Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

By 9 a.m., two buckets of milk tea had been used up, and more than a hundred cups had been sold, while cakes and pastries were almost sold out.

Zhang Dabiao was a little amazed, thinking, "Damn, isn't the effect a bit too good?"

Of course, that's fine, since he doesn't know about prices.

His cream cakes cost 2 cents each, while those in tea restaurants cost 5 cents each. But Zhang Dabiao's cakes were small and had a lot of cream, so they were quite a good deal.

But Zhang Dabiao sells chocolate donuts for 3 cents, while tea restaurants and bakeries sell them for 7 cents!

Firstly, Zhang Dabiao didn't think this thing was very valuable. Secondly... ever since the supply from the bear expert on Li Huaide's side stopped, Zhang Dabiao had been refreshing the chocolate in his space every day, and now he had accumulated a five-month supply.

They refresh five or six bars of chocolate every day—just imagine that amount!

Cream, Zhang Dabiao has a hand-cranked egg beater and mixer, and the amount of milk, eggs, flour, milk candy, and other food items refreshed in his little nest is also impressive.

Therefore, for him, the main cost is labor, not the cost of ingredients.

The important thing is to stock up on goods in the early stages and make money as soon as possible to open up a storefront.

Around ten o'clock, the number of customers had decreased significantly. Zhang Dabiao, wearing a new apron, was setting up tables and chairs with A Xiang while loudly calling out to customers—

Freshly baked butter bread and chocolate donuts! Butter bread is only 2 cents each, and chocolate donuts are 3 cents each. Buying a set meal with milk tea is even more economical!

Meanwhile, Ah Xiang was still complaining: "Yao Yang, you set the price too low. You'll lose everything if you do that."

Zhang Dabiao calculated the cost of the bread... all the ingredients were sourced from the latest batch, and we're not selling much, so we'll just buy as much as Jingru makes.

As for the cost... is it 20 yuan a month for Jingru's salary (pocket money)?

Am I being too cruel? Exploiting child labor?

Just then, the sound of leather shoes "click-clack" came from afar. A patrolman in a green police uniform walked over with one hand on his baton. His gaze swept over the business license and then fell on the bread and pastries in the basket.

The patrol officer asked in a grim tone, "New stall? What's your name, boss? Where are you from?"

Zhang Dabiao paused for a moment, but quickly wiped his hands and went to greet them. His northern accent mixed with Cantonese sounded a bit awkward: "Hello, sir! My name is Zhang Yaoyang, I'm from the mainland. It's our first day of business, would you do me the honor of trying some? Cream-filled chocolate donuts, it's on you!"

It's pointless to try and fool these people with talk about being Chinese Americans.

Ah Xiang chimed in, handing over a freshly brewed cup of hot milk tea: "Yes, Sir, the dim sum my brother Yao Yang makes is absolutely delicious!"

The patrolman, named Ah Long, took the milk tea, took a sip, and deliberately slammed the cup down when he put it down: "From the mainland? You'd better know the rules. To do business in Hong Kong, you need to have all the necessary licenses and meet hygiene standards. Don't make me come to inspect every day and delay your sale of those 2-cent butter buns and 3-cent donuts."

Zhang Dabiao understood the unspoken meaning; this was clearly an attempt to collect protection money. He suddenly remembered the infamous "Five Hundred Million Dollar Detective Lui Lok" and "Crippled Ho," and realized the Hong Kong police force of that era was utterly corrupt. So, with a forced smile, he said, "Understood, understood! I'll definitely follow the rules from now on. Please take good care of me, Sir!"

Police officer Ah Long sneered, patted Zhang Dabiao on the shoulder with a light touch, and said, "It's a two-way street. Do your job well and don't cause trouble." After saying that, he glanced at the flow of customers, turned around and left. As he passed the street corner, he winked at a smoking thug.

Less than half an hour later, three shady-looking young men strolled over. The one in the lead, with blond hair, had a cigarette in his mouth, one foot on a stool, and his eyes were fixed on the donuts on the bamboo basket.

