money player

six thirty.

Xian's mother Wen Banxia has returned. First, there is a quarter of an hour of mother-son reunion drama, and then they sit around the table and have a warm dinner together.

"Awen, when will your sister-in-law A Ling give birth?"

"Mom, the estimated due date is around the end of August or the beginning of September."

"It's almost March. It's almost there. When are you and Jin Man planning to have the baby?"

"We are already planning it."

"Yes, mother, my master and I are almost there. Mother, there is a street play on Tofu Street today, shall we go and watch it after dinner?"

"well."

Finished eating.

The four of them strolled slowly towards Tofu Street. Xian Guangli and Wen Banxia walked in front. Xian Guangli walked with his hands behind his back, but Wen Banxia wanted to hold his arm. Xian Guangli had no choice but to accept her arm.

Xian Yaowen and Cai Jinman walked behind. Cai Jinman hung half of his weight on Xian Yaowen's arm, and Xian Yaowen hummed a song.

"Somewhere in every heart, there is always a memory that cannot be shaken off. Somewhere in every night, there is always the deepest thought. With the myriad changes in the world, love divides the lovers into two ends. If the heart knows the direction of the telepathy, it will be there even if we cannot be together day and night."

"Master, what song is this? I have never heard of it."

"Yao Wen and Jin Man's Moonlight." Xian Yao Wen replied softly, and then hummed, "Yao Wen's moonlight illuminates dreams, please warm her heart, seeing through the gatherings and separations of the world, can there be more happy moments; Jin Man's moonlight illuminates dreams, please guard him, if one day they are together, let happiness fill the whole night."

The moonlight of the fourteenth day shone on Cai Jinman's face, and she held Xian Yaowen's arms tighter.

Unknowingly.

The four of them came to Tofu Street. They didn't need to look for it, they could find the stage by following the sound of gongs and drums.

The four of them came to the lively place, stood beside the bench, and looked towards the stage.

After listening to a passage, Xian Yaowen didn't understand what was being sung, so he asked Cai Jinman, who was immersed in the song, "What is it singing?"

"Two Serpent Orphans by Tong Tik-sang."

“Is there any allusion?”

"It seems to be a book written by Tang Ti-sheng himself."

"Oh." Xian Yaowen patted Cai Jinman on the wrist, "You stay here and watch. I'm going to buy some ice cream."

"Ah."

Xian Yaowen walked to the ice cream truck on the other side, bought a few ice creams and was about to return when he saw a child staring at the ice cream in his hand.

He handed an ice cream to the child and said softly, "Here you go."

Seeing this, the child swallowed, his eyes flashed with sarcasm, but he did not step forward to take the ice cream.

"Don't be shy, come and get it." Xian Yaowen shook the ice cream.

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the sound of breaking wind and cracking behind him, followed by a scream. Looking back, he saw Qi Longque grabbing a man's wrist. The man was in pain, half-crouching on the ground, howling.

Before he could conclude that the man was a pickpocket, the child behind him had already rushed towards Qi Longque, "Brother Rong, Brother Rong, you bad guy, let Brother Rong go."

The child grabbed Qi Longque's arm and scratched and clawed, baring his teeth and trying to bite him, but Qi Longque stood still and increased his strength with his fingers. In an instant, the man's howling became even louder.

The situation is basically clear. The man is a pickpocket and the child is his wingman, responsible for diverting the target's attention to make it easier for the man to take action.

"never mind."

Xian Yaowen said lightly, took back the ice cream and walked towards another stall.

"Tikam-Tikam." The stall owner saw Xian Yaowen approaching and shouted, "Boss, do you want to play 'Di Gan-Di Gan'?"

"If you don't want to play, give me a pack of three-five."

Digan means random choice in Malay, and Digan is also a kind of lottery game.

The merchant printed patterns of various prizes on a large cardboard. Each prize had a number. Under the large cardboard were rows of small pieces of paper, commonly known as "digan paper", which had a number on it. Customers used five cents or ten cents as a bet to buy a piece of digan paper. If the number on the paper matched the number in the picture, the lucky person would win the prize.

Basically, diggers and scratch-offs are the same thing. The winning rates are calculated, and the grand prizes are hidden until the "right" time comes for the "right" person to win. The game is about creating a "lucky guy" who catches a bunch of "leeks."

Seeing that Xian Yaowen, a potential wealthy customer, was not interested in taking the bait, the stall owner took three or five packs of the snacks with a dull attitude, hoping to grab the limited profit.

