Hong Kong Island: From a small stall to a global supplier

Harold Dodgson had been waiting for Wang Yaotang to hand over a large sum of pounds and then humbly beg him to expedite the bankruptcy proceedings of the Jia Hua Group. He never expected to hear such devastating news.

I didn't say anything when Li Xiangjiao's stone supply was cut off, but today, I've been cut off from my supply too!
Harold Dodgson was bewildered and deeply shocked. "No, he cut off our stone! The land reclamation project is an official project, how dare he do that? This is a provocation!"

Michelle looked somber.

"Despicable, shameless, bastard, vermin, dog shit." Harold Dodgson cursed wildly for a while before feeling a bit better. He sat back down and began to think slowly. "I remember the stone quarry supply wasn't contracted to your Civil Engineering Department, was it?"

“No, but…” Michelle hesitated.

"Tell me, what exactly happened? Did Wang Yaotang contact you?"

“No, it was Sanchez and his team who contacted me,” Michelle said in a low voice.

Harold Dodgson raised an eyebrow, his expression immediately calming down.

Reclamation projects are designed, constructed, and supervised by the Civil Engineering Department under the Public Works Department, while the Development Department is responsible for new area planning and coordinating the use of surrounding land in reclamation projects. The Public Works Department does not directly carry out the construction, and Government House does not have an official construction company. These government projects are all outsourced.

Government projects, as those in the know understand, involve British contractors with connections. After obtaining the general contracting qualification, they break down the project further, finding second-tier contractors, who then subcontract parts to third-tier contractors, potentially resulting in fourth, fifth, or even sixth tiers...

The general contractor may not even know where the construction site is, but that's obviously not a big problem, since they don't need to do any work anyway. Their only value is to make money!
Of course, those involved in making money also come in different tiers. The group with the strongest backing takes money from the total funds, while those with weaker connections make money from things like material procurement, welfare, planning and design.

It was an organized, disciplined, planned, and humane money-making feast. The heads of the relevant departments of the Public Works Department, who were in charge of the overall management, were bound to get a piece of the pie, and this naturally included Harold Dodgson.

Splitting the project funds 30/70, with 30% used for actual work, is already considered honest and upright!

In the entire land reclamation project, planning, design, ships, machinery, labor, steel, cement, etc. are all more important than sand and gravel. However, Tianhai uses the most sand and gravel. Without sand and gravel, all the work has to stop!
At this moment, Harold Dodgson suddenly realized that the Hong Kong stone market was completely controlled by Wang Yaotang. Now, with just one word from that bastard, all their money-making endeavors would come to a complete standstill!
Instantly, Harold Dodgson broke out in a cold sweat. Cutting off someone's livelihood was like killing their parents; how many people would he offend this time!

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Harold Dodgson leaned on the table and asked urgently, "How exactly was the stone supply contract signed? How can he stop supplying it? This is illegal! I'm going to sue him, take him to court, and make him compensate us for our losses!"

“Some of the stone for the reclamation project was supplied by Shek O and Lamma Island, but now it has been sold to him.” Michel did not want to mention the person’s name. “The handover is currently underway, so the supply has not been completely cut off. However, the two mines were originally directly under the Governor’s Office, so the contract was rather rough. It stipulated the approximate total supply, but it did not specify the details down to each month or even each week.”

"Now that the mine has been sold to him, the contract has also been transferred. He has reduced the supply, citing the ongoing handover and recent production decline. He said that after the handover is completed, he will increase the operating efficiency to ensure that there will be no problems with the annual supply."

"Based on the contract itself, we have no way to sue him."

“The other part of the supply contract was signed with Jia Hua, which did specify the monthly supply volume, but now Jia Hua…” Michelle shrugged.

"No, Jia Hua has been on the verge of bankruptcy for a long time. How did they manage to keep supplies going before?" Harold Dodgson asked anxiously.

