As the car arrived at the Qin family villa, Zhuang Rui saw Old Master Qin with his three sons waiting at the villa entrance. He immediately got out of the car and went to greet him, as he held the old man in high esteem.
The old man looked at Zhuang Rui with a smile and said, "Ah, Xiao Rui, not bad, really not bad. You made a great contribution to the excavation of Genghis Khan's Mausoleum. Hmm, let's go inside..."
"Grandpa, that's all just media nonsense. Please don't take it seriously. It's windy outside, let me help you inside..."
The words Zhuang Rui least wanted to hear right now were definitely Genghis Khan's Mausoleum. He never expected that something that was causing such a stir in mainland China would also reach Hong Kong.
Zhuang Rui helped Old Master Qin up and was about to walk into the house. He felt that he hadn't been a very good son-in-law in the past. Not to mention Old Master Qin, even his father-in-law and mother-in-law rarely came to visit.
"Hey, are you trying to pull me in? Xiao Rui, this little girl came with you too, right? You two come in and sit down, come in and sit down..."
Zhuang Rui was stunned when the old man pushed away his hand. Did the old man have some opinion about him?
"Xuanbing, Dad, Mom, this...this..."
Zhuang Rui turned to look at his mother-in-law, somewhat at a loss. He had come to wish his father a happy birthday, and he didn't want to upset her.
Qin Haoran chuckled, holding his grandson, and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Xiao Rui, this must be your sworn brother, Anda Timur, right? And this pretty little girl too. Come on, let's go inside..."
Zhuang Rui walked up to his father-in-law and asked in a low voice, "Dad, is Grandpa angry with me?"
"angry?"
Qin Haoran was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, "What nonsense! Dad is waiting for your Akhal-Teke horse. He talked about it all night yesterday, and this morning he insisted on waiting at the door, no matter who tried to persuade him..."
Qin Haoran's words made Zhuang Rui suddenly realize the truth, but he also couldn't help but laugh and cry. The old man was like a child, and that was exactly the kind of temperament he had. For the sake of a horse he had never seen before, he didn't even pay attention to his grandson-in-law.
"Alright, Dad, Mom, you two take the guests inside first, I'll keep Grandpa company..."
Hearing that the old man was waiting for Zhui Feng here, Zhuang Rui was really worried. Although Peng Fei was with the two cars, Zhui Feng didn't really give Peng Fei any face. If he kicked the old man and hurt him, then the happy occasion would have to be turned into a funeral.
About ten minutes later, the two container trucks slowly pulled up in front of the villa. Zhuang Rui quickly stepped forward and stood in front of the old man, saying, "Grandpa, I brought a gorilla with me, so please don't be afraid..."
King Kong's appearance was a bit too fierce, and Zhuang Rui was afraid of scaring the old man badly. After all, the old man's heart wasn't as strong as the young man's.
"Xiao Rui, you underestimate me. After living this long, is there anything that can scare me?"
Grandpa Qin smiled and shook his head, but when he saw a huge, dark creature coming out of the three-meter-high container, his eyes widened in surprise.
Not only Grandpa Qin, but also Qin Xuanbing's second and third uncles who were left at the door, were stiff and had blank stares when they saw King Kong. How did the animals in the movie come to life?
Looking at King Kong, which was almost as tall as a one-story building, Old Master Qin swallowed hard and asked, "This...this is a gorilla?"
"Ahem, Grandpa, King Kong is very easy to get along with, and very intelligent..."
Zhuang Rui regretted bringing this big guy along. Although the Qin family villa had a stable, there was no place to put King Kong. Maybe King Kong would have to sleep in the garden tonight.
"Waaaaah... Ouch..."
After being trapped in the container for a while, King Kong looked around after it came out, then ran towards Zhuang Rui. Its huge body seemed to make the ground tremble.
"Ouch..."
Upon reaching them, King Kong, quite naturally, opened his arms, wanting to hug the people standing next to Zhuang Rui. This wasn't something Zhuang Rui taught him; rather, it was something his twin children often instilled in King Kong about the importance of politeness.
Poor Qin Xuanbing's second and third uncles were already so frightened that they were completely at a loss. If they weren't so thick-skinned, they might have even fainted.
"King Kong, behave yourself. Look at your ugly face, stop getting intimate with people everywhere..."
Zhuang Rui quickly grabbed Jin Gang; this guy really did have the ability to scare people half to death.
"Waaah..."
King Kong was very dissatisfied with Zhuang Rui's words. He covered his face with his hands and squatted on the ground, but he was observing everyone through his fingers. His comical appearance made the fear in everyone's hearts dissipate a little.
"Master, the eldest young master wants you to come in. Oh dear, is that a ghost?"
An old servant came out of the villa and was caught off guard when he saw King Kong squatting on the ground. After shouting "Ghost!", he fell backward.
"Aunt Li, Aunt Li, are you alright?"
Qin Xuanbing, who was standing next to Zhuang Rui, hurriedly went to the old maid's side. This maid had served her since she was a child. After seeing Li Ma slowly wake up, Qin Xuanbing couldn't hold on any longer and looked at Zhuang Rui with pleading eyes.
