money player

"Making money is never easy. This business is a bit sensitive. Jinzhao Group can't come forward directly. We need to put it under a shell."

"Find a scapegoat?"

"It's not that exaggerated. He won't die. At most, he'll be blacklisted by the United States. Just find someone who doesn't do business to endorse him, give him a tenement building in a good location, and he'll basically never have to worry about anything for the rest of his life."

"Sir, aren't you exaggerating? A tenement building can guarantee a lifetime of comfort?"

Xian Yaowen pinched Su Lizhen's cheek. "Your ascension to immortality is truly outrageous. You've only been living the high life with me for a short time, and you've already forgotten the days when you couldn't pay the rent and hid from me?"

"Ugh." Su Lizhen brushed Xian Yaowen's hand away. "When did I owe you rent?"

"You're just being stubborn. If I weren't lusting after you, I would have kicked you all out long ago."

Su Lizhen chuckled, "I knew the old man had a shifty look on his face back then, secretly peeking at other people's butts."

"Let's not even talk about your shifty eyes, please remove the 'secretly,' I've always seen you looking openly." Xian Yaowen hugged Su Lizhen tightly, "Let's finish talking about serious matters first."

"Ah."

"Besides tungsten concentrate, there is antimony, used in artillery shell fuses, bearing Babbitt alloys, and flame retardants; tin, used in tinplate for military canned goods; molybdenum, used in high-strength alloy steel, which is used in M1 tank tracks and jet engines; mercury, used in detonators, fuses, and instruments; and magnesia, a strategic-grade refractory material used in many high-precision weapons."

Fluorite, when treated with concentrated sulfuric acid, produces hydrogen fluoride. After several chemical reactions, it eventually yields uranium hexafluoride. Uranium hexafluoride is then separated into uranium-235 and uranium-238 via gaseous diffusion, which are the main materials used to make atomic bombs.

Su Lizhen exclaimed, "Atomic bomb... Won't smuggling fluorite lead to being hunted down by the United States?"

Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "You've got it wrong. If someone is chasing us, it's definitely the Soviets. The United States needs fluorite, not only to make atomic bombs, but also to make refrigerators. The key to refrigerator cooling is Freon, which is also made from fluorite."

Su Lizhen turned to ask, "Would the Soviets know how?"

"It probably won't happen in the next two years. The Soviets' focus is on the domestic market. It's hard to say what will happen in a couple of years. The mining business can only proceed one step at a time, and we must be prepared to close down at any time."

"Oh," Su Lizhen said thoughtfully, "Should we try to distance ourselves from mineral smuggling as much as possible?"

"Of course we have to do this, but don't expect to be able to hide it from the Soviet intelligence agencies. There are a lot of White Russians in Hong Kong. Who knows how many Soviet agents are hiding among them? You have to be careful of White Russians who appear around you. Don't doubt whether they are Soviet agents or not. Just assume they are. Avoid them if you can. If they are like a leech that you can't shake off, arrest them and interrogate them severely."

Low-ranking spies are like toilet paper—consumables. Aside from family, nobody cares about their lives. Killing a few and bribing their superiors might even be an opportunity to improve our relations with the Soviet Union.

"Sir, you're being too extreme. Human relationships can't be as thin as paper, can they?"

Have you ever read the book "How the Iron Was Tempered" translated by Cao Jinghua on the bookshelf?

"Paul Korchagin?"

"Yes, Nikolai Ostrovsky, in order to portray Pavel as a revolutionary genius, gave a complete account of his experiences, from Red Army soldier to Cheka, then to grain requisition team member, and Komsomol cadre all the way up."

The description of the Cheka in the book is vague. In fact, the Cheka was similar to the Ming Dynasty's Eastern and Western Depots. They were the henchmen of the Soviet upper class used to eliminate dissidents. The main tasks of the Cheka were framing, arresting, and massacring.

As for the grain requisition team, one sentence can explain their true nature: the Japanese were not as ruthless as the grain requisition team when they went to the countryside to requisition grain. The Japanese killed selectively, while the grain requisition team carried out indiscriminate slaughter. If they didn't get grain, they would kill.

