1946.
In late August, the weather is hot.
This is the Western District of Hong Kong Island.
The Western District and Sheung Wan of Hong Kong Island are mainly warehouse areas and dock areas. In later generations, Hong Kong Island's "prosperity moved eastward" and the commercial center developed from Central to Wan Chai and Causeway Bay. Therefore, the development of Sheung Wan and Western District was not as good as it was.
Lin Zhichao stood under an arcade on Baode Street. He was cleanly dressed and had a high-spirited air. He did not look like a refugee at all. He took out a piece of paper, made sure that the address here was correct and that the words were not stained by sweat, and walked inside.
I saw that there were many "refugees" living in the corridor under the arcade. They hung their belongings directly on the wall or placed them in the corners, but they were still neat and orderly, indicating that they had not given up on life. Children were playing in the corridor, and some women were sitting in the corner with their children in their arms. This scenario is the result of Hong Kong's population surge, which is expected to last for several years. After all, millions of people will flock to Hong Kong later.
The refugees expressed envy when Lin Zhichao walked into the arcade. Having a shelter from the wind and rain was their greatest hope. The aisle under the arcade can barely cover some rain. Once there is a violent storm, thunder and lightning, they can only bear it silently, hold the child in their arms, and beg God to calm down as soon as possible.
They just hope that their men can find a job as soon as possible, and then find a way to find a place to live. Even if many people are crowded into a small house, it is still very happy. Even a wooden house is now a very luxurious residence.
Arriving on the second floor of the arcade, Lin Zhichao discovered that he didn't know which room the 'cousin' he was looking for lived in.
He has a cousin living in Xiangjiang. When Xiangjiang fell a few years ago, this cousin took his wife and daughter back to his hometown to seek refuge and farm. Hong Kong was liberated last year, and my cousin’s family returned to Hong Kong soon.
Lin Zhichao got his residential address through a letter his cousin sent back to his parents in his hometown, so he came to seek a place to stay. Although they are cousins, Lin Zhichao has high hopes.
People in Guangdong Province are more united when they go out, and they are relatives and neighbors. If he is taken in, Lin Zhichao will not have to live on the streets.
"Instead of knocking on the door from door to door, why not shout here!"
"Brother Gao Fu...Brother Gao Fu"
After shouting a few times, the doors were opened one after another, which startled Lin Zhichao, thinking that he was going to be thrown into the trash.
"Young boy, what are you shouting about? Are you a resident here?"
"Who are you, Li Gaofu?"
The grandmothers and aunts questioned Lin Zhichao one after another, with alert looks in their eyes.
Fortunately, Lin Zhichao looked good and was dressed cleanly and neatly. He didn't have any big or small bags. He might not have been a refugee, so everyone didn't say too much.
Lin Zhichao was about to answer and ask when he saw that a door not far from him was also opened, and he suddenly felt happy.
"cousin"
The young woman who was called had a pregnant belly of four to five months, and there was a little girl of five or six years old following her. It was Chen Shufang, the cousin's wife that Lin Zhichao was looking for.
Chen Shufang was stunned for a moment, and then asked uncertainly: "Who are you?"
Lin Zhichao reacted quickly and said quickly: "I am Lin Zhichao, brother Gao Fu's cousin, a cub of Lin Yunzhi's family. My father used to be brother Gao Fu's primary school teacher. You went back to your hometown to take refuge in the past few years, and we met several times. Have eaten."
A series of words quickly locked the relationship between relatives, teachers and students, etc. Chen Shufang just wanted to deny it, but she couldn't say it.
Sure enough, Chen Shufang remembered and said, "You are Zhichao. You have grown so much in the past few years that I almost can't recognize you."
Just recognize it!
Lin Zhichao quickly handed over the fruit he bought for more than 1 Hong Kong dollar, targeting the little girl, and said: "I bought a little fruit for the child! By the way, cousin, where is my brother Gao Fu?"
The words were intimate and indescribably close, not only to Chen Shufang, but also to the grandma and aunt who were watching the fun.
As soon as the little girl saw the fruit, she instinctively took it, until she was startled by her mother's eyes; but it was too late, she could not let go.
Chen Shufang knew that if Lin Zhichao came to visit them at this time, it was very likely that he would seek refuge, that is to say, stay overnight; but his own home was only more than 200 square feet, and there was room for a grown man to live there.
"Brother Gao Fu is still working in a trading house, and he doesn't get off work until very late!"
