Huang Liu was unaware of this matter, only knowing that these children, both big and small, were abandoned infants taken in by Song Tianyao's grandfather. He placed the milk powder in front of the old man and reached out to tease the baby boy who had spoken to him before anyone else, "Song Shiyi, you have the sweetest mouth. When you can speak, remember to ask me to be your godfather, and I'll..."
"Pfft... cough cough cough..." Qi Weiwen had just taken a sip of pear soup, and before it even went down his throat, he heard Huang Liu's words and was immediately choked by the soup, coughing a series of coughs.
Huang Liu turned to look at Qi Weiwen, whose pretty face was flushed from choking and who was coughing incessantly with her head down, and asked with a puzzled expression, "I was just looking after a little guy, Sister Wen, you don't need to get so worked up, do you?"
Qi Weiwen gestured for the other children to start eating, then lowered his voice with a smile and said a few words to Huang Liu, who beamed with delight. "Wow, doesn't that mean if this little guy becomes my godfather, I'll be my boss's grandfather?"
"Don't take it seriously," Qi Weiwen said with a smile.
"A fake one is fine too." Huang Liu immediately perked up, pointing at Song Shiyi, whose mouth was still covered in rice grains, and said, "Forget about the godfather, I'm afraid the boss will beat me to death. I see this little guy has extraordinary bones, a martial arts prodigy one in a million. From now on, I'll be his master, I'll take him as my disciple, and then I'll have Nine-Tattooed Dragon's gang help him build a foundation when he's older. Then, when I have free time, he can learn kung fu from me. That way, being his master won't be a problem, right? I'll be his master, so according to seniority, the boss should call me Grandpa."
While Huang Liu was rambling incoherently among the children, Song Tianyao went to a small table in the corner. Sister Xiong introduced Song Tianyao to a middle-aged man in his forties, with a wrinkled face and dressed in simple work clothes. She was perhaps a little excited, as it was her first time helping out in a restaurant, and her speech was somewhat slurred. "Boss, this is Chairman Mei Jiasheng of the union. Chairman Mei, this is Boss Song Tianyao the Long Light Wig Factory."
"Hello Chairman Mei, I've heard from Sister Xiong that you've always stood up for the workers and are very respected among them, which is why I specifically asked Sister Xiong to introduce me to Chairman Mei." Song Tianyao extended his hand and shook hands with Mei Jiasheng.
Mei Jiasheng stood up, grasped Song Tianyao's outstretched left hand with both hands, and said with a beaming smile, "Boss Song's Jiuguang factory is highly praised by many workers in the union. Every time the union workers hold a rally to criticize certain factory owners for delaying or withholding wages, workers cite Boss Song's factory as an example. Since its opening, Mr. Boss Song's factory has only ever paid wages in advance and never delayed payment. The union is most pleased that there are more and more China factory owners like Boss Song in Hong Kong. I have served as the chairman of the Pharmaceutical Industry Union for five consecutive years, and what I see now is that even Foreign Devil factories are not as ruthless as many of our China factory owners in exploiting workers. I really hope to introduce Boss Song to those arrogant and oppressive capitalists."
Song Tianyao noticed that Mei Jiasheng's hands did indeed have hard calluses, but the skin was smooth, indicating that he no longer needed to do hard work himself for a long time.
Although the two only exchanged polite greetings and small talk due to the presence of Sister Xiong, they had already subtly hinted at their stance during their initial handshake. Mei Jiasheng made it very clear that as long as he wasn't allowed to bring his workers to harass Foreign Devil, anything was negotiable as long as there were benefits involved. He also used the five-year period to reveal his position.
Because if a union chairman is truly dedicated to standing up for the workers, let alone serving as union chairman for five years, he would be dealt with by the employers who would suffer losses in less than five months. In a Britain colony like Hong Kong, the death of a China workers' leader would attract less attention than the death of a Britain beggar.
Qi Weiwen had the kitchen send over a steamed grouper, along with several other expensive dishes. Although it was called a late-night snack, it was no less elaborate than a regular meal. After Sister Xiong Qi Weiwen to sit at the front for tea and a chat, leaving the meal and drinks to the two men, Song Tianyao and Mei Jiasheng, had a few drinks. Afterward, Song Tianyao offered to reserve five worker positions from his wig factory for Mei Jiasheng to use for relatives and friends, with double pay for all of them, one portion of which would be given to Mei Jiasheng separately each month.
This pleased Mei Jiasheng greatly, as he received five salaries each month. As long as Song Tianyao did not allow him to lead the workers in a strike against the Britain, and had solid evidence against them, he could find ways to put pressure on Song Tianyao's opponents through strikes, blocking doors, or gatherings outside the Chinese Affairs Office.
After the two had warmly greeted each other as brothers at the dinner table, Song Tianyao asked in a casual tone:
"Brother Sheng, I heard that the night shift workers at the United Soda Factory have recently had their overtime pay suspended, and their salaries seem to have been withheld for two months."
Mei Jiasheng, who was about to drink a glass of wine, paused slightly upon hearing Song Tianyao's words. He then said to Song Tianyao, "Really? I haven't heard of that. Because at the Soda Factory... hehe... A-Yao, you might not know, but to be honest, almost all the workers at the Soda Factory are from the Shui Fong."
Seeing that Song Tianyao didn't react to the words "Shui Fong," Mei Jiasheng explained further, "They're all members of a gang called 'Wo On Lok' in the underworld. Because there are so many Wo On Lok working at the Soda Factory, this underworld organization is also called 'Shui Fong.' The Soda Factory is a business of the Lin Family, and Wo On Lok Anle has been working for the Lin Family ever since Lin Xizhen started his opium business. The Soda Factory needs workers, Wo On Lok sends the more honest members of his gang to work there... So even if the Lin Family stops paying salaries for two months, with those underworld Big Brother keeping them in check, the workers won't cause trouble. Instead, it will make things difficult for the union, since the factory workers have no complaints, how can the union force its way in?"
Song Tianyao had never imagined that the Lin Family had such a deep connection with the martial arts world; all the workers at his family's Soda Factory were wearing the Wo On Lok brand.
"I understand. Let's put the Soda Factory matter aside for now. Brother Sheng, you're the chairman of the All-China Federation of Manufacturing Industry General Union. Do you have any acquaintances in the All-China Construction Industry General Union?" Song Tianyao pondered for a moment before asking Mei Jiasheng.