money player

When it was time to eat, the little guy's stomach was almost full, but he had no appetite for the delicious food on the table.

Seeing that she couldn't get the food to go, Chen Jinxuan didn't force it and focused more on serving Xian Yaowen.

Boiled doves, red crab rice noodle hot pot, steamed pumpkin with oysters, and sweet and sour pomegranate fish—one dish after another was placed on Sin Yiu-man's plate. Finally, a bowl of taro paste in the shape of the Chinese character for "Tai Chi" was served, symbolizing the perfect harmony of the Tai Chi symbol and the sweetness of having many children and grandchildren.

While Sin Yiu-man was eating taro paste, Chan Kam-shuen got off the table first, took out a small charcoal stove from the kitchen, laid three or four pieces of lychee charcoal at the bottom of the stove, and lit it with newspaper and pine cones; when it burned red-hot, she covered it with ashes, leaving a small ventilation hole; she used bamboo tongs to hold the narcissus tea cake and held it over the fire to extract its aroma.

After a short while, the tea cake was roasted over longan charcoal, turning it over three times during the process. After a long time, the fire was extinguished by switching to olive charcoal, which caused a white frost to appear on the surface of the tea cake. The cake was then broken up and brewed, releasing a fragrant aroma that could not be contained by the thin walls and wafted into the street.

The teacup was placed in front of Sin Yiu-man, and the tea cake was placed on a tea tray in the middle of the table. Chan Kam-shuen went back into the kitchen and came back with a tray. A plate of spiced tea eggs and a dish of taro dates were placed on the left, a plate of salted peanuts and a dish of peanut brittle were placed on the right, and a dish of salted olives were placed near Sin Yiu-man.

After putting away the tray, Chen Jinxuan went to the bedroom. A short while later, she changed into a classical Ming and Qing dynasty-style opera costume, held a Nanyin (a type of traditional Chinese stringed instrument) in her hands, sat opposite Xian Yaowen, stroked the strings, and slowly sang "Chen San Wu Niang".

Sin Yiu-man took a tea egg from the plate, slowly peeled it, and set it aside after peeling one. He then peeled the next one, and stopped after peeling three. He wiped his fingers clean, picked up a salted peanut, chewed a few peanut kernels, took a bite of taro to neutralize the saltiness, and when the sweetness was too strong, he took a sip of tea to balance it out. He then chewed a salted olive to relieve the bitterness of the tea.

One thing leads to another, and one thing leads to another; one is content and at ease.

Chen Jinxuan took in his behavior. Mikhail Kalashnikov shook his head, his amazement barely concealing the smile on his face.

After singing "Chen San Wu Niang", they switched to "Peach Blossom Crossing". The scene changed as well. In the bathroom, Xian Yaowen sat on a stool and Chen Jinxuan, wearing a peach-colored bellyband, scrubbed him carefully, as if she were removing the down feathers from a duck, not missing a single corner.

After the duck was cleaned, it was time for a late-night snack. Chen Jinxuan coaxed Lin Zhiwei to sleep, closed the door, and secretly ate the duck head and neck by herself. It was very spicy, and she enjoyed it very much, sweating profusely.

The next day.

A radiant Chen Jinxuan got up earlier than Xian Yaowen to cook bird's nest and shredded chicken congee and knead dough to make fried rice cakes. She kept track of the time, putting the congee on the stove early in the morning, and only slowly putting the fried rice cakes into the pot after Xian Yaowen ran out of the entrance hall.

Sin Yiu-man enjoyed Chan Kam-shuen's thoughtfulness and gentleness, and didn't point out how much effort she had put into things behind the scenes.

Last night's dishes were all elaborate, not just scrambled eggs that could be prepared in three to five minutes. The ingredients all needed to be prepared in advance. What to eat today was planned at least three days in advance. Chen Jinxuan clearly had everything prepared at all times.

Is all this effort because of love?
Of course not. She needs a man who can provide for her financially, and she also needs a stepfather to help raise her son. As a mother, the latter is always more important than the former.

From the perspective of a stepfather, this kind of character is not easy to tame, and a naturally rebellious character like Lin Zhiwei is even harder to tame. Xian Yaowen is busy and doesn't have time to challenge this hellish mode. He can pay money, but being a stepfather is out of the question.

After breakfast, as he was about to leave, Xian Yaowen checked Chen Jinxuan's left collarbone on her back. During the volcanic eruption last night, she wouldn't let him leave, so he pushed her, and she hit the headboard.

Thankfully, he was alright, and he left with peace of mind.

Returning to the Xian residence, we drank tea in the pavilion.