Xian Yaowen put down two coins, took a cigarette, returned to Cai Jinman, gave the cigarette and two ice creams to Xian Guangli, peeled a piece and put it into Cai Jinman's mouth.

Cai Jinman took a sip and said, "Wow, so cold."

"It's nice to eat something cold in hot weather. Ice cream is too boring. It's better to have shaved ice." Xian Yaowen chewed a mouthful of the ice cream that Cai Jin had chewed and said, "Make some snow yogurt tomorrow night so I can eat it when I get home."

"Snow yogurt..." Cai Jinman chewed it and said dejectedly, "Master, I don't know how to make it."

"It's very simple. Tomorrow, have someone send a piece of ice to your home. Crush the ice and put it in a bucket. Then take an iron kettle and put it in the iced water from the refrigerator. Add some juice and put the iron kettle in the ice bucket. Tie a rope to the iron kettle and pull it repeatedly to make it spin.

The water in the pot will freeze soon, and you need to use chopsticks to scrape off the ice on the inner wall of the pot to keep the inside of the pot semi-liquid, that is, in a cheesy state.

The iron kettle turns in the ice bucket, and the more it turns, the stickier it becomes, until it becomes thick millet porridge. That's it. When you eat it, sprinkle some fruit cheese on it, pour some milk on it, stir it, pour it into a cup, and drink it while chewing it. "

Cai Jinman nodded, "It's not difficult to make. What kind of fruit cheese would you like to eat, Master?"

Xian Yaowen stood behind Cai Jinman and hugged him into his arms, "You decide. Add whatever you want."

Cai Jinman leaned forward and gave his weight to Xian Yaowen, "You're going to be busy with work tomorrow?"

"I will be out during the day and come home for dinner. After dinner, I will take you to the Xianle KTV to listen to music."

"What about the day after tomorrow?"

"Did you receive the box I sent a few days ago?"

"Ah."

"Inside are the gifts prepared for grandma and the others. Each one is individually wrapped with a name on it. Take it out tomorrow. I'll be home at four in the afternoon, and we'll go across together."

"it is good."

"I'm selling tofu pudding. Sweet and delicious tofu pudding. Come and try it. It's fragrant and smooth. Come, come, have a bowl of tofu pudding."

Xian Yaowen turned around and saw a woman carrying a basket and hawking her wares. He turned back and asked, "Would you like to eat tofu pudding?"

"I want to eat, but one bowl is too much. Master, can we share it?"

"it is good."

Xian Yaowen let go of Cai Jinman and walked towards the basket.

Halfway through the journey, the woman's face turned towards him. He saw the woman's appearance clearly and found that it was an old acquaintance - Du Juan's younger sister Yan Rushuang.

Yan Rushuang also noticed him, and to make sure she hadn't recognized the wrong person, her eyes began to avoid him, but then they met his again.

"Three bowls of tofu pudding, with less sugar water."

"Xian...Okay...Mr. Xian." Yan Rushuang stuttered.

Xian Yaowen said with a spring breeze: "Miss Yan, long time no see."

"Mr. Xian, I..." Yan Rushuang hesitated and lowered her head.

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly, "Let's do business first. I will go to the Xianle Getai tomorrow night, where you can tell me your story."

"Okay." Yan Rushuang nodded slightly and squatted down to scoop the tofu pudding.

Xian Yaowen took out three cents from his pocket and held it in his hand. After the three bowls of tofu pudding were in Xie Tingyun's hands, he handed the money to Yan Rushuang and said, "I'll bring you the bowls later."

"Don't bother, I'll go and get it." Yan Rushuang spoke more fluently.

Xian Yaowen nodded slightly.

When he returned to Cai Jinman, he held the bowl and spoon, fed Cai Jinman one spoonful and ate one spoonful himself.

"Is it tasty?"

"The craftsmanship is very ordinary, and the soybeans are also ordinary, far worse than Sanbao's."

"I think it's OK. It's good enough for a latecomer to reach this level."

"Do you know the basket?"

"Old acquaintance." After scooping another spoonful into Cai Jin's mouth, Xian Yaowen handed the bowl to Qi Longque, "Mrs. Song is good at making home-cooked dishes, but it's a bit difficult to prepare banquets. The dining room at home is also a little small, and it's hard to accommodate too many guests.

I plan to build another building, called the dining building, and arrange for guests to eat in the dining building. Amin will arrange for the building and the recruitment of chefs, and you will arrange for the chefs to learn the secret recipes of other families in the future.

