money player

After the main course, salad, and dessert, the four sat down on the sofa. Yang Lihua and Lian Qing drank coffee with cookies, while Xian Yaowen and Lucas drank liqueur with dried apricots.

As most guests were enjoying their after-dinner drinks, the ALTEC Theatre Sound System, built at great expense, began playing chansons. A phonograph was used to drive multiple speakers via an amplifier. The overall volume wasn't high, but most tables could still enjoy an immersive experience.

Lucas swirled his wine glass, a look of pure enjoyment on his face, and said, "What I like most about this place is the music. The sound is balanced and natural. Adam, how much did you pay for it?"

"Didn't you ask the king?"

"No."

Sin Yiu-man pointed to the speakers on the ceiling and said, "The cables connecting the speakers are made of gold. They are highly conductive and highly resistant to oxidation, which makes the sound quality purer and more delicate. It took about 150 ounces of gold."

Lucas looked up abruptly. "So, it's very expensive?"

"Yes, it's very expensive, it's built with money."

"How many?"

"About $2."

"are you kidding me?"

“The actual cost was higher than that figure. In order to get the best preamp, I made an investment in the UK.”

What is a preamplifier?

You can think of it as a sound amplifier.

"A high-return investment?"

“No, it’s an investment that’s guaranteed to lose money.” Sin Yiu-man shrugged. “It’s like if I invested in you going to see a striptease, would I get any financial return?”

"Hobby?"

“Yeah.”

"Luxury hobbies."

“I have even more extravagant hobbies, so I need to make more money.” Xian Yaowen released his arm from Yang Lihua and tilted his head toward Lucas. “Lucas, Prince Passenger Transport needs a TO (Transport Officer) as deputy manager, preferably someone who has served in the CBI and was in charge of the land transport section of the Hump route.”

"I'll handle it?"

"uh-huh."

"Is such a professional person really needed for just a bus route?"

"It's best to leave professional matters to the most professional people. Besides, an American with a military background can be a great help to Prince Passenger Transport's business operations."

Lucas thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it."

After sitting in Lafayette until nine o'clock, Sin Yiu-man declined Lucas's invitation to go to the club together. He then called the Matsuyama Onsen Ryokan and learned that there were still rooms with private hot spring baths available. He immediately took Yang Lihua there.

The private hot spring room at the deepest part of the Matsuyama Onsen Ryokan is so quiet that even the sound of footsteps in the corridor is blocked out once the paper door is closed.

The air was filled with the strong smell of sulfur and the fresh scent of pine wood steaming in. Hot water gushed out from the bamboo pipes, hitting the rocks with a deep and long "thump, thump" sound, as if someone was beating a wet drum in the distance.

The entire pool was milky white, with steam rising from it. A few cherry blossom petals, curled up from the heat, floated on the surface; Yang Lihua had just casually picked them from a vase in the corridor.

She stepped barefoot onto the slippery bluestone slabs, a burning pain immediately shooting through her soles, causing her to hiss softly. Her yukata, a specially chosen thin Suzhou silk, snow-white with tiny gold flowers, clung to her skin like a second layer, semi-transparent, now damp with the steam. As the sash loosened, the yukata slid down her shoulders, landing at her feet with a soft rustling sound, like a sigh in her ear.

Xian Yaowen was already submerged in the pool, the water level below his chest, his collarbone and shoulders covered with a layer of glistening water droplets. He didn't speak, only looked up at her, his gaze appearing particularly dark in the mist, carrying a hint of languor and an irrepressible fire.

Yang Lihua slowly walked in, first her ankles, calves, thighs... The hot water gradually engulfed her skin, scalding her so much that she gasped, tiny goosebumps instantly rising to her skin, only to be smoothed out by the steam. She deliberately stopped half a step away from him, her toes flicking underwater, splashing water that landed right on his chest.

"It's so hot..." Her voice was so soft it could melt water.

He reached out and grabbed her wrist, the roughness of his palm scraping against her delicate skin, sending a slight shiver through him.

"Come over if it's hot." With that, he pulled her into his arms with a little force.

