Hong Kong Storm: The King of Jobs

Chapter 574, page 164: The day before Lunar New Year's Eve

Human greed, anger, and ignorance are all incorporated into the Bible.

Out of jealousy, Cain killed his brother Abel and then lived a long life.

The Bible teaches us that if we want to rise above others, we must be ruthless; if we want to live a long life, we must kill our brothers.

Chi Mengli felt a little regretful. If she had read the Bible earlier, she wouldn't have taken so many detours!
"Substituting a peach for a plum?"

Looking at the photo of her first love, Fu Wenpei suddenly felt a little unfamiliar, because middle-aged men inevitably gain weight and develop wider cheeks, their looks decline, and they become tiresome to look at.

No! It's utterly annoying!
She casually tossed the photo into the ashtray, picked up the lighter on the table, and set it on fire.

The Thirty-Six Stratagems is a treasure of traditional Chinese culture. Even if you haven't read it, you probably know one or two of the famous idioms.

Looking at the burnt-out photos in the crystal ashtray, Fu Wenpei asked the question that had been bothering her.

"I've met Young Master Wen and Fourth Young Master Wen. Even a fool wouldn't think these two are brothers."

"Don't be silly! Uncle Wen is an old fox. His claws are no longer sharp, and his teeth are no longer sharp, but his brain is still there. Hong Kong is a very realistic city. As long as you are one step ahead of the fools, you will have more money than you can spend."

"If it were me, I would also keep Fourth Young Master at home and treat him like my own son. But when it comes to the crucial moment, I would let him take the blame. Uncle Wen and Black Tiger have been doing shady business all along. First it was Miss Bai, then pork, and now it's smuggling."

“I’ve always been against it, so I was kicked out.”

“Swire and Hong Kong Land have entered the fray. I have a comprehensive acquisition plan. Jardine Matheson is very satisfied. You can cash out and leave, and continue to be a landlord in Yau Ma Tei. I'll pave a way for you to continue making money.”

"Otherwise, you'll have to go down with the Wen family's ship."

Chi Mengli continued to read the Bible in his hands. The light from the desk lamp was too dim. He should change the lamp for the sake of his eyesight. He took off his glasses and closed the Bible.

Even if you can't control the Wen family foundation, you can still get a big slice of the pie from the merger!

"For the first thirty years, the father looks to the son; for the next thirty years, the son looks to the father."

"There's an old saying in the He family: the father is the youngest, the mother is the father, and the nanny is the only real mother."

"Now that I think about it, it really is true. You can only get money by pleasing the boss."

Handsome Sheng's words hit the nail on the head for Fu Wenpei. Old Ghost Wen must know all about Wen Tianchuan's background, which is why Tianchuan did not enter the Wen family foundation or hold an important position in the Wen family's companies.

Receiving a fixed allowance from myself every month offers no future prospects.

"I have no trump card, I can't help you. You're a handsome guy who can put on a show, I'm not going to join in the fun."

Fu Wenpei was unaware of whether Taigu would be involved or not. She did not have much say in the Wen family and only had a small amount of shares, which were a legacy left to her by her deceased sister.

The eldest and third sisters are the elder sister's biological children. Even though the two sisters are not close, they still have to be protected, since they both have the blood of the Fu family flowing through their veins.

With too few cards to play and too many people protecting her, Fu Wenpei simply can't afford to play this game.

"If the time isn't right, you shouldn't play even if you have a winning hand. But when the time is right, you can go all in even if you have nothing!"

"It's too early to say anything now!"

"I'm just giving Ms. Fu a heads-up, so she won't let me down at the crucial moment."

"Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve, no, that's not right! To be precise, today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Wishing you and your family a happy reunion and a Happy New Year!"

Chi Mengli felt a little tired. Without waiting for Fu Wenpei's reply, she hung up the phone, turned off the desk lamp, adjusted her pillow, and prepared to fall asleep.

Drink today's wine and be merry today; tomorrow's grudges will be settled tomorrow.

The stage has been set up, the gong and drum masters are in place, and even the audience is in place. Now all that's missing is the main actors to take the stage!

As the chief director, Chi Mengli has been planning this for a long time, and it's time to wrap things up.

Fu Wenpei, on the other end of the phone, put down the receiver, stood up, tied her pajamas, and walked out of the small study.

Standing at the door of the small study, looking down into the corridor, she saw that the large study was still brightly lit. She hesitated for a moment, then decided not to disturb Zhou Miaoyun and went back to her own bedroom to rest.

She is the Wen family's lawfully wedded wife, and there is a very complicated ceremony tomorrow, so she must be on her toes.

Lying in bed, Fu Wenpei quickly fell asleep and began to have a series of dreams, all about her youth. She slept until dawn, then got out of bed in a cold sweat.

