money player

Sin Yiu-man held a large, rough earthenware soup bowl, which contained six parts rice, three parts various dishes laid out on top of the rice in a distinct manner, like a plate of rice, and one part occupied by a sunny-side-up egg, which Wang Chao-yun had personally fried and drizzled with a few drops of soy sauce.

He squatted down in front of an open space at the back door of the restaurant, put down the large soup bowl, held the chopsticks with his thumbs, clasped his hands together, and said in Japanese, "I'm starting to eat."

Seeing him pick up his chopsticks, Wang Chaoyun, who was standing next to him, followed suit and completed the ritual. He picked up a large Japanese noodle bowl, used his chopsticks to pick up a clump of rice and put it in his mouth. After chewing for a bit, he narrowed his eyes and said, "Ou Yixi."

Xian Yaowen glanced at Wang Chaoyun's bowl. Her rice was different; it was Japanese short-grain rice, not sticky, with each grain separate. It must be a side dish for some dishes in the restaurant.

"The store doesn't have Kamalg rice?"

"We just finished using it, and the new one hasn't arrived yet. The French consulate made a dinner reservation, ordering French stew and chicken stew with white sauce, but they can only use short-grain rice instead of Camargue rice."

"Oh." Xian Yaowen saw a few ants crawling at his feet, picked up a few grains of rice and placed them in front of the ants.

Wang Chaoyun saw this and frowned slightly. He wanted to pretend he hadn't seen it, but his mouth said honestly, "Takano-kun, food is very precious."

Xian Yaowen smiled at her, then reached out and picked up a few grains of rice from the ground, leaving only two grains that had been detected by worker ants. He blew on the rice in his hand to remove the dust, and then put the rice into his mouth.

Seeing this, Wang Chaoyun's brows relaxed, and he continued eating.

Sin Yiu-man felt a little uneasy. He changed his previous shoveling method of eating and started picking at the rice like Wong Chiu-wan, putting the rice into his mouth one bite at a time with his chopsticks. The large soup bowl was suspended below the chopsticks to catch any rice grains that might accidentally fall.

"Takano-kun, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"Would the guests like the Peony Candy?"

Lafayette learned from the practices of some restaurants in later generations, and placed candy platters on the bar and cashier counters, filled with peony candies and chocolates specially made in collaboration with Lafayette.

"I like them. I need to consume six or seven kilograms every day. Almost every customer grabs a few. Many customers ask where they can buy them."

"Good."

"Why did you think of making chocolate candies? They're too expensive; not many people can afford them."

"King Chu loved slender waists, and many starved to death in the palace." Xian Yaowen said unhurriedly, "It is only right that the candies eaten by the upper class are expensive. Every Taiwanese knows about Peony Candy, but few can afford it. When we lower our standards one day, it will easily become a craze."

"Is this a deference to your status?" Wang Chaoyun asked thoughtfully. "Why from top to bottom, and not from the very beginning... Is it because of the cocoa powder?"

Sin Yiu-man nodded. “It turns out that a small number of cocoa trees in Pingtung and Kaohsiung have been cut down to grow sugarcane. Taiwan has no cocoa powder and can only import it from abroad. Cocoa powder is not a necessity and there are no import quotas. It can only be imported through the consultant group’s channels. The cost cannot be reduced and the production capacity of chocolate cannot be increased in the short term.”

"Cocoa powder cannot be smuggled?"

"Peony Candy is a legitimate factory and cannot use smuggled raw materials, unless... never mind, there is no unless."

Sin Yiu-man wanted to commission other smugglers to smuggle cocoa powder, then report them, and obtain low-priced cocoa powder through customs auctions. However, this method could only be used once or twice and was not a long-term solution. Moreover, the traces of his scheming were too obvious, making it completely unacceptable.

Although Taiwan does not currently have a stock exchange, its establishment is only a matter of time. Peony Candy needs to complete a capital withdrawal without losing its voice by going public. It is better to keep its development trajectory clean and avoid getting involved in anything dirty.

The foreign exchange market is volatile, with many currencies experiencing rollercoaster-like price movements. Investing heavily in certain countries and then either going long or short could yield huge profits.