Around ten o'clock, Chen Hua woke up wearing a silk bathrobe, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He went to the pavilion and sat down next to Xian Yaowen, using him as a support. He put his toes up on the edge of the table and started painting his toenails with nail polish.

“During the few days you were away, two transactions were completed. Kong Lingwei did not show up; I only met with Shi Jingyi.”

"Where is Miss Wang?"

"After meeting him once, he hid himself even more deeply than Shi Jingyi."

"So, we can be certain that the person standing at the front is Shi Jingyi?"

Chen Hua gestured with his lips, indicating the cigarette he was holding. Xian Yaowen understood, took the cigarette from his mouth, flicked off the ash, and put it back in Chen Hua's mouth.

Chen Hua took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Shi Jingyi is most likely the scapegoat."

"You're up so late, what time did you go to bed last night?"

“I played eight rounds, then went dancing at the US military club, had a late-night snack afterward, and didn’t go to bed until 3:30.” Chen Hua turned to Xian Yaowen and said, “Look how haggard I look.”

Xian Yaowen shoved Chen Hua in the face, making him turn back, "It's not like I made you stay up all night, you don't need to show me now."

Chen Hua snorted, "If I don't go to the US military club more often and get closer to the Americans, I'm worried I'll die someday without knowing why."

Sin Yiu-man scoffed, "The US military club opens at two in the morning?"

"Those Americans know how to have fun. Round after round, they can drink four or five rounds in one night. My head still hurts."

"You're blaming the latrine for not being able to poop? You're getting carried away. Americans who can save your life wouldn't be out playing until the wee hours."

Chen Hua chuckled and said, "Doesn't the commander care about his subordinate at all?"

"When you die, I'll build you a cenotaph. If you're not dead, you're not worth feeling sorry for."

"Cough cough~" Chen Hua choked twice, spat out the smoke in his mouth, wiped away his tears, and after recovering his composure, said with a resentful look, "You heartless bastard, I was blind to have followed you."

Sin Yiu-man frowned and said, "That's enough. I didn't pull down your pants."

Chen Hua gave him a flirtatious wink, "This subordinate awaits your orders, sir."

“You just wait, I’ll come and dig this up twenty years ago.” With that, Sin Yiu-man turned his gaze back to the newspaper.

Chen Hua spat, "Boring."

After their flirting session in Taipei ended, Chen Hua continued painting his nails, finishing his toenails and then his fingernails, both of them a vibrant rose red.

Before it was mealtime, the mahjong partners arrived. There were three women: Bai Hong, Madam Lan, and another one that Xian Yaowen didn't recognize. Chen Hua entertained them, but Xian Yaowen didn't bother to deal with them and didn't plan to stay for dinner.

Everyone has their own style. Fei Baoshu's gatherings used to be more refreshing, but Chen Hua's gatherings now have a slightly smoky and chaotic feel to them.

Since he didn't want to eat at home and didn't want to go out to eat, the only place he could go was the Hengyang Hotel.

A phone call was made first, and the person arrived shortly afterward.

In the old, makeshift kitchen, Yang Lihua stood in front of the stove cooking, while Xian Yaowen hugged her waist from behind.

Have you thought about what happened last time?

Yang Lihua stirred the vegetables in the pot a few times, added some water and simmered them. Then she turned around, looked at Xian Yaowen with watery eyes, and breathed heavily through her nose. Suddenly, she stood on tiptoe and covered Xian Yaowen's mouth with her lips.

After a passionate kiss, she tidied her hair, turned around, and continued tending to the food in the pot.

"I've thought about it."

"What do you want to do?"

Yang Lihua scooped the food out of the pot, wiped her hands on her apron, turned around, entrusted her upper body weight to Xian Yaowen's hands, and said with her head tilted back, "I want to open a car rental shop to rent out bicycles."

"This can't be explained in just a few words. You start cooking, and we'll talk about it over dinner."

"Ah."

Sin Yiu-man released Yeung Lai-wah and helped her out. The two put aside their conversation about the car rental shop and started whispering sweet nothings to each other.

“The house is all set up, and Jingyi has moved back in.” Yang Lihua’s hand, which was picking up salt, paused in mid-air as she looked at Xian Yaowen’s face. “I don’t have to work tonight, so Jingyi doesn’t know.”

"Can I leave after I've made dinner?"

"Ah."

I'll pick you up at 6:30.

Yang Lihua hesitated slightly, "Don't come to the store to pick me up. Just tell me a place and I'll come find you."

Xian Yaowen gestured towards the front desk with his lip, "No need to try to cover it up. She's not blind, she should have guessed there's something going on between us long ago. Don't worry, she won't tell Jingyi."