The Wen family mansion was bustling with activity today. Before dawn, all the servants got up and began cleaning.

The kitchen in the backyard was also bustling with activity, with three head chefs and five or six assistants coming and going, preparing the offerings for the occasion.

A large piece of pork belly was scooped out of the pot and placed on a jade plate made in Russia. The pork belly was square and had no seasonings added; it was simply coated with a prepared red sauce.

A large Yellow River carp, obtained through connections, was also complete, with its whiskers and tail intact. It was simply blanched in hot water and then placed on a plate.

The whole bull's head, which had already been steamed in the oven, was now placed on a jade plate.

After preparing the three offerings, Fu Wenpei changed her clothes and went into the kitchen.

The three chefs, who were busy in the kitchen, quickly stopped what they were doing, wiped their hands clean, and stood in a row, waiting for the lady's inspection.

The Wen family's kitchen staff are paid annually, with each head chef earning 80,000 yuan a year. They don't need to work hard in the restaurant; they only need to take care of the Wen family's three meals a day.

The only downside to this job is that it's 365 days a year, no days off.

"This is a tribute item, and the master is very concerned about it. We must not allow any problems to arise."

"The red envelopes are ready. Brother Yun will distribute them, one for each person. Thank you all for your hard work!"

Fu Wenpei inspected the offerings that were about to be served and, finding no problems, instructed the kitchen helpers behind her to carry the offerings to the altar.

"Thank you, Madam!"

The three chefs were overjoyed to hear that there was a red envelope to be received. They had decided not to go home to reunite with their families on New Year's Eve, all for this big red envelope.

The Wen family is not stingy; each large red envelope contains at least a thousand dollars. In just one day of work, they earn more than a month's salary that others would otherwise receive—it's a great deal!

The kitchen was smoky, and Fu Wenpei, who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, only gave a few instructions before leaving. The pastries and cakes sent by Dongfang Xiaozhiyuan should have arrived by now. This time, a total of 888 pieces of pastries were ordered, divided into three portions: one for offering to the gods, another for entertaining relatives and friends, and the last for the household servants and workers.

I wanted 888 yuan just for good luck, since it's the Lunar New Year and I wanted something auspicious.

With the help of the housekeeper Wen Yun, Fu Wenpei took care of a whole host of tedious tasks, and a large square table was filled with offerings.

Zhou Miaoyun, who was supposed to be helping Fu Wenpei with her work, only got up after her maid reminded her, after the offerings were finished. She staggered down the stairs, yawning, and walked to Fu Wenpei's side.

"Good morning, stepmother!"

Zhou Miaoyun spoke in her usual sarcastic tone, making a joke about Fu Wenpei's status in the Wen family, and then yawned while standing next to Fu Wenpei.

In fact, Fu Wenpei had long wanted to teach Zhou Miaoyun a lesson, but she could only keep it to herself because of the Zhou family's influence. If it weren't for the Zhou family's interference, she would have slapped Zhou Miaoyun a few times already.

"Everything is already set up! The master will be coming downstairs soon. As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Wen family, it is very inappropriate for you to be wearing pajamas to worship the gods. Go back and change your clothes, take a bath, and then join us in worshiping the gods."

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, so even the strongest anger should wait until later.

Anyway, Zhou Miaoyun is already going to work at Tiantian Fish Farm, so there will be plenty of time to feed this clueless, stupid girl.

"Okay, Mommy!"

Seeing that Fu Wenpei did not retaliate, Zhou Miaoyun was a little disappointed. Once is never enough, so she resumed her usual form of address. The fireplace should be out. The temperature in the Wen family mansion was rather cool in the morning. She hugged her pajamas tighter and prepared to go back to her room to change into something more presentable.

“Mommy, I was on the phone with a friend last night and heard some rumors. If I remember correctly, we don’t have a warehouse at the Wan Chai Ferry Pier, so this incident should have nothing to do with our family.”

Standing on the stairs, Zhou Miaoyun turned around, smiled at Fu Wenpei, and kindly reminded her, but left without giving her mother-in-law a chance to speak.

Zhou Miaoyun has many friends. After all, the Zhou family raised her to be a social butterfly and sent her out to gather intelligence.

Hearing Zhou Miaoyun's words, Fu Wenpei also frowned. Liangzai Sheng said last night that Taikoo had already entered the game, but no news had come back from the dock. Even so, she was a little uneasy!

Having finished her work, Fu Wenpei gave the housekeeper a few instructions and then hurriedly went to her study to call the Wanchai Ferry Pier.

However, the subordinates on duty assured them that there was no disturbance at Wan Chai Pier.

Hearing his subordinate's assurance, Fu Wenpei felt slightly relieved. He put down the microphone, picked up his cigarette case, and lit a cigarette for himself.

