Recaps

Song Tianyao advised Yan Hung on how to handle the growing conflict with Cheung Wing-kam while they stayed at Yiu Muk’s home. Before dawn, Lai Man-yau’s men arrived to watch the villa, and Song urged Yan Hung to wait calmly for Yiu Muk and protect the Chaozhou people’s standing.

• Yiu Muk asked Song Tianyao how he had become Young Master Shun’s secretary, and Song said they had met only four and a half hours earlier.
• Song sent Rotten-Life Ju back to tell Young Master Shun to disperse Chao Yong Yi’s men and not resist Cheung Wing-kam, while Fish Stall Kun stayed to guard the house.
• Song slept at Yiu Muk’s villa after reflecting on his spending and his confidence that he would soon earn more than three thousand dollars.
• Yan Hung woke Song before dawn and showed him Lai Man-yau’s two men waiting outside the villa.
• Song told Yan Hung to wait for Yiu Muk, remain composed, and seek Chairman Chu’s support while preserving the Chaozhou people’s face.

After leaving Yiu Muk’s villa, Song Tianyao and Yan Hung went to Central Pier with Fish Stall Kun and Rotten-Life Ju. There, Song ran into his cousin Zhao Wenye at work and invited him home for soup, leaving Zhao puzzled by his sudden rise among the gang bosses.

• Song Tianyao and Yan Hung left Yiu Muk’s villa, while Yan Hung told Lai Man-yau’s officers he would see their boss after handling Yiu Muk’s business.
• Yiu Muk’s driver took Song Tianyao, Yan Hung, and Fish Stall Kun to Central Pier, where laborers and gang figures greeted Yan Hung and Fish Stall Kun.
• Rotten-Life Ju met the group at the pier and sent an underling to inform Brother Ten that Yan Hung and Song Tianyao had arrived.
• Song Tianyao spotted his cousin Zhao Wenye unloading cargo, called him ashore, and invited him to visit for soup after work.
• Song Tianyao gave Zhao Wenye a handkerchief and cigarettes, then told him they could talk at home that evening.

Lai Man-yau fumed over Yan Hung defying him to help Chu Xiaoxin, while Song Tianyao and Yan Hung met with Uncle Yan at the Liheng Trading Company. Yan Hung’s eagerness to ingratiate himself with the Chu Family showed as he insisted his aid had been a duty, while Lai Man-yau threatened to strip him of his uniform.

• Lai Man-yau learned Yan Hung had angered Cheung Wing-kam by standing up for Chu Xiaoxin and resolved to punish him.
• Lai Man-yau’s men reported that Yan Hung had gone with Yiu Muk to Central Pier and was carrying out Yiu Muk’s orders.
• Song Tianyao and Yan Hung met Uncle Yan in the Liheng Trading Company’s accounting room.
• Uncle Yan thanked Yan Hung for helping Chu Xiaoxin, and Yan Hung said he had acted out of loyalty and Teochew duty.

Song Tianyao interpreted Chu Yaozong’s instruction to let Chu Xiaoxin handle his own mess as a chance for Yan Hung to settle the dispute with Cheung Wing-kam. He proposed resolving it over the original two thousand dollars and a woman, then began guiding Yan Hung on how to give Cheung Wing-kam face without escalating the matter.

• Uncle Yan told Yan Hung that Chu Yaozong had instructed Chu Xiaoxin to clean up his own mess, while Chu Xiaoxin remained at Kowloon Police Station.
• Song Tianyao claimed Chu Xiaoxin had already entrusted the outside handling to Yan Hung and suggested settling the dispute for two thousand dollars, as it had begun.
• Uncle Yan accepted Song Tianyao’s explanation and asked Yan Hung to bring Chu Xiaoxin home for soup at seven that evening.
• Yan Hung questioned how two thousand dollars could settle a clash with Cheung Wing-kam’s godson, and Song Tianyao explained that Chu Yaozong was giving him a chance to prove himself.
• Song Tianyao advised Yan Hung to find a way to preserve Cheung Wing-kam’s face, then rejected Yan Hung’s suggestion of asking Liu Fu to intervene because it would make the dispute bigger.