Lin Zhichao immediately said: "Well, I'll come to see him in the evening to catch up on old times. Cousin-in-law, please have a good rest first. It's important to take care of yourself. I see that you are going to give birth to a son this time."
Sweet mouth, eat everywhere.
After saying that, he turned around and left without hesitation.
He knew very clearly that if he continued to entangle with Chen Shufang, she might reject him. As a result, Lin Zhichao became a little passive in the back.
Therefore, instead of being passive, it is better to wait for Li Gaofu, the cousin, to come home before he comes to visit.
We are both fellow villagers and relatives, so Li Gaofu is very likely to take in Lin Zhichao.
In this way, Lin Zhichao's residence was settled, and then there was the matter of finding a job.
Step by step, Li Chaoren is now just a "street boy" (walking around the streets), Airship Tai is now just a helper (his mother's grocery store), and the fourth uncle and the chartering king are still in the mainland... ....
After Lin Zhichao left the corridor.
"Shufang, it looks like this is a relative who wants to stay with you. You have to be careful. Your home is only a little over 200 square feet in total."
"Yes! But this young boy is quite handsome, so Gao Fu might not be worried, haha!"
"More and more people have come to Hong Kong to seek a living recently. The floors of buildings are crowded with refugees. It is inconvenient to get in and out, and we are worried that they will steal things."
Chen Shufang immediately showed her fierce side and fought with women on her hips.
"I live in a P, I can't even put a kennel in my house!"
"Sister-in-law Gao, if you like him, I'll introduce him to you right away. Anyway, your man doesn't get off work until midnight."
"Poor Li, if your family is so poor, will others steal your things? They are all from the same hometown. You have some moral integrity when you speak. When you came to Xiangjiang, if your relatives hadn't helped you, you wouldn't have been the same as them."
The women made noisy noises and eventually went back to their houses. In fact, everyone had work to do, such as washing and mending clothes for others.
.......
"Brother Gao Fu"
At around eight o'clock in the evening, Lin Zhichao finally came to Li Gaofu, who had just gotten off work, and his voice conveyed intimacy.
"Zhichao?"
Li Gaofu was very surprised at first, and then happily came closer to check it out.
"It's me, Brother Gao Fu!"
"It's really you! Okay!"
The two of them soon communicated happily while walking towards the arcade.
Knowing that Lin Zhichao had gone to his home, Li Gaofu complained: "This Shufang, why didn't you know to leave you sitting at home and let you wait outside for so long!"
Lin Zhichao immediately said: "Brother Gao Fu, it's not my sister-in-law's fault. It's because I want to go out for a while. Now that I've come to Hong Kong to seek a life, I naturally need to be familiar with the environment here first, so that I have a greater chance of being hired."
He directly stated his purpose of coming - to make a living, so as not to let him stay overnight later. After all, Li Gaofu knew clearly that he had no place to live.
Looking at Li Gaofu's expression, Lin Zhichao feels very hopeful.
"Haha, that makes sense. It seems that you are still very smart and able to adapt to the environment after reading a lot of books. Don't worry, I will help you!"
"Thank you, Brother Gao Fu!"
People in this era are still very simple, and some people who are not relatives may be taken in.
When you go out, you don't have to worry about fellow villagers cheating on you, let alone your waist.
Finally walking into the place where Li Gaofu lived, Chen Shufang felt a little unnatural. Fortunately, Li Gaofu was very enthusiastic.
He is an employee of a trading house, which is a respectable job, and he is quite generous in his dealings with others.
After sitting down, Li Gaofu quickly asked about business: "You don't have a place to live yet, right?"
Lin Zhichao nodded. Through observation, he found that although there were only more than 200 square feet here, he could still get a bed by partitioning it with cloth or wooden boards. He didn't want to live outside because there were many mosquitoes and it was noisy.
Sure enough, Li Gaofu pointed to a space and said, "Just stay here first and think of a solution later!"
Chen Shufang looked unhappy, mainly because she felt very inconvenient.
But Lin Zhichao acted quickly and said hurriedly: "Then I'll trouble Brother Gao Fu and my cousin. Don't worry, when I find a job, I will share the rent and miscellaneous expenses."
Li Gaofu also said to Chen Shufang: "Zhichao has read a lot of books and understands some English. It is not difficult to find a job. Everyone has difficulties starting a business when they are away from home. Ah Fang, please be more responsible."
