Recaps

Song Tianyao arrived at a tense banquet and used Chu Xiaoxin’s name to force Chan Ah-sap and his men to back down. Chan Ah-sap left the restaurant with a hint of hope that he could still repair his standing.

• Golden-Tooth Lei insulted Chan Ah-sap, and Fish Stall Kun drew an axe before Gao Lao Cheng threatened him with his own axes.
• A Wai spotted Song Tianyao arriving at Taibai Seafood Restaurant, and the arguing factions fell silent as he climbed the stairs.
• Song Tianyao demanded to know who had disrupted the banquet, then told Chan Ah-sap that Chu Xiaoxin had asked him to host it for Yan Hung and Golden-Tooth Lei.
• Song Tianyao ordered the waiter to replace the food and summon the musician from the previous night, tipping him twenty dollars.
• Song Tianyao offered to overlook the disruption if Chan Ah-sap went downstairs and sent his men back to the pier.
• Chan Ah-sap agreed to leave and told Rotten-Life Ju to send the men at sea back to the pier.

Song Tianyao hosted Golden-Tooth Lei and Yan Hung after the violence at Taibai Seafood Restaurant, using three cups of wine to accept their apology on Chu Xiaoxin’s behalf. He revealed that Likang Trading Company had planned to give Fuyixing its dock business, but blamed Lei for making the gold-bar gift necessary and left the decision hanging until they finished drinking.

• Song Tianyao dismissed Chao Yong Yi’s men, kept Rotten-Life Ju upstairs, and resumed the banquet with music and food.
• Song Tianyao offered Golden-Tooth Lei and Yan Hung three cups of hornet wine in thanks for their efforts on Young Master Shun’s behalf, and both men drank alongside him.
• Golden-Tooth Lei presented Song Tianyao with four gold bars as compensation for the fright his family suffered.
• Song Tianyao asked Lei whether he blamed him for stabbing Black-Hearted Wah and having Rotten-Life Ju’s men attack the men Lou Fengyun brought; Lei cited the Hung Mun oath against bullying and violence to justify disciplining them.
• Song Tianyao said he had planned to tell Lei that Likang Trading Company would give Fuyixing its dock business, but said Lei’s bad luck had made the gold bars necessary and offered them as a tip for the musician.

Song Tianyao used Fuyixing’s offer of fourteen gold bars and the death of Black-Hearted Wah to raise the price for access to the docks, while Rotten-Life Ju went to report the offer to Chan Ah-sap. The chapter ended with Song Tianyao asking Golden-Tooth Lei to send the unconscious Lou Fengyun to a clinic and offering to pay for Black-Hearted Wah’s funeral.

• Golden-Tooth Lei offered Song Tianyao ten more gold bars, bringing Fuyixing’s offer to fourteen, in exchange for a chance to enter the docks and take over Likang Trading Company’s business.
• A-Lok hauled Lou Fengyun and Black-Hearted Wah aboard; Black-Hearted Wah was dead, while Lou Fengyun survived but was left weak and shivering.
• Golden-Tooth Lei claimed Black-Hearted Wah had nothing to do with Song Tianyao and left Lou Fengyun for Song to deal with.
• Song Tianyao sent Rotten-Life Ju downstairs to report Fuyixing’s offer to Chan Ah-sap, then invited Golden-Tooth Lei and Yan Hung to sit and eat.
• Song Tianyao reassured Yan Hung that he would not hold Fuyixing’s offense against him, then asked Golden-Tooth Lei to take Lou Fengyun to a clinic and offered to pay for Black-Hearted Wah’s funeral.

Song Tianyao accepted Golden-Tooth Lei’s offer to let Fuyixing into the docks and suggested Gao Lao Cheng manage its operations there. After Chan Ah-sap left angrily, Zhao Wenye warned Song Tianyao that Chan planned to come after him.

• Golden-Tooth Lei thanked Song Tianyao for offering money toward Black-Hearted Wah’s funeral, and Song invited him and Gao Lao Cheng to eat.
• Song Tianyao learned that Gao Lao Cheng managed Fuyixing’s heroin stalls in Yau Ma Tei and suggested he oversee Fuyixing’s work at the docks.
• Chan Ah-sap heard about Fuyixing’s fourteen gold bars and left, vowing to have Song Tianyao sunk in the sea after the next day.
• Zhao Wenye joined Song Tianyao and warned him that Chan Ah-sap had threatened to come after him.

