Chapter Summaries

Lou Fengyun answered questions about Long Light Wig Factory’s production, worker training, and machine maintenance while Song Tianyao explained repair options. Song then urged the other factory owners to source hair from India, while Tang Boqi stayed silent despite Song’s attempts to provoke him.

• Lou Fengyun explained that each wig required three long braids, described production waste, and warned Luo Jiabao that persistent waste might signal worker dissatisfaction.
• Huang Siqun asked about machine breakdowns, and Song Tianyao described free repairs in the United States and paid repair services through Nelson Machinery Repair Service Company in Hong Kong.
• Lou Fengyun said the machines at Long Light Wig Factory had not broken down, identified machine needles as consumables, and offered equipment for other factories’ workers to train on.
• Song Tianyao repeatedly looked at Tang Boqi, who tugged at Tang Jingyuan’s clothes to keep his cousin from revealing the Tang family’s American sales company.
• Huang Siqun asked to meet the raw-material supplier, and Song Tianyao recommended Indian hair as a safer source for selling wigs in the United States.

Song Tianyao arranged for Xia Zuoji to supply raw materials to the new wig factories and bought a large batch at an increased price to protect him from complaints. Their conversation turned to Xia Zuoji’s difficulties securing a bank loan, leaving his plans to expand his business uncertain.

• Song Tianyao told Xia Zuoji that other wig makers would contact him for raw materials.
• Song Tianyao asked Xia Zuoji to sell him twenty thousand braids from his stock of fifty thousand.
• Xia Zuoji agreed to supply the braids, while Xia Harry urged him to accept Song Tianyao’s offer of thirty thousand Hong Kong dollars.
• Song Tianyao arranged a contract and payment that would let Xia Zuoji explain the preferential sale to the other factories.
• Xia Zuoji told Song Tianyao that foreign banks had rejected his loan efforts and that Chinese lenders charged interest he considered too high.

Song Tianyao offered to guarantee a large HSBC loan for Xia Zuoji, who planned to use the offer to bind Song to him while secretly supplying other factories. After the Xia brothers left, Song called for Scribe Hui to help him deal with the situation.

• Song Tianyao offered to help Xia Zuoji secure an HSBC loan, explaining that larger loans could get lower interest rates and that he could act as guarantor.
• Xia Zuoji asked to borrow five hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, but Song urged him to consider borrowing one or two million instead.
• Xia Zuoji accepted the offer cautiously, and the Xia brothers signed a thirty-thousand-dollar contract with Lou Fengyun before leaving Song's factory.
• Xia Harry revealed that they had prepared tens of thousands of braids for other factories, and Xia Zuoji planned to use Song's guarantee to keep him tied to their business.
• Lou Fengyun reminded Song that the Xia brothers already had nearly a hundred thousand braids stored at the docks, and Song summoned Scribe Hui to assist him.

Song Tianyao sent Scribe Hui to recruit Mei Dirang as a supplier of Indian hair, offering to buy braids for Hong Kong factories. The chapter ended by introducing Mei Dirang and his family’s losses during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

• Lou Fengyun called Scribe Hui at Song Tianyao’s request, and Song asked him to recall the Indian who had accused Xia Zuoji of trading with the Japanese.
• Scribe Hui remembered Mei Dirang and said he lived on Stamp Street with his family, where they ran an Indian restaurant and bicycle shop.
• Song instructed Scribe Hui to propose importing hair from India and selling it to factories, with a ten-thousand-braid contract and cash payment upon delivery.
• Scribe Hui worried that Tianming Company would have to advance the money, but Song told him the factory would pay and directed him to Sister Yun for funds if needed.
• Mei Dirang, also known as Dirang Mei Zhenni, inspected a bicycle chain, while the chapter revealed that Japanese military police had killed his father during the fall of Hong Kong.

Scribe Hui approached Mei Dejan about supplying Indian hair to Hong Kong wig factories. As new factories began production, Tang Boqi took wigs to the United States and found strong interest from American distributors.

• Mei Dejan believed Xia Zuoji's family was responsible for his father's death, though he had no evidence.
• Scribe Hui told Mei Dejan that Xia Zuoji had made a fortune supplying Indian hair to wig factories and proposed that they enter the business together.
• Thirty-seven sets of American machines arrived in Hong Kong, and eleven wig factories began production.
• The Tang family's Prosperity Wig Factory used poached workers to produce its first batch of wigs.
• Tang Boqi took the wigs to the United States, where American distributors showed interest in the cheaper Hong Kong products.
• Tang Boqi called Tang Jingyuan in Hong Kong after seeing the American market's enthusiasm for wigs.

