Chapter Summaries

Song Tianyao arrived at the dock after Nine-Tattooed Dragon had been beaten and showed Scribe Hui how to retaliate by using the British soldiers’ power. He left Nine-Tattooed Dragon free to decide which gang members could leave and which would face him.

• Qi Weiwen declared Nine-Tattooed Dragon her sworn younger brother and told Chen Yanni to recognize him as a martial uncle.
• Song Tianyao arrived with A Wai and Lam Kong, greeted by Scribe Hui, Chen Tai, Yan Hung, and the others.
• Song Tianyao questioned Nine-Tattooed Dragon and learned that he had been beaten by a group despite seeking a one-on-one fight.
• Song Tianyao told Scribe Hui to enlist the British soldiers’ help, including taking the attackers to the barracks and making them suffer there.
• Song Tianyao helped Nine-Tattooed Dragon stand and told him to decide who could leave, encouraging him to take revenge on the gang members.

Song Tianyao left Yan Hung to handle the men at the pier while Nine-Tattooed Dragon forced them to pay for their release. Meanwhile, Lou Fengyun searched North Point for a factory to take over and rented a large preserved-duck factory cheaply.

• Song Tianyao told Yan Hung to handle local affairs himself and left the pier with Lam Kong.
• Nine-Tattooed Dragon let Lui Lok leave after he offered three hundred thousand dollars, then made Handkerchief Qing and the others pay or face further trouble.
• Lam Kong told Song Tianyao he was willing to kill someone if needed, impressing Song with his ruthlessness.
• Lou Fengyun inspected shuttered factories in North Point and rented a large preserved-duck factory for eleven thousand Hong Kong dollars a year.
• Lou Fengyun learned that the embargo had shut the American market to Hong Kong preserved duck, while the British disputed the American reasoning.

Song Tianyao searched Yau Ma Tei for a Cantonese opera wig maker who could help him learn to produce wigs with the machines he had bought. He found an old craftsman’s workshop, but the craftsman refused to take new customers, leaving Song without the guidance he needed.

• Several Hong Kong preserved-duck factories closed after export losses, and one owner sold his factory cheaply to Lou Fengyun.
• Lou Fengyun took over the factory and rested after completing the handover, while Song Tianyao searched Cantonese opera troupes for wig-making expertise.
• Song Tianyao learned that Cantonese opera wigs were made from real hair, but his inquiries led only to an old craftsman in Yau Ma Tei whose location was unknown.
• Yan Hung sent A Wai to stay with Song Tianyao in case Lai Man-yau caused trouble over Chai Fa Chiu.
• Song Tianyao spotted hair clippings outside a locked workshop and discovered that a middle-aged woman’s elderly master made Cantonese opera wigs.
• The woman refused to let Song Tianyao meet the master or commission work, telling him to seek another wig maker in Sheung Wan.

Song Tianyao and A Wai investigated a suspicious house where three virgins were being trained and discovered that its occupants might be involved in a hidden crime. Song Tianyao called Yan Hung and Headless to help, then ordered Yan Hung to stop the fleeing old man who appeared to be the house’s master.

• A Wai and Song Tianyao entered the house by pretending to be police and learned that three virgins were memorizing false family backgrounds.
• Song Tianyao noticed the middle-aged woman’s Shanghai dialect and suspected the girls were being held for more than ordinary prostitution.
• Song Tianyao sent A Wai to summon Yan Hung and Headless, while he waited near the house.
• Yan Hung arrived with men, and Song Tianyao saw the old master enter the house and leave less than a minute later.
• Song Tianyao told Yan Hung to restrain the old man before he could escape.

Song Tianyao and the police uncovered a supposed kidnapping that was actually a fraud scheme using three girls as prizes to solicit donations. The old mastermind admitted his plan and offered his savings to the officers, who listened as he explained how he had targeted poor people.

• Lam Kong chased down and handcuffed the old man while Yan Hung led officers into the house.
• Song Tianyao found three girls with notebooks describing a scheme to raise money by offering themselves as prizes, and recognized one as the singer from Lu Yu Teahouse.
• Song Tianyao questioned the middle-aged woman, who identified herself as Song Sidi and named her master as Han Yifang, then ordered the police to question her and the old man separately.
• The old man admitted he was the scheme's mastermind and offered the officers his nine thousand Hong Kong dollars in exchange for being allowed to leave Hong Kong.
• Song Tianyao, Yan Hung, and Lam Kong listened as the old man explained that the scheme targeted poor suckers rather than the rich or jianghu figures.