Song Tianyao secured Golden-Tooth Lei’s promise to pay fourteen gold bars for access to the pier, then offered the pipa player a gold bar as a tip and asked her to give him half its value in cash. The woman had not yet answered his unusual proposal.

• Song Tianyao told Zhao Wenye he had deliberately driven Chan Ah-sap away so Chan would come looking for trouble.
• Song Tianyao promised Golden-Tooth Lei access to the pier within three days in exchange for fourteen gold bars the next morning.
• Song Tianyao kept one of the four gold bars on the table and let Golden-Tooth Lei take the other three, while asking him to make up one additional bar.
• Song Tianyao asked the pipa player how much a four-tael gold bar was worth, and she estimated it at four thousand Hong Kong dollars.
• Song Tianyao offered the woman the gold bar as a tip and asked her to return two thousand Hong Kong dollars in change.

Song Tianyao sold a gold bar to a songstress for two thousand Hong Kong dollars and urged her to use it to protect herself from a man pressuring her. After giving Zhao Wenye money for their mothers, Song Tianyao headed to the Dulles Hotel while Zhao Wenye returned to the Jialin Road Squatter Area.

• Song Tianyao offered the songstress half the gold bar in exchange for two thousand Hong Kong dollars, and she borrowed the money from the other songstresses.
• Song Tianyao gave Zhao Wenye half the payment and handed the gold bar to the songstress, telling her to use it to scare off the man who wanted to sleep with her.
• The songstress realized Song Tianyao had never asked her name as he left with Zhao Wenye.
• Song Tianyao told Zhao Wenye to give five hundred dollars to his mother for medicine and take five hundred to Song Tianyao’s mother for expenses.
• Song Tianyao explained that he had helped the songstress because she seemed to be unwillingly forced into prostitution, then took a rickshaw to the Dulles Hotel while Zhao Wenye headed home.

Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin how a dispute over Likang Trading Company's dock business had disrupted a dinner with Yan Hung and Golden-Tooth Lei. He showed Chu Xiaoxin fourteen gold bars from Fuyixing and began explaining how he had handled Golden-Tooth Lei's request for help.

• Song Tianyao woke refreshed at the Dulles Hotel and waited for Chu Xiaoxin over breakfast.
• Song Tianyao went outside and collected a bundle from Gao Lao Cheng, who said the requested items were ready.
• Song Tianyao returned and revealed fourteen four-tael gold bars, calling them Fuyixing's specialty.
• Song Tianyao explained that Chan Ah-sap had brought dozens of men to the Taibai Seafood Restaurant and overturned the feast over the proposed transfer of Likang Trading Company's dock business to Fuyixing.
• Song Tianyao said Golden-Tooth Lei had offered him gold to put in a good word with Chu Xiaoxin, and he began describing how he had responded.

Song Tianyao explained how he had maneuvered Chu Xiaoxin into giving Fuyixing Likang Trading Company's dock business, presenting the move as a way to reward Yan Hung and confront Chan Ah-sap without making Chu Xiaoxin look weak. He then warned Chu Xiaoxin that the Chu Family’s men respected Chu Xiaozhong more than him, leaving Chu Xiaoxin to consider the threat to his control of Likang.

• Song Tianyao revealed that Chan Ah-sap had really caused trouble at Taibai Seafood Restaurant, but had not stormed off because of Fuyixing’s gold bars.
• Song Tianyao explained that he had staged the story to make Chu Xiaoxin look loyal and to avoid having him complain to Chu Yaozong.
• Chu Xiaoxin agreed that Fuyixing could take over Likang Trading Company’s dock business without consulting Chu Yaozong.
• Song Tianyao warned Chu Xiaoxin that the Chu Family’s workers feared Chu Xiaozhong more and might take Likang from him after Chu Yaozong died.
• Chu Xiaoxin stayed silent as Song Tianyao continued making his case.