For example, if you say that Sanbao's tofu pudding is delicious, then we can arrange for the chef to learn how to make it. The Xian family can allocate a sum of money every year to buy secret recipes and learn skills. After three to five years, every dish in the restaurant will be the best in the world, or at least top-notch. "

Cai Jinman frowned and said, "Master, the cook has learned a lot of skills, how can he stay at home and work peacefully? He will definitely go out to open a shop and create a brand. We are not just making wedding clothes for others."

“It’s normal for people to come and go. People should take advantage of the situation and there’s no need to feel reluctant. Although our Xian family is also busy with business, we don’t rely on it for a living. We don’t need to stop the chefs from opening their own shops as long as they fulfill their contracts and work for a sufficient period of time.

In addition, in order to prevent us from suffering too much loss, you should pass on your cooking skills. The secret recipes and skills you bought with money must be passed down to someone in your family. Don’t let the skills become a family heirloom in the hands of the chef, while our Xian family is wiped out.”

"Then why don't we open our own store and make use of the secret recipe?"

"Forget about opening a shop. It's hard to run a high-end restaurant. It takes a lot of energy and you won't make much money. It's better to run an affordable restaurant. It's easier to rely on sales volume."

Xian Yaowen held Cai Jinman's hand and kneaded it gently, "You don't have to worry too much about the family business now. Run your Nyonya restaurant first. It will kill time and help you understand what business is. When you can help, it won't be too late to worry about the family business."

"Ah."

The two of them were whispering as if no one was around, not noticing that Yan Rushuang was watching them from behind, nor did they pay attention to Xian Guangli and his wife. They didn't know when the two old people left.

……

The women in the entertainment industry earn their money through hard work. Anyone trying to rob or cheat someone of this money will be struck by lightning. At the same time, this hard-earned money is also quick money, and some of it is even a lot of money.

People working in the financial industry have always had a bad reputation, especially those engaged in the private financial industry, such as those who play acceptance, usury or are bad people. The reputation of these people has never been good since the birth of the industry.

As for financing, it is generally divided into Round A, Round B, and Round C, with financing proceeding round by round. Those who get involved are basically people or institutions in the financial industry with idle funds.

But private finance is more eccentric, and has developed the Heaven on Earth Wheel, the Splendid Wheel, etc. The names have no special meaning, they just represent the name of a nightclub. Well, most people call it Shang K.

The mamas and public relations in shopping malls are just trying to get a little tip from the customers. Although the consumption is a bit high, 1500 yuan will only result in a disdainful smile, and 3000 yuan will only be looked at in the eye, but no matter what, it is all about getting rich through hard work, which is extremely glorious, and getting rewards through hard work is only fair.

On the contrary, private financial practitioners work in shopping malls for more than 365 days a year, spending their money in debauchery. The amount of money they spend is measured in billions. The EQ and IQ of mommies and public relations are very high, but they are extremely lacking in professional knowledge, and they earn hundreds of dollars a year. This is one of the advanced forms of having too many people and too little money.

A private financial practitioner who frequently gives out tips can easily create an image of being wealthy and making money easily. It is also easy for him to gain the trust of mommies and public relations, and it will not be too difficult to raise funds from them.

This is the so-called "Business K Name" round, with little legitimate financing and a lot of scams.

In terms of income level, the Pipa artists in the Pipa Hall are comparable to high-end shopping mall public relations professionals decades later, earning tens to hundreds of thousands a year, and some even earning hundreds of thousands. Their income is much better than that of the street performers.

Compared with private financial practitioners who are just customers, Narcissus, who was born in Pipa and used to be the leader of Red Butterfly, is more easily trusted by Pipa.

She just mentioned at a party that Yaoyi Investment had the intention of raising funds, and many young people took the initiative to find her and use their retirement savings to invest.

At this time, Narcissus was eating supper in the black street, and was treated by a few Pipa boys.

"Narcissus, this necklace of yours is made of gold and diamonds. It must be very valuable, right?"

"It must be expensive. Look at how many diamonds it has. But... it looks like a zipper. It's not pretty."

"The ZIP gold necklace newly launched by Van Cleef & Arpels this year is an idea proposed by the Duchess of Windsor based on the zipper. It should look like a zipper." Narcissus ignored the two hands resting on her collar and said lightly, "I haven't seen you sisters for a while. Let's have a drink."

After a glass of wine, the topic naturally shifted to investment.

“Dear sisters, I know that everyone wants to invest money in me. I, Narcissus, thank you for your trust, but I have to say something ugly in advance. You can only get your money back after two years. Otherwise, I can only return your principal, and I will not give you a penny of the 5% guarantee or the profit.

