What do you mean by quitting the business? I'm not a big shot.

Chapter 608 Funeral
“I’ll take this stick.” Yin Zhaotang grasped the dragon-headed stick, smiled, wrapped it in cloth again, and put it in his bag: “Times have changed. As long as you have a dragon-headed stick, you don’t need to hold it in your hand every day.”

"Uncle Sen, please keep this for me."

Gao Laosen picked up his backpack, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and nodded, saying, "No problem. I'll play the role of the altar master every time the altar is opened. It'll be useful for you. Cat Brother can't get involved. We need to choose an auspicious day for the opening ceremony as soon as possible."

Things are different now. For the aging gang to pass on the leadership, it's simple: find a restaurant, book an entire floor, have the brothers meet, and that's it. But with Lao Zhong's extensive connections in the underworld, he could open the gates, hold a grand ceremony, and invite all his friends to demonstrate the orderly succession.

This not only makes it easier for the new leader to command the triads, but also helps consolidate Yin Zhaotang's position. After all, the prerequisite for Yin Zhaotang to rise to prominence is his ability to unite the citizens of Hong Kong.

He can't even manage to unite the more than 40,000 people in his community, yet he's asking mainland business owners to give him a piece of his mind?

Yin Zhaotang nodded slowly: "Okay, let the news out. Make it a grand affair, but don't rush it. It shouldn't be until next month at the earliest."

Gao Laosen sighed: "I understand."

The elder statesman exclaimed, "If we're going to go, we'll go in style!"

"Ah Tang, we will definitely hold the most dignified mountain gate ceremony for you."

Yin Zhaotang held the cigarette butt, blew out white smoke, and waved his hand, saying, "Sit down, sit down."

The suited gunmen in the ice cream parlor took their seats, and without realizing it, Egg Tart, Ah Lok, and Left Hand all felt an even heavier responsibility weighing on their shoulders.

In the evening, I returned to my residence in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Wearing casual clothes, Vivian Chow bent down to hand over slippers and asked with concern, "Brother Tang, is Grandpa alright?"

"I'm getting old," Yin Zhaotang sighed.

Vivian Chow looked sad, knowing that her grandfather was the person her boyfriend respected most, and not knowing how to comfort him, she only said, "Everyone gets old."

Where is Jia Hui?

Yin Zhaotang asked.

Zhou Huimin said, "I'm doing my homework in my room."

"Okay, don't mention these things in front of the children," Yin Zhaotang instructed, then took his phone to the hallway to answer it when it rang.

Many senior figures and bigwigs in the underworld have called to inquire about Fat Cat's health. Unlike the last time he was publicly bombed, birth, aging, illness, and death are not matters of the underworld; they are merely the passing of the torch from one generation to the next.

Unless it's a funeral, other bigwigs won't personally visit. A simple greeting is always welcome, though; if someone has enough influence, they'll call Ah Tang's phone, and he has no choice but to answer. Over twenty calls in an hour, it's driving him crazy.

Even a simple wedding banquet for an ordinary family can exhaust the family's energy and spirit. As one of Hong Kong's top triads, Chung Yee Tong requires a respectable and dignified ceremony, making it even more demanding.

That night, Yin Zhaotang didn't fall asleep until 2 a.m., and woke up at around 8 a.m., washed up, ate breakfast, and went out the door.

Niu Qiang, Xu Gang, and Sha Hui's three groups, totaling more than thirty brothers, dressed in suits and wearing headsets, gathered neatly at the entrance.

The elevator lobby was packed to the brim, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts, a complete mess.

Yin Zhaotang raised his wrist to check his watch, looking puzzled: "Don't you need to sleep?"

Sha Hui laughed and said, "Today is different."

"Nothing's different." Yin Zhaotang patted Sha Hui on the shoulder, went straight into the elevator, and after going downstairs, the errand boy who opened the car door on the street suddenly said, "Grandpa."