Ning Zikun explained how he had built the Heavenly Immortal Scheme and planned to swindle both poor ticket buyers and a police officer. Song Tianyao, interested only in Ning Zikun’s wig-making skills, offered him five thousand dollars to train workers at his factory and then leave Hong Kong.

• Ning Zikun described how he and Song Sidi would win the Squatter Area’s sympathy and sell lottery tickets by promising three girls as prizes.
• Ning Zikun admitted that he intended to use the poor people’s lottery money to lure wealthy targets and swindle the cop who helped him.
• Yan Hung became furious when he learned Ning Zikun planned to cheat the cop, while Lam Kong held him back.
• Ning Zikun explained that he had pawned the girls’ sale contracts and set aside money for Song Sidi before escaping.
• Song Tianyao asked whether Ning Zikun could make Cantonese opera wigs, and Ning Zikun said he had worked as a wig-maker for more than ten years.
• Song Tianyao offered Ning Zikun five thousand dollars to teach workers at his factory before leaving Hong Kong.

Song Tianyao freed Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin from their sale contracts and learned that the three girls had no family or home to return to. He offered them temporary work and lodging at his medicine shop, with a possible place at his factory later.

• Song Tianyao tore up the girls’ sale contracts, ordered Ning Zikun held, and sent Yan Hung to find a wig craftsman’s address.
• Song Tianyao arranged for Lam Kong to use money from Lui Lok to stage a crime-fighting publicity campaign and seek a police commendation.
• Song Tianyao brought Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin to his car and asked whether they had relatives in Hong Kong.
• Fu Xinniang explained that their masters had raised and trained them before selling them, and the three girls cried as they recounted their pasts.
• Song Tianyao offered the three girls food, lodging, and paid work at his medicine shop, with the option of factory work later.

Song Tianyao brought Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin to work at the medicine shop, where he angrily scolded Song Wenwen over money taken from the till. Lou Fengyun explained that Song Wenwen had been upset after overhearing relatives discuss her marriage and had taken the money with Song Chunliang’s permission.

• Song Tianyao offered Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin work, food, and lodging at the medicine shop.
• Song Tianyao found Lou Fengyun balancing the accounts while Song Wenwen ate preserved fruit and ordered Song Wenwen to handle the books and repay the shortfall.
• Song Wenwen argued that the medicine shop’s money belonged to the Song Family, then ran to the storeroom crying after Song Tianyao told her to stop working there.
• Lou Fengyun told Song Tianyao that his uncle and aunt had visited and discussed Song Wenwen’s marriage, upsetting her.
• Lou Fengyun explained that Song Chunliang had permitted Song Wenwen to take money from the till for food while she waited for Song Tianyao to return.

Song Tianyao learned that his uncle Zhao Houji had come to propose a marriage between Song Wenwen and his son, and he resolved to stop it. He comforted Wenwen and went upstairs to confront Zhao Houji's family.

• Lou Fengyun told Song Tianyao that Zhao Houji had arrived and that Auntie Zhen seemed tempted by his proposal for Song Wenwen.
• Song Tianyao found Song Wenwen crying in the storeroom, reassured her, and led her upstairs with Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin.
• Song Tianyao recalled how Zhao Houji had refused to help the family despite their past generosity toward him.
• Song Tianyao heard Zhao Houji and his wife speaking loudly with Zhao Meizhen, then knocked on the door.
• Song Chunliang opened the door and brightened when he saw Song Tianyao standing outside.

Song Tianyao drove Zhao Houji’s family out after they tried to arrange a marriage with Zhao Zhisheng, then confronted Zhao Meizhen for considering the match with Song Wenwen. He left Zhao Meizhen in tears while promising to care for Zhao Meizhu.

• Song Tianyao reassured Zhao Meizhu that he had arranged for Zhao Wenye to be placed at Tai Wong Tau Police Station after graduating from the police academy.
• Song Tianyao learned that Zhao Meizhen and Zhao Houji were trying to arrange a marriage for him and brought Fu Xinniang, Shu Yan, and Shi Yin into the room.
• Song Tianyao mocked Zhao Zhisheng for staring at Fu Xinniang, smashed a teacup, and ordered Zhao Houji’s family to leave.
• Song Tianyao invited Zhao Meizhu to stay for dinner and offered to drive her home afterward.
• Song Meizhen began crying, and Song Tianyao demanded to know why she had considered Zhao Zhisheng as a match for Song Wenwen.

