1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 496 Jianghu People are Pawns Crossing the River

"These days, what kind of business do those handsome young men under the 'gang' name do that makes the most money?"

"Of course, Kuaibo Technology will issue you a license, and then you can set up a stall in various markets."

"The cost price of a CD is only a few Hong Kong dollars, and the selling price is ten or twenty dollars. If you work hard, a street stall can earn more than a thousand dollars every night."

"The more money I make, the more expensive it becomes. So I rent a shop and not only sell CDs, but I can also add VCD business."

“In prime locations like Mong Kok, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay, a 10-square-meter shop in a high-end building only costs a few hundred thousand dollars a month in rent. But as a distributor of Kuaibo, you can earn twenty to thirty thousand dollars a day. How much do you think that is profitable?”

“I run a mahjong parlor in Sham Shui Po. At the end of the month, I see the handsome guys from the Sun Kee gang handing over their debts to the boss, and they don’t even blink at tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. What about the other handsome guys under me? One goes to collect protection money from slum schools, and the other goes to nightclubs to sell pills. The money they earn each month may not even be enough to pay their bail, so where would they get any money left to give to the gang!”

The nickname "Complaining Forest" was indeed fitting; he started complaining as soon as he opened his mouth.

A teahouse on Yeung Uk Road, north of Tsuen Wan.
At this moment, Su Kusen was sighing to his boss, Hutchison Whampoa's leader, Xiao Hanqiang: "No wonder there's no new blood willing to join the gang now. They've all been recruited by the new gang as members. I think in a few years, the entire Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Hong Kong will be filled with the old gang's men. At that time, it will truly be a case of 'fighting the whole world in one fell swoop'!"

Xiao Hanqiang, who was 42 years old at the time, was originally called Xiao Jia, but the name was passed down and eventually became "Roast Chicken".

"You mean Mr. Zhai called you personally?"

Xiao Hanqiang, the roast chicken restaurant owner, was dressed in a dark Tang suit. He had gained weight and ignored Su Kusen's complaints, getting straight to the point.

Su Kusen shook his head and said, "Of course not. How could the big water pipe know that I am a rat? I am the gambling ship's Xi Mi Tian... who was Axe Jun's henchman back then, Gui Zai Tian, ​​who contacted me."

Xiao Hanqiang frowned when he heard the name Axe Jun.

Once upon a time, this "Tiger of Tsim Sha Tsui" was originally from Hutchison Whampoa, but after switching to Sun Kee, he brought shame upon Hutchison Whampoa.

Although Axe Jun had been sent to live a royal life a few years earlier.
But nowadays, even his former underlings, some unknown foreign kid, have risen up and can even make him, the head of Hutchison Whampoa, attend an appointment with just a phone call. This is tantamount to trampling on Hutchison Whampoa's reputation for the second time.

"What a terrifying future life!"

Xiao Hanqiang snorted softly, feeling that he had been looked down upon.

He suppressed his displeasure and turned to another trusted confidant beside him: "Afu, what do you think?"

Chan Kai-ping, nicknamed "Silly Lucky," was also the head of Wo Kee in Tsuen Wan at that time. He was tall and strong, but his mind was particularly delicate.

"Brother Qiang, isn't that how the world is now? Whoever makes money is the boss. Old 49 (a thug) is just as powerful as 489 (the gang leader)!"

Sha Fu glanced at Xiao Hanqiang's face, put on his signature simple-minded smile, and suggested, "But you are, after all, the backbone of our gang. How can you be summoned and dismissed by a young upstart? Why don't I go over there?"

Xiao Hanqiang sighed, slowly stirring the sugarcane juice with double the sugar cubes in his hand, and remained silent for a long time.

Of the three major triad societies in Hong Kong, Hutchison Whampoa is now the weakest.

Since Axe Jun switched sides, it caused infighting and gang warfare within the triad. A number of key members were either arrested or fled, and the triad lost two territories in Tai Po and Tuen Mun. The big money taps that they used to curry favor with withdrew their investments, and the entire Hutchison Whampoa entered a long period of decline.

In the 1970s, the group claimed to have 200,000 members, but now it probably can't even muster 20,000.

Xiao Hanqiang took over the Dragon Head Stick from the previous leader, You Bo, last year. He didn't get a single penny. All that was left for him was the empty title of "Shenghe Thirteen Friends," just like the "Pan Lin Eighteen Beauties" of the four major companies.

As a result, Hutchison Whampoa has been ridiculed by people in the underworld for the past two years, and has been reduced to dining at the same table as Fook Yee Hing and Luen Ying Society.

In contrast, since joining forces with the 91 Entertainment Group, the company has never run out of employees. The most profitable businesses are the Natural Selection gambling ship and the horse racing casino. They also have VCD and CDs from Kuaibo Technology. Any one of their newspaper, comic book, and record businesses can support thousands of people, not to mention the film company. They can put people in every department, including stuntmen, clerks, security guards, and production assistants.

And that's not all. If you include the construction workers who built China Communications, the minibus drivers of Kowloon Motor Bus, and the outsourced meals, equipment, parking, and cleaning services...

