Yu Shiting said earnestly, "It's been more than ten years since I last took the Flower-tail Ferry. Back then, I clearly had some money, but I didn't dare to show it off, nor did I want to make myself suffer. So I ordered a poached chicken and a stir-fried vegetable dish. When I looked at the menu, I pretended to frown, worried that I couldn't afford it, and made the waiter roll his eyes at me, so as not to give those who wanted to rip me off any chance."
"Clap clap!" Yu Shiting clapped his hands twice, and a servant stepped forward slightly. "Master."
"Have the restaurant chefs prepare four dishes: pickled cabbage, Wen Gong Zhai casserole, poached chicken, and stir-fried greens," Yu Shiting said.
"Yes, sir."
After the servants left, Yu Shiting looked at Xu Pingsheng again. "Uncle Sheng, were you looking out the window just now because you haven't seen a sea view in a long time?"
Xu Pingsheng looked down at his cane, which had become shiny from being handled so much, then looked up at Yu Shiting and said, "I've been watching for so long because today I've only seen ships flying the Britain flag on the sea; I haven't seen a single China person ship."
"With you sitting here, how can anyone in Hong Kong dare to go out to sea?" Yu Shiting said with a wry smile, "Wouldn't that be tantamount to offending the shipping magnate and giving up on making a living from Hong Kong? Not to mention us small businessmen who make a living by the sea, even the sea god would have to give you face."
Xu Pingsheng waved his hand. "It's worthless. I'm just an old man, waiting to die. Who would be alarmed by me? If my name could scare people, the ship wouldn't have sunk. Mr. Yu just said that even the sea god gives me face. I think at least the sea god in Taiwan doesn't give me that kind of face."
After Xu Pingsheng said these words, the atmosphere in the dining room suddenly fell silent.
The two men's long-time servants all straightened their backs slightly and sized each other up.
"I can't hide it from Uncle Sheng. Actually, after I heard about this, I was going to pretend I didn't hear anything and wait for you to call me out and question me. But after thinking about it, I thought it would be better if I took the initiative to ask Uncle Sheng to come out and explain." Uncle Sheng Yu Shiting was not taken aback or speechless by Xu Pingsheng's words. Instead, he smiled and looked at the other party as he spoke.
Xu Pingsheng's expression remained calm. "Then I wonder what Mr. Yu wanted to discuss with me?"
Yu Shiting turned his head to look at the surging waves outside, paused for a moment, as if lost in memories, and said:
"I know that no matter what I say about apologizing and making amends, Uncle Sheng will have something to say to me. So I'll just talk to Uncle Sheng about my past experiences with Yu Shiting. Do you mind if I have a cigarette?"
Yu Shiting looked at Xu Pingsheng.
Xu Pingsheng shook his head. "Suit yourself."
Yu Shiting took out a pack of sailor cigarettes from his pocket, lit it with a match, took a deep drag, and then spoke:
"When I first arrived in Shanghai, I didn't start by associating with local Boat Gang or begging old men for favors. I began as a seaman at the Changxing Steamship Company in the International Settlement. At that time, Changxing Company mainly handled passenger transport, owning Seven Queens luxury liner ships: the India Queen, the China Queen, the Queen of Japan Queen, the Queen of Australia Queen, the Queen of Russia Queen, the Asia Queen, and the Canada Queen. I worked as a seaman on the Australia Queen, a newer liner that no longer ran on coal but on diesel. Of course, sailing was profitable, but the company always made money; the seamen didn't. Back then, we China seamen had to earn tips by performing plays and singing for the passengers, like clowns."
"Although it might seem like I was a clown, back then in Shanghai Bund, I wore the Changxing Company badge, and even the tin-wearing police and Annamite constables didn't dare to do anything to me. I felt superior to other China person. Although I wasn't exactly white, I already considered myself a traitor."
"That self-satisfied feeling disappeared when I slept with a White Russian woman." Yu Shiting paused here, flicking ash from his cigarette. "Uncle Sheng, please don't laugh at me."
"At that time, many White Russian women in the concessions were engaged in prostitution. Initially, these White Russian women did not serve China person. The Shanghai Municipal Council preferred to give money to these White Russian women every month to help them rather than allow them to earn money from China person. The foreigners in the concessions believed that even if white men were to sell themselves, they could only sell themselves to white men. However, as the number of White Russian refugees and White Russian prostitutes increased, they could no longer afford to pay them, so they turned a blind eye. It was from then on that most of the wealthy China person in Shanghai Bund began to experience the pleasures of white women, and I was no exception. I took my newly received salary and went to a brothel run by a White Russian woman."
"When those White Russian women entertained foreigners, they would serve Western food and drinks, and the bill could be paid afterward. But China person had to pay first to see a woman, and not only would they not get any food or drink, they wouldn't even get a sip of water. I paid a white man, and he led me to a small room where there was a white woman who was as fat as a sow..."
Yu Shiting chuckled. "Dirty, fat, and smelly, and she was looking at me with disgust. I wanted a refund and got into an argument with the white guy who solicited customers and collected money for the brothel. Just then, a drunk shareholder from Changxing Company came out with a woman. When he saw my name tag, he was surprised at first, then told everyone that Changxing Company was too good to its China employees. How could a nobody like me have money to sleep with a White Russian woman? When he found out I didn't want to sleep with that sow, he laughed and gave me a choice: either go up and sleep with that sow now, or the company fires me."
Xu Pingsheng looked at Yu Shiting, Yu Shiting stubbed out his cigarette. "That foreign devil told me that I was lucky to be able to seduce that sow-like White Russian woman. Uncle Sheng, back then, what do you think I should have chosen?"
Chapter 458 Justice
Xu Pingsheng looked at Yu Shiting without saying a word.
Yu Shiting paused for a moment, then chuckled to himself:
"I tolerated it. I felt it was no big deal to seduce a White Russian sow for the sake of the Britain company logo I wore on my chest."
"But as soon as I agreed, that bastard planned to have reporters come and take pictures, to capture the scene of me patronizing that White Russian sow, to show how happy the China person were living in the British and American International Settlements of Shanghai."