Song Tianyao laid out a plan to resolve Chu Xiaoxin’s trouble by arranging a banquet and using Lee Jusheng as a peacemaker. He told Yan Hung that Yan would have to take the blame and surrender his detective sergeant’s post, leaving Yan to suspect Song had planned to sacrifice him all along.

• Song Tianyao told Yan Hung to seek money from Fuyixing chairman Golden-Tooth Lei by offering the gang future benefits from Yan’s police territory and connections to Chairman Chu.
• Song Tianyao instructed Yan Hung to book a banquet, invite both sides, and have Lee Jusheng mediate while Chu Xiaoxin apologized and paid two thousand dollars in compensation.
• Song Tianyao said Yan Hung would need to apologize to Cheung Wing-kam and offer to give up his detective sergeant’s post in exchange for a uniformed reservoir guard position.
• Yan Hung realized Song’s plan made him bear Cheung Wing-kam’s anger and asked whether Song had intended to sacrifice his position from the start.

Song Tianyao forced Yan Hung to accept a countryside posting as the price of taking responsibility for Cheung Wing-kam’s anger, while promising the Chu Family could later help him advance. Uncle Yan reported to Chu Yaozong that Song Tianyao, not Yan Hung, had likely devised the previous night’s plan.

• Song Tianyao admitted he had chosen Yan Hung to answer for what happened and argued that accepting the countryside post would preserve his chance of returning to the city.
• Yan Hung asked whether he could remain at Yau Ma Tei Police Station, and Song Tianyao suggested he build a relationship with Lee Jusheng and aim for a future promotion.
• Yan Hung realized Song Tianyao had manipulated him into taking the blame and concluded that he had to follow through with the plan.
• Uncle Yan told Chu Yaozong that Song Tianyao had likely devised the previous night’s move and described Yan Hung as an unremarkable yes-man.
• Chu Yaozong asked Uncle Yan what Song Tianyao had said that puzzled him.

Song Tianyao’s plan made Yan Hung the scapegoat for Cheung Wing-kam, winning the Chu Family’s approval without its members needing to intervene. Song then traveled with Fish Stall Kun to Kowloon City Police Station, where Cheung’s position and influence were explained.

• Uncle Yan told Chu Yaozong that Song Tianyao had proposed settling the trouble with two thousand dollars and a woman.
• Chu Yaozong explained that Song intended Yan Hung to take the blame, pay the costs, and give up his position, while earning the Chu Family’s favor.
• Chu Yaozong decided not to meet Song Tianyao and arranged for him to dine with Ah Sin instead.
• Song Tianyao and Fish Stall Kun crossed the harbor and took rickshaws to Kowloon City Police Station.
• The chapter described how Cheung Wing-kam had taken the Kowloon District detective sergeant position, built his base at Kowloon City Police Station, and expanded the Sze Yap Gang’s influence.

Song Tianyao arranged for Chu Xiaoxin to receive a message in the police station and waited at Lu Yu Teahouse for news. At the docks, Zhao Wenye was surprised when Brother Cha suddenly offered his uncle paid rest and a better position.

• Song Tianyao bribed a young officer to tell Chu Xiaoxin to offer Cheung Wing-kam two thousand dollars and a toast at the reconciliation banquet, while Yan Hung handled the rest.
• The officer returned and told Song Tianyao that Chu Xiaoxin understood the message.
• Song Tianyao went to Lu Yu Teahouse, ordered pu'er, and invited the pipa-playing girl to sing again.
• Brother Cha called Zhao Wenye ashore, gave him his uncle's wages, and said his uncle could rest with pay before returning as the dock's tallyman.
• Zhao Wenye remembered that Brother Cha had driven his uncle away the previous day and struggled to understand the sudden change in treatment.

Rotten-Life Ju rewarded Zhao Wenye with command of a lucrative harbor-run ship after learning he was Song Tianyao’s cousin. Zhao planned to clear up Brother Zha’s trouble at dinner, and Rotten-Life Ju invited him and Song Tianyao for drinks afterward.