Tang Boqi used the Tang family’s American connections to secure supply agreements with ten Hong Kong wig factories and orders worth $350,000, leaving Song Tianyao’s Long Light Wig Factory isolated. When Song confronted him and the other owners, Tang Boqi dismissed his anger and offered to sell Long Light’s goods in America.

• Tang Jingyuan and Tang Wenbao persuaded the other wig factory owners to let the Tang family market their products in the United States.
• Tang Boqi secured American distributor orders worth $350,000 and signed supply contracts with ten factories, including the Tang family’s.
• Song Tianyao returned from Japan and learned that the other factories had joined Kimei International Trading Company.
• Song confronted Tang Boqi and the factory owners, accusing them of betraying his help and warning them about penalties for breaking American contracts.
• Tang Boqi told the other owners that Song was merely upset and invited them to dinner.

Tang Boqi learned that Song Tianyao had bought the Xia family’s current wig stock and was openly positioning himself against the other factories. After securing priority on future shipments, Tang Boqi considered why Song had made his move and what he might be preparing next.

• Tang Boqi told his companions to go ahead, then called Xia Harry from his office to ask about Song Tianyao’s plans.
• Xia Harry confirmed that Song Tianyao had offered three dollars per braid for both current stock and future shipments.
• Tang Boqi offered two dollars per braid and threatened to find another supplier, but Xia Harry said the Xia family had already sold its fifty thousand braids in stock to Song Tianyao for three dollars each.
• Xia Harry said future shipments would go first to Tang Boqi and the other factories at two dollars per braid, while Tang warned him not to inflate prices again.
• After ending the call, Tang Boqi questioned why Song Tianyao had turned against the factories and considered whether he planned to expand, develop new markets, or promote his own wig brand.

Song Tianyao reviewed the wig factories’ limited raw-material stocks and continued planning his strategy while sharing a quiet moment with Lou Fengyun. He promised to take her to Malaysia to look for her father’s grave, then hinted at spending the night together.

• Tang Boqi considered whether Song Tianyao was shifting his money into Hong Kong stocks, but remained confident that Kimei International Trading Company would dominate the wig market.
• Song Tianyao asked Lou Fengyun about the factories’ inventories, and she reported that most had stockpiled less than a season’s worth of raw materials.
• Lou Fengyun explained that Xia Harry was rationing supplies and expected factories to bid up prices, while Song Tianyao had already bought the stock in his Hong Kong warehouse.
• Song Tianyao told Lou Fengyun that Mei Dirang should keep collecting braids in India and ship them to Hong Kong with great fanfare in a month.
• Lou Fengyun said she wanted to visit Johor State in Malaysia to search for her father’s grave, and Song Tianyao promised to go with her.
• Song Tianyao reflected on the dangers of the business and asked Lou Fengyun to come to his room that night.

Song Tianyao met Shek Chi-yik at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and suggested he replace his yacht. Shek explained the vessel’s history and condition, saying he would keep it but might buy another.

• Song Tianyao found Shek Chi-yik admiring his wooden sailing yacht at the pier on Gillette Island.
• Song Tianyao suggested that Shek Chi-yik get a new yacht.
• Shek Chi-yik described the yacht as a rare 1942 Plymouth Limited model that he had restored while preserving its vintage appearance.
• Shek Chi-yik said he would not replace the yacht but might consider buying another one.

Song Tianyao told Shek Chi-yik that Japan was still trading with Mainland China despite the embargo, and urged him to ensure their order figures rose after the dispute ended. Lin Xiaoze then met with Studwell and Lü Jiansheng, who reported rising share prices and trading in Xizhen Properties and other British-owned companies.

• Song Tianyao explained to Shek Chi-yik that Japanese factories were trading goods for grain with Mainland China while Hong Kong’s trade had stopped.
• Shek Chi-yik agreed to investigate the matter, and Song Tianyao said he trusted Britain to act on the evidence and had stockpiled years’ worth of factory materials.
• Lin Xiaoze finished working on a solar-powered cooking device, changed into a suit, and went to meet Studwell and Lü Jiansheng.
• Studwell told Lin Xiaoze that Xizhen Properties shares had risen from 0.63 to 0.67 Hong Kong dollars since December 1951, with about five percent of its shares traded.
• Studwell added that shares in Hutchison Whampoa, the Tramway Company, Kowloon Wharf Holdings, and Hongkong Land had also risen.

Lin Xiaoze dismissed Studwell’s concern about unusual trading in Xizhen Properties shares as ordinary speculation. At the docks, Scribe Hui bought Mei Dirang’s shipment of Indian hair, while Xia Harry watched and realized the shipment had been claimed by a rival.

