"Barton sir, the rickshaw association's price reduction campaign, has squeezed the ferry market and caused a great negative impact on the Star Ferry." At the Peninsula Hotel, Yi Migao sat at a tea room and said to Deputy Commissioner of Police Barton in front of him: "The stock price of the Star Ferry has fallen by 13% in a day, and if it continues like this, the loss will be huge, can the police force help solve it?" ”

Patton wore a suit, picked up his coffee cup, and muttered: "The police force cannot intervene in the market economy, I am afraid there is no reason to come forward." ”

Yi Migao quietly pushed a cheque in front of him and said loudly: "The rickshaws have gathered in many places such as North Point Pier, Kowloon City To, Tsim Sha Tsui East, and Yau Ma Tei, and the number of people has exceeded 50, which is an organized social activity. ”

"But they did not apply to the police force for the assembly, and it was an illegal assembly."

"The police can use the prohibition of illegal assemblies as a justification to disperse rickshaws on the streets."

Patton's eyes fell on the amount of the check, his eyes suddenly became sharp, and he could see that there were five zeros at a glance, and while putting down the coffee, he put the check away and folded it, put it in the inner pocket of his chest, and said, "What Mr. Yi said makes sense." ”

"Too many rickshaw gatherings do affect social security, and most of the rickshaw drivers have community backgrounds, so it is absolutely not allowed to organize social activities without reporting them to the police force."

Yi Migao sighed with relief when he saw this: "Sir Barton, please leave the matter to you." ”

"It's just for the sake of social order." In addition to his position as Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Patton is also the chairman of the Police Fund, and has just approved an investment plan to the Star Ferry, which is actually a director of the Star Ferry.

Although it is the police fund and not Patton personally who holds the shares, Patton is responsible for the investment, and the two are related in terms of interests. This is why Emiko was able to easily contact Barton and ask the police to intervene.

And the second Barton accepted the money, Yi Migao was suddenly stunned, Barton saw the other party looking at him, didn't say a word, and said suspiciously: "Yi sir, is there any more problem?" ”

"Nope."

"It's gone." He replied with his mouth open.

"That's good."

"I'll go back and make arrangements." Patton acted crisply, with a military demeanor, and immediately got up and left.

Yi Migao looked at his figure, but he already figured out who was having a holiday! If it weren't for the problem between the police forces, then Ho Ting-yin could have approved the gathering activities of the rickshaw company, leaving Barton with no reason to do it.

And now is Barton's behavior in the wrong way?

He wasn't in the mood to care.

I just hope that Barton has the ability to settle this matter, as for what will happen to Barton after that? Unimportant! Surviving the crisis of the rickshaw association is a victory, and the police force will fight as much as they want, as long as they don't involve the Star Ferry Company anymore.

This time, Yi Migao's behavior is not even a gamble, it is nothing more than a fight between the gods, mortals suffer, completely innocent are affected, and the ending can only be resigned to fate.

Next.

Early morning.

As the sky dawned, the first ferry approached at sea and slowly anchored at North Point Pier.

Pier entrance.

The coachmen pulled the car to the gate of the dock as usual, gathered together to wait for the passengers, and the first coachman saw the guests coming out one after another, and immediately shouted to the customers: "Boss, is the boss in the car?" ”

"5 cents on the whole Hong Kong."

"A lot of cars, no need to wait."

A guest came to the door, beckoned the coachman, and asked with a smile, "Master, is it still 5 cents?" ”

"Yes!"

"Ferries don't go down, drivers don't go up." With a flattering smile and shriveled skin, the swarthy master bent down and put down the car, and invited the guests to get on the bus while talking. The guest nodded with great satisfaction, stepped into the car, and said briskly: "Admiralty." ”

"Good Ratcha."

"Boss."

The master hung up the sweat towel, pulled up the wheel and started running. The guest sat in the car and added a rare sentence: "It's hard work." ”

At this time, more than 60 of the more than 60 guests on the first ferry had already called for rickshaws to go to the destination, and then the second batch of rickshaws was added, and there was never a shortage of rickshaws at North Point Pier. However, even the coachman noticed that there were more customers at the North Point Pier, and a young boy who had just arrived on Hong Kong Island and spoke Teochew dialect counted with a shrewd look: "There are 68 people in total, and there are more than 20 more passengers on the first ferry than yesterday." ”

"And there are fewer people who catch the early boat, and this ratio is even more during the peak period of seven or eight o'clock, and more and more people are taking the boat of the Yau Ma Tei ferry."

The middle-aged coachman glanced at him: "Hou Shengzai, his eyesight is good, yesterday the guests couldn't catch a car in Wan Chai, so they would naturally take a boat to North Point to go ashore, rickshaw and taxi, the fool knows which one is cheaper." ”

"It's much more comfortable to drive a car than to pull a rickshaw."

Hou Shengzi sighed: "We are using our feet to help the Yau Ma Tei ferry rob the guests."