The 91 Entertainment alone is enough to provide jobs for tens of thousands of people in the Sun Kee Group, and all of them are legitimate businesses that can pay taxes.

If it's a legitimate reason to make money, then ON9 is willing to go out and flaunt his cheating ways.

In comparison, while the number gang was slightly inferior in Hong Kong, it still firmly suppressed Hutchison.

The main water piper for the Xinji gang is Zhai Yuan, while the main water piper for the Number Gang is Lei Zhendong.

The entire number was a dozen or so characters. Relying solely on Lei Zhendong's shipping smuggling network, in conjunction with the Flying Tiger Gang in Bangkok and the Yamashita Gang in Japan, they specialized in distributing toxic flour to Western Europe, primarily the Netherlands, easily earning hundreds of millions a year.

Not to mention that Lei Zhendong was at that time the second largest shareholder of the Macau casino.

Although Hui Ka-keung had risen to fame in Hong Kong, he still had to put on a smiling face for Broken Tooth Koi and Teddy Tsai when he went to the horse racing club.

"What Hutchison is really lacking right now is a powerful water pipe to keep things going!"

Xiao Hanqiang put down his spoon, sighed again, and asked, "What has Huangpuzi been doing lately?"

Kwok Wing-hung, a young man from Whampoa, is also a rising star among Hutchison Whampoa's younger generation. He started as a stable boy and is most skilled in bedroom arts to please wealthy women.

Su Kusen chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Brother Hong recently recognized Mrs. Lin as his godmother. Mrs. Lin introduced him to a group of New Territories gentry. I heard that he's planning to get involved in the Ding Quan business recently."

Xiao Hanqiang nodded, his brows relaxing slightly: "Developing new towns in the New Territories is indeed a huge business. Tell him to do a good job, and Grandpa will definitely support him."

"Doing real estate is not necessarily that easy."

Sha Fu casually remarked, glancing at Xiao Hanqiang and reminding him, "Kuaibo's headquarters are in Yuen Long, and now they're building a signal tower to run a communications business. The Governor of Hong Kong personally approved the land to protect them. I've heard several of my legislator friends say privately that this Mr. Zhai of Kuaibo is currently the 'King of Yuen Long,' and if the China-Hong Kong Communications project is launched, he will be the true 'King of the New Territories.'"

Xiao Hanqiang frowned again: "Is it really that exaggerated?"

Sha Fu scratched his head and chuckled: "That's what those councilors said anyway."

"So, even if Wong Pu-jai does real estate business in the New Territories in the future, he will still inevitably have to deal with Sun Kee, this big water pipe?"

"I think it should be... Kuaibo is already a pillar industry in Yuen Long, building hospitals and schools, how impressive!"

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hanqiang remained silent for a long while before finally humming in agreement.

His eyes flickered, then he picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said with a smile, "Hey, Huangpu boy, ah da! I heard you've been doing business in the New Territories lately. If you encounter any difficulties, remember to tell me. I'll support you!"

"Pick! What do you mean 'no need'? Are you looking down on the big boss? The youngest councilor in Yuen Long, Zhai Yuan, is a good friend of mine. Can he help you?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you? He even invited me to have tea on the Natural Selection ship sometime..."

After making the call,
Xiao Hanqiang slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, looked at the strangely sullen Su Kusen and Sha Fu beside him, and chuckled: "What? I said that I am good friends with Mr. Zhai, and you think I'm being disingenuous?" The two people in charge waved their hands repeatedly to indicate that they dared not.

Xiao Hanqiang shook his head and smiled helplessly, saying, "Ah Fu, you guessed right. Huangpuzai's real estate business in the New Territories has indeed encountered some trouble. The villagers in Yuen Long don't care about any rural gentry or councilors. Now they only recognize Zhai Yuan. They all hold onto their Ding Quan and plan to wait for the China-Hong Kong Communications to be built and then appreciate in value."

I just mentioned on the phone that I know Zhai Yuan, and Huangpuzi was overjoyed. He said he would bring his twin sisters to visit me right away. But you young guys, you only see me when you're paying bills. You don't usually show this kind of filial piety.

Now that Ah Beng and Chicken Feet Black have both switched to Xinji, everyone below them is itching to make a move. Talented individuals like Huangpu Boy, who are hardworking, resourceful, and intelligent, absolutely must be retained! If I hadn't said these words today and brought up Zhai Yuan, who knows if he would have followed suit!

Sha Fu paused for a moment and said, "Then... I'll go see Xi Mi Tian first, and you can go on stage after Zhai Yuan appears?"

The intention behind these words was still to save face for Xiao Hanqiang, the leader of the gang.

“They specifically asked to see the boss! In short, the situation is beyond our control. It’s better to lose face than to starve to death on the streets. If we can get in touch with Zhai Yuan, Hutchison can catch its breath for a while.”

Xiao Hanqiang waved his hand with a smile, stared at the cooled sugar water in front of him, and sighed softly: "The path of the martial world is a one-way street, and those who walk the martial world are merely pawns crossing the river..."

