Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 431, Section 12: The First Building in Haojiang

These sweet words made Jasmine overjoyed.

Women of all ages love to hear flattery, without exception.

Jasmine quickly adjusted the rearview mirror, admired her less-than-stellar face, and said with feigned modesty, "Don't joke around, I know exactly what I look like!"

"You were the one who made the joke first!"

Chi Mengli answered in a very serious manner.

Jasmine's face was worse than if she had eaten shit. She slapped the rearview mirror hard, turned her head, and looked at the scenery on the side of the street.

The little sparrow in the passenger seat stopped chirping, and Chi Mengli felt much better. Following the directions given by the old lady selling goods, he successfully arrived in front of the Buddha's Smile Building.

The valet, sitting in the parking spot, saw the gold-plated "B" emblem on the front of the car, quickly tucked his unlit cigarette behind his ear, and hurriedly ran to Chi Mengli's side, opened the car door, and invited the young master to get out.

Having worked as a parking attendant for many years, I have some sense of who the boss is.

The pretty woman in the passenger seat is usually dressed in cheap clothes, clearly a working-class citizen. People like that are unlikely to give a parking tip.

Just as the valet had predicted, Chi Mengli didn't remove the car keys. He took out his wallet from his suit pocket, counted out two Red Coins, folded them in half, and handed them to the valet.

"Thank you, boss. Did you make a reservation? If not, I can arrange it for you!"

"Nothing"

The parking attendant rubbed his fingers together, looking at Chi Mengli with a fawning expression.

The parking spaces directly in front of the Buddha's Laughter Restaurant were already full, so it seemed there were no empty spaces inside the restaurant.

Spending a little money for hassle-free service is a good deal. Chi Mengli took out her wallet again, took out two more Hongshan fish bills, and handed them to the valet: "I want a private room, something quiet."

"Don't worry, boss, I've got it covered!"

The valet quickly stuffed the money into his pocket, told his henchmen to park the car, and led the way, opening the door, pulling back the curtain, and inviting Chi Mengli and Jasmine inside, while he stood outside.

In no time, the handsome young man in front of her had spent several hundred dollars. Jasmine clicked her tongue in amazement. Whether in Hong Kong or Macau, the policeman was a member of the high-level white-collar class.

Take herself as an example, she can earn more than 4,000 yuan a month. After all, she is only two people, plus overtime pay, subsidies, and bonuses from two personal commendation orders, so she can earn 6,000 yuan a month.

You should know that your father is a reservoir manager at the Water Resources Bureau, which is considered a government job, and he only earns less than two thousand yuan a month.

But this salary supported a family of four and even allowed them to build a small tenement building in Tseung Kwan O.

Handsome Sheng simply raised his hand and spent almost half a month's salary of his father.

"Sister Hua, come out and greet the guests."

"My old friend, give me a private room, something quiet."

In Hong Kong and Macau, it's customary for valet parking attendants not to enter restaurants. Of course, this isn't to follow the rules.

In fact, there are triad membership laws in Hong Kong and Macau. Parking assistants are definitely triad members, or at the very least, they have to be a "blue lantern" (a slang term for a member of the triad). If they are not a "blue lantern," they cannot work as parking assistants.

Valet parking, pimping, and gambling—these semi-legal businesses are all monopolized by triads.

In Hong Kong and Macao, the Triad Members Law stipulates that any Triad member who reveals their identity and enters a restaurant will be treated as a fee collector, and could face up to three years in prison.

"Friends? Don't be ridiculous! You think you have a rich friend who wears Armani? You stingy wretch, even if you sold your whole family together, it wouldn't be enough for him to buy a tie."

"We have private rooms available, the usual!"

A middle-aged woman in high heels and a red cheongsam leaned against the front desk, muttering a curse at the parking attendant before tapping a tin egg roll box on the counter to tell him to follow the rules.

This woman, Ms. Hua, must be the proprietress. She's quite pretty, wearing a crimson cheongsam, with dark blue willow-leaf eyebrows that are glistening with sweat, and the amber chandelier makes the gold powder at the corners of her eyes shimmer.

Willow-leaf eyebrows, peach blossom eyes, and a small face – this is the standard description of a well-bred young lady.

The restaurant was crowded, and the air conditioning was a bit too strong to keep the atmosphere lively.

The parking attendant, exposed, showed no embarrassment whatsoever, as if he was already used to it. He quickly took out a crab (10) from his pocket and threw it into the tin egg roll box.

"Sister Hua, please take good care of us. We're short-staffed today, I have to go get busy!"

"Boss, Miss, I hope you both enjoy your meal."

After paying the parking attendant, he said a few polite words and left.

