money player

I spent another day in Hong Kong, doing quite a lot of things. I sat at home listening to the heads of various companies report on their work, had afternoon tea with Wu Zecheng, and in the evening, I actively paid taxes to Su Lizhen, who had rushed back from the mainland, and so on.

The next morning, Sin Yiu-man boarded a plane, not bound for Taipei, but for Singapore.

He received a last-minute notification that a typhoon was making landfall in Taiwan and his flight was canceled. According to his schedule, he was supposed to fly to Singapore in a few days to handle some matters, so he adjusted his itinerary and flew to Singapore first.

During the flight to Bangkok, he took out a letter and wrote to Bhumibol Adulyadej.

He had initially cast a wide net for his film career, and the letter he sent to Bhumibol Adulyadej received a reply. The two have maintained a correspondence, albeit not very frequently, since then.

The infrequent correspondence wasn't because the conversations were bad, but because their mailing addresses were inconsistent. The first letter he sent to Bhumibol Adulyadej was addressed to Bangkok, but the reply he received was from Switzerland, and his subsequent reply was from Singapore.

In the letter, the two only talked about music and movies, and not about other topics.

There's nothing else to talk about. Talking about women doesn't get to that level, and talking about politics and economics seems too ulterior. Let's talk about something practical, like what can be done in Thailand. Even if Adulyadej wants to help, he's powerless to do so. This student king has no real say in the country he nominally rules, as evidenced by the previous incident with the film projection team in rural Thailand.

His pen nib scratched softly on the letter paper, while Fei Baoqi, sitting beside him, held a "newspaper clipping novel" in her hand, reading it with great interest.

Whether it was the stimulation of Thirteen Orphans or the original history, since the end of last year, the number of serialized novels in Hong Kong newspapers has been steadily increasing, and a wide variety of novels are emerging.

The novels include both martial arts and romance, and have attracted a considerable number of readers. However, the most popular genre remains erotic fiction. With the bestseller "Thirteen Orphans," many have followed suit, some completely imitating the original while others have come up with something new.

The writing is pragmatically compatible with lower-brow readers, eliminating fancy words and phrases that require five or six years of schooling to understand. It uses only common words to create straightforward content, reducing the amount of background information that readers might skip, and getting straight to the climax of the plot, aiming to reach potential readers who only recognize one or two hundred words.

The flourishing of the cultural market has created new business opportunities and new jobs. For example, newspaper clipping novels, as the name suggests, involve cutting out serialized novels from newspapers, pasting them together, binding them into books, and selling them to the public.

If it's a novel that hasn't been serialized yet, you can spend a little money to "fill in the pages." And don't throw it away after you've finished reading it; the sellers will buy it back at a "high price."

Besides clippings of novels, there are also curated novels, such as "Sexy Selections," which are quite popular and have a thriving secondhand market. However, secondhand novels are usually a bit dirty, and unsophisticated people might use them to wipe their noses or spray and wipe their noses.

Fei Baoqi flipped to a new clip, and with a woman's unique sensitivity, she noticed something strange. This clip was extremely similar in writing style to the previous one, but she always felt that it was written by different people.

She handed the clipping to Sin Yiu-man, saying, "Yau-man, can you help me see if these two clippings were written by the same person?"

Sin Yiu-man glanced at the clipping. "If you suspect it wasn't written by one person, then it wasn't written by one person. Using the same pen name is nothing new, and adding inferior parts to existing works is not uncommon."

"You can share a pen name?" Fei Baoqi asked in surprise. "If you become famous, whose name will it be?"

"I don't know. I haven't heard of any disputes about sharing pseudonyms yet. Maybe your question will be answered when there are rumors of a newspaper editor being hacked to death."

"Why do you say that?" Fei Baoqi's interest was piqued.