"Hey, Peng Fei, stop bothering yourself, go and take Jin Gang back..."
Zhuang Rui called out to Peng Fei, who was opening another car door. He had underestimated King Kong's destructive power. In this modern city, in the eyes of these people who were far removed from nature, King Kong was undoubtedly a ferocious beast that had escaped from the zoo.
After agreeing to the terms with King Kong over three barbecue feasts, the guy obediently returned to the car. This scene broadened everyone's horizons once again. Judging from this situation alone, everyone would probably think that Zhuang Rui was an animal trainer rather than an archaeologist or antique tycoon.
After seeing King Kong off, Zhuang Rui personally led Zhui Feng out. Compared to King Kong's ferocious appearance, Zhui Feng's appearance was undoubtedly many times better. Its nearly two-meter-tall figure had a very streamlined beauty, and its light golden fur made it look even more majestic.
"What a fine horse, what a fine horse!"
Old Master Qin shook off Qin Xuanbing's second uncle's hand and walked shakily to the horse, his eyes full of affection. The purebred British horse he had raised a few years ago was also purchased from the Netherlands at a high price, but neither its height nor its physique could compare to the Akhal-Teke horse in front of him.
"Luffy..."
Seeing an old man circling around him, Zhuifeng grew impatient, pawing the ground with his front hooves and making warning noises.
"Grandpa, Chasing Wind is a wild horse. I haven't tamed it for very long, and it has quite a temper. Please don't get too close..."
When Zhuang Rui saw the way the old man looked at him as if he had seen a beloved toy, he quickly made it clear beforehand that he was not sure whether to give the horse to the old man or not.
"Alright, alright, I'll be satisfied with just looking at it. I can't ride a horse anymore, so of course it'll follow you young people..."
Grandpa Qin smiled and glanced at Zhuang Rui, making Zhuang Rui's face flush. It turned out that the old man had understood the meaning behind his words.
"Let's go, first take this Akhal-Teke horse to the stable. Don't give it to Xiao Rui, you have to feed it yourself, that way you can get close to the horse, like back in the day..."
When Grandpa Qin saw Zhui Feng, he was in a very good mood and began to talk to Zhuang Rui about horse racing. After leading Zhui Feng to the stable, Grandpa Qin lingered for a while before finally returning to the villa.
The old man had been waiting all morning and was feeling tired, so he went back to his room to rest. Qin Haoran said to Zhuang Rui somewhat apologetically, "Xiao Rui, that's just how Dad is. Besides doing business, all I've ever liked is horse racing. Don't mind it..."
"Dad, no, I like these animals even more than Grandpa does. I understand how Grandpa feels..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand with a smile, then continued, "If this horse weren't so spirited, I would have given it to Grandpa as a birthday present..."
"Hehe, the old man can't ride horses anymore, and he doesn't want to keep horses anymore..."
Qin Haoran's words finally dispelled Zhuang Rui's unease. Of course, what Zhuang Rui said earlier was just polite talk. If he were to give away Zhuifeng, he would rather leave it on the grassland.
"Xiao Rui, let's not talk about that for now. The timing of your trip to Hong Kong to celebrate the old man's birthday is rather inappropriate."
"Not suitable? Why not suitable?"
Zhuang Rui was somewhat confused by what his father-in-law said.
"You're so popular now, won't you steal your dad's thunder?"
Qin Haoran burst into laughter. Zhuang Rui then realized that he was joking with him, and couldn't help but make a face. He said, "Dad, please stop making fun of me. Yesterday when I was buying the newspaper, I was surrounded by people. Does this mean I'll have to wear makeup when I go out from now on?"
"I never expected this..."
Qin Haoran looked at Zhuang Rui, sighed, and said, "I really didn't expect that you would grow to this extent in just a few short years. Xiao Rui, do you know how many people in Hong Kong envy me for having such a good son-in-law..."
As Qin Haoran spoke, his tone was filled with a smile, clearly satisfied with his judgment back then. After all, Zhuang Rui was just a young man with a little money at the time, without the impressive background he has now.
Putting aside everything else, Zhuang Rui's political background in mainland China alone has made many wealthy families with daughters of marriageable age regretful, wondering why their daughters didn't get to know Zhuang Rui back then.
"Dad, I'm embarrassed by your praise. By the way, is there anything I can do to help with Grandpa's birthday celebration?"
Zhuang Rui rarely blushed; usually, it was his mother-in-law praising her son-in-law, but here it was the other way around.
Qin Haoran waved his hand and said, "I don't need your help. Dad just wants to take this opportunity to get together with old friends and discuss the horse racing event..."
Chapter 1207 Hong Kong Jockey Club
"Dad, what does the horse racing club do? Is it in charge of horse racing?"
Ever since Zhuang Rui heard the name of the horse racing club from Fourth Aunt the day before yesterday, he had heard people mention it repeatedly. Even Qin Xuanbing had mentioned it to him several times. Taking this opportunity, Zhuang Rui asked about it.
