money player

Cai Jinman vaguely sensed the resentment in Wang Xiamin's words, but being a kind-hearted person who stayed away from the Xian family's affairs, she didn't delve into it.

Without continuing their conversation about the students, the two passed through the Jidi Pavilion, crossed the Roman Bridge, and arrived at the shore of Anma Lake.

Lake Ama is L-shaped, not because it was deliberately excavated, but because it made full use of two adjacent plots of land that were purchased. Like Lake Pepe, Lake Ama is surrounded by mosquito-repelling plants, which are even denser and also serve as a fence. At regular intervals, there is a pier leading to the lake, which connects to a bluestone step that extends to the bottom of the lake, making it convenient for washing toilets.

Several thunderstorms had occurred in the preceding days, causing some water to accumulate in Anma Lake. Water was also pumped from Peipei Lake, bringing the lake's water level to about two-fifths of its maximum capacity. Circles of water hyacinths, encased in bamboo rings, floated on the surface, surrounded by scattered duckweed and goldfish algae.

Along the lake shore, you can see water calamus and reeds, and you can also see and hear the ripples on the water, the noise of catfish and the playful ducks.

Flushing toilets can cause sewage to enter lakes, which in turn nourish the proliferation of plankton and algae. Catfish eat the plankton, algae, and microorganisms attached to the feces, while mallards eat every part of aquatic plants, as well as mosquito larvae, snails, clams, water fleas, and so on.

Catfish purify the water, while mallards control the growth of aquatic plants to prevent them from becoming rampant.

There is a cobblestone path along the fence, slightly uneven. If you wear shoes with thin soles, you can feel a little pain when you walk on it. This is intentional, to prevent people who come to clean the toilet from walking too fast, so as to avoid spilling "good stuff" and benefiting the roadside weeds and ants.

Wang Xiamin and her companion strolled along the path and came to a wharf. She pointed to the mallards on the water and said, "These ducks belong to the school's Tomorrow's Hundred Crafts Project, which is to create opportunities for students to learn a skill."

She then pointed to another crowded dock, “Over there is the quacking group. The older one is Yin Feng, a tutor hired by the school. She’s a duck herder who teaches students how to raise mallard ducks.”

Once the students learn how to raise ducks and become familiar with their habits, cooking teachers will teach them how to cook ducks. The teaching is just to introduce them to the basics; the focus is on broadening their thinking, encouraging them to be innovative, and enabling them to create their own unique cooking techniques in the future.

"One skill is enough to make a living; even after three years of drought, a skilled craftsman won't starve." A duck can not only support a family but also bring wealth.

Then, pointing to another bustling dock, he said, "Over there is the mortar team. They've brought in the best craftsmen from Rebirth Brick Factory and Friendship Real Estate to teach students how to make bricks, build walls, plaster, and carve stone slabs."

The gentleman said that the whole world is entering an era of massive infrastructure construction, and Hong Kong will be constantly building new buildings in the coming decades. Construction workers there earn good incomes and can easily seize opportunities to get rich; some of them will definitely end up living in the Mid-Levels.

Turning to look at Lake Pepe, he thought, "Like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, achieving the highest honors in the imperial examinations. As Geoffrey Chaucer said, 'All roads lead to Rome.' Reaching the pavilion by crossing the Roman bridge is no less impressive than achieving the highest honors in the imperial examinations."

Wang Xiamin stared intently at Cai Jinman's face. "Madam, Cen Peipei Primary School is not for Madam Peipei to promote her personal good reputation, but rather a project designed by Mr. Xian to enhance the image of the Xian family. Mr. Xian's original words were, 'If money is spent, we must make a name for ourselves and create some buzz.'"

Originally, Mr. Xian was in charge of the school affairs. Before he went to India, he handed them back to the family, and I was in charge of looking after them. Now, Mr. Xian has other important matters to attend to, and I am unable to take care of things here. Therefore, I can only ask my wife to help look after the school affairs.

Cai Jinman asked in surprise, "Me, in charge?"

"Only my wife has relatively free time at home."

Cai Jinman suddenly realized that someone was complaining that she was doing nothing. She quickly thought of a solution and nodded, "Okay, I'll take over."

"Then I'll leave it to you, Madam. You can go to the school and get familiar with it. I have some things to take care of, so I'll take my leave now."

"Oh, goodbye."

After Wang Xiamin left, Cai Jinman stood quietly by the lake for a long time, reflecting on his experiences since entering the Xian family, examining his shortcomings, and considering future strategies.

When a daughter gets married, her mother will prepare a dowry, which includes not only valuable items, but also tips on how to survive in her husband's family.

Grandma had given her many wise words of advice, but after she married into the family, she found they were useless and they were left gathering dust at the bottom of a trunk. Now that she thinks about it, it wasn't that they were useless, but that she was too naive. Where there are people, there is a world of its own.

