money player

Behind Sakurai Akira stood a woman watching. She was dressed in a cheongsam, which looked perfectly natural on her, and her Chinese identity was evident.

Her name is Liu Wenjun, a senior engineer at the Welfare Hotel Research Institute.

Her family fell into poverty when she was young, and she was sold to a brothel in Shanghai to learn a trade. Later, she came into contact with casinos, learned cheating techniques, and earned the name "Mahjong Fairy Li Sanjie". Her most famous battle was when she represented a tycoon at Du's mansion to fight against Du Yuesheng's disciples. She used card-counting techniques to make a winning hand and made off with half a box of US dollars.

According to the Green Gang member who recommended her, she was hunted down due to a dispute over the division of spoils and fled to Hong Kong in 1949. However, according to her, it may not have been a dispute over the division of spoils, but more likely a hunt by the Green Gang.

Whatever the matter, it's all in the past. Now she can stay in Singapore with peace of mind, immersing herself in the study of hemp and promoting this national treasure.

So, taking advantage of the fact that the welfare hotel hasn't opened yet, she came to Tokyo to study and observe riichi mahjong.

After watching two hands of mahjong, she could tell from the way the four players arranged their tiles that everyone knew how to arrange tiles, but none of them used it. She thought that they must have agreed beforehand not to use cheating techniques and could only rely on real mahjong skills, which made the game much more interesting.

However, the Japanese cut the cards neatly, which greatly reduced the difficulty of counting the cards. Within twelve rounds, she could basically figure out the cards that each person had that could be traced, and it was even easier to figure out the cards that could be used to win.

While observing and calculating the cards of the four players, she also had the ability to listen to the dice and hear everything around her. Matsuda Yoshiko and Taoka Kazuo's conversation fell into her ears word for word, although she could only understand a few words.

After a long silence, Taoka Kazuo asked, "How many?"

"The specific details need to be discussed by Mr. Taoka himself in South Korea, where someone will receive him."

Seoul in July 1951.

There was little fear of losing territory, but the shadow of war had not yet disappeared.

Approximately 80% of the houses were destroyed or burned, and the streets were riddled with craters and rubble. Landmarks such as the city hall and the train station were severely damaged, and many residents lived in makeshift shelters or in the ruins.

Power and water supplies were interrupted, public transportation was suspended, garbage piled up like mountains, and sanitation conditions were appalling.

Farmland was abandoned, the government rationing system collapsed, ordinary families went hungry, many people relied on tree bark, wild vegetables and rats to fill their stomachs, and there were even cases of people exchanging children to eat.

The black market is the primary source of food, but prices are exorbitant, making it unaffordable for ordinary workers or government officials. Canned food distributed by the U.S. military is an important supply, but it is often resold on the black market, sparking public discontent.

Organizations such as the Red Cross provided limited medical care and food, but it was far from enough. Churches and temples became refuges, and missionaries participated in distributing supplies. During this period, many Koreans converted to Catholicism for a simple reason: God truly provided a life-saving meal.

The Hwa-soo Hotel was bombed into ruins a few months ago, but Kong Ling-sin rebuilt a new Hwa-soo Hotel in Jongno area on a one-to-one scale.

Nostalgia is only one factor; brand image is also an important consideration. A few months ago, the Hwa-soo Hotel was a flagship establishment in Seoul's black market. With the Hwa-soo Hotel's return, industry insiders naturally knew that the big boss had returned.

Next to the Xinhui Xiao Hotel stands a three-story building of similar size. This building has a long history, dating back thirty years. It is the headquarters of a gang that has been active for forty years. This gang is the Zhonglu gang, and its current leader is Jin Douhan.

Kim Doo-han rose to a high position, joining forces with Syngman Rhee, Kim Gu, and Ryu Jin-san, among others. However, due to unfortunate circumstances, after the Minister of the Interior, Cho Byung-ok, resigned due to a conflict of opinion with Syngman Rhee, Kim Doo-han firmly sided with Cho Byung-ok and Ryu Jin-san, who had long disliked Syngman Rhee. He became a key figure in the anti-Syngman Rhee forces, lost his political standing, and became the chairman of the Jong-ro faction.

Jin Douhan was not old, just over thirty. He had a refined appearance, wore gold-rimmed glasses, had his hair slicked back, and wore a suit and tie. At this moment, he was standing at the entrance of the headquarters, holding a rice measure in his hand, and pouring rice into the apron of an old lady.

I poured in half a liter, but it wasn't enough, so I scooped out another full liter from the rice bag and poured it into my apron.

"Auntie, if you're out of rice at home, come here to get some."

"Konsamida, Kangsamida." The old woman bowed repeatedly, expressing her gratitude. She wiped away her tears of emotion as Jin Douhan kindly persuaded her to leave.