When Chen Shufang heard that Lin Zhichao knew English, she said in disbelief: "Does he really know English?"
“I don’t know a lot, I can communicate easily and understand a lot of vocabulary!”
His English proficiency comes from the cultural level in his previous life, and may have a lot of water content.
But now he wanted to make a living, so he vowed to find a way to raise it to a sufficient level within a few months.
To be honest, Lin Zhichao's current belief is to study hard and make progress, even if he sleeps three or four hours a day, he must adapt to life in Hong Kong as soon as possible.
Who doesn't want to become a tycoon?
He wanted to too.
But he has the advantage - future information, but also the disadvantage - no backend.
Looking at the later tycoons in Xiangjiang, almost all of them had backers - Li Chaoren's uncle and father-in-law was the watch king, Li Zhaoji was the second generation rich, Shar Dantong was the son-in-law, and the chartering king was a bank tycoon in Shanghai.
Guo De's chances of success can be regarded as grassroots, but others are older and have already achieved some success in their careers when the time comes.
Lin Zhichao didn't want to belittle himself, so he planned to grow step by step and live up to God's arrangements.
Chen Shufang softened her heart, stood up and said, "I'll clean up your place for you!"
"Thank you, cousin"
Li Gaofu said cheerfully: "Thank you for everything, they are all relatives. By the way, I will also help you pay attention and inquire about work. Don't worry, I have been in Xiangjiang for many years and know many people. Looking for a job It’s not a problem for you.”
Although Lin Zhichao wanted to deal with it first, he was also a little pursuing, so he said: "Sorry for bothering Brother Gao Fu, I will also work hard to find a job myself."
"What kind of job do you want to find?"
"It doesn't matter if the salary is low, it's mainly because I want to get in touch with some people or have the opportunity to learn something."
"That's it! Okay, you look for it first, and I'll help you keep an eye on it."
Li Gaofu gave up the idea of letting Lin Zhichao work at the dock. After a short period of observation, he found that Lin Zhichao was good at talking and relatively motivated. Going to the dock was the worst plan.
Next, the two talked late into the night before getting ready to rest.
Lin Zhichao was lying on the relatively hard floor bed, thinking a lot, but he quickly comforted himself that he was much luckier than many people.
What's more, he has light in his heart.
Finally, he fell asleep quickly and planned to get up early tomorrow so as not to cause too much trouble to others.
...
On the fourth day after arriving in Hong Kong, Lin Zhichao returned to his place of residence carrying half a cooked chicken and a bottle of liquor.
It wasn't until Li Gaofu got off work that Lin Zhichao went home with him from downstairs because he didn't want to be alone with Chen Shufang, even though he had a six-year-old girl. In this regard, Li Gaofu also likes Lin Zhichao's style in his heart, although he says it doesn't matter.
When placing cooked food and liquor on the small table, Li Gaofu asked happily: "Have you found a satisfactory job?"
He felt that his cousin was a bit "arrogant" and he was not interested in either of the two jobs he was introduced to.
"Well, I sell newspapers and magazines at a newsstand on Des Voeux Road in Central, with a monthly salary of NT$60."
Li Gaofu frowned and said, "If you don't go to a job that pays 80 to 100 yuan a month for me, how do you fall in love with this job?"
After all, Lin Zhichao has read a book and understands English. It is easier for him to find a job than many people from peasant backgrounds. Especially if he can speak some English, his advantage is even more prominent.
Lin Zhichao poured Li Gaofu a glass of wine and then said slowly: "Although it is only 60 yuan a month, this job has a benefit. There are many foreign magazines and local newspapers. If I work hard, the boss will allow me to borrow them." Watch... Moreover, people who can buy these English magazines and books, or people who can buy newspapers, must be relatively successful in society. Even if I exchange a few words with them, I may be able to get some useful information. .....60 yuan a month is enough for living expenses, but no more than 40 yuan will make you rich."
Only then did Li Gaofu and Chen Shufang truly realize that Lin Zhichao was a person who was unwilling to be ordinary and was very motivated.
Even Chen Shufang's attitude towards Lin Zhichao became very good. Moreover, although Lin Zhichao bought back half a chicken, he hardly ate it and took the initiative to replenish the health of his children and pregnant Chen Shufang.
These details all show that Lin Zhichao has a maturity that belies his age. At this time, the family has a better attitude towards Lin Zhichao.