Song Tianyao moved his factory plans forward while reassuring Zhao Meizhen and settling the family pharmacy’s finances. The Long Light Wig Factory was prepared for production, and its machinery arrived as Song Tianyao waited for the remaining hair supply.

• Song Tianyao promised Zhao Meizhen a monthly household allowance and put her in charge of the family pharmacy, then asked Zhao Meizhu to stay and keep her company.
• Song Tianyao brought Lou Fengyun and three young girls to the North Point factory, where he arranged living quarters and an office.
• Lou Fengyun supervised construction and repairs while Song Tianyao handled the factory’s legal formalities and established Long Light Wig Factory and Manifest Glory Trading Company.
• Hair collected by Lei Yingdong arrived at the factory while Xia Zuoji was still in India gathering the first batch of hair.
• Song Tianyao watched workers install and start the hair-aligning and high-needle hair-knitting machines.

Song Tianyao brought swindlers, a wigmaker, and barbers to his factory to teach workers how to make and style wigs, then started the machinery. Kong Wing-yan went to find Song at the factory about Oxfam’s deworming medicine donation and was challenged by the cook after the dogs barked at her.

• Lam Kong brought Ning Zikun, Song Sidi, a wigmaker, and two barbers to Song Tianyao’s factory.
• Fu Xinniang fed raw meat to the factory’s three guard dogs, and Lam Kong noticed that she and Song wore matching Jiuguang uniforms.
• Song Tianyao told Ning Zikun to teach the others how to use the wig-making machines and offered the barbers five hundred dollars for each hairstyle they taught.
• Lam Kong threatened one barber until he agreed to teach, and Song Tianyao switched on the machines.
• Kong Wing-yan asked Chu Shuheng, Chen Qingwen, and Chu Xiaoxin how to handle the next Oxfam medicine donation before Chu Xiaoxin sent her to Song Tianyao.
• Kong Wing-yan reached the North Point factory, where the cook fed the dogs and asked whom she was looking for.

Kong Wing-yan visited Song Tianyao at his new factory and asked how to handle Oxfam’s second medicine donation. Song Tianyao told her to keep the donation under Likang Company’s name, leaving the chapter with Kong considering how Chu Xiaoxin had sent her to seek Song’s advice.

• Kong Wing-yan entered Song Tianyao’s workshop and found him directing workers who were washing and aligning hair.
• Song Tianyao brought Kong Wing-yan to his office, where she told him about Oxfam’s second medicine donation.
• Song Tianyao advised Kong Wing-yan to make the donation through Likang Company rather than Crown Asia Company, keeping the two companies separate.
• Kong Wing-yan worried that Song Tianyao could be made a scapegoat if Crown Asia Company were abandoned, but he explained that the Chu Family still regarded him as one of their own.
• Kong Wing-yan asked what would have happened if she had transferred the donation to Crown Asia Company, and Song Tianyao replied that Chu Xiaoxin would have sent her to ask him anyway.

Song Tianyao spoke with Kong Wing-yan about her difficult position as Zhong’s secretary, then watched her leave. At the factory, the workers ate while Sister Xiong teased Song about Lou Fengyun, leaving him embarrassed by her sharp observations.

• Song Tianyao teased Kong Wing-yan about being sidelined from Zhong’s affairs, then warned that she could not take the same risks he did to earn the big families’ trust.
• Kong Wing-yan left Song Tianyao’s factory, and he sighed over how difficult things seemed for her.
• Sister Xiong served char siu rice to the factory’s women workers and scolded those who came out of the dormitory improperly dressed as men watched over the wall.
• Sister Xiong called Song Tianyao and Lou Fengyun his wife and concubines, then suggested that he and Lou had been together the previous night.
• Song Tianyao protested Sister Xiong’s teasing, but her remark left him embarrassed.

Song Tianyao compared his factory’s first successful wigs with imported products and prepared to return to public life to sell them. Meanwhile, Tang Jingyuan waited at Kai Tak Airport to meet Tang Boqi.

• Song Tianyao showed Lou Fengyun that his factory’s wigs matched American products, though French wigs remained more refined.
• Song Tianyao told Lou Fengyun to arrange for Meng Wanqing to bring his suits and accessories, and said he would market the wigs locally before going to the United States.
• Song Tianyao promised Lou Fengyun a role as a leader in Hong Kong’s wig industry and asked her to arrange a meeting with Mr. Chu and a night out at a nightclub.
• Tang Jingyuan waited at Kai Tak Airport with a pickup sign for Tang Boqi and reflected on his lack of influence and independence compared with Chu Xiaoxin.

