Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 421, Part 2: Harmony is Paramount

(Thanks to the boy who loves reading historical novels for his support!)

"Holy crap! Two hundred people and you want three hundred thousand? That's outrageous! You bastard, why don't you just rob a gold shop like the Big Circle Boys!"

Spinach Dong muttered a complaint, then pulled out 100,000 yuan from his pocket and threw it at the big-mouthed man in front of him.

The big mouth not only sells information and acts as a gossip broker, but also works part-time as a horse-showing broker. He took the money with a grin, counted it briefly, and found that it was only a third of the amount. He immediately said, "Three hundred thousand, that's a discounted price."

"If you like toothless old men, Brother Dong, you can get them for tens of thousands of dollars. But they can't control people. If the bastards from the Donglian Society and the Number Gang knew that your water room was short-handed, they would be even more arrogant."

"These people are in high demand. If it weren't for my sister's sake, I promise I wouldn't have given you a 50% discount, Brother Dong!"

Big Mouth stuffed the banknotes in his hand into his pocket and continued to grumble, begging for the rest of the money.

This barrage of words nearly drove Spinach East to a frenzy. He stuck his thumb into his ear and said impatiently, "Stop babbling. This is the deposit. The rest, come to the mahjong parlor with me the day after tomorrow afternoon."

"Setting up a stage and hiring a theatrical troupe—that all costs money."

"You bastard, do you really think I'm some kind of tycoon? That I can conjure up banknotes out of my pocket?"

"Do not bother me!"

"Have these construction workers stand in front of the stage and put red ribbons on them, so that we can distinguish friend from foe when we start fighting!"

Upon hearing that the 100,000 was just a deposit, a smile immediately appeared on Big Mouth's face. Spinach Dong, known as the cash king of Yau Ma Tei, certainly wouldn't be short of his 200,000.

After all, he was known for his big mouth, and if Spinach Dong didn't pay on time, he would definitely ruin Spinach Dong's reputation.

Tomorrow is New Year's Day. If you come to collect debts on New Year's Day, you deserve to be killed. But the day after tomorrow will be different. New Year's Day will be over, and it's only natural to collect debts in the afternoon.

Big Mouth looked at his henchmen and directed these clueless bastards to give red ribbons and extra dinner to these construction workers who were earning extra money.

Each person received a piece of cut red cloth. Dinner was meager: a bottle of milk, a sausage, and a loaf of bread—all discounted, near-expiry items from the convenience store.

Even so, most of the construction workers didn't touch the milk, bread, or sausages. They quietly put their dinner in their pockets, preparing to take it home for their children.

Spinach Dong coughed, and Fire Dog, standing to the side, understood immediately. He ordered his henchmen to take out a basket of Camel cigarettes and distribute them to the construction workers one box at a time.

That's the rule: dinner is provided by those big-mouthed, show-off agents, but cigarettes are provided by the boss.

Camel cigarettes are good stuff. These construction workers usually smoke hard yellow ones (a type of Double Happiness cigarette) for five yuan a pack, or loose Harvest cigarettes for one cent a stick. They can't even afford the simplified version of Red Marlboro.

In the decadent Yau Tsim Mong district, wealthy young men and playboys tip singers and pay parking fees in the hundreds or thousands.

But these construction workers, who work 30 days a month, don't even earn 700 yuan even with overtime pay.

For those construction workers who haven't had a decent cigarette all year, hurry up and unwrap the packaging and light up the free cigarette in your hand.

When Spinach Dong saw these construction workers, he was reminded of his father. Before his father passed away, he was a construction worker. Back then, he could only earn less than eight yuan a day, and that included overtime pay.

If you don't work overtime, you only earn HK$1.63 a day, and you have to prepare your own meals. You can only earn a little over HK$40 a month by working yourself to the bone.

Back then, my father had to eat five meals a day to keep going.

Until her father contracted tuberculosis and was too weak to work, lying at home waiting to die, her eldest sister had no choice but to marry a street vendor named Mongko as a concubine to pay for her father's medical treatment.

The doctor at the clinic said there was no cure, and after lying in bed for a month, my father finally passed away.

Later, my elder brother went to work as an apprentice at the Taikoo factory and learned to repair cars, which made life a little easier for the family.

Spinach Dong's complete turnaround was thanks to following Brother Sheng. He was able to eat a plate of rice and drink delicious soup every day, and he could even save some of his gambling winnings to improve his mother's life.

No gambling! How can I turn my life around? How can I marry Xiaomei?

However, Spinach Dong's comeback was not due to his own efforts, but because of Brother Sheng. Without Brother Sheng, he would have been chopped into eight pieces sooner or later, just like a roast duck.

