money player

"Excuse me."

Xian Yaowen said something to Xu Runcang, walked past him to the dining table, stopped directly opposite Xu Shaodong, and bowed to Xu Shaodong, saying, "Mr. Xu, this junior Yaowen greets you."

Xu Shaodong nodded slightly and pointed to the chair opposite him. "Mr. Xian, please sit down."

Sin Yiu-man sat upright, pretending to listen attentively.

Xu Shaodong lowered his head and fiddled with his pipe, saying in a low voice, "Mr. Xian, how do you intend to resolve this matter?"

Sin Yiu-man bowed again, “Mr. Tsui, on behalf of my father, I would like to propose marriage to you. Sin Yiu-wu, the eldest son of the Wenchang Sin family, is offering HK$50 to marry Tsui’s virtuous daughter, Wan-yi.”

On the wedding day, an eight-bearer palanquin departs from the Kowloon Customs House, travels from the New Territories to Kowloon, and then from the Tsim Sha Tsui ferry terminal to Hong Kong Island, with gongs and firecrackers set off along the way, inviting all Hong Kong citizens to join in the festivities.

The banquet is a continuous feast, lasting three days, and all who come are guests; on the third day after the wedding, all the proper etiquette is observed.

As the eldest uncle, I would like to offer 2% of the shares in Friendship Company as a congratulatory gift to the newlyweds. The shares are not tied together; Yaowu will hold 1% and Wanyi 1%. Even if the two divorce in the future, the shares will still belong to Wanyi.

Xu Shaodong slowly raised his head, the old flesh on his face twitching uncontrollably. "Nephew, is this really true?"

Sin Yiu-man bowed again, saying, "Every word is true, without any exaggeration."

Xu Shaodong lit his pipe, took a puff, and after a moment of silence, said, "I'll give Wanyi 100 million as her dowry."

Sin Yiu-man stood up, bowed to Tsui Siu-tung, and said, "Uncle."

"Yaowen, sit down, sit down, no need for formalities."

"Yes."

Sin Yiu-man bowed and sat back down in his chair.

“Uncle, this matter involves Miss Guo. Although the Guo family has declined, the Xian family’s etiquette must still be upheld. As the eldest uncle, I cannot show favoritism. If Wanyi has something, Miss Guo should not be lacking either. However, Wanyi is more practical. The wedding will be postponed for three months.”

Uncle, is this appropriate?

Xu Shaodong nodded. "This arrangement is very good."

"Thank you for your kindness, Uncle."

Xu Shaodong waved his hand, "I'm happy today, Yaowen, have a few drinks with me."

"I will definitely drink with my uncle until he has a good time."

The first encounter came to an end. After that, drinking was just drinking, and chatting was just casual conversation. There were no hidden grudges. After all, it was the first time they had met, so it was not good to be too eager to make things efficient. The bridge had been built, and important matters could be put off until later.

Paris.

Noon is the time when guests arrive at Han Gong Lou.

Because Zhou Yueyu brought fashion figures and Chinese artists who had studied in France, Danielle Deliu brought film and television figures, Jean Desais brought legal figures, and Du Juan invited Catholics to the restaurant, Han Gong Lou became the number one Chinese restaurant in France as soon as it opened.

Furthermore, because the kitchen garden provides Han Gong Lou with top-quality ingredients, and Cantonese cuisine is easily accepted by the French, Han Gong Lou is always packed with guests during mealtimes.

Not long ago, Augustine Hamilton, the owner of 84 Charing Cross Road, held a cultural salon at Han Gong Lou. As a result, writers also came to support the business, and there is a high probability that Han Gong Lou will be written into a best-selling literary work. Its profound cultural heritage is just around the corner.

Du Juan did not forget to cultivate public relations with travel magazines such as Holiday, Michelin Guide, Faubourg Guide, and Blue Guide, and travel writers were encouraged to write articles related to Han Gong Lou.

With the Michelin three-star rating system reinstated, she is working hard for a Michelin star rating. Three stars are unlikely, but two stars are still within her reach.

In addition, Du Juan is also working hard to localize Han Gong Lou, integrate it into the Parisian tourism image, and make it a calling card for the romantic city. Han Gong Lou should not only target local Parisian gourmets, but should become a must-visit destination for tourists from all over the world—you can skip the Eiffel Tower, but you can't miss Han Gong Lou.

At a dining table, Jean Desais sat opposite João Rebello Magellan, the Portuguese ambassador to France and Alice's former lover. Magellan had just put away an envelope containing $2, not some shady sum, but a signing bonus.

Jean Desais signed a five-year consulting contract with Magellan, who served as Ferreira's strategic advisor, strategizing for the company's development.

Offering advice was just a figure of speech; in reality, it was about leveraging Magellan's connections to obtain an advisory contract, thus legitimizing Magellan's "side income," which at most would draw some criticism.

Macau, Lisbon Palace Ballroom.

Alice, holding a glass of port, chatted and laughed with Luis Matos Paletti, the chief of the police department.

At that time, according to the power structure, the Governor of Macau could be regarded as a local emperor, and the Director of the Economic Department and the Director of the Port Authority was the prime minister. Macau was the de facto "purse" of Macau, and he had the final say on all foreign exchange rates, import and export licenses, and gold and opium tax rates.

