money player

Hong Kong.

Grantham signed the document, approving the lease of a total of 138 million square feet of former British military barracks and adjacent barren hills along Clear Water Bay Road in Kowloon to Sky Travelers for 99 years at HK$0.46 per square foot, for a total amount of HK$63.48.

The down payment is HK$200,000, and the remaining HK$434,800 will be paid off in three installments over three years.

Rosalind Henwood received the notification and called Cheryl to report the matter. Cheryl relayed the information to Yuan Wenhuai, who then made a call to Youxing in Singapore.

In less than half an hour, Financial Secretary Sir Robert Hollner, who was about to finish his shift, made a phone call to Li Guanchun of the Bank of East Asia. Li Guanchun then made a phone call to Shaw Renmei, who slammed his fist on the table and made a phone call to Singapore.

After making the call, Rosalind went to the British military outpost outside Kowloon Walled City, where a lieutenant named McAllister was already waiting for her.

As they shook hands, Rosalind whispered, "The money order has been sent to your hometown."

McAllister smiled, gestured for Rosalind to proceed, and led her to the armory. Facing the 18 M101 howitzers neatly arranged, he explained, “There are 18 here, and another 6 in another warehouse, making a total of 24 guns. We have 2.2 shells, 1.8 of which are registered, and 4000 are included with the guns.”

How much is a cannon?

"The quoted price is HK$2.8 per unit, and HK$18 per shell."

"OK, someone will come to pick it up today."

Shatoujiao, the location of the 30th Regiment's transport company.

With a series of sharp whistles, the cry of "Emergency assembly" suddenly rang out.

A few seconds later, the sound of running came from all directions, growing louder and louder as it approached.

"Form ranks... line up, assemble!"

"stand at attention!"

"Right face... All aligned!"

"Look ahead!"

"Take a break!"

"Comrades, we need to get ready before we head out... Take off your military uniforms and change into casual clothes; once we're in the vehicle, don't talk nonsense, keep your heads down; and also, keep your mouths shut, don't say a word about the mission. Got it?"

"clear."

"Five minutes to change clothes, dismissed."

McAllister led Rosalind to another warehouse.

"82 generators, HK$3800 each; 45 sets of purification equipment, HK$100 each."

Rosalind looked at the nearly new air purification equipment and exclaimed in surprise, "100 Hong Kong dollars?"

McAllister said in a low voice, "It's already registered for scrap; it'll be sold as junk."

“OK, I’ll take it.” Rosalind said in a low voice, “I’ll give you $4500, you can pay the bill yourself.”

McAlis nodded.

With things settled here, Rosalind hurried to the Kowloon Tong military camp.

Similar to what happened, a captain named O'Connor was waiting at the back door. The two exchanged a few pleasantries and then entered the barracks garage together.

O'Connor pointed to the impressive array of vehicles and said, "The Morris Commercial C8 is in the best condition, HK$8800 per vehicle; the Austin-K5, HK$7500 per vehicle; the Besturn QL, HK$6800 per vehicle; the Besturn OY, HK$5800 per vehicle; and the Leyland Hound, HK$5200 per vehicle."

The cheapest option is Fordson WOT, with 120 units available, priced at HK$4000 per unit.

"Can it be disassembled and reassembled?"

“Sure, the mechanic is on call anytime,” O’Connor said with a smile.

Rosalind waved her hand, and the mechanics from the Fainting Sheep Cart Company who were waiting behind her immediately came forward in pairs, carrying baskets covered with tarpaulins. Rosalind lifted the tarpaulin, revealing Lucky Strike cigarettes and Macallan whiskey in the baskets. "I need 24 Fordson WOTs in an hour and a half."

"no problem."

Rosalind turned and said, "Put your things down and go pick out a car."

"Yes, madam."

The two technicians from the sheep cart shop who had fainted stayed behind to work, while Rosalind turned and left.

Next, she arrived at the Sham Shui Po military vehicle parking lot. After completing most of the operations, she didn't dare to stop for a moment and rushed to the Kwai Chung military warehouse.

The warehouse manager was a Chinese British sergeant major named Kowloon Lao. He was lucky and received a big red envelope. He left one technician in the warehouse to pick out a car, while the others left in a flash.

