Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 562, Section 152: Harmony in the Family Brings Prosperity in All Things
"Haha! Mr. Mai, I'm old now. I don't want to get involved in the underworld business anymore. The Wen family should take the right path. Ah Hu is my disciple. I will hand over all the underworld business to Ah Hu in the future."

If you skirt the rules, nobody will care. Even if you get caught, it'll just become a topic of conversation.

But breaking the law is unacceptable. The Wen family's reputation has already been cleaned up; they can't afford to get tainted by the mudslinging of the underworld.

Old Man Wen recruited Black Tiger for two reasons: first, for the sake of Handsome Win's garbage disposal company, and second, because he saw Black Tiger as someone easy to manipulate and a scapegoat.

Actually, it's more appropriate to use one's own youngest son for this kind of thing, but Wen Laogui only has five sons, and he's too busy doting on them to throw them out as cannon fodder.

Black Tiger, a gangster with no power but only his fists, is best suited for this. If he makes money, everyone is happy. If he gets caught by the cops and ends up in jail, he can accept that too.

When the time comes, give Qi An a family allowance and let Hei A Hu take the blame for everything. To the outside world, you can say that it was his henchmen who went astray and that it had nothing to do with the Wen family.

Old Man Wen patted Black Tiger on the shoulder, telling Mai Tou to talk to Black Tiger if he had anything to say.

Mai Tou looked at Hei A Hu and immediately realized that this was the scapegoat the Wen family had found. He immediately said, "Brother A Hu, it's an honor to meet you."

"Uncle Wen has the sharpest eye; nothing can escape his notice! It seems he really likes you."

"I can only pay 25% for the warehouse and transportation at most. I will cover the warehouse rent and the settling-in allowance for the staff, and I will pay it every month to ensure that the brothers have money to spend."

Mai Tou revealed his bottom line to see Hei A Hu's reaction.

Hei Ahu was very grateful for Wen Laogui's patronage. A man would die for one who understands him, so he had to make use of his abilities and squeeze more profits out of the Wen family for himself.

"Mr. Mai, 25 percent, what are you trying to do to get rid of this beggar?"

"We're all smart people, don't pretend you don't know. Once your goods hit the market, they'll be incredibly expensive, no taxes required, and you'll make a fortune."

“Uncle Deng wants 35 percent, and we want 35 percent too. The Wen family has a fleet of refrigerated trucks, but not many, just over ten! We'll transport whatever goods you have.”

"If it's less than this number, let's stop talking!"

"And Mr. Mak, you will have to come up with 300,000 in cash every month. We will help you get in touch with the authorities and ensure that the police from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Fisheries Department will not cause you any trouble."

Black Tiger made outrageous demands, intending to recoup his losses from Mai Tou, this sucker.

Now, if you go to Tai Kok Tsui to have a bowl of snake soup, a regular snake will cost only HK$100, but if it's a king cobra, a banded krait, or a sea snake, these more expensive ingredients will cost HK$300 to HK$500.

Sea snakes and king cobras are in high demand at seafood restaurants. Currently, the most popular dishes in high-end restaurants are salt and pepper king cobra, Taishi Five-Snake Soup, and Secret-Braised Beauty Snake.

It's a grand banquet, a lavish feast, and almost every table orders it; no one misses it.

Customs and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department are very strict about king cobras. Even if they are transported into Hong Kong, the import price is ridiculously high. If smuggled king cobras can be transported to Hong Kong in tonnes, the price will definitely be advantageous, since smuggled goods do not have to pay customs duties.

Moreover, the Wen family also runs high-end restaurants, so they naturally have a demand for these high-end ingredients.

“If it’s 35%, then there’s nothing to talk about. I’ll only offer 30% at most. As for the cost of connecting the ground and earth lines, I won’t reduce it by a single penny. But, Brother Hu, there are rules for warehouses. If something happens to the goods, you will definitely be responsible.”

"Isn't that right, Uncle Wen?"

Mai Tou looked at Wen Laogui, hoping that the old man would give him a straight answer.

"Ah Hu is a sensible man; he knows what to do!"

Old Man Wen didn't answer the question directly, but gave ambiguous answers to reassure Mai Tou.

Mai Tou glanced at Wen Laogui, then at Hei A Hu, his face full of distrust. He didn't speak, considering whether this cooperation should really involve the Wen family.

“Mr. Mai, I know you’re worried, but in business, ups and downs are common. If you want things to go smoothly, I’ll help you with the post office and customs. I guarantee everything will be fine.”

“The Taikoo Ferry Pier is currently in the eye of the storm. I also have the Wanchai Ferry Pier’s cold storage warehouse, so the ships can dock at any time. Although the small steamships are a bit outdated, they can be modified and fitted with a diesel engine to ensure they are running at full power.”