Song Tianyao persuaded Chu Xiaoxin to take fourteen gold bars to Chairman Chu, tying Chan Ah-sap’s complaint about Song to Chu Xiaoxin. Chu Xiaoxin went to see his father while Song planned to visit the trading company, as Chan Ah-sap set out to confront the situation at Liheng Trading Company.

• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin to show Chairman Chu the fourteen gold bars and say he planned to sell them to fund another ship for Likang Trading Company.
• Song Tianyao borrowed matches from a British woman, and Chu Xiaoxin joked about his fluent English and his lavish spending.
• Chu Xiaoxin noticed one gold bar was missing, and Song Tianyao admitted he had tipped a singing girl with it.
• Chu Xiaoxin gave Song Tianyao the wrapped gold bars and brought him along to see Chairman Chu.
• Chan Ah-sap dressed and headed to Liheng Trading Company on Murray Road after beating his concubine in anger over Song Tianyao.

Chu Xiaoxin asked Chu Yaozong to help sell gold so he could buy another ship for Likang Trading Company, then explained Song Tianyao’s plans to expand the business. The chapter left Chu Xiaoxin choosing smuggling as the fast route to make money before pursuing a slower expansion.

• Chan Ah-sap waited outside Liheng Trading Company for Chu Xiaozhong, who arrived in his Rolls-Royce and asked what he needed.
• Chu Xiaoxin returned home with fourteen gold bars and asked Chu Yaozong to help him sell them to fund another ship for Likang.
• Chu Yaozong had Uncle Yan buy the gold at the newspaper’s listed price and give Chu Xiaoxin seventy-eight thousand dollars.
• Chu Xiaoxin told Chu Yaozong that Song Tianyao had proposed fast and slow ways to expand Likang’s business.
• Chu Xiaoxin said he planned to start with smuggling to make money, then follow Song Tianyao’s slower plan.

Chu Xiaozhong and Chan Ah-sap accused Song Tianyao of using the Chu Family’s name and secretly steering Likang Trading Company’s business toward Fuyixing. Chu Yaozong called Song in to hear Chan’s account, then asked Chu Xiaoxin whether he knew about the alleged fourteen-gold-bar deal.

• Chu Yaozong warned Chu Xiaoxin that Song Tianyao was clever and potentially dangerous.
• Chu Xiaozhong arrived with Chan Ah-sap and accused Song Tianyao of abusing the Chu Family’s influence.
• Chu Xiaozhong challenged Chu Xiaoxin over money he had taken for Likang Trading Company and suggested replacing him as its manager.
• Chu Yaozong had Song Tianyao summoned so he could hear Chan Ah-sap’s account of the previous night at Taibai Seafood Restaurant.
• Chan Ah-sap claimed Song Tianyao had contacted Fuyixing and offered Likang Trading Company’s business to the highest bidder after refusing to give Chan fourteen gold bars.
• Chu Yaozong questioned Chu Xiaoxin about whether he knew of Song Tianyao’s alleged deal.

Chu Xiaoxin admitted he knew about Song Tianyao’s dealings, then defended Song’s right to explain himself before their father. Song began presenting his case, but Chu Xiaozhong accused him of greed and secretly taking extra benefits.

• Chu Xiaozhong pressured Chu Xiaoxin to deny knowing about the fourteen gold bars or risk their father’s anger.
• Chu Xiaoxin admitted he had known, and Chan Ah-sap knelt before Chu Yaozong to ask him to decide the matter.
• Chu Xiaoxin stopped Chu Xiaozhong from silencing Song Tianyao and insisted that Song be allowed to speak.
• Song Tianyao asked Chu Yaozong for a chance to explain, then argued that he had taken the gold to repay Fuyixing for helping Chu Xiaoxin.
• Chu Xiaozhong accused Song Tianyao of using the Chu Family’s name, acting out of greed, and possibly taking additional benefits in secret.

Song Tianyao defended his settlement with Fuyixing and explained that he planned to use the fourteen gold bars to fund a boat for Likang Trading Company’s smuggling business. His proposal exposed Chu Xiaozhong’s efforts to keep Likang unprofitable and under his control.