In order not to miss out on similar market opportunities, the Xian family needs to have a large amount of free cash on hand, with an asset structure that is almost 50/50 between assets and cash, and holding heavy assets that can be quickly preserved and liquidated, such as precious metals.

Of course, funds shouldn't just sit idle; rather, a portion should be invested in areas where they can be withdrawn in large quantities at any time.

“There are French, Korean and Japanese chocolates for sale in Dadaocheng, but they are all smuggled goods.”

Sin Yiu-man chuckled and said, "They're all made in Hong Kong."

"yours?"

"Your sister's."

"Which one?"

“You will see it in the future.” Sin Yiu-man picked up the water glass at his feet, took a sip of the diluted Perrier, and savored it carefully. “From now on, before adding lemon slices, squeeze two drops of lemon juice into the glass, and don’t stir it.”

"Doesn't it taste right?"

"If too much mineral water is added, discerning people can tell."

Wang Chaoyun also took a sip from his cup, smacked his lips twice, and said, "I can't taste the difference. Should I add a little less mineral water?"

"Not for now. Do as I say. Have those bottles of Châteltdon been sold?"

"No, a bottle of water costs several hundred yuan, who would buy it?"

Sin Yiu-man smacked his lips twice. "It's stuck with me. What a pity. If no one orders it in another half month, I'll send it back to my place and try to get two fresh bottles."

"Nobody wants them, is it even necessary to keep them?"

“Even if nobody wants it, we have to have it. This is a matter of... the restaurant’s class.” Xian Yaowen thought for a moment. “I’ll find a way to invite a famous food critic to Taipei to dine at Lafayette. I’ll create some buzz in European newspapers to promote Lafayette and make it famous both domestically and internationally. I’ll make Lafayette a must-visit French restaurant when you come to Taipei.”

As he spoke, Sin Yiu-man was thinking about what to do next. It wasn't enough to just have a food critic create hype; it would be best to add celebrities and famous writers as well.

The dubbing event for "Dragon Panda" could invite celebrities to participate. Perhaps a trip to Taipei could be planned to interact with the Taiwanese film industry, packaged as a cultural event, and pave the way for the film's distribution in Taiwan.

As for the location of the event, Lafayette is naturally a must.

With the support of state-run newspapers, Lafayette could become a sensation.

After several rounds of maneuvering, Lafayette should be able to become the National Government's informal restaurant for receiving foreign guests, and also become Taiwan's number one Western restaurant. If you haven't patronized Lafayette, you can't even say you've eaten Western food.

"Wouldn't it be very costly to do this?"

“I’m in the tourism industry, and food is part of that industry. Lafayette only needs to cover a small portion of the costs.”

Who will bear the majority of the burden?

"Sky Traveler, let's have a meal and then I'll talk in detail."

"Hay."

The topic was temporarily set aside, and the two continued eating. Wang Chaoyun talked about some trivial things from his childhood about the "preciousness of food".

Finished eating.

Even if foreign tourists are brought in, the tour itinerary will definitely be carefully designed.

The key to establishing this tourism route lies in attracting the family members of the advisory group to visit relatives, as well as overseas Chinese. Overseas Chinese who return to Taiwan for tourism, family visits, or investment are the main targets for attracting investment.

Xian Yaowen tapped his fingers lightly on the tea table, pondering where to gather a group of overseas Chinese for a trip to Taiwan. His first thought was of overseas Chinese landlords and merchants who had fled from North Vietnam.

Young men in South Vietnam were at risk of being conscripted into the French army or the Viet Minh at any time, leading to a loss of labor. Trade unions in Saigon and other places were active and often linked to national independence or communist movements, resulting in frequent strikes and slowdowns. Workers were also at risk of encountering war or being stopped on their way to and from factories and homes, leading to high absenteeism rates.

In contrast, Taiwan offered a highly controllable and compliant workforce, while the workforce in South Vietnam was fraught with uncertainty; the “risk premium” for setting up a factory in South Vietnam was astronomical, an intangible cost that far exceeded workers’ wages.

In 1951, a rational investor, after comparing the two places, would not hesitate to choose Taiwan.

"Going to South Vietnam to attract investment carries too much weight. It's not appropriate for me to show up directly, but I can't just play the role of a behind-the-scenes strategist either..."