The head of the Public Security Police Department is a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, whose power surpasses that of a regular police officer, combining the roles of police officer, secret police officer, and intelligence chief.

The Minister of Finance, the Director of Customs, the Commander of the Navy in Macau, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Public Works and Transport can be classified as the Six Ministers, each in charge of their own area, but all must obey the local emperor and the prime minister.

Portugal did have troops stationed in Macau, but the total number was just over a thousand, and many of them were black soldiers hired from African colonies. These poor men huddled in the fortresses, the Mong-Hia fortress, and near the border gate, living in constant fear that the other side would attack them. They had at most no chance of getting any real benefits.

Customs has the obligation to combat smuggling, which means it has the power to collect "landing fees" from smuggling ships. It just so happens that the market is good, just as the saying goes: "A clean prefect for three years can amass 100,000 taels of silver."

The navy has three gunboats and 200 marines. In order to maintain combat effectiveness, they conduct exercises from time to time, such as port closure inspections, escorting smuggling ships, and when they encounter unruly individuals, they can also practice rapid-fire tactics at sea.

To put it simply, everyone who transported goods to Macau had to pay a private income tax, which was not issued invoices, to the police, customs, and navy. Every month, the Golden Seasons Trading Company had to escort several gold-plated fast sailing ships to Macau, so that a few Portuguese civil servants who were far from their hometown and served the people of Macau could see the artifacts and remember the maritime overlord who had started the Age of Exploration.

Paletti had business dealings with the Golden Company and was also an acquaintance of Magellan. The two sat in the same room more than once, listening to the earnest teachings of Salazar, the leader of the community (ism).

“Louis, I bought a manor in the Lapa district that overlooks the Tagus River.” Alice said with feigned regret, “Unfortunately, I’m planning to develop in Macau, so the manor will have to remain empty. I wonder if you’d be interested? I’ll sell it to you cheap.”

Paletti asked calmly, "Is the manor on the hillside?"

“Of course,” Alice chuckled. “I have a lot of Port wine stored in my cellar, which can be given as a gift.”

"That sounds good. At what price are you planning to sell it for?"

“I bought it for $1.5, and I’ll sell it to you at that price. Please don’t haggle; I don’t want to lose too much.”

Paletti was delighted to hear this. It was truly a pleasure to have such a generous fellow countryman. The estate in Lapa was worth at least $10. "Wow, that's really expensive. I'm just an ordinary civil servant; I can't afford that much money."

"I accept installment payments."

Alice is being a bit too hasty.

"No, you've just come to Macau to do business, so you must be short of funds. I'll find someone to borrow some money and pay you back in one go."

Alice raised her glass. "Louis, thank you very much."

Paletti clinked glasses with Alice and asked, "Alice, what kind of business are you planning to do in Macau?"

“I haven’t decided yet. I’ve been looking around for business opportunities these past two days and found that the price of Yuan silver dollars in Macau is good. A friend of mine happens to have a channel, so I plan to ship a batch of Yuan silver dollars over here to sell.”

“Yuan Datou,” Paletti said in fluent Chinese. “Alice, the translation of Yuan Yinyuan is not quite accurate.”

"Yuan Datou?"

“Yes.” Paletti nodded. “If you want to do business with Yuan Shikai silver dollars, you’d better partner with someone.”

"Who?"

“He Yan, a Chinese man, is sometimes called the King of Macau,” Paletti said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Not a Macanese?"

"They are Chinese."

Alice exclaimed incredulously, "A Chinese man? The King of Macau?"

“Alice, the situation in Macau is very complicated. Once you've stayed here long enough, you'll naturally understand the importance of the Chinese.” Paletti raised his glass in a toast. “Have fun, excuse me for now.”

Alice raised her glass in response, watching Paletti leave. Once he was out of sight, she frowned slightly, feeling a bit disgusted by Paletti's greed.

They mentioned He Yan's name but didn't offer an introduction, clearly waiting to collect a "referral fee." Is that all the value of the $11 they paid?
Her left hand hung down, making a gesture of holding a cigarette. Elsilia, who was behind her, stepped forward, took a cigarette from the cigarette case, and put it into the "V".

Shiji Wharf.

Long Xuemei's father, Long Zhenbang, got off the seaplane and walked on the pier. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket to check Alice's address.

He had little presence as the housekeeper in the Sin family, and the skills he had honed in Macau were not put to good use. Just then, someone introduced him to Alice as her housekeeper, and he immediately resigned from the Sin family and went to work for a new employer.

After leaving the Xu family, Xian Yaowen went to the Guo family alone to meet Chen Qiongyun and told her about the treatment he would give Guo Biting. Chen Qiongyun expressed her satisfaction.

Only the legally married wife is entitled to ride in the eight-bearer sedan chair. According to ancient customs, a man only has one chance in his life. Even his second wife after the death of his legal wife is not entitled to ride in it. Concubines, on the other hand, ride in the eight-bearer sedan chair in pairs. Outsiders will not laugh at the woman, but will only laugh at the Xian family for not knowing etiquette.

To put it bluntly, even if Sin Yiu-man were to throw the Sin family's reputation on the ground and let others trample on it, he would still give the woman face. His sincerity was undeniable.

It is precisely because of this sincerity that it is a harm to Chung Chieh-ling and an offense to the Chung family.

Upon returning home, Xian Yaowen immediately sat down in the living room of Building Two. (End of Chapter)