Chapter Summaries

Song Tianyao asked Tang Boqi about San Francisco’s wig industry as he considered opening a factory in Hong Kong, then sought information about Tang’s family from a hotel owner. Tang Boqi reported Song’s plan to his family, who decided to investigate the business and possibly beat him to it.

• Song Tianyao asked Tang Boqi where San Francisco’s young wig-wearing Americans and wig factories could be found, and said he wanted to open a wig factory in Hong Kong.
• Tang Boqi took Song Tianyao through Chinatown and helped him settle into the Chinese Hotel.
• Song Tianyao talked with the hotel owner and his wife about home, then asked how well the owner knew Tang Boqi and his family.
• Tang Boqi told Tang Shihu and his older brother that Song Tianyao planned to make wigs in Hong Kong and sell them in the United States.
• Tang Shihu’s family discussed Tang Wenbao’s advice to discover Song’s business plans and potentially join forces to pursue the same opportunity ahead of him.

Tang Shihu ordered Tang Boqi to investigate Song Tianyao’s wig business and potentially enter the trade, despite Boqi’s wish to work on Wall Street. The next morning, Boqi took Song to Haight Street, while Song showed no concern about the idea being copied.

• Tang Boqi explained that Song Tianyao had openly discussed entering the wig business, and Tang Boruan described the market’s demand and the costs of making wigs in the United States.
• Tang Shihu told Tang Boqi to observe Song and consider opening a wig business, arguing that their family should expand beyond laundries.
• Tang Boqi objected that Song trusted him and said he still wanted to become a Wall Street stockbroker, but Tang Shihu refused to support that plan.
• The next morning, Tang Boqi asked Song why he had stayed at the hotel after learning someone might copy his idea, and Song said he welcomed competition.
• Tang Boqi rode his motorcycle with Song toward Haight Street, where white youths gathered.

Song Tianyao took Tang Boqi to Haight Street to inspect cheap American wigs and explained why he believed Wall Street was poised to recover. Tang Boqi was impressed by Song Tianyao’s insight, and they entered an accessory shop, where Song Tianyao approached a tattooed customer.

• Song Tianyao and Tang Boqi toured Haight Street and saw its young shoppers, unusual fashions, and lively street scene.
• Tang Boqi explained that he had researched wigs because his father wanted him to enter the business, and Song Tianyao said Tang had chosen Wall Street for the chance to be judged by ability rather than race.
• Song Tianyao cited America’s economic and population growth and predicted that Wall Street stocks would soon rise, arguing Tang could become a trusted stockbroker.
• Tang Boqi admitted Song’s analysis had impressed him and said his family’s attempt to take over Song’s wig business was a joke.
• Song Tianyao and Tang Boqi entered an accessory shop, where Song Tianyao complimented a tattooed young man.

Song Tianyao and Tang Boqi investigated a San Francisco wig factory while pretending to be businessmen planning Chinatown shops. Factory owner Marcus explained that demand was soaring but his limited supply of raw materials and expensive machinery restricted production, though he could supply them with about seventy wigs a month.

• Song Tianyao and Tang Boqi visited a wig shop, where they learned black wigs were scarce and traced the shop’s lower-quality products to a local factory.
• Song Tianyao told Tang Boqi he hoped he would enter the wig business and explained he wanted American sales agents for wigs made in Hong Kong.
• Song Tianyao and Tang Boqi posed as prospective shop owners and toured Marcus’s small San Francisco factory.
• Marcus explained that the factory reduced production steps to meet demand and could make up to 450 wigs monthly, depending on quality.
• Marcus said a shortage of raw materials and the high cost of machinery kept him from expanding, but offered to supply Song Tianyao’s shops with about seventy wigs a month.

Song Tianyao traveled to Cleveland to find a manufacturer of wig-making equipment, only to learn that Fisher Machinery had stopped making it after being acquired. He found the former owner, Galen Nelson, who explained that his son had sold the company to Ford and left for New York.

• Song Tianyao parted ways with Tang Boqi in San Francisco and flew to Cleveland to seek the maker of Marcus's production-line equipment.
• Song Tianyao learned that Fisher Machinery had been taken over and now made automobile lathes exclusively for Ford.
• A security guard gave Song Tianyao the address of Fisher Machinery's former owner, Galen Nelson.
• Song Tianyao visited Galen Nelson, who told him that his son had sold the company to Ford and moved to New York to start a telephone company.

Song Tianyao found four sets of inexpensive, outdated wig-making equipment in Galen Nelson’s warehouse and bought them for shipment to Hong Kong. He left Galen with the possibility of restarting his machinery business and selling the machines in Asia.