• Brother Zha warned Zhao Wenye not to reveal that he had chased Song Tianyao’s father away from the pier.
• Zhao Wenye promised to keep quiet and said Song Tianyao had invited him to dinner.
• Rotten-Life Ju questioned Zhao Wenye about his work and praised his loyalty to Chao Yong Yi.
• Rotten-Life Ju assigned Zhao Wenye six brothers to escort a Liheng Trading Company oil ship around the harbor.
• Rotten-Life Ju invited Zhao Wenye to celebrate at Taibai Seafood Restaurant and asked him to bring Song Tianyao along.

Rotten-Life Ju relayed Chan Ah-sap’s effort to win Song Tianyao’s favor by offering work and money to his relatives, while Song rested at the Taibai Seafood Restaurant. The chapter ended with Chu Xiaoxin arriving triumphantly with Yan Hung and A Wai, whose plainclothes sidearms were gone.

• Rotten-Life Ju told Zhao Wenye to invite his cousin Song Tianyao out for drinks, and Zhao agreed.
• Chan Ah-sap gave Rotten-Life Ju money to repay Song and instructed him to arrange a matching banquet and hire the girl who had entertained Song.
• Song asked the pipa-playing girl how much she owed her master, then let her play while he rested and fell asleep.
• Chu Xiaoxin entered the room with Yan Hung and A Wai, and Song noticed that the two officers no longer carried their sidearms.

Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin that Yan Hung had been sent to guard the reservoirs in Sha Tau Kok after taking responsibility for Chu Xiaoxin’s dispute with Cheung Wing-kam. He arranged to host Yan Hung, A Wai, and Fuyixing’s boss at the Taibai Seafood Restaurant, using Chu Xiaoxin’s money to help Yan Hung keep face.

• Chu Xiaoxin told Song Tianyao that he had paid Cheung Wing-kam two thousand dollars and apologized, while Yan Hung and A Wai had been reassigned to guard the reservoirs in Sha Tau Kok.
• Chu Xiaoxin thanked Yan Hung and promised to seek a transfer for him, but Yan Hung hid his bitterness behind a polite smile.
• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin that Chu Yaozong expected him home for soup, then blamed Chan Ah-sap for informing Chu Yaozong about the incident.
• Song Tianyao offered to treat Yan Hung and A Wai at the Taibai Seafood Restaurant and suggested inviting Fuyixing’s boss; Chu Xiaoxin agreed and promised to support Yan Hung if others mistreated him.
• Song Tianyao asked Chu Xiaoxin for an advance on his wages, and Chu Xiaoxin gave him three thousand dollars to help Yan Hung keep face.

Song Tianyao tried to persuade Yan Hung that he could secure Fuyixing a foothold handling Likang Trading Company's dock business and help Yan Hung return to Yau Ma Tei as a sergeant. Yan Hung remained wary of Song's promises but recognized the potential value of the offer and pressed him to explain it.

• Chu Xiaoxin told Yan Hung that Song Tianyao would negotiate with Yan Hung's boss, then left for Likang Trading Company.
• Song Tianyao asked Yan Hung to invite his boss for a drink and offered to arrange dock work for Fuyixing and a future transfer back to Yau Ma Tei.
• Yan Hung reminded Song Tianyao that trusting him had cost him his detective sergeant position and said he had no reason to believe him again.
• Song Tianyao replied that Yan Hung was no longer important enough to trick, since he was being sent to guard a reservoir.
• Yan Hung asked whether Song truly intended to give Fuyixing the Likang Trading Company dock business, while suspecting the offer concealed another trap.

Song Tianyao returned home with money for his family and found Brother Hua threatening to take his sister over a debt. He stabbed Brother Hua to death and urged Li Laoshi to fetch the police, while Zhao Meizhen collapsed in shock.