"Yes, it's true that it's a non-profit club organization that specifically manages horse racing. However, it wields immense influence in Hong Kong. You could say that if something happens in Hong Kong on race day, it's no less than a magnitude 7 earthquake..."
Qin Haoran explained to Zhuang Rui that in Hong Kong, horse racing has become deeply ingrained in the hearts of every Hong Kong citizen, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club is the creator and organizer of this sport.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a charitable organization approved by the Hong Kong government to operate horse racing in Hong Kong. In its early days, horse racing was an amateur activity. Since 1971, horse racing in Hong Kong has become a professional activity. Now, the Hong Kong Jockey Club holds about 700 races each year, which are held at the Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses.
In addition to betting at the racecourse, the Hong Kong Jockey Club also accepts betting off-course, by phone, and at self-service terminals. There are currently more than 100 off-course betting outlets and more than 1 million telephone betting accounts.
Perhaps the following data better illustrates the popularity of horse racing in Hong Kong: During the 2001-2002 racing season, the Hong Kong Jockey Club had 1,144 horse owners, 24 trainers, 35 jockeys, and 1,435 racehorses, with a total investment of HK$71 billion in horse racing that year.
After deducting HK$58 billion in payouts and HK$9.5 billion in betting tax, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's revenue was approximately HK$3.9 billion. The Jockey Club pays 11.7% of Hong Kong's tax revenue; it is no exaggeration to say that the betting tax revenue paid by the Jockey Club largely supports the operation of the Hong Kong government.
After deducting operating expenses, the Hong Kong Jockey Club entrusts all its profits to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charitable Trust for management, which is mainly used for sports, culture and entertainment, education, social services and medical care.
If you are unemployed in Hong Kong, you can receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA). As for medical care in Hong Kong, as long as you have a Hong Kong identity card and a medical card, all diagnoses, examinations, and medications are free, including seeing a psychologist. These services are all thanks to the Hong Kong Jockey Club's charitable foundation.
"Incredible! This is truly taking from the people and using it for the people!"
Zhuang Rui knew that the welfare benefits of Hong Kong residents were very good, but he never imagined that these benefits actually came from the gambling industry.
Compared to Macau's casino tycoons who pocket their winnings, Hong Kong's approach is undoubtedly more sustainable for the long term. The reason is simple: everyone involved in betting and gambling understands that even if they lose money, they will ultimately benefit from it.
It can be said that Hong Kong horse racing is probably the only gambling activity in the world that is popular with all people.
In Hong Kong, there is even a horse racing museum, covering an area of over 600 square meters. The exhibition hall continuously displays short films about the lives of early Mongolian ponies that migrated from the north to Hong Kong and Australia.
Visitors can design their own jockey's uniform at the "Clothing Design Station" inside the museum and take photos as souvenirs. In addition, they can experience what it's like to be a champion horse owner at the "Moment of Glory" and take photos of themselves leading the winning horse.
Many factors have led to increasing attention being paid to horse racing in Hong Kong by the global racing community. Every year, some races are listed as international competitions, attracting a large number of top horse racers from all over the world to participate with their prized horses.
This has made Hong Kong a center for horse racing in the world, and watching horse races has become a must-do activity for tourists visiting Hong Kong.
"Dad, seeing how knowledgeable you are about horse racing, do you often gamble on it yourself? Mom, aren't you going to keep an eye on that?"
Qin Haoran's excitement when introducing horse racing to Zhuang Rui was quite different from his usual refined demeanor. Zhuang Rui couldn't imagine what his father-in-law would look like when he excitedly waved the lottery ticket.
Before Zhuang Rui could finish speaking, Qin Xuanbing pouted and said, "My mom? She doesn't care. When I was little, they spent all their free time betting on horse races, besides work. Back then, my mom was even more extravagant than my dad..."
"This...this, cough cough, Xuanbing, you're not allowed to talk about Mom and Dad like that..."
Zhuang Rui pretended to say something to Qin Xuanbing, trying to help his mother-in-law out of the predicament, but the smile on his face revealed his true feelings.
"This child, do you still remember what happened back then? Now your father is a member of the Jockey Club, and after Xuanbing's grandfather retires, he will very likely be elected as a director of the Jockey Club..."
Although Zhuang Rui's mother-in-law was scolding her daughter, she couldn't help but show a slight expression when talking about her husband becoming a director of the Jockey Club.
Zhuang Rui seemed unimpressed by the remark and said, "A director of the Jockey Club? A director of a charity, you probably don't have much to do, right?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Qin Haoran immediately became restless, as if Zhuang Rui looked down on him and he was losing face. He immediately disregarded maintaining his image as an elder in front of Zhuang Rui and said, "Hey, Xiao Rui, being a director isn't something just anyone can do. Even the old man only became a director in recent years. I estimate it will be a few more years..."
“Yes, Xiao Rui, that's because you don't understand the composition of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. These directors are not ordinary people…”
The mother-in-law was also very dissatisfied with Zhuang Rui's words, and immediately gave Zhuang Rui a full explanation of the structure of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.