Chapter 278: Continued Relief and the Changxing Charity Foundation
In an open lot near the squatter settlements in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong:
"Everyone line up! Quick! If you don't queue properly, no one's getting any water!" A young man shouted through a loudspeaker.
Around a delivery truck, hundreds of people stopped pushing and began queuing up in order under the direction of security guards. Each person carried a plastic bucket, most around 3 to 5 liters in size.
"Liming, that megaphone Dong-ge sent us really works wonders," said Lin Haoyu as he walked over, smiling.
Zhao Liming, perched on the edge of the truck's canopy, climbed down and laughed. "Of course. Dong-ge always thinks ahead. He had the Carrefour staff send us dozens of these megaphones.
It's amazing — just speak into it and your voice carries. We don't have to shout ourselves hoarse anymore."
"Sure makes our job easier. And they're imported too," Lin Haoyu remarked with admiration. "Dong-ge's business is getting bigger and bigger. Just a few years ago, we were still scrounging for food, and now he's practically Hong Kong's wealthiest Chinese tycoon."
"Yeah." Zhao Liming sat down on an empty water bucket and added, "But that's not what's important. What matters is that even after making it big, Dong-ge hasn't forgotten the people from the squatter settlements. He still prioritizes us when it comes to job opportunities.
And now that the drought's getting worse, he's organized dozens of trucks just to deliver water to these neighborhoods."
Lin Haoyu nodded. "Liming, if not for Dong-ge, the two of us would probably still be living in shanties — and today we'd be worrying about where to get water."
"Just thinking about it is painful." Zhao Liming looked at the long line of people waiting and said with emotion, "I've almost forgotten what it was like living in those squats, but Dong-ge hasn't."
Then Lin Haoyu asked, "Have you given any thought to that thing Dong-ge mentioned?"
"You mean overseeing his future charity work?" Zhao Liming asked.
"Yeah," Lin Haoyu said. "I'm thinking of saying yes. It's more meaningful than us spending our days with glue traps. Dong-ge wants us to help manage this because he trusts us."
Back in 1959, when Yang Wendong's enterprises began to scale, Zhao and Lin gradually fell behind the rapidly evolving business. Yang had foreseen this and made arrangements early on — one was tasked with pest control and real estate site inspections, while the other handled the production of simple goods like glue traps.
These were low-requirement jobs, and they had performed them well. But compared to Yang's growing empire, the gap had only widened over time. Still, that was inevitable.
Zhao Liming agreed. "Yeah, it's definitely more meaningful. I don't really care about glue traps anymore."
Lin Haoyu chuckled. "Same here. Dong-ge's always looked out for us. Now he wants us to supervise his charitable work — probably because we're from the squatter settlements and know what it's like. Any outside foundation staff wouldn't understand these people's needs."
"I know," Zhao nodded. "Dong-ge also said he's going to set up a formal charity foundation — a big one. He genuinely wants to do something good.
This water distribution is just the first step. I've heard he has bigger plans in the works."
"That's amazing," Lin Haoyu said, eyes lighting up. "Giving water to so many people — Dong-ge's practically a living Bodhisattva."
"Hah, I wouldn't go that far," Zhao Liming laughed. "I only believe in what we can do with our own hands. If those deities existed, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place — months without rain."
"Shhh, keep your voice down," Lin Haoyu quickly hushed him. "Some people around here are serious believers. Don't provoke them."
"Alright, alright." Zhao nodded. Even Yang Wendong had to tread carefully around such things.
As they chatted, they kept an eye on the water station beside the truck. They didn't need to do the grunt work themselves — several young men from the squatter settlements had been hired and paid a modest wage to help out.
This approach maximized support for the community.
About twenty minutes later, a commotion broke out at one of the distribution points.
Zhao Liming and Lin Haoyu rushed over to see what was going on. A group of young men had surrounded an elderly man. "What's happening?" they asked.
"Mr. Zhao," said one of the security guards, "this man violated the rules. He's trying to fill a large barrel."
Zhao looked over at the old man, who didn't seem like a troublemaker. He walked over and said kindly, "Sir, the water supply is limited. Each person is only allowed one small bucket — otherwise, there won't be enough for everyone. We all have to follow the rules."
With tens of thousands of people facing water shortages, even with Yang's considerable resources, supply was still limited.
Following Yang's orders, Changxing Industrial had mobilized dozens of trucks the very next day. Many were their own, and they planned to rent more from other places as needed.
These trucks weren't specialized water tankers, so they had to be loaded with large water containers and manually distributed upon arrival.
Because of the overwhelming demand — and the potential for line cutters or opportunists — strict rationing was enforced: 3 liters per person.
This ensured that only those truly in need would endure the sun and long queues for water.
The old man replied timidly, "I have a big family. One of my children is sick. That's why I was hoping to bring back a bit more water."
"Is that so?" Zhao looked conflicted.
The guard added, "His situation might be genuine, but we have no way of verifying. If everyone says the same thing, our supply won't last."
"I swear it's true!" the old man said, raising his right hand. "If I'm lying, may I never rest in peace!"
Lin Haoyu stepped in. "Here's what we'll do. Assign someone to follow him home and verify. If what he says is true, give him extra water."
The guard hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. I'll send someone over with him — and bring along 10 liters just in case."
"Thanks. Appreciate it," Lin said.
And just like that, the small incident was resolved.
Once the queue resumed normal order, Zhao said, "Haoyu, this isn't sustainable. We can't follow everyone home to verify. We don't have the manpower for that."
Even though the helpers were all from the settlements and paid a modest wage, they still couldn't keep up with the sheer number of people in need. It was impossible to check every claim.