“He got the stone from Zhuhai and delivered it directly through Jia Hua, but that’s his contract with Jia Hua, it has nothing to do with us,” Michelle explained.

"Fuck you, that son of a bitch!" Harold Dodgson gritted his teeth, realizing he had been tricked all along.

"I fucking told you not to sell, not to sell! Now look what's happened, this bastard has monopolized the stone market. From now on, all the land reclamation projects will have to be at his mercy!"

"The Chinese are such a lowly race, they are simply not trustworthy!"

Michel lowered his head and remained silent. It didn't matter who monopolized it or not. It was all because of that bastard who made enemies with them. He was also full of resentment. He was getting a share of the land reclamation project's profits. He was annoyed to death by Sanchez and others harassing him at home these past two days, but he couldn't do anything about it. Sanchez and the others had the Secretary of State for Administration behind them. As a mere director of the Civil Engineering Department, he could only come out and persuade his superiors.

“Mr. Harold, it’s okay to stop the project for a few days, but if it goes on for too long, there will definitely be problems,” Michelle said in a low voice. “Will you pay the workers if you stop the work? If you don’t, they will have to find other jobs, and then even if we want to start work, we will have to find new people, which will take even longer, and other aspects will also have problems.”

"What about the Taiwanese? I remember they also had a significant market share in the stone market?" Harold Dodgson asked somewhat reluctantly.

“The Taiwanese people… have all run away in fear.” Michelle said with a wry smile, “The Taiwanese cargo ships were hijacked by pirates before, and then they were all handed over to them. Later, Che Yushan was killed in the street, and the other stone quarry merchants were so scared that they ran back to Taiwan that day. There’s still no news of them.”

“Pirates? That bastard? He actually colluded with pirates? No, he must have done it himself. He’s a despicable and lowly pirate!” Harold Dodgson was furious.

The thought that he, a noble descendant of pirates from Great Britain, about to lose the unified kingdom of Ireland, would have to bow down and submit to Wang Yaotang filled him with rage. He swept everything on the table to the floor.

After venting his frustration, Harold Dodgson slumped back down, looking dejected. He covered his face and said, "Okay, I got it. You can leave now."

Michelle got up and left.

Harold Dodgson, his eyes red, called his secretary in and said, "Come here, kneel down!"

The secretary looked at the documents scattered all over the floor, her lips twitched, but she still locked the door and crawled over on her knees. After rummaging through them for a while, she cursed inwardly, "They're as soft as noodles..."

……

"Mr. Wang, hello, my name is Bernie, it's a pleasure to meet you." A man with slicked-back hair, gold-rimmed glasses, a small mustache, and wearing a shirt and vest smiled and extended his hand.

Wang Yaotang sat in his boss's chair, showing no intention of getting up. He looked him up and down, thinking, "Is this a Chinese person?"
"Your surname is Bo? What is your relationship with Boyi Kao?"

Bernie's face stiffened, and he silently withdrew his hand, cursing inwardly but not daring to show it on his face. He still smiled brightly, "Mr. Wang is joking. Bernie is my English name. My surname is not Bo. Besides, Bo Yikao's surname is not Bo. His surname is Ji."

"Looks like someone asked you this question, and you even checked it. So your father isn't British?" Wang Yaotang chuckled and beckoned with his finger, "Come here."

"Huh?" Bernie paused for a moment, then smiled and walked over.

When you come to negotiate, it's only natural to exchange a few sarcastic remarks; he didn't see anything wrong with it.

"Come a little closer," Wang Yaotang said.

Bernie took two more steps forward and bowed slightly.

Wang Yaotang kicked Bernie in the knee. With a "crack," Bernie fell to the ground, clutching his knee and screaming in agony.

"You damned old woman, you ungrateful bastard, I'll teach you Bernie, Bernie, Bernie!" Wang Yaotang kicked the guy's head repeatedly.

"Why not use a proper Chinese name? You have to use an English name, and you even come to me with that smug look on your face. I need you to tell me that Boyi Kao's surname isn't Bo."

