As Paitoon was adjusting the other man's collar, he suddenly twisted the young man's neck. The young man reacted very quickly, trying to block Paitoon's hands with his own, while at the same time, he headbutted Paitoon in the face!
As Paitoon Tun dodged, he delivered a powerful knee strike to the young man's groin! The young man instinctively reached for his groin with both hands, his mouth agape as if to scream. Paitoon simultaneously twisted the young man's neck, silencing his scream. In the end, the young man could only stare wide-eyed and make soft, gurgling sounds.
Paitoon released the young man and looked at him. "I taught you these skills, and I'm taking back both your life and your skills on behalf of Sai Ba."
The other dozen or so soldiers under Sai Zhalunwang looked at each other, then turned to Paitoon. Paitoon sized them up, his face stern. "Go to the village and get some food to fill your stomachs. Don't touch women, don't cause trouble. Once you have the food, get on your way. Remember, you are soldiers!"
Fifty-four-year-old Sai Charonwang, escorted by several of his men, slowly disembarked from the passenger ship and stepped onto the Central Pier Hong Kong.
His gray hair and long beard were blown about by the sea breeze at the dock. He was wearing a slightly worn gray-black suit. He turned his head and glanced at the gangway, only to find his only son, Kun, flirting with a blonde, blue-eyed woman in English.
Sai Zhalunwang sighed, his tone slightly harsh. "Kun! We're new to Hong Kong, and it's best not to cause trouble. Besides, you're all grown up now; you should be more mature. I'm getting old, and I'll have to rely on you for many things in the future!"
Twenty-four-year-old Kun, handsome and dashing, seemed not to hear his father's words. He watched the woman walk away with lingering affection before turning his gaze back to his father and grinning, "Don't worry, Dad, I won't do anything reckless."
"It's good that it's true. As you get older, you have to learn to be more mature. When I was your age, I had already fought for a long time and was already a captain. Unlike you, who has accomplished nothing. Sigh, I wonder how Paitoon and Suphan are doing now. Wenren, Wenren!" Sai Zhalunwang gave his son a few instructions, then turned to call his men.
Wenren's subordinate approached and bowed slightly. "Sai Ba! What are your orders?"
"Wasn't it said that local gang members would be meeting us at the docks? Have you prepared the gifts? Don't be impolite," Sai Zhalunwang said slowly.
Wenren hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, "Sai Ba, I just received the news. That local gang member is dead. He was buried just the day before yesterday. I heard it was because of the opium trade. His gang Big Brother has decided to quit the drug business."
Sai Zhalunwang paused for a moment, then hesitantly raised the Four-Faced Buddha Amulet he wore on his chest with both hands, clasped his hands together, and murmured in Thai: "Sattva, Golden Light Lion Play Tathagata, Sadhu, Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata, Sadhu, Great Brahma King, Sadhu, Great Holy Joyful Deva."
After finishing his chanting of the Buddhist scriptures, he raised his head, surveyed the Chinese city before him, and said in fluent Mandarin, "I will personally visit the local gangs and ask them to be merciful and grant us, these stray dogs, a place to stay."
Chapter 463 Sudden Change
Yu Shiting held his teacup, listening intently to his family's opera troupe performing a scene from "The Palace of Eternal Life," titled "The Sudden Change."
At the table next to him sat several Shanghai businessmen from the Mainland. Although they were all listening to the opera with tea in hand, just like Yu Shiting, their eyes kept glancing at Yu Shiting.
Everyone knew about the meeting between the two shipping magnates from Shanghai Gang and Hong Kong, but what exactly happened was anyone's guess. Shanghai Gang the two factions sharpen their knives and prepare for battle, or did they manage to make money together and bury the hatchet?
Several days have passed, but Yu Shiting still hasn't informed these people. This has made the wealthy Shanghai Gang merchants impatient. Yu Shiting has earned more money than they could spend in several lifetimes, but most of them didn't leave much behind when they came to Hong Kong from Shanghai. They all hoped to do big business in Hong Kong, a Britain colony, and make a comeback. Now, for several days in a row, the docks have been shut down and cargo ships have stopped operating. If it weren't for the low profit margin of passenger ships and the risk of the whole thing escalating, the Star Ferry and some passenger ships traveling between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, as well as the Flower-tail Ferry, would probably have all stopped operating as well.
For these shipping merchants, a day of downtime means a day less money. Yu Shiting could afford to wait it out with Xu Pingsheng, but they couldn't, especially now that freight rates were soaring. In the past, they would lose one dollar, but now they would lose five dollars.
Therefore, these people must get an answer from Yu Shiting today, no matter what.
"Boss Yu, what exactly does Xu Pingsheng mean by this? If compensating for the loss of money and the boat can be resolved, then you don't Boss Yu. We can all easily contribute a share. If Xu Pingsheng feels he's lost face, I'm of lower seniority, so I'll personally host a reconciliation dinner to apologize." The other experienced and prudent ship merchants were still patiently listening to the drama when a young man who looked to be only thirty-four or thirty-five years old couldn't help but ask.
His name was Di Junda, a native of Xiangshan. He was a young talent who had climbed his way Shanghai Bund step by step. Unlike the seasoned businessmen present who had been in business for decades, Di Junda was a top student who graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages St. John's University. Initially, he only wanted to work as a comprador for foreign companies in China. However, right after graduation, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and Britain and the United States officially became enemies with Japan. Britain United States companies in Shanghai Bund withdrew one after another. Di Junda, who had hoped to become a comprador and embark on the path of a second-class foreigner, was declared unemployed before he even found a job.
Out of desperation, Di Junda and several classmates from the Foreign Languages Department pooled their money to open a job referral agency, where they helped people find jobs and took a commission. They also did some translation work to make ends meet. This was in 1942, Di Junda 22 years old.
What truly turned his life around was the period leading up to the recapture of Shanghai. Knowing foreign languages, he was better informed than most people in Shanghai Bund. He clearly predicted that Japan was about to surrender, the war was about to end, and the shipping industry was about to take off. So he used his savings of many years, plus a high-interest loan, to buy a second-hand cargo ship. Using the Jie Ren Guan (a local business) as a source of information and goods, he quickly started his shipping business. In 1945, Di Junda 25 years old.