With a "plop," water splashed everywhere, shattering into countless tiny beads that landed on their shoulders and the tips of their hair. Her chest collided with his burning chest, and through the soaked thin silk, she could clearly feel his heartbeat, heavy and rapid, like a war drum.

The sulfur smell was stronger, mixed with the faint scent of male hormones and a hint of liqueur.

Yang Lihua's nose brushed against the side of his neck, her warm breath spraying behind his ear.

"You're so hot..." she chuckled, her tongue secretly licking his earlobe, tasting a hint of masculine scent that made her wheeze with desire.

Sin Yiu-man's hand slid down her soaked back, past her waist, and finally stopped on her buttocks, where he squeezed hard with his palm.

A muffled gurgling sound came from underwater; it was his knuckles tapping against the rock.

His lips were almost touching Yang Lihua's damp temples. "The water in the pool won't be cold tonight."

She didn't answer, but buried her face in the crook of his neck, her teeth gently biting his collarbone, her tongue tracing the raised mark. Hot water kept flowing, overflowing their intertwined shoulders, over his lower back…

The fog grew thicker and thicker, making it almost impossible to see each other's faces. All that could be heard were rapid breathing, the sound of water, the occasional low groan, and the delicate collision of cherry blossom petals being pushed to the edge of the pool by the current and then swept back by new waves.

A distant drumbeat struck twelve times, its muffled sound piercing through the night fog, but no one could hear it. The entire hot spring room was filled only with the sounds of water, panting, and the increasingly heavy, sweet, fishy-smelling steam rising in layers, as if to rip the roof off.

A hot spring bath destroyed Xian Yaowen's hopes of becoming Yang Jingyi's father, as Yang Lihua called him "Dad" first, leaving him to passively become Yang Jingyi's maternal grandfather.

The night was beautiful, and Yang Lihua discovered a suffocating pleasure that she couldn't resist. Xian Yaowen, on the other hand, was cautious, even fearful, constantly watching Yang Lihua's condition, unable to fully appreciate the beauty of the night.

The next day, when Yang Lihua left the Songshan Hot Spring Hotel, she had a silk scarf around her neck to cover the marks left by Xian Yaowen.

After having breakfast, Xian Yaowen escorted Yang Lihua back to her hotel in Hengyang and then returned to Taipei Main Station.

On the open space north of the station square, there were rows of buses parked. Some were painted blue, which belonged to the highway bureau and were used to run popular routes. The others were colorful and it was hard to tell which passenger transport company they belonged to.

In Taiwan's overall public sector environment, passenger transport is one of the few industries that the government encourages private capital to enter. Because the Highway Bureau has limited capacity, it can only control a few popular routes. The industry is in the early stages of a primitive era, and the main problem is "having or not having." As long as you are qualified, you can apply for a route and get approved as soon as you apply.

He wandered through the bus depot, admiring the white or natural-colored wooden signs on the front of the buses, which read "Taipei-Taichung" and "Taipei-Danshui," and listening to the departure announcements, "Bye-bye, those going to Danshui, get on the bus!"

He stood on tiptoe and peered through the car window to observe how much luggage each passenger had, paying particular attention to passengers who looked like vendors, observing their loading equipment, and analyzing issues such as floor space and maximum load weight.

After spending more than an hour at the station, he moved around to places like Ximending, Rongting, Dongmen, Wanhua, and Dadaocheng where buses stop. His last stop was Daqiaotou. Before going there, he picked up Chen Jinxuan, checked out the buses, and then went to the triangular open space known as Daqiaotou Market.

Daqiaotou Market is the first choice for farmers from Banqiao, Jingmei, Xindian, Songshan, Sanchong, Luzhou, Shilin, Qixing District and other suburbs of Taipei to sell their vegetables in the city. He arrived late, and most of the farmers had already sold their vegetables and gone home. Only some farmers who had brought a lot of goods or did not sell well were still holding on.

