Years: Salted fish life since going to the countryside.

Chapter 1644 The Past of the "Society"
A certain "chamber of commerce" hired thugs from their hometown to kill and injure several members of another "chamber of commerce" that was competing with them for business.

After this incident was exposed, the landscape of Hong Kong changed almost overnight.

Does your chamber of commerce have money, but we don't?
Do you have the "characters" of your hometown, but we don't?

If you can disregard morality and hire thugs to injure people, why can't we?

From that day on, whether for revenge or self-preservation, those chambers of commerce began to contact their hometown "family members".

Hong Kong was in complete chaos for a while. Later, all the leaders of the Chinese Chambers of Commerce gathered together for a meeting, and the chaos gradually subsided. At least on the surface, no one dared to do it anymore.

In Hong Kong, the situation has become one where chambers of commerce support "gangs" (companies with powerful connections), using ordinary people within those gangs to provide labor, and employing those who are brave and willing to fight to protect their businesses and families.

The "characters" safeguard the business of the chamber of commerce and help its members find jobs and make a living.

However, this situation is limited to land. At sea, the law of the jungle still applies, and even the short stretch of water between Hong Kong and Macau is extremely dangerous.

Moreover, once someone targets you, there is almost no chance of survival; the sea is the best place to cover it all up.

Back then, there were many "big tian er" gangs who specialized in robbing at sea. Once they had their eyes on you, they would rob you no matter what flag you were flying.

When faced with these powerful figures, as long as the people on the ship obediently pay their money, they generally won't be killed.

However, it wouldn't work if the enemy brought in "Da Tian Er" (a powerful figure), because they wanted both money and lives.

【Da Tian Er: A term originating from the game of Tin Gou, but in Cantonese it refers to bandits or local bullies.】

Therefore, back then, one had to be extremely careful whenever a ship sailed out of the Hong Kong waters, because no one knew what kind of "big tyrant" they would be facing.

In that era, those who dared to go overseas to do business were people who dared to risk their lives. Chung Chu-hung said that among these people, two were the most famous.

The first one is Zheng Yutong. Most people only know that he was an apprentice and son-in-law of a certain Dafu. Because of his good performance, he went from being a live-in son-in-law to taking over Dafu in 56.

But those who worked in the triads and at sea knew that Zheng Yutong had risked his life to purchase gold by hiring a small speedboat to travel from Hong Kong to Macau.

Each time, he would sneak across the sea in the dead of night, working tirelessly at sea for more than three months to secure enough cargo for a certain company. Only then did he win his father-in-law's appreciation and approval.

Another one is Ho, who is currently in Macau and wields considerable influence.

He was working as a secretary at the Lianchang Trading Company in Haojiang at the time, and he was responsible for the company's continuous voyages to sea for a whole year. During this period, he almost lost his life under the guns of Tai Tin Yee several times.

It was this daring and relentless spirit that led him to receive a one million dollar bonus from the business at the end of the year. He used this money to start his business and build his current empire and status.

Han Li listened quietly as Chung Chu-hung recounted the stories that had taken place in the waters off Hong Kong. Han Li knew very well that, apart from the two celebrities she mentioned, there were others...

He also knew of an old man surnamed Huo who was equally adventurous in maritime shipping. Unlike the two men who were only willing to risk their lives for money, he was equally willing to risk his life for the country.

During this period, Old Master Huo was not only robbed by those big sea monsters many times, but also almost lost his life several times.

In addition, due to the special blockade, this old man Huo also had to deal with, evade, and chase the British navy stationed in Hong Kong.

Moreover, from that time until now, Mr. Fok's businesses have always been suppressed in various ways by the foreigners in the Hong Kong government, and he was only able to catch his breath after the Hong Kong issue was discussed between China and Britain.

So, if you big shots were to travel back to that era, unless you were incredibly wealthy and could buy an official position from foreigners in Hong Kong, or you were from the same hometown as someone from a merchant guild, you would have to be able to get a position.

If you're just an ordinary person without any special abilities, it's best not to go to Hong Kong. Living a peaceful life on the mainland and waiting for your opportunity is the best choice. Because no matter how skilled or capable you are, you can't withstand being ganged up on by a group of people wielding knives, nor can you stop bullets.

Before your foresight is realized, it could very well become a tool for others to make money.

If you happen to meet a person with a conscience, they might try to get rich with you.

But if you encounter a ruthless person, your best outcome is to be locked up somewhere and become someone they use for a long time.

Of course, if you're as willing to work hard as those big shots mentioned above, it's not impossible to earn your own startup capital through hard work.

The prerequisite is that you can catch the eye of those in charge of the chamber of commerce and gain their trust; otherwise, they won't easily let someone act as a guarantor.
No one would easily hand over an expensive ship, its skilled crew and henchmen, and its equally valuable supplies to a stranger.

While Han Li was chatting with Chung Chu-hung, the yacht had already arrived at Victoria Harbour.

At this point, Zhong Chudan had had her fill of the novelty and came over with a few bottles of drinks.

"Sister, brother-in-law, are we on top of an underwater tunnel now?"

Chung Chu-hung: "Can't you guess it from those landmark buildings on both sides?"

Zhong Chudan: "The tunnel is angled, so you can't guess it just by looking at the building."

Chung Chu-hung: "Whether it's above the tunnel or not doesn't matter. Just assume it is. But since Hong Kong got this undersea tunnel, it's not only much more convenient to travel between the two places, but it also saves a lot of lives every year."

Han Li knew the advantages of this tunnel, but he didn't know why there were fewer deaths.

Just as Han Li was about to ask, Zhong Chudan, who was also unaware of the matter, spoke up.

"Sis, what does this tunnel have to do with dead people?"

Chung Chor-hung glanced at her sister, who didn't care about anything, before explaining the reason.

72 years ago, the only way to cross Victoria Harbour and travel between Hong Kong's South Island and the Kowloon Peninsula was by the Star Ferry.

However, the Star Ferry shuts down and stops operating at a certain time. If you have an urgent matter and want to cross the sea at this time, you can only rely on the fishing boats and sampans under the various "brands" that are moored at the pier.

Besides paying a hefty boat fare, crossing the sea at night also requires having connections with certain gangs, knowing someone, and ideally being able to exchange a few slang terms.

Otherwise, those who choose to cross the sea in these fishing boats at this time will most likely end up sinking to the bottom of the sea and becoming fish food.

Moreover, they do these things openly and honestly, and even if someone comes knocking on their door afterward, these fishermen aren't afraid.

All they had to say was that the sea was too rough at night, and it was normal for their small sampan to capsize.

The passengers couldn't swim, and in the pitch-black sea, they couldn't find each other. They couldn't help each other, so the matter was left unresolved, and the person who came had nothing to say.

Therefore, before 72, once the Star Ferry stopped operating, ordinary people, no matter how urgent their business, would not take those fishing boats across the sea. They could only wait until dawn to take the ferry across the sea to handle their business.

As the three were talking, the yacht had already sailed to the vicinity of Damiao Bay.

At this point, the two sisters had different ideas about whether to continue east, then north, or south towards Repulse Bay.
(End of this chapter)