• Song Tianyao asked Galen Nelson about nearby factories that could make wig-making equipment, and Galen suggested looking in Detroit.
• Galen showed Song the four custom-made sets that had been stored in his warehouse for seven years after their Oregon customer went bankrupt.
• Song bought all four sets for eight thousand US dollars and arranged to ship them to Hong Kong.
• Song asked Galen whether he would consider reopening a small machinery factory, offering to sell its outdated machines in Asia if he made money.

Shek Chi-yik heard the last Hong Kong steel enamelware factory owners describe how the embargo and Japanese competition were driving their industry toward collapse, while he worried about being blamed for the crisis. After Song Tianyao invited him to dinner, Xia Zuoji failed again to win a British military supply contract and blamed Gao Minghui’s company.

• Xu Huachang told Shek Chi-yik that falling sales and shortages of imported lead sheet were threatening the remaining steel enamelware factories.
• Shek Chi-yik promised the factory owners that the Hong Kong Government would consider raising taxes on Japanese goods and negotiating for raw materials, then dismissed them.
• Shek Chi-yik’s secretary reported that Song Tianyao had invited him and his wife to dinner, and Shek agreed to attend.
• Xia Zuoji returned from Shek Kong Camp after failing to secure a grain and vegetable supply contract, and blamed Gao Minghui and Tianming Grain and Vegetable Supply Company.

Song Tianyao asked Lei Yingdong to use his ties with the South China Company to collect women’s long braids, hinting that the hair would become valuable. Meanwhile, Xia Zuoji received an invitation to discuss business with Gao Minghui’s mysterious boss, and Mrs. Bess noticed that Shek Chi-yik seemed unhappy.

• Xia Zuoji suspected Mei Zhenni had told the British Army about his family’s wartime dealings with the Japanese.
• Gao Minghui invited Xia Zuoji to meet his boss at the Daliang Restaurant in Kowloon at nine that evening.
• Song Tianyao asked Lei Yingdong to arrange the collection of women’s long braids on the mainland through the South China Company.
• Lei Yingdong agreed to look into obtaining the hair, while Song Tianyao said he had two more people to visit.
• Mrs. Bess asked Shek Chi-yik why he did not look happy as she straightened his shirt.

Shek Chi-yik agreed to meet Song Tianyao despite doubting the young man, while Mrs. Bess trusted him and appreciated his help. At dinner, Song gave Mrs. Bess a Tiffany silver tea set and learned that Angie Pellis was advancing her legal career in London.

• Shek Chi-yik told Mrs. Bess he saw no need to meet Song Tianyao, but changed his mind after she praised the young man.
• Shek Chi-yik and Mrs. Bess arrived at the Peak Restaurant, where Song Tianyao was waiting to greet them.
• Song Tianyao gave Mrs. Bess a Tiffany sterling silver tea set and explained that he had brought it from the United States.
• Mrs. Bess told Song Tianyao that Angie Pellis was finishing her traineeship at Clifford Chance and had gained a respected training supervisor.

Scribe Hui discovered that Nine-Tattooed Dragon had disappeared and taken the money he had saved, leaving him unsure where the man had gone. Earlier, Song Tianyao had given Shek Chi-yik a notebook proposing a question about Hong Kong manufacturing under the embargo and San Francisco Treaty.

• Song Tianyao told Shek Chi-yik that doing business in Hong Kong meant following American rules and handed him a notebook of ideas.
• Shek Chi-yik read Song Tianyao's question about the future of Hong Kong manufacturing after the embargo and San Francisco Treaty, and was surprised by its ambition.
• Scribe Hui finished checking the supplies for the military camps and noticed that Nine-Tattooed Dragon was missing.
• Scribe Hui returned to Wu's General Store with braised food and asked Sister Fen whether Nine-Tattooed Dragon had come back.
• Scribe Hui found Nine-Tattooed Dragon's fishing gear under the bed but discovered that the money he had saved was gone.

Nine-Tattooed Dragon went to Sai Kung Pier to challenge Handkerchief Qing, while Scribe Hui learned of the danger and rushed to get help. Nine-Tattooed Dragon knocked down one of Handkerchief Qing’s men and faced a crowd of dockworkers as he demanded a fight.