"There are many people in Hong Kong who can write, but only a few become famous. Famous people don't have to worry about making a living. They can get a decent fee for whatever they publish. Unfamous people can barely make ends meet even if their articles are frequently published. Unfamous people who are new to the industry will have a worse time. Submitting articles to newspapers usually goes unanswered. Even if they occasionally get published one or two articles, the fee is meager."

Nowadays, novels are in demand, and newspapers, in order to have more content for serialization, will analyze popular novels and provide outlines for a third type of writer to expand upon. Sometimes this is given to one person, and sometimes to several people at the same time. The one you are looking at is probably written by several people.

To maintain control, the pen name naturally belongs to the newspaper. If a novel co-authored under this pen name becomes popular, it's likely to cause a stir, and even a murder or lawsuit wouldn't be surprising.

"Is life really that difficult for intellectuals in Hong Kong?"

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, “Sister, you truly are a lady of the inner chambers, unaware of the hardships of ordinary people. The lives of writers in Taipei are only more difficult. There are neither widespread channels for publishing nor a free writing environment. I have heard that Liang Shih-chiu and Tai Ching-nung are both struggling to make a living through writing.”

Fei Baoqi said coquettishly, "You're making fun of me."

"No, Sister, continue reading your novel. I'll finish writing the letter."

"Oh."

Just as Sin Yiu-man finished writing the letter, the flight attendant was making the pre-landing announcements, and shortly after, the plane landed at Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport.

The technical stop is one hour, during which passengers can disembark and move around within the airport.

Sin Yiu-man stood on the tarmac for a while when a ground crew member handed him a brown paper bag. Inside was a work report, submitted by Bankman's employee who was on a business trip to Bangkok.

I quickly glanced at it, wrote a note, and asked the ground staff to take it back.

Watching the ground crew walk away, Fei Baoqi walked up to Xian Yaowen and asked, "Yaowen, have you ever been to Siam before?"

"I've been here a few times, but I've never left the airport."

Fei Baoqi gazed into the distance, "I really want to go out and see the world."

“This time it won’t work, but next time we can come here for a few days. However, you can visit two places this time. On the way back, we will fly to Saigon first and stay for half a day and one night. I only need two hours to handle work and meet a few people during dinner. The rest of the time is yours.”

Fei Baoqi resisted the urge to rush into Xian Yaowen's arms and asked with longing, "Is Saigon fun?"

"It should be fun."

"Shouldn't? You haven't been there?"

“I’ve been there, but last time I wasn’t really interested in having fun. I built a house on the embankment in Saigon and made it my home. We can live here now.”

"Whose home are you living with?"

Sin Yiu-man grinned mischievously and said, "Only tonight."

Fei Baoqi blushed with embarrassment, "You're so annoying, you're making fun of me again."

"Hehe, no one, I don't have any women in Saigon."

What about Singapore?

"Sister, please don't ask me questions like this again. I don't like lying, and I will answer you truthfully, but you probably won't be happy to hear it."

Fei Baoqi said frankly, "It's okay. I thought about our relationship for the past three days. Admittedly, it only took one night to become a joke for me. I've had my fill, and I can't bear to let you go. But I know there's no tomorrow for us. Whether I do it willingly or unwillingly, I will eventually let go."

Sin Yiu-man did not respond to Fei Bao-chi's statement, but answered the previous question, "Jin Man, my third wife, she is from Singapore. We have a home in Singapore, living across from my brother-in-law."

"The moment you land, you'll see Narcissus, my eighth concubine."

"I've heard Baoshu mention Cai Jinman and Shuixian before."

Fei Baoqi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Other men hide their affairs, why would you say it so readily?"

"This is a long story, but I'll keep it short: have you ever seen a cooper?"

Fei Baoqi nodded.

"A barrel is made by piecing together planks. If one plank is shorter than the others, the final amount of water the barrel can hold depends on that one plank."

Whether a marriage is arranged or based on free choice, the ability of a couple to come together depends on the strengths of both partners. Separation, not from birth, aging, illness, or death, is due to the inability to tolerate each other's shortcomings.

