money player

The main gate of the garden is some distance from the garden where Sin Yiu-man is located, and there are almost no straight roads in the garden. Both the driveway and the paths are deliberately designed to be winding and meandering, so it takes some time for guests to get there.

Jin Chengwu completed the tea-making process and raised the teacup to offer tea to Xian Yaowen.

Sin Yiu-man took the teacup, gently rotated it clockwise, supported the bottom of the bowl with his left palm, and lightly stroked the bowl with his right hand, taking a small sip.

He put down his teacup and picked up the Asahi Shimbun from the table. Seeing this, the lantern servant immediately adjusted the paper lantern stand so that the light from the paper lantern was focused on the newspaper.

Autumn has arrived, and the dry season is here. Tokyo has implemented mandatory shutdowns across the entire city, with each ward shutting down every two hours for half an hour to an hour each time.

Of course, Japanese also has the character "特" (tetsu), but there isn't a word for "特事" (tetsu), though there is "特別の用事" (tetsu no yōji). In some places, power outages don't occur unless there's a major overhaul.

Kono Garden has a special power line, so it rarely experiences power outages, but it's not good to leave the entire garden brightly lit and provoke public anger.

There are only a few streetlights in the garden, which are usually not turned on. The main lighting comes from paper lanterns, which create an atmosphere and also create a "dark-light" effect, making it easier for guards hidden in the shadows to eliminate intruders.

The paper lantern stand wasn't bright enough, so Jin Chengwu lit the kerosene lamp, placed it on the table, moved it around a few times, and found the best spot.

While reading the headlines, Xian Yaowen casually asked, "Wu Zi, do you know how many candles we use every day?"

“Master, your household uses about thirty No. 4 candles and about sixty-five No. 7 candles every day.”

"Hmm, have you been to school?"

"I attended primary school."

Can you read a newspaper?

"Hay."

Sin Yiu-man stopped talking and focused his attention on the newspaper.

The Soviet Union officially announced the successful test of its atomic bomb, thus acquiring nuclear weapons capability and breaking the US nuclear monopoly. Newspaper commentaries stated: "The Cold War has entered a nuclear arms race phase, and the situation in East Asia will be severely impacted."

He muttered to himself, "Interesting."

With the Soviet Union announcing its nuclear capability, the opportunistic ambitions of Asian powers were bound to be thwarted. They would either join the capitalist sphere under the US nuclear umbrella or the socialist sphere under the Soviet nuclear umbrella, a clear dividing line between the two.

The United States will frantically increase its nuclear bases in Asia and accelerate the deployment of nuclear-capable B-29/B-50 bombers and missile forces in Okinawa, Guam, South Korea, and the Japanese mainland.

Okinawa will become the largest U.S. nuclear base in the Western Pacific, leading to increased control over the Okinawans.

How to manage it?

His fingers tapped lightly on the table as he recalled what he had seen and heard during his stopover in Okinawa at noon.

Strictly ration food and supplies, and deepen the rule of hunger; further control currency, monopolize the B yuan, and prohibit the circulation of the yen; launch several serious crackdowns on smuggling, and the existing smuggling pattern will be broken.

Furthermore, no-man's-land will definitely be established around the nuclear base, and residents will have to be relocated, which will soon create a surge in demand for building materials.

The ship needs to be prepared for the season; an opportunity to enter Okinawa will arise soon.

Once the Soviet Union announced this, the United States' idea of ​​supporting Japan as the factory of Asia became even clearer. The signal gun for the rise of Japan's light industry was fired, and even those without foresight could see that Japan's economy was about to recover.

The embargo will be serious; anyone who dares to transport sensitive goods may be named and relentlessly pursued.

Malaya, Indonesia, and the Philippines are more reliant on the US military presence, and the US will likely use this opportunity to establish bases and suppress communist armed groups in these regions. This will usher in a golden age for the arms trade.

Overall, Asia has transitioned directly from the "post-war recovery period" to the "nuclear Cold War confrontation period," with countries prioritizing military buildup and putting people's livelihoods and development on the back burner.

