money player

six thirty.

Yang Lihua, wearing a loose-fitting cheongsam, got into Xian Yaowen's car.

Sin Yiu-man hugged her and said, "I have something to tell you. Dinner won't be just the two of us. There will also be an officer from the U.S. military advisory group."

Yang Lihua leaned against Xian Yaowen's chest, "It's alright."

Have you ever eaten Western food?

"I haven't eaten there before," Yang Lihua shook her head. "Are you going to Lafayette?"

“Yes.” Sin Yiu-man nodded. “It’s okay if you haven’t eaten it before. I’ll teach you how to eat it later.”

Yang Lihua looked embarrassed. "The landlady is over there."

"Don't be afraid, she knows about us."

"I'm not afraid, it's just... I'm sorry."

Xian Yaowen gently patted Yang Lihua's side waist, "Sorry, it was just a little while, it'll be over soon."

"Ah."

About twenty minutes later, the car arrived at Lafayette's parking lot and stopped among a group of jeeps bearing the logo of the U.S. Army Advisory Group, interspersed with a few Chevrolet sedans of different models, one of which had the White Company logo painted on its door.

As he led Yang Lihua into the restaurant, Xian Yaowen looked around and saw a sea of ​​white, with Americans in military uniforms or suits and very few Chinese people.

Upon reaching the counter, she lightly tapped the surface. Wang Chaoyun, dressed in an evening gown and looking down at a book, looked up and smiled. "Lucas is here."

"Are you alone?"

"Lian Qing is here too."

“I’ll go find him.”

"On the left."

"Ah."

Lafayette has no private boxes, but there are several relatively private tables, which are decorated with flowers, green plants and screens to block out outside prying eyes and create a semi-private space.

Upon arriving at the left, Xian Yaowen was greeted with a warm welcome—Lucas had pinned Lian Qing against the wall on the dining table, the tablecloth crumpled up, and Lian Qing's cheongsam skirt was lifted up, revealing a glimpse of her underwear.

Once he could see everything clearly, Xian Yaowen patted Yang Lihua's soft hand, led her to the other side of the dining table, pulled out a chair for her to sit down, and then sat down himself.

Lucas glanced at Sin Yiu-man with his right eye, blinked as a greeting, but continued his smothering work of killing Lian Qing.

Xian Yaowen leaned close to Yang Lihua's ear and whispered, "Want to give it a try?"

Yang Lihua shook her head and whispered in return, "I don't want to be here."

Sin Yiu-man nodded, sat up straight, took out a map from his briefcase, and continued to scribble on it with a pencil.

As he sank in, Lucas stopped his three-part man-making exercise, got off the table, and lit a cigar. Lian Qing quickly straightened his clothes, calmed his shame and humiliation, and used a cigarette as a signal to end the session.

The two men didn't speak to disturb Sin Yiu-man, but simply smoked to create a pleasant atmosphere.

Ignoring the two, Sin Yiu-man finished his work on the map before stopping. He then turned the map to face Lucas.

No need to remind him, Lucas had already looked at the edges of the map. Now, looking at it comprehensively and in detail, the solid lines, dashed lines, circles, and squares on the map were all very intuitive, and together they formed a route map.

Lucas glanced at it a few times and asked, "You want to get into transportation?"

"uh-huh."

Freight? Passenger?

Passenger transport.

Lucas pointed to the map, "Do we need to do all of these routes?"

Sin Yiu-man shrugged. "The above route was conceived by me based on the most perfect scenario. It is detached from reality and lacks data support. It is only to demonstrate whether this thing can be done."

"Show me, does this mean it can be done?"

“Yeah.”

"How to do it?"

"I plan to send people to investigate three routes for military and civil servant special buses: Taipei-Keelung, Taipei-Taoyuan-Hsinchu, and Taipei-Taichung. If the road conditions are good, Prince Bus will be established, and we will apply to the Highway Bureau for these three routes."

Lucas took a puff of his cigar and said slowly, "You need a cheap bus?"

"I know the US military has a warehouse here. What's in it?"

Lucas nodded. "The Joint Logistics Command 404 warehouse has a large number of used vehicles transported from the Philippines, Okinawa, and the Korean War. We have the 36-seat Chevrolet bus you want."

What is the nature of the supplies in the warehouse?

"The remaining storage site for aid supplies to Taiwan can be used for free trade."

"Who's in charge? Who's the official person in charge?"

Lucas said with a faint smile, "I'm in charge. The person in charge is Wang Zhengyi, the Chief of the Joint Logistics Command."

"Major General?"

"uh-huh."

"Can we skip Wang Zhengyi?"

"No."

What's in the warehouse?

"Military vehicles, canned goods, milk powder, medicine, cigarettes, whiskey, generators, tires, gasoline drums, aircraft parts, steel plates, tents, military uniforms."

"When it comes to the tires, I want everything in front of them. What price do I have to pay?"

"Adam, the warehouse involves the interests of many people..."

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand to interrupt Lucas, "I only need 10%. We can talk. Let's invite Wang Zheng to come out and sit down."

"10% profit?"

