money player

"When a ship sinks to the bottom of the sea, when a person becomes a mystery, you don't know why they left, and that goodbye is their last word."

On the stage of Jinling Restaurant, Wang Xiamin sat in front of the piano, playing and singing.

"When a car disappears into the horizon, when a person becomes a mystery, you don't know why they left, just as you didn't know this was the end."

At a table, Sin Kin-chi took a banknote from a biscuit box, carefully smoothed it out, removed the stains, and solemnly and reverently placed it on a stack of money.

Her eyes were bright and piercing, and her pure smile reached deep into them.

Liu Wanqing sat next to her, flipping through an account book that strictly followed the "double-entry bookkeeping method".

This is Sin Kin-chi's account book from her days as a street vendor.

Liu Wanqing had only a superficial understanding of accounting, so she learned by doing in order to better supervise her daughter's accounts.

Sin Kin-chi was selling sugarcane juice today, and the accounts were relatively simple. Liu Wan-ching spent a few minutes looking through them, then put the ledger aside and watched Sin Kin-chi count the money with tender eyes.

"Just like you didn't know, this is the ending."

As the last note reached the ears of the diners, Wang Xiamin stood up, bowed gracefully to them, adjusted the microphone height, and said with a smile, "Radisson Andre Jetman, thank you all, bosses and distinguished guests!"
I've finished singing in silence. If you don't like it, please don't throw eggs at me, haha.

The food in Nanjing is so delicious, and the wine is so fine. Let's eat more, drink more, be happy, have good fortune, and travel safely.

As the gourmets smiled knowingly, Wang Xiamin changed the subject.

"I own a Fong Kee Hardware store in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok, and Causeway Bay. If you need to buy nails, wire, hinges, locks, sheet metal, water pipes, paint, screws, wires, switches, pigments, solvents, or molding tools, you can buy them at my store. Thank you."

Xian Qianzhi's perked ears twitched, her little eyes darted around, and her gaze shifted from the stage to Liu Wanqing. "Mom, does your company have any business that you can offer Aunt Wang?"

Liu Wanqing lowered her eyes and glanced at Xian Qianzhi, smiling gently, "You want a discount?"

Sin Kin-chi chuckled, "Do you have one or not?"

"Have."

Sin Kin-chi's eyes were hopeful. "Will you do it well for me?"

"Ah Zhi." Wang Xiamin walked up to Xian Qianzhi and stroked the little girl's hair. "What should I make for you?"

Xian Qianzhi looked up at Wang Xiamin, "Aunt Wang, did Fang Ji cut corners?"

Wang Xiamin paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Yes."

"Seven percent discount or eight percent discount?"

In 1951, when doing trade in Hong Kong, it was common practice to give middlemen who facilitated the transactions a 3% or 2% commission, which was known in the trade as a 97% or 98% commission.

Wang Xiamin sat down next to Xian Qianzhi and gently took Xian Qianzhi's small hand. "Qianzhi, do you want to introduce business to Aunt Wang?"

Xian Qianzhi gestured towards Liu Wanqing with her lip, "Aunt Wang, are you interested in doing business with Jinwu Real Estate?"

Wang Xiamin and Liu Wanqing exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Yes, of course we'll do it."

Upon hearing this, Sin Kin-chi straightened up, buttoned her suit jacket, and solemnly extended her right hand to Wang Xiamin, "Boss Fang, I am Sin Kin-chi from Sin Kee, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Wang Xiamin shook Xian Qianzhi's right hand with great joy, "Boss Xian, hello, I am Fang Jingyin from Fangji Hardware."

Sin Kin-chi wore the same warm yet distant business expression as Sin Yiu-man, "Mr. Fang, are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"available."

"I'd like to invite Mr. Fang for afternoon tea so we can discuss a business deal."

"Okay, where should we go for a drink?"

"Hong Kong Grand Hotel, 2 PM."

"I will definitely be on time."

As the two, one big and one small, pretended to play a business game, Liu Wanqing, who was just watching the show nearby, called over the restaurant's manager.

Any recommendations for today?

"Bird's nest and pigeon eggs, the bird's nest just transported from Sulawesi by Golden Season Trading, is no more than half a month from harvesting in the bird cave to serving."