This is the kind of idealized model erected for others to emulate; one can imagine that in the 1930s, such a person was probably considered quite good in the Soviet Union.

"Isn't this a story from 1919?"

"Don't worry about the year the story is set in; what matters is when the book was written. 'How the Iron Was Tempered' was serialized in the magazine 'Young Guard' in 1932, and a Russian-language edition was published in 1934. Then the Great Purge began in 1936, and although it is said to have ended in 1938, its aftereffects haven't stopped even now."

After more than a decade of cleansing, there may still be good people in the Soviet Union, but nine out of ten have been sidelined. Those who remain in the center of power cannot be called bad people, but they are at least chameleons with exceptional survival skills, lacking any sense of good or evil or human relationships, and only concerned with profit and loss.

As long as the person killed isn't a family member or lover, everything is negotiable. Of course, the killing must be done secretly, not publicly. If it becomes public, things will get complicated, triggering a much bigger weighing of pros and cons.

"Sir, you're mistaken. All those who play politics only consider advantages and disadvantages, and this isn't just true of the Soviets."

Xian Yaowen pinched Su Lizhen's face. "You're right. I was wrong. Since you understand, you should know how to make yourself an advantage for some powerful people, but not a disadvantage for even more powerful people. Be careful of the tightrope you're walking on, and take each step steadily."

"It's too difficult." Su Lizhen shook her head. "Why can't it be simpler?"

“A single transaction can bring in millions of dollars in profit. That money is easy to make, isn’t it? You’ve already taken the benefits, so you can’t avoid the consequences. Compared to the shareholders of Jinji Trading Company, we have nothing. Why should we have the majority of the shares?”

Xian Yaowen patted Su Lizhen's wrist, "I'll leave this question for you to think about slowly. Money, no money comes for free, there's always a price to pay."

In almost all our businesses, we're in the lowest position. Keep your tail between your legs and don't make the mistake of sitting on a high pedestal again.

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the memorial table, “If you take one wrong step, you will be lying on it and being ravaged, while I can only stand by and watch, unable to do anything.”

Su Lizhen nodded emphatically, "I understand."

"It's lunchtime, what are you having for lunch?"

"There's a beef offal stall at the intersection of Guilin Street; their beef offal is delicious."

"Where is Ah Gui?"

"Has the master eaten?"

"I've never eaten there, but I've heard Jieling mention it. Jieling even helped me get his license."

"Yes, it was handled by Uncle. Ah Guiren is quite good."

"Oh."

The two walked to the intersection of Guilin Street and, with Ah Gui's enthusiastic greeting, ordered two bowls of beef offal soup with radish. The large bowl cost 1 cent, and adding radish would cost an extra 1 cent, making it very affordable.

The food truck had no seats, so the two people stood by the roadside to eat.

Su Lizhen pointed to a tenement building across the street and said, "A new Shanghai woman has come to the second floor. She's quite pretty and has a great temperament."

Sin Yiu-man looked over and, upon seeing the sign on the wall, knew that the tenement building across the street was a brothel. "Does that kind of thing?"

"Ah."

"What's the price?"

"Fifteen dollars."

Would you like some tea?

"need."

"You can't earn much that way. You're pretty and have great style, so why did you come here to work?"

The brothels in the brothels usually have madams. According to the industry practice, the madams take 50% or 60% of the profits. They are only paid once every ten days or so after paying the fees to the uniformed police and plainclothes lewd squad. The money they can get that day is tips. When customers give tips, they will say, "Give me a bowl of tea to drink."

"I'm also curious. Several people have come here recently, and none of them are unattractive."

“There are probably more people out here looking for a living, and high-end places can’t accommodate them, so they have to come here to work.” Sin Yiu-man then went on to talk about the Songjiang Primary School Board of Directors.

Su Lizhen sighed, "I still vividly remember the grand scene of maids driving to buy groceries. I never expected that North Point would decline so quickly. It's like a phoenix fallen from grace, no better than a chicken. Just a few days ago, the group added a few second-hand grocery shopping cars. The cars were in very good condition and only cost 3500 yuan each. I thought the grocery shopping cars were going to be upgraded."