His suit pockets were bulging; the left pocket was filled with cigarettes, and the right pocket with candy. He would offer cigarettes to men one after another, and even if they didn't smoke, they would accept them to take home as favors. He would give women a handful of candy, keeping one for himself and taking the rest home for his children.

One doesn't hit a smiling face, especially when there are tributes; cigarettes and candy helped him extract a lot of useful information from the farmers.

As the sun sets, the market experiences its second peak season of the day. Dual-income families who didn't have time to buy groceries in the morning can only come at this time to pick up the leftovers from the morning rush.

Sin Yiu-man, chewing on lettuce, which locals call "A-cai," leaned against an oxcart, holding a notebook and drawing design plans for a roofed bus.

"Dudu—dudududu~dudulu~dadada, dudu—dudududu~dudulu~dadada, it's so cold, I'm playing in the mud in Taiwan, although Taiwan isn't big, I don't have a home in Taipei, ah..."

Humming a catchy tune, he designed a draft of the "most spacious" bus design. However, the draft was only a draft; he only considered carrying as much as possible without taking into account the bus chassis's load-bearing capacity, engine power, road conditions, or driving stability.

His professional knowledge was insufficient, so he could only do this much. He put away his notebook, followed Xie Zhanran who had chartered a car, and boarded a bus with Chen Jinxuan and a basket of eggs, heading towards Jingmei.

On the way, he sat in the front of the car chatting with the driver, while Chen Jinxuan sat beside him helping with the translation.

Halfway through the journey, he sat in the car to experience a section of the road, and then sat in the back of the car to experience the most intense bumps.

The scenery outside the window was nice, but he didn't pay attention to it. His attention was entirely focused on the role of an ordinary passenger. People in a hurry don't have the mood to appreciate the scenery along the way; they only care about when they will arrive at their destination and the luggage they are carrying.

When the bus stopped at Jianwei Street in Jingmei, he began to check the eggs in the basket, picking them up one by one and holding them up to the light to see if the yolk membrane had been ruptured.

Fortunately, the eggs were relatively fresh, and only a few were damaged. Even those that were damaged could be identified as rotten by shaking them and listening to the sound.

Farmers who use baskets to carry eggs on buses can fill the spaces between the eggs with straw and then cover them with a layer of rags, which not only blocks the sunlight but also provides some shock absorption.

Xie Zhanran stayed behind to have lunch with the driver and keep an eye on things, while Xian Yaowen got out of the car carrying a basket.

As soon as he got out of the car, Chen Jinxuan took his arm.

She followed along for half a day, simply doing what was told, without ever inquiring about what Xian Yaowen was planning to do. She gradually absorbed the information, and now she could basically guess that Xian Yaowen was going to start a bus passenger transport business.

"Sir, why didn't you put the eggs in the car?"

"You heard it when we bought it. These are hydrangea eggs from Zhuzihu, Yangmingshan. They taste better than regular eggs. I heard there are wild scallions here. We'll have wild scallion scrambled eggs later."

"Does the master realize he's been tricked?"

"what?"

"These are not hydrangea eggs, but grass seed eggs from the upper reaches of Bitan in Xindian."

“I know.” Xian Yaowen nodded. “Since last month, hydrangea eggs have disappeared from the market. My Western restaurant has taken over the production of eggs from the farmers in Zhuzihu, and only releases a portion to government canteens and dignitaries. The rest goes into the restaurant.”

Are hydrangea eggs rare?

"Not much, but it's still two or three hundred catties a day."

"Will the restaurant be able to use all the food?"

“We can’t use it all.” Sin Yiu-man shook his head. “Nominally, the unused portion is sent to Hong Kong, but in reality, only a small amount is used. The rest is secretly smashed and buried.”

"Huh?" Chen Jinxuan exclaimed, "So wasteful?"

"The quantity is too small, and it's not cost-effective to ship them to Hong Kong for sale. The restaurant also wants to maintain its exclusivity and not let the hydrangea eggs enter the market. If we can't use them all, we have to destroy them."

"Aren't you afraid that egg farmers will raise more chickens and lay more eggs, then secretly take them out to sell?"

Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "Hydrangea eggs usually sell for 3.5 yuan per jin, and can sell for 5 yuan when the market is good. The price I'm offering is 12 yuan per jin, but you have to pick them out. Eggs that are too small or too big won't be weighed. But you have to take the eggs with you."

This means that roughly one-tenth of the weight is selected, resulting in an actual price of 10 yuan per jin (approximately 8 kg), which is 3.08 times the normal price. If you were an egg farmer, would you sell your eggs to someone else?

Chen Jinxuan thought for a moment and said, "Normally it wouldn't happen, but what if someone offers a high price?"

"You mean you're specifically targeting me?"

Is that possible?

"There is definitely a possibility. However, for a restaurant, an egg is like a woman's fingernail. Whether a woman is beautiful or not depends mainly on her appearance. If her appearance is pleasing to the eye, then people will take a closer look at her temperament and character. Only after getting to know her better and establishing a certain level of intimacy will they carefully examine whether her hands are beautiful or not, and only then will they notice her fingernails."

Xian Yaowen pulled his arm away from hers, pinched Chen Jinxuan's wrist, and examined her nails. "Your nails are very beautiful, which adds to your hand's appearance. But as long as you don't have fungal nail infection that makes your hand look too ugly, it won't detract from your appearance. That's the significance of the hydrangea to the restaurant. It's just one part of making the restaurant more perfect, but it's not that important."

If we can't be exclusive, we can use a slightly different type of egg to save costs, and we won't deliberately show off our nails to customers.

Chen Jinxuan nodded. "Understood."

A short while later, the two arrived at a bustling part of the street. Sin Yiu-man said to Chan Kam-shuen, "Find someone to ask around which restaurant here has the best local specialties. Since we've come all this way, let's have something good to eat."

"Ah."

Chen Jinxuan agreed, her eyes scanning the passersby for a moment before she walked over to a man in a suit. After exchanging a few words, she returned and said, "There's a famous abalone restaurant called Ah Zhu here; people from Taipei often come to patronize it."

"where is it?"

"The first row on the right bank of the bridge is near the Shuizhu Liao."

Xian Yaowen looked around, located the spot, and said, "Let's go over there."

Ah-Zhu Xiangyu is not far away and not hard to find. When you arrive at the intersection, you will see a bamboo hut with one side extending into the water. There is no sign, but the aroma of fried fish is already wafting into your nose.

Following the aroma into the bamboo hut, I saw five bamboo tables set up in the small space. Three of them were occupied by people, and there were eight guests in total. Seven of them were dressed in suits, while the one who stood out was wearing a high-end long gown.

Upon seeing this, Sin Yiu-man was certain of two things: the food here wouldn't be bad, and the proprietress, Ah Chu, wouldn't be bad-looking either.

Yes, he had already spotted a woman carrying a tray walking out from behind a bamboo wall. The woman's face was somewhat hazy and beautiful, much like the woman in the literary critic Li Ao's words whose face was flushed from constipation. She was plump and tall.

She is probably Ah Zhu, and based on her age and the local custom of addressing people, she would likely be called Sister Ah Zhu.

Amidst the teasing sounds, the woman served dishes to a table, handling the situation with ease, before approaching Xian Yaowen and his companion.

"You two, please come in."

The woman spoke Mandarin with a northern accent, but it also had an unmistakable Fujian accent, revealing that she was from Fujian province.

Xian Yaowen and Chen Jinxuan followed the woman to a bamboo table and sat down. The woman turned over the two bamboo cups in the middle of the table, picked up the teapot and poured water, saying as she poured, "You two look unfamiliar. Is this your first time in Jingmei?"

Sin Yiu-man pointed at Chan Kam-shuen and said, "I wanted to be with her, but her husband disagreed, so I had no choice but to elope with her."

Upon hearing this, the woman laughed and said, "Sir, you're quite the joker."

As the woman lifted the teapot, Sin Yiu-man's gaze remained fixed on her hands. Lifting the teapot, pressing the lid, pouring water—the woman's movements were full of grace. The height of the teapot, the angle of tilt, and the flow of the tea were all just right, allowing one to feel the sweat that had been honed through countless hours of practice.

