Chapter 167: Third, Fifth and First

The entire city of San Francisco is built on a peninsula, so the east and west sides of the city are surrounded by the sea. Chinatown is in the northeast of San Francisco, and further east of Chinatown is the very famous Inner Harbor. Top note small talk, x.

This Inner Harbor was originally connected to the Fisherman's Wharf, but later, due to the fact that the wharf was occupied by two different families, it gradually became separated into the Fisherman's Wharf, which focuses on foreign trade in the fishing industry, and the Inner Harbor, which focuses on the commercial transportation of goods in the inner sea. Unlike the Fisherman's Wharf, which has become a tourist attraction, the Inner Harbour Terminal is still in use as usual.

At 4:30 pm, Zhou Ming and Tang Ran drove to Pier 36 at the Inner Harbour Terminal.

Getting out of the car and looking at the bustling Pier 36, Zhou Ming and Tang Ran were both a little surprised, because they had originally thought that this so-called Pier 36, if not non-existent , it was at least a private pier that was not open to the public. After all, this was the place where you could take the ferry to Quan'an, but it turned out to be a bustling ferry terminal.

Tang Ran was very puzzled: 'Brother Ming, is this really Pier 36? We haven't gone the wrong way, have we?'

To this question, Ming looked up at the sign for Pier 36 and said, 'If there isn't another Pier 36, I think this is the place.'

'But why are there so many people here? Are they all going to Quan'an? But isn't the Tang ancestral hall there, and only the Tang family and those approved by the Tang family can enter? If so many people go to the island together, won't it become a tourist attraction?' Tang Ran asked again.

Zhou Ming shook his head and said, 'I'm not sure about that either. Perhaps the Tang family has other considerations. For us, the most important thing now is to wait for Tang Lin to come here. As the fifth successor in line of the Tang family, he will give us the answers to the questions we want.'

Tang Ran only reacted after Zhou Ming said this: 'Yes, it's already four o'clock. Why hasn't that annoying guy arrived yet? Is he deliberately lying to us, and is he actually afraid to come himself?'

'I don't think so. Although I only met him yesterday, I can see that he is a person of some substance, judging by the way he treated us and Hoover. He wouldn't play any meaningless smart-alecky. We just need to wait patiently for him to show up.'

Zhou Ming's words came true. Almost as soon as his words had finished, a staff member from the pier next to them came over and said, 'Excuse me, are you Ms Tang Ran and Mr Zhou Ming? I'm sorry to disturb you, but a gentleman at the Chaoshan teahouse over there said to invite you over, and he asked me to tell you that the boat to Quan'an will be leaving soon, and he wants to remind you to get on board with him as soon as possible.'

As he spoke, he pointed at Zhou Ming and Tang Ran. Zhou Ming looked in the direction of his finger and sure enough, he saw Tang Lin sitting by the window of the teahouse.

Zhou Ming thanked the staff and gave him a tip of 100 US dollars. He was very happy to take Zhou Ming and Tang Ran over to the teahouse.

Tang Lin and Hoover were still sitting there. Tang Lin glanced at the time and smiled, greeting Zhou Ming and Tang Ran, 'It's exactly 4:30. It seems that both cousin Tang Ran and Mr. Zhou Ming are very punctual.'

Zhou Ming thanked Tang Lin, and then they sat down together. Tang Lin said, 'I think you've come. Don't you also feel that Pier 36 is not what you imagined? This is because this terminal was originally a tourist outlet of the inner harbour terminal, and all the boats to Quan'an would set sail together with other cruise ships.'

'The best way to hide a drop of water is to mix it with other water; it seems that you have also gone to a lot of trouble to hide Quan'an,' Zhou Ming said.

'There was no other way. In the past, the Chinese were not in the mainstream in the United States. If we didn't use this method, I'm afraid the Tang family's wealth hidden in Quan'an would have been looted.' Tang Lin said.

'So that's how it is. I thought the Tang family was really a very big family, and that everyone here was a member of the Tang family! Now it seems that most of them probably don't even know what Quan'an is.' Tang Ran said.

Tang Lin gave a positive answer to Tang Ran's question. After a while, when a special whistle sounded, he settled the bill for the teahouse and said that the Tang family's boat had arrived. He then took Zhou Ming and Tang Ran through a a special VIP channel, and after passing through inspection, they arrived at the pier. The pier was much quieter than the outside world, and due to the time, when they arrived, apart from the staff, there was no one else here. It was here that they saw the boat that the Tang family had come to pick them up.

It was a tall ship in the style of the Age of Sail, made entirely of wood. It wasn't a big boat, but it looked like it had come right out of a historical painting.

'The ship is called Zhiyuan, which means 'aspire to the distant'. It was the ship that the first generation of the Tang family sailed on 150 years ago to come to San Francisco to start a new life. The ship was preserved and is the only one allowed to sail to Quan'an. It is also a way for the ancestors to remind future generations of their hardships and to remember that they are foreigners and need to work hard to survive on this land.

Tang Lin explained to Zhou Ming and Tang Ran as he led them aboard the Zhiyuan. If seeing the ship give them a sense of witnessing history, then boarding this ship really gives the illusion of being in history.

The Zhiyuan not only does the entire ship retain its original design and all-wooden structure from 150 years ago, but the facilities on board and on deck also remain as they were 150 years ago. Not only does it not used any other power, the deck was full of experienced old sailors, and even the cabin was not electrified, and they still used kerosene lamps.

