Huang Sen was alright; with Huang Liu around, their relationship was relatively close. However, Song Tianyao tried his best not to leave a bad impression on Lee Kuen, a man of the underworld, lest he harbor resentment and cause trouble for him in the future.
Lee Kuen, nicknamed "Crossing-the-River Pawn," is not just a lowly soldier. On the contrary, he is very famous in the underworld of Hong Kong and Macau. Whether it is the land bandits composed of defeated Kuomintang soldiers, the "Big Tin Yi at Sea," or the underworld figures in Hong Kong and Macau, they all have to give Lee Kuen some respect when his name is mentioned.
The reason why He Xian became sworn brothers with Lee Kuen was that before He Xian had really become powerful, Macau gambling king Feng Laorong was kidnapped by a group of ruthless gangsters who demanded a ransom of nine million Hong Kong dollars. The Feng Family asked He Xian to help rescue him. He Xian found Lee Kuen through his Fifth Madam Cheng Qiong's friend who was an actress. Lee Kuen intervened and finally negotiated the ransom down to five hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, and the kidnappers released the hostage.
He Xian's reputation soared thanks to this kidnapping case, while Lee Kuen, who had previously been unknown in the underworld, became a legendary figure among Hong Kong and Macau underworld figures.
Everyone was curious about how Lee Kuen managed to find the kidnappers, even though various underworld figures in Hong Kong and Macau couldn't find them or get a chance to lower their price. Later, through He Xian and Feng Laorong, the underworld figures in Hong Kong and Macau learned that the unassuming Lee Kuen was actually the personal bodyguard of Yuan Dai, the commander of the Kuomintang's Third Advance Column, who had killed Japan Admiral Dairoku Senda.
The Datian Er at sea and the fierce bandits on land were almost all defeated troops of the Kuomintang. These defeated troops did not buy into the Jianghu people at all, but they did not dare not buy into Li Quan's accusations. Others were afraid of them, but Li Quan was not afraid.
After the kidnapping, He Xian and Lee Kuen became sworn brothers, and Feng Laorong had his son recognize Lee Kuen as his godfather. From then on, no defeated bandits dared to cause trouble for their business.
There's another rumor circulating in the underworld that Feng Laorong's kidnapping was actually orchestrated by Lee Kuen, not for money, but to demonstrate his power to the underworld figures in Hong Kong and Macau.
Song Tianyao didn't care whether Lee Kuen had been involved in planning Feng Laorong's kidnapping. He only knew that Lee Kuen was someone both He Xian and Feng Laorong considered brothers. It was better to treat such a person as a friend than an enemy. Otherwise, what good was it that Feng Laorong was Macau triad Big Brother? He still had an ear cut off, didn't he?
I'm already exhausted from dealing with the Lin Family, and I really don't want to add any more troublesome factors over something as trivial as drinking a few cups of wine with courtesans.
Chapter 347 Reminder
At the Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, Lin Xiaokang made a quick visit to Lin Yujing and Feng Yunzhi, almost under the watchful eyes of Nine-Tattooed Dragon, Qi Weiwen, Meng Wanqing, and others. As he passed through the hospital corridor, he saw Uncle Bing sitting on a bench with his eyes closed, dressed in an ordinary T-shirt, looking like an old man in his twilight years. After greeting Uncle Bing, Lin Xiaokang walked to the parking lot to drive away.
As soon as they entered the parking lot, Lin Xiaokang stopped in his tracks. His second Lin Xiao qia, was leaning against the front of the car, staring into space. Hearing Lin Xiaokang's footsteps, Lin Xiao qia snapped out of his reverie, smiled, and waved to Lin Xiaokang.
Lin Xiaokang walked over somewhat timidly, stood in front of Lin Xiao qia, and called out "Second Brother".
"Does it hurt when I slap you?" Lin Xiao qia gently touched Lin Xiaokang's face. Lin Xiaokang gasped softly, turned his head slightly to the side, and said somewhat timidly, "It doesn't hurt."
Lin Xiao qia straightened up from the front of the car, looked up at the night sky, and said to Lin Xiaokang, "It was wrong of your second brother to hit you, but if I don't teach you how to do things, you'll make even more mistakes in the future. It's better for me to slap you than for you to be hit by someone else. Get in the car, let's go for a drive."
"I just saw Uncle Bing dozing off in the corridor." Lin Xiaokang noticed that Lin Xiao qia was alone and then remembered that his second brother's driver and bodyguard Uncle Bing, had just been dozing off in the hospital corridor, so he asked Lin Xiao qia.
Lin Xiao qia opened the car door and got in. "I'll ask Uncle Bing to visit Ah Jing at the hospital for me."
After Lin Xiaokang got in, Lin Xiao qia started the car and drove out of the Hong Kong Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital, all the way to the Eastern District Pier on Hong Kong Island. It was completely dark by then, and the pier was no longer as bustling as it had been during the day. Lin Xiao qia led Lin Xiaokang to a small pier before stopping, taking a deep breath of the salty sea air, before turning back to the puzzled Lin Xiaokang and saying:
"If I hit you, do you hate me? If I made you lose your position at the Soda Factory, do you hate me?"
"Second Brother, what's wrong?" Lin Xiaokang didn't lie and say he didn't hate him. Instead, he lowered his head and gave a self-deprecating smile before asking.
It would be a lie to say that he felt no hatred or resentment. As for his second brother, Lin Xiaokang didn't care to pretend that he didn't hate him.
In Lin Xiaokang's memory, his second Lin Xiao qia, rarely talked to his other brothers. Most of the time, Lin Xiao qia was the most taciturn of the Lin Family brothers. When everyone sat together chatting, Lin Xiao qia rarely spoke. As for private contact between the two brothers, it seemed that there had never been any before.
Lin Xiao qia smiled at Lin Xiaokang, "Have you heard any news about Uncle Wu and Uncle Liu in Macau?"
"Upon hearing that my fifth and sixth uncles had been killed in revenge, my eldest brother immediately arranged for someone to send 100,000 yuan as condolence money. My fifth brother and A-Jie went to the funeral in our place," Lin Xiaokang said with a puzzled look.
He didn't understand why Lin Xiao qia was mentioning his fifth and sixth uncles. His fifth and sixth uncles hadn't been in contact with them for many years. Although they were all from the Lin Family, they lived separately in Hong Kong Macau, and everyone went about their own business. Even the children of his fifth and sixth uncles didn't have much interaction with Lin Xiaokang and his cousins. Upon hearing the news of their deaths, Lin Xiaokang didn't even feel sad or upset.
"A-Kang, you've studied, you've gone abroad, you know much more than your second brother. You try so hard to please the First Madam at home, everyone understands your intentions. Of the dozen or so brothers and sisters in the Lin Family this generation, only you and Ah Jing have suffered the most. But you're smarter than Ah Jing, you know how to fight for yourself, you won't be as submissive as Ah Jing. I don't know if you have any resentment towards the First Madam, or towards your third or Fourth Brothers. I just want to remind you, if you really have any dissatisfaction, then deliberately cause trouble for your second brother. I'm useless now, if you argue with me, the First Madam, A He, A-Sen, at most they'll just give you a good scolding. Remember, you must keep your resentment towards others to yourself, don't let others know, understand? Of all the brothers in the Lin Family, you're the one I worry about the most." Lin Xiao qia stared at Lin Xiaokang for a few minutes before speaking seriously.