Upon receiving the small amount of money, Sister Hua immediately changed her demeanor and greeted, "Young master, beautiful lady, please come in. There's a small private room on the second floor; it's nice and quiet."

"Please come in!"

Chi Mengli nodded, pulled Jasmine, who was looking around aimlessly, and the two followed behind the proprietress, Sister Hua, up to the second floor.

It was lunchtime, and the hall was packed with people, mostly foreigners, probably backpackers who had seen the magazine and came to try something new.

Sister Hua is incredibly agile; even in seven-inch heels, she can deftly dodge the waiter carrying a boiling casserole.

The waiter in the dark blue uniform was no pushover either. Although his eyelids were red from the smell of cooking oil and his eyelashes were still covered with chopped chili peppers, he held three layers of wooden trays on each arm, but his knees were as steady as if they were supporting a thousand-pound weight, without swaying at all.

Directly in front was the open kitchen, where the head chef, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, was using his pinky to pry open the lenses that were covered by steam, and with his eyebrows raised, he shouted a dialectal slang at the cutting board.

The kitchen helper with a floral headscarf in front of the cutting board looked up at the call, her bright almond-shaped eyes flickering in the steam. She grabbed a live fish, and with a swift stroke, gutted and removed its gills.

In just over ten seconds, a live fish becomes food. A spoonful of sauce, a small hand raised, and bright green scallions flutter like snowflakes, sprinkled on the fish before it goes into the oven. The scallions, clinging to the fish-scaled eyelashes, even add a touch of charm.

A waiter at the octagonal table by the window held seven celadon bowls in one hand and swung a scalding hot teapot in an arc with the other.

Her slender, almond-shaped eyes swept over the cups and saucers of each table of guests, and with a quick glance, she precisely caught the gesture of paying the bill raised in the southeast corner, and raised her hand to indicate that she had received it.

The thick soup, glistening with oil, narrowly missed her, leaving dark patterns on the ochre tablecloth.

The line in front of the cashier snaked all the way to the courtyard. The old accountant, dressed in a maroon Tang suit, was fiddling with a sandalwood abacus. His silkworm-shaped eyebrows jumped up when he heard the sound of dishes breaking in the kitchen.

The statue of the God of Wealth behind him had piercing eyes, its gold paint blackened by incense smoke, and its wide-open tiger eyes stared at the wall full of sticky notes that trembled in the draft.

As the worker in the white coat squeezed past, carrying a bag of frozen goods, his sharp gaze pierced through the rising steam and collided with the melancholy look of the waitress in the second-floor private room.

The girl's fingertips, which were holding the chilled bayberry juice, were red, clearly from being frostbitten by shards of ice.

After watching the lively scene unfold, Chi Mengli followed Sister Hua upstairs to the second floor and into a small private room partitioned off with plasterboard. Once inside, it immediately fell silent. Chi Mengli took the seat of honor without hesitation, and without even glancing at the menu, said directly, "The air conditioning here isn't strong enough; it's stuffy and makes people irritable."

"Two people, five dishes and one soup, we can't finish any more."

"Oh, and a pot of plum juice, with ice, please!"

Sister Hua first wrote down a pot of chilled plum juice on the order form before saying, "Young Master, then I'll recommend a few of Buddha's Smile Restaurant's signature dishes to you."

"Shiqi roasted pigeon is the signature dish of Foxiaolou Restaurant. It has been around for over 70 years, and the locals who have tried it all say it's delicious."

"Judging from your accent, you must be from Hong Kong. You may not have tried Portuguese food before. Let me recommend a Portuguese curry crab. This dish is amazing. It uses fresh bread crab, stewed whole, with curry, coconut milk, and Southeast Asian spices."

"The taste is just like Japanese adult films, absolutely fantastic!"

"Let me tell you another local way of eating it: mix rice with curry sauce. It's so delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off."

"You must also try the grilled devil prawns. They're grilled with butter and garlic, and seasoned with more than a dozen spices. I guarantee you've never had them before."

"Portuguese baked duck rice is so much better than that rubbish Spanish roast duck rice!"

"There's also a seafood stir-fry prepared in the typhoon shelter style, a soufflé, and a side of stir-fried bok choy."

"We have dessert, we have rice, and we have vegetables."

“Young Master, since you’ve come to Hong Kong and are a friend of Ah Xian, I must treat you to a dish: bacalhau balls, a must-order dish when visiting Macau.”

"Today's soup is winter melon, barley, and old duck soup. It clears heat and removes dampness, so drink more of it."

Sister Hua spoke like a machine gun, making the decision for Chi Mengli and Jasmine. Then she slammed the pen on the order form, turned to the waiter downstairs who was delivering chilled plum juice, and called out, "Sister, a pot of chilled plum juice."

