Chapter 387: The Great Reunion Lunar New Year of 1964
February 12, 1964 — Lunar New Year's Eve
Changxing Group had already been on holiday for several days. Only critical positions such as supermarket staff, factory shift workers, radio and newspaper personnel, and those in shipping remained on duty. These professions were not only unable to rest like others during the New Year but often found themselves busier than ever.
However, the Group provided generous compensation policies for these roles—higher wages, red envelopes, and compensatory leave later in the year.
This was exactly why, by now, Changxing Group had become the most coveted employer among Hong Kong's Chinese population. Whether it was welfare, benefits, or salaries, they were in no way inferior to the large foreign trading firms. On top of that, this was Chinese-owned capital. Chinese employees had real chances to climb the ladder—unlike in foreign companies, where middle management was often the ceiling for locals.
At the Yang Family Villa
Early in the morning, Yang Wendong sat by the artificial hill in his backyard, enjoying his breakfast. For him, although he could afford to take breaks regularly, only during the New Year did he truly disconnect from business and enjoy life leisurely.
"Meow~" An orange tabby and a gray-and-white domestic cat padded over, rubbing against Yang Wendong's shoes affectionately.
"Come on, here's something for you." Yang Wendong nudged them with his foot while tossing over some egg yolk—something he didn't care much for and avoided due to its high cholesterol.
He prioritized health, so he rarely ate egg yolks, preferring egg whites instead. Although it wasn't expensive, wasting food wasn't something he liked. A while ago, he'd come across these two kittens near his home and decided to bring them back.
Of course, the Yang household also had dogs, primarily for security. A well-trained dog's nose was better than any security camera in this era.
And with Yang Wendong's wealth, these pets lived better lives than most police K9s.
"Daddy~" A voice rang out as little Yang Zhiwen came running over, just past a meter tall. The cats were so startled they bolted immediately.
"Zhiwen," Yang Wendong chuckled. "Did you bully the cats again? They run the moment they see you."
The saying "three-year-olds are hated by cats and dogs" couldn't be more true—especially with cats, who were usually affectionate toward the elderly and small children but had zero tolerance for toddlers in the middle. If bullied, they rarely fought back, which made them vulnerable.
Of course, the Yang family didn't take chances. The cats had their claws trimmed, and professional nannies were assigned to supervise childcare.
"Nooo," Zhiwen replied, unfazed as he climbed up to the table and started eating.
Yang Wendong laughed and let it go.
Soon, the whole family gathered for breakfast. It was lively as ever—especially with two sets of twins now part of the family.
"Any plans today?" Su Yiyi asked after the meal.
"Not really," Yang Wendong shook his head. "No formal events today. Why? Do you have something in mind?"
"It's nothing major," Su Yiyi replied with a smile. "I just think that even though it's New Year's Eve, we shouldn't all just stay cooped up at home. I was thinking maybe we could all take a trip to Central—visit the new flagship store of Yiyan's Home that I opened on Queen's Road."
"Sure, I'd like to see how far you've come," Yang Wendong said with a smile.
Changxing Group hadn't ventured into textiles or fashion. Not because they couldn't, but because Yang Wendong didn't have much of an edge in that market as a time traveler. Still, it was a massive industry. One day, when he had enough capital, he might launch his own fashion chain—something akin to ZARA or Uniqlo.
Su Yiyi had started her own chain of clothing stores more than two years ago, using Group resources and some of Yang Wendong's guidance.
"I'd love to visit Central too," Bai Yushan added.
Of course, Bai Yujie agreed as well.
And so, the family set off immediately. Their convoy of bulletproof Mercedes-Benz vehicles was soon on its way—but traffic in Central was heavy.
"There are so many cars in Hong Kong," Su Yiyi said from the back seat, gazing out the window.
Yang Wendong smiled. "The economy's booming. More people can afford cars. But the roads in Central were built years ago. No surprise they're congested."
This was a common issue in any growing city. During the early years, infrastructure budgets were tight, so roads were narrow. Later, when cities prospered and land values skyrocketed, it became nearly impossible to tear down buildings to widen the streets.
That's why most cities had shiny, modern new districts and crumbling old downtowns—some even lagging behind newly built towns.
"Exactly. And this isn't even a workday. Even the minibuses are stuck. Commuters must be miserable," Su Yiyi said.