Everyone should do what they can and not invest blindly..."

After watching the street show, Xian Yaowen started humming again on the way home.

"A girl named Jin Man, a girl named Jin Man, a girl named Jin Man..."

Cai Jinman's head was pressed tightly against Xian Yaowen's arm, with a sweet smile on her face.

"Her story is worth pursuing; the little bride is destined to be together for three lifetimes; it seems like a dream, and half a year has passed. A girl named Jin Man ~ eyes as bright as water, hair as green as clouds; a thousand kinds of love, gathered in one person..."

"What's the name of this song?"

"Do you still need to ask?"

"Tell me, I want to know."

"Gold Full."

"Yeah, that sounds good."

Cai Jinman was so happy holding a bowl of sweet water that she woke up early the next day. She wanted to make breakfast, but Xian Yaowen dragged her out for a run. They started from one end of Oxley Road and returned from the other.

When I arrived at the door of my house, I happened to see Cai Guangyao's blue second-hand Studebaker driving out from the opposite direction.

"Studebaker" is the transliteration of "Studebaker", and it will probably be transliterated as "Stipunk" in the future. Of course, Tsai Guangyao's car is not the Chennault model.

Cai Guangyao saw Xian Yaowen and his partner stop the car, and Xian Yaowen leaned over.

"Brother, you're going to work so early?"

Cai Guangyao stuck his head out of the car and said, "Lawyer Li Jue participated in the Legislative Assembly election. I am his election agent."

"Which constituency?"

"Eastern District."

"The one on the East Coast?"

"Yes, I'm going to go hire someone to put up campaign signs now. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Eat at home today and go there tomorrow."

"We'll talk tomorrow."

"it is good."

After the chat, Cai Guangyao told the driver to drive.

His car was bought by Xian Yaowen's mother-in-law, and a driver was also arranged.

Watching the car drive away, Xian Yaowen thoughtfully pulled Cai Jinman into the garden, and the two began to practice Tai Chi.

Eight twenty.

Xian Yaowen came to the rooftop of Cornell Building, the seamen's home in Tanjong Pagar, stood on the edge and looked out at the Tanjong Pagar Pier.

Tanjong Pagar was once the end of the world. On old maps of Singapore, there was a vast ocean in front of old landmarks such as the market and Thian Hock Keng Temple. Our ancestors landed here on sailboats, and the commercial district in the area was built on the former sea.

Tanjong Pagar and Tanjong Katong formed a horn on the sea, surrounding today's Tanjong Pagar. Tanjong means cape and Pagar means fence.

As the name suggests, Tanjong Pagar is a fence built on a cape.

A story is recorded in the book "Malay Annals", which is known as the Malay version of "Investiture of the Gods": It is said that swordfish often hurt people on the sea of ​​​​Tanjong Pagar, and fishermen dare not go out to sea to fish.

The king tried everything, but to no avail.

At this time, a clever little boy came up with a clever idea: he just needed to build a fence with banana tree stems. When the swordfish rushed ashore with the waves, the sharp spines would get stuck on the tree trunks and they would be unable to move. The fishermen could take the opportunity to kill them.

This made the little boy very popular among the people. But when the petty king learned about it, he was afraid that the little boy would seize his throne when he grew up, so he took the opportunity to kill him. The blood flowed all over the forest, and this is how the Red Mountain is today.

When Raffles landed in Singapore, Tanjong Pagar was a small fishing village. Fishing kelongs were built on the sea, and the sea dwellers lived a leisurely life here.

After learning about Raffles' development plan, Billy, an employee of the East India Company, decided to resign and produce bricks. He set up Singapore's first brick kiln in Tanjong Pagar to get a piece of the pie first.

After steamships replaced sailing ships, a new port was opened at Tanjong Pagar to allow large ships to dock. The development of the port created job opportunities for Chinese workers to go to Southeast Asia, setting off a wave of immigration.

Later, several hills here were razed to the ground like Yugong moving mountains. For example, the soil from Wallace Hill was used to fill the sea to build Robinson Road, and the soil from Palmer Hill was used to build Shenton Way.

The residents and passers-by of Tanjong Pagar each have their own piece of the world among the alternating ancient legends and old stories of the south of the city.

Looking at the barges coming in and out of the dock, Xian Yaowen pursed his lips and played the song "Sailor".

When the climax was about to begin, Narcissus came to his side, and he sang: "When I was bullied, I always heard the sailor say, he said, the hot girl is hot, the hot girl is hot, the hot girl was hot when she was young, and she is not afraid of hotness when she grows up."