Yang Lihua blushed and muttered, "It's all your fault."

Xian Yaowen chuckled, "I already increased her salary last time. She's a smart woman; she knows what that money is for."

Yang Lihua suddenly realized, "No wonder she never mentions you in front of me."

"The food is going to burn."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lihua was in a flurry of activity.

Soon, a spicy stir-fried sweet potato vine, a bitter melon stir-fried with salted eggs, and a pot of winter melon and dried shrimp soup were ready, and the two of them carried the food out together.

As soon as they picked up their chopsticks, the serious conversation began.

Where would you like to open the car rental shop?

"The Fu Ji Rickshaw Company, located directly opposite Taipei Main Station, is planning to move to a cheaper location. The lease expires in about 20 days."

"How big is the area? How much is the rent?"

"30 pings, with a 5 ping backyard, 220 yuan a month, three months' deposit and one month's rent in advance."

"How many bicycles are you planning to start with? What's the configuration?"

Yang Lihua thought for a moment and said, "I plan to start with 20 cars: 12 28-inch men's cars, half new and half old; 5 women's cars with baskets; and 3 sports cars."

How is the rent calculated?

"Men's cars: new cars are 6 yuan a day, 1 yuan an hour; used cars are 5 yuan a day, 8 jiao an hour; women's cars are 8 yuan a day, 15 yuan an hour; sports cars are 15 yuan a day, 3 yuan an hour."

How is the deposit calculated?

"A deposit of 50 yuan is required; no deposit, no rental. You also need to leave your ID card or work permit."

How much rent do you estimate you can collect per day?

"180 yuan is no problem."

"Besides the cost of buying a car, what other expenses are involved in running a car rental company?"

Yang Lihua pointed to her finger and said, "Rent, utilities, taxes, mechanic wages, repair tools, spare parts... um, that's it."

"No insurance premium? The car won't be stolen? What if someone causes trouble? Seeing that your business is doing well, someone opens a car rental shop next door with cheaper rates. How do you deal with that?"

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, “There are still some issues that I won’t go into detail about. From your answer, I can tell that you haven’t thought it through yet, but I still plan to give you money to support you in opening a car rental business. Some things can’t be accomplished by just talking; you have to experience them firsthand.”

Yang Lihua hesitated and said, "Let me think about it more carefully."

"If you want to keep thinking, then keep doing it. There are some things you haven't seen, and just thinking about them is useless."

"What if you do something without thinking it through and end up losing money?"

Sin Yiu-man said nonchalantly, "If you lose money, you lose money. Consider it a lesson learned. But before you start, go and find a job at someone else's car rental company. At least get a good understanding of how car rental companies operate before you start your own."

"Ah."

The conversation ended, but Sin Yiu-man's mind didn't stop thinking. He considered how to run a car rental business well, how to expand the business, how to open a chain, and at what point to exit. He thought it all through, and finally, after reviewing the accounts, he concluded that it was a grassroots business, suitable for first-time entrepreneurs with limited experience but strong execution skills and a ruthless spirit to earn their first pot of gold.

However, inspired by Yang Lihua, he strolled along Hengyang Road after his meal, his eyes scanning the shops as he considered business strategies from the shop owners' perspectives, and he quickly drafted a business plan.

Before I knew it, I arrived at Taipei Main Station, bought a ticket to Keelung, entered the waiting room, observed the number of passengers, and also observed the thieves, an essential element of the station.

Passenger numbers are time-sensitive and cannot be generalized from a single point. A high number on one day does not mean a high number every day. However, the number of thieves can be used to infer passenger numbers. Without a sufficient number of passengers, too many thieves cannot be supported.

Finding a corner with a good view, Xian Yaowen hid behind Xie Zhanran and silently observed the entire waiting room.

He didn't directly look for people suspected of being thieves, but rather for those who were dozing off. Once someone reading a newspaper appeared next to a dozing off person, a theft was almost certainly underway, since the most suitable theft technique for waiting rooms was newspaper theft.

His gaze quickly locked onto a sleepyhead, and also onto the newspaper reader next to him. The newspaper reader pretended to read the newspaper for a while, then suddenly tucked it into his waistband, blocking others from peeking at his right hand.

Less than a minute later, the newspaper reader got up and left. After walking a short distance, he brushed past someone, and a black wallet was handed from the newspaper reader's hand to the other person's hand, disappearing instantly.

"This is the person responsible for transporting the stolen goods."

Sin Yiu-man noted down the man's appearance, followed the newspaper reader for a while, and seeing that the man hadn't made another order for a long time, he shifted his gaze to look for another sleepyhead.