"anything else?"

"Fresh lotus root and winter melon soup, made with short, green-skinned lotus root picked this morning in Wenchangwei, Bao'an."

"I'll take both of these, plus a braised pigeon in a clay pot, and a steamed grouper. Do you have Hangzhou white chrysanthemum tea?"

"Only local chrysanthemums are available."

"White chrysanthemums are laid on the rocky outcrop."

"Ok."

"Blanched bok choy, and drinks according to Miss Fang's preferences, that's all."

The minister bowed slightly. "Yes, Ms. Liu."

As soon as the minister left, Liu Wanqing asked Wang Xiamin, "Amin, how's business at the shop?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiamin ended her conversation with Xian Qianzhi and turned to reply, "The main store on Xinzhendi Street can make four or five thousand a day, the Beihe Street store can make more than a thousand a day, and the Causeway Bay store makes less, a little over eight hundred."

"All business within the territory is counted at the head office?"

Wang Xiamin nodded and smiled, "Mm."

"Are the debts easy to collect?"

"It's not clear yet. The payment period is three months, and none of the accounts have been due yet." Wang Xiamin picked up the teapot and poured tea for Liu Wanqing. "The cash flow looks good, but the financial pressure is quite high. I've already tied up over 200,000 yuan."

"Oh." Liu Wanqing nodded. "How are Fangji's shares calculated?"

"80% goes to the family, and 20% to me."

"Has the money at home not arrived yet?"

"Last time the master came back, he couldn't find an opportunity to sign."

Liu Wanqing nodded and smiled, without saying a word.

Wang Xiamin held all the cash in the Xian family and several small accounts. Monthly allowances, shopping settlements, and other expenditures were all handled by her. Because of this, as the person in charge of the "warehouse key," she wanted to avoid suspicion and always obtained Xian Yaowen's signature before using "large sums of money," especially for expenditures such as share investment, which were part of the Xian family's business operations and required Jiu Jiu Ge's involvement.

Knowing that it was best not to discuss the investment matter in depth, Wang Xiamin changed the subject, "Sister Wanqing, Sister Lizhen's Sushan Qianshan will be open to the public soon, and Liyuan will start its trial operation in a couple of days. Would you like to go and support her?"

What kind of cuisine does Liyuan serve?

"Yunnan-Guizhou cuisine features the use of flowers in dishes."

Liu Wanqing said calmly, "Snowy Cloud Soup should be served this season, right?"

Wang Xiamin gently shook her head, "I don't know, but it should be there in principle."

Liu Wanqing picked up her teacup. "Are you going?"

“Liyuan has shares in the family, so of course I’ll go, and Jinman will go too.”

Liu Wanqing nodded gently, "How long until the 'Delicious Ship' can be launched?"

"At least by the middle of next year."

Liu Wanqing asked in surprise, "It takes this long?"

"The decoration requirements are high, and the goal is to not need renovation for twenty years, so the construction period will naturally be longer." Wang Xiamin waved to the waiter who was standing by waiting for her. After the waiter came over and whispered in her ear, she said to Liu Wanqing, "Sister Wanqing, a customer has requested a song. I'll be right back."

"it is good."

Wang Xiamin returned to the stage, took out her guitar and hung it around her neck, then sat on a high chair, looked around the hall, and smiled at the table of generous song requesters she had spotted. "Thank you to the Friendship Film Studio's 'Double Guns' crew for requesting the song. I wish them great box office success. 'Sadness In Your Eyes' is dedicated to the 'Double Guns' crew, and also to all of you bosses."

As the song lingered, Li Mei stubbed out her cigarette and turned to Wang Tianlin beside her, asking, "Master Wang, is the song finished?"

Wang Tianlin exhaled a smoke ring, his small eyes narrowing into a gentle smile, "There are still two drafts that haven't been finalized."

Li Mei said coldly, "Hurry up, this film needs to be released in Taiwan before Double Ten, it can't be delayed."

Wang Tianlin calmly replied, "It won't cause any delays. The Taiwanese version has already included the scenes of waiting for the music."

"That's good." Li Mei nodded gently. "Tell everyone to pay more attention. The company will be raising funds in Taiwan next month, and we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes at this crucial juncture."