Yin Zhaotang seemed slightly distracted, glancing at his underling, who looked somewhat flustered. In the martial arts world, the title "Grandpa" carried weight not in age or seniority, but in "public affairs first," and "holding the reins of public affairs."

Despite all this, we keep going through the motions every day to mask the anxiety in our hearts.

Yin Zhaotang had to admit that the club was truly different now.

He was somewhat distracted while handling some business in the building until a phone call from the hospital brought him back to reality. It turned out that his grandfather had woken up and wanted to see him immediately.

When I entered the ward, which smelled strongly of disinfectant, I saw that the old man had a ventilator on his mouth and tubes inserted all over his body, with medicine swirling in the IV tubing.

The caregiver passed by him with a bedpan in hand. The old man, whose skin had always been smooth and supple, had become noticeably loose on his cheeks and arms.

Just one surgery was enough to bleed two layers of skin off a person.

Yin Zhaotang felt a pang of sorrow and went to the bedside: "Uncle Cat."

Fat Cat slowly opened his eyes, a smile on his face. He shakily removed his mask and said, "Fei, I hope I didn't disturb your work?"

Yin Zhaotang pulled up a chair, sat down, and said with a smile, "I'm not busy lately."

"Hehe, I heard from Brother Chen that you plan to help Zhihong run for deputy chief of the Heung Yee Kuk and also support Ge Zhixiong to run for West District Councilor." Fat Cat spoke slowly, but his pronunciation was still quite clear.

Yin Zhaotang smiled and said, "You're the head of the club, so managing your affairs is also considered official business."

Upon hearing this, Fat Cat smiled slightly and nodded, "It's still hard work, but I can't stop you now."

"Dragon Head Stick"

Yin Zhaotang said, "It's in my hands."

Fat Cat's face lit up with relief, and he said happily, "Great, I can close my eyes in peace now that you're in my hands."

Yin Zhaotang patted his grandfather's hand and said softly, "Brother Jie, Sister Ning, they have already landed and are on their way to the hospital."

Fat Cat thought of his son and daughter who lived overseas and sighed. The world of gangsters was tough, and he had never thought of letting his children enter it.

In his youth, he was solely focused on running the gang and helping his brothers achieve success, neglecting his family considerably. In his later years, he gave them a sum of money to buy property overseas. Later, as the gang prospered, he sent them several more sums of money. He had more concerns for his daughter than for his family, and even on his deathbed, he felt it was a waste of their time to trouble them to make a trip.

Upon learning that Yin Zhaotang had taken over the Dragon Head Stick, Fat Cat became rather quiet, rambling on about the triad. He slowly shifted the focus from the present to the past, recounting the glory days of the Chaozhou gang, the assassinations during the Japanese occupation, the losses during the police-ICAC clashes, and the triad's flourishing after abandoning the drug trade.

As they were talking, Miao Jie and Miao Ning, along with several grandchildren, hurriedly arrived at the ward door. They had met during the New Year holidays and were acquainted. After exchanging greetings, Yin Zhaotang said he was going to have a smoke and went to wait in the corridor. Not long after, Miao Jie came out, looking exhausted, lit a cigarette, leaned on the railing, and said, "Ah Tang, thank you for your hard work."

Yin Zhaotang leaned against the wall and slowly shook his head: "I am my grandfather's student."

Miao Jie looked at him with a different expression, and while holding his cigarette butt, he said acknowledging, "Disciple, it's been a long time since I've heard that term. It might be a bit of a hassle for you then, as my father just made arrangements for his funeral. He hopes that you will help him carry the coffin and the spirit tablet after his passing."

Yin Zhaotang was stunned for a moment: "Me?"

Uncle Cat has a son, and he's very close by.

If he were called here, Miao Jie would lose face big time.

At this moment, Miao Jie indeed looked bitter and said helplessly, "He said it would be more prestigious for you to come."

(End of this chapter)