I really want to curse. The show of profits increasing year by year is no longer working. We haven't even met yet, but who are we going to ask for the disappearing profits?
Without the Communist Party, there would be no new Asia. At this moment, he suddenly had the idea of ​​going to South Korea to collect firearms and sell them in the jungle.

"President."

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Kazuo Ijiri, along with four of his men, bowed deeply to him in greeting.

He turned around, waved to Kazuo Ijiri, who understood and led his men toward the villa. He stood up and gave Lin Qingying and the other two a respectful look.

Lin Qingying and the other two were extremely shocked when they saw him. They originally thought they were brought here to see Matsuda Yoshiko, but they did not expect to see a half-Tang and half-Ban. Judging from his face and clothes, he was indeed a half-Tang and half-Ban.

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly, stepped off the cot, and walked slowly to the three of them in his slippers. He said in a calm and indifferent tone, "I am Sin Yiu-man. I came from Hong Kong and I am a businessman."

Lin Qingying immediately clasped his hands in a respectful bow and said, "Headmaster Xian, I am Lin Qingying."

Xian Yaowen smiled faintly and waved his hand gently: "President Lin, there's no need for you to introduce yourself. Since I specially invited the three of you here, I naturally already know your identities and backgrounds. It's getting late, and you must all be hungry. Let's eat and talk. Please follow me."

He led the three to the octagonal table and gestured for them to sit down. Their eyes subconsciously swept over the dishes on the table, and the familiar aroma wafted to their noses. A faint soreness welled up in their eyes—the table was full of authentic Fuqing dishes, the taste of home etched into their very bones.

Sin Yiu-man picked up his chopsticks and said in a humble tone, "I am originally from Bao'an and have never set foot in Fujian, let alone been to Fuqing. Before coming to Tokyo this time, I specially sought out and learned how to make it from a famous Fujian chef."

This is the first time I've followed a recipe, and I don't know if I can recreate even a fraction of the taste of home that you all remember.

Lin Qingying feigned surprise and exclaimed, "I never imagined that the Xian family would personally prepare this! It's unbelievable!"

Sin Yiu-man smiled and slowly said, "Being in a foreign land, there's no need to stand on ceremony. Let's just talk about homesickness. Please, all of you, don't be shy and start eating."

After exchanging pleasantries—some genuine, some feigned—with small talk that was ultimately meaningless, the main topic slowly came to the table.

At this moment, in high spirits, Sin Yiu-man raised his glass once again.

"Chairman Lin, Chairman Chen, Mr. Wang, I came to Hong Kong from Bao'an countryside at the end of 1949. At the beginning, I had nothing, no money and no connections. It was through daring to fight and being willing to share that I have achieved what I have today."

I've been to England, Southeast Asia, and the United States, and I also came to Tokyo to do business early on.

My first business in Tokyo was pachinko, in partnership with Americans; my second was investing in someone.

Xian Yaowen's gaze swept across the three faces. "Matsuda Yoshiko, the three of you must all know this person. She is mine... Let me count."

He counted on his fingers, muttering to himself, "I have so many concubines, I can't even tell if she's the third or fourth concubine, but she's definitely my concubine."

This statement was quite revealing, leaving Lin Qingying and Chen Ligui's minds reeling.

"The first time I met Fangzi was at her restaurant. After all, she was the second head of the Matsuda-gumi. It was a waste of her talent to be holed up in a small restaurant."

I asked her to come out of retirement, and I put together some money to start Matsunaga Trading Company with her. At first, we only did mail order business, which did quite well and made some money. Then we started to do investment business, investing in some promising companies in Japan.

Later, seeing that the economy of Toyo had a chance to take off, I established a subsidiary, Matsunaga Construction, which not only undertook public housing projects but also developed its own rental properties. At the same time, I acquired 200,000 tsubo (approximately 33,333 square meters) of land in the Tobin Industrial Zone, intending to build factories for rent.

They acquired a significant amount of land in prime locations such as Toranomon, Shinjuku, and Ginza.