"If Hong Kong follows the same path as the West, it's time to start building a subway," Yang Wendong noted.
"A subway?" Su Yiyi nodded. "I took it in Europe before—very convenient."
"Hong Kong will have one soon," Yang Wendong said with a grin.
The rise of the MTR would also be a real estate gold rush.
There was nothing even the richest people could do about traffic jams—they had to wait like everyone else. In his past life, rich folks dealt with this using helicopters, but that wasn't viable yet. Helicopter tech still wasn't mature enough.
Half an hour later, they finally reached Queen's Road. Parking was available—mostly because the parking fees were so steep. After pulling into the underground lot and heading up, they were greeted by an overwhelming crowd.
"So many people," Bai Yushan said with a laugh. She pointed in a direction and asked, "Brother Dong, is that the building you constructed—Huajin Tower?"
"Yes, that's the one," Yang Wendong replied with a smile.
Early last year, the Hong Kong government, in a bid to raise funds for water imports, auctioned off a plot on Queen's Road. Yang Wendong secured it and began construction—this was now Huajin Tower.
Su Yiyi asked, "That building looks tall. Almost topped out?"
"Right. The original plan was for 28 floors—two more than Changxing Tower. But the land area here is smaller, so the total floor area will be less than Changxing," Yang Wendong explained. "We've completed 22 floors so far. Six more to go. Then we install water and electricity. It should be finished around midyear."
"Only a little over a year? That's faster than the Four Seasons Hotel," Bai Yujie commented.
Yang Wendong chuckled. "Of course. Office buildings are much simpler—no luxury interiors, no special amenities. As long as the frame is up and utilities are working, it's good to go."
That's why many investors hesitated to build hotels when short on capital. Too complex. And post-construction, hotel management was demanding and operationally intensive. Office buildings were far less trouble.
So unless an investor had a particular passion or expertise for hospitality, few capital groups wanted to touch it. In his past life, most of Hong Kong's big capitalists did own hotels—but always as a side business.
"I see," Bai Yujie nodded.
"Let's go. It's just 500 meters east," Su Yiyi pointed, and the whole group began walking.
As they strolled along the street, the group chatted casually, occasionally stopping to buy local snacks. The atmosphere was light and relaxed. Around them, bodyguards mingled discreetly with the crowd, posing as ordinary pedestrians following their employers.
Yang Wendong felt perfectly at ease even while carrying his child. This was Queen's Road Central, after all. Despite Hong Kong's reputation for triad activity in the 1960s, no gang dared cause trouble in such a high-profile commercial zone. Of course, unpredictable street thugs were always a wildcard, so security remained essential.
Soon, the group arrived in front of a large storefront with four bold characters above the entrance: Yiyan's Home.
The area bustled with heavy foot traffic, and many curious passersby were drawn inside.
"This is the perfect spot," Bai Yujie commented.
"Of course it is," Su Yiyi said with a smile. "This shop is part of Changxing Real Estate. Otherwise, even with money, we wouldn't have been able to lease it."
"But won't selling clothes here lead to losses?" Bai Yujie asked again.
"It probably will," Su Yiyi replied. "But Brother Dong told me, no retail chain can expect every store to be profitable. As long as the overall brand is profitable, it's fine. Even loss-making or break-even stores still need to be maintained—especially flagship stores. They're a symbol of the brand. That's why I chose Queen's Road."
Yang Wendong added, "Exactly. This location acts like an advertisement. Even if customers don't buy anything here, they'll recognize the brand. So next time they see a branch elsewhere, they'll be more likely to walk in."
"Yujie, you should learn from this," Bai Yushan said with a laugh. "There's a lot of strategy involved."
"Alright." Bai Yujie nodded earnestly.
Once inside the store, they placed the children in a designated kids' play area—specifically designed for parents shopping with children. Real estate in Central was notoriously expensive, but this feature was a necessity.
Children always demanded attention, rarely had patience, and often threw tantrums when bored. But with a space to play, they'd stay quiet, letting adults shop in peace—and spend more freely.
The group began browsing the store. Bai Yujie, checking the price tags, looked surprised. "Yiyi, these clothes are really cheap! Prices are about the same as in small-town shops."