Fifteen minutes later, the group arrived at the Sham Shui Po military vehicle parking lot, found Warrant Officer Reginald Smith, and presented him with several postal money orders totaling £1000. Technicians then began sifting through the rubbish for gold.

Most of the trucks entering the parking lot are "real" near-scrap junk, with only a small portion being "man-made" scrapped. They cost HK$1000 each, no deception. Smith, having accepted bribes, turns a blind eye. You can dismantle any parts you want, as long as the frame fits.

The remaining technicians stayed behind, and Rosalind headed to Kai Tak Airport alone.

Rosalind wandered through the oil drums with a notebook, counting out a total of 94 gallons of aviation kerosene at HK$0.28 per gallon, three times the regular price. With a token amount added, the total came to about HK$29.

After taking inventory, I exited the airport and met a middle-aged man with a face full of socialist righteousness. I received a bag containing HK$35 from him and returned the favor with the words "Shekou".

HK$8.68 was counted, and the rest was sent to the airport.

After finishing her work here, Rosalind arrived at the Tri-Service Command Building in Central Battery, found the Chief of Logistics of the Land Command, and the two sides signed a land transfer agreement in a friendly atmosphere—179 million square feet of land outside Kowloon Walled City and 201 million square feet of saline-alkali land in Kwai Chung, for HK$0.18 per square foot.

……

Fanling Golf Club.

Cheryl swung her club, and the Public Works Department Chief, Kirito, standing next to her, clapped and said, "Good shot!"

Cheryl smiled and handed the club to the caddie. She took two bottles of Watson's from her secretary and handed one to Qi Lizhuo. "Mr. Cragg, Flying Freight has registered a subsidiary, Lucky Star Transportation. 55% of the shares belong to a London company. The lawyer is on call 24 hours a day and can change the shareholder list at any time."

Qi Lizhuo took the bottle, took a sip of water, and said, "The Causeway Bay reclamation project, the North Shore reclamation project (Central to Admiralty section), the Kai Tak Airport modernization and reclamation project, and the first phase of the Central reclamation project (Naval Dockyard to Star Ferry Pier) which will start next year all require a large number of trucks. Does Lucky Star have that many trucks?"

"The national treasury is tight, and there has been large-scale troop reduction every year since the end of the war. The Conservative Party's rise to power is a foregone conclusion, and Mr. Churchill will likely become Prime Minister again. He will probably implement the three-circle diplomacy he proposed 48 years ago, adjust the global military deployment, and change Hong Kong's role from a forward base to a regional defense pivot. The size of the garrison will be greatly reduced."

Qi Lizhuo chuckled and said, "The army is already selling trucks ahead of schedule?"

"There was no advance notice; they were just selling trucks belonging to troops who had been transferred to South Korea."

When can we enter?

"We can start work in two or three days."

"very good."

……

Shekou Port.

"Hurry up, it has to be finished in half an hour."

博福斯40毫米高射炮42门、厄利孔20毫米机炮120挺、Type-277雷达+声呐设备12套，正在紧张有序地卸船。

The boats were packed tightly together, and the strong, short-haired men with their hair cut short like soybeans were scattered all over the embankment.

Naval Club.

Sofia is counting the cash: HK$1.8 per anti-aircraft gun, HK$2800 per machine gun, and HK$10 per radar set, totaling HK$229.2.

One times one equals one, two times two equals three, three times three equals fifty. She counted out 50, and was too lazy to count the rest. She just counted the number of bundles. There were still 230 bundles left. The number should be correct. She then gathered them into two sacks and had several sailors carry them away.

When she was alone, she took 20 bundles out of the 50 bundles, put them into a cloth bag, tied the bag closed, and wrote the two letters "GS" on the bag.

He took out a stack of kraft paper envelopes, put different numbers of bundles into each envelope, and wrote different letters on the envelopes.

Everything was settled, so I lit a cigarette and enjoyed a leisurely smoke.

Warehouse at Tamar Naval Base.

Zhao Ming held an abacus in his right hand, while his left thumb kept counting the other four fingers. His eyes swept over the wooden boxes as he counted the goods.