"The ship can be converted in two weeks at most. During these two weeks, we will use speedboats to transport goods directly. From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the sixth day, we will work every day without rest to ensure that Mr. Mai's goods are in constant flow."

"Ah Hu is a newcomer, he needs to learn the rules slowly. I'll put up three million to support Ah Hu!"

"Now you can rest assured, Mr. Wheathead."

Seeing that Mai Tou remained silent, Wen Laogui directly took out three million to serve as ballast for Hei A Hu.

Upon hearing that Wen Laogui was willing to put up three million to support Hei Ahu, Mai Tou finally nodded and said, "Let's get a batch of goods first and test the waters."

"Happy cooperation!"

Old Wen poured a cup of tea for each of the people present to celebrate the agreement reached on the cooperation.

After finishing their business, everyone said their goodbyes and left. Hei Ahu had spent the night in the cell and needed to go to the fruit market to buy some pomelo leaves and take a hot bath to get rid of bad luck.

Only the Wen family father and son remained in the large private room.

"Dad, I think Mr. Mai's new way of making money is quite good. There are many old partners at home, so why let that good-for-nothing Black Tiger benefit from it?"

Seeing that there were no outsiders in the private room, Wen Tianxin spoke his mind: the wild game business was sure to be very lucrative, and there was no need to let Uncle Deng and Black Tiger profit from it.

"You can't be domineering, and you can't be too ruthless. You have to leave people a way to survive. There's no end to the business."

Old Man Wen had the waiter come in and clean the table, then replaced the teapot with a pot of Biluochun tea. Only after the tea leaves changed color did he pour a cup for his little boy.

Wen Tianxin always obeyed his father's words. The Wen family's success today was all thanks to his father's strategic planning. However, when he thought about Hei Ahu moving to Wo Luen Shing in the future, he realized that Handsome Sheng would be missing his spies.

He quickly put down his teacup and said, "Dad, Riri Fresh is packed with customers every day. The first batch of dried sea cucumbers has already sold out, faster than expected."

"Handsome Sheng has already paid the second installment and is ready to pick up the goods."

"There's something strange about Daily Fresh. Everyone knows what kind of market dried sea cucumbers have, but once the goods are in Liangzai Sheng's hands, they sell very well. The six flagship stores of Daily Fresh are all crowded with people, and the queues stretch all the way to the street corner."

"This is absolutely wicked!"

Wen Tianxin really couldn't understand why dried sea cucumbers, which were usually hard to sell, became a bestseller in Liangzai Sheng's hands.

Even king crabs and snow crabs, which are usually only found in high-end entertainment venues and restaurants, can be sold daily.

"You don't use your brain when you do things, of course you can't get things done."

“We don’t do business with individual customers, we only do business with our regular customers. Tian Tian Seafood Farm only cooperates with large stalls and supermarkets, and rarely conducts market research.” “Liang Zai Sheng’s Tian Tian Fresh Seafood is different. He does business with individual customers. Even at a discounted price, a pound of dried sea cucumber costs five or six hundred yuan.”

"But Liangzai Sheng got the goods at a lower price, and he packaged the dried sea cucumbers separately, two ounces per pack, one pack is just enough for two meals."

"For New Year's Eve dinner, even the poorest man has to cook two meat dishes to make a good impression. Two ounces of dried sea cucumber costs less than fifty yuan, including water, electricity, rent, and labor."

"The handsome guy sold it for 159 and made double the profit, getting back both the principal and the profit."

The scheme that Handsome Sheng devised is not something anyone can pull off. TVB's television commercials run from 8 PM to 10:30 PM during prime time, which is TVB's best-rated time slot.

The popular TV dramas all feature advertisements for Daily Fresh.

The advertisements at the bus stops along the roadside were all for daily special offers.

These two items alone cost Handsome Sing one or two million dollars. You have to know that a second of advertising during prime time on TVB costs tens of thousands of dollars. To make Daily Fresh a hit, Handsome Sing really poured real money into it.

"The customer has paid, and we've signed a contract, so of course we have to deliver on time and without any problems."

"Make sure to take good care of the testing company so that there are no problems and that Handsome Sheng can find fault with it."

Old Man Wen has a great liking for Handsome Sheng. He is sharp-witted, pragmatic, and knows when to advance and retreat, unlike other low-class gangsters.

What's the point of mingling in the martial arts world?
It's all about the money!
The henchmen under his command are there to protect the business, not to cause trouble.

"Dad, should we still make a move?"

“Garbage collection companies are a lucrative business. I bribed the accountant of a garbage collection company and got the books. Handsome Sheng can earn three or four hundred thousand a month by relying on this garbage collection company.”

“Shanghai natives don’t like real estate; they prefer finance. Only a few second-generation Shanghai natives who can’t get into the financial sector step up to get into real estate.”

“Liangzai Sheng owns at least four residential communities. All four are mid-range communities with not too many residents. Even so, Liangzai Sheng can still earn a net profit of three to four hundred thousand.”