Baoshu was older than me, so she would most likely pass away before me. When she left, she would lie in my arms, and I would carve the words "My Wife" on her tombstone.

"I understand. You're determined to be with Baoshu through thick and thin and don't want to be separated halfway. From the very beginning of your relationship, you should make her aware of your biggest flaw."

Sin Yiu-man smiled faintly and said, "Sister's understanding is completely correct. This is my philosophy on marriage."

Fei Baoqi sighed softly, "You reveal your flaws first, and then slowly reveal your strengths. You do the opposite of other men."

"perhaps."

Fei Baoqi's gaze gently caressed Xian Yaowen's face. "Are you like this with every woman?"

Her voice held a hidden hope that she herself was unaware of.

"They are largely the same, but their purposes may not be the same."

"Are there other purposes?"

"Good men are like a large, lengthy book; unless a woman has a clear purpose to get close to them, she dares not easily turn the pages. Bad men are like a magnet, stirring the restlessness and wantonness deep within a woman's heart; just one touch can start a story."

Sister, a good man's romantic encounters always end in disaster, while a bad man's romantic encounters are just a story.

Fei Baoqi was moved, "Am I a bad woman, or is it part of your story?"

"Who isn't a part of someone else's story?"

"A romantic encounter?"

Sin Yiu-man glanced at his watch and said calmly, "Sister, don't let your thoughts wander too fast, but you can quicken your pace. We should go to the restroom now. No matter how luxurious the restroom is on an airplane, it can't compare to a latrine on the ground."

Fei Baoqi pouted, "You're just making excuses for me."

"Alright, stop acting like a little girl and get moving, or we'll be in a rush later."

"No, answer me first."

“I’m having an affair with you, like a sister-in-law and brother-in-law having an affair.” Xian Yaowen pushed Fei Baoqi forward gently from behind. “Move forward.”

Fei Baoqi pouted and said, "You're really rude."

"fact."

Twenty minutes later, the plane took off again and, after a two-and-a-half-hour flight, slowly landed at Kallang Airport.

As Sin Yiu-man and Fei Po-ki walked out of the station exit, Narcissus, who was standing in front of a Cadillac-75, waved to them. The two walked over, and Sin Yiu-man hugged Narcissus, then let go, circled the car once, and returned to Narcissus's side.

Is the car comfortable to ride in?

"It's more comfortable than other cars, but it's not easy to drive. I only dare to drive it in the garden, not on the road."

“This car is designed for comfortable seating, not for driving.” After glancing at the driver’s seat again, Xian Yaowen took Shui Xian’s hand and looked at Fei Baoqi. “Sister, this is my wife Shui Xian. Shui Xian, this is Baoshu’s sister Fei Baoqi.”

Shui Xian nodded to Fei Baoqi in greeting, "Hello, elder sister."

"Hello."

Fei Baoqi tried to glean some information from Narcissus's face, but she found herself failing. She could read nothing but her smile and obvious youth and beauty.

“My sister is going to stay here for a few days and then come back to Taipei with me. Call the Raffles Hotel to book a room later.”

"Hmm?" Narcissus asked in confusion, "Doesn't my older sister live at home?"

Sin Yiu-man opened the back door and invited Fei Po-ki to get in, saying, "It's more convenient and comfortable to stay in a hotel."

"Oh."

Narcissus responded and followed Fei Baoqi into the car.

Along the way, Shui Xian took care of Fei Baoqi, introducing her to the scenery along the way. After the car entered Shui Xian Manor, she took Fei Baoqi to the guest room to wash up.

Sin Yiu-man went into the master bedroom, changed into a T-shirt and a pair of loose capri pants, and just as he put them on, Narcissus walked in.

"Sir, why should we put her in a hotel?"

"I already told you the reason."