• Song Tianyao agreed to ask his boss to wipe Yan Hung’s forty-thousand-dollar gang debt, then headed home with three thousand dollars for his mother.
• Song Tianyao found Brother Hua and his underling threatening Zhao Meizhen and demanding that she hand over Song Wenwen to settle a disputed debt.
• Song Tianyao grabbed Li Laoshi’s beef knife and stabbed Brother Hua twice, leaving him dead on the ground.
• Song Tianyao frightened Brother Hua’s underling into fleeing, then told Li Laoshi to call the police and explain that he had used his knife.
• Zhao Meizhen fainted after witnessing the stabbing.

Song Tianyao faced the police after stabbing Brother Hua, then confronted a Fuyixing gang that arrived to retaliate. The gang’s woman leader challenged his claim that he was the Chu Family’s secretary.

• Li Laoshi fetched two patrol officers, and Song Tianyao bribed them and claimed he was the Chu Family’s secretary.
• The officers agreed to cover up the stabbing and threatened Brother Hua, who lay wounded on the ground.
• More than twenty Fuyixing men arrived with weapons, and a woman among them ordered Brother Hua taken to a clinic.
• The woman offered money to men willing to take the blame and urged the gang to kill Song Tianyao and the officers.
• One officer fired a warning shot, and Song Tianyao demanded to see Golden-Tooth Lei and Sergeant Hung or face Fuyixing in a fight.
• The woman accused Song Tianyao of lying about his position and revealed that he had failed the police academy entrance exam the previous day.

Song Tianyao was cornered by Fuyixing members after Brother Hua was wounded, but Rotten-Life Ju arrived and drove them back with his knives. Song Tianyao spared Zhao Meizhen and her remaining men, ordering them to wait for Golden-Tooth Lei while making clear that he would not follow jianghu rules if they retaliated.

• Zhao Meizhen confronted Song Tianyao, and he told her to summon Golden-Tooth Lei or Sergeant Hung.
• Zhao Wenye arrived with Rotten-Life Ju, who stabbed three Fuyixing members as he fought his way to Song Tianyao.
• Song Tianyao and the two policemen pretended they were only having tea while Rotten-Life Ju attacked the surrounding Fuyixing members.
• Rotten-Life Ju wounded more than a dozen men, while Zhao Meizhen and a few survivors retreated beyond his reach.
• Song Tianyao threatened Zhao Meizhen and ordered her to take Brother Hua home, then sent her away to wait for Golden-Tooth Lei.

Song Tianyao dealt with the aftermath of the fight, sent the police away with money, and returned home to calm his frightened family. The chapter ended with Zhao Meizhen asking if he was really safe, and Song Tianyao reassuring her that Brother Hua's men had not harmed him.

• Song Tianyao paid the two cops, who agreed to describe Brother Hua's stabbing as an accident and deny seeing Rotten-Life Ju fight.
• Song Tianyao discovered Zhao Wenye had left to call his gang brothers, while Rotten-Life Ju picked up the food Zhao had abandoned.
• Song Tianyao told Rotten-Life Ju to help Chao Yong Yi clean up, then ushered Song Wenwen inside without inviting Rotten-Life Ju in.
• Song Tianyao reassured his frightened mother, Zhao Meizhen, that the cops had left and the Fuyixing men had been dealt with.
• Zhao Meizhen asked whether Song Tianyao was telling the truth, and he pointed out that Brother Hua's men would have killed him if he were not safe.

Song Tianyao reassured Zhao Meizhen that he had obtained a secretary job with the Chu Family and showed her three thousand dollars to repay their debt. Zhao Meizhen set out to boast about his new position and then invited the dockside laborers cleaning the street to dinner, leaving her family scrambling to feed them.

• Song Tianyao showed Zhao Meizhen three thousand dollars and explained that he had become Chu Xiaoxin's secretary, earning an advance on his salary.
• Zhao Meizhen accepted Song Tianyao's account and defended his decision to spend the borrowed money to win the job, while Song Wenwen questioned his qualifications.
• Zhao Meizhen put on her festival jacket and headed out to repay the neighbors who had lent them money and brag about Song Tianyao's position.
• Zhao Meizhen invited the twenty or thirty laborers cleaning the street to stay for dinner after Zhao Wenye confirmed they were his dockside brothers.
• Zhao Meizhen told Zhao Wenye to have her husband cook all their rice and asked Song Tianyao to buy meat for the unexpected guests.