Tang Jingyuan arranged for his cousin Tang Boqi to come to Hong Kong after learning that Song Tianyao planned to manufacture wigs. Tang Boqi arrived intending to confront Song Tianyao, whom he blamed for misleading him into wasting time courting American distributors before he had a factory.

• Tang Jingyuan persuaded Tang Wenbao to support his plan to pursue a business opportunity connected to Song Tianyao.
• Tang Wenbao contacted Tang Shihu in San Francisco, and Tang Jingyuan later learned that Song Tianyao planned to enter the wig business.
• Tang Jingyuan went to Kai Tak Airport to meet his cousin Tang Boqi, who introduced himself as Billy Zai.
• Tang Jingyuan asked whether wigs were profitable and whether Song Tianyao was entering the business.
• Tang Boqi said Song Tianyao had misled him about contacting American distributors, and that he had been laughed at for seeking partners without a factory or product.

Tang Boqi warned Tang Jingyuan that Song Tianyao seemed to be building influence in the wig trade, though Tang Jingyuan wanted only to run a small factory. Song Tianyao later met a newly polished Chu Xiaoxin at the Silver Moon Dance Hall, where Hong Kong’s established businessmen gathered.

• Tang Boqi told Tang Jingyuan how Song Tianyao had kept him occupied in American cities and explained why he had come to Hong Kong to watch Song more closely.
• Tang Jingyuan questioned Tang Boqi’s fears and said he only wanted to open a wig factory and run a small business.
• Tang Boqi suspected Song Tianyao was preparing to use competition in the industry to rise above other merchants.
• Song Tianyao met Chu Xiaoxin at the Silver Moon Dance Hall and saw that Chu had left behind his former playboy habits.
• The chapter described the Silver Moon Dance Hall as a gathering place for older businessmen whose social standing was marked by public titles and honors.

Song Tianyao met Chu Xiaoxin’s girlfriend, Lu Peiying, and recognized that their relationship was a marriage alliance linking the Chu and influential Lu families. As Chu Xiaoxin complained about the restrictions of his new status and impending engagement, Song Tianyao suggested taking him abroad for a change of scenery.

• Chu Xiaoxin warmly greeted Song Tianyao and introduced Lu Peiying as his girlfriend, the daughter of Legislative Council member Lu Wenhui.
• Song Tianyao considered the Lu family’s political influence and concluded that Chu Xiaoxin was unlikely to end the relationship or avoid marrying Lu Peiying.
• Lu Peiying left the private room to join her second sister-in-law, leaving Chu Xiaoxin and Song Tianyao to talk.
• Chu Xiaoxin told Song Tianyao that he felt constrained by his new status and found Lu Peiying too proper, despite their impending engagement.
• Song Tianyao suggested taking Chu Xiaoxin to the United States or Japan for a change of scenery.

Song Tianyao asked Chu Xiaoxin to guarantee a US$200,000 HSBC loan so Foreign Girl could establish a wig-machine factory in the United States, and Chu agreed. Song warned Chu to avoid new ventures and keep cash available before they joined Lu Peiying in the dance hall.

• Song Tianyao asked Chu Xiaoxin to guarantee a US$200,000 loan from HSBC for Foreign Girl's plans in the United States.
• Chu Xiaoxin agreed to guarantee the loan and said he trusted Song Tianyao to repay him.
• Chu Xiaoxin shared the fortune slip predicting his rise and asked Song Tianyao to remember their mutual obligations.
• Song Tianyao urged Chu Xiaoxin to avoid other businesses for a while and keep more cash on hand, and Chu agreed.
• Song Tianyao and Chu Xiaoxin joined the main hall, where Lu Peiying ordered them drinks and arranged dance hostesses.

Song Tianyao showed Shek Chi-yik four wigs made at his factory and explained that British department-store buyers had mistaken them for high-end American products. He argued that wigs were becoming fashionable in Britain because young people were copying American trends.

• Shek Chi-yik examined four wigs and questioned whether they could compete with American-made ones.
• Song Tianyao said buyers at Lane Crawford, Marks & Spencer, and Debenhams had believed his factory's wigs were high-end American goods.
• Song Tianyao noted that wigs were becoming popular among young people in British cities and linked the trend to American influence.