chsdbacks Chapter 615 The Worshipper Behind the Private Temple
Chapter 615 The Worshipper Behind the Private Temple
Two days later, in the afternoon, the results were in.
"This private temple is a bit complicated!"
Hong Taidi said this as soon as he arrived.
"Teddy, how complicated is it?" I asked.
"This private temple was jointly funded by several major capitalist families; it's considered one of their secret strongholds!" Hong Taidi said.
"The major capitalist families?" I muttered to myself, then asked, "Which ones?"
"Generally speaking, the investors fall into two groups!" Hong Taidi held up two fingers and said, "One group consists of long-established Hong Kong tycoon families, the core of which are the Kerry family and the Sun Sha family!"
"The other group consists of some long-established comprador families of foreign firms, such as the Li family and the Yu family!"
"Wow, quite a force to be reckoned with!" Li Donglin's lips curled into a mocking smile.
Putting aside everything else, the power of those two You families alone should not be underestimated.
Those two families have been rooted in Hong Kong Island for over a century.
Don't be fooled by the talk of Hong Kong's four richest families online and on TV, like the Jin, Li, Ji, and Zhao families. In reality, when it comes to the depth of their foundations, no one can compare to the two You families.
These two families have been deeply involved in finance, real estate, and foreign trade for over a century, with profound roots and complex networks.
Whether in mainland China or in the West, these two families are incomparable to the others.
To put it another way, the Li family, now the most powerful family in Hong Kong, may seem incredibly glamorous to outsiders, but in John Bull's eyes, they are nothing more than a dog they have raised to fight for their food.
The two great families were different; they were their own people, and not only their own people, but according to the Indian way of speaking, they were Kshatriyas, so they were their masters.
One is the master, the other is a dog fighting over food; they are incomparable.
"Master Li, the Li family and the Yu family aren't really that important. The two great You families are the ones we need to be careful about!" Hong Taidi said.
"I know that!"
Li Donglin scoffed and said, "Those two prominent Jewish families are masters of opportunism. When they learned that Hong Kong's return to China was a foregone conclusion, they were among the first to invest in the mainland."
"Are they the first batch?" I was a little surprised.
"Didn't expect that, did you?" Li Donglin asked with a smile.
"I really didn't expect that!" I nodded.
"They weren't just among the first batch; unlike the Li family who acquired land, waited for prices to rise, and speculated to profit from the difference, they were serious investors and genuinely made contributions!"
Speaking of this, Li Donglin was a little emotional.
"This is no longer just about changing sides with the wind!" I said.
"That's why, in the eyes of those above, they are far more reliable than people like the Li family!" Li Donglin said.
"Being treated as masters by Western powers like the British, having good relations with the mainland, and being able to quietly amass wealth without being targeted—these two families are truly remarkable!" I murmured.
"Thirteen, now you understand what it means to make a fortune quietly, right?" Li Donglin patted my shoulder and said.
"Got it!" I nodded.
If Li Donglin hadn't told us, we would only know that these two families were powerful in Hong Kong and had a certain status in the West. We would never have imagined that they were also well-regarded by the higher-ups in mainland China.
Actually, they didn't do anything special; they just honestly invested and did business in accordance with the rules of the mainland.
Thinking about this makes me feel a bit choked up.
Is this a high requirement?
Not high!
It's a relatively modest requirement, but few of the wealthy Chinese in Hong Kong can meet it.
The Li family engaged in hoarding and speculation, taking advantage of preferential policies granted by the mainland to hoard a lot of land without developing it, waiting for prices to rise.
Others followed suit. Moreover, Jin Gu colluded with Shui Zong to plan a revolving door scheme to carry out large-scale urban redevelopment projects in the mainland.
Actually, even without doing it this way, they could still make a fortune by taking advantage of the preferential policies offered by the mainland.
Just like those two families mentioned above, thirty years have passed since the 1980s, and their investments have multiplied several times over.
Taking shortcuts and resorting to tricks is not the right way.
There's a saying that goes something like this: success and failure both stem from the same source.
More than a decade later, the Li family's reputation in mainland China was utterly ruined.
As for Jingu, due to Shui Zong's downfall, a large amount of capital was tied up in it, almost leading to bankruptcy, and in the end, it even lost control of the company.
Every drink and every bite, is it perhaps preordained?
"Actually, there was another family that donated to that temple!" Hong Taidi said at this moment.
"There's another one? Which one?" I asked curiously.
"The Lü family!"
Hong Taidi slowly uttered two words.
"The Lü family?"
I immediately realized what he meant and asked, "Is it the 'Lu' in 'Lu the gambling king'?"
"right!"
Hong Taidi nodded.
"Did Gambling King Lu also sponsor this temple?" I asked again.
"It's not Gambling King Lü!" Hong Taidi shook his head and said, "It's the Lü family!"
Next, Hong Taidi explained to me that the surname Lü in Lu the gambling king's name was not simple.
Among the earliest wealthy families in Hong Kong was the Lui family.
Most importantly, this Lü surname was changed later, and their lineage is quite noble, just like the two major You families mentioned above.
However, large families have many members, and after the division of the family, some branches declined. The branch of Gambling King Lu was one of those branches that declined.
The temple was invested in by another branch of the Lü family.
Now that you mention it, I understand a bit why Lui, the gambling king, made his fortune through gambling, was not accepted by the so-called mainstream, yet no one dared to cause him trouble, and he remained standing.
The reason is nothing more than that their lineage is impeccable, their ancestors were powerful, to put it bluntly, they were also Kshatriyas.
"Brother Li, now I understand why there are so many controversies online, and why you haven't caught anyone after half a year!"
Hearing this, Fatty Lin was also a little moved.
"Do you understand now?" Li Donglin said with a smile.
"Understood!" Fatty Lin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.
With the help of these major capital forces, whether it's using connections to suppress matters, blocking information, or posting articles online to confuse people, who can outmaneuver them?
They have both money and connections!
"Sometimes having money isn't very useful!" Hong Taidi suddenly smiled, as if he had just thought of something.
"Teddy, what do you mean?" I asked.
"Like me, I committed many sins in my youth, and now I can't eat or sleep well. Some debts have to be repaid sooner or later!" Hong Taidi said with some emotion.
"Teddy, what do you mean?"
Hong Taidi's words had a hidden meaning.
"The Kerry and Sunsa families may seem prosperous on the surface, but they have short lifespans for generations, and none of them live long. They are no match for other Chinese families!" Hong Taidi said.
"So that's why they worship at this temple, right?" I said.
"They worship at more than just this one temple; from what I've found, there are at least ten!" Hong Taidi held up a finger and shook it.
"Cast a wide net!"
I found this a bit strange. Usually, when you make offerings to a master, you make offerings to one. This is the first time I've heard of doing this.