Suddenly, a few mallards chasing mosquito larvae to the dock interrupted her thoughts. She gathered her attention and walked to the dock of the Quack Quack Group, lingering outside and listening to the students chattering as they asked Yin Feng about the story of herding ducks.

Yin Feng welcomes all who come and answers all their questions.

When society is in turmoil, those who need to travel are not so simple. Yin Feng is a duck herder, or as they say in Hunan dialect, a duck herder.

He lived in the Xiangjiang River basin, where the water and grass were abundant and suitable for raising ducks. He would hatch ducklings in the spring, raise them in the summer, and in the autumn, the duck farmers from his hometown would gather together to discuss how to herd the ducks—where to herd them and how to avoid various risks along the way.

When the discussions ended, the new Duck Gang was established. Because Yin Feng was skilled in martial arts, had participated in the Northern Expedition, fought from south to north, and had also been involved in the Canal Gang, he became the Duck Head when he first became a Duck Lady, that is, the leader. He was in charge of each Duck Gang, and he had many stories in his mind.

Some students tore up newspapers for him, others poured tobacco and rolled cigarettes for him, and still others were specifically responsible for licking his saliva. With a hand-rolled cigarette in his mouth, the story flowed from the smile lines at the corners of his eyes.

He first explained to the students the composition of the duck gang: the duck leader, the duck herders who drive the ducks every day, and the armed guards. Then he talked about the eighty-one difficulties of herding ducks: floods, wild animals, bandits from western Hunan, the Green Gang, the Hong Gang, local bullies who prey on newcomers, transit taxes, and live poultry taxes.

The students listened with great interest, and Cai Jinman was also engrossed in the story. The story was so captivating that it made people yearn for the life of duck herders.

Fortunately, Sin Yiu-man wasn't listening nearby, otherwise he probably would have stopped Yin Fung from glorifying the duck-herding story.

Herding ducks is a high-profit, but also a high-risk, business. A successful herding of ducks can bring a rich reward, but success is often accompanied by luck, bloodshed, and the lives of others.

As Yin Feng said, there are many obstacles on the way to herd ducks. If you are lucky, you can avoid some obstacles by taking detours and using your wisdom. But you can't avoid all the obstacles. And you can't get through all the obstacles by offering benefits. If you really did that, you wouldn't be able to herd ducks at all. You would lose money every time you herded ducks.

Usually, when Qianqian opens her mouth, everyone is friendly and makes money together. But if someone asks for an exorbitant amount, you can beat them up. If you win, you won't spend a single copper coin, and you can even get some loose silver and a few broken guns.

When the number of successful, risk-free transactions increases, herding ducks becomes a mere formality, a synonym for something as insignificant as harvesting hay.

However, Sin Yiu-man did not pay attention to the details of the school's operation. He did not know whether it was a blessing or a curse for the students to be taught by the thuggish old woman. He was afraid that some of them would become evil practitioners and would disdain legal robbery methods and rush to the execution ground like shooting stars.

After telling a story, Yin Feng used a bamboo pole to scoop a mallard duck out of the water, turned its head and feathers to tell the students about common diseases of mallard ducks.

Cai Jinman left and headed towards the wrought iron group's dock.

the other side.

Wang Xiamin traveled west-southwest and arrived at the Shenjing area. She climbed to a high point and looked out over an open space not far from the sea.

Who would want to wander in a foreign land when they can survive in their hometown? Elizabeth Hospital's journey to becoming a world-class hospital does not necessarily require going out to achieve this; it can also be accomplished by bringing in talent.

Newman plans to establish a non-profit human medicine symposium, which will hold an annual world medical forum by invitation only. All travel expenses for invited guests will be covered by the symposium.

It is also open to the general public, but tickets are required at a high price and are only open to medical professionals and students of well-known medical schools.

To put it bluntly, the World Medical Forum is a tea party for top talents in the medical field, and mediocre people are not welcome to join in.

Sin Yiu-man had no personal motives for organizing the Human Medicine Symposium; he was doing it purely from the perspective of the development of medicine for all mankind, and any results would benefit all of humanity.

However, the medical seminar was held in Hong Kong, naturally to facilitate Queen Elizabeth Hospital in attracting talent, which stemmed from the Sin family's selfish motives in their medical industry development.

On a grand scale, he still wants to figure out where humans came from. When he retires in this life, he will promote research on "human origins". Perhaps in the process of research, he will gain the byproduct of immortality. His descendants can use it if they want, or not if they don't. He himself will definitely not use it.

Even if he lived another hundred years, he would be tired of living anyway. He might as well quietly wait for death and explore what death is really like.