At 55 minutes and 47 seconds, he found 9 bills and heard 3 passengers belatedly shouting, "Where's my wallet?" and "Where's my money?"

Let Xie Zhanran continue observing. He and Xie Tingyun went up to the platform, leaned against a pillar, and looked at the train slowly entering the station from the direction of Keelung.

The Taipei to Keelung route is a busy, short-distance train with a departure every 30 to 40 minutes. As soon as the train pulls into the station and the doors open, passengers pour out in droves. Among the passengers, some walk leisurely and appear relaxed, joining the first group of passengers to disembark. They walk a short distance towards the exit and gradually separate from the passengers, heading in another direction.

These leisurely people are most likely pickpockets who squeeze through the doors just as the train pulls into the station, easily catching passengers who are in a hurry to get on or off.

"Xian Yaowen" was familiar with this kind of person. In 1948, when a special commissioner went to Guangdong for inspection, the joint defense team was temporarily transferred to Shenzhen Station for duty. Since it was a temporary transfer, they had no symbiotic relationship with the thieves at the station. After the thieves finished their work, they would immediately go up and use their "six-stick-per-second" super skill to achieve faster elimination of harm for the people by robbing the rich to help the poor.

If you still don't obediently hand over the money after being hit four times, the fifth and sixth blows will hit your hands, rendering your tools useless.

After waiting on the platform for more than an hour, when a train from Kaohsiung pulled into the station, Sin Yiu-man followed the passengers out of the station and came to the rickshaw waiting area outside the station, his eyes meeting the long line of passengers waiting to take a rickshaw.

Some travelers with a lot of luggage are often very vigilant, keeping a close eye on their luggage for fear of being stolen. Pickpockets who cut off the back of luggage are most likely to target such travelers, whose attention is focused on their luggage, and their wallets are easily taken.

The person at the front of the long queue suddenly stopped, causing the whole line to scramble forward, and the target lost their balance and leaned forward; the child acting as a "shield" shouted "You cut in line" and started arguing, attracting the target's attention to the noise.

The scissor pretended to be jostled, gently supporting the target's waist with his left hand. With his right index and middle fingers, he held a three-centimeter-long pair of specially made small scissors with the blade facing inward. He precisely inserted them into the seam of the back of the suit jacket, and with a "snap," cut open the bottom edge of the inner pocket. His ring and little fingers then hooked out the wallet.

The wallet was thrown on the ground, and the person behind him who was "catching the dirt" used his toes to hook it up and stuff it into his crotch; the whole line scattered instantly, and the clipper acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to line up for the next sheep.

After admiring the three sets of work, Sin Yiu-man walked around the perimeter of the station and found the "rear station exit," a dark alleyway where filth and dirt were hidden.

Standing at a distance, he glanced at the exit for a while, then pointed to a woman with heavy makeup and a high slit in her cheongsam and said, "Zhanran, this is most likely a fairy. Go around the station and wait for her to strike up a conversation with you."

"Then?"

Xian Yaowen pointed northeast, "That's a shantytown. If she tries to lure you there by showing her legs, kidnap her and take her to your car. Remember to knock her unconscious. I have some questions I want to ask her."

"clear."

After Xie Zhanran left, Xian Yaowen and Xie Tingyun stood there. Xian Yaowen observed the woman for a while longer and was basically certain that she was the "honey trap" in the honey trap.

A moment later, Xie Zhanran appeared on the platform. Xian Yaowen took out a toy telescope, turned a dark button, switched the toy lens to an astronomical lens, and pointed the lens at Xie Zhanran.

The young man had something stuffed in his suit pocket, making it bulge, which corresponding to a bulge in his chest. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a refined appearance. He was carrying a briefcase, which was also bulging, with a corner of banknotes peeking out from the opening.

"Your brother is overdoing it; a cautious person would notice something's wrong with him."

"Sir, people who engage in honey traps are not very smart."

"It's hard to say, but this one doesn't seem very smart."

In Sin Yiu-man's shot, the woman had already walked towards Tse Chan-yin, and after a short while, she stood in front of him, and the two began to talk.

The angle was bad; he could only see part of the woman's profile and not her expression, but he could clearly see the high slit of her cheongsam. Just twenty seconds later, he saw the slit open, revealing her thigh.

Xie Zhanran put his arm around the woman and whispered something in her ear. Then he saw the woman take his arm and obediently follow him toward the exit.

Seeing this, Xian Yaowen and Xie Tingyun went to the parking area.

Fifteen minutes later, the car stopped on the riverbank of Babacho.