• Studwell told Lin Xiaoze that Xizhen Properties shares had risen before other stocks and were being quietly accumulated by Chinese buyers.
• Lin Xiaoze dismissed the share purchases as speculation by investors confident in Hong Kong’s future.
• A coolie told Xia Harry that a shipment of hair had arrived at the docks and his workers had been driven away.
• Xia Harry recognized Mei Dirang and approached him, but stopped when Scribe Hui arrived with Tianming Company workers.
• Scribe Hui inspected Mei Dirang’s eighteen thousand braids and paid him twenty thousand Hong Kong dollars, including the earlier deposit.
• Scribe Hui explained that he was paying for fifteen thousand braids and keeping the remaining three thousand as his profit.

Scribe Hui bought Mei Dirang’s shipment of hair for Song Tianyao and warned Xia Harry that Song Tianyao would pay a premium for the brothers’ next shipment if they sold it to him. Xia Harry hesitated to break his commitments to Tang Boqi, while Lei Danzi watched and realized Song Tianyao had stockpiled two hundred thousand braids for this confrontation.

• Scribe Hui paid Mei Dirang for three thousand braids and had Nine-Tattooed Dragon escort him to deposit the money.
• Xia Harry approached Scribe Hui, who refused to buy his hair because the brothers had secretly supplied other factories.
• Scribe Hui offered five or ten dollars per braid for Xia Harry’s current stock and the shipment due in half a month, but warned Song Tianyao would rely only on Mei Dirang if Xia Harry refused.
• Xia Harry decided he could not defy Tang Boqi’s contracts and the ten factories’ threatened boycott, though he regretted missing the chance to profit from Song Tianyao.
• Lei Danzi watched Xia Harry from a sampan and realized Song Tianyao had stockpiled two hundred thousand braids for this moment.

Song Tianyao arranged with Chu Xiaoxin to have an incoming Indian cargo ship detained for quarantine inspections, while insisting his target was the Indian supplier rather than the Tang family. Chu Xiaoxin agreed and returned home, where he found Chu Yaozong practicing calligraphy.

• Lei Danzi arranged for a shipment of two hundred thousand braids of hair from Thailand and expected the Indian seller to accept Song Tianyao’s offer.
• Song Tianyao asked Chu Xiaoxin to use his connections at the Medical and Health Department to hold an Indian cargo ship at port for eight or ten days.
• Chu Xiaoxin agreed to arrange a quarantine inspection with Customs and the Marine Police, but warned Song Tianyao not to put Chu Yaozong in a difficult position.
• Song Tianyao assured Chu Xiaoxin that he would not burn the ship and said the Indian was his target, not the Tang family.
• Chu Xiaoxin returned home and brought ginseng tea to Chu Yaozong, who had been practicing calligraphy in his study.

Chu Yaozong explained to Chu Xiaoxin that Song Tianyao had to defend his position in the wig industry against wealthy newcomers, comparing the struggle to Hong Kong’s business upheaval in 1949. The chapter then introduced Zhao Wenye’s transfer to Central Police Station, where Lam Kong welcomed him and asked how he was adjusting.

• Chu Xiaoxin told Chu Yaozong that Song Tianyao’s aggressive approach to the wig business was turning the ten factories against him.
• Chu Yaozong recalled how Hong Kong businessmen had feared the arrival of wealthy mainland capital in 1949 and explained that Song faced a similar threat from newcomers.
• Chu Yaozong said Song could not yield ground to the Tang family and the ten factories, while other big businessmen waited for someone to establish rules for the industry.
• Chu Xiaoxin considered what his father meant by order and rules but remained unsure he understood.
• Zhao Wenye reported to Lam Kong at Central Police Station after transferring from Mong Kok, and Lam asked whether he was adjusting to Hong Kong Island.

Lam Kong welcomed Zhao Wenye to Hong Kong Island and ordered a Big Dragon Phoenix at a newly opened opium den to assert his authority. The den’s operator, Tie Tou Su, refused to cooperate, leaving A-Fat and the officers facing a tense confrontation.

• Lam Kong explained why Hong Kong Island was considered a desert district and told Zhao Wenye to work beside him, then ordered A-Fat to arrange a Big Dragon Phoenix.
• A-Fat led Zhao Wenye and several officers to a back-alley opium den, explaining how illegal businesses used lookouts to stay hidden.
• A-Fat confronted a decoy at the den, and Tie Tou Su, Chen Tai’s right-hand man, came out and offered the officers thirty dollars.
• A-Fat refused the money and said Lam Kong wanted to use the den for a Big Dragon Phoenix.
• Tie Tou Su rejected the demand and threatened the officers, while A-Fat’s confidence faltered as he noted the den had never paid respects to the station.

Zhao Wenye shot Tie Tou Su and ordered A-Fat to frame him as the mastermind behind an opium case. Meanwhile, Tang Wenbao pressed Tang Boqi to let his family invest in Kimei International Trading Company, arguing that Hong Kong operations should not be left to an outsider.

