Lin Xiaokang glanced at the cigarette in his hand, which was already two-thirds burned, took one last deep drag, and then flicked the cigarette butt away. "There's nothing to be at ease or uneasy about, it's just that I don't have the chance to tell my sister and Yunzhi, in my current identity as Lin Xiaokang, that I'm sorry to her, and I'm sorry to her."
When Lin Xiaohe threw away his cigarette, Lin Xiaokang took a step back. Liao Jingxuan, who was standing next to Lin Xiaohe, waved his hand expressionlessly, and two of his men immediately came over, tied Lin Xiaokang up tightly, gagged him again, and bound his body with several rocks.
Lin Xiaohe said to Lin Xiaokang, who was being carried by the two men towards the rocks by the sea, "A-Kang, if you hate me, remember to appear in my dreams and give my regards to your father and mother."
"Thump!" A wave rippled across the dark water. Lin Xiaokang, who had been thrown into the sea, did not struggle or make any movement. He was pressed straight down to the bottom by the rocks.
Lin Xiaohe turned to look at Lin Xiaoda, whose crotch was already wet and who was crying in fear, "The Lin Family has already lost one brother today. We can't afford to lose another. If something happens to you, I have to consider how A-Jie and his in-laws' Bank of East Asia will react. So, for a while, you'll stay at Little Olive Psychiatric Hospital. You can return to the Lin Family after everything is settled. Are you willing?"
Lin Xiaoda nodded vigorously.
"Take him to see Dr. Ronnie first, then take him to Xiaogan," Lin Xiaohe instructed.
The two men of Liao Jingxuan had just thrown Lin Xiaokang into the sea shoved Lin Xiaoda toward the car. Lin Xiaohe stood on the rocks by the sea, facing the waves and the night wind, and coughed softly.
"My mother is right, we can't give these people hope. Jingxuan, have Dr. Ronnie give Ah Da a few injections of anesthesia in the head, so he'll be more sensible and obedient when he comes home in the future."
"Understood, Mr. Lin," Liao Jingxuan replied from behind Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe looked down at the water, which had returned to normal, and murmured to himself, "The Chairman was right back then: to resist foreign aggression, we must first pacify the country. The Lin Family cannot be thrown into chaos."
Chapter 373 Tang Boqi, who narrowly escaped death?
"Tell him I'm not here." Upon hearing Huang Liu say that Tang Boqi had rushed to the wig factory after nightfall, Song Tianyao said indifferently, "I'm not Philanthropist. I'm not waiting for him to die, not waiting to see him."
Huang Liu replied from outside the door, "Understood, I'll make him leave."
After finishing his sentence, Song Tianyao turned to Sister Xiong and asked, "Do you know the chairman of the Manufacturing Industry General Union? Which factory does he work at, and where is he from?"
"I recognize him; he seems to be a worker at the Hutchison Whampoa Textiles."
"The Foreign Devil..." Upon hearing this answer, Song Tianyao gave a bitter smile. He had thought it would be someone from one of the three parties: Chiu Chow, Dongguan, Five Counties. He never expected it to be Hutchison Whampoa Spinning Mill.
Sister Xiong quickly corrected Song Tianyao, "He's not Foreign Devil, China person. He just works in a textile factory. He's a very upright person, and everyone trusts him. Even if you're not a worker at the factory, if you have a problem and ask him for help, he never refuses."
Song Tianyao neither agreed nor disagreed with Sister Xiong's words. Whether in Hong Kong, Japan, or even other countries in Southeast Asia, labor unions are a very special entity, especially in Japan and Hong Kong. The purpose of labor unions is to fight for the legitimate rights and interests of workers. They are in opposition to employers due to exploitation and profit-seeking. In order to put money into their own pockets, employers naturally need to squeeze the interests of workers in other ways. This is where the conflict between workers and employers arises. At this time, labor unions will represent workers in negotiations with employers and put pressure on them.
In Japan and Hong Kong, the most common way for employers to appease unions is what Song Tianyao did to Sister Xiong: he secretly pays worker representatives and union officials an extra sum of money in cash. The two sides work together in private, but on the surface, the union will use minor conflicts with the employer to stand up for the workers, and the employer will cooperate in order to maintain the prestige of these representatives or officials who receive double pay. When some real troubles that seriously harm the workers' interests arise, the worker representatives and officials will reciprocate by delaying or acting cautiously, giving the employer enough time to make amends.
The Hutchison Whampoa Spinning Mills had a chairman of the Manufacturing Industry General Union. Would the Foreign Devil not know how to offer this chairman a double salary to win him over? Song Tianyao didn't believe it. The Foreign Devil were very adept at the comprador system and using Chinese to control Chinese, so of course they would do it very well.
"Thank you for your trouble, Sister Xiong. Could you please go and meet the chairman of the Manufacturing Industry General Union? Tell him that Song Tianyao wants to treat him to a late-night snack and ask for his opinion on worker welfare. I'll be waiting for him at the Kowloon Restaurant at ten o'clock." Song Tianyao thought for a moment, then took out twenty dollars from his wallet and handed it to Sister Xiong, saying, "Take this for your ride, and then meet with the worker representatives from the United Soda Factory. Find out their addresses and let me know when you get back."
After taking the twenty yuan, Sister Xiong stared at Song Tianyao with her big, bulging eyes. Her gaze made Song Tianyao feel uneasy and his whole body trembled. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Aren't you very loyal to your man? Get rid of any unrealistic fantasies you have about me."
"Boss, are you going to let the workers go on strike and go against the Foreign Devil? We've just started to enjoy our meals, don't go against the Foreign Devil..." Sister Xiong ignored Song Tianyao's teasing and hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"You're overthinking it. I think you shouldn't be a cook or a madam anymore. Why don't you become the Secretary for Chinese Affairs Office? Of course, I'm not suggesting the workers go on strike. I have my own factory; why wouldn't I make money?" Hearing Sister Xiong's words, Song Tianyao said with a smile, "Thinking so far ahead. If one day a Chinese person can become a high-ranking official in the Hong Kong Government, I will definitely cast my sacred vote for you."
Hearing Song Tianyao say he wasn't planning to incite a workers' strike, Sister Xiong breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and said, "That's good. Actually, many workers just want a long-term job, to earn a living peacefully..."
She took off her apron and walked out of the kitchen. Pushing open the kitchen door, Song Tianyao saw Tang Boqi's tall and slender figure standing steadily in front of the factory gate. As soon as Sister Xiong pushed open the kitchen door, the two of them made eye contact.