He stroked the rim of his glass, seemingly unconcerned, and said, "Good locations have great potential for appreciation in the future. There's no rush to develop them; we'll hold onto them and wait for the market to turn around."

For properties in less desirable locations, the potential for appreciation is limited. The key is to acquire the land, develop it quickly, and then either rent or sell it to recoup funds as soon as possible, continuing this process round after round.

He looked up and locked his gaze on Chen Ligui's face, giving a faint smile. "Chairman Chen must know very well which locations are slightly less desirable. I sent someone to check the situation, but I didn't expect to run into someone from our neighborhood."

The three of you are not only going to make a living off land, but you have a big appetite for it. You want to explore the outskirts of Tokyo, including Edogawa, Ota, Setagaya, and the banks of the Tama River.

Once I've stepped on it, I won't allow anyone else to do the same, whether they're Japanese or from our own neighborhood. Anyone who tries to step on it is my enemy. And I'm ruthless when it comes to enemies; the police and the Yakuza will take turns causing trouble for them.

With a forced smile on his face and a tone that was both probing and serious, Chen Ligui slowly spoke: "Is the Xian family going to such lengths to cut off the livelihood of us Fuqing people in Tokyo?"

Sin Yiu-man picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and said calmly, "President Chan, it seems you didn't quite understand what I just said. I said I'm very willing to share."

He raised his hand and pointed to the octagonal table. "The table is quite large, and there are plenty of dishes. The four of us can't possibly finish them all. It's the same with the land; I can't finish it all by myself."

Wang Gongyong glanced at Lin Qingying, then looked at Chen Ligui, whose face was tense, before turning to Xian Yaowen and probing in a steady tone: "Is the Xian family planning to cooperate with our Tokyo Fuqing Association?"

Sin Yiu-man slowly raised his hand and clapped twice, a hint of approving smile in his eyes. His tone was unhurried, yet it carried a chilling coldness: "I run a remittance business in Singapore. It hasn't been open for long, but it's grown very quickly."

One reason for its rapid development was the acquisition of two money shops that operated in a corrupt and unethical manner.

One of the companies lured overseas Chinese with high interest rates but failed to deliver the remittances. The owner absconded with the money to Penang, where his family had lived for decades.

The Singapore police couldn't handle this, but I did. I sent men to Penang, arrested his entire family, tortured them, dug out all their money, and then slaughtered them all.

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere at the table froze instantly. Wang Gongyong's heart sank, and he shivered inexplicably, a chill creeping down his spine.

“I took the money, and naturally I also took responsibility for the remittances that were not sent out. I cooperated with a state-owned bank in Tangshan to ensure that the remittances would not be claimed by others, and I also sped up the remittance process. If a remittance was sent in the morning, it would be received in the afternoon.”

And so, my business quickly took off. Foreigners from all over the world were willing to entrust their business to me, even though my fees were a little higher than other money changers.

Sin Yiu-man tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his voice deep and each word carrying an air of authority. “I, Sin Yiu-man, am no nobody. Go to Hong Kong or Singapore and ask around. Everyone knows my reputation and my methods very well.”

I came to Tokyo this time mainly to do two things. The first is to bring over the remittance business to make it easier for people from our hometown to send remittances.

The second thing is about the land. I plan to establish a Matsushiro Construction Co., Ltd. Matsushiro is the Matsushiro of Matsunaga, and Sei is the Sei of Fuqing.

The three of you can choose to cooperate or not. I'll give you one day and two nights to consider. If you're interested in cooperating, come to Matsunaga Trading Co., Toranomon's office the day after tomorrow, and we'll discuss the details.

As soon as he finished speaking, he picked up his chopsticks, pointed to the dishes on the table, and said with a smile, "Eat your food, eat your food, it'll get cold if you don't. Wuzi, call someone to bring the food over."

"Hay."

Since the order to get food meant the drinking party was almost over, twenty minutes later, Sin Yiu-man asked Kazuo Ijiri to take the three of them home.