• A coolie told Scribe Hui that Nine-Tattooed Dragon had been stripped and hung from a cargo rack at Sai Kung Pier.
• Scribe Hui sent the coolie to Mong Kok Police Station to find Sergeant Hung, then hurried to the pier himself.
• Nine-Tattooed Dragon ate two roast geese and walked from Nathan Road to Sai Kung Pier looking for Handkerchief Qing.
• A Wo Hung Shun recruiter questioned Nine-Tattooed Dragon, and Nine-Tattooed Dragon kicked him onto a cargo rack.
• Nine-Tattooed Dragon identified himself and challenged Handkerchief Qing as dockworkers approached with poles and hooks.

Nine-Tattooed Dragon returned to Wo Hung Shun's Sai Kung pier to challenge Handkerchief Qing, whom he blamed for breaking his leg. After defeating several laborers, he faced Tie Tou Su, who stepped in to fight on Handkerchief Qing's behalf.

• Nine-Tattooed Dragon disarmed and knocked down five laborers who tried to stop him from seeking Handkerchief Qing.
• Handkerchief Qing arrived with more than a dozen armed men, and Nine-Tattooed Dragon reminded him of their earlier fight and challenged him to a rematch.
• Tie Tou Su volunteered to fight Nine-Tattooed Dragon and drew a knife, but Nine-Tattooed Dragon said he needed no weapon and would win within three moves.
• Nine-Tattooed Dragon slid between Tie Tou Su's legs, kicked him in the face, struck his ankles, and knocked him down.
• Nine-Tattooed Dragon sprang up and kicked at Tie Tou Su's chin.

Shek Chi-yik studied Song Tianyao’s research on Japan’s postwar recovery and Hong Kong’s shrinking manufacturing market, considering whether their proposed strategy could help Hong Kong survive. He wondered what he and Song Tianyao might gain by working together again.

• Nine-Tattooed Dragon knocked Tie Tou Su unconscious and challenged Handkerchief Qing to fight him.
• Handkerchief Qing refused, ordered his coolies to beat Nine-Tattooed Dragon, and told them to break both his legs and have 14K collect him.
• Mrs. Bess found Shek Chi-yik still reading Song Tianyao’s notebook in his study.
• Shek Chi-yik examined Song Tianyao’s data on Japan’s rising wages, labor shortages, and American military orders, and understood why Hong Kong could temporarily compete through cheap labor.
• Shek Chi-yik considered partnering with Song Tianyao again and wondered what each of them would gain.

Scribe Hui reached the Sai Kung docks and tried to save Nine-Tattooed Dragon, who was being beaten and hung naked from a cargo rack. After the laborers attacked him, he threatened to bring British soldiers to raid Handkerchief Qing’s docks, and Qing confronted him.

• Scribe Hui found Nine-Tattooed Dragon being beaten at the docks and told Handkerchief Qing’s laborers that he had come to beg for his brother.
• The laborers said Nine-Tattooed Dragon had offended Qing and had both legs broken, then shoved Scribe Hui away.
• Remembering Xianyu Shuan’s death, Scribe Hui shouted that he could get British soldiers to raid the docks.
• The laborers punched Scribe Hui, but he kept struggling and shouting until Handkerchief Qing ordered them to stop.
• Handkerchief Qing asked Scribe Hui whether he had threatened to bring British soldiers to the docks.

Scribe Hui discovered that Nine-Tattooed Dragon was alive and that Chen Tai knew him, while Handkerchief Qing prepared to punish Hui until Chen Tai intervened. Yan Hung arrived with planted opium to arrest Handkerchief Qing, but the standoff shifted when Brother Lok showed up in Sai Kung.

• Scribe Hui recognized Nine-Tattooed Dragon as his man and rushed to check on him; Nine-Tattooed Dragon assured him he would survive.
• Handkerchief Qing learned Chen Tai knew Scribe Hui and agreed to leave the matter alone for Chen Tai’s sake.
• Yan Hung arrived with opium and accused Handkerchief Qing of trafficking it, while his armed officers prevented Qing from resisting.
• Chen Tai greeted Yan Hung as Brother Hung, and Yan Hung was surprised to see him.
• Brother Lok arrived and confronted Yan Hung in Sai Kung.

Xia Zuoji and Xia Harry agreed to pursue Song Tianyao’s Indian hair-supply offer and planned to secure the business with a contract. After returning home, Song Tianyao summoned Lou Fengyun for help and asked about her work at the Western medicine shop.

