"Secretary Song, where are you planning to move to?" Golden-Tooth Lei asked Song Tianyao after paying respects to Song Chunliang.
Song Tianyao said, "I'm planning to rent a tenement building in Wan Chai for my family, but I haven't decided on a specific location yet. I'll contact someone through a middleman once the truck is loaded and we get there."
Golden-Tooth Lei thought Song Tianyao's words made perfect sense, but Song Chunliang, standing next to him, almost coughed up the wine he had just drunk. His son hadn't even found a house yet, and he was already moving that afternoon? If they hired a truck to take their belongings to Wan Chai, but couldn't find a suitable place to stay, wouldn't they have to sleep on the streets that night?
"The house and the transfer fee haven't been agreed upon yet?" Song Chunliang, the head of the Song Family and a shoemaker, mustered his courage and asked Song Tianyao at the dinner table.
Song Tianyao nodded matter-of-factly. "We can choose when we get there. There are plenty of houses; we can choose whichever floor we like."
Song Chunliang looked at Golden-Tooth Lei and then at Gao Lao Cheng, and found that no one felt as incredulous as he did. However, he couldn't understand why people didn't find a place to rent before moving. Now, renting a room costs several thousand yuan in transfer fees.
Hong Kong is not currently experiencing a housing shortage. The reason why one-third of the citizens live in fire-prone Squatter Area and struggle to make ends meet is mainly due to the exorbitant rent. Although the Hong Kong Colonial Government limited rent to HK Hong Kong dollars 400 per month in an effort to improve the living conditions of its citizens, meaning that even villas on Tai Ping Shan could only charge a maximum of Hong Kong dollars 400 per month, any higher would result in government agencies talking to the landlords.
But do you think this will provide a place for the poor to live? Of course not. Although the rent is only four hundred dollars, the landlord will charge a transfer fee when the tenant rents the house. This fee is not included in the rent, so it does not violate Hong Kong law. The transfer fee varies depending on the property. According to the price of tenement buildings in Wan Chai, the transfer fee is generally between four thousand and seven thousand dollars. That is to say, the landlord will only sign a one-year lease with you after you pay a transfer fee of seven thousand dollars and rent the house to the tenant for a year. The monthly rent of two hundred dollars will still have to be paid.
So, if a tenement building advertised for rent at HK$200 per month actually needs to be rented to the landlord for a year, you would need to pay between Hong Kong dollars 6,000 and Hong Kong dollars 8,000.
However, in Golden-Tooth Lei's eyes, Song Tianyao's method of renting a house was the most convenient. He would load his things onto a truck, drive directly to Wan Chai, find a waiter at a teahouse in Wan Chai, tip him a few dozen dollars, and the waiter would run errands for him perfectly, showing him the houses floor by floor. In the end, whichever floor he liked, he would pay on the spot and sign a contract.
Golden-Tooth Lei even thought that Song Tianyao might not even be planning to take his belongings with him; he could simply find a fully furnished house and move in.
Seeing his Dad's worry, Song Tianyao said, "Don't worry, we'll be able to move into Wan Chai before sunset."
After the banquet, Fuyixing's underlings had already hired an old-fashioned delivery truck for the business. However, due to the narrow alleyways in the Squatter Area, the truck could only be parked far away on the street outside. So the move relied entirely on Fuyixing's underlings and Chen Tai. Song Tianyao pretended to carry half a bag of rice, but Chen Tai snatched it from him and carried it on his shoulder. Then, he and Golden-Tooth Lei stood aside and watched these people work.
The residents of the Squatter Area didn't have many valuables; they only had two wardrobes for clothes and some decorations such as washbasins and old plum vases. In just over half an hour, they had completely emptied their belongings.
After all the belongings were loaded onto the car, Golden-Tooth Lei said goodbye to Song Tianyao. From beginning to end, this Big Brother from Fuyixing didn't say a word about helping Song Tianyao find a suitable place to stay.
If one were less perceptive, they might think that Golden-Tooth Lei was stingy or too lazy to say polite things, but Song Tianyao knew that this Fuyixing boss was a smart man who knew how to avoid being disliked.
Property deals aren't something that can be satisfied with just because the rent is cheap; Song Tianyao has to be willing to buy it himself. That's why Golden-Tooth Lei didn't rashly offer to take on everything; instead, he helped Song Tianyao load his belongings into the car and then immediately took his leave.
After Song Tianyao and his mother finished tidying up, he sent her to the Women’s Teahouse to pick up Song Wenwen. While waiting for Song Wenwen, Song Tianyao asked Chen Tai, who was covered in sweat from exhaustion:
"A-Tai, have you ever learned kung fu?"
"Yes, when I was in the countryside on the mainland, there were martial arts training grounds. I learned boxing from the masters there since I was a child. There were more than a hundred people learning boxing, and my master said I was the most dedicated," Chen Tai replied, wiping the sweat that had etched lines down his face.
Song Tianyao patted him on the shoulder. "When you get home tonight, tell your parents that you don't need to work in the factory. I'll help you find a job, including three meals a day and a bed."
"Brother Yiu, I haven't even thanked you for vouching for me and getting me out of here, and you even helped me find a job. I'm not good with words, but I'll definitely do my best. I'm very strong." Chen Tai didn't know how to express his gratitude to Song Tianyao, so he could only show off his muscles to Song Tianyao, making Song Tianyao roll his eyes. A grown man, showing off his muscles in front of him? Does he think I'm gay?
"Secretary Song! Secretary Song! Wait! I am... Scribe Hui!"
Chapter 79 Tai Wo Street, Wan Chai
Lou Fengyun's subordinate, named Scribe Hui, greeted Song Tianyao from Song Tianyao.
Song Tianyao was very curious about how such a rash guy had earned the nickname "Scribe Hui." Was it just because he wore glasses?
"Secretary Song, Secretary Song... didn't we agree that Sister Yun would help rent two tenement buildings in Wan Chai? Why are you in such a hurry to move out?" Scribe Hui stood in front of Song Tianyao, covered in sweat, and asked anxiously.
He had actually arrived nearby quite early, but he didn't dare to approach because Golden-Tooth Lei, the patron of Fuyixing, was chatting with Song Tianyao. Only after Golden-Tooth Lei left did he hurriedly run over to ask.
Although Gao Lao Cheng only expelled Lou Fengyun from the triad, Scribe Hui remained a member of Fuyixing. However, he was a lackey of Black-Hearted Wah and Lou Fengyun, and Black-Hearted Wah was the Big Brother he had apprenticed to. Having followed Black-Hearted Wah for so many years, his feelings for the triad were far less than his feelings for Black-Hearted Wah and Lou Fengyun. Moreover, after Fuyixing took over the Gambling den, no position was assigned to him. Therefore, Scribe Hui had been busy running around for Lou Fengyun during this period, which was no different from being expelled from the triad.