Wang Tianlin's expression turned serious. "The company's films are all doing well at the box office, so why are you raising funds at this time?"

"The company is growing too fast and there are too many places where we need money. We can't keep up with the demand if we don't raise funds from outside."

Li Mei spoke vaguely, and Wang Tianlin nodded as if he understood, "That's true. It's normal that the funds can't be adjusted when a dozen or so film crews are working at the same time."

Li Mei lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and let all her worries wash over her with the white smoke.

She and Hongbo got together, and as they grew closer, their relationship deepened. She began to lose her infatuation with Hongbo, and the relationship seemed far less wonderful than she had imagined.

She is a senior executive in the company and a close confidante of Sin Yiu-man. She needs to consider issues from the perspective of the company's overall situation. She has a lot to do, a lot of psychological pressure, and naturally, a lot of worries, such as using clever tricks to increase film production when there is no rice to cook.

"Whose daughter is this?"

Sin Kin-chi needed to use the restroom and moved among the tables.

With her hair in a ponytail and dressed in a well-fitting women's suit, she strides with her hips lifted, core engaged, head held high, and chest out, exuding an imposing aura that draws attention to her. Every gourmand who sees her is captivated by her presence.

"It seems to be Liu Wanqing's daughter, and Xian Yaowen's stepdaughter."

Why does she walk like that?

"It's quite beautiful."

"It is offensive to public morals."

Sin Kin-chi stirred up a whirlwind; at every table, people were either whispering or talking amongst themselves.

Liu Wanqing's gaze lingered on Xian Qianzhi's back, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

In September, at the end of her ninth year, my daughter's situation underwent a dramatic change. She gained a martial arts instructor, a piano teacher, and a language teacher—three at once, learning four languages ​​simultaneously: English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.

With the addition of etiquette teachers, every gesture has become more standardized; with the addition of stylists and teams providing technical support, everything from hairstyles to clothing is handled by specialists; and with the addition of another personality, one must maintain the airs of "Miss Xian" in public.

Tomorrow is the weekend, and she'll spend half a day helping Nannan with her stall. After that, she'll take Nannan to visit, in turn, a canary abandoned by her sugar daddy, a prostitute at a brothel, the mistress of a poor family, and an orphan abandoned by her parents...

This was part of the upbringing plan arranged by the master. She understood the intention and approved of the arrangement, but felt it was too heavy for her daughter.

However, she had no intention of arguing with her husband. So what if she was tired? After being tempered, her daughter would be a phoenix reborn from the ashes, able to stand tall and independent without relying on a man.

"Love is about lifting someone up," she murmured to herself.

After finishing her song, Wang Xiamin stepped off the stage again. As she passed a table, a gourmand stopped her, offered her a drink, chatted for a few minutes, and she closed a deal with him.

She is a singer, but not an ordinary singer. She has the character "Xian" on her forehead. She has connections to all levels of society and can resolve matters in the underworld. She has a peaceful mindset, is neither bullied nor arrogant.

In the past, she maintained a distant relationship with all gourmets, who respected her but never got too close. Now, she openly adopts the label of a businesswoman, blurring the lines of aloofness. Gourmets frequently invite her for drinks and casual conversation, and business deals are struck unintentionally.

The five stores are essentially supporting service stores and auxiliary industries. They are needed by the Liao people, a series of industries radiating from the real estate industry, and plastic companies. The business scope is very wide, but it seems to be a buyer's market, and business needs to be obtained one by one.

However, this is not the case. Fangji Hardware immediately adopted a high-volume strategy after opening for business, using its volume advantage to pressure suppliers to lower prices. Many of its products could be sold at retail prices lower than the purchase prices of its competitors. With its strong financial resources, it was able to take on a large number of "credit" orders.

Nevertheless, Fangji Hardware does not engage in price wars. At the retail end, it maintains the same prices as its competitors to obtain higher profit margins. At the wholesale end, it leverages the Xian family brand and adheres to the industry tradition of "settling accounts after payment" in its business operations, offering higher credit limits to customers with good credit.

Fangji Hardware has both the hidden selling points of the Xian family and high credit limits, so customers are naturally happy to take the initiative to seek cooperation.