Yan Hung visited Golden-Tooth Lei before leaving for Sha Tau Kok and offered him a chance to gain a foothold at the docks through the Chu Family. Golden-Tooth Lei became excited by the prospect of the society gaining business and influence.

• Yan Hung brought expensive tonics, floral water, and silk to Golden-Tooth Lei's home, where Golden-Tooth Lei's wives praised the gifts.
• Golden-Tooth Lei defended his decision to lend Yan Hung forty thousand dollars, predicting Yan Hung might later rise in the police force.
• Yan Hung invited Golden-Tooth Lei to dinner and said he would introduce him to Secretary Song, who had agreed to help Fuyixing gain access to the docks.
• Golden-Tooth Lei grew excited about the prospect of dock territory and access to the Chao Feng Chamber of Commerce's boat.
• Golden-Tooth Lei reflected that Fuyixing lacked the police connections enjoyed by rival gangs, making it costly to protect its members.

Song Tianyao’s rise brought Fuyixing a chance to gain a foothold at the docks, while Zhao Meizhen confronted the neighbors who had failed to help her. Song left money for his mother and promised to move her to a safer home soon.

• Golden-Tooth Lei welcomed the Chao Feng Chamber of Commerce’s offer to help Fuyixing enter the docks and ordered a celebratory dinner for Secretary Song.
• Golden-Tooth Lei’s aide reported that Rotten-Life Ju had attacked Black-Hearted Wah’s men and that Wah’s wife had come to see him.
• Li Laoshi regretted breaking off his daughter’s engagement after realizing Song Tianyao had become Secretary Song, while Zhao Meizhen rebuked Li Laoshi and A-Hung for failing to help her.
• Song Tianyao told Zhao Meizhen to repay the thousand dollars after dinner and gave her more than a hundred dollars for food for A-Yip’s brothers.
• Song Tianyao said he was seeing off a detective sergeant, told his mother not to worry when he stayed away, and promised to rent her a Western-style house near Tin Hau Temple.

Song Tianyao warned Rotten-Life Ju that Chan Ah-sap had offended the Chu Family and arranged to meet Golden-Tooth Lei and Yan Hung. After learning that Black-Hearted Wah had nearly abducted Song Tianyao’s sister, Golden-Tooth Lei rushed to seek forgiveness, while Yan Hung attacked Lou Fengyun.

• Song Tianyao told Rotten-Life Ju that Young Master Shun planned to give Fuyixing Likang Trading Company’s dock business because Chan Ah-sap had displeased him.
• Song Tianyao invited Rotten-Life Ju to dinner with Sergeant Hung and Golden-Tooth Lei at the Taibai Seafood Restaurant.
• Lou Fengyun told Golden-Tooth Lei that Black-Hearted Wah’s men had gone to collect a gambling debt from the Song family and nearly abducted Song Tianyao’s younger sister.
• Golden-Tooth Lei realized the incident could cost Fuyixing its chance to enter the docks and ordered A-Lok to take him, the madams, and Lou Fengyun to Song Tianyao’s home.
• Yan Hung kicked Lou Fengyun under the chin, knocking her backward and splitting her lip.

Yan Hung realized Song Tianyao had spared Fuyixing as a chance to negotiate, while Chan Ah-sap learned that Young Master Shun was preparing to give Likang Trading Company's dockside business to Fuyixing. The chapter ended with Chan Ah-sap hearing that Rotten-Life Ju had saved Secretary Song.