6.8 boxes of canned beef, pork, cream, jam and other various products, regardless of category, were all priced at HK$18 per box, rounded down, totaling HK$120 million.

420 cases of Johnnie Walker and Hagupit whisky, HK$100 per case, rounded down, totaling HK$4.2 million.

38 cartons of Sanwu and Navy-grade tobacco, HK$13.50 per carton, no change to spare, totaling HK$510 million.

The total value of the goods is HK$120 million + HK$420 million + HK$510 million = HK$1050 million. Although Golden Seasons Trading Company has the ability to take over this batch of goods, it is not good to do so, and it seems that it is not necessary to do so.

A group of buyers has been contacted to buy all the canned goods at HK$28 per box, which will generate a profit of HK$68.

Whisky, HK$130 per case, 1.35 cases secured, yielding a profit of HK$40.5. The rest depends on news; we'll sell as much as we can. If there's not much left, Jinji will take it all.

Cigarettes are relatively simple. Hong Kong already has a smuggled cigarette sales network. Fook Yee Hing and 14K are both involved. With a word, a carton of cigarettes costs an extra HK$4.50. The two gangs can collect the advance payment from the end consumer in less than half a day, making a profit of HK$171 million.

The two types of cigarettes are priced between HK$2.6 and HK$3.2 per pack at retail outlets, and can be wholesaled at HK$18 per carton, with each link in the supply chain still making a decent profit.

pier.

Sailors lined up in a row, paying their respects to the soon-to-be-decommissioned ship, while a military band stood to the side playing "Amazing Grace."

Rear Admiral Arthur Lee was overwhelmed with emotion as Sophia appeared at the window, curtsied to the ship, her face dignified and solemn.

As the ensign was lowered, Arthur Lee crossed the ship's name off the naval register, and the entire crew shouted "Pay off and Party," before taking off their caps and throwing them into the air.

Bathed in the rain of military caps, Zhao Ming crossed the pier and arrived at the dock, taking stock of the mechanical landing craft (LCM2): "1, 2, 3, 4... 13, 14, 15... 26, 27, 28, a total of 28. The old ones cost 38,000, and the new ones cost 65,000. They don't look very heavy, and you can't get much metal from them. Only the engines are worth a little money. It's a real pity to dismantle them."

Mechanical landing craft are too large targets; they are difficult to operate without being disassembled. If they appear in formation in some corner of the earth, it would be difficult to pretend to be blind to them.

There wasn't much profit to be made from these lumps of iron, so Zhao Ming felt there was no need to go aboard and inspect them closely. As long as the count wasn't wrong, that was enough. He hurried to the oil depot. With the ship decommissioned, the oil depot had an extra 180 million gallons of marine heavy fuel oil. At HK$0.15 per gallon, there was still some profit to be made.

After looking at the heavy oil, I went to look at the cars. There were 104 brand new Humber 4WD Jeeps and 76 brand new Morris Commercial C8s. The former were HK$3500 each and the latter were HK$5500 each. It was practically free. I bought them all.

Four Jeeps were kept for personal use, while the other 100 were sold to mainland China at a markup of HK$1500. The trucks were first brought back to the trading company, where the best were selected, with the remaining ones kept for personal use, and the rest to be dealt with later.

……

As dinnertime approached, Cen Peipei sat leisurely enjoying tea at Shanjin Tea House.

With the addition of elegant decorations, the shop's style has improved considerably. Of course, this isn't due to Cen Peipei's efforts; she's focused all her energy on making money and hasn't had time to cultivate a refined spending style.

Meng Xiaodong is the official host of Shanjin Tea House. Cen Peipei gave her a 30% share. Since becoming a widow, she doesn't like to see guests and doesn't want to see guests. So, she hides in the tea house to become a unified entity. The beaded curtains and tea cabinets block the prying eyes of the business area, and she can move freely.

She and Cen Peipei got along quite well. Cen Peipei possessed a maturity beyond her years and a deep love for opera, so they had much to talk about and their conversations were never tiring. Of course, besides their compatible personalities, there were also conflicts of interest. With Cen Peipei protecting her, all the other troubles couldn't get close to her.