After kicking the guy repeatedly until his screams were barely audible, Wang Yaotang finally stopped.

"Feeling better now?" the bespectacled guy asked with a smile. "You beat him up like this, how can we talk now? Shall we talk at the hospital?"

Bisna called people in to drag Bernie out. Someone would call an ambulance, and someone would take the blame. Wang Yaotang was always very careful about these minor crimes and would never cause trouble for the police.

Police: When you get into trouble, it's a huge mess!

"I've already finished the negotiations, haven't I?" Wang Yaotang said with a smile, sitting back down. "Who says negotiations have to involve arguing back and forth at the table? I've made my stance very clear: I'm going to ask for an exorbitant amount!"

"Damn it, I've gone to so much trouble, both on land and with pirates, and so many people have died to monopolize the stone market. What's wrong with me raising prices and making money?"

Ah Jie burst into laughter, "Making so much before the monopoly, and still making so much after the monopoly, then the monopoly was for nothing, right?"

“Very nice!” Wang Yaotang laughed.

Everyone laughed along.

“According to the annual financial report from the Governor’s Office, the reclamation funds account for an average of 15% of the government’s tax revenue. So much money, and those British bastards have embezzled it all. As a Chinese, isn’t it only right that I take back a portion of it?” Wang Yaotang snorted.

Everyone: Yao-ge is right. ...

Bernie was beaten half to death, suffering multiple rib fractures, a moderate concussion, and a comminuted fracture of his nasal bone... He was immediately admitted to the ICU. When they received the news, they were furious, but they had never interacted with Wang Yaotang before and couldn't speak to him at all. They could only go through the Xu family to help pass on the message.

"Yaotang, they're in a hurry over there. They asked me to help them find out what you're up to. How are you doing?" Xu Shixun asked with a laugh over the phone.

“Make that piece of shit Harold Dodgson come and apologize to me personally. Wasn’t he so arrogant at the auction? But when it came to the handover of Shek O and Lamma Island, he acted all businesslike and tripped me up a lot. Now that he’s begging for help, he’s cowering like a coward… Sorry, I was being vulgar.” Wang Yaotang coughed lightly.

"Hahahaha..." Xu Shixun laughed loudly, "What's so vulgar about it? Let me tell you a secret, we only pay attention to our words in front of our subordinates. We can be quite fierce when we curse in private."

"Wow, so you guys are really that rich."

After laughing a few times, Hui asked, "He is, after all, the Director of Public Works, and is considered a mid-to-high-level official in the Public Works system of the Governor's Office. Aren't you afraid that forcing him to apologize will cause dissatisfaction among the people in the civil service, especially those British officials?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Before, when I didn't provoke them, were they nice to me? No, they even went out of their way to cause me trouble. Now that I've stood up for myself and caused them trouble, they're sending people to beg for peace. Those foreigners are all bullies who prey on the weak. Obviously, whether I'm nice or not isn't the core issue; the core issue is whether I have the ability to make them suffer." Wang Yaotang said arrogantly, "When they call me a bastard, I'd better really be a bastard!"

"Yaotang, harmony brings wealth." Xu Shixun felt a bit of a toothache. He couldn't understand where Wang Yaotang, at such a young age, got such a temper. His attitude towards doing things was too tough, which didn't fit the business philosophy of this group of people born in the 20s.

These people, born in the 20s, are rich second-generation and live a carefree life. However, they have become accustomed to the arrogance of foreigners and the humility of Chinese people during the turbulent times. In their minds, when dealing with foreigners, they inevitably think about taking a step back, making concessions, and coaxing them with money, as long as it does not interfere with their own money-making.

Make money, don’t be shabby!
Their parents did the same thing, and they did the same thing. Now they are among Hong Kong's top ten richest people, proving they were right.