He turned around and looked at Narcissus, "Spicy girl, are you afraid of spicy food?"

Narcissus smiled and said, "I'm not a spicy girl, I'm afraid of spicy food."

"It's good to be afraid of spicy food. It's normal for Narcissus to be afraid of spicy food." Xian Yaowen hugged Narcissus and pointed at the pier. "If you want to say what is the most valuable thing about Singapore, it is its geographical location. Singapore is on the east side of the Strait of Malacca, with many deep-water channels and long pier coastline, which is suitable for building a port.

The west coast of Indonesia is mostly swamps and shallows, making it difficult for large ships to dock. Compared with Malaya on the same side, Singapore has a monopoly on the southern exit of the Strait of Malacca and better conditions for port construction.

No matter whether it is clothing, sewing machines, rice, rubber, or real estate business, the port is the most attractive. As long as the port is well controlled, the leading pig sitting in the governor's seat can easily feed a million people. "

"Master wants to build a dock?"

"I want to, but not now. I don't have enough strength. Even if I build it, it will only serve as a wedding dress for others." Xian Yaowen sniffed, "There's still alcohol in my mouth. Did you drink last night?"

"I had a few drinks with some sisters and raised more than 300,000 yuan in investment."

"Wow, quite powerful."

"I have been doing this for more than ten years, saving up little by little. In the past, the sisters would send their little money back to the countryside. If it weren't for what happened to Ding A-mei, the sisters wouldn't have thought about themselves."

"Sister Ding?"

"Ding A-mei worked hard for 20 years and sent all her earnings back to the countryside in Tangshan. She was too old and could no longer work and wanted to return to the countryside to retire. However, her family members didn't like her and she jumped into the river to commit suicide. Her funeral was paid for by her sisters who knew her well.

After her, the sisters all lost heart and would save some of the money they earned for themselves, staying here to live out their retirement, and not returning to the countryside in Tangshan."

"Well, I know they earned their hard-earned money. They don't know how to make money. We use chickens to lay eggs. We keep a share of the profit and give them a share. In a few years, we won't need their funds. You take the lead in organizing them to build a shophouse. With two shophouses in hand, you won't have to worry about food and drink in the future."

Xian Yaowen rubbed Narcissus's face twice, "However, whether you will be lonely in old age or not depends most on whether you have entrusted yourself to the wrong person. Even if you find someone to rely on, you have to keep some things in your hands. As for money, it is safest to hold it in your own hands."

Narcissus smiled and said, "Should I keep some tricks?"

"You can keep eight hands, but you are only named Xian, and everything else is named He."

Narcissus turned around and hugged Xian Yaowen, "Everything I own belongs to Xian."

Xian Yaowen stroked Narcissus's hair and said affectionately, "Silly girl, don't be silly. I say your surname is He, so it is He."

"Okay." Narcissus hugged Xian Yaowen tighter, "Master, you decide. I will listen to you."

The two hugged each other on the roof for a long time, then went downstairs and walked onto Guangdongmin Road.

Along the way, Narcissus introduced the situation of Guangdong Min Road to Xian Yaowen. Guangdong Min Road has nothing to do with Guangdong. It used to be the site of the East India Company's camp. Guangdong Min is the transliteration of the English word "Cantonment".

Tanjong Pagar has a huge gap between the rich and the poor, and people of all walks of life gather here, making it a place where celebrities have settled.

With the influx of a large number of laborers, dock workers and rickshaw pullers, many shophouses in Tanjong Pagar were partitioned with wooden boards and rented out to these idlers as living quarters.

The living environment in the Guli houses is terrible. Some people even sleep at the bottom of the stairs or in corners without windows, which breeds infectious diseases.

On the other hand, Hu Wenhu established the Wing On Hall, the headquarters of the Tiger Balm Kingdom, Chinese tycoons established the Yee Ho Hin, and the ancestors founded clan associations and hometown associations, including the Heshan, Enping, Shunde, Zhao'an, Zhangzhou, and Nanyang Hakka Associations.

Cai Jinman’s great-grandfather Cai Yunlong, Cai Jinji, the origin of the name of Jinji Road, and Chen Wulie, the great-grandson of Tan Tock Seng, set up businesses here, and poverty and wealth coexisted here.

When they arrived in front of a temple, Narcissus pointed and said, "That's the Jinlan Temple. It was the headquarters of the Tiandihui back then."

"Is it the Tiandihui or the Yixinghui?" (End of this chapter)