Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 420, Part 1: The First Incense Offering (First Day in the Hospital)
December 31, 1978, night.

After a day and two nights of exhaustion, Chi Mengli opened her eyes to the commotion of her alarm clock. She felt weak and her limbs ached, a result of improper rest.

He got out of bed, went into the bathroom, and a minute later, the sound of running water came from the shower.

This is the last day of 1978. As people bid farewell to the old year, they need to be clean and honest.

After taking a shower, Chi Mengli dried her short hair, changed into a newly bought suit, put on brand-new crocodile skin shoes, and walked out of the room.

In the living room, Xizai was sitting on the sofa watching a variety show. When he saw the big boss come out, he quickly stood up.

"You little brat! You've really learned your lesson this time. I'll find you a big-breasted slut in a bit, and you'll have your fill of pleasure!"

As someone close to Chi Mengli, including her driver, bodyguard, and Xizai, he is undoubtedly the most suspicious. It's perfectly reasonable for Bo Cai Dong to have him under control.

Xizai knew that Spinach Dong was a good man, but being suspected for no reason would make anyone unhappy. However, when he heard Sheng Ge say that he was going to find him a woman with big breasts, he stopped worrying about it.

"Brother Sheng, Brother Cong just called and said he'll be back soon."

Xizai quickly reported Ah Cong's phone number, then walked to the refrigerator, opened the refrigerator door, took out a bottle of Perrier water, and placed it in front of Chi Mengli.

It seems that Ah Cong has managed to get Ying Weikun to talk, but this is normal practice. Ah Cong is somewhat psychologically disturbed, and his methods are too much for a normal person to handle.

If they can withstand it, then the dosage will need to be increased, because the die-hards definitely have a big secret hidden inside.

Chi Mengli turned on the Perrier bottle, nodded indifferently, and watched the TVB New Year's Eve gala on TV. The gala was very lively, with Chow Yun-fat and Adam Cheng jumping and joking around.

"Brother Sheng, it's getting late, how about we order some late-night snacks?"

Sure enough, Chi Mengli was a little hungry. He had slept all day without eating or drinking, so he nodded and said, "A bowl of shrimp wontons, with a little scallion and cilantro."

"If you're hungry, order a bowl to try. But we'll have a big meal later, with shark fin and abalone. I guarantee you'll eat until you're bursting with joy!"

"By the way, you loser! Call those fellow apprentices who went out to earn some extra money last time and ask if they're free. I've already asked Ah Dong to prepare two extra tables. If they want to continue earning extra money, they can come over for a couple of drinks."

While lobster, abalone, and shark fin are delicious, they can't compare to a home-cooked meal. When you're hungry, eating a bowl of shrimp wontons is a truly blissful experience.

Chi Mengli doesn't have many capable fighters under his command, and Xizai also has a bunch of unemployed fellow apprentices.

After considering all the options, there are only three paths to improving one's health and practicing martial arts. One is to open a martial arts school, but Hong Kong is only so big, and the martial arts school street is already overcrowded, making it impossible to open a school and teach students.

The second path is to become a martial arts star, but the problem is that there are tens of thousands of people practicing martial arts in Hong Kong, but only one has become Jackie Chan. There is no possibility of settling for second best, because there are many martial arts troupes in the film industry, but they are all under the control of the Number Gang.

You either have to pay the fees and let the number take a cut, or you have to kowtow and serve tea like a grandson.

If you're too stubborn to kneel down, you'll never make it in the world.

The last and most unreliable path is to join a gang and become a thug.

However, being a gangster also requires brains. If you can fight, you can only be a cannon turret. After all, joining a gang is also to make a living. Everyone who goes out into the world is just looking for a job.

Actually, there's another option now: Chi Mengli can run an unrestricted fighting bar where people can fight on stage and earn prize money. The competition is about rankings and points for wins. Currently, a win earns three points, a draw earns one point, and a loss neither adds nor deducts points.

One point can be redeemed for two thousand yuan.

Each boxer must fight at least eight matches per month, divided into zones, and continue until May. The top 200 with the most points are selected to compete in a ranking tournament. Each match that advances to the next round earns a prize.

This is a complete copy of the format of foreign boxing competitions, and many martial arts instructors from various martial arts schools have signed up to participate in the competition.

TVB producers all came to us, wanting to collaborate.

But TVB is notoriously stingy, and all of Shao Laoliu's men are just as miserly as he is, so they couldn't reach an agreement.

Chi Mengli prefers to be independent and run his own television channel, specializing in sports events, such as the English First Division, the World Cup, and the Olympics. Hong Kong is considered a sports city, with golf tournaments, fishing competitions, and capsizing boat competitions being held frequently.

If TVB can't reach an agreement, then talk to RTV. Free TV is the future, but this future is a precipice, a poison. In a few years, TVB's ratings will drop because of too many commercial breaks.

After all, a variety show only has a short half-hour of effective time, and it can insert an hour and a half of commercials.

Unless you're a masochist, nobody likes watching TV programs that are all commercials.

"Brother Sheng! Some of my senior brothers have set up a boxer management company, wanting to get into the market and make some money, but the deposit you're asking for is a bit too much. Could you make an exception?"

