Chu Xiaoxin was amused by Song Tianyao's earlier teasing, and immediately followed up on Golden-Tooth Lei's words, teasing Song Tianyao in return. "Yes, Jin Ya Lei is right. He really deserves to be served by women. He can't even buy a woman to go out with him for a single gold bar. People who spend money so extravagantly should eat free meals every day."
"Boss, I know I was wrong, okay? Are you going to keep making fun of me about this? Are you planning to make fun of me until my sixtieth birthday?" Song Tianyao said to Chu Xiaoxin with a bitter face, "I'll keep the key safe for you. When you're ready to go to a room with Miss Chen Judy, I'll bring those girls over to help you have some fun."
He and Chu Xiaoxin joked with each other, while Golden-Tooth Lei could only smile awkwardly from the side. After sitting for a while, Chu Xiaoxin got up and prepared to go to the bathhouse in Lichi Garden to take a shower. He originally wanted to take Song Tianyao with him, but Song Tianyao glanced at Golden-Tooth Lei discreetly, indicating that he had something to say to him. So Chu Xiaoxin left first and went to Lichi Garden.
After Chu Xiaoxin left, Golden-Tooth Lei finally breathed a sigh of relief. Song Tianyao looked at Golden-Tooth Lei with a smile, "Brother Lei, congratulations! The dock business of Likang Trading Company has been transferred to Fuyixing. Come, have some tea."
"Thank you so much, Secretary Song. We at Lao Fu will always remember your kindness." Golden-Tooth Lei said gratefully as Song Tianyao poured him a cup of tea.
Song Tianyao put down the teapot, smiled at Golden-Tooth Lei, and said, "No need to be polite, I have something to ask of you."
Chapter Fifty-Eight
"What is it? Secretary Song, just give the order." Golden-Tooth Lei patted his chest and said to Song Tianyao. He didn't dare to show the aura of Big Brother in front of Chu Xiaoxin, but he could show some of the chivalry of a gangster in front of Song Tianyao.
"I just wanted to trouble Brother Lei to help me find out some information. There's a Chinese interviewer at the Wong Chuk Hang Police Training School. I don't know when I offended him, so I'd like to find out about him for me. It doesn't need to be a big deal, just a quiet look will do. I'm just curious." Song Tianyao finished his tea in one gulp, put down his teacup, and said to Golden-Tooth Lei.
This matter had been weighing on his mind, but he hadn't had the time to deal with it. Although he didn't want to be a policeman, it didn't mean he was completely indifferent to people targeting him.
Golden-Tooth Lei nodded and calmly assured Song Tianyao, "This kind of thing is best left to the brothers in Kowloon City. Don't worry, Secretary Song, I'll investigate it for you slowly and without alerting the other party."
"Having finished discussing personal matters, let me say a few words about the docks. You should know how business is at the Hong Kong docks these days. In a month, Likang will be arranging for a ship to sail to Macau or Shenzhen. The seas aren't safe, so I need fifteen men for this ship. They need to be brave, skilled, and most importantly, obedient. If these men get injured, Likang will cover their medical expenses; if they become disabled, Likang will support them for life; if they die, Likang will cover their resettlement expenses. I don't care about anything else. You can recruit people and collect membership fees at the docks, that's fine. You can do some side businesses at the docks, that's fine too. Even if you get into a fight with other gangs over berths, Likang can step in and support you. But you must carefully select these fifteen men." Song Tianyao held up a celadon teacup and gave Golden-Tooth Lei a few instructions.
There was no need to go into too much detail; Golden-Tooth Lei was smart enough to know that what he was being told was actually a lesson on how to do things.
"Secretary Song, I know. Don't worry, I'll have my men select a group of loyal and capable brothers as soon as I get back. I can't speak for others, but when it comes to fighting, Fuyixing's brothers are even more ruthless than Chao Yong Yi's. They do legitimate work, just making money, while we do shady things, risking our lives." Golden-Tooth Lei's eyes flashed as he confidently told Song Tianyao.
"Thank you for your hard work, Brother Lei. You need to handle things at the docks carefully. If you want to expand your territory at the docks, you need to show the other merchants that Fuyixing is doing a better job than any other gang at the docks right now." After saying this, Song Tianyao stood up and prepared to leave.
"These..." Golden-Tooth Lei looked at the expensive tonics on the table as Song Tianyao got up and left.
Song Tianyao chuckled, "Brother Lei can keep it for his own health. Oh, right, and this key too."
Song Tianyao put the key back on the table, turned around and left the private room.
In the following days, Song Tianyao officially took over the business of Likang Trading Company. Chu Xiaozhong transferred his uncle to his own company. The eight or nine remaining employees of the trading company already knew that this previously unseen Secretary Song, had defeated Chu Xiaozhong's uncle, Uncle Fa. Therefore, after Song Tianyao appeared at the trading company, they were all afraid of being fired and left, and they were all trembling with fear.
However, Song Tianyao didn't have his mind on them. To him, it was human nature to side with the powerful. Chu Xiaozhong was the next head of the Chu Family, and these people were naturally unwilling to continue supporting Chu Xiaoxin, since they had the opportunity to curry favor with Chu Xiaozhong. They were just trying to make a living.
While these employees speculated that Song Tianyao was in Chu Xiaoxin's office plotting how to deal with them, Song Tianyao was actually reviewing Likang Trading Company's accounts and formulating his next development plan.
If he wanted to achieve greater success and more money, he first had to elevate his incompetent boss to a high position. It was not advisable to instigate the other party to seize the Chu Family from Chu Xiaozhong. Chu Yaozong was not senile, so he could only start his own business independently from Likang Trading Company. In fact, making a business big was very simple; he only needed to do two things well: make money and spend money.
Spending without earning will lead to financial ruin; earning without spending will hinder future success.
Likang Trading Company is barely making a profit right now, mainly thanks to the ongoing local conflicts in Vietnam and Myanmar, which create a significant demand for Western medicine. If the Chu Family doesn't provide financial support to Likang once those conflicts end, this small Hong Kong Likang company, which can only do transshipment of medicines from Southeast Asia, will likely be the first to close down, especially since Likang deals with major brands like Roche and Bayer.
While large pharmaceutical companies like Roche and Bayer can certainly capture a portion of the market with their brand, the market is built by people. Both companies already have British-owned companies acting as agents in Hong Kong. Moreover, if the mainland has no intention of militarily retaking Hong Kong after the Korean War, Roche and Bayer might prepare to open their own branches in Hong Kong. If they do establish branches, smaller players like Likang will be the first to be driven out.