Shui Xian knelt down in front of Xian Yaowen, pinched his waistband and helped him fasten it. "She can't hide anything. I can tell at a glance that she and the master are having an affair. After all, she is my sister's elder sister. It's not good for outsiders to know. It's more convenient for her to stay at home."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “Your ability to read people has improved. It’s precisely because I have something to do with her that I’m not letting her stay here. You’re thinking of me, I’m thinking of her, and I’m thinking of you too.”

Shui Xian stood up and hugged Xian Yaowen's waist. "I miss you so much, sir."

Xian Yaowen gently stroked Shuixian's hair and said softly, "It's my fault for taking so long to come see you this time."

Narcissus shook her head. "I know Master is busy, but I can't help missing him."

"Before the welfare hotel opens, we will buy two or three small planes to pick up and drop off VIPs from Malaya and Indonesia. If business is good, we will buy a large plane to pick up and drop off VIPs from even more distant places."

"We'll develop a few VIP clients in Hong Kong, then we can hitch a ride on their planes. It'll be very convenient for me to come here and you to go there."

Narcissus tilted her head back and smiled gently, "The guest might not agree."

Sin Yiu-man cupped Narcissus's face in his hands, "We can pretend to be flight crew members, pour drinks and serve food to the guests, and we can save on airfare."

Narcissus said with a serious expression, "The cost of a single flight is not low. What kind of client would be worth air transportation for?"

Have you been to the construction site of the welfare hotel?

"Ah."

"Do you see the annex buildings on both sides of the main building?"

"Saw."

"Those two are gambling halls, which will be contracted out to others in the future. Generally speaking, the hotel takes 55% of the gambling hall's revenue, and the contractor takes 45%. However, this profit sharing is not fixed, but tiered. The better the business performs, the more the contractor receives."

To get a larger share of the profits, contractors will use any means necessary, from seduction to setting traps, to lure wealthy businessmen and young men into gambling. They'll gamble very quickly, losing their fortunes in no time; these are the VIPs I'm referring to.

"Sir, isn't this exactly what secret gambling dens do? The people who do this are called 'middlemen' or 'henchmen'."

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “Gambling has a history of thousands of years. The methods used by gambling dens are all old tricks. There are no new tricks. The only new trick in gambling halls is contracting out.”

The hotel gambling incident should be kept low-key, while accumulating good deeds should be done openly, supporting the regime should be done openly, and abiding by the law should be done openly. We are good at everything, except that we are too trusting and were deceived by the contractor, completely unaware of his actions.

"The hotel acts like a good guy, while the contractor acts like a bad guy?"

Sin Yiu-man pinched Narcissus's nose. "You're really smart. The hotel must be good, and the image of the hotel's senior management must be positive. If any problems arise, the hotel must make a painful decision and hand the contractor over to the colonial government for prosecution."

Narcissus said with a grin, "Whose share is the contractor taking?"

“Otherwise?” Xian Yaowen said calmly, “Only secret societies can be contractors. If they are lucky, they may not get into trouble for ten years or so, enjoying wealth and honor for ten years. It’s not a bad thing to spend a few years in a prison. The starting price is 45%. Not just anyone is qualified to take it.”

Narcissus sighed softly, "Those people are still the best. They don't have to do anything, and money just grows legs and walks into their pockets."

Have you read Journey to the West?

Narcissus blinked. "How did we get onto the topic of 'Journey to the West'?"

Xian Yaowen put his arm around Shui Xian's small shoulder and led her outside. "From Sun Wukong's experience of going to the West to obtain the scriptures, we can conclude a truth: all demons of the immortals are good demons. Even if they have eaten a few people, it is just a minor flaw in their perfection. Let them punish themselves with three cups of wine as a small punishment to deter them from a big one."

"Among the characters in Journey to the West, the Yellow Lion Demon left the deepest impression on me. It didn't eat people on its own initiative, and it would even pay for things it bought. However, it was killed by a blow because it stole the weapons of Sun Wukong and his fellow disciples, and its body was also divided and eaten. It was truly tragic."