Thinking of this, Spinach Dong had a sudden change of heart and said to Fire Dog beside him, "It's cold outside. Send someone to Liji and tell them to prepare some good soup, with extra ingredients. Prepare four hundred bowls first, one for each person."

"It's only a little past nine o'clock now, we still have to wait at least three hours. Once the cold wind blows, even an iron man can't stand it."

"I know! I'll send someone over right now!"

Fire Dog nodded, whispered a few words to the henchman beside him, and ordered the henchman to do his work.

"Brother Dong!"

Ji Mi also walked over from one end of the street, looked at the stage that had been set up, and nodded in satisfaction. The stage was very impressive, three meters off the ground. The Cantonese opera actors were preparing below the stage, but the gong and drum master was already in place and was testing the sound.

This time, Spinach Dong invited Leung Sing-bo's Bahe Guild Hall. Leung Sing-bo is the king of clown roles in Cantonese opera and received the MBE (Member of the Order of the Red Chamber) from his ancestral family two years ago.

However, the performers at Tin Hau Temple this time were not the mainstays of the Eight Harmony Association, because Leung Sing-bo is also a veteran of TVB, and the mainstays usually perform at TVB's New Year's Eve Gala.

But this time, it was Liang Xingbo's youngest apprentice, Bai Meisheng, who performed all of his signature pieces.

"You idiot! You're way too late. I have to carry the whole load. Are you trying to work me to death?"

Upon seeing his cousin arrive, Spinach Dong made a few complaints, glanced around, and continued, "Brother Sheng wants you to accompany him to offer incense tomorrow. He's clearly asking you to stand up for him, to prove yourself, and not let that good-for-nothing Black Tiger steal the spotlight."

"Of course!"

"Brother Dong, aren't we being a bit too high-profile today? Temple Street is packed with people right now. If there's even the slightest disturbance, it'll cause an uproar. Should we brothers come out and maintain order?"

Temple Street tonight is even more lively than Tin Hau Festival. Centered around the stage at the Yau Ma Tei Tong Kou, there are five stages every two meters, all dedicated to famous Cantonese opera performers.

After finishing their meals, the citizens brought their little ones out to watch the show. If any trouble broke out, it would definitely make the headlines.

“What are you worried about! We are legally setting up a stage in Temple Street, earning 20,000 dollars an hour. The Municipal Affairs Bureau doesn’t even give us a fraction of that. Maintaining order is something that should be left to the cops.”

"I'm furious with these cops! These bastards arrived at eight o'clock and just stand there staring blankly. They're all out of their minds. They don't even know how to maintain order!"

"follow me!"

As more and more people arrived, Spinach Dong also had a headache. After thinking for a moment, he could only lead Jimi and the others towards the direction of the assault vehicle.

While eating his lunchbox in the police van, Ding Gou heard his men report that the two big shots from the Yau Ma Tei gang had come over. He quickly put down his chopsticks and said to Peach Blossom Girl, who was smoking next to him, "It's always the police who come looking for gangsters."

"I never thought that gangsters would come knocking on my door like this!"

"Stop smoking! If you feel dizzy, just buy a coffee. All the police stations are short-staffed right now! Tung Wah Group of Hospitals doesn't have much else, but it has a lot of temples. The New Territories are okay, and Hong Kong Island isn't a big problem either. The difficulty lies in the Yau Tsim Mong area."

"Now there are five or six thousand guys guarding Yau Tsim Mong, hoping to hold on."

When Peach Blossom Girl heard the leader of the Dinggou team tell her to drink coffee, she gave a wry smile. She had already drunk four cups of coffee today, and if she drank any more, she was sure she would end up in the hospital.

"Get out of the car! Let's see what Spinach East is up to! Ying Weikun is missing, and I still have no leads. Ying Weikun's mentor is Jimi. Hopefully, that bastard knows something!"

After shoving her cigarette butt into the ashtray, Peach Blossom Girl followed behind Ding Gou and got off the assault vehicle.

"Dog sir, long time no see."

When Spinach saw Dog coming down, he immediately greeted him warmly and said bluntly, "Dog sir, I've come here hoping that you cops will take the initiative to do something."

“There are so many people in front of the Tin Hau Temple right now. If we’re not careful, something bad is bound to happen. We’re Mr. Ho, and nobody wants anything to go wrong on New Year’s Eve.”

"Please help! Police and civilians need to work together to maintain order!"

Upon hearing Spinach East's words, Ding Gou was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected this scoundrel to have such awareness, wanting the police to maintain order. However, when he saw the dense crowd, he immediately agreed to let the uniformed officers and their men enter to maintain order and stop letting people into Temple Street.

"Spinach Dong, you've finally snapped out of your wits this time, not bad!"