At 10:30, he lay in bed trying to fall asleep, but Yoshiko Matsuda didn't come back. He didn't wait and fell asleep on his own.

Then, he felt the power of women's will and witnessed that it could not be disobeyed.

He was ridden, three times.

The next day.

Sin Yiu-man and Fei Po-shu were having breakfast in the dining room when Yoshiko Matsuda's secretary, Kazuo Wada, stepped forward and bowed to report, "Chairman, we have arranged for you to meet Professor Taikichi Mori at 11:30 this morning at the Pin-jin-ro restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown."

“Okay.” Xian Yaowen nodded slightly and gestured to the empty seat next to him. “Wada-kun, sit down and let’s talk.”

Kazuo Wada bowed respectfully and took his seat as instructed.

Sin Yiu-man picked up the miso soup, took a small sip, put down the bowl, looked at him calmly, and slowly asked, "Is the store your family runs called Yaohan?"

"Hai." Kazuo Wada responded respectfully.

Selling vegetables and fruits?

"They also sell daily necessities."

Sin Yiu-man's gaze sharpened slightly, and he lightly tapped the table with his fingertips. "You should know about East Asia Trading Company?"

Upon hearing this, Kazuo Wada's expression tightened instantly. "Hai."

“I have a trading company in Hong Kong that mainly deals in bulk agricultural products. I have stable supply channels for fruits, dried fruits and dried goods from various countries. If you have any needs for purchasing goods, just tell Fangzi and I can give you a six-month payment period.”

Upon hearing this, Kazuo Wada immediately bowed deeply, his tone full of gratitude and awe: "Thank you for your guidance, Chairman. I am truly grateful."

Xian Yaowen looked at him with a deep gaze and a meaningful look, and slowly said: "There is a kind of bird in the world called the white-cheeked goose. They build their nests on the cliffs of the sea. When the chicks are only a day or two old and their wings are not yet fully grown, they cannot fly. The parent birds stand at the bottom of the cliff and call out to the chicks, leading them to leap off the cliff."

Young birds can only frantically learn to flap their wings and adjust their body shape during the rapid fall.

This method of learning to fly for survival is extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could result in being smashed to pieces, or being preyed upon by Arctic foxes, Arctic gulls, or crows lurking at the bottom of the cliff. Some even lose their way along the way. Less than half of them actually manage to survive this ordeal.

"Wada-kun, I've always known that some birds can't be caged, simply because their feathers are too dazzling from birth. But the world is vast, and the road ahead is full of storms and unknowns. If you want to venture into the world alone, you must first strengthen your wings, stand higher, and see further."

Kazuo Wada bowed deeply, his expression respectful yet somewhat enlightened: "Thank you for your guidance, Chairman. I now understand its profound meaning."

Xian Yaowen nodded slightly, then picked up the serving chopsticks, took a piece of crispy fish skin from the salt-grilled sea bream, and placed it steadily into Fei Baoshu's bowl. His tone was gentle and doting: "The fish skin and belly are the best parts of this fish. You can have them all."

Fei Baoshu glanced down at the glistening, crispy fish skin on top of the white rice, pursed his lips slightly, and pouted, his eyes showing a touch of coquettishness. "Eating dry food for breakfast is a little unusual."

Sin Yiu-man gestured with his chin towards the teacup beside her, "Genmaicha, perfect for making rice porridge."

Will it taste good?

"It tastes better than rice soaked in hot water."

"I'll give it a try."

Fei Baoshu picked up the teacup, poured the tea into the rice bowl, and used chopsticks to stir the rice little by little.

Xian Yaowen picked up two pieces of seaweed from the plate, tore them into small strips, and gently placed them into her bowl. He then picked up a piece of tender, smooth cold rice and a sweet and sour dried plum, and carefully placed them into her bowl as well.

"That's how Japanese people eat."

Fei Baoshu smiled gently, a hint of longing in his voice, and sighed softly, "If there were a piece of rose-flavored fermented bean curd to go with it, that would be perfect."

Sin Yiu-man glanced at her helplessly, his tone teasing with a hint of indulgence: "You're so pretentious. You won't be staying here for more than a few days. Just relax and enjoy the local Japanese flavors."