…………

"Hey, Brother Qiang."

On the other end of the phone, Xi Mitian's voice came through, laughing as he asked, "How have you been? What have you been up to lately?"

Xu Jiaqiang, who had just returned to Hong Kong from Malaysia, had a smile on his face.

He held the receiver and said in a friendly tone, "Ah Tian, ​​why are you calling me?"

On the phone, Xi Mi-tian joked, "Please hand over the person~ The gambling ship sent ten professional dealers to Malaysia to help you. It's been almost a year. When are you going to release them? If you're late, Ming-ge will get angry, and I can't afford to take the blame."

Xu Jiaqiang laughed and said, "Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. Next week, I'll send those dealers onto the gambling ship. In addition to their wages, I'll give each dealer a bonus of several hundred thousand."

"Wow! The horse racing casino is really making money; Brother Qiang is spending more and more lavishly."

Xi Mitian's laughter rang out, followed by the question, "Are you free tonight? Let's go on the gambling ship, Mr. Zhai is treating."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaqiang raised an eyebrow, knowing that the other party had gotten to the point, and immediately said, "Okay, anytime is fine!"

He paused, then asked, "You two brothers, give me a heads-up: what are the boss's orders?"

On the other end of the phone, Xi Mitian paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I don't know the specifics, but besides you, Brother Qiang, Mr. Zhai also specifically requested to see the head of Heji tonight."

"Roast chicken?"

"Ah."

After hanging up the phone, Xu Jiaqiang frowned slightly and looked at Chen Lan beside him.

Chen Lan asked curiously, "What? What did Xi Mi Tian say on the phone?"

"Zhai Yuan asked me to meet him on the gambling ship tonight," Xu Jiaqiang said slowly. "But at the same time, he also invited Heji's roast chicken chef. What do you think he means by that?"

Chen Lan was taken aback upon hearing this, and hesitated before asking, "Could it be that while you're at the Ma Jiao, someone below you has been doing something inappropriate lately?"

Xu Jiaqiang gave a noncommittal "hmm," took a couple of steps away, and dialed several numbers.
They were all leaders under the jurisdiction of Xinji.

After some questioning, Xu Jiaqiang turned to Chen Lan and shook his head: "I haven't heard of anything happening, and no one has ever dealt with the toxic flour business, so there shouldn't be anything that offended him."

"Then we'll see tonight!" Chen Lan said with a smile when she saw his somber expression. "Don't think too much about it. At the celebration banquet for 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,' he personally said that he had a way to make money for Xinji. Otherwise, why would I have notified you to come back? As for Heji, perhaps Zhai Yuan has other plans."

Xu Jiaqiang nodded slightly, rubbed his face, and smiled, "Okay, I won't think too much about it... I've been so busy with the Ma Jiao business this year that I haven't remembered to check on things at home. Have Zhanping and Zhanfan been behaving well lately? Should we hire a few more servants to help? How's the school you've chosen...?"

…………

That night, at Kwai Chung Pier.

Accompanied by Huangpuzi and Shafu, Xiao Hanqiang boarded the Natural Selection ship on a sampan.

Xu Jiaqiang boarded the ship half an hour early.

When Xiao Hanqiang and his two companions were led into a VIP cabin by the ship's guide,
Xi Mitian was inside playing cards with Xu Jiaqiang.

The door opened, and the two looked over at the same time. Xu Jiaqiang stared at Xiao Hanqiang at the door for two seconds, then smiled and nodded. The latter also nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Brother Qiang."

Xi Mitian threw away his chips, greeted Xiao Hanqiang with a friendly smile, and said, "You may not recognize me. My name is Ah Tian. I used to be with Brother Axe Junjun. In terms of social status, I should call you Master Ding."

Xiao Hanqiang smiled, nodded, and called out "Tianzai".

He then exchanged a few more polite words with Xu Jiaqiang. Although they were big shots from different factions, they still had to maintain appearances.

"Silly Brother Fu and Brother Hong, right?"

After greeting the host, Ximitian smiled and looked at Shafu and Huangpuzai behind him, saying politely, "Mr. Zhai will be coming in later. He doesn't like crowds, so please wait outside."

When only the two Qiang brothers remained in the room, the atmosphere became briefly awkward.

Seeing this, Xi Mi Tian smiled and urged everyone to continue playing cards.

After the two rounds of the second-place match are over,

Xiao Hanqiang was the first to lose his composure and asked, "Tianzai, did Mr. Zhai say when he's coming?"

Xu Jiaqiang was also curious as to why Zhai Yuan had not shown up yet. He didn't say anything, but looked up at Xi Mitian.

"They should all be about ready by now."

Xi Mitian glanced at the diamond watch on his wrist and muttered something.

The next second, the door opened.

A middle-aged man strode in, impeccably dressed in a suit, a smile on his face: "Sorry I'm late. Mr. Zhai was busy, so he asked me to come and greet the two big shots first... Actually, everyone should be quite familiar with me, right? Let me introduce myself again. I'm the head of the Organized Crime and Triad Investigation Department, my name is Ren Darong."

(End of this chapter)