Xizai and his fellow apprentices followed in Bishiqiang's footsteps and started a boxing company. They were all from their own school, hired a nutritionist, and even had the Muay Thai champion with the "Heavenly Crippled Leg" from their school design a training program. Now they had the boxers, the nutritionist, the training program, and the venue all set; all that was left was to pay the deposit to the company.

The 300,000 yuan deposit required by each brokerage firm is not something everyone can afford.

When Sheng Ge brought up his fellow apprentices, Xi Zai quickly spoke out what he had been holding in for a long time.

"The rules can't be broken. I'll fill in the numbers for you first. Once you start making money, I'll calculate it from your dividends. No interest required. You can pay it off in two years. No problem!"

"I'm hungry! Quickly, have someone bring me some shrimp wontons!"

Rules are rules. If we make an exception today, someone will take advantage of it tomorrow. It's better to just accept the numbers and deal with it gradually.

Chi Mengli urged Xizai to quickly order wontons, as she was starving.

Ah Cong and Wonton arrived together. Chi Meng ate Wonton while listening to Ah Cong's report.

“Brother Sheng, Ying Weikun is not honest. I used some tricks to get him to talk. Ying Weikun owes Ninth Sister a lot of money. As long as Ying Weikun returns to Hong Kong and becomes an inside man, it will be all settled.”

“A month ago, when you split the score betting business in two, Ninth Sister introduced Ying Weikun to a partner named Liao Tai.”

"This Mrs. Liao spent three million to have Ying Weikun rebuild the underground betting station, which made this scoundrel a fortune. Money emboldens the coward, and this scoundrel started recruiting. Ying Weikun also made a name for himself in Mong Kok."

“Ruan Wen has been in contact with Ying Weikun. Ying Weikun received one million from Ruan Wen to report on your whereabouts, Brother Sheng.”

"If it needed to be pried open, I've already done so. Jimmy's younger brother, McCaw, is still here. It looks like Ying Weikun has no way out!"

Ah Cong was very cautious in his actions. He even produced a written record with his fingerprints. It was said that the water room had recruited a group of experts, and it seemed that their reputation was well-deserved. After all, catching a thief red-handed is like catching him in the act. With written evidence, Ying Weikun would never be able to turn his life around.

“I said I would leave this matter to Jimi to handle himself, and as his grandfather, I must keep my word.”

“Brother A-Cong has worked hard this time. So, after deducting the money that Hei A-Hu took from Ying Wei-Kun's hands, we'll split it in half. Good brothers should share the good times and the bad times together.”

"Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, Lao Ding is going to Longhu Temple to burn incense. Let's go together and share in the good fortune."

Chi Mengli finished the shrimp wontons and then happily drank a sip of the soup.

The shrimp wontons were delicious. First, the hot soup made your tongue tingle, and then the umami flavor exploded.

That freshness has sharp edges, like millions of tiny shrimp raising their claws and jumping on the taste buds, conquering all the way from the tip of the tongue. The roe from the shrimp shells, wrapped in the clear broth from the old hen, weaves a sticky freshness at the back of the tongue.

After placing the bowls and chopsticks on the coffee table, Chi Mengli let out a satisfied burp and invited Acong to join her for the incense offering the next morning.

Ah Cong yawned, shook his head, and declined Chi Mengli's invitation. But he felt it was a bit awkward, so he explained, "I have to go with my dad to offer incense. I don't have time to accompany my grandpa."

"Haha, whatever you want!"

"Let's go! Don't go to sleep yet, let's go offer the first incense!"

Chi Mengli put on her coat and called to Acong, Xizai, and the others to set off together.

"Brother Dong, everyone's here, two hundred people, not a single one missing."

"They're all thugs, so this time it won't be cheap. But for your sake, I'll give you a friendly price: 300,000!"

It's New Year's Eve, the busiest time for business in Yau Ma Tei. The parking attendants are working themselves to the bone. Besides, Chi Meng-Li had previously said that whatever they earn on December 31st and January 1st is theirs. Of course, the parking attendants and Miss Mi are all very interested.

At this point, if you ask the parking attendants to come out and do something, they definitely won't move.

Spinach Dong had worked as a parking attendant, and Little Mei had worked as a valet; he understood all the hardships of those working below.

But the horse couldn't be left out in the sun. If the formation weakened, they wouldn't be able to snag the first incense offering. A living person can't be held back by their bladder. Spinach Dong immediately thought of borrowing troops.

However, we can't borrow troops from other gangs, since everyone is very busy these days, either competing to be the first to offer incense or busy with business. Besides, if we borrow troops from other gangs, those bastards will definitely ask for exorbitant prices.

In the underworld, there are not only gangsters, but also all sorts of shady characters.

In the world of Hong Kong, there are professional horse-picking agents. You just need to tell the agent how many people you need, make a few calls, and they can get the job done.

The wealthy and powerful Spinach East placed an order for two hundred people, all of whom were strong and burly construction workers, along with a few South Asian guys with scars on their faces, looking like they were not to be trifled with.

(My hemorrhoids have flared up, Ah Xian is completely affected. I'm typing while lying down, so my efficiency is a bit low. Please forgive me, everyone. Nine out of ten men have hemorrhoids, it's normal. I'll have surgery first thing tomorrow morning. After that, I'll be back to my energetic self!)
(End of this chapter)