• Song Tianyao revealed that Fuyixing had nearly kidnapped his younger sister, and Chu Xiaoxin was shocked that he had not been told.
• Song Tianyao explained that Golden-Tooth Lei had apologized and offered the gold bars, while he settled the dispute because Chu Xiaoxin needed Fuyixing’s support.
• Chu Xiaoxin insisted that Fuyixing’s attack on Song Tianyao’s family deserved a response, but Song Tianyao gave him a subtle signal to hold back.
• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaozhong that Chu Xiaoxin planned to use the gold bars to buy a boat and start smuggling embargoed goods to Shenzhen for Likang Trading Company.
• Chu Xiaozhong realized that Song Tianyao’s plan would make Likang profitable and undermine his scheme to keep the company under his own control.

Song Tianyao exposed Chan Ah-sap’s failure to support Chu Xiaoxin and forced a decision over who would manage Likang Trading Company’s dock business. Chu Yaozong reassigned the business to Chu Xiaoxin’s people, leaving Chu Xiaozhong defeated but sparing his face, while Chan Ah-sap was dismissed with a warning.

• Song Tianyao challenged Chan Ah-sap to explain whether he had been short of men or had another motive for failing Chu Xiaoxin at Lichi.
• Chu Yaozong ended the stalemate by ordering Chu Xiaoxin to arrange his own people for Likang’s dock business, costing Chao Yong Yi territory and Chu Xiaozhong control of the docks.
• Chu Xiaoxin asked to take Song Tianyao to the shipyard to order a cargo ship, and Chu Yaozong agreed to speak to Uncle Dong for them.
• Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao left the Chu Family mansion with the banknotes, while Chu Xiaozhong remained behind looking defeated.
• Chu Yaozong told Chan Ah-sap he had done nothing wrong, dismissed him, and warned him to focus on his work instead of scheming against Chu Xiaoxin.

Chu Yaozong explained to Chu Xiaozhong how Song Tianyao had outmaneuvered him and why he had allowed him to lose the Likang Trading Company. Chu Xiaozhong regained his composure and recognized the strategy behind Song Tianyao’s actions.

• Chu Yaozong comforted Chu Xiaozhong and said he did not blame him for scheming against Ah Sin.
• Chu Yaozong explained that he had wanted Chu Xiaozhong to suffer setbacks and learn from losing the Likang Trading Company.
• Chu Xiaozhong asked whether Chu Yaozong had known what would happen, and Chu Yaozong said he understood the affair after Ah Sin brought home fourteen gold bars.
• Chu Yaozong described how Song Tianyao had used Ah Sin and the gold to secure Chu Yaozong’s support while taking back the Likang Trading Company’s dock business for Ah Sin.
• Chu Xiaozhong admired Song Tianyao’s strategy, and Chu Yaozong acknowledged his sharpness.

Chu Yaozong explained to Chu Xiaozhong why he trusted Song Tianyao’s business judgment and warned him not to provoke Song or Chu Xiaoxin. After leaving the Chu Family mansion, Chu Xiaoxin asked Song Tianyao whether his father had been protecting Chu Xiaozhong, then learned that bringing the gold home had prevented serious trouble for them both.

• Chu Yaozong showed Chu Xiaozhong documents about Malado Trading Company and explained how Song Tianyao had correctly identified its fraudulent business practices.
• Chu Yaozong argued that Song Tianyao would benefit more from building ties with Chu Xiaoxin than from swindling him, and predicted Likang Trading Company would grow.
• Chu Xiaozhong said he would transfer his uncle back to Li Heng, and Chu Yaozong warned him to keep the uncle from competing with Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao.
• After the Ford 49 left the Chu Family mansion, Chu Xiaoxin asked Song Tianyao whether Chu Yaozong’s final remark had been meant to spare Chu Xiaozhong’s feelings, and Song confirmed it.
• Chu Xiaoxin wondered whether leaving the gold at home would have helped him, but Song Tianyao explained that they would have faced the worst consequences if he had not returned it.