"I know," Lin said. "But it's early days. While we still have some flexibility, let's do what we can. Didn't Dong-ge say it himself? Charity means making hard choices — because resources will never be enough."
That was the essence of true charity — not grand gestures, but the ability to make compassionate decisions in the face of limitations. Yang Wendong had known that from the start, and now Zhao and Lin understood it too.
Zhao Liming nodded. "Should we ask Dong-ge about it later? See what he thinks about handling situations like this?"
"Sure, I'd like to know too," Lin Haoyu agreed. "It'll help us make better decisions moving forward."
Even the closest subordinates couldn't go running to their boss for guidance on every little matter — that would make any leader lose their mind from exhaustion. What they needed was a sense of Yang Wendong's judgment in situations like these, so they could draw from that knowledge and handle similar issues in the future on their own.
That afternoon, the two made their way to Changxing Tower.
Yang Wendong greeted them with a smile and handed each a bottle of Watsons' ginger soda. "It may not taste great, but it's refreshing and good for the heat."
"I tried it after you bought Watsons," Lin Haoyu said. "It's definitely not as tasty as Coca-Cola."
"That's the nature of niche products. Watsons was operating with a differentiation strategy — small market, but enough to stay afloat," Yang replied. "So, how did the water distribution go today at the squatter settlements?"
Lin answered, "There were a lot of people. We only did limited promotion beforehand, but just at my truck alone, there were hundreds. With dozens of trucks on the road, I'd estimate at least ten thousand people came out for water today."
This operation had been initiated personally by Yang, so of course multiple departments at Changxing Group were involved. When they were preparing plastic buckets and deploying trucks, some teams also went into the squatter settlements to spread the word.
"That's to be expected," Yang nodded. "Those places didn't have stable water even before this drought. I've also arranged to rent more trucks and have one of our plastic factories produce large water containers. Give it two weeks, and we'll be much better equipped."
While Changxing Group certainly owned more than a few dozen trucks, Yang couldn't divert too many from core operations — after all, the squatter areas were in a state of discomfort, not life-threatening danger. The situation didn't call for emergency-level responses.
The company's normal operations generated significant profits, and even allocating just 10% of those profits to charity could benefit a far larger population.
"That's good to hear," Lin said sincerely. He genuinely wanted to help the poor. Then he added, "Dong-ge, something happened today…"
After Lin explained the situation, Zhao chimed in, "Dong-ge, Haoyu and I have different views on this. We're doing charity work to help the community as a whole. If individuals can claim hardship and get special treatment, that's not fair to others.
I'm not saying people don't have special needs. But the problem is, we don't have the manpower to verify every single case — and it's a huge waste of time and resources."
"There's no right answer to this kind of thing," Yang said with a sigh. "Even I don't have a perfect solution. Charity is never perfect. All we can do is help as many as possible. For those we can't help, we shouldn't feel guilty — just stay true to our conscience, because there simply isn't enough to go around."
Even in his past life, massive poverty-alleviation campaigns at the national level in mainland China couldn't guarantee that every citizen received aid.
The only true solution was a booming economy and technological advancement that lifted everyone. Even then, there would still be marginalized groups left behind by progress.
Zhao looked uncertain. "So you mean… we should handle it however we think is best?"
"Yes," Yang said with a nod. "As long as the core principle is sound, you're free to make your own judgment. There's no absolute right or wrong in cases like this."
An elderly man claiming his child is sick and needs extra water — whether to believe him or not, whether to verify or not — these aren't black-and-white issues. They're deeply philosophical questions.
Lin nodded. "Got it, Dong-ge."
Yang then asked, "So, what's your decision on what I proposed earlier?"
"We're both willing to join the Changxing Charity Foundation," Zhao replied with a smile.
Yang nodded. "Good. The Changxing Charity Foundation will officially launch soon. Once it's established, you'll be members of the board of directors.
You'll have real responsibilities — including overseeing fund allocation and aid distribution."
"Understood," Lin said.
Yang continued, "Our first major project is to help thousands of Hongkongers cope with the extreme water shortage — especially the poor and disabled.
Our priority is preserving life and health, with a focus on Kowloon and the New Territories. We won't bother with the Island."
While water shortages affected all of Hong Kong, people on the Island were well-off enough not to be in mortal danger. They might suffer inconvenience, but it wasn't life or death.
With limited resources, you had to help those in direst need first. A single ton of water could supply a poor family for a year, while wealthier households might blow through it in two weeks — for baths and laundry.
"Understood," both men replied. After so many years with Yang, they knew his principles well.
After a moment, Yang added, "Still, the real solution lies with the government. I'll be seeing the Governor tomorrow to discuss potential cooperation. This issue will be part of that conversation."
"Even better," Lin said with a smile.
No matter how hard they worked, they could only help a small portion of the population. Only the government had the power to enact widespread, effective solutions.
May 22
Yang Wendong arrived at Government House.
"Good afternoon, Governor," Yang said politely as he met Governor Blackie.
"Mr. Yang, long time no see," Blackie replied with a laugh. "I heard you got married again — I must say, I'm a little envious."
"Haha, well, I suppose we have Hong Kong's current legal system to thank for that," Yang joked.
The British, knowing they couldn't fully control all the territories they governed, adopted a pragmatic approach early on: win over local elites and respect local laws.
Thus, the legal framework from the Qing Dynasty remained largely intact. Even after the dynasty fell, many of its statutes remained unchanged — a convenience for both Chinese citizens and foreign settlers alike.
It also became something of a draw for many British expatriates — almost like a hidden perk.
"Haha," Blackie chuckled, brushing off the topic. "But I assume this visit has more to do with the museum, yes?"
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