• Yan Hung threatened Lou Fengyun, but Golden-Tooth Lei stopped him and said Song Tianyao had left Fuyixing a way to make amends.
• Yan Hung suspected Song Tianyao meant to draw Golden-Tooth Lei into a deal and resolved to leave for Sha Tau Kok once he had Song Tianyao's assurance.
• Chan Ah-sap believed he had handled his conflict with Chu Xiaoxin safely and went to Kowloon Walled City for dog-meat hotpot.
• Rotten-Life Ju's underling told Chan Ah-sap that Young Master Shun planned to hand Likang Trading Company's dockside business to Fuyixing.
• The underling reported that Golden-Tooth Lei and Sergeant Hung had met Secretary Song at the Taibai Seafood Restaurant and that Rotten-Life Ju had saved him.

Chu Xiaoxin returned to the Chu Family’s grand villa on Caughton Road, where the family’s wealth and standing among Hong Kong’s merchant elite were described. The chapter ended as he went to join the family dinner, held together by tradition whenever relatives were home.

• Chu Xiaoxin woke in the evening at the Dulles Hotel and drove home.
• Chu Xiaoxin arrived at the Chu Family’s villa on Caughton Road and changed into house slippers with the servants’ help.
• The narration established that Chu Yaozong had bought the villa in the 1930s and that the Chu Family represented powerful Chiu Chow merchant interests.
• Chu Xiaoxin headed to the dining room to join the family meal, as the Chu Family expected relatives living at home to eat together.

Song Tianyao traveled to the Chu Family home after Chu Yaozong invited him to dinner, following his role in resolving Chu Xiaoxin’s trouble at Lichi. The chapter ended with Song wondering why Chu Yaozong wanted to meet him.

• Chu Xiaozhong asked Chu Yaozong to approach Zhou Xiyu about investing in his planned cold-storage business, and Chu Yaozong advised him to negotiate a stake for Zhou’s ice factory instead.
• Chu Yaozong questioned Chu Xiaoxin about the fight at Lichi, and Chu Xiaoxin said he had settled it for two thousand dollars with help from his secretary and a police contact.
• Chu Xiaozhong doubted Chu Xiaoxin’s account and mocked him, prompting Chu Xiaoxin to accuse his brother of always sneering at him.
• Chu Yaozong asked Uncle Yan to bring Secretary Song to the house, calling him talented for the way he had resolved the trouble.
• Song Tianyao rode with the Chu Family’s driver to their home and wondered why Chu Yaozong had invited him to dinner.

Song Tianyao joined Chu Yaozong’s family dinner, where Chu Xiaozhong questioned his background and departure from the Malado Trading Company. Song claimed the company would go bankrupt within a year, drawing Chu Yaozong’s attention and leaving his bold prediction to be judged.

• Song Tianyao arrived at Chu Yaozong’s home and was invited to sit at dinner with Chu Yaozong, Chu Xiaoxin, Chu Xiaozhong, and Chu Xiaozhi.
• Song presented himself humbly as one of the Chao Chow people and explained that helping Chu Xiaoxin was part of his work.
• Chu Xiaozhong asked where Song had studied and worked, and why he had left the Malado Trading Company.
• Song said he had resigned voluntarily and predicted that the Malado Trading Company would go bankrupt within a year, surprising Chu Yaozong.

Song Tianyao explained why Malado Trading Company’s acquisitions and financial statements indicated impending bankruptcy, leaving Chu Yaozong and Chu Xiaozhong to consider his warning. Meanwhile, Chan Ah-sap and Golden-Tooth Lei faced off at Taibai Seafood Restaurant over Fuyixing’s attack on Song Tianyao and his sister.

• Song Tianyao told Chu Yaozong and Chu Xiaozhong that Malado Trading Company used acquisitions and accounting reserves to make its finances look healthy while moving toward bankruptcy.
• Chu Xiaozhong questioned Song Tianyao, but Chu Yaozong cut him off and later warned him that Song had baited him into revealing his curiosity.
• Song Tianyao left the Chu family mansion, and Chu Yaozong told Chu Xiaozhong he still had much to learn about keeping his composure in business.
• Chan Ah-sap and Golden-Tooth Lei arrived at Taibai Seafood Restaurant with armed men waiting on boats outside.
• Chan Ah-sap confronted Golden-Tooth Lei over Fuyixing’s attack on Song Tianyao and the danger posed to Song’s younger sister.