After exposing Chan Ah-sap and Chu Xiaozhong, Song Tianyao kept Chu Xiaoxin amused while they waited for Chairman Chu to arrange a shipyard introduction. Chu Xiaoxin proposed spending some of his cash on a movie fan gathering and lunch with actresses.

• Chu Xiaoxin complained that Chan Ah-sap and Chu Xiaozhong had kept Likang Trading Company's smuggling profits from him, then said seeing them humiliated had made him feel better.
• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin to wait for Chairman Chu to speak with the shipyard owners and to delay visiting the trading company until later.
• Song Tianyao joked about quitting to become a nightclub dancer unless Chu Xiaoxin advanced his salary, and Chu Xiaoxin laughed and reached for his wallet.
• Chu Xiaoxin suggested taking twenty thousand dollars to arrange a movie fan gathering and invite actresses to lunch.

Song Tianyao explained why he chose Fuyixing to protect Likang’s dock business, recounting the Chiu Chow gangs’ bloody origins. He then told Chu Xiaoxin that smuggling required corrupting officials and sending cargo in a convoy of registered ships.

• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin that Fuyixing’s lack of powerful backing made it more willing to risk its lives protecting Likang’s dock business.
• Song Tianyao recounted how Chan Ah-sap and other Chiu Chow youths fought pirates to deliver merchants’ silver to Hong Kong, establishing the gangs’ ties to the dock trade.
• Song Tianyao said Fuyixing hoped to stake its lives for wealth and status, as the Chiu Chow youths had done before them.
• Chu Xiaoxin asked how smuggling embargoed goods worked, and Song Tianyao explained that they had to secure the Commerce and Industry Department’s cooperation.
• Song Tianyao said smugglers should register ships under a shipping company and send several vessels together to avoid becoming easy targets for the Big Twos.

Song Tianyao chose to smuggle embargoed goods under a British company’s flag so he could make money without risking conflict with the British Hong Kong Government or the Chu family. He learned that he would have to escort the ship himself, where pirates posed a deadly threat.

• The chapter contrasted Lei Yingdong’s independent smuggling fleet with merchants who operated under British companies, which took a share of the profits in exchange for protection.
• Song Tianyao favored the British-company method because he needed to make money safely and did not want to endanger Chu Xiaoxin or himself.
• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin that someone from Likang Trading Company had to sail with the ship, handle the delivery and cash, and bring the money back.
• Song Tianyao explained that pirates raided returning cargo ships near Macau and Shenzhen, taking cash and killing anyone who resisted.
• The chapter established that each ship’s trusted escort had to lead the crew through both the blockade and the pirate threat.

Song Tianyao volunteered to escort Chu Family shipments by sea to earn money and trust, then coached Chu Xiaoxin on how to handle Golden-Tooth Lei’s expected gift. Golden-Tooth Lei arrived at Lu Yu Teahouse carrying gifts, while Song and Chu waited to meet him.

• Song Tianyao decided to escort shipments by sea, explaining that preparations would take at least half a month.
• Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin went to Lu Yu Teahouse and summoned Golden-Tooth Lei.
• Song Tianyao told Chu Xiaoxin he was no longer angry at Golden-Tooth Lei because the men who attacked his sister had been punished.
• Song Tianyao suggested Golden-Tooth Lei would bring Chu Xiaoxin a gift and that Chu could pass it on to him afterward.
• Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin joked about women while waiting, then composed themselves when Golden-Tooth Lei arrived carrying several packages.

Chu Xiaoxin confronted Golden-Tooth Lei over the harassment of Song Tianyao’s sister, then accepted his apology and let Fuyixing take over the dock business. Golden-Tooth Lei offered a key to a flat with six women as a gift, and Chu Xiaoxin passed it to Song Tianyao, who helped explain the gesture.

• Chu Xiaoxin accused Golden-Tooth Lei of nearly sending Song Tianyao’s sister to Kowloon Walled City and threatened to block his society from the dock business.
• Golden-Tooth Lei admitted fault and asked Chu Xiaoxin to mediate an apology to Song Tianyao.
• Chu Xiaoxin told Golden-Tooth Lei to hold a banquet and apologize, while Golden-Tooth Lei concluded that Chu Xiaoxin had received the gold Song Tianyao handed over.
• Golden-Tooth Lei presented Chu Xiaoxin with gifts and a key to a Tong Sai flat where six women were waiting.
• Chu Xiaoxin tossed the key to Song Tianyao, and Song Tianyao explained that Chu Xiaoxin was devoted to Chen Judy and framed the flat as an apology for himself.