Sin Yiu-man kept chewing on the name, deciding that she was the first person to handle this matter.

After much deliberation and consideration, he set the tone for his actions.

After leaving the cubicle and going to the bar, I gave Wang Chaoyun a hug and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll pick you up at 5:30. We'll go to a ryotei in Taisho-cho for dinner."

Sensing once again the implication that their relationship was about to be made public, Wang Chaoyun beamed with joy. "Shall we have a kaiseki meal?"

"Hmm." Xian Yaowen gently patted Wang Chaoyun's lower back. "You should call ahead to make a reservation."

"Hay."

Sin Yiu-man released Wang Chao-yun, saying, "I'm going to do something."

Wang Chaoyun kindly saw Xian Yaowen to the door and watched the car drive away.

Dihua Street is a hub for food factories in Taipei. Many food processing plants are located in the arcade buildings in the Minnan or Baroque style along the street. They are basically shops in the front and factories in the back. The shops along the street display goods and serve wholesale and retail customers, while the machines in the back buildings roar and the aroma and smell of food waft through the air.

Peony Candy is hidden among them, in a not-so-good corner, with a storefront of 3.5 meters. A curtain of candy beads hangs 1.5 meters away, and 2 meters is a glass display case with glass panels, each displaying different chocolates and candies in a square compartment.

As I lifted the curtain and stepped into the shop, the wind chimes overhead tinkled.

"welcome!"

A clear voice reached my ears, and then a shop assistant dressed in a chocolate-colored cheongsam adorned with large white peonies came into view. Her eyes were soft and warm, her face was a little round with gentle lines, and she looked harmless, gentle, and approachable. She had a healing face that appealed to men, women, young and old alike.

"Mr. Xian."

A surprised voice, the sound of thumping footsteps, and the shop assistant jumped in front of Sin Yiu-man.

Xian Yaowen smiled warmly, "Liu Ruyan, have you had lunch?"

"I've already eaten." Liu Ruyan narrowed her eyes, her expression turning into an innocent and endearing one.

Sin Yiu-man handed over a bag of candied plums he had bought at the street corner. “I know you like them. Take them back to the counter and eat them. Don’t worry about me.”

Liu Ruyan accepted it with a smile, "Thank you, Mr. Xian."

Sin Yiu-man waved his hand, gave a warm smile, and walked toward the display case on his own.

Peony Candy specializes in chocolate candies, offering a wide variety of options, including dark chocolate (pure chocolate), milk chocolate (with milk powder and sugar), white chocolate (cocoa butter and milk), filled chocolates with various fillings such as dried fruit and peanuts, soft-filled chocolates with fillings like caramel sauce, strawberry, and orange jam, as well as wafer chocolates, chocolate nougat, chocolate bars, chocolate rolls, and more.

Since the supply of cocoa powder is limited and production capacity cannot be pursued, we have put more effort into variety to meet diverse needs and also try to secure orders for wedding candies and gift packages.

Sin Yiu-man's gaze swept across each display case, occasionally opening a case to take out a candy to examine it, sometimes tasting one, and noting down the name and price on the price tag, before putting the candy wrapper in his suit pocket.

We operate with transparent pricing, clearly displaying both the price per unit and the price per piece on the price tag. Wholesale prices are negotiable for bulk orders, with tiered discounts based on quantity. We never engage in unfair practices like price discrimination.

Halfway through the viewing, he heard the sound of wind chimes. Xian Yaowen avoided the customers entering the store and looked at the view from another corner, while also keeping an eye on Liu Ruyan serving customers.

Liu Ruyan is a high-end talent that Liu Xinjie poached from Nanbeihang. Her high-end qualities lie in her healing face, which never looks too bad even when she is angry, her pleasant voice that is like a gentle breeze to the ears, her calm and patient temperament, and her ability to handle even the most difficult clients well.

Xian Yaowen silently gave Liu Ruyan a score in his mind, and also wondered how many years her face could last. At nineteen, with a smooth life, it wouldn't be a problem for her to maintain it for ten years. He was just afraid that she had entrusted herself to the wrong person and that life would wear her down beyond recognition.

