanqing couldn't bear to part with Song Tianyao little world, and since the rent wasn't expensive, Song Tianyao renewed it for another year. Seeing that the room was dusty from being unoccupied for so long, Song Tianyao rolled up his shirt cuffs and started cleaning himself. However, after less than ten minutes, he didn't want to do it anymore and went to a nearby teahouse to find a waiter. He asked the waiter to introduce him to two quick-handed middle-aged women who cleaned the room.
After tidying up the room, Song Tianyao personally went to the market to select and buy a lot of ingredients. He took a nap at noon, and after waking up, he started preparing the food himself in the kitchen. He was busy until after four o'clock in the afternoon when someone knocked on the door. Song Tianyao wiped his wet hands and went to open the door. Cheng Yu-tung came in from outside carrying two bottles of Wujiapi): "Business is booming, A-Yao."
"Great fortune! Wow, Mr. Zheng, you're so generous! You brought such an expensive gift as Wujiapi a type of herbal medicine) for your visit? You sell it for seven cents a bottle at roadside grocery stores." Song Tianyao stepped aside from the doorway and invited the other man in, saying, "I thought you owned a gold shop and would give gold as gifts during holidays."
"Not bad, I didn't even know what Wujiapi tasted like until I was sixteen." Cheng Yu-tung looked around the room. "Your treat is rather stingy; you can't even afford a single table at a restaurant."
He put down the two bottles of wine, glanced at the kitchen piled high with ingredients, took off his coat, put on an apron that Song Tianyao had worn before, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and went into the kitchen. Seeing Song Tianyao preparing two pigeons, he asked from the side, "How are you making them?"
"Dongyao Stewed Pigeon," Song Tianyao said, pointing to the spices stuffed inside the pigeon's cavity.
After hearing the name of the dish, Cheng Yu-tung rummaged through the ingredients next to him and found winter melon, dried scallops, ham and other ingredients. He skillfully cut the winter melon into chess pieces and placed them on the cutting board.
Seeing the other person's skillful knife work, Song Tianyao asked, "You know how to cook too?"
"I don't know. My wife knows how to cook, but I've always been her kitchen helper. She's best at washing and chopping vegetables."
Around 5 o'clock, Lei Yingdong also arrived, and had two of his men bring up two cases of Kirin Beer from Japan. Like Cheng Yu-tung, he also started working as Song Tianyao's kitchen helper, but his skills were much worse than Cheng Yu-tung's.
"Where's that guy from Macau Stanley? Didn't he come with you?" Cheng Yu-tung asked Lei Yingdong as he shooed him away from his sous chef position.
"Stanley" is the Cantonese name for Ho Hung-sang's English Stanley. Today, Song Tianyao is treating Lei Yingdong, Cheng Yu-tung, and Ho Hung-sang to dinner. They specially chose the third day of the Lunar New Year because the family dinners for the Spring Festival are almost over, and business matters are not too busy.
"How would I know when he'll arrive?" Lei Yingdong said as he helped the two men break the dried tangerine peel used for seasoning into small pieces.
Just as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Lei Yingdong got up to open it, and Ho Hung-sang walked in with a driver carrying several large bags.
"Good luck and prosperity, Lei Danzi." Ho Hung-sang said auspiciously as he entered. Lei Yingdong replied with a wish for booming business before curiously examining the large bags of gifts in Ho Hung-sang's driver's hands, "Are you moving?"
"Of course, you should bring gifts when you're visiting someone's home for a banquet. These are local specialties from Macau, which I brought back specifically to give to relatives and friends in Hong Kong." Ho Hung-sang told the driver to put the things down and then left.
He walked to the kitchen doorway, looked at Song Tianyao Cheng Yu-tung, who were busy working in aprons, and asked Lei Yingdong:
"When A-Yao called, he didn't mention that the guests were invited to cook and eat by themselves. I should have brought a chef with me."
"Hey guys, a customer's unhappy with you guys and's planning to cancel his order," Lei Yingdong called out to the kitchen, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
Song Tianyao smiled and shook his head, continuing to prepare a few more dishes. Cheng Yu-tung, the kitchen helper, turned around with a kitchen knife in hand. "Who wants to cancel the order? I've worked so hard chopping vegetables..."
"I'm just expressing my regret that I can't help, I absolutely have no intention of canceling the order," Ho Hung-sang immediately said.
After the last main dish, shark fin soup with peony, was finished, the four of them set the table with their bowls, chopsticks, and dishes and took their seats. Ho Hung-sang looked at the dishes on the table and spoke first, "A-Yao, you're too kind. It's too much trouble for you to prepare such a meal. Actually, you could have just invited us to a restaurant."
"How can I show my sincerity by going to a restaurant?" Song Tianyao took out four wine glasses, opened the Wujiapi that Cheng Yu-tung had brought, filled the glasses for himself and the other three, and raised his glass to them with a smile, saying, "Thank you three for your help last time, and I wish you all a prosperous new year. I'll drink to that first."
May everyone have great fortune and abundant wealth.
May your business prosper.
The other three also raised their glasses in agreement. Even when the four of them were eating and chatting, the topic of business was always present. Moreover, the four of them were in similar, awkward positions in the business world. Lei Yingdong, needless to say, was still far from being considered a businessman in the eyes of most Hong Kong businessmen. His nickname Lei Danzi, was tantamount to telling Lei Yingdong that although he had made a lot of money, he was still just a Sheung Shui, a Tanka boy.
Cheng Yu-tung is the owner of Chow Tai Fook's Hong Kong branch. He seems to be a prominent figure in the gold industry at a young age, but he still has his father-in-law above him. If his business moves are not approved by his father-in-law, he will immediately be unable to move an inch. After being the owner of the Hong Kong branch for so long, he seems to have a lot of money, but in reality, Cheng Yu-tung's total assets that he can control do not exceed one million Hong Kong dollars.
Ho Hung-sang is now worth over four million, but all his businesses in Macau are joint ventures with Macau. It's simply unthinkable for a Hong Kong Konger like him to run a business in Macau on his own. But now, even his joint ventures are no longer wanted by the Macau. They want to send Ho Hung-sang back to Hong Kong and prevent him from overstepping Hong Kong bounds and taking away Macau business.
In this light, only Song Tianyao is currently doing quite well. At least he is a member of the Chiu Chow Chamber of Commerce, owns his own company and factory, and has a steady stream of monthly orders that bring him considerable profits.