After one person left, Jin Douhan gave rice to another poor person in line.

On the third floor of the Xinhui Xiao Hotel, Kong Lingxian stood by the window, smoking and quietly watching Jin Douhan's performance.

Having grown up in Seoul, she knew about the Jongno faction and had heard of Kim Doo-han. With all that exposure, how could she not know what Kim Doo-han was? She asked around and found out that Kim Doo-han's charitable activities started two months ago, coinciding with the changes in the South Korean leadership, and that a new party was probably about to be born.

The United States needs to maintain South Korea's image as a showcase of democracy, and Syngman Rhee needs to retain some opposition parties as bargaining chips with the United States and to decorate the facade of democracy.
Power in South Korea is concentrated in the hands of Syngman Rhee, yet some people fantasize about overthrowing him through elections. This path seems feasible, but the first condition is that the road must be paved with cannon fodder.

"Synh Mang Rhee will step down sooner or later, the only question is who will be his successor."

Kong Lingxian seemed to be deep in thought, but her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a loud thud.

Looking back, the office door was pushed open, and Jin Yuji, with a cigarette in his mouth and a swaggering air, had already stepped into the office.

Kong Lingxian frowned and complained, "Captain Jin, don't you know how to spell the word 'manners'?"

Syngman Rhee originally had two major and one minor staunch repressive tools: counter-espionage captain Kim Chang-ryong, police commissioner Won Yong-deok, and counter-espionage unit leader Kim Ok-gil. The first two were directly under Syngman Rhee's command and tended to be private forces, while the counter-espionage unit belonged to the military system and was more involved in military operations.

At the beginning of this year, Kim Chang-ryong was assassinated. Some say it was an internal purge, while others say it was the work of hostile forces. Whatever the reason, having participated in the assassination of Kim Koo, a figure of national significance, he was destined not to live long.

After his death, most of the power fell into the hands of Won Yong-deok, a small portion into the hands of Kim Ok-gil, and also benefited Kim Jong-pil, a former taxi driver who had recently joined the army. Perhaps it was because this young man was so handsome that he was valued by his superiors and favored by his colleagues of higher rank.

A major named Park Hee-jung was quite fond of Kim Jong-pil, and the two became comrades, discussing the possibility of soldiers saving the country. Later, perhaps because Park Hee-jung was deeply in love with Kim Jong-pil, or perhaps for other reasons, he betrothed his niece to him, and their relationship instantly changed from friends to uncle.

Returning to Kim Ok-gil, at this time Kim Ok-gil was one of Syngman Rhee's two major tools of repression, with a status roughly equivalent to Heinrich Müller of the Gestapo.

Kim Ok-gil walked up to Kong Ling-seon. "I can write polite Chinese and Hangul, and I know how to do it, but I don't know if Chairman Kong understands. Chairman Kong, it's been three days, and there's still no news?"

Kong Lingxian took a drag of her cigarette and said calmly, "I just received a telegram. The representatives from Japan will depart early tomorrow morning. Captain Jin will negotiate with them himself. I won't participate. I don't think Captain Jin will need a translator."

During the Japanese occupation, Kim Ok-gil served in the Japanese military police system, and his main task was to arrest and secretly kill Korean independence activists.

"President Kong isn't participating?" Jin Yuji asked noncommittally.

“I’m not interested in this kind of business.”

Kim Ok-gil sighed, "If it weren't for the sake of the Republic of Korea, I wouldn't want to get involved in this kind of thing."

"Did Captain Jin come here just for this?" Kong Lingxian subtly suggested that he see the guest out.

Kim Ok-gil removed his white gloves, took a medicine bottle from his pocket, and placed it on the table. "I got this from the People's Army in Pyongyang. Chairman Kong, give me an explanation?"

Kong Lingxian glanced at the medicine bottle. "The North Korean army's medicine comes from Hong Kong, and the East Asia Chamber of Commerce's medicine also comes from Hong Kong. Is Captain Kim satisfied with this explanation?"

"I'm not very satisfied. I'm certain this bottle of medicine circulated on the black market in Seoul."

Kong Lingxian tossed her cigarette butt into the ashtray and said nonchalantly, "This is Captain Kim's dereliction of duty; the drugs from Seoul have somehow ended up in Pyongyang."

"Isn't Chairman Kong at all worried that I'll investigate further?"

"Captain Kim, you can investigate with confidence. If you find anyone from the East Asia Chamber of Commerce, give me their name, and I'll personally cut off their head and send it to you."

Jin Yuji's gaze lingered on Kong Lingxian's face for a moment before turning warm. "Any new cigars?"

Kong Lingxian said with a faint smile, "Captain Jin can go back to the old place after he returns."

"Haha, very good." Jin Yuji laughed and said, "I won't disturb Chairman Kong's business. Farewell."

"I send you."