Fei Baoshu gave him a playful glare, fiddling with the seaweed strips in her bowl, and muttered under her breath, "No matter how Japanese it is, it's not as savory and delicious as the ones from home. A few days is still a day, and you can't do what you want without satisfying your appetite."

Xian Yaowen glanced at her sideways and said, "You're so spoiled."

"whee."

The breakfast ended quietly in a subtly ambiguous atmosphere. Xian Yaowen did not disturb Matsuda Yoshiko, who was still resting, and drove directly to the port area with Fei Baoshu.

Upon arriving at Akasaka Imperial Villa in the port area, it was still early, and the National Diet Library was not yet open. Since the palace was not open to the public, the two took a walk outside. At nine o'clock, they entered the library with their family register transcripts.

Sin Yiu-man has a formal and legal Japanese identity, Takano Teikichi, and has paid into all the health insurance, national insurance, and welfare pensions he can. He is taking good care of this identity, and maybe he will receive a "pension" in the future.

Fei Baoshu's Japanese identity was fabricated. Many people who died or went missing did not cancel their household registration. Matsunaga Trading Company maintained hundreds of identities for unforeseen circumstances.

He told Fei Baoshu to find a seat. Fei went to the newspaper and magazine shelf, took a stack of "Official Gazettes", and then went to the Chinese book shelf and took an illustrated copy of "Jin Ping Mei".

When the book reached Fei Baoshu's hands, he was glared at fiercely. He didn't retort, but silently flipped through the "Official Gazette".

The Official Gazette was the only official medium for laws and decrees in Japan at that time. It was published by the Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau, and laws, government decrees, provincial decrees, treaties, and notices were officially announced and took effect as soon as they were published in it.

There's a saying that goes, "When there are policies from above, there are countermeasures from below." What's supposed to be a sweet watermelon when issued by the higher-ups might turn out to be salty when implemented by those below.

Yoshiko Matsuda has managed to get ahead of some unissued government decrees, gaining a slight advantage. However, if she wants to use government decrees to predict the future, it would be best to interpret them from the perspective of lower- and middle-level civil servants.

He included both the conservative "official" module and the new "public servant" module, interpreting the articles line by line from a third-person perspective.

This job is quite tiring, but fortunately the article isn't news, so there's not much to interpret.

By 10:30, he had almost finished interpreting the text. He also jotted down the key points in his notebook for later review, as he was still struggling to grasp the main ideas.

He told Fei Baoshu to follow the tour guide arranged by Matsuda Yoshiko, while he himself went to Yokohama.

At 11:15, he entered a private room on the second floor of Pinzhenlou, located in the heart of Zhonghua Street.

He took a file out of his briefcase, stood by the low window, glanced at the street, opened the folder, and looked up information on Mori Taikichiro.

Mori Taikichiro is the dean and professor of the Faculty of Commerce at Yokohama City University. His biological father was adopted by a rice shop owner and a rental property owner when he was young, so his family has been involved in real estate transactions for many years.

In 1946, before the new currency reform froze his deposits, he emptied his account and invested all the money in rayon. He then used the profits from the tenfold increase in rayon prices to buy a lot of land near Toranomon.

In the following years, he bought land in places such as Xinqiao, Xiaguan, and Gangqu.

This man is quite low-key; his public image is that of a university professor, and few people know that he is a real estate tycoon who owns land worth more than $30.

knock knock knock.

The door to the private room was knocked on three times, neither too hard nor too soft.

"Please come in."

Upon hearing the sound, Xian Yaowen closed the documents in his hand and looked up towards the door. It wasn't Mori Taijiro, whom he was waiting for, who entered, but the shopkeeper he had met downstairs earlier, carrying a small white porcelain dish, which seemed to be a complimentary welcome snack.

"Sir, these are freshly cooked amber walnuts, brought especially for you to try." The shopkeeper smiled broadly, bowed slightly, and gently placed the plate on the table. The walnuts in the plate were coated with a glistening sugar coating, gleaming with a warm luster, and a subtle sweet aroma wafted out.

