The reason why the South China Company's office in Macau was able to operate smoothly without being sabotaged by Taiwan spies hiring local Macau people to blow up the office or burn down the warehouse, and was able to safely transport goods back to the mainland from the Macau Border Gate, was largely because He Xian had specifically told the local Macau forces that he would pay three times the price to kill He Xian who tried to sabotage the South China Company.
Taiwan Kuomintang spies had repeatedly considered sabotaging the South China Company's offices and warehouses in Macau, and disrupting the route for embargoed goods to be transshipped from Hong Kong to Macau and back to the mainland. However, despite their repeated attempts, the local Taiwan spy in Macau had already made the exposed Taiwan spies disappear without a trace, even before the South China Company or the mainland could intervene. He Xian's spies were everywhere in Macau, and given the size of the Macau, it was extremely difficult for the Taiwan spies to find a hiding place.
South China Company could distrust anyone in Macau, but not He Xian. When Lei Yingdong placed his first large order for embargoed goods, he didn't have enough cash on hand. It was He Xian's guarantee that allowed South China Company to pay Lei Yingdong in gold first, so that Lei Yingdong could return to Hong Kong to prepare the goods.
It's fair to say that without He Xian, Lei Yingdong would have made some money, but he certainly wouldn't have been able to expand and grow so rapidly as to become South China Company's designated supplier in Hong Kong.
"Today we're having a hundred tables at home, the tables are even set up on the street." He Xian shook his head with a wry smile and said, "And all the people going are unrelated. Poor people wish my wife a long life, get a red envelope, and take the whole family out for a meal, I don't mind. What I fear most are those who have some businesses but have nothing to do with me, just waiting for this opportunity to ask me for favors. If I show up, they'll have a chance to come back again. If I don't show up, I'm worried they'll say that He Xian's family is too high-class and that I'm treating guests poorly. So I simply asked a few old friends from the Chamber of Commerce to host the guests at home for me. This way, I won't offend them, and I won't be in a difficult position. It's almost noon, and we have chicken, duck, fish, and meat at home, but I can only hide in Green Island to get some fresh air. Guan Tai and A-Yao aren't so lucky either. If they go to a hotel, they're afraid someone will see me taking a break. Oh well, we'll have to keep it simple. Xunzheng, arrange for us to eat Cao Family's home-style dishes in Tianshen Alley."
The person he addressed as Xunzheng was Huang Liu's third brother, the former second-in-command of the Taishan Squad of bandits in Zhongshan, and now Huang Ziya, the head of He Xian's bodyguards. Xunzheng Huang Ziya's courtesy name.
Upon hearing He Xian's instructions, Huang Ziya waved to a bodyguard, who understood and turned to get into a car and leave, seemingly preparing to head to the so-called Tianshen Alley to make arrangements.
Everyone got into their cars. Tianshen Alley is a small alley next to Baima Hang Street in Macau. The meaning of "lane" in Macau is different from that in Hong Kong. The so-called alleys in Macau are wider than those in Hong Kong, and can accommodate cars. The narrow alleys in Hong Kong that are not suitable for cars are called "wei" in Macau.
Several cars discreetly drove into the secluded Tianshen Alley. Song Tianyao noticed that both sides of the alley were lined with grand mansions. Although most of them were somewhat dilapidated, one could still sense from the deep walls and gates that the people living in Tianshen Alley were wealthy families.
The car stopped outside a large mansion. Ho Hung-sang introduced it to Song Tianyao and Lei Yingdong: "This is the Cao Family. The Cao Family used to be a well-known wealthy family in Macau, but they later declined. The descendants of the Cao Family did not want to sell their ancestral home, but they wanted to find a business to make a living, so they simply turned their three-courtyard mansion into a place that combines a restaurant, tea room, and amusement park."
As He Ho Hung-sang introduced him, He Xian had already gotten out of the car. Seeing that the Cao Family's boss had brought out the chef, waitresses, and everyone else, eager to greet him, he hurriedly took a few steps and entered the gate before everyone else. His actions didn't seem like those of Big Brother; instead, they looked rather like he was acting guilty, which was rather amusing.
"No need to greet me today. Quietly prepare two tables of food, find an elegant room, and don't tell anyone I'm eating here today. Otherwise, if word gets out that I'm not entertaining guests at home but eating alone, wouldn't my friends laugh at me!"
Outside the gate, Huang Ziya had already instructed the driver to drive the cars away and continue driving around the Macau Street.
Lei Yingdong, Ho Hung-sang, Song Tianyao, Huang Ziya, and two other bodyguards accompanied He Xian into a room with a simple and elegant ambiance. Nine-Tattooed Dragon, two of Lei Yingdong's men, and the rest of He Xian's people sat at another table next door.
The room was already set with a table of wine, bowls and chopsticks, and even cold dishes and fruits had been arranged in advance. Just looking at the small mahogany dining table, the gorgeous gold and silver tableware, the calligraphy and paintings by famous people hanging on the wall, and the antique incense in the corner, each item was priceless, making one imagine how luxurious the Cao Family must have been in the past.
He Xian, Song Tianyao, Lei Yingdong, and Ho Hung-sang sat at the dining table, with Huang Ziya standing behind He Xian. Two bodyguards stood at the door, and even the waitresses could only deliver the dishes to the door before the bodyguards took them and brought them to the table.
As for the kitchen, bodyguards are specifically assigned to monitor every step of the chef's process to prevent the dishes from containing anything that shouldn't be there.
He Xian and Ho Hung-sang seemed used to this tight security, but Song Tianyao and Lei Yingdong, although they had heard that Macau Street was not peaceful, still couldn't help but look at each other in dismay when they saw He Xian being so careful even when eating a meal.
"Are you not used to seeing me like this?" He Xian asked the two of them in a relaxed tone.
When Song Tianyao first met He Xian, he didn't ask any questions. Lei Yingdong had dealt with He Xian a few times, asked directly, "Brother Xian, is this really necessary? Who on the Macau Street would dare to cause you trouble? Don't even mention your reputation, Brother Xian; just the reputation of those men who helped you break through the Japan encirclement in Hong Kong to transport printing paper is enough to scare them away."
Before He Xian could reply, a bodyguard at the door seemed to have received some information from outside. He turned around and whispered something in Huang Ziya's ear. Huang Ziya looked at the other three, hesitated for a moment, and finally leaned down and whispered something in He Xian's ear.
Chapter 282 Very Sudden
He Xian laughed after hearing Lei Yingdong's question, and looked at Lei Yingdong: "Give up your thoughts? Xunzheng just told me that the Taiwan person who pretended to be a poor person and tried to attack me in Green Island this morning has been found. They pried his mouth open and got information about the two gunmen who were hiding among the people who went to my house to celebrate my wife's birthday and were planning to attack me. Now both gunmen have been dealt with, so thankfully nothing bad happened. Everyone's happy. If I really had such a big reputation, who would dare to cause me trouble? To be honest, it's just empty fame. Who would care about a small businessman like me? Let's have a couple of drinks and not let such a small matter spoil the fun."