Well, this isn't a wild lily from the countryside, but rather one that has washed away the glitz and glamour of the outside world and disappeared into the dust of the world.

"If you're wearing a suit, you don't lie, Sister Zhu. Do you have a man with you?"

The woman didn't comment on the way she addressed Ah Zhu, but instead looked at Xian Yaowen with her hazy eyes and smiled, "Sir, you're late."

“It’s alright. Qiu Jin advocated gender equality in her early years. Men can have three wives and four concubines, and women can have three husbands and four lovers. Sister Zhu, I don’t mind being a concubine.”

The woman laughed so hard she nearly fell over, the teapot in her hand swaying with her laughter.

The guests at the other tables all stared at Sin Yiu-man, this shameless man.

After a moment, the woman stopped laughing and said, "Sir, it's not appropriate to joke like that. It's getting late, and your wife must be hungry. May I ask what you would like to eat?"

Sin Yiu-man gestured towards the basket on the table with his lip, "Do you have wild onions?"

"Have."

"If I make scrambled eggs with wild onions, can the leftover eggs and basket help pay for some of the food?"

The woman glanced at the eggs in the basket. "Grass eggs, sir, you agreed to a price of 1.5 yuan per pound. I can agree to use them as payment."

Sin Yiu-man nodded. "Sister Ah-chu is really good at business. I agree. I won't order any other dishes. Please have Sister Ah-chu cook a few of your signature dishes for us."

"Would you like to move to the bamboo mat, sir? Literati and scholars from Taipei love to dine on the bamboo mat."

"Does Sister Ah-Zhu also use bamboo mats?"

"I'll make it for you and your wife right away on the bamboo tray."

"it is good."

After making arrangements, the woman, carrying a basket, led Xian Yaowen and the other man away from the bamboo hut. They arrived at the stream and climbed onto a bamboo pole. She supported herself on the pole for a while in the stream, then stopped at a scenic spot. She lit two lanterns at each end of the pole, and the sunlight, moonlight, and candlelight intertwined in the stream.

The light was beautiful, but Sin Yiu-man thought of the "Three Alls Policy" (kill all, burn all, loot all), and realized that the basket of eggs would only be worth a fraction of the price. This situation was clearly not going to be cheap.

Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. He lay down on the bamboo recliner and embraced Chen Jinxuan, admiring the beautiful scenery of the sun and moon shining together in the sky.

Chen Jinxuan whispered in his ear, "This proprietress looks a lot like Miss Takatsukasa."

"Ah."

"Did the master sense it?"

"Mmm." Sin Yiu-man hugged Chan Kam-suen tighter. "Is it cold?"

"A little."

"If you don't want to move now, just open your mouth and I'll put your suit jacket on you."

"No need." Chen Jinxuan wriggled and snuggled into Xian Yaowen's arms, arching her arms and legs to press tightly against him. "This way I won't be cold."

"Do you get bored staying at home alone?"

"A little."

"Do you want to come out and do some work?"

"doing what?"

“Bus passenger transport isn’t something you can do just by having a vehicle. You need to build stations in various places, which involves buying land and coordinating relationships with locals. This requires a capable local person, and I want you to be that person’s deputy.”

Chen Jinxuan's eyelashes fluttered twice. "Can I try my forehand?"

“No, you look weak and frail. People will think you're easy to bully. A task that's three points difficult will become five points difficult if you step in. You can only be a deputy, and you can play the good cop when negotiations reach a stalemate.”

"I can be fierce too."

"It's not a matter of being fierce or not, but that a beautiful woman's best weapon in the business world is her looks. Even if you don't want to, others will push you in that direction. You are my woman, understand?"

"I understand." Chen Jinxuan nodded obediently.

Xian Yaowen gestured towards the lantern in front of him with his lip, "Chen, this proprietress is probably called Chen Azhu."

Chen Jinxuan sensed something, "The master has taken a liking to her?"

"You might become her deputy."

"Her?" (End of Chapter)