"Sitting idly by and having our savings dwindle, while being watched and set up by others, it would be strange if we weren't happy." Xian Yaowen picked out some tripe and put it into Su Lizhen's bowl. "Keep an eye on it, the restaurant needs to hire a few more people, I think they're quite suitable."

"You want places that just arrived and haven't started work yet?"

"No, those who have been working on it for a short time, without experiencing hell, will not appreciate heaven."

"Should your uncle give you a heads-up and make sure they go all out?"

"There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. You can't always keep things from the person involved. Don't do anything unnecessary."

"Oh."

During afternoon tea, Sin Yiu-man met with Ng Cho-fan and Pak Yin at Shan Jin Lou. After a brief discussion, the two sides reached a cooperation agreement. Ng Cho-fan and Pak Yin, along with 17 other partners, will form Chung Lien Film Enterprises Limited and join Friendship Films as a satellite company, focusing on producing high-quality Cantonese films.

Because of the principle of "better to have fewer but better quality films", the number of films produced by Chung Lien Films in a year will not be too many, and the shareholders' income may be limited. The shareholders will form their own groups to produce films for external parties under the name of "Cung Lien Group".

Sin Yiu-man naturally welcomed the addition of Chung Lien. Satellite Company is responsible for its own profits and losses and does not need to be supported by Friendship Films. As for proportional investment in production projects, Friendship Films has the right to review the scripts in advance and will only invest in projects with a high probability of profitability. Projects with a high probability of loss will be invested in depending on the situation. For example, projects aimed at winning awards will be invested in even if they lose money.

In addition, most of the shareholders of Zhonglian are actors and production staff, who do not need to be paid a base salary. They are only paid according to their work when needed, which provides a large pool of available people. Why not?

Before dinner, I met with Michelle to discuss the 2% stake in Friendship Company.

The next day.

It is auspicious to get married and to present a betrothal gift.

As the eldest brother, Sin Yiu-man formally proposed marriage to the Guo and Xu families and set the wedding date on the spot—Xu Wan-yee on the fourth day of the tenth lunar month (November 2nd) and Guo Biting on the fourth day of the eleventh lunar month (December 2nd).

Both dates are auspicious days for marriage, and they fall exactly two months after the betrothal ceremony, which is both in accordance with etiquette and practical needs.

Xian Yaowu did not take any safety precautions when he did it. Based on his precedent of always succeeding, it is highly likely that Guo and Xu are already pregnant and should get married before their pregnancies become visible.

The trouble was resolved as if it were a happy event. The sale of shares in Nan Wah Insurance and Zhenxiang Real Estate was frozen again due to the principle that "no major changes are advisable before the formal marriage." Sin Yiu Man successfully withdrew and flew back to Singapore to continue on the schedule.

However, before he flew away, he met with Qi Weiwen and asked her to arrange for someone to keep an eye on Guo and Xu. According to Xian Yaowu's description, the two women were not from respectable families and were not easy to deal with. If he could find evidence of their "cheating," it would be good to have one less jinx in the family.

11 month 5 day.

In the evening, as soon as he entered the Narcissus Manor, Sin Yiu-man picked up the information that Sin Yuk-chun had sent from Jakarta, which was about Indonesian film companies and actresses.

The Indonesian film industry as a whole is not doing well, and only two film companies are worth paying attention to: Persari and Java Industrial Films.

The former was established just last year. Its capital background is privately funded and publicly funded, meaning it has investment from the Indonesian government, and its owner, Jamaluddin Malik, is a politician.

The latter is an old company established in 1930. The owner is Zheng Dingchun, a native-born Chinese and a descendant of Fujianese. Although it has been in business for a long time and has produced many works, if you look at the names of the important people in the company, their surnames are all "Teng", which clearly indicates that it is a family company.

After looking at the company and then the actresses, besides Nurna Ningxi, who had already been recruited to Singapore and groomed as a porn star, he was also quite optimistic about Fei Fei Yang, a Chinese-French mixed-race actress with more than 20 years of experience in the film industry. Her Chinese name is Chen Jinniang. She is a veteran actress who is 37 years old and still has a charming appearance.