"Sir Zhou and my father-in-law have more than ten high-end apartment buildings under their control. Once we get the garbage disposal company, I can talk to my father-in-law and negotiate the share of profits so we can take it over."

"In addition to our own residential communities, we also handle the cleanup of construction waste from construction sites."

“We can earn an extra five or six million a year just from the waste disposal company.”

"And this isn't just for one year, it happens every year!"

Wen Tianxin had already calculated the costs of the garbage disposal company and immediately understood his father's good intentions.

Five or six million a year may not seem like a large sum, but if this continues year after year, the Wen family descendants could live off this gold mine for a lifetime.

"When choosing a path to wealth, of course you should choose one that guarantees a profit without any risk!"

"But we can't make a move, or we'll get a bad reputation, and no one will come to us to discuss cooperation in the future."

"I recently learned a line from a traditional Chinese opera: 'Let heroes fight heroes, let heroes deal with heroes.'"

"Deng Bo hates Shui Fang, but he can't defeat Shui Fang by himself. Once he leaves this door, he will spread the word that Hei A Hu is going to take the territory away from the government."

“Handsome Sheng definitely won’t take action to clean house right now. He’ll talk to Black Tiger. If we arrange for someone, Handsome Sheng’s people, to take out Black Tiger at this time, wouldn’t that detonate this powder keg?”

"If! I mean if, Hei A Hu hadn't died, would this feud have been formed?"

"If Black Tiger smashes all of Handsome Sheng's Daily Fresh products, and Handsome Sheng can't pay his debts, then will the waste disposal company be taken over by the Wen family?"

Old Man Wen sipped his tea and explained his little plan to his son, bit by bit.

Wen Tianxin, looking completely bewildered, was shocked by his father's plan.

Black Tiger betrays him and switches sides. Handsome Sheng sends a knife-wielding man to kill Black Tiger, but the plot is exposed. Black Tiger retaliates and wrecks Handsome Sheng's place.

If things escalate, Ri Ri Fresh's business will be impossible to continue. Even if it manages to open, Black Tiger will continue to send people to cause trouble, and no matter how Handsome Sheng retaliates, it will affect the business.

When that time comes, if Handsome Sheng doesn't have the money to pay for the goods, Jardine Matheson will take action. Once that happens, Handsome Sheng will have no choice but to obediently pay the penalty and hand over all the shares and management rights of the waste disposal company.

All the hard work of the past six months has benefited the Wen family, who have become the ultimate winners in this game.

high!
That's brilliant!
All of his actions were unremarkable, but they were enough to swallow up assets worth over 100 million yuan belonging to the handsome young man.

The Wen family had considered investing, but the foreign municipal government had already suspended licenses for waste disposal companies. The window of opportunity had passed. It wasn't that the Wen family couldn't obtain a license for a waste disposal company, but it would just require more effort.

Spend an extra three to five million to bribe the foreigners, and after the license is issued, you'll still need to buy land, build a waste treatment plant, buy offshore incineration vessels, assemble a fleet of vehicles, and establish regional waste treatment stations.

By the time the Wen family had settled everything, at least a year had passed, and by then, there were hardly any pieces of meat left, and perhaps not even a few warm bones.

But things are different now. If Black Tiger kills Handsome Sheng, the Wen family can smoothly take over Handsome Sheng's waste disposal company.

Wen Jiaqing stood innocently on the shore, not a speck of sewage splashing onto him.

"When dealing with foreigners, you'll need your father-in-law to step in, since he's now a director of Po Leung Kuk."

"Don't stay out lately. I've already sent people to protect your mistress. I'm transferring one million to you. Go to Cartier Jewelry and buy Miaoyun some decent pieces of jewelry."

“Your wife is a guest of honor of the Governor’s wife. I let you marry Zhou Miaoyun because I valued her social circle. But your relationship with Miaoyun has never been harmonious, and your family hasn’t been able to help you much.”

“Your father-in-law has been grooming you all along, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to get into Po Leung Kuk or become the vice president of the Fisheries Association. But your father-in-law’s grooming of you also depends on your wife’s opinion.”

"Since your relationship is lukewarm, your father-in-law has shifted his focus to training you."

"After the New Year! I'll talk to your aunt today, and I'll tell Miaoyun at dinner tonight that she can start working at Tiantian Fishing Port tomorrow."

"No matter what, don't bring your mistress home. Keep her outside, feed her well, and raise her as much as you want, so she can have more children."

"Harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things!"

You have to give to receive. Zhou Miaoyun is one of our own, so giving her a position and benefits is no problem. We shouldn't let the good stuff go to outsiders.

As long as the Zhou family gets involved, Jardine Matheson Insurance will have to give them face!
Old Wen picked up his teacup and sipped his tea with a smile.

(End of this chapter)