"The Yellow Lion Demon brought this upon itself. It never understood life. Monsters must be evil. This is a consensus reached between the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling. The Yellow Lion Demon, as a monster, does not eat people or engage in forced buying and selling. This is a slap in the face to the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling, and it is also shaking the foundation of their rule. It can only die."

If it eats a few people and steals some treasures to offer as tribute to the gods in heaven, it can stage a performance when it encounters Tang Sanzang and his disciples, taking the opportunity to register for enlightenment and request an imperial decree granting it a higher rank. In this way, it will be registered in the Heavenly Court, and any future offenses it commits will be considered violations of Heavenly Laws, which can be easily forgiven through connections.

Sin Yiu-man paused for a moment, then continued, "We've digressed. Let's get back to airplanes. There are plenty of big water pipes in Hong Kong, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to hitch a ride on a plane. We could probably make ten or more round trips a month without any problem."

"Didn't the master say he would stay in New York for a while after finishing up in Taiwan?"

"Things have changed a bit. We have an extra $800 million on hand, which means some of our plans can be moved up. We may have to give hundreds of thousands to the airlines next year."

"Oh."

As soon as Narcissus finished speaking, the two arrived at the corner of the stairs and saw Fei Baoqi sitting on the sofa in the living room. The two stopped talking and quickly walked to the sofa.

Sin Yiu-man sat down next to Fei Po-ki and casually put his arm around her waist, but his gaze was fixed on Narcissus. "Have you been to Lam Chu Kang recently?"

“I rarely go to Lixia Farm, I usually go to Wenji.”

"How's Wenji's business?"

“Grandma is amazing, she runs her business very well, but…” Shui Xian revealed a playful expression, “The convenience store has its eye on the shop next to Wen Ji’s and will soon open a branch there.”

Sin Yiu-man smiled faintly and said, "That's fine too. Mother will have to take care of her pregnancy and the baby, so she won't be able to do anything for at least two years."

“My mother put a lot of effort into Man Kee, but I didn’t dare tell her that the convenience store was my father-in-law’s business.”

"It's alright. Did you tell your mother that you'd be coming over for dinner tonight?"

"I called my father, and he told the master to come over early, saying that he had caught a lot of things from the river and was waiting for the master to deal with them."

“Oh, let’s go over there now.” Sin Yiu-man rubbed Fei Bao-qi’s back a few times to comfort her.

In less than half an hour, the group arrived at Lixia Farm.

Upon getting out of the car, Sin Yiu-man immediately noticed the significant changes to the farm. The farm was now surrounded by a fence, with bamboo netting covered in night-blooming jasmine and Rangoon creeper. Entering through the courtyard gate, which was also made of bamboo, one was greeted by a blue brick screen wall with a pomegranate pattern painted on it, symbolizing many children and blessings. In the center was the auspicious phrase "Abundant Harvest of Five Grains".

The screen wall looks ordinary, but it is not ordinary at all; it is a one-to-one replica of the screen wall in the Wenchangwei family home.

After passing the screen wall, the light dimmed, and looking up, I saw a grape trellis. The trellis, about 5 meters by 5 meters, was covered with grapevines, but no grapes were hanging down.

Singapore is completely unsuitable for growing grapes; it would be a miracle if they could even survive. Don't expect to eat grapes there.

Stepping out of the trellis, one is greeted by a winding, meandering path. The isolated area consists of small flower beds planted with tropical bulbs such as amaryllis, fireball flowers, and spider lilies.

Amidst the flowers stood a bronze vessel, atop a patterned pillar resting a similarly patterned bronze basin filled with water. In the center of the basin was a crescent-shaped lamp, lit by a candle, its light reflected on the water's surface, illuminating the floating white-winged flying ants.

Bronze artifacts were not only decorative, but also served to trap termites.

