Chapter 11: Ancestral Tablets
One thing must be confirmed, Indian police are competitors of Chinese police, but not enemies, so some methods are not suitable for use on Indian police. After all, if Rock wants to make a name for himself under the British, he cannot do without the cooperation of Indian police. Otherwise, there are only more than 30 Chinese in Cape Town. Even if they are all Rock's subordinates, how much can Rock accomplish?
"Why? Why is this happening?" Dirang had too many questions. Why did the gold coin suddenly disappear when he saw it being placed under the bowl by Luo Yi? Why did Rock return the money Dirang had lost? Why were these Chinese policemen who used to look so annoying so cute now?
It was really cute. When Rock returned the money to Dirang, in Dirang's eyes, Rock was cuter than an angel. These were British pounds, which had fallen into the hands of the Chinese, who were known for their stinginess, and were returned by Rock so easily. Dirang's heart was instantly filled with the happiness of regaining what he had lost.
"Let's go, Luo Yi, we have to get to work." Rock patted Dirang's shoulder and greeted Luo Yi, who looked lost, as if he had lost his parents.
Although Luo Yi, who came from a commoner background, could understand why Rock returned the money to Dirang, he was still unhappy. This was Luo Yi's first business deal. If Rock did not return the money, Luo Yi could at least get one shilling, which was very important for Luo Yi who only earned 24 shillings a month.
Fortunately, Luo Yi quickly got over his disappointment. Although the first business deal failed, it made Luo Yi see the great prospects of this scam. In the past, Luo Yi only dared to gamble with Chinese policemen, who did not have much salary. If they were caught cheating, they would be beaten. Now, with the support of Rock and the protection of so many companions, Luo Yi can cheat those foreigners' money openly. Thinking of those generous ocean-going sailors, Luo Yi felt like a fire was burning in his heart.
For a port city, the dock is always the most lively place. When night falls, the lights in the whole city dim, and only the dock is unusually noisy. The shops here are open 24 hours a day. Not only sailors come here to have fun, but also businessmen and residents of Cape Town. Rock and his men are very familiar with everything about the dock. After all, the dock is the main working area for patrolmen like Rock.
According to the prior arrangement, Luo Yi and Li De found a corner and started to set up the trap. Rock and Anton found an open-air bar nearby to observe. There were six uniformed policemen in the bar. They looked like they had just come to have a drink after get off work. In fact, they were all waiting for the signal from Rock and Anton. As long as Rock and Anton found someone making trouble, the police would show up immediately.
There were not many entertainment facilities in the city in 1899. Bars and red-light districts were always the most lively places in the city. The docks were full of idle people who were arm in arm and looking for fun. Luo Yi and Li De were soon surrounded by the crowd.
"Once you've made up your mind, you must accept the consequences of the bet..." Rock and Anton were not far away from Luo Yi and could clearly hear his loud voice. It only took Luo Yi one minute to learn these two English sentences. If Luo Yi can maintain this enthusiasm, it won't be long before his English level will improve by leaps and bounds.
"I always feel that this will bring us trouble." Anton is a bit cautious. Even after the gambling has been set up, Anton is still chattering.
"There will always be troubles. All we have to do is accumulate more capital so that we have more room to deal with it when troubles come ." Rock will not look back. Hesitation will only lead to missed opportunities and will not bring any gains.
"Yes, we need to accumulate capital. We signed a five-year contract, and my wife and children are waiting for me to go home and buy a house and land." Anton has already started a family and has his own concerns, so of course he is not as free and easy as Rock.
"If possible, try to bring your wife and children to Cape Town. You know that my Qing Dynasty will be destroyed sooner or later. Our Qing Dynasty will be engulfed in war. Even if you buy a house and land, you may not be able to keep it. What's more, how much is an acre of land in our hometown? How much is an acre of land in the Cape? If you have the money to buy a house and land in your hometown, you can buy a farm in Cape. The British don't collect much tax, and the grain you produce is yours. Why do you have to go back?" Rock would definitely not return to the Qing Dynasty. The next few decades would be hell for the Chinese. Rock didn't want to go through all that. It would be great to stay in Cape Town and live a comfortable life. If the sky falls, the British will support it.
"Stay in Cape Town? No, no, the ancestral tablets are all in our hometown, and we can't let our ancestors be cut off from the incense." Anton's ideas are a bit conservative. What seems to be a good thing to Rock doesn't work for Anton.
"How is it possible that the incense has been cut off? Don't you have any brothers or sisters in your hometown? Is it okay to hire someone to burn incense and visit the graves during festivals and holidays? If you spend three or five taels of silver a year, there are plenty of people willing to be filial sons and grandsons." Rock didn't care about this issue. Chinese people burn paper money and place offerings when they worship their ancestors, while foreigners can only bring a bouquet of flowers when they visit the graves. It seems that the ancestors of foreigners were really poor.
"How can this be possible? One must be sincere when worshipping ancestors. If you hire someone to go to the grave, do you know whether he has done it?" Anton's worry was justified. There were no video phones or anything like that these days, so hiring someone was indeed unreliable.
"If you are really worried, just bring the ancestral tablets over. We are afraid that if our ancestors knew that we, their unworthy descendants, work for foreigners, they would not even let us offer incense." Rock's words made Anton shut up. Yes, in fact, they were all being pretentious. There were thousands of people in the Huayong Battalion, and each of them had a story behind them. If they had any other options, no one would be willing to be a traitor. It has come to this point, and they are still being pretentious and refusing to face the reality. They deserve to go back to the Qing Dynasty and be cannon fodder.
Rock didn't expect to convince Anton to immigrate with just a few words. He had to make his own decision. Rock had plenty of ways to influence Anton. In a few days, Rock would go to the Immigration Bureau to become a naturalized citizen. Then Rock would be eligible to buy houses and land in Cape. Not to mention more, if Rock bought a farm of thousands of acres in Cape, Rock didn't believe that people like Anton would not be tempted.
Are you kidding? If survival cannot be guaranteed, ancestral tablets are no longer that important. What is the best way to show filial piety to ancestors?
It's not about the little paper money burned during the New Year, but about expanding and prospering the family, so that the spirits of the ancestors in heaven can rest in peace. Otherwise, it is meaningless to burn more paper money. One person's filial piety to ancestors is definitely not as good as that of a dozen or dozens of people doing the same together.