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly, his tone indifferent: "Thank you for your trouble, boss."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper smiled even more attentively and respectfully, bowing and saying, "It is an honor for our humble shop to have you grace our store with your presence. This dish of amber walnuts is not worth much, but it is a small token of our appreciation. Please enjoy it at your leisure."

"What is your surname, sir?"

"I dare not accept such an honorific. My surname is Bao, and my given name is Jin Ju."

"Oh, it's Mr. Bao. I wanted to ask, what are the lunch hours in Yokohama?"

"From noon to 1 p.m."

Xian Yaowen raised his left hand, glanced at the watch on his wrist, and said casually, "It's almost 11:30. Normally, customers should be starting to arrive by now."

Upon hearing this, Bao Jinju's face darkened, and he sighed, "Sir, you're not from Chinatown, are you?"

"No, I came from Kyoto to meet a guest."

"That's not surprising. The old folks in Chinatown all know how prestigious our Pinzhenlou was before the war. We had grand banquets and were patronized by wealthy merchants and officials every day. After the war, all the shops were bombed to the ground. Now, only a simple wooden building remains. The grandeur is gone, and the business of large banquets has long since ended. We can only serve small snacks to individual customers and earn a meager living."

Add to that the Americans' control over supplies; rice, oil, meat, sugar—everything had to be rationed. If you wanted to get some good roast duck, seafood, or dried goods, they were either out of stock or ridiculously expensive.

If we're making Cantonese cuisine, we can't support our brand without good ingredients. If we dare to sell at high prices, no one will be willing to eat it. So we can only make do with affordable noodles and home-style dishes, with such thin profit margins that we barely make any money.

With inflation soaring daily, rent, labor, firewood, and sauce ingredients are increasing in price every month. We dare not raise vegetable prices arbitrarily, for fear of scaring away customers. Revenue cannot keep up with costs; we are losing money every day. Our savings have long been depleted, and we are now burdened with debt.

The old customers who used to patronize the restaurant have either gone bankrupt and fled or moved away and scattered; the Japanese are now short of money and can only eat ramen and set meals. Who would be willing to come and eat proper Cantonese food?

There are many competitors in Chinatown, and they all compete for a limited number of customers. As a result, our shop has even less business.

My father is getting old and his energy is waning. I'm trying to hold on to the old business, but I'm stuck in a rut. I can't bring myself to run a cheap roadside fast food business, and I don't have the money to renovate or remodel.

"If this continues, we'll only be dragging on until we go bankrupt and liquidate. It's better to transfer it to someone we trust as soon as possible, at least to preserve the reputation of Pingzhenlou, and my son and I can pay off our debts and leave with dignity."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Sin Yiu-man suddenly realized the true intention behind Pau Kam-kui's seemingly casual conversation: he couldn't continue the business and wanted to find someone to take over.

“Mr. Bao, these days ordinary people are strapped for cash, and they have to be careful with their money even when they eat a proper meal, let alone go to a Chinese restaurant to hold a banquet and have a big meal. It’s not that you’re not doing a good job, it’s just that the times are forcing us to be, and no one can go against the current situation.”

Bao Jinju sighed, "Yes, these days, it's not easy to run a high-end restaurant."

"To be honest, Mr. Bao, I also run a restaurant business. If your price is right, I'd be willing to take over your business. Of course, I'll keep the Pinzhenlou brand."

Upon hearing this, Bao Jinju nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "Sir, you are a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush either. This shop, including the land, the entire shop building, the Pinzhenlou signboard, all the kitchen utensils, and the cellared sauces and ingredients, is priced at two million yen. This is a sincere offer, absolutely no exaggeration."

Sin Yiu-man tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and said, "Two million is really too high. The market is sluggish right now. Although the old shop has a reputation, it doesn't have the customer traffic of the past. I'll settle in cash all at once, no installments, no delays. One million eight hundred thousand is the highest price I can offer."

