Wealth Brings Distant Kin to the Deep Mountains
"Didn't I tell A-Yip to bring some money back a few days ago, saying I wouldn't be staying home these days? I've been really busy lately." Song Tianyao walked up to Zhao Meizhen, handed her the roast goose, and looked at the miscellaneous items. "What? So many relatives and friends want to visit you? My Dad hasn't gone out to work either?"
"Stop talking nonsense, let me introduce you to our relatives first." Zhao Meizhen carried the roast goose in her left hand and pulled Song Tianyao into the room with her right. She shoved the goose into her husband's hands, then shoved him off the bed to make room for her son. She then pointed to the middle-aged couple sitting awkwardly opposite them and said, "This is your Aunt Jun's in-laws' younger brother and sister-in-law. You can call them Third Uncle and Third Aunt."
Song Tianyao didn't even know who Aunt Jun was, but seeing the weathered couple, he still smiled and said, "Third Uncle, Third Aunt."
The couple stood up awkwardly, unsure how to respond to Song Tianyao's greeting, and nervously looked at Zhao Meizhen.
"This is A-Yao, my son. A-Yao, your third uncle and aunt have a favor to ask of you. They just arrived in Hong Kong not long ago. Their son, A-Tai, is about your age and doesn't know the rules of the docks yet. He started working haphazardly and got into a fight with some people at the docks. He was arrested and taken to the detention center by the police. The guy he injured is a gang leader, and the gang Big Brother is demanding three thousand dollars for medicine and a reconciliation feast before they'll let him go. The family really can't afford it, so they're asking for your help." Zhao Meizhen waved generously to the two men and then introduced Song Tianyao to his third uncle and aunt across the table.
Seeing Zhao Meizhen's expression, Song Tianyao knew that his mother had probably already vouched for her by her third uncle and aunt, who had no recollection of him at all.
After Zhao Meizhen finished speaking, she and the couple looked expectantly at Song Tianyao, waiting for his reply. Song Tianyao picked up the cigarettes his father hadn't taken from the bedside table and discovered that his father had switched from the cheapest Little Joy Cigarettes to Ho Choi. He lit one, took a puff, and looked up at Song Tianyao pitiful couple in front of him with a somewhat helpless tone:
"Third Uncle and Third Aunt, I've noted this down, and I'm willing to help. But let me make this clear beforehand: after I've done it, I don't need your thanks. I just hope you won't tell anyone that I helped you. Is that alright?"
"Yes, yes, as long as A-Tai can come out, we definitely won't talk nonsense." Hearing Song Tianyao agree, the two were overjoyed. As the woman spoke, tears streamed down her face, and she would occasionally raise her hands, which looked like withered tree bark, to wipe them away.
"Which gang fought with him? Which police station is A-Tai being held in?"
"I heard from someone that those people are Wo Two Ping, and A-Tai is currently being held at the Sai Kung Police Station." Uncle San said, his hands clasped together, looking at Song Tianyao nervously.
"It's getting late, Uncle and Aunt, why don't you have dinner and go home to rest and wait for news? I'll get things done for you as soon as possible." After noting down the name, Song Tianyao got up and walked to the door, waving again to the members of Fuyixing outside.
The men who had just received a pack of cigarettes from Song Tianyao immediately rushed over. Song Tianyao asked the leader, "What's Wo Two Ping's clan name?"
"Wo Two Ping? A small group, collectively known as Wo Ping before the fall of Hong Kong. They had sixteen branches, from Wo One Ping all the way to He Shiliuping. However, after Hong Kong was liberated, only Wo One Ping Wo Two Ping remained. The other branches were scattered and absorbed by these two. Now Wo One Ping Wo Two Ping Erping together have no more than two thousand people, and they no longer engage in shady dealings. Although their numbers are small, they still have a high status in the underworld." The man sent by Golden-Tooth Lei was quick-witted and spoke very logically, introducing the origins and number of people of He Erping in just a Wo Two Ping words.
Song Tianyao asked, "Why is it scattered and disorganized? Even without resorting to shady dealings, one still has a place in the martial arts world?"
"When the Japan attacked Hong Kong Kowloon, most of the brothers from the Wo Ping branch spontaneously joined the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Corps to defend Hong Kong and Kowloon. Within days of the start of the defense, ten of Wo Ping's sixteen branches were wiped out, and most of the brothers were killed or wounded. After Hong Kong fell, the Japan Wo Ping up the members one by one for target practice, so many more fled. When they returned to Hong Kong after the war, a check of the roster revealed that only six branches remained. Within a few years, the branches were scattered and dispersed, leaving Wo One Ping Wo Two Ping Erping. Even now, the underworld respects Wo Ping's anti-Japanese deeds. So, although both branches have little influence now, the Big Brother who participated in the Battle of Hong Kong are still highly respected."
After listening, Song Tianyao nodded, took out a hundred dollars from his wallet, and handed it to Fuyixing's underling. "Thank you for your trouble. There's a guy named A-Tai in detention at the Sai Kung Police Station right now because he got into a fight with Wo Two Ping's men. Could you go and buy some cigarettes, alcohol, and food to bribe the officers on duty and tell them not to make things difficult for him?"
Chapter Sixty-One: Even the Rich Have Distant Relatives
Just then, Zhao Meizhen saw Uncle and Aunt out. Seeing the two of them leave, Song Tianyao turned around and asked, "What's A-Tai's surname? How old is he?"
"Chen Tai, eighteen years old," Uncle San said hastily.
Song Tianyao said to the Fuyixing henchman, "Remember this? Chen Tai, eighteen years old."
In fact, if Song Tianyao had learned about Hong Kong's triads in his previous life, he would have found the name very familiar. Unfortunately, Song Tianyao was neither concerned with nor interested in the triads, and had no interest in learning about this group.
After Fuyixing left, and his third uncle and aunt thanked him profusely before saying goodbye, Song Tianyao returned home and sat on the edge of the bed. He frowned at his mother, Zhao Meizhen, who had just closed the door and entered the room, and said, "Just how many people did you promise to receive gifts enough to fill this place?"
"These are all small things that neighbors and relatives ask for help with. Now that you're the secretary for the Chu Family, it's perfectly normal for relatives and friends to come to you for help." Zhao Meizhen didn't understand the implication in Song Tianyao's words. She casually picked up an apple, washed it, and placed it next to Song Tianyao: "Have an apple. What do you want for dinner? Your mother will make it for you."
"Can you please stop helping your neighbors and friends? When Wenwen was almost sold to the Walled City, none of the neighbors came to help. I'll have someone help send these things back with you later, and tell them to find someone else. I can't help them." Song Tianyao said impatiently as he turned over and leaned against the neatly folded bedding.