There is also Komarasari, who is nineteen years old and has many years of experience performing in theater troupes. She is active throughout Indonesia and arrived in Jakarta last year to be invited to star in Persari's film. She also married Panji Anon, a veteran actor who once worked for Java Industries Film Company.

Panji Anon’s name is listed as one of Persari’s shareholders, which explains why the nineteen-year-old Comarasari married the thirty-six-year-old man out of admiration for his talent.

The reason for being optimistic about Komarasari is that she is a beauty according to Indonesian aesthetics, has considerable acting experience, and a complex network of relationships. However, due to Jamaluddin Malik, her name carries some weight.

Jamaluddin Malik is a politician, but he doesn't follow the Indonesian mainstream. He seems to dislike the ruling party, which is tantamount to disliking Indonesia. Just like there would be no new Hong Kong films without Sin Yiu-man, disliking Sin Yiu-man equals disliking Hong Kong movies. Disliking Indonesia is tantamount to being a traitor and a sellout. Such a person will probably be hard-pressed to escape punishment.

Dealing with traitors is an urgent matter that should be done sooner rather than later. Ideally, the Indonesian patriotic company "Yoya Company" should be involved in the operation.

He was attracted by Persari's "publicly funded" background, but the major shareholder Jamaluddin Malik was a destabilizing factor. It would be best to deal with the destabilizing factor while taking control of Persari.

He circled Jamaluddin Malik's name and handed the documents to Song Seung-soo, saying, "I'm interested in investing in Persari. Take a look. Don't just look at these documents; learn about the political situation in Indonesia."

"Ok."

Song Chengxiu took the documents and handed over the investigation report. She did not go to Hong Kong with them; she had been investigating Singapore's economic environment for the past two days and had made some progress.

With the investigation report in hand, Sin Yiu-man went to the kitchen to get a bottle of water, went to the study to get his guitar, and sat down on the swing chair under the shade of a tree in the garden.

Carefully read the report and assess Song Chengxiu's abilities.

If someone can get into university, their intelligence is definitely not an issue; the question is whether their thinking is flawed and how strong their desire for money is.

He always scoffed at the idea that "without desires, one is invincible." He believed that without great desires, there is no great motivation. If the two-legged sheep learned to be invincible without desires, the world would still be a slave society, where people would work themselves to death during the day and stand in a row at night for their masters to choose which one to eat.

Song Chengxiu followed Zhao Jiade all the way to Singapore seeking an opportunity. Needless to say, she is definitely an ambitious person. Her intelligence and ambition are not a problem; the only issue is her thinking...

It's alright. Song Chengxiu has a broad and down-to-earth mindset. Her report isn't just theoretical; she readily uses various real-world data, which shows that she has immersed herself in the subject and experienced it firsthand.

He put the report aside, took a sip of water, picked up his guitar, and began tuning it.

Get used to the feel of the instrument by playing "Sleepyhead" and then play the Kazakh folk song "Khayran Jalgan".

My lover remained in that faraway place, unable to say goodbye even when mounting his horse.

Alas, what a pathetic era!

This world stretches endlessly like the Kerdala Desert. Everyone says the world is vast, yet why is it so small?

Alas, what a pathetic era!

Can I travel to your hometown?
On that saline-alkali land covered with ear ferns, the yellow horse walked slowly under my lead.

Alas, what a pathetic era!

My lover, whom I finally found in the crowd, with your moon-like face, will I never see you again?

Alas, what a pathetic era!

Narcissus sat down next to Sin Yiu-man and listened quietly.

"The migrating caravan crossed the vast snow-capped mountains; we were once a happy people who milked camels."

Alas, what a pathetic era!

Has my hometown truly vanished?

On the desolate white plains, suffering people wandered in exile.

Alas, what a pathetic era!

"This piece of music is very similar to 'In That Faraway Place'."

“A Uyghur businessman translated this song for Wang Luobin. The meaning of the lyrics was not very accurate, but Wang Luobin seemed to like it. He used the incomplete melody to compose “In That Faraway Place”, which was said to be written for a Tibetan girl he fell in love with at first sight.”

Narcissus smiled faintly, "Love at first sight has taken on a different meaning in your mouth, sir."

