Chapter 7 – The Street Vendor Enforcement Team
Yang Wendong couldn't help but feel tense at the scene.
He had never seen something like this back in the mainland. Maybe the original owner of his body had—though his memories were vague—but witnessing it firsthand was deeply unsettling.
He quietly approached an elderly woman nearby. "Granny, what's going on?"
He'd gotten to know a few locals during his time at the market.
The old woman glanced at him and said, "That man being beaten hasn't paid the management fees for nearly half a month. Said business was bad and he hadn't sold anything."
"He didn't pay, and yet he's still allowed to keep selling here?" Wendong asked.
"For newcomers, no. But if you've been here a while, they'll let you build up some debt. Still, if you can't pay later, they'll do this to you," the old woman sighed. "This kind of thing happens often. The Street Vendor Enforcement Team will beat you until you cough up the money. I remember someone two months ago who was taken all the way to Tin Shui Wai. They stripped his shoes and clothes and made him walk back barefoot. His feet were swollen when he returned… then the police beat him too. Sigh…"
"Street Vendor Enforcement Team?" This was the first time Yang Wendong had heard the term.
"You've never heard of them?" the old woman looked at him curiously.
"No," he replied. "Are those guys with Biu part of that team?"
He had thought Biu and his crew were just gang members collecting protection money. He hadn't expected they'd be operating under any kind of official identity.
"They are," the old woman confirmed. "The government set it up. A few years ago, the gangs and the police were both extorting vendors, and things got messy. Eventually, for some reason, the government stepped in and created this enforcement team.
"Of course, it's still the same people—just now they collect 'official' management fees. Everyone doing business here has to pay."
"I see," Yang Wendong nodded. So the gangsters had just been rebranded. Same bloodsuckers—now with uniforms.
Even though 1958 Hong Kong was still pitch-black in terms of social justice, it was clear that the authorities were starting to put a cleaner face on things.
"Don't mess with those people," the old woman warned. "If you offend them, you're in real trouble. But if you pay your fees regularly, they usually won't cause much trouble."
"Got it." Wendong nodded. He understood now that even the villains had rules. At least, most of the time.
Good thing he had paid up right away on his first day—otherwise, Biu probably wouldn't have treated him so nicely.
"I can't watch anymore. This kind of thing just breaks my heart," the old woman sighed and walked away.
Zhao Liming had heard everything too and turned to Yang Wendong. "Should we lay low for now?"
"No. Let's wait until Biu is done," Yang Wendong shook his head.
He was uncomfortable watching the girl cry and the man get beaten, but he couldn't do anything.
In this chaotic society, the first priority was protecting himself and those close to him. Helping strangers could get you killed.
…
After a while, the beaten man lay curled on the ground, barely moving.
"Worthless dog!" Biu spat on him. "Back in the day, we'd have dumped you in the sea."
He raised his foot to kick him again when—
"Stop that! You can't beat him like that!"
A woman's voice called out sharply.
"The hell are you—" Biu turned, swearing, but stopped short.
The speaker was a white woman, probably in her fifties, with golden hair and dark eyes. She stared at Biu and his crew with open fury.
Biu was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected to see a foreigner here, let alone one bold enough to interfere.
One of his lackeys stepped up and whispered, "Brother Biu, her clothes… they're government-issued."
Biu's expression changed instantly. He gave a sycophantic smile and said, "Madam, we're just doing our job. That man owes the government money and refuses to pay."
"He doesn't have any money! Beating him won't change that!" the foreign woman snapped.
"Madam, I assure you, I'm a reasonable man," Biu said, groveling a little. "If he really had no money, I'd just make him leave. But this guy has money and won't pay. He's sneaky, trying to sell here behind our backs. If everyone did that, how would we maintain order?
"I'm just looking out for the colony's interests," he added.
"Is that so?" the woman hesitated, then said, "Still, you can't beat people like this. What if he dies? Then what?"
Biu hesitated too. He didn't want to keep arguing with a foreigner in front of so many people. "Fine, we'll let it go today. You hear me, Tian? Next time, if you don't pay, I'll make you wish you were dead!"
He gave the foreign woman a fake smile, then walked off with his crew—only to stop when he spotted Yang Wendong.
"You got the goods?"
"All here," Yang Wendong nodded. "Each basket has fifty traps, all tied together with string."
Biu gave the load a quick glance and nodded. "Good. Here's your twenty bucks. That's what we agreed."
Wendong was overjoyed and quickly accepted the bills. "Thanks, Brother Biu."
"This is business. As long as you follow the rules, I'll do the same. We're all here to make money—I don't want any extra trouble," Biu said, waving his men over to carry the baskets away.
Because Wendong had bundled the traps in groups of ten, it was easy for Biu's men to grab and go.
"Phew! I was worried they'd take the traps and run," Zhao Liming exhaled once they were out of sight.
Wendong smiled. "They'd be stupid to do that. They're just greedy, not dumb."
For Biu and his people, squeezing money out of vendors every day was far more lucrative. Stealing a few bamboo traps would be a short-term gain but long-term loss.
"You sure sound confident," Zhao Liming said. "You weren't worried at all?"
"Of course I was. But worrying doesn't help," Wendong replied with a shrug. "You just have to take the risk."
They'd made thirty dollars total—enough to pay everyone's share and still come out with a small profit.
As they were about to leave, a voice called out behind them.
"Excuse me, you two—wait."
Turning around, Yang Wendong was surprised to see it was the foreign woman from earlier.
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