But Wang Yaotang, the future soul, is not good enough. When he returns to Hong Kong Island in the 80s, what bothers him the most is not the lack of internet or the inability to watch videos of pretty girls. After all, he can make the prettiest girls pose in various ways with just a word. What he dislikes the most is the arrogance of foreigners and the unintentional bowing of Chinese people when facing foreigners.

Shabby, extremely shabby!
“Uncle Xu, in my opinion, being friendly never brings wealth. Who doesn’t like wealth? Just because you’re friendly, they’ll give it to you? That doesn’t make sense. Either you have more people and guns, so they can’t just rob you, and that’s why they let you make money, or you have a powerful backer, so they can’t use unconventional methods. There’s no other reason.”

Xu Shixun was speechless, his brows furrowed, and he was extremely displeased.

"Haha, Uncle Xu, to be honest, I wouldn't say this to anyone else. I'll still do the pretense. We're all on the same side, so I'm just speaking my mind. Please don't mind, I don't mean anything by it. We grew up in different environments. I grew up on the streets, so my outlook on life and values ​​are different from yours. I'm only in my early twenties, how could I possibly have your mindset?" Wang Yaotang explained with a smile.

Thinking of Wang Yaotang's experiences and his age of 20, Xu Shixun's brows relaxed, and he felt relieved. He said with a bit of a competitive spirit, "You kid, do you think I'm that petty? When we were young, we were all spoiled brats, and we talked way more arrogantly than you. We were all shouting to fight our way to the capital and liberate the whole country. You're nothing compared to us."

Wang Yaotang exclaimed, "Wow... I really dare not say that."

Xu Shixun laughed loudly, feeling quite pleased with himself. "Alright, whatever your conditions are, I'll transfer it to you."

……

“Mr. Wang, it’s great to finally meet you. I’m very sorry about what happened before.” Harold Dodgson walked up with a humble expression, smiling and extending his hand. “I have to say, I was indeed affected. We have had a pleasant working relationship for over 20 years. That’s how it was. Of course, that’s all in the past. I hope it won’t affect our friendship.”

Wang Yaotang held Harold Dodgson's hand, smiling just as brightly. "I actually preferred your previous rebellious self. You feel so unfamiliar to me now. Please try to come back to your old self."

Harold Dodgson stiffened, the veins in his neck throbbed a few times, and his hands involuntarily began to exert force.

Wang Yaotang then gripped his hand tightly, and Harold Dodgson's face instantly turned red. "Uh—"

"Haha, just kidding. As everyone knows, I love making friends, and every one of my friends has made a fortune." Wang Yaotang spread his arms and said encouragingly, "The money is there; if you don't earn it, someone else will take it away. I not only know how to make money, but I also like to share. I'm a master baker. Hong Kong didn't have the concept of a video and audio chain market before, but now it does, and it's incredibly profitable. I'm working on going public, which isn't difficult. Once Yaoxing Video Company goes public, it will create a lot of wealth, and many people will become millionaires overnight. I'm talking about pounds."

Wang Yaotang suddenly stopped talking, smiled and gestured, "Come, come, this isn't the place to talk, please come inside."

Harold Dodgson felt both pain and unease, and the sudden break made him even more itchy. He hadn't come alone; Sanchez and two others had come with him, and they were also caught in this predicament.

A bunch of scoundrels who are undermining the Governor's House can't stand the word "making money."

Throughout the journey, Wang Yaotang never mentioned the IPO again, which made the group feel extremely uncomfortable.

The meeting place this time is at Fulimen; the Dynasty location is not discreet enough and inconvenient.

Upon arriving at the private room, the group took their seats according to their status as host and guest. Wang Yaotang naturally took the seat of honor. After the waiter served the appetizers and drinks, he left. There were security guards outside, so it was very safe.

“First of all, I want to make one thing clear: I can love Hong Kong, and I can love the Queen, but you have to let me make money. You can’t just talk to me about responsibility when it comes to paying taxes,” Wang Yaotang said in a deep voice.