He elevated Liu Ruyan's marriage to the level of Peony Candy's development strategy, intending to have Liu Xinjie personally oversee the process.

After carefully examining the candy, he stepped outside the store and observed the left and right sides of the street and the shops along it, mentally simulating the thoughts and feelings of various people entering the street to shop.

Holding a notebook in my hand, I leaned it against the wall of the shop across the street and took notes, stroke by stroke.

After Liu Ruyan had some free time, she grabbed a plum and put it in her mouth, her gaze lazily fixed on Xian Yaowen.

Today was her second meeting with Sin Yiu-man. She had a very good impression of this boss's boss's boss. He was beautiful, had a good temper, and was down-to-earth. Last time, she mentioned to her colleagues at the factory that she liked candied plums, and they overheard her, remembered her, and were pleasantly surprised.

"It would be great to marry Mr. Xian as his wife... or even as his concubine."

Liu Ruyan muttered to herself, her mind churning out the scandalous news about Xian Yaowen.

Xian Yaowen glanced at his watch, added two strokes to the incomplete character "正" in his notebook, and then wrote two lines in smaller characters below it.

After observing patiently for two hours, he closed his notebook, walked to a street corner, adjusted his mood, put himself in the shoes of a host about to hold a banquet, and began to stroll around the streets with the purpose of shopping.

He was busy, and Liu Ruyan's gaze returned to him after seeing off the new guests.

From the bright sunshine to the sunset that bathed the streets in a warm gold, the two were immersed in this eerie atmosphere.

Sin Yiu-man did not return to the shop. At five o'clock, he left Dihua Street directly. In the car on his way to Lafayette, he took out a letter and wrote to Cen Pei-pei, explaining some issues regarding Peony Candy.

He was several levels removed from Liu Xinjie, and Cen Peipei was the major shareholder and head of Shiye. It was inconvenient for him to directly interfere with the management of Shiye's branch offices. He should only tell Cen Peipei his opinions and suggestions to maintain her authority.

He doesn't need to act like a wise man within the food system.

Mangrove forests along the Seletar coast in Singapore.

Wearing a disguise, Xian Yuzhen held a Delir carbine in her hand and aimed it at the lookout in front of a thatched hut.

With two soft thuds, two lookouts fell to the ground. Before the sound of them hitting the ground could be heard, two more thuds followed as two rifle grenades flew out of the No.1 cup-shaped launcher, landing precisely on the roof of the thatched hut, and then exploding inside.

Before the shockwave had even dissipated, two figures rushed toward the half-collapsed thatched hut. Clang, clang, clang, clang—four consecutive sounds of grenade pins being released. Four imported grenades were thrown into the hut, and the two figures sprinted several meters in the direction of inertia before one of them lunged and landed face-first on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions rang out continuously, and the thatched hut collapsed completely, leaving the furnishings inside partially exposed to the air.

“Go.”

Xian Yuzhen, who had just stood up, made a gesture to attack, and three team members rushed toward the thatched hut in a defensive formation.

She slung the Delir carbine over her back, drew the High Standard HD-MS silenced pistol from her waist and held it in her right hand, releasing the safety and loading the gun in one smooth motion. Leaning against a tree, she took a piece of chewing gum from her tactical bag with her left hand and put it in her mouth.

After a long while, once she was sure it was safe, she looked up and, through the sparse leaves, let the dappled sunlight fall on her face, enjoying a moment of silence.

As she was clearing her mind, several team members carried two boxes to her. The boxes were opened, and the other box contained gold bars and bundles of Malaysian Ringgit.

She glanced at it and said indifferently, "You can take 30%. Scholar, call the police to collect the body."

After saying that, she took a wad of money from the box and turned to leave.

After leaving the mangrove forest, she got into a car, took out a water bottle from her waist, opened the lid and took a small sip. Then she took off her headscarf from her neck, crumpled it into a ball, and poured the water from the bottle onto the headscarf.

The damp headscarf was used to wipe away the camouflage paint and the fine beads of sweat from the face.

After cleaning her face, she combed her hair, took off her combat uniform, changed into a floral dress, and slipped on a pair of canvas shoes, instantly transforming into a wealthy schoolgirl. (End of Chapter)