"Very well, we're all from the same village, so let's not be stingy with business. Let's settle for 1.9 million yen. The land, shop, signboard, utensils, and inventory will all be handed over. From now on, I, Bao Jinju, will have no further dealings with Pinzhenlou. This will be a way of giving an explanation to our ancestors and the old shop."

Sin Yiu-man nodded slightly, his tone resolute: "Alright, 1.9 million. We'll sign the contract this afternoon, count the cash on the spot, and process the land and building name change procedures tomorrow."

Bao Jinju breathed a sigh of relief, his expression complex. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sir. I hope you will protect this old brand in the future and not let this century-old Cantonese restaurant in Yokohama fade into obscurity."

"Don't worry." Sin Yiu-man returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "After I take over, I will not change the essence of Cantonese cuisine, renovate the store, stabilize its reputation, and will definitely uphold the name of Pin Chun Restaurant, and live up to the expectations of everyone in Chinatown."

Having agreed on the terms, Bao Jinju left the private room.

Xie Tingyun, who was standing quietly to the side, said, "Sir, you haven't even taken a proper look at the shop before you want to buy it. Isn't that a bit too reckless?"

Xian Yaowen chuckled and said, "The earliest Chinese restaurant in Japan was in the Chinatown in Nagasaki. It seems to have opened around 1680. At first, it was only open to overseas Chinese and officials of the shogunate, so it was not considered to be open to the public."

It was probably a dozen years after Japan opened its doors to the general public, which must have been sometime in the 1860s.

In 1884, Pinzhenlou opened for business, and it was almost universally regarded as the first Chinese restaurant in the Orient. Do you know how much that "first" was worth?

Xie Tingyun, who was standing quietly to the side, frowned and said, "Sir, you haven't even carefully examined the inside of the shop before insisting on buying it. Isn't that a bit too rash and reckless?"

With a faint smile on his lips, Xian Yaowen spoke calmly: "The earliest Chinese restaurant in the East was located in the Chinese quarters of Nagasaki, and it opened around 1680. At first, it only served overseas Chinese and nobles of the shogunate, and was not considered a proper street restaurant open to the public."

It wasn't until more than a decade after Japan opened its doors to the general public that it gradually opened its doors to ordinary people; that was in the 1860s.

Pinzhenlou, which opened in 1884, has always been regarded as the undisputed premier Chinese restaurant in the Orient. Do you know the true value of this title?

How much is it worth?

Sin Yiu-man chuckled, “I was just saying, I haven’t actually calculated it carefully, but there are at least a hundred of them, each worth 1.9 million.”

"One hundred and ninety million?"

"Ah."

Sin Yiu-man was very shrewd. He knew that traditional Cantonese cuisine had low acceptance in Japan, so he wouldn't be stubborn about orthodoxy. Instead, he humbly accepted Japanese influences and introduced Japanese-style Cantonese cuisine.

He knew how to make Japanese Mapo Tofu, as well as fried rice, braised shrimp, sweet and sour pork, shredded pork with green peppers, Tianjin rice, spring rolls, xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and pan-fried dumplings. These dishes would undergo layers of selection by the Japanese and eventually become popular.

The dishes that have already spread are unclear about which cuisine they come from, and those that haven't yet spread can be made up as they are. They can all be classified as Cantonese cuisine, no, they should be branches of Cantonese cuisine and delicacies.

We will incorporate the concepts of craftsmanship and philosophy into our dishes, and create a comic that combines food and inspiration.

Based on the current situation, it is predicted that in the next ten years, most Japanese teenagers will start working after graduating from junior high school at the age of fifteen, a few will start working after graduating from high school at the age of eighteen, and only a very small number will be able to go to university.

This means that school children and teenagers who read comics will have to enter society and take on the responsibility of making a living within one or two years, or at most three to five years. When the delicious food in comics comes to life, how can they resist trying it?

Riding this wave of youthful aspirations, Pinzhenlou has the perfect opportunity to expand throughout Japan. In just three to five years, its branches can be planted all over the country, taking root everywhere. (End of Chapter)