On the other hand, plumbers, bricklayers, and carpenters can receive a higher commission when they shop at Fangji Hardware for the first time, and receive a brand new set of equipment, including work clothes and a canvas bag. The quality is very good, and they are not easy to wear out or break. They do not need to be careful with them. If they break, they can go back to Fangji Hardware store to exchange them for new ones.

After all, the work clothes were covered with advertisements for Fangji Hardware.

"Miss Fang."

As Wang Xiamin passed another table, she was stopped by a gourmand.

"Boss Gao..."

The first dish had already been served. Wang Xiamin had gone and never returned, while Xian Qianzhi had just returned in triumph. Liu Wanqing held her teacup, her head down reading the newspaper, completely ignoring the wafting aroma from the dishes.

Enjoying morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and late-night snacks—five meals a day—too much of her time is spent on social engagements. This process, though not too long, is enough to generate aversion. Liu Wanqing is only a hair's breadth away from hating banquets. She increasingly longs for home-cooked meals, preferably with someone waiting to prepare the food.

Before even sitting down, Sin Kin-chi returned to her seat and began to pay her respects to the welcoming area.

Suddenly, a white cheongsam appeared at the reception area, enveloping a refined young lady from a prominent family. Her eyes held a mixture of warmth, aloofness, and indifference. It was none other than Cen Peipei, whose voice had been heard but had not been seen in public for a long time.

She caught Sin Kin-chi's gaze, a doting smile appearing on her face. She nodded and smiled gently, but did not approach, following the host to an empty table.

She came to watch the opera, probably Ma Lianliang's last performance, and didn't want to be distracted by social obligations.

Taipei.

Sin Yiu-man took Lee Lai-chun to the Seven Heavens shopping mall and bought her a lot of things, including clothes, shoes, alarm clocks, watches, pens, etc. They bought her everything she needed.

I also went to the smuggling alley in the back alley of Ximending and bought a lot of imported goods, including food, clothing and daily necessities.

This alley has existed for a long time, but it never became prosperous until the last two months when it became so crowded. Ever since Golden Season Logistics started smuggling business to Taiwan, goods have been arriving like water and ships like dragons, with imported goods being transported day and night. Whatever is available in New York, Taipei also has, with little difference. If there is any difference, it is only that the prices in Taipei are more expensive.

With the trunk full, Sin Yiu-man and his companion sat at the Lafayette table. Forks pressed down on the steaks, and knives sliced ​​through the bloody beef into small pieces.

After finishing a steak, the plate was placed in front of Li Lizhen, and Xian Yaowen picked up his fork and ate the white sauce braised veal with rice.

Li Lizhen forked a piece of beef and put it in her mouth, then glanced up at Xian Yaowen.

The beef was delicious, and the person was very beautiful. She was momentarily stunned, thinking that God had blessed her this time and she had struck it lucky.

Her gaze was intense, making a tickling sound that Xian Yaowen couldn't possibly miss.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Li Lizhen's face before settling on the plate. "Is it good?"

Li Lizhen nodded gently, "It's delicious."

"Eat more if it's delicious, and you can order another serving if you're still hungry."

Li Lizhen waved her hand, "No, no."

She had just heard Sin Yiu-man order three main dishes for her; even if she could eat a lot, that should be enough.

They ate in silence, with Sin Yiu-man only helping Lee Lai-chun prepare the new dishes when they were served and explaining how to eat them. There was little other communication between them.

We've already chatted quite a bit while shopping, and Li Lizhen's meager reserves of knowledge are almost depleted. Talking any more now would just be a one-way output of emotional value. We've already given enough today, so we can't continue. We can't build too high expectations for Li Lizhen. Let's leave the responsibility of outputting to food.

The next day.

At the same table, Sin Yiu-man and Lam Pui-kwan sat facing each other, with Sin Yiu-man openly sizing up Lam Pui-kwan.

She was around twenty-seven years old, slender, with a very straight back, exuding a scholarly air. Her skin was fair, the result of teaching indoors; not delicate, but clean and refreshing. Her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, her nose delicate, her lips thin, and she spoke softly. When she wasn't smiling, she was serene; when she smiled, faint lines appeared at the corners of her eyes, making her seem gentle and patient.

