"Although your question is somewhat impolite, I can tell you that the Lin Family is indeed planning to do so," Studwell said, gazing at the noisy trading hall.
Tang Boqi wiped the slight sweat from his forehead. "Manipulating the other less important listed companies of the Lin Family, taking advantage of the recent surge in Xizhen Properties's stock price, to drive up the stock prices of other listed companies as well, and then having the Lin Family sell off their shares when the stock prices are high, thus obtaining a large amount of cash to repurchase shares, is safer than mortgaging land and properties in the bank, and there's no interest involved."
"This kind of thing is very difficult to do, requires a lot of work, and takes even longer than borrowing money from a bank." Studwell didn't accuse Tang Boqi of boasting; the fact that Tang Boqi could even suggest this method showed that he had a unique perspective, far superior to the ordinary stockbrokers around him who were only fit to fill in numbers on the blackboard. He lowered his voice and said, "And you should know that as the chairman of the board and a major shareholder of a listed company, if you're caught manipulating stock prices..."
Tang Boqi exhaled, his eyes sharp, as if he had returned to his former self as the head of the wig industry. "Give me a chance to help you. If handled properly, two to three weeks will be enough, and it's completely legal, safe, and harmless."
Chapter 351 Guards
"What the hell? You're going to rent the third and fourth floors to these guys?" Zhao Meizhen asked, looking at her son whom she hadn't seen for several days and the five or six tenants following behind Song Tianyao.
This tenement building was originally bought with Lou Fengyun's money. The second floor was occupied by Zhao Meizhen, Song Chunliang, and Song Wenwen's family. Lou Fengyun used to live on the third floor, and the fourth floor was occupied by the Scribe Hui. Later, after Lou Fengyun and the clerk Scribe Hui moved out one after the other, the building became completely empty. Although Zhao Meizhen didn't have great business acumen, she was still quite clever. In the hot summer, she used her money to install ceiling fans on the third floor and turned it into Mahjong Parlor with four mahjong tables. It only cost two cents to play mahjong there for half a day, and tea was also provided. She wasn't trying to make money, but simply to keep the building lively and prevent it from becoming completely empty, and to give the neighbors a place for entertainment.
Zhao Meizhen had considered renting out the third and fourth floors before, but she didn't know if the building belonged to her son or Lou Fengyun. Regardless of which one it belonged to, she had no say in the matter. She also didn't know when Lou Fengyun's Scribe Hui, might come back to stay. The Mahjong Parlor was just a way to pass the time and keep herself entertained; it was just a few tables. If Lou Fengyun came back, she could simply remove the tables anytime, which was easier than renting it out to someone else.
Now that her son has suggested renting out the house, Zhao Meizhen is the first to agree. It's a win-win situation: they can collect rent and bring more life to the building.
The tenants her son brought today didn't seem like good people. They were all around forty or fifty years old. One of them had half his face burned, and the scars made him look like a demon. The others either had missing hands or were lame. Although they were trying to smile at her and Song Chunliang with beaming smiles, the more Zhao Meizhen looked at those smiling faces, the more chilled and fearful she felt.
"These are all uncles and elders I met in Macau. They helped me a lot, so I invited them to retire in Hong Kong. I'll rent out the third and fourth floors to them from now on, and Sister Yun will pay you the rent every month from the factory." As Song Tianyao spoke, he introduced his parents, whose eyes were already showing some timidity, to the old men of Huang Sen's Taishan Squad behind him. "This is my mother, everyone calls her Auntie Zhen, and this is my Dad, everyone calls him Uncle Leung."
The half-skeletal man who taught Huang Liu how to use a gun stepped forward and grinned at the two men. Although his face was terrifying, his voice was quite friendly. "Auntie Zhen, Brother Leung, my name is Yao Chunxiao. You can call me Ah Xiao. I'll be relying on you two to take care of me in the future."
"Auntie Zhen, Brother Leung, my name is Ah Da, everyone in Macau calls me Uncle Da." A man with a missing arm also came over to introduce himself.
"Auntie Zhen, Brother Leung, it's me, Ah Gen."
"Auntie Zhen, Brother Leung, it's me, Ah Si."
"Auntie Zhen, Brother Leung, it's me Ah Shun."
Song Tianyao breathed a sigh of relief when he heard their self-introductions. He was finally relieved to know that his parents were ordinary people and hadn't mentioned his bandit nicknames. Otherwise, his nicknames from his time as a bandit in the Taishan Squad, such as "Covering the Sky," "Headless Da," and "Short Butcher," would probably have startled his parents.
These were the men that Song Tianyao had asked Lee Kuen to act as guarantor when he was drinking with Huang Sen and Lee Kuen on Longfu New Street last night. He also made sure Huang Sen and the others were seated at the head of the table, showing the utmost respect as a landlord in the countryside of Liangguang and Guangxi would hire a martial arts instructor or bodyguard, before inviting them back to Hong Kong.
Lin Xiaohe's swift and decisive handling of Lin Xiyuan and Lin Xishen made Song Tianyao uneasy. Lin Xiaohe his own uncle without batting an eye, and so quickly and efficiently. Clearly, he had a group of people working for him on shady matters. Song Tianyao only had Huang Liu by his side, who could protect him, but what if Lin Xiaohe caused trouble for his family? Lin Xiaohe wasn't a Hong Kong gangster; he didn't follow any underworld rules. That's why Song Tianyao was considering hiring bodyguards for his family.
These men were all longtime subordinates of Huang Sen, without children. They had followed Huang Sen since he joined the outlaws, risking their lives for him. They had fought against bandits, Japan, puppet troops, Communist Party, Kuomintang, and local militias. Their only drawback was that they were wounded and disabled in the war, making them unattractive and unsuitable for formal occasions. After arriving in Macau, given He Xian's status and position, it was impossible for his bodyguards to be all crippled, disabled, or disfigured. Therefore, these childless bandits were not chosen to work for He Xian and continued to live in Huang Sen's residence.
Their boss, Huang Sen, has retired from his life of crime. The younger generation of the Huang Family have all started working as bodyguards for the He Xian. With the mainland now liberated and peace restored, it's impossible for them to return and recruit more men to resume their old ways. Although Macau is chaotic, no one dares to mess with Huang Sen. Everyone knows that Huang Sen's nephew, Huang Ziya, is now the head bodyguard for He Xian, a ruthless character who has killed eight people with six guns. To cause trouble for Huang Sen is to cause trouble for He Xian; who would dare provoke him?