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "Gold, US dollars, British pounds, Taiwan dollars, bonds, stocks, Hong Kong, New York, London, Taipei, anything is fine. I only have one request: a few scrapped cars."

Lucas chuckled and asked, "Does Prince Passenger Transport need investment?"

"need."

"Wait for my news."

"OK."

Sin Yiu-man reached under the table and pressed the service bell.

Within seconds, the waiter knocked on the door and entered.

After ordering, the waiter lit the French dinner candlesticks and dimmed the lights.

A short while later, the waiter brought over Pernod Anise Liqueur. After telling Yang Lihua how to drink it, Sin Yiu-man and Lucas went to sit on the sofa in the corner.

The sofa and dining table are at an angle, forming a three-piece Western-style sofa set. It has a frame made of Burmese teak, filled with horsehair and goose feathers, and covered with British royal green velvet. The color is slightly dark and looks old.

At first glance, it doesn't look good, but it's the same style as Chiang Kai-shek's office in the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, and the layout is exactly the same.

This is a feng shui formation used to suppress people.

Sin Yiu-man swirled his wine glass and said to Lucas, "Do me a favor and introduce someone to White Company."

"American or Taiwanese?"

"Hong Kongers".

"Hong Kong people are a bit of a problem."

"A woman who speaks English and French only needs an ordinary job."

Lucas paused for a moment, then asked, "What is your purpose?"

Sin Yiu-man smiled faintly, "There's no ulterior motive. She's my personal secretary, and she finds her current leisurely job a bit boring."

"that's it?"

"I can find out about White Company through other channels."

“Okay,” Lucas shrugged. “I’ll help.”

"Thank you."

Lucas took a few puffs of his cigar and said softly, "Adam, what is your relationship with Mr. Nathan Burke?"

“I met him in Los Angeles not long ago, and he said he was my dad.”

Lucas nodded. "Mr. Burke has helped you sort out the CIA's troubles, but someone wants to meet with you."

Sin Yiu-man calmly asked, "When did you receive the message?"

“You just left Taipei last time, and they know you went back to attend a funeral, so they aren’t in a hurry and let you decide when to meet.”

"where do we meet?"

"Hongkong."

"No hurry?"

Lucas shrugged. "I think so."

"My brother's wedding is on the 4th of next month, and I've invited the other party to attend."

"OK."

The two clinked glasses, and Lucas then asked, "What do you think about you and Ivy?"

“From my perspective, the Charlotte family and I are already in a solid alliance of interests, so there is no need for a marriage alliance. Lucas, I have many women, but I have not registered with any of them. I do this so that I can find a suitable marriage partner in the United States in the future.”

Lucas swirled his glass. "Adam, alliances based on mutual interests are not as close as family. You don't have to register with Ivy; the Charlotte family only needs your promise."

"what?"

“Ivy’s child is your heir.”

"I need time to think about it."

"I'll take my time to think about it."

Xian Yaowen remained silent. He did not want to be led by the nose by the Charlotte family, nor did he want to make any promises. Once he made a promise, it would mean that he would consider the Charlotte family as his enemy. The choice of successor was his Achilles' heel, and he would not allow anyone to interfere with it.

If it didn't concern him, he would completely agree with the Charlotte family's concerns and actions. But since he was involved, things became more complicated. If he could, he really didn't want to be enemies with the Charlotte family.

The problem was a bit heavy, but it didn't weigh on his mind for too long. When worrying about it didn't solve the problem, he would put it aside first.

Are you satisfied with the food here?

"Satisfied. The rest of the advisory team is also very satisfied. No need to do anything; everyone is happy to have dinner here."

"In that case, Lafayette's first step can be said to have been very successful. The second step, attracting local guests, will also require your help."

Lucas said with a smile, "Everyone is recommending Lafayette to their local acquaintances."

“Not bad. I’ll invite some high-quality ladies over often, and maybe we can have a less crazy ‘Happy Hour’ on Fridays.”

"How?"

"A buffet-style party, ladies eat for free, gentlemen eat double, there are no assigned seats, everyone can sit wherever they like."

"Is there a band and dance?"

"Of course there are, but it will only create a slightly more relaxed atmosphere. The nature of this place as a traditional social setting will not change."

"I don't think it's bad."

Sin Yiu-man raised his glass in a toast, saying, "Let's ask the other shareholders for their opinions."

"OK."

When the appetizers arrived, Sin Yiu-man and Lucas sat back down at the table.

Just as the waiter was about to leave, Sin Yiu-man stopped him. He picked up his knife and fork, cut off a piece about 1.95 centimeters long from the freshly pan-fried foie gras, and savored it. After finishing the foie gras, he put down his knife and fork and said:

“Go to the kitchen and tell the executive chef of Bocuse that if a customer orders pan-fried foie gras as an appetizer, first bring out the whole piece of foie gras to show the customer, and then cut it into 1.95 cm thick slices in front of the customer.”

One important point is that before using the knife, it should be soaked in Napoleon Cognac or Rémy Martin for 10-15 seconds, ensuring that the back and blade are fully submerged.

The second step is to take out the knife, ignite the blade with an alcohol lamp, control the burning time to 5-8 seconds, and control the blade temperature to 80-90 degrees Celsius.