After watching Jin Yuji leave from the courtyard on the first floor, Kong Lingxian glanced at her watch, but instead of going upstairs, she went into the kitchen on the first floor, took a cucumber from the vegetable basket, peeled it, made a sugar dish, and sat down on a low stool in the courtyard to eat the cucumber.

After Seoul was "recaptured" again, Kong Lingxian set about finding people to cultivate vegetable gardens on the farmland of the East Asia Chamber of Commerce in Gangnam. Cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, pumpkins, soybeans, cowpeas, mung beans, spinach, water spinach, and lettuce were all planted, and vegetables became a key product for the East Asia Chamber of Commerce in Seoul.

In Seoul and the surrounding areas, few people dare to invest in tomorrow. Even if they have the foresight, they dare not cultivate farmland to grow vegetables. The seeds might be dug up and eaten that very night, or eaten while they are sprouting. The possibility of surviving until the day of harvest is almost nonexistent.

The East Asia Chamber of Commerce in Seoul was unique in that it became a vegetable supplier for the US and South Korean armies. The South Korean army stationed a vegetable guard battalion in the vegetable garden and deployed M1-40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns and M55 quadruple 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine guns.

After eating half a cucumber, Kong Lingxian got up and walked out of the courtyard, crossed the street to the courtyard of the building opposite, lingered for a moment by the woman picking bean sprouts, and then came to the earthen stove in a corner of the courtyard—a tofu beauty was holding a soup ladle, scooping a little brine into the pot and stirring it gently. The white soup in the pot slowly solidified into blocks.

A few days ago, the South Korean army's propaganda team mainly used an article called "White Tofu" as a propaganda tool. The article was about an old sergeant who risked his life to find tofu for malnourished new recruits. He found the tofu, but the old sergeant was beaten to death by the despicable North Korean bastards.

All writing is plagiarism, and it's normal to borrow from other sources when it comes to promoting literature. No matter how the content is written, the sub-theme "tofu" is quite interesting.

Tofu was introduced to the Korean Peninsula during the Tang Dynasty along with Buddhist culture. Over several centuries, it went through three stages: from being a luxury item among monks to a luxury item among nobles and the court, and from a luxury item to a luxury item among commoners. This process established tofu's high status in the hearts of Koreans.

Tofu has become an integral part of the Korean diet, serving as a major source of protein.

During wartime, tofu became a commodity, a necessity for survival for civilians, soldiers, and even on the black market. However, due to the shortage of soybeans and speculation on the black market, a 400-gram block of tofu could sell for as much as 200 won, while the median income of Seoul residents was about 4000 won, which is about 60 US cents.

The East Asia Chamber of Commerce has a subsidiary, East Asia Trading, which in turn has a subsidiary, East Asia Food, which in turn has a subsidiary, Ryongdo Bean Company. Ryongdo Bean Company is mainly engaged in the wholesale and retail of Ryongdo tofu, Ryongdo bean sprouts, Ryongdo soybeans, and Ryongdo mung beans. It also supplies large organizations, such as military and government canteens.

In order to coax the Western soldiers into eating Longdao Tofu, Dou Company provided free cooking techniques to the UN military mess hall, including pan-fried Longdao Tofu, grilled Longdao Tofu, Longdao Tofu scrambled eggs, Longdao Tofu hamburger steak, Longdao Tofu cream sauce, chocolate Longdao Tofu mousse, and Longdao Tofu cheesecake.

Kong Lingxian asked the tofu seller for a bowl of "Longdao" soy milk with brine, and drank it straight without adding anything.

She liked drinking salted soy milk, but hated adding "Dragon Way" to it. However, there was nothing she could do; it was the chairman's requirement. The primary goal of the Soy Company was not to make a profit, but to promote the word "Dragon Way."

With a bite of cucumber and a sip of soy milk, she took small steps to the back door of Longdao. She looked up into the kitchen and saw the cooks busy frying crispy tofu and the apprentices busy preparing the ingredients for the soybean paste soup.

Longdao is a restaurant that only serves a few dishes: soybean paste soup, Korean jajangmyeon, steamed dumplings, crispy tofu, grilled pork belly, and vegetarian seafood.

Unlike other restaurants, Longdo's Korean black bean noodles use black bean sauce mixed with tofu and saccharin to make it sweeter. The filling of the steamed dumplings is mainly tofu, and the grilled pork belly is also served with tofu. The only dish that is vegetarian three delicacies is three kinds of leafy green vegetables stir-fried together without tofu. This is because this dish is the most expensive dish in the restaurant and most people cannot afford it.

In Seoul, only Yongdo can ensure that vegetables are from picking to serving in no more than two hours, guaranteeing absolute freshness. Charging two dollars a plate is not unreasonable, is it?
The busy people in the kitchen noticed Kong Lingxian and bowed to her. She waved her hand and turned to leave.