"There's no such thing as love at first sight. There's only the desire to sleep with someone you see at first sight. It's a physical attraction, and it has nothing to do with so-called love. If love at first sight were true, then rape would be love that's too deep, love that leads to recklessness."

Narcissus scolded, "Master is talking nonsense again."

Sin Yiu-man did not answer, but plucked the strings of his instrument, saying, "Please enjoy 'Meet at X8'."

"Open your chest, peel away the wrinkles of your skin. Slogans thunder, tearing through the silence of winter. A liter of rice, a token of kindness, carries the hatred of scornful glances. Thunderclaps awaken that yesterday—yesterday—yesterday, the moment when kindness was bestowed."

You greeted me with cold eyes—greeted me with the radio I brought yesterday—the radio…

After the piece was finished, Narcissus commented, "The melody is quite nice, but the lyrics are a complete mess."

Sin Yiu-man said with a faint smile, "The lyrics were improvised on the spot. I was thinking of English, but I sang them in Chinese. It didn't fit either language."

"It has nothing to do with language; the words are a bit jumbled and a bit creepy."

"Oh, it's not finalized yet. I'll revise it again and sing it for you when it's finalized."

"Ah."

Sin Yiu-man put his guitar aside. "Last night I watched a Cantonese opera movie, and then I happened to hear Huangmei opera being broadcast on the mainland radio. I wondered if making a Huangmei opera movie would be popular."

Narcissus said in confusion, "What is Huangmei Opera? I've never heard of it."

"The local operas of Anhui are only popular in the countryside and are not well known in the city."

"If you're not famous, why would you even consider making a movie about it? Would anyone watch it?"

"Because Huangmei Opera is catchy, pleasant to listen to, and easy to learn, you can sing it after just one listen. It also has similarities with Yue Opera and Kunqu Opera, so I think it might be welcomed by opera fans."

"What's Huangmei Opera like? Can the master hum it?"

"I know a few words."

"Hmph, let me hear it."

Sin Yiu-man flicked his pinky finger and hummed, "Birds on the trees are in pairs, green hills and clear waters smile. From now on, we will no longer suffer the torment of slavery, husband and wife will return home together. Can't you sing it right away?"

“It’s not difficult.” Narcissus nodded, then frowned. “But… it’s quite different from Cantonese opera and Taiwanese opera. I’m not sure if people in Singapore will accept it.”

"I'm not sure either. Let's make one to test the waters. We'll see if it works or not by observing the audience's reaction. If a portion of the audience likes it, we can make another one to test the waters a second time."

"Mmm." Narcissus nestled into Sin Yiu-man's arms. "Is everything settled in Hong Kong?"

"It's all taken care of. I'll make a call to the Li residence later. If all goes well, I'll meet Li Guangqian tomorrow and be able to fly to Taipei the day after."

"They're leaving again. Who knows when the master will come again?"

"Quickly, I plan to speed up the progress in Taipei and go to the United States to take charge as soon as possible. However, before going to the United States, I will stay here for a while to sort out the business here. During that time, I will work hard to cultivate your land and help you take root and sprout."

Narcissus blushed and said, "I need to go to the temple to pray more often. I drank too much medicine in the past, and I wonder if there will be any retribution."

"Don't overthink it." Xian Yaowen patted Shuixian's back. "The doctor said you're fine. Even if something happens, you don't need to be too stressed. It's okay not to have children."

"I want to have children for the master, at least a son and a daughter, and it would be even better if I could have two sons," Narcissus said wistfully.

"Silly girl, I told you not to put too much pressure on yourself, just let things take their course."

"Ah."

Narcissus agreed verbally, but she didn't really think so. She hoped that her belly would cooperate and give birth to two sons in three years, or even better, twins. With her material conditions, even if she had bad luck, she could still support two of her three sons.

When my son is two or three years old, I'll have a daughter, and then I'll have both a son and a daughter, and my life will be complete.

After immersing herself in the children's world for a moment, Narcissus suddenly said, "Sir, the guests from India have arrived. I've arranged for them to stay at a hotel."

"How many people came?" (End of Chapter)