"That's the point," Su Yiyi said with a grin. "Yiyan's Home follows a low-margin, high-volume model. Look over there—our storage room is packed. Once items are sold, they're restocked immediately.
Even though this store's stockroom is small, we have a larger warehouse nearby in Central for fast restocking. We make very little per item, but we sell so many that we match or exceed stores that sell clothes for thousands but move much fewer units."
"True," Bai Yujie said, glancing over to the checkout line. "Look at the register—it's packed."
Yang Wendong walked over. "That's called 'small profit, large volume.' In rural areas, Yiyan's Home is even cheaper, and it sells even more."
The strategy mimicked that of Uniqlo from his previous life—few SKUs, huge volume, streamlined operations, and rock-bottom prices.
In fact, many of the world's most successful businesses followed this model—Walmart, Uniqlo, Coca-Cola. While some high-end brands did make money, they were the minority.
Take the auto industry, for example. Luxury cars relied on mass-market brands for profitability. Without mainstream brands supporting them, luxury divisions would've collapsed long ago. Even among luxury automakers, only the German trio (BMW, Benz, Audi) made steady profits. Meanwhile, Toyota and Volkswagen's mid-range brands generated far more revenue.
Su Yiyi added with a laugh, "Still, this store is running at a loss. If the property weren't ours, it would've been unsustainable."
"That's also an advantage," Yang Wendong said. "Business is about leveraging every advantage. If we own the building, we should definitely make full use of it."
Business competition is never fair—it's about winning, by any legal means necessary.
"Mhm." Su Yiyi nodded. "Yujie, see if there's anything you like. Pick out a few pieces."
"I can't! I need to pay," Bai Yujie said with a giggle.
After over an hour of shopping, even Yang Wendong started feeling impatient. Women were just too good at shopping.
For example, when Yang Wendong bought clothes, he'd pick one he liked, maybe try it on, and purchase it—done in under 10 minutes. At most, he'd try two or three options.
Women, on the other hand, would try everything—and when shopping together, they'd also comment on each other's outfits.
Feeling bored, Yang Wendong wandered over to the kids' section to play with his children. Deep down, boys never really stopped being boys.
Around noon, the group found a nearby restaurant for lunch before returning home.
Later that afternoon, just like in previous years, Yang Wendong spent time writing traditional Spring Festival couplets. As he wrote, assistants helped put them up around the house.
"Brother Dong, your calligraphy is really improving," Su Yiyi said with a smile as she walked over.
"Of course," Yang Wendong said calmly.
By now, his brush calligraphy had indeed improved, largely thanks to the professional tutor he'd hired for the past year.
When the couplets were finished, Yang Wendong smiled. "Alright, let's get ready for dinner."
A long-standing Yang family tradition was that dinner on Lunar New Year's Eve would be cooked by family members themselves—at least in spirit. While dishes were prepped by the kitchen staff, the actual cooking (or at least plating and presentation) was done by the family.
"You're making tomato fish again this year?" Su Yiyi asked with a grin.
"Nope. I've got something new planned. I guarantee you'll love it," Yang Wendong said.
"Ooh, mysterious," she teased.
"You'll find out soon enough," he said with a smile. "What about you? Making meatballs again?"
"Of course. Everyone loves them!" Su Yiyi replied.
"Haha, true~"
By dusk, everyone's dishes were brought to the table.
Su Yiyi noticed what Yang Wendong had brought out and asked, "Is that… sauerkraut fish?"
"Yep. I had the factory send over the sauerkraut from the instant noodle line," Yang Wendong said with a grin.
At that time, sauerkraut fish wasn't a common dish—at least not in Hong Kong. He hadn't originally planned on making it, but once the instant noodles were developed, the ingredient was available, so why not?
"It smells amazing. I need to try this," Bai Yujie said.
"Here, give it a taste," Yang Wendong said. "It's boneless—like the tomato fish I made before. But since the fish is processed manually, be careful just in case."
Without industrial processing, boning fish was still done by hand. And since few chefs in Hong Kong had experience with this dish, mistakes were possible.
"Mmm~"
Everyone took a bite.
"This is delicious! The pickled cabbage is even tastier than the fish!"
"Yeah, and the vermicelli too—perfect texture!"
Seeing everyone enjoying themselves, Yang Wendong raised his glass of milk and smiled. "Come on—cheers, everyone. Happy New Year!"
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