• Zhao Wenye stepped forward when Tie Tou Su threatened the officers and shot him in the thigh.
• Zhao Wenye told A-Fat to bring opium from Mong Kok Police Station and arrange newspaper coverage portraying Tie Tou Su as the mastermind of a major opium case.
• Tang Wenbao visited Tang Boqi at Kimei International Trading Company and raised the cost of establishing Jimei Company as a reason to discuss investment.
• Tang Boqi asked Tang Wenbao why he wanted a stake despite their agreement that Tang Boqi would handle America and Tang Jingyuan would handle Hong Kong.
• Tang Wenbao said Tang Boqi would eventually return to the United States, so Hong Kong should not be left in an outsider's hands.

Tang Boqi rebuffed Tang Wenbao and Tang Jingyuan’s attempt to gain control of Kimei International Trading Company, while Song Tianyao visited Hong Lai-sau and urged him to spend more on the growing China Hong Kong Business Weekly. Hong Lai-sau explained that he was saving money to keep the paper running if Song’s business ever faltered.

• Tang Boqi told Tang Wenbao that he might sell Kimei International Trading Company to Tang Jingyuan, but would demand a higher price to fund a move to Wall Street.
• Tang Wenbao let his desire for control of Kimei show, then left Tang Boqi’s office with Tang Jingyuan in embarrassment.
• Song Tianyao found Hong Lai-sau working alone in a smoke-filled office and brought him food and ng ka py.
• Hong Lai-sau described how China Hong Kong Business Weekly’s free circulation had grown from two thousand copies to eight thousand in three issues.
• Song Tianyao offered to raise his monthly funding and hire more workers, but Hong Lai-sau said he was economizing so the paper could survive if Song’s business ran into trouble.

Song Tianyao explained that he wanted to expand the free newspaper and use it to publish accessible stock commentary, despite Hong Lai-sau’s concerns about its losses. Xia Harry learned that a cargo ship carrying his braids had been detained for a supposed health inspection, then approached three worried men whose hair shipment might also be at risk.

• Song Tianyao told Hong Lai-sau to distribute more copies of the free newspaper and said he planned to publish simplified stock commentary once circulation passed ten thousand.
• Xia Harry hurried to the docks after hearing that the ship carrying the Xia family’s two hundred thousand braids had been detained offshore.
• A Customs officer told Xia Harry the detention was a quarantine inspection, then privately said a Hong Kong boss had arranged to have Indian cashmere seized as contaminated.
• Xia Harry overheard three worried men discussing hair brought from Thailand and Song Tianyao, then approached them and said his own braids were on the detained ship.

Xia Harry tried to buy a shipment of Thai hair from three wary traders after Song Tianyao’s actions left his own cargo seized. The leader revealed the shipment held two hundred thousand braids and demanded three dollars each, leaving the bargain unresolved.

• The three men questioned Xia Harry about Song Tianyao and learned that Customs had seized Xia Harry’s shipment.
• Xia Harry offered to buy the traders’ hair, but the leader initially refused and demanded eight dollars per braid for all two hundred thousand braids.
• The leader explained that his uncle’s connections to the Thai army had helped them force villagers to cut their braids, and that they could not collect another shipment soon.
• Xia Harry bargained from one dollar to two dollars per braid, while the leader lowered his demand from five dollars to three.
• The leader insisted he needed three dollars per braid to repay loan sharks and threatened to sail into Hong Kong if Xia Harry would not agree.

Song Tianyao learned that Lei Yingdong had secured the Thai hair shipment and kept Xia Harry from meeting him, suspecting Xia Harry’s scheme was too risky to discuss face-to-face. After hearing that Scribe Hui’s garment factory had grown rapidly, Song Tianyao went to Lu Yu Teahouse to deal with the fallout from his cousin Zhao Wenye’s shooting of Chen Tai’s right-hand man.

• Lei Yingdong called Song Tianyao to report that he had bought two hundred thousand braids for six hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars and delivered them to the Indian’s warehouse.
• Song Tianyao considered how the shipment could jeopardize the ten factories’ access to the American market and called Angie Pellis in the United States.
• Xia Harry arrived at Song Tianyao’s factory but learned from Lou Fengyun that Song was away, then left without meeting him.
• Song Tianyao told Lou Fengyun he had avoided Xia Harry because their conversation could expose the flaws in Xia Harry’s ruse.
• Lou Fengyun told Song Tianyao that Scribe Hui’s factory had grown to more than a hundred workers, and Song criticized him for not buying machinery sooner.
• Song Tianyao went to Lu Yu Teahouse near Central Police Station after learning that Zhao Wenye had shot and wounded Chen Tai’s right-hand man.