For Zhiyuan, which was deliberately preserved, Zhou Ming can vaguely understand the thoughts of the Tang ancestors. This is not arrogance or pretension, but a sailing boat with such difficult conditions and a sailing boat that can encounter any accident at any time, can better reflect a person's leadership potential. After all, a person who is spoiled and afraid to face accidents cannot lead the family to greater glory.

However moreover, the fact that such a ship has been preserved is also a manifestation of the wealth of the Downes family. After all, a wooden ship is not as good as an iron ship, as it is more susceptible to the erosion of seawater. Therefore, the maintenance over the past 150 years has been a huge expense. Coupled with the emergence of other motorised boats, it is also very simple to retain so many sailors who know how to sail.

Obviously, compared to the nouveau riche in the Middle East who want to buy anything they see, the Tang family is the embodiment of a true family heritage.

As time passing, more and more people boarded the Zhiyuan, and although they knew that they were all from the Tang family or recognised outsiders like Hoover, they did not greet each other, but gathered in small groups of three or five to form their own cliques.

Zhou Ming silently watching all this, he could well understand that this was a fight over inheritance rights. Everyone regarded the other side as an enemy, so how could they be like one big happy family?

Suddenly, there was a burst of crackling firecrackers on the pier, which caused a sudden uproar on the deck.

Tang Lin frowned and frowned. Feeling a headache coming on, he said, 'It's that guy again. His name is Tang Yi, the third-in-line heir to the Tang family. He's always showing off. Now that Uncle Tang has suddenly passed away, and he's the third-in-line heir, he's gone overboard.'

As Tang Lin a 200-pound fat man walked onto the deck and shouted, 'Hi, everyone! I'm Tang Yi, the heir. Don't worry, once I inherit the family business, I won't expel you all. You will still be the family parasites, but you will all have to hand over your shareholdings!'

Faced with Tang Yi arrogant words, someone couldn't help but come out and say, 'If I remember correctly, you are only the third-in-line heir, right? Then what makes you qualified to say this?'

Seeing that someone dared to refute himself, Tang Yi looked at the person meaningfully and said, 'I'm not qualified. Do you think you are qualified? I'm sorry, I don't remember such a person in the family. You're not a dangerous person who has infiltrated from somewhere, are you? Where is the crew Please get rid of this person immediately. God, just looking at him makes me feel dirty...'

Hearing Tang Yi's arrogance, Zhou Ming turned to Tang Lin and asked him, 'I didn't expect there to be such a person. So there is such a person on the ship. Are you the fifth in charge?'

Tang Lin turned his head looked at Zhou Ming a few times and asked in return, 'Do you think I should get involved?'

'I don't know, but I just know that even if you don't get involved, with the character he has shown so far, after he deals with that person, it will be your turn,' Zhou Ming said.

Tang Lin was silent . He thought for a while, then let out a long breath and walked towards Tang Yi. He grabbed Tang Yi's hand, which was about to slap him, and said to him, 'Okay, Tang Yi, please stop.'

Tang Yi was was in the middle of being arrogant and having a good time, and no one dared to disturb him. At this moment, he was suddenly stopped, which made him very angry. He turned his head and was about to scold, but saw that it was Tang Lin who had stopped him. He laughed again: 'So it's cousin Tang Lin. How is it that you, the fifth in line, can presume to tell me off, the third?'

Tang Lin frowned brow and shook off Tang Yi's hand, saying, 'The so-called order of birth is just an order of succession, not a ranking of family status. Do you understand?'

Tang Yi shrugged mouth: 'You talk as if you mean it. If you don't care so much, you can go all the way to 105th in the line of succession. I think the whole Tang family will be very happy about that, don't you think so?'

'You're just unbelievable!' Tang Lin exclaimed angrily. He felt that Tang Yi was simply crazy.

But when Tang Lin was about to turn around and leave, ignoring Tang Yi, but then he suddenly smiled again. He turned back and asked Tang Yi, 'Is it that you think that as long as you are ranked high in the line of succession, you can be so arrogant and do whatever you want to those ranked lower?'

'Of course ! Being higher up in the line of succession means having a better chance of inheriting the family business, and as long as my cousin dies, I'll inherit it. Tang Yi said, 'As for you, Tang Lin, if you want to inherit the family business, it depends on whether you have that chance in your next life!'

'Of course I don't care, but someone else can give you a good slap in the face,' Tang Lin said.

Tang Yi was stunned at first, and he looked around warily before remembering something and saying, 'Tang Yu, you bastard, don't try to trick me. I know that guy Tang Yu He hasn't left Quan'an since the last family meeting, and has been hanging around with a few old guys, trying to take over the family. How could he possibly be on the ship today?'

Tang Lin spread his hands spread out, 'I never said that cousin Tang Yu was also on the ship. I was talking about someone else.'

'Someone else? Are you trying to tell me a story about the ship's spirit of the Zhiyuan or the heroic spirits of the ancestors of the family?' Tang Yi asked meaningfully.

'I'm sorry neither.' Tang Lin shook his head and said, 'I believe you, cousin Tang Yi, still remember what Grandpa Tang said at the last family meeting about Uncle Tang's daughter, the first successor in line to inherit the Tang family fortune?'

'Of course I remember . But isn't that just an old man's story because he's old?' Tang Yi said.

'I'm sorry to say that what I'm about to tell you is that Grandpa Tang was telling the truth. The first heir in line is real, and he's on this ship,' said Tang Lin, pointing his finger at Tang Ran.