This place is overgrown with weeds. It is the Taipei execution ground, the most frequent site of executions. During the day, few people dare to approach it. At night, it is pitch black and silent, and you can hear the spirits of the fallen heroes singing "The Internationale".

Xie Zhanran got out of the car, looked around, parked the car in the best blind spot, got out, and leaned against the car door to smoke.

Inside the car, Xie Tingyun asked Xian Yaowen for a pen, stuffed it into the immortal's mouth, pressed one end against the back molars to close the immortal's mouth, and pressed the other end down. With a snap, one side of the immortal's jaw dislocated.

"Ah~"

A piercing scream rang out, and the unconscious immortal awoke.

Xie Tingyun pressed down on the immortal's forehead with his left hand to prevent her from moving around, and held the pen in reverse with his right hand, the tip of the pen hovering five centimeters from her left eyeball. "If you make another sound, I'll poke your eyeball out."

Upon hearing this, the immortal's eyes darted around in fright, but his mouth remained silent.

Sin Yiu-man used his left hand to hold the fairy's right chin, and his right hand to probe her cheek a few times to find the right position. Then, he pushed his left hand up and with a click, the chin was back in place.

"Don't open your mouth wide for the next month, and don't eat things that are too hard or too chewy, otherwise you may develop habitual dislocation."

As he spoke, Xian Yaowen took out a pack of cigarettes from the car, put one in the fairy's mouth, and lit it for her.

Then, silence, giving the immortal space to smoke, calm his mind, and let his mind wander.

The immortal sipped his cigarette, his eyes darting left and then right, glancing at Xie Tingyun, then right and then at Xian Yaowen. He looked ahead and saw through the car window Xie Zhanran's deliberately exposed lower back and the pistol tucked into his belt.

She took one puff after another of her cigarette, and when it was half burned down, the ash remained motionless, showing no sign of falling.

When the cigarette was two-thirds burned, the immortal's lips trembled, and the ash was shaken off.

Sin Yiu-man took the cigarette from her mouth, stubbed it out with his finger, and put the cigarette butt in his suit pocket.

Why are you arresting me?

Xian Yaowen placed his hand on the immortal's lower abdomen, gently stroking it a few times before withdrawing it. "I have a few questions for you. Answer them properly, and you can leave in a bit. If you don't cooperate, then I won't ask any more questions. I'll torture you severely, asking you how many children you have and where you can find them..."

"Ask me anything, and I'll tell you everything."

"Thank you." Sin Yiu-man nodded. "This saves us both trouble."

He offered the immortal another cigarette and handed her a lighter. After she took two puffs, he asked, "How many groups of people are eating at the train station?"

"Three groups of people."

"Who is there?"

"The local youth scavenging gang specializes in stealing luggage, the Suzhou gang specializes in stealing wallets, and I'm from the Shandong gang, specializing in..."

"Honey trap?"

The immortal nodded. "Yes."

"How many deals can your Shandong gang make in a day?"

"There are over fifty good days, and around thirty bad days."

"Only targeting the fattest sheep?"

"Those with money, those who are in the military."

Why choose soldiers?

"I'm too shy to tell anyone."

How much can you earn in a day?

"Fifty or sixty thousand, ten or twenty thousand."

How much will you get?

"Five or six hundred, two or three hundred."

Xian Yaowen reached his hand into the woman's crotch, touched her inner thigh, then pulled his hand out and said, "How much can the Suzhou gang make in a day?"

The immortal shook his head. "I don't know, but it's definitely not as many as we have."

"How long have you been an immortal?"

"Two months."

"Thank you, I've finished asking. I'll take you back to the station." As he spoke, Xian Yaowen knocked on the car window.

Xie Zhanran boarded the car, which then headed towards the station.

When the familiar street scene came into view, the immortal breathed a sigh of relief.

The car stopped about a mile from the station. Xian Yaowen took a bag of chocolates from the armrest box and gave it to Xianren, saying, "French chocolates, for your child."

"Thank you."

"Good luck."

The immortal got out of the car, and it immediately started moving. The immortal watched the car drive away, his feelings complicated.

After the car drove away, Xie Tingyun suddenly said, "Sir, the 'fairy' is a key figure in the honey trap, so his share shouldn't be so small."

"Hurry up and wear out your calluses. She's a poor woman; she'll be lucky to get even 1%."

"What calluses?"

Xie Zhanran chuckled.

Sin Yiu-man said tactfully, "She's busier than me at night."

Xie Tingyun understood and remained silent.

"Let's go to the railway tracks." Sin Yiu-man took out his notebook and started scribbling in it. After a while, he took out a map of Taiwan and began studying it. (End of Chapter)