She remains a fiery red amidst the lush greenery. With Old Du gone, many men have developed wicked desires for her, offering lavish gifts under the guise of singing to carry out illicit affairs. One wrong move and they could easily fall into her trap. As things stand, this is quite good.

She gently stroked her beloved dog, which she had recently purchased at great expense and regarded as a companion, while her gaze fell upon the Song Dynasty woodblock print placed on the tea table. Occasionally, she would glance up at Cen Peipei's teacup, where the tea was shallow and cold, and she would either refill or replace it.

This gesture was not meant to flatter or fawn, but rather to express pity. In her prime, she had already shouldered a heavy responsibility, both to maintain the status quo and to expand the future.

The phone rang, and Cen Peipei answered it.

"Hey."

"Sister-in-law, it's me. I'm calling from Dad's house."

"Jieling, is there something you need?"

"I have something to take care of, is it convenient for me to come over?"

The Xian family tradition dictates that important matters should not be discussed on the phone.

"It's convenient, come on over."

After hanging up the phone, Cen Peipei glanced at the Mostin clock in the corner, then said to Li Shiying, "Go next door and tell them to prepare a meal for pregnant women."

"Ok."

Watching Li Shiying leave, Meng Xiaodong said, "Your sister-in-law is about to give birth, when are you planning to get pregnant?"

"Doctors say the best age for women to have children is between 20 and 35. My husband says I'm still young, and it's not too late to have another child in a couple of years." Cen Peipei's lips curled into a happy smile.

Meng Xiaodong hesitated for a moment, then said, "In two years, he will no longer be the eldest son."

“Sister Xiaodong, my husband’s idea has always been that the most capable should take the place. Besides, my husband is only twenty years old by the Chinese age reckoning.”

Meng Xiaodong chuckled and said, "From the first time I met Mr. Xian, he gave the impression of being as composed as a middle-aged man. I had overlooked the fact that he is not that old. Has Mr. Xian always been mature beyond his years?"

Cen Peipei smiled faintly: "The old man has a side that is appropriate for his age, but he doesn't show it outwardly. People from Guangzhou say, 'Young man, all talk and no action, not a word he says is reliable,' people from Chaozhou say, 'A pheasant without feathers, it crows loudly, but doesn't know to go back to its shed when it rains,' and people from Siyi say, 'A young sparrow with a high-pitched voice, it can't be carried steadily.'"

Sister Xiaodong, what these words mean is 'a young man is unreliable,' meaning that being too young makes things more difficult for you when you're out in the world, so the master has to act mature.

“In Shanghai, there’s a saying: ‘If you don’t remove your baby hair before you start looking for a shop, you can’t make a fortune with an abacus.’” Meng Xiaodong smiled. “Indeed, being young and having a lower seniority makes it easy to suffer losses when you’re out in the world. Mr. Xian has come a long way.”

The two chatted back and forth, and before they knew it, Zhong Jieling's large pregnant belly had made its way into the tea shop.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhong Jieling got down to business.

"Sister-in-law, the Xu family, the major shareholders of Nanhua Insurance, are immigrating to Canada and are looking for a broker to put their properties up for sale."

"Is Nanhua Insurance a business run by the Chaozhou gang?"

Zhong Jieling nodded. "Yes, the Xu family wants to save face for the people of Chaozhou."

"Are all the shareholders of Nan Hua Insurance from the Chaozhou group?"

“Yes.” Zhong Jieling hesitated slightly and said, “I heard from Uncle that the shareholders are at odds with each other.”

Cen Peipei pondered for a moment, then asked, "What do you think?"

Zhong Jieling looked at Cen Peipei with hopeful eyes, "Sister-in-law, it's not a bad thing for the Xian family to get an insurance business."

Cen Peipei picked up her teacup, gently stroking the rim with her index finger. After a moment, she said in a low voice, "Entering the insurance industry is a good idea. However, the deep imprint of the name 'Chaozhou' already shows that Nanhua Insurance is too narrow-minded. It is not a good investment target."

She looked up and gazed at Zhong Jieling's face. "Have you paid any attention to the massive fires that struck Atherton, Australia this March?"

Zhong Jieling frowned, her heart pounding with anxiety. Her sister-in-law's question clearly indicated she should know this news, but she had absolutely no recollection of it. (End of Chapter)