"I didn't see Handsome Winner anywhere, but you're Handsome Winner's first horseman. I'm telling you, don't go too far. We'll turn a blind eye, you hold back, and let today just pass by like this." "What good is fighting if you don't win? Let's keep things peaceful!"

"Don't worry, I'm not just telling you this. I can talk about Moro, Da Dong Jiu, Tai Zi Lang, and all over the place. Lao Fu started his business in Temple Street, and his stage performances are practically an intangible cultural heritage."

“The BBC reports on Lao Fu’s stage every year. Lao Fu is the oldest member of the Hong Kong Hung Society. Just based on the principle of first come, first served, there’s no problem letting Lao Fu burn the first incense!”

After Ding Gou finished speaking, he felt that what he said was very outrageous. The community is burning incense for the first time, and the BBC follows up on it every year. It seems that there is really no major news in the Zu family.

That's just how the world is; you have to live with it whether it's unreasonable or reasonable.

"Officer, are you kidding me? Hong Sheng Mahjong House spent almost a million dollars to burn the first incense. If you took out that million dollars and replaced it with a woman's head, you could smash a person into mincemeat."

"Give it to Lao Fu? If we give it to him, what will Lao Fu's cronies dare to take it?"

“The Prince Lang of Xinji wants to get involved, the Black and White Impermanence want to get involved, and that bastard Da Dong Jiu won’t let it go either. If Brother Sheng backs down today, you’ll be busy to the heavens next year.”

"Stop nagging, officer. Happy New Year!"

Spinach Dong found it amusing. After speaking with the cop, he left with Jimi.

The time is almost up, the drums are beating, the main show is about to begin!
Ding Gou watched Spinach Dong's disappearing figure and knew he had talked too much. Letting Lao Fu offer the first incense was the best solution, but the other four gangs would not accept this best solution.

Prince Lang is a rising star at Sun Kee, and he's planning to break into Yau Ma Tei and grab a share of the pie. The Black and White Impermanence of the Number Gang has always wanted to leave Portland Street, but with Hung Tai in front and Handsome Sheng behind, they haven't made any progress in Yau Ma Tei.

Their advance into Mong Kok was met with resistance from Four-Eyed Dragon and his Four Heroes and Four Tigers. When they moved into Tsim Sha Tsui and Jordan, they were repeatedly dealt with by the five major factions of Wo Luen Shing.

After much trouble and heavy losses, they could only focus all their efforts on Yau Ma Tei.

Although the East Union Society lost five streets, it still has Wusong Street, Zhongfang Street, Saigon Street, and Baoling Street. These four streets are all lucrative areas, and the East Kowloon Road can rely on these four streets to keep going for a while.

These triads all have their reasons for offering incense first, and their excuses for risking their lives.

There's something good to watch now!
Hopefully, they won't send out large aircraft!

Chi Mengli's car stopped on Canton Road, blocking the entire street like a toilet. With no other option, he got out of the car and walked with Xizai, Acong, and the others, leaving only one henchman to watch the car.

Fortunately, Yau Ma Tei is not very big. It took more than ten minutes to walk through the streets and alleys and finally arrive at the middle section of Temple Street.

The performance on stage had already begun, and the citizens were very happy listening to the artistic performances provided by the gangsters. Even the street vendors selling fried stuffed three treasures and shark fin soup were making a fortune.

Chi Mengli led her people through the crowd with difficulty to reach her family's stage, where she found Spinach Dong eating a bowl of shark's fin soup.

"Brother Sheng, you've arrived!"

"The offerings are ready. We have an hour left. Would you like to order a bowl of shark fin soup to try?"

Spinach Dong put down his chopsticks and asked loudly.

After finishing his meal, Chi Mengli quickly waved his hand, saying that since the offerings had been prepared, there were no other problems, and now he could just watch the show.

The show continued until 10:30 p.m. before announcing a break. The fireworks enthusiasts, Bishiqiang and Huanxi, immediately set off the fireworks and firecrackers on the rooftop as planned.

Ten thousand dollars worth of fireworks and firecrackers were lit at once, turning the sky above Temple Street into a world of fireworks.

Of course, it wasn't just the Shui Fang family setting off fireworks; the other four guilds that had set up stages also released fireworks on time.

In the air above Temple Street, it's like a dozen buckets of paint of different colors colliding together, a dazzling array of colors spreading across the vast yet tiny canvas of the night.

The dragon and lion dance team from Shuifang took the lead and rushed forward. More than thirty Shuifang men dressed in suits parted the crowd, constantly thanking the citizens who made way for them, while shouting: "Drive away evil and bring good fortune, may the country be prosperous and the people at peace!"