After placing her order, Sister Hua said "Please wait a moment" and then drifted away like a butterfly.

Jasmine, who was sitting to the side reading a travel guide, didn't get a word in edgewise, but the dishes the proprietress mentioned were indeed the signature dishes of Fo Xiao Lou.

The chilled plum juice arrived. Chi Mengli washed the dishes and poured a glass for Jasmine first.

Seeing how considerate the handsome guy was, Jasmine's eyes lit up, and she joked, "Handsome guy, you have a sweet tongue and you're so generous, are you trying to pick me up?"

Hearing such insane words, Chi Mengli didn't react at all. The plum juice was too sweet for him to drink, and for the sake of his health, he drank the plain water on the table instead, too lazy to pay attention to Jasmine.

Jasmine, feeling awkward, pursed her lips and remained silent. She drank a large glass of chilled plum juice to completely suppress the heat in her heart. She continued tentatively, "Brother Sheng, you are a young master, and your friends must also be young masters. It doesn't make sense for them to live in the Holy Temple, does it?"

"I'm a gangster. You skateboard around Yau Ma Tei every day, you must have just met me, right?"

Although Chi Mengli didn't expose Jasmine's true colors, she still gave this wicked woman a piece of advice, telling her not to pretend to know what she was doing.

A strange glint flashed in Jasmine's eyes. She hadn't expected that Handsome Sheng knew about her son skateboarding in Yau Ma Tei every day, but she pretended to be confused and joked, "Young and Dangerous?"

"Brother Sheng, stop joking. Gangsters can't afford Armani suits or Bentley sports cars."

"If you find a good way to make money, you should take care of your brothers."

Jasmine continued to play dumb, putting on the airs of a rebellious young woman.

It's best not to try this trick on real gangsters, since these days all gangsters just know how to do drugs. After they've finished with Miss White, they'll go out and cause trouble.

Chi Mengli shook her head inwardly at Jasmine's clumsy acting; the police station was out of talent, sending out only this kind of scum.

"Of course there's a way to make money. Go work as a hostess in a malan area. You get 30 yuan a night, and if you take 10 orders, that's 300 yuan. You earn more than a HSBC tycoon."

"I can take care of you and not drain your water, so you can experience the pleasure of urinating every day!"

Chi Mengli drank water, picked up a newspaper from the side, and began to read it intently, uttering the most vulgar words.

"Push to the street!"

"I am naturally beautiful and cannot be ignored. I will definitely not become a Malan girl. If you need people, find the northern girls. They will do it for 20 yuan, let alone 30 yuan."

Feeling insulted, Jasmine muttered a curse under her breath and continued drinking her chilled plum juice.

"I've found a way for you to make money, but you won't do it. I'm so frustrated!"

Chi Mengli flipped to a page of the newspaper and found it filled with scandalous news, with not a single useful piece of information.

Jasmine didn't want to press the matter any further, so she could only lower her head and drink her chilled plum juice.

The dishes that Chi Mengli ordered were served quickly. Since they were all signature dishes with plenty of ingredients, they were all brought out at once.

It was the first time for both of them to eat Portuguese food, and they found it very novel. So, following the waiter's suggestion, they first tried the roasted pigeon, which was indeed very flavorful.

Chi Mengli, who doesn't usually like roasted and braised pigeon, can still eat a whole roasted and braised pigeon.

As for other Portuguese dishes, they're just so-so. They're not exactly fancy, but they do have some unique flavors. However, I just can't get used to the taste of Chi Mengli.

The bacalhau balls, however, were quite good. They were made with salted cod mixed with mashed potatoes and deep-fried, resulting in a crispy exterior and a soft interior—very tasty.

Those who practice martial arts can only eat until they are seven or eight tenths full, because if they eat too much, their brains will become sluggish and their movements will slow down. After finishing his soup, Chi Mengli put down his chopsticks, wiped the grease off his mouth, and continued to flip through the newspaper.

Jasmine, who was sitting next to me, ate a lot; she ate the whole bread crab.

"Hey beautiful, eat more politely. If others see you like this, they'll think you just came back from Africa."

"Eat slowly, no one will compete with you."

Chi Mengli picked up another newspaper, and seeing that it wasn't the Star Daily, she snapped her fingers and called a waiter over.

"Excuse me, miss, could you please go to the newsstand and buy me a copy of the Sing Sing Daily?"

When asking someone to do something, you can't just rely on your words.

Chi Mengli took out her wallet, found a crab bill (fifty), placed it on the table, and said sincerely.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

The waiter was happy to accept a tip, especially since there was a newsstand right next door, and it only took a minute.

Earning fifty dollars in a minute? Only a fool wouldn't do that!
(End of this chapter)