Passing by the earthen stove, she put down her bowl, crossed the street, and returned to the courtyard of the Huixiao Hotel.

"Tiger Head, Tiger Head."

With two shouts, a Chinese rural dog darted out from the corner and circled around Kong Lingxian's feet.

Kong Lingxian threw the cucumber in her hand to the ground. Hu Tou nudged it with his head, dissipating the impact, and gently landed the cucumber on the ground. He picked it up and walked to the side to slowly eat it.

An ancestral family rule, etched in our blood, forbids eating food that has not yet touched the earth, for doing so would lead to helping others achieve immortality—"Dog meat, cooked three times, even immortals cannot stand firm."

The dog was a gift from Sin Yiu-man; it's unclear whether it belongs to Xiao Bai's daughter or granddaughter.

Kong Lingxian sat back on the low stool and stared blankly for a while. When she heard the sound of a car engine, she came to the gate of the courtyard.

"President Li."

"President Kong, thank you for welcoming me."

The newcomer was Li Bingzhe, with a young man who was not yet twenty years old standing beside him.

Kong Lingxian led the group up to the third-floor office. As soon as Li Bingzhe sat down, he pointed to the young man and said, "President Kong, this is my son, Meng Xi. The reason I asked you for help last time was because of him."

"President Li, please rest assured, we have received a reply from Tokyo. Your son can participate in interviews at several prestigious universities in Tokyo. Even if he does not pass the interviews, he can directly enroll in an agricultural university in October."

Upon hearing this, Lee Byung-chul immediately bowed and said, "Thank you very much."

Kong Lingxian bowed slightly in return, "President Li, there's no need for such formalities. This matter was personally overseen by President Xian."

Lee Byung-cheol smiled and said, "It's been a long time since I last saw Chairman Sin. He was never there when I went to Hong Kong several times."

"President Xian is busy expanding new businesses," Kong Lingxian replied simply, then added, "President Li, the Chamber of Commerce has received a new batch of chocolates."

As she spoke, she took out a few chocolate samples from the drawer and pushed them next to Lee Byung-cheol, saying, "I can provide you with a few boxes to take back to Busan for trial sales."

Lee Byung-chul picked up a piece and examined it for a while. "Peace? A new brand? Why is there Hangul on the packaging?"

"This is our chamber of commerce's own brand, exclusively for the South Korean market."

A glint flashed in Lee Byung-chul's eyes, "A brand from the Republic of Korea?"

Kong Lingxian smiled faintly, "We're producing in Hong Kong now, but we'll move the production line to Seoul later."

Yuen Long.

Wenchang is situated on the ridges of farmland within Hong Kong territory.

Having just returned to Hong Kong from Shanghai, Su Lizhen stood on the edge of a paddy field and patted Xian Yaohua's head, saying, "Eat slowly, don't choke."

Xian Yaohua chuckled and stuffed large mouthfuls of rice cake into his mouth.

"Yaohua, pass on a message to Uncle Guangbing: Bao'an will soon establish a food factory and will be recruiting a batch of female apprentices. This is a good opportunity to become a worker. Let the girls in the village sign up."

At the beginning of the year, the Labor Insurance Regulations were promulgated, making apprenticeships a nationally recognized occupation with labor protection. Apprenticeships typically involve no wages, only basic living expenses, and generally last for two to three years. Upon completion of the apprenticeship and passing the assessment, apprentices can be converted into formal workers.

“Yes, yes.” Xian Yaohua nodded vigorously.

Don't forget.

"Uh-huh."

Su Lizhen stroked Xian Yaohua's head again, stuffed the prepared snacks into Xian Yaohua's pocket, and finally stuffed several hundred thousand dollars into his shoes.

Hours later, in the early morning in New York.

Sin Yiu-man sat on the lawn in East Village reading a newspaper.

He didn't want to stay at home; his house had been ransacked and he didn't know how many listening devices had been installed.

It's now almost certain that the CIA isn't targeting him for smuggling. The facts are clear, the evidence isn't hard to collect, and if they really wanted to take action, they could have done it long ago. He can only curse MacArthur's entire family; such advanced skills, yet such audacity—what a load of rubbish about running for president.

It's a pity that Eisenhower is still playing the role of Zhuge Liang. Everyone with eyes can see that he wants to run for president, but he just won't make a statement. He's just waiting to be visited three times. Otherwise, if he went to pray to the emperor with a pig's head, the CIA crisis would be resolved.

With too little information, it's difficult to deduce who the CIA is supporting. The old man's side is just spouting empty promises, making no progress whatsoever...

Sin Yiu-man has a lot to complain about.

Being watched prevented him from doing many things, and his schedule couldn't proceed as planned. It was damn frustrating. (End of Chapter)