Her face was almost entirely devoid of makeup, with only a touch of natural light color on her lips. Her hair was cut short to ear length, jet black and straight, and tucked behind her ears with small black hair clips, looking neat and tidy.

He wore a white cotton pointed-collar shirt that had been washed until slightly soft. The material was ordinary, but it was starched and made neat and crisp. The cuffs were neatly rolled up to his forearms, without any lace decorations.

She paired it with a navy blue knee-length A-line skirt. The skirt was loose and not clingy, making it easy to write on the blackboard while walking. The fabric was thick and drapey, without any excess wrinkles.

She wore dark short socks with low-heeled black leather shoes; the toes of the shoes were slightly worn but clean.

She was simple, dignified, and unpretentious, without a trace of embellishment. She looked like a serious, meticulous, and approachable female teacher.

A public high school homeroom teacher earns a monthly salary of around 300 yuan, which is not much, but it is definitely not a small amount. If one is well-fed and the whole family is not hungry, one can live a fairly comfortable life. If one has the responsibility of supporting a family, one adult and one child can be supported without being in financial straits, but it is not a very glamorous job.

Judging from Lin Pei-Chun's attire, she is most likely living paycheck to paycheck, and the pressure of supporting her family seems to be considerable.

Having made his judgment, after the waiter brought the coffee, Sin Yiu-man asked, "Is Professor Lin from Zhejiang?"

Teachers in Taiwan's public schools are mostly from other provinces. In the early days after the retrocession of Taiwan, a large number of teachers from Fujian came to Taiwan to support Mandarin teaching. After 1949, teachers from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai became the majority, accounting for half of the total number of teachers, with Zhejiang teachers making up the majority of the teachers from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

"Dongyang, Zhejiang," Lin Peijun answered frankly, glancing at her coffee cup out of the corner of her eye, her brows furrowing slightly.

Sin Yiu-man picked up a sugar spoon and scooped three sugar cubes into Lam Pui-kwan's coffee cup, then scooped three into his own. He put down the sugar spoon, picked up a spoon, dipped it into the cup, picked up a piece of sugar, and gently stirred it about 1.5 centimeters from the bottom of the cup.

He doesn't like his coffee to be too sweet; one piece of sugar is the limit. He puts in three pieces to accommodate Lin Pei-Chun.

After stirring the coffee, he put down the spoon and gently looked at Lin Peijun's face. "Teacher Lin, I'm not good at polite words. I plan to skip the formalities and get straight to the point. I hope you don't mind."

“Mr. Xian, please feel free to speak your mind.” With that, Lin Peijun picked up a spoon and stirred her coffee, imitating Xian Yaowen’s manner.

This behavior directly revealed that she had never properly drunk coffee before.

"Thank you." Sin Yiu-man picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, then put it down and said slowly, "Professor Lin, do you think Li Li-zhen and Yang Ching-yi have a chance of getting into National Taiwan University?"

Lin Peijun stopped stirring her hands, paused for a moment, and said, "Li Lizhen might be able to pass the exam if she studies harder, but Yang Jingyi... with her grades, it will probably be very difficult for her to pass."

“Probably?” Sin Yiu-man slowed his speech. “How do you understand that? Does it mean unless a miracle happens?”

"It's not that serious, but it's close."

Xian Yaowen nodded slightly. "Teacher Lin, I would like to ask you for a favor."

"Mr. Xian, please speak."

“I hope Li Lizhen can get into National Taiwan University. To achieve this goal, I am willing to pay some material price.” Xian Yaowen paused, and when Lin Peijun’s gaze became focused, he continued, “Teacher Lin, I would like to hire you as Li Lizhen’s tutor. Whether you need to give her extra lessons or do anything else is entirely up to you.”

I'll give you a monthly salary of 300 yuan, along with some in-demand items. Whatever you want, I'll give you. Whatever resources you need, I'll find a way to satisfy you, or prepare the costs for mobilizing those resources for you.

I don't care how much it takes; I only care whether I can achieve my goal.

Xian Yaowen's gaze hardened. "Teacher Lin, would you be willing to help me with this?"

Unable to withstand Xian Yaowen's intense enthusiasm, Lin Peijun looked away, trying to calm herself down and think about how to help.

Yes, she had no option not to help. (End of Chapter)