Upon hearing the eight characters "drive away evil and bring good fortune, peace and prosperity to the country," the citizens of Hong Kong all stepped back, because everyone knew that it was time to welcome the gods.

This time, Chi Mengli went all out, with five lions performing together.

Spinach brought a copper basin from the east end of the road. Chi Mengli carefully washed her hands, lit three incense sticks, and placed them on the east side of the road as a sacrifice to the Earth God and Earth Goddess.

After offering sacrifices to the Earth Goddess, he lit three incense sticks and placed them on the west side of the road to appease wandering ghosts.

Finally, light three and a half sticks of incense and place them in the center as a tribute to the Earth Goddess.

"Brother Sheng, the main gate of the Tin Hau Temple is about to open!"

"Young Master Twelf has arrived!"

Ji Mi kept an eye on the main gate of the Tin Hau Temple, as offerings had to be sent through the main gate. The 12th Young Master, the big landowner on Temple Street, had also arrived.

Twelve Young Master is the temple keeper of the Tin Hau Temple, which was built by his ancestors. He has always been the head of his family and a temple keeper.

Tonight, Twelfth Master, dressed in a red auspicious robe, was followed by a large group of ship captains, waiting to enter the sacrificial ceremony.

Sailors must worship Mazu, who is also known as the Heavenly Empress. Successive dynasties posthumously honored Mazu as the Heavenly Empress, so Hong Kong people call Mazu temples the Heavenly Empress Temple.

Originally, Yau Ma Tei was a place that sold copper-lacquered hemp ropes. It was named Yau Ma Tei because there was a layer of tung oil on the bluestone slabs that could not be washed off.

The rules for sailing on ships are different from those on land. Moreover, they are in the inner hall, where the true image of the Goddess of Heaven is enshrined, while the gangsters are in the large incense burner in the outer hall. They are two different things.

Because the patriarchs worshipped by Hongmen disciples are the Five Ancestors of Hongmen, the Five Sects of Hongmen, plus Bodhidharma, this is merely praying to the gods, not a grand ceremony of Hongmen.

Twelve Young Masters led the ship's captains, carrying offerings, through the main gate, and music filled the Tianhou Temple.

After looking at it for a while, Chi Mengli finally lifted the yellow paper covering the offering.

"Brother Sheng, Lao Fu's men are about to make a move. This time, Lao Fu's leader is White Eyebrow, and it seems they're determined to succeed!"

Upon seeing that Lao Fu's side was making a move, Bo Cai Dong quickly reported to Chi Meng Li.

Upon hearing the news, Chi Mengli nodded, glanced up at the fireworks in the sky, grabbed Bo Cai Dong's wrist, checked the time, and realized that it was only ten minutes until eleven o'clock.

"Play music!"

Upon hearing Sheng Ge's words, Bo Cai Dong gestured to the troupe leader, who, upon receiving the instruction, quickly called upon the percussionists to begin playing.

Temple rituals and processions of deities require the use of traditional eight-tone music, which is basically the "Opening Drum".

Chi Mengli took off his suit and put on a long robe and mandarin jacket. He stood directly below the stage. Bo Cai Dong held the sacrificial text and stood in the second row, while Ji Mi, A Cong, Xi Zai, Hei A Hu and others stood in the third row. At the very back were the Si Jiu Zai carrying the offerings.

The lion dancers quickly moved aside, afraid of missing the auspicious moment.

The small square in front of the Tin Hau Temple was divided into five paths, and all five paths were filled with gangsters preparing to offer the first incense.

The officers in military uniforms, standing on the street to maintain order, were also on high alert, focusing all their attention on the five groups of people.

Peach Blossom Girl immediately picked up the walkie-talkie and shouted, "Everyone on alert! If anyone makes a move, go and handcuff them!"

Standing at the front of the procession, Chi Mengli heard a gong and started walking forward, step by step, toward the Tin Hau Temple.

Meanwhile, the gangsters on the other four roads remained completely still.

Bai Mei stared at Shui Fang Si Jiu Zai in front of him, his teeth clenched with hatred, but he was powerless to do anything about the scoundrel in front of him. The Shui Fang scoundrel in front of him had a ring on his hand.

The owner of this ring happened to be someone he knew—his confidant, Sik.

“Brother Sheng, let me tell you, Brother Xike is fine, and the goods are fine too. As long as Brother Sheng can offer the first incense offering, Miss Bai, who is floating on the sea, will enter Kowloon Walled City safely.”

"Brother Sheng wants me to add one more thing: South Asian guys are unreliable. They're good at double-crossing each other. If it weren't for Brother Sheng's help, Brother Xike would have been down there with the small fry long ago!"

(End of this chapter)