Song Tianyao secured Fuyixing’s help with Likang Trading Company’s docks and began taking over the company, while considering how to make its business viable. He left the story assessing Likang’s dependence on wartime demand and the threat posed by Roche and Bayer opening their own branches in Hong Kong.

• After Chu Xiaoxin left, Song Tianyao asked Golden-Tooth Lei to quietly investigate a Chinese interviewer at Wong Chuk Hang Police Training School.
• Song Tianyao arranged for Golden-Tooth Lei to provide fifteen obedient, capable men for Likang’s ships and gave Fuyixing room to build its presence at the docks.
• Song Tianyao left Golden-Tooth Lei the tonics and key, then formally took over Likang Trading Company’s business over the following days.
• Song Tianyao reviewed Likang’s accounts and planned to build an independent enterprise rather than have Chu Xiaoxin fight Chu Xiaozhong for the Chu Family’s fortune.
• Song Tianyao concluded that Likang’s profits depended on wartime demand for medicine and that Roche and Bayer could drive the company out of business by opening Hong Kong branches.

Song Tianyao assessed Likang Trading Company’s outdated staff and told Chu Xiaoxin he wanted to replace them, but needed the Chu family’s approval. The chapter left Chu Xiaoxin weighing Song’s proposal as Song prepared to raise another company decision.

• Song Tianyao questioned market analyst Fang Zhihua and learned that Likang’s staff knew little about its competitors and lacked the skills to support the business.
• Song Tianyao concluded that the company’s longtime employees were loyal but ineffective, and that Likang’s old-fashioned operations were headed for failure.
• Song Tianyao visited Chu Xiaoxin at the Dulles Hotel and asked him to help decide the trading company’s future.
• Song Tianyao proposed dismissing the existing staff and hiring replacements, while Chu Xiaoxin objected that the employees had served the Chu family for years.
• Song Tianyao argued that the legitimate business needed capable workers rather than loyalty alone, noting that no one at Likang knew English.

Song Tianyao secured Chu Xiaoxin’s remaining thirty thousand dollars to rent and refit a boat, then returned to his family’s home after a week away. He found the neighbors avoiding him and his crowded home full of goods and unfamiliar visitors, while Zhao Meizhen demanded to know where he had been.

• Song Tianyao agreed to use Chu Xiaoxin’s thirty thousand dollars to rent and refit a boat and asked him not to take money from Likang for two months.
• Song Tianyao left Chu Xiaoxin and rode toward his home in the Squatter Area on Jialin Road.
• Song Tianyao noticed the neighbors avoiding him and met several men sent by Golden-Tooth Lei to help his family.
• Song Tianyao entered his crowded home, where his parents sat with a nervous, shabbily dressed couple and piles of food and other goods.
• Zhao Meizhen greeted Song Tianyao and asked where he had stayed during the week he was away.

Song Tianyao agreed to help his mother’s distant relatives get Chen Tai released from the Sai Kung Police Station after a fight with Wo Two Ping. He then told Zhao Meizhen to return the gifts from neighbors and relatives who had been asking for favors, leaving her to reconsider how she helped them.

• Zhao Meizhen introduced Third Uncle and Third Aunt, who asked Song Tianyao to help free their son, Chen Tai, from custody after a fight with Wo Two Ping.
• Song Tianyao agreed to help, asked where Chen Tai was held, and learned he was at the Sai Kung Police Station.
• A Fuyixing underling explained Wo Two Ping’s history, and Song Tianyao gave him money to bring food and gifts to the police on duty and keep Chen Tai from being mistreated.
• Song Tianyao learned Chen Tai was eighteen and sent the underling to handle the matter.
• Song Tianyao told Zhao Meizhen to return the gifts she had collected from neighbors and relatives, reminding her that none had helped when Wenwen was nearly sold to the Walled City.