For the time it takes to smoke a cigarette, Fu Wenpei still couldn't figure out what had happened at Wanchai Pier. Unable to understand, she could only stop thinking about it. She went back to her bedroom, took a shower, changed into a bright red cheongsam, and only after taking care of everything did she return to the first floor.

The auspicious time for worshipping the Dragon King arrived. Wen Hailiang, dressed in a long robe and mandarin jacket, came downstairs. The four members of the Wen family, carrying on the family tradition, were all present and waiting for their father to come downstairs.

Wen Tianxin wiped his hands clean with a towel, took three large sticks of incense from the altar, and handed them to Wen Hailiang.

The same rule applies every year, and Wen Hailiang is already very familiar with it. He took the incense, bowed to the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, and placed it in the incense burner.

The whole family knelt before the Four Seas Dragon King tablet, performing three kneelings and nine kowtows, prostrating themselves on the ground.

Because the worship was done at home, the rules were simplified a lot, but even so, it still took a full hour. After worshipping the Four Dragon Kings, the whole family had dinner.

The breakfast on New Year's Eve was quite varied, including pan-fried radish cake and brown sugar rice cake. Because the Wen family's ancestral home is Tianjin, there is a custom of eating vegetarian dumplings on New Year's Eve, accompanied by Liubiju pickles bought from Zhongying Street.

There were more than a dozen side dishes, as well as Western-style sandwiches, sausages, fried eggs, and vegetable salad.

Everyone had a poor appetite after waking up. The Wen family ate a few bites and then waited for the head of the family, Wen Hailiang, to leave the table before dispersing.

Because it was Lunar New Year's Eve, Wen Hailiang ate two vegetarian dumplings and drank half a cup of milk, which took a little longer than usual. After he finished eating and drinking, he wiped his mouth clean, stood up, and left the table.

After Wen Hailiang and Fu Wenpei left, the others scattered like birds and beasts.

The whole family came to the living room and kowtowed to Wen Hailiang. Wen Hailiang then distributed the prepared red envelopes, one check for each person, all for 88,000 yuan, hoping that the money would be distributed from the beginning of the year to the end.

After kowtowing, receiving the red envelopes, and completing the ceremony, the Wen family members went about their own business. They would only gather together again when the New Year's Eve dinner began that evening.

On New Year's Eve, every household was busy, and Chi Mengli was no exception. He sent Xizai and the others away, gave them red envelopes, and told them to go home for the New Year.

Xi Ren stayed in the villa to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, while he drove to the Longhu Temple to accompany Shen Xianjin to worship the gods.

Jimmy and McCaw were already waiting at the entrance of the villa on Victoria Peak. When they saw the big boss of the Bai family drive out, they quickly got in the car and followed.

Two cars drove one after the other to the entrance of Longhu Temple. There were quite a few people offering incense, mostly housewives. They carried baskets containing props for worshiping the gods. After worshiping, they would take the baskets to buy some fresh vegetables.

Ordinary worshippers usually worship in the outer hall, but the water room is located at the foot of the mountain of the Longhu Temple. Every year, the water room makes a large donation to the Longhu Temple, so the temple keeper specially reserved the first incense offering in the inner courtyard for the water room.

Chi Mengli led Ji Mi into the inner courtyard of the Dragon Tiger Temple. All twenty leaders of the water room were present and greeted Chi Mengli upon her arrival.

Nodding and greeting along the way, Chi Mengli walked up to Shen Xianjin and said, "Old Master, this is Ji Mi."

"Jimi, call for help!"

Chi Mengli snapped her fingers, signaling Ji Mi behind her to call for help.

"Old Ding!"

Ji Mi bowed to the fairy brocade.

"it is good!"

Ji Mi is of a lower generation, so Shen Xianjin doesn't need to show any attitude. By the time Ji Mi's generation comes out to compete, it's uncertain whether he will still be alive. Seeing that everyone has arrived, he coughed and said, "Everyone is here. Let's offer incense to the master."

Following the deity's three kneelings and nine kowtows, and witnessing the deity insert incense into the incense burner, after the worship was completed, the twenty temple leaders also opened their wallets and gave the temple keeper checks.

The temple keeper clasped his hands together in gratitude for the generous water service.

After the worship ceremony, the group followed the immortal Jin to have morning tea, and then everyone went their separate ways.

Chi Mengli chatted with Shenxian Jin for a few minutes, introduced Ji Mi, and then got into his car and left alone. He did not drive back to Taipingshan Villa, but went to see Sister Lian first.

Sister Lian was too weak to leave the sanatorium, so Chi Mengli stayed with her all morning and had lunch with her. Seeing that Sister Lian was drowsy, he left and headed to Wan Chai Pier.

(End of this chapter)