Medical symposiums require facilities such as a grand hall, laboratories, a zoo, classrooms, a five-star standard guesthouse, an operating room with 360-degree observation, and a helicopter landing pad. A large open space is needed to accommodate them, and Wang Xiamin's job is to select a site.

……

The third topic discussed by Sin Yiu-man and the other two was the ongoing class-action lawsuit in Topeka, Kansas, filed by Oliver Brown as the lead plaintiff against the Topeka Board of Education.

"Adam, what are your thoughts on the apartheid lawsuits?"

"What do you want to ask? This case? Or your career plan?"

Bill shrugged. "Obviously, the outcome of this case has nothing to do with me."

Sin Yiu-man swirled his wine glass and glanced at Bill. "Want to hear my thoughts?"

"Hmm." Bill raised his glass in a toast. "As a lawyer, I have aspirations."

"A warrior of law? An architect of power? An engineer of society? An interpreter of freedom?"

Bill shrugged. "There's always one."

“Alright.” Xian Yaowen chuckled, took a sip of his drink, put down his glass, and said unhurriedly, “Bill, have you ever heard the saying, ‘Justice delayed is justice denied’?”

Bill laughed and said, "The Pierre Awett, the Magna Carta, and Exodus all mention similar ideas. William Gladstone or William Payne said similar things, and blah blah blah, many people have said it."

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “Many people have said this, and those who have said it have one thing in common, like… um, what kind of car do you drive?”

"The Chevrolet luxury four-door sedan that was launched this year."

"Bill, you can use your Chevrolet on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I can use it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Let it rest on Sundays and go to church. What do you think?"

After finishing his sentence, Sin Yiu-man shrugged.

Bill said thoughtfully, "You mean this was said by 'the one who hasn't obtained it'?"

"Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent." Sin Yiu-man clapped his hands. "That's all those who hold justice in their hands will say."

He leaned back in his chair. "Bill, in political games, when one side is at a disadvantage, facing immense pressure, or when direct conflict is too costly, it can choose not to confront the other side directly, but instead alleviate the immediate crisis through delay, waiting, negotiation, or temporary concessions."

Sacrificing short-term time and delaying problem-solving in exchange for a respite creates a more favorable strategic space for oneself in the future, such as better timing, stronger strength, a more favorable public opinion environment, or broader alliances.

This is a trade-off between time and space.

From the day Lincoln seized upon the Emancipation Proclamation, the key to defeating the South, the federal government was forced to confront the question of how to treat Black people.

The greatest equality in the world is inequality. This statement has many good and beautiful interpretations, but as beneficiaries, we only hope for one interpretation: that is, the inequality that guarantees our own benefits.

Racial segregation, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and anti-Semitism are all based on this interpretation.

If an alcoholic went to a Salvation Army shelter or a YMCA and gave a speech, saying, "Hey buddy, vote for me! My campaign platform is 'one white man with three black men,' meaning a white man can own three black slaves—two men and one woman. The men will work, and the woman will provide entertainment," how many votes do you think he would get?

Kelly rolled her eyes at her.

Bill laughed loudly and said, "Running for president?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "The problem of Black people in America has never been a problem of Black people, but a political problem of white people. If there were a choice, would Lincoln have given freedom to Black people back then?"

Who knows? The assumption itself is invalid; the Northern Federation at that time had no other choice.

The same applies to today's segregation system; whether it will be abolished depends on whether the federal government has the option.

"What do you think?" Bill asked. "Is there a choice?"

The Declaration of Independence states that "all men are created equal," a concept that forms the moral cornerstone of the United States. However, slavery and racial segregation turned this concept into a huge exception and a form of hypocrisy, creating an inherent contradiction between the Constitution and the law.

This contradiction has long eroded the legitimacy of the American political system, and this fundamental flaw must be addressed to uphold the authority of the Constitution and the law.

Racial segregation and discrimination excluded a large portion of the Black workforce from full economic participation, limiting the United States’ consumer market and production potential.

A modern, industrialized nation needs all its citizens to be educated, skilled, and able to move freely. Racial segregation hindered the overall economic development and competitiveness of the United States.

More and more Black people are realizing the need to stand up for their rights. Once they do, the brutal reality of racial injustice will be exposed to the nation and the world, forcing the federal government's strategy of buying time to sever ties to fail.

"Why did it go bankrupt? You already said..."

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand to interrupt Bill, “Please pay attention to the word ‘world.’ Think back to the campaign scenes you’ve seen. What do you think the Soviet Union, as an opponent in the election, would do?”
Oh, if you've read Warren Austin's speech at the UN Security Council in the newspapers, you can use it as a reference to analyze the federal government's foreign policy; it will be helpful.

"A speech about Iran?"

"uh-huh."

As soon as Sin Yiu-man finished speaking, Bill fell into deep thought. (End of Chapter)