• Xia Zuoji and Xia Harry discussed whether Song Tianyao’s offer to pay one Hong Kong dollar per woman’s braid was trustworthy.
• Xia Harry urged his brother to seize the chance to become the main supplier of Indian hair and suggested influencing Hong Kong officials to block competitors.
• Xia Zuoji told Xia Harry to consult a British lawyer about a contract, then said he would travel to India to arrange purchases.
• Song Tianyao returned home, gave Zhao Meizhen ten dollars, and learned that Scribe Hui had moved to the New Territories to collect vegetables.
• Song Tianyao called Lou Fengyun into his room to ask for help and asked whether she was busy at the Western medicine shop.

Song Tianyao reassured Lou Fengyun that she was one of his own and put her in charge of preparing a wig factory, but news that something had happened to Scribe Hui sent him rushing into action. At Sai Kung Pier, Lui Lok confronted Yan Hung over his interference in the district and had to choose between protecting Handkerchief Qing and avoiding a clash with Yan Hung.

• Song Tianyao asked Lou Fengyun to find a factory in North Point, recruit women workers, and prepare to run his planned wig factory.
• Lou Fengyun asked whether Song Tianyao had been living with Meng Wanqing, and Song reassured her that he trusted her and valued her work.
• Lam Kong arrived with a message from Sergeant Hung that something had happened to Scribe Hui, and Song Tianyao cursed as he prepared to respond.
• Lui Lok hurried to Sai Kung Pier after hearing that Yan Hung had brought opium there and might be trying to frame someone.
• Lui Lok challenged Yan Hung for making trouble in his jurisdiction, but Yan Hung said he was pursuing Handkerchief Qing for beating one of his boss’s men.
• Lui Lok weighed protecting Handkerchief Qing, whose allies supported him, against risking a feud with Yan Hung and the Justice of the Peace behind him.

Yan Hung and Lui Lok's attempt to settle the dockside dispute collapsed after Handkerchief Qing struck A Yue, leaving the two groups of policemen aiming guns at one another. Yan Hung threatened to shoot together with Lui Lok, who was shaken by his ruthlessness.

• Lui Lok persuaded Yan Hung to accept compensation and leave the dockside dispute for later.
• Handkerchief Qing mocked Yan Hung as Scribe Hui and Nine-Tattooed Dragon were taken to the police car.
• A Yue cursed Handkerchief Qing for insulting Yan Hung, and Handkerchief Qing struck him across the face with his handkerchief.
• Yan Hung reached for his gun, but Lui Lok blocked him and threatened to kill him over the old case of Chai Fa Chiu.
• A Yue, A Wai, and both groups of policemen drew their guns on each other as Yan Hung challenged Lui Lok to count to three and fire.

Yan Hung and Lui Lok nearly shot each other over Handkerchief Qing, but Chen Tai intervened and Yan Hung agreed to wait for Song Tianyao to settle the dispute. Before Song arrived, Qi Weiwen and Chen Yanni reached the docks, where Qi Weiwen went straight to the injured Nine-Tattooed Dragon.

• Yan Hung counted down as he and Lui Lok kept their guns trained on each other, and he resolved to shoot if Lui Lok refused to back down.
• Chen Tai stepped between them and asked both men to give him face, while Handkerchief Qing and Lui Lok warned Yan Hung against escalating the fight.
• Yan Hung put away his gun and sent A Wai to contact Headless so Song Tianyao could be asked to settle the dispute.
• Lui Lok holstered his gun and stood between Yan Hung and Handkerchief Qing as everyone waited for Song Tianyao.
• Qi Weiwen, Chen Yanni, and two of Chen Yanni's sworn sisters arrived at the docks, and Qi Weiwen ignored Scribe Tan before checking Nine-Tattooed Dragon's broken legs.

Qi Weiwen learned that Scribe Tan had ignored the injured Nine-Tattooed Dragon and confronted him at the pier, revealing how much Nine-Tattooed Dragon had helped the children and elderly in Kowloon Walled City. She left Scribe Tan with a choice of being expelled from her school or giving Nine-Tattooed Dragon his legs in return.

• Qi Weiwen learned from Chen Yanni that Scribe Tan had refused to acknowledge Nine-Tattooed Dragon after his legs were broken.
• Qi Weiwen hurried to Sai Kung Pier and discovered Nine-Tattooed Dragon had been injured by Yan Hung and his men.
• Qi Weiwen examined Nine-Tattooed Dragon, then slapped Scribe Tan twice for failing to protect a fellow 14K member.
• Qi Weiwen reminded Scribe Tan that Nine-Tattooed Dragon had supplied food to Longjin Charity School and the Elderly Home, and threatened to expel him or make him surrender his legs.
• Nine-Tattooed Dragon marveled that the gentle teacher Qi Weiwen was so fierce, while Qi Weiwen ordered Scribe Tan to leave.