The blond-haired guy nonchalantly blew a smoke ring: "Hey! New development opening, didn't anyone tell you?"

Zhang Dabiao's heart tightened, but he forced himself to step forward: "Brothers, it's our first day of business, so we may not have been very hospitable. What would you like to eat? It's on me!"

The blond-haired man waved his hand and pointed to the tea stall's territory: "No need for food. Shau Kei Wan Main Street is under the jurisdiction of our Luen Ying Society. From now on, every day after work, leave me two chocolate donuts and two butter buns, that'll show you know what's good for you. In a few days, I'll come back and talk to you about 'Wealth Fragrance,' one hundred dollars a month, not a penny less!"

Ah Xiang turned pale with fright, tugged at Zhang Dabiao's sleeve, and whispered, "Yaoyang, a few hundred cents is barely enough for a hundred dollars! They're asking for the moon!"

Zhang Dabiao gritted his teeth, glared at A Xiang, then turned to a forced smile: "No problem, no problem! I'll keep some for you every day from now on, just in time for you to come and get it!"

The blond-haired man smiled contentedly and waved to his underlings: "Let's go!"

Before turning back, he pointed to the basket of bread in the tea stall and said, "Remember, choose the donuts with the most chocolate drizzle! If you try anything funny, your tea stall won't have a basket left!"

After everyone had gone, Zhang Dabiao reluctantly sat down on a chair, looked at the crowds on the street, and then looked up at the sky. He suddenly felt that the sky in Hong Kong was much heavier than that on the mainland.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head.

"Depend on!"

"The cops collect protection money, the gangs collect protection money, are they trying to kill us all?"

------------

After Huang Mao and his gang walked away, Zhang Dabiao was sullenly cleaning up the stool that had been trampled on, while A Xiang squatted to the side, sighing. Landlady Chen, carrying a vegetable basket, strolled over slowly: "Yaoyang, good luck with your new business, why are you looking so down? Give me a cream bread."

Zhang Dabiao snapped out of his daze, forced a smile, quickly packed the bag and handed it over, taking 2 cents in return: "Grandma, you're here. We've just opened and already run into some troubles."

Granny Chen took the bread, took a small bite, squinted at the tea stall, and then lowered her voice to say, "Is that blond guy from the Lianying Society here to cause trouble? I saw him at the alley entrance."

Ah Xiang's eyes lit up: "Grandma, do you know them?"

Grandma Chen rolled her eyes at Ah Xiang: "What on this street can escape my notice? Those Huang Mao gang are just bullies who prey on the weak! When you leave snacks for them every day, don't pick the best ones. Put less chocolate on the donuts, and don't fill the cream buns too full. They're too careless to notice the difference."

Zhang Dabiao hesitated for a moment: "Wouldn't this... offend them?"

Zhang Dabiao came to Hong Kong to make money, not to "fight" with gangsters and police officers. He was weak and alone, so there was no need for him to have any powerful advantages.

He knows his own limitations.

Grandma Chen patted Zhang Dabiao's arm and said confidently, "Don't worry! They care about saving face, not about the food! Don't give them the full 100 yuan incense money each month. Give them 50 yuan the first month and say business is slow and you're not making any money. If they yell at you, just plead poverty and say the police are also taking money from you, and you can't keep up with the pressure from both sides. They'll probably give in. Besides, the incense money at a 200-square-foot tea stall on the street isn't that high. It should be 40-50 yuan plus a holiday bonus. Don't be scared into giving them too much."

Ah Xiang scratched his head: "What about the patrol officers? Can they negotiate the fees too?"

Grandma Chen shook her head and said, "It's tough with the patrol officers! But you can give them a couple more pineapple buns on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, and call him 'Brother Long' sweetly. If he's in a better mood, he won't come nitpicking about hygiene every day. The police force should give you 60-70 a month, plus holiday gifts and temporary subsidies during police station inspections. Remember, in Shau Kei Wan, you have to be willing to accept both soft rice and tough nuts to crack."

"Just bowing your head won't do any good."