"Father." When Chu Xiaoxin entered the dining room, Chu Yaozong was sitting at the broad dining table in a loose-fitting traditional Chinese outfit, reading a newspaper through his glasses. Uncle Yan stood properly behind him and smiled when he saw Chu Xiaoxin come in.
"Mm. Sit down and wait for dinner. The soup will be ready soon." Chu Yaozong spoke casually without so much as looking up from his newspaper.
Chu Xiaoxin obediently went to his place and sat down. Only then did he nod in greeting to his elder brother, Chu Xiaozhong, who sat opposite him. "Big brother."
Chu Xiaozhong pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled at him. "Ah Sin, it's a rare day when you come home for dinner."
"Uh..." Chu Xiaoxin lowered his head without replying.
He knew perfectly well what he was. Outside, he was the imposing second young master of the Chu Family, scattering money like dirt. But at home, he was a good-for-nothing playboy whom his father looked down on and his brother despised.
When Chu Xiaozhong occasionally jabbed at him with words, he never knew how to strike back. His elder brother really was as people said: he had inherited their father's ability and ambition. Ever since Chu Xiaozhong took over the Chu Family's grain and oil business, it had prospered even more than it had under their father. He had also put up his own money to establish several new companies, venturing into other industries such as cold storage and shipbuilding, expanding the Chu Family's territory.
As for Chu Xiaoxin, he had achieved nothing beyond keeping a small pharmaceutical trading firm as a cash box.
"Father, I hear Mr. Zhou Xiyu will be attending the Hong Kong Kowloon Chinese Merchants Association's banquet the day after tomorrow." Seeing his younger brother lower his head, Chu Xiaozhong gave an easy smile and addressed Chu Yaozong, who was still reading the paper.
Chu Yaozong handed the newspaper to Uncle Yan behind him and nodded. "I know about it. Tan Peihuan, the association's secretary-general in charge of liaison, sent the invitation last week. The main purpose is to discuss the Commerce and Industry Department's recently issued regulations on the warehousing of incoming goods at the docks. It's only natural for Zhou Xiyu to attend a meeting like this. Nearly half of his more than twenty companies are in the dock business."
"Some friends and I are preparing to invest in four cold-storage warehouses on Hong Kong Island. Mr. Zhou Xiyu's Dairy Farm currently holds seventy percent of Hong Kong's milk market. In the past, Dairy Farm has always bought its own ice and stored its milk itself. I was wondering whether they might entrust their milk to the cold-storage warehouses instead. I can handle the logistics myself. If it's feasible, I'd like to ask you to mention it to Mr. Zhou Xiyu at the banquet the day after tomorrow." Chu Xiaozhong looked his father in the eye as he explained his idea in a steady voice.
After thinking for a dozen seconds or so, Chu Yaozong said, "Zhou Xiyu owns an ice factory. Would he hand over such a large market share to you? Impossible. You could, however, discuss letting him use his ice factory to buy a stake in your cold-storage company. As for the percentage, negotiate that yourself."
"Thank you, Father," Chu Xiaozhong said to Chu Yaozong, breathing a sigh of relief.
The Zhou Xiyu father and son were discussing was the president of the Dongguan Chamber of Commerce and held many titles and positions, including justice of the peace, chairman of Hong Kong Po Leung Kuk, committee member of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Hong Kong Cotton and Hemp Merchants Association.
Of course, in other people's eyes, Zhou Xiyu was undoubtedly dazzling, but as president of the Chao Feng Chamber of Commerce, Chu Yaozong had no fewer titles and honors than he did. He was a justice of the peace, a director of Hong Kong Po Leung Kuk, a committee member of the Hong Kong Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, and president of the Hong Kong Grain and Oil Merchants Association, without a single title missing.
That was why Chu Xiaozhong had asked his father to speak to Zhou Xiyu. His own status as a young master of the Chu Family might carry some weight with others, but before someone like Zhou Xiyu, he was merely a junior not worth mentioning. Zhou Xiyu might not begrudge him a few words of praise and a congratulatory pat on the shoulder at a banquet, but talk business? He wasn't qualified yet.
After putting down the newspaper, Chu Yaozong asked a few questions about Chu Xiaozhong's grain and oil business, then turned his eyes to Chu Xiaoxin, who sat silent with his head lowered. "Ah Sin, I heard you caused trouble at Lichi last night. Cracked the head of a Five Counties Chinese detective inspector's godson?"
"Ah Sin... I don't mean to lecture you as your big brother, but Father is getting old, and the family has so many businesses. Settle down and help manage them..." A little surprised and a little helpless, Chu Xiaozhong removed his gold-rimmed glasses and rubbed the spot between his brows, giving Chu Xiaoxin a bitter smile. "You may look intimidating when you beat someone up, and nobody dares cross you, but people will laugh at the Chu Family. Who did you hit? I'll send someone tomorrow to clean up the loose ends for you."
"Big brother, I already settled last night's matter myself." Chu Xiaoxin raised his head to say it to Chu Xiaozhong, then immediately lowered it again.
"Settled it yourself?" Chu Xiaozhong paused, then smiled again. "How much did you pay? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand? Which chamber of commerce uncles did you ask to mediate?"
"Two thousand dollars. I didn't trouble any of Father's friends. My secretary and a friend in the police force helped settle it."
"A detective inspector's godson, and you only had to pay two thousand? One from the Five Counties, not Chiu Chow?" Chu Xiaozhong said to him. "Ah Sin, do you believe yourself that two thousand could settle it?"
"It's true! Why won't you believe me?" Chu Xiaoxin raised his head and glared at Chu Xiaozhong. "Do you have to mock and sneer at me every time I come home?"
"If you made something of yourself, you wouldn't take other people's words as mockery." Seeing that Chu Xiaoxin had lost his temper, Chu Xiaozhong curled his lip disdainfully.
"Your secretary and a friend in the police force helped you settle it. Oh, right, Uncle Yan, I believe I said to invite Ah Sin's secretary to the house for soup tonight." Watching his two sons quarrel, Chu Yaozong did not get angry. He merely lifted his head and spoke to Uncle Yan behind him. "Where is he?"
"Sir, I'll go and have Secretary Song come see you at once," Uncle Yan said from behind him.
Chu Yaozong nodded. "Someone talented enough to snare a white wolf bare-handed and lure others onto the chopping block so neatly is worth meeting. Besides, he did render a service last night, though his methods were somewhat low."
Chapter 39: Conversational bait
Song Tianyao followed the Chu Family's driver onto a small boat from the Taibai Seafood Restaurant back to the dock, then got into a Ford and headed for Caughton Road, where the Chu Family lived.
After getting into the car, Song Tianyao said nothing, his mind occupied with why Chu Yaozong had thought to invite him to dinner.