Following the narrow path, we were led to the edge of a pond, shaped like an infinity symbol. Half of the pond was filled with blooming pink lotuses, while the other half was filled with bowl lotuses. There was a pier by the pond, and a Baba boat was leaning against it, half on the shore and half submerged in the water.

Sin Yiu-man stepped off the dock, reached into the water, groped around for a few moments, then pulled his hand back, revealing a clam and a few snails in his palm.

Baba boats are actually wooden basin boats, using a large wooden basin about two meters in diameter as a boat. Ponds where you can see these boats are generally related to pearl farming. However, since the pond did not have the characteristics of a pearl pond, he guessed that Sin Kwong-lai was not farming pearls, but rather river mussels, specifically the pleated crown mussels, which are commonly found in Bao'an and are called "chicken crest mussels" in the local dialect.

Chicken crested clams are the most delicious river clams in Bao'an. They have thick shells and firm, chewy meat, making them suitable for stewing in soup or stir-frying. They have a rich umami flavor and are the top choice for Bao'an's local dish, stewed river clams with tofu.

Wen Banxia had a particular fondness for stir-fried cockle clams. When Xian Yaowen and Xian Yaowu were children, before going home after playing outside for half a day, they would go to the ditch to catch some cockle clams to bring home. When they saw cockle clams, Xian Guangli would often spare their lives by hanging them on a tree and omitting the hanging step, which gave them a chance to run around the yard and receive fewer lashes.

After throwing the clam back into the water, Sin Yiu Man glanced into the Baba boat. A patch of chili peppers in the corner caught his attention. He picked it up, tore off the snail operculum stuck to the chili pepper, and smelled it, inhaling the distinctive fishy smell of clam meat.

The remnants of stir-fried cockles and snail meat appeared in the Baba boat. Sin Yiu Man chuckled mischievously, squatted down, and carefully examined every corner of the Baba boat.

A moment later, he found evidence at the bottom of the boat that supported his conjecture. He laughed out loud, and his questions about the long diameter of the Baba boat and the presence of the snail operculum in the boat were answered. He never expected that the old married couple would not only be romantic, but also playful.

"Today, she actually took me boating on the lake. We carefully admired the beautiful scenery. The lake was as calm as a mirror, and the reflections in the water were double. This scene is the most unforgettable."

With a soft hum, Xian Yaowen imagined what it would be like to boat on the lotus pond. Sitting cross-legged opposite each other, chatting about Yaowen and Yaowu, and after filling their stomachs, the Baba boat disappeared among the lotus flowers. Xian Guangli comforted Yaobin in Wen Banxia's belly and shamelessly created another Yaotao.

Yaowen, Yaowu, Yaobin, Yaotao, Yaomo, and Yaoyan—these are the six male names that Grandpa Xian Yaowu decided for his grandsons. If Wen Banxia is carrying a son, he will definitely be named Xian Yaobin.

Believe it or not, if the elderly couple put in a little effort, they might actually be able to use all six names, and perhaps even have a few more daughters.

"Why aren't you inside? What are you doing here?"

Sin Yiu-man turned around at the sound and saw Sin Kwong-lai standing on a high point on the pier, looking down.

"Looking at the lotus pond," Xian Yaowen replied, taking a few steps up to stand one step below Xian Guangli. "Father, the courtyard is very beautiful. It must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"It didn't cost much; I did it all myself," Xian Guangli said casually.

"How come I didn't know my father had this skill?"

"Before you were born, I worked as a gardener for a wealthy family in Xiguan for two years."

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, "Is Father with Miss...?"

"Don't talk nonsense, you disrespectful person." Xian Guangli said with a stern face, "Last night I went to the river and set traps and hooks, and caught more than ten catties of swamp shrimp and three turtles. In the middle of the night I caught some frogs. This morning I went to the river again and set traps and caught a bucket of small fish. They are all left at the door, waiting for you to deal with them."

"Okay, I'll go now."

"Wait, the red-haired devil has been found?" (End of Chapter)