Harold Dodgson, Sanchez, and the others chuckled softly. Very good, very British.

"It seems we've reached a consensus on this point, so let me state my conditions," Wang Yaotang said with a smile. "First, the price of stone will be increased by 30%."

“This is impossible!” Sanchez exclaimed. “My God, Your Majesty, this is robbery! 30%! This price is far beyond the budget! Absolutely not! And the budget can’t be increased any further! There’s no reason why this proposal will not be approved.”

“Nothing is impossible.” Wang Yaotang held up a finger and shook it. “King Wah, Shek O, and Lamma Island are the best examples. If we look back, we will find that they occupy 70% of the stone market on Hong Kong Island, but they all went bankrupt. The reason is that the cost is high. The economy is developing, wages are increasing day by day, and prices are rising like crazy. In the end, the cost covers the selling price, which leads to bankruptcy.”

"You can't possibly let me take over and continue losing money, can you? There's no reason to love Hong Kong if it's losing money!"

Harold, Sanchez, and the others stared wide-eyed at Wang Yaotang. "Are we blind to know why those companies went bankrupt?"
How can a person be so shameless!

No wonder you became a super-rich person in such a short time, you deserve to make money!
“Of course, after you make the purchase, there are transportation, warehousing, management and other processes involved, so the price should also increase a bit.” Wang Yaotang raised his chin.

Sanchez and his companions sat up straight, their eyes shining. "Mr. Wang is right!"

"Don't the consecutive bankruptcies of K Wah, Shek O, and Lamma Island prove that the price of stone is too low? What else can prove it? The facts are right here!"

The group immediately became excited: "Price increase! Price increase is good! More government investment means more money to be made!"
“After the bankruptcy proceedings of Jia Hua are completed, I will carry out a complete acquisition. I don’t know why the Lu family didn’t push for Jia Hua to go public before, but I think it is necessary to go public to raise funds, and at the same time bring in more investors to share more development dividends. What do you all think?” Wang Yaotang tapped the table.

Harold, Sanchez, and the others' eyes widened suddenly. Had they gotten on the bus ahead of time?
What's the difference between this and giving money away?
Hong Kong law stipulates that civil servants are prohibited from participating in any form of commercial activity, excluding stocks and gambling, and there is even less oversight of front-running businesses.

With stocks, if you have insider information, making money is easy.

“Mr. Wang is a man of great vision; Jia Hua will surely shine in your hands!” Sanchez exclaimed. “We are very willing to participate.”

Harold raised his glass with an air of composure. "Cheers to the IPO!"

Wang Yaotang laughed loudly and raised his glass, "Cheers!"

After taking a sip and putting down his glass, Wang Yaotang continued, “Hong Kong’s development is on the fast track and it will inevitably become the most important port in Asia in the future. But we must also admit that Hong Kong is indeed too small. A large amount of raw material resources need to be sourced from abroad. A dedicated port for the distribution of raw materials and supplies is very important. I plan to invest in the construction of Tuen Mun Wharf, so I hope to acquire land nearby.”

"Mr. Harold, what do you think?"

Before, everyone got rich; now it's a matter of exchanging conditions.

“I think Mr. Wang is absolutely right. Coal, fuel oil, steel, cement, stone, etc. The construction of a resource port in Tuen Mun is urgent. Investing in the port will benefit the port and the people. The Public Works Department will give it its full support,” Harold said with a determined look.

Whether it will benefit Hong Kong is unknown, but for Wang Yaotang it will be extremely beneficial. If successful, it will be like having a hand in the steel, cement, and coal businesses, making it much easier to do whatever he wants afterward.

These are all basic resources for people's livelihood, and their importance is only greater than that of stone!

With the Hong Kong British government unable to use force, everything concerning themselves would have to be discussed and agreed upon by everyone.

I don't know about other places, but Wang Yaotang is definitely taking over the job in Hong Kong! (End of Chapter)