The middle-aged driver kicked him: "Do you have the money to get a driver's license?" Do you have a car and a license plate when you get a driver's license? People haven't learned to do it, so they want to be the person who ties the car, and pull the car well! ”

"We don't help Yau Ma Tei Ferry grab customers, and make up for us to pay for the car? Everything in the world is about mutual benefit, understand? ”

The old coachman thinks that he sees through the world and educates the offspring, but he can't see that the Yau Ma Tei ferry is just a façade. However, the post-shengzi was very clever, looked left and right, and asked aloud: "Uncle, where is my Uncle Kuang?" ”

"Brother Kuang?"

The old coachman looked around and said loudly: "Yesterday, after the union paid the salary, several workers from the club came out and called a group of brothers to eat, and Uncle Ling Kuang also went. Maybe I've drunk too much, so I'll have to come to work later. ”

"Stinky boy, don't look around, someone was caught peeking at the female dependent, gouged out your eyes first, and went up to solicit customers!" When he saw Hou Shengzi's eyes, he unconsciously glanced at a woman wearing a flower skirt and a ponytail on the legs, and gave Hou Shengzi a heavy kick.

Hou Shengzi stumbled in front of the woman, didn't dare to raise his head, and bent down with low self-esteem: "Miss, do you want to take the car?" ”

"Okay."

The woman didn't mind.

The old coachman looked at him with a snickering look on his face, and knew in his heart what the young man was dreaming about, but it didn't matter, the one who pulled the car was the one who pulled the car, and it was impossible to have any stories with the guests, it was nothing more than a little hard work on this trip.

Ten minutes later.

The old coachman also brought his first guest today, but it was a big fat man weighing almost two hundred pounds

With the arrival of the second and third flights, the drivers of the North Point Pier became very busy. The passenger flow of the Yau Ma Tei ferry is indeed high, making Mukken Pier bustling like a market, on the contrary, Wan Chai Ferry is deserted, with a large number of customers, and there are only twenty or thirty passengers on each ferry, much to the disappointment of taxi drivers who have already left the car to wait for passengers. In fact, smart taxis have been changed to North Point to wait, rather than hoping for the Star Ferry's injustice, it is better to hope that there are not enough drivers at North Point Pier, or some people travel together and want to take a taxi, and the guests may be more profitable to undertake this part of the benefits.

But just as the North Point Pier was getting busier and busier, a British inspector led two teams of police officers to the side of the road where the drivers gathered, took out his ID and admonished: "According to the Police Ordinance, social gatherings of more than 50 people need to be submitted for approval. ”

"The police department has not received your approval application, give you five minutes to evacuate, otherwise, we will carry out a mandatory evacuation."

A driver put down the car, stepped forward to the ghost, put his documents on the ground, and said unhappily: "We have a rickshaw license, and we have always pulled the car, who has to apply?" ”

"You."

When the British inspector saw the coachman's insulting behavior, his eyes showed anger, and he very decisively drew his baton, pointed at the document on the ground and shouted: "Pick it up!" ”

The coachman raised his neck, looked back fearlessly, and said stiffly: "What if I don't pick it up?" What do you want! ”

More than a dozen rickshaw drivers put down their wheels and unconsciously gathered behind their brothers, looking at the police with hostile eyes. It just so happened that a ferry guest arrived at the pier and saw the scene of a British police officer holding a baton and threatening the coachman, so he stood with the coachman decisively, except for a few people who left in a hurry, most of them gathered around the pier to watch.

The British inspector has always been accustomed to shouting, even if he knows that the police force is now in charge of the Chinese, and he respects the powerful faction among the Chinese, how can he tolerate a rickshaw pulling a manpower to be loud with him? But seeing that there were more and more people gathered around, he still suppressed the anger in his heart, gritted his teeth and said, "Pick it up!" ”

The coachman was about to return the greetings of the whole family of the ghost guy, but his shoulder was suddenly pinched, and when he looked back, he gave up his position and handed over the right to speak to Brother Zhan, the vice chairman of the rickshaw union. At this time, Brother Zhan was wearing a black shirt and a headscarf, bent down on the ground to pick up the police officer's card, blew the dust on it, wiped it with the corner of his clothes, handed it to the British inspector with both hands, and apologized seriously and sincerely: "I'm sorry, sir, my brothers are not sensible, but there are so many guests waiting, can you let us finish this trip?" ”

The British inspector looked at Brother Zhan with a look full of disdain and disgust, and then forcefully withdrew the document from his hand, and gave an indifferent answer: "Now, immediately, get out of me!" ”

A group of coachmen standing behind Brother Zhan immediately couldn't stand it anymore and shouted one after another: "Dead ghosts, why? We have license plates, business is good here, can't we come here more to solicit customers? Who stipulates that there can only be a dozen rickshaws in a place? ”

Brother Zhan was still humble, bowed and said: "Ah sir, we are just eating together, and it is only 5 cents to step on two legs in Hong Kong, and it is not enough for you to eat a meal in a month, it is really not worth being angry with us."

Just as the British inspector was about to have a seizure, a Chinese guest could no longer bear it, and walked out of the side of the road very boldly, shouting: "Is there a car?" ”

"I want to take a car."

"Yes!"

"Yes!" Brother Zhan hurriedly agreed, turned around and beckoned, and immediately a rickshaw ran over. The rest of the guests shouted: "I'm also in a car, come to a car, move quickly, I'm in a hurry"

"Yes, yes, yes." The drivers ran away to solicit customers.

(End of chapter)