Third, immediately after the flame goes out, wipe the blade with a clean, dry cloth, only wiping the back of the blade and not the edge, so that the residual brandy aroma remains on the blade.

The fourth step is cutting the foie gras, remember that?

The waiter nodded. "I understand."

Sin Yiu-man took out a five-dollar bill and handed it to the waiter. The waiter took it, thanked him, and left.

After tasting a piece of foie gras, Lucas said, "Adam, the foie gras already tastes great; there's no need to add any more complicated steps."

Sin Yiu-man picked up Yang Li-hua's knife and fork and put them in her hand, then guided her hand to demonstrate how to cut foie gras, while explaining the trick to not making too much noise with the plates.

After guiding her once, Yang Lihua was immediately asked to try it herself. She was used to holding a kitchen knife and had cut vegetables a lot. She overcame the awkwardness of switching from a large knife to a small knife, and by the third time, she was doing a pretty good job.

Sin Yiu-man picked up his knife and fork, cutting the foie gras as he replied to Lucas in a righteous manner, “Lucas, all you need to do here is sign the bill. You don’t really care how much you’ve spent. This is a foie gras that costs NT$180, which is more than the monthly salary of most people in Taipei. Even for Lafayette’s target customer group, the price is very high. Customers have the right to enjoy a sense of ritual and a better taste.”

“Okay,” Lucas shrugged. “You’re absolutely right.”

After eating the foie gras, French consommé was served.

It's called clear broth, but it's actually just a rich stock made from meat or bones and vegetables. Egg whites are used to remove impurities, resulting in a bowl of soup with only oil and no real ingredients.

The French seem to hold the saying "the essence is in the soup" as a golden rule.

Sin Yiu-man tasted it twice and noted down a point that needed improvement. Obviously, the clear soup couldn't have been made by the executive chef, but if someone else made it, they couldn't just do it half-heartedly. The soup tasted too much like Chinese food. It's probably because the kitchen helper they hired hadn't completely switched from being a Chinese chef to a Western chef in terms of mindset. French ingredients were being used to cook Chinese food.

Fortunately, there aren't many local customers now, otherwise Lafayette would definitely get cursed at a lot. A bowl of soup served in a small, coffee-cup-sized bowl costs the same as a whole vat of meat broth in a restaurant. The taste is neither local nor foreign, so it would be strange if people didn't curse at it.

The soup actually tastes pretty good. The problem is that you can't sell it at a high price like that. It has to taste good, and more importantly, it has to be "different". You have to give the host a reason to brag when entertaining companions who have never eaten French food. How can you brag about a bone broth with a discerning palate that can figure out the ingredients?
Lucas took a couple of sips of soup and suddenly said in Spanish, "Adam, I have a part-time job coming up right away."

Upon hearing this, Sin Yiu-man immediately became alert. He glanced at Lucas's face. Lucas had never publicly demonstrated his ability to speak Spanish, so it was hard to tell whether the Charlotte family had thoroughly investigated him or if Lucas was testing him.

In addition, the Lucasian grandson's treasure chest has now been opened in English, Japanese and Spanish.

If Lucas's ability to learn multiple languages ​​is related to the local language environment, in addition to the most widely spoken English, New Jersey also has Italian, Polish, Yiddish, German, and Cantonese, which are spoken by a considerable number of people, and he may be able to speak all of them.

He glanced at Lian Qing out of the corner of his eye and replied in Spanish, "What part-time job?"

Do you know who controls Taiwan's intelligence agencies now?

Chiang Ching-kuo.

Lucas put down his spoon, picked up his cigar, and took a puff. "Chiang Ching-kuo integrated the former intelligence agencies and established Bashengyuan. Bashengyuan opened a training course in Tamsui to train various professional intelligence personnel behind enemy lines."

The trainees were mainly outstanding personnel from various military units. After receiving short-term training in Tamsui, Bashengyuan cancelled all their military records and then sent them to the mainland by airdrop or sea landing.

Before these people set off, as was customary, they would be personally received by Chiang Kai-shek, then granted a week's leave to relax, eat, drink, and have fun before being sent on their journey.

Sin Yiu-man knew nothing about the name "Basheng Garden," and his ears perked up completely.

"The mainland implements strict household registration and civil defense control measures, coupled with an intelligence network that covers the entire mainland. It is almost impossible for any outsider who attempts to infiltrate the mainland to escape the mainland's security system. Early Taiwanese intelligence personnel who entered the mainland were either arrested or dared not make any rash moves, making them like a dead end."

Therefore, Chiang Ching-kuo considered cooperating with the United States and utilizing its experience and resources.

"The cooperation has already begun?"

"It will begin soon, the code name of the cooperating organization..."

Xian Yaowen cursed inwardly and waved his hand to interrupt Lucas, "You don't need to tell me."

Lucas chuckled. "It's not a big secret."

"I'm not interested in espionage."

“Okay.” Lucas shrugged, put down his cigar, picked up his spoon, and continued drinking his soup.

Xian Yaowen cursed Lucas in his mind, "Is this bastard trying to drag me down with him, or is he trying to teach me a lesson?" (End of Chapter)