Chapter 236: The Nobility of Bowling Street
Nathan Road, Mong Kok, big company.

Translator Lin accompanied Taozi and followed the crowd into the big company to help others purchase.

Zhu Youjun stood outside the gate of this department store with the best business in Kowloon, with his back against the guardrail along the street, and said to Xie Hushan who was looking at various beauties from Hong Kong Island:
“I thought you would take Taozi to department stores like Martha, Tianxiang, and Daimaru. After all, she rarely comes here.”

The names she mentioned are all well-known high-end department stores in Hong Kong.

As for Dada Company, although it has the best business in Kowloon, it is actually because its products are of good quality and low price and it is aimed at the general public.

“There’s no need. Many of the products sold by Dada are produced locally in Hong Kong Island. In fact, many products of Marks & Spencer are also produced locally in Hong Kong Island. They just go to the UK and are sold back. For example, clothes, watches, pens, etc. What’s the point of buying a bunch of famous brands? When you go back to Zhongping and show off to others, no one will understand. You buy a steel plate for one dollar and a pen for ten dollars. In their eyes, they are all the same. They are all foreign products.” Xie Hushan leaned against the wall, looking at the passers-by and said.

“You came to Hong Kong Island and just avoided meeting that female student. She had originally agreed to be a guest model with several male and female classmates…” Zhu Youjun said while observing Xie Hushan’s expression.

Xie Hushan came back to his senses, looked at Zhu Youjun, and said with a smile:
“That female student’s name is Lan Jieqing. Her family runs a fast food restaurant called Lan Ji Food Stall. She is the youngest in the family. Her mother is a second wife. She has two older half brothers and one older half sister. Because she is the youngest, she is doted on by her parents and older brothers and sisters. Even the neighbors can’t stand it, so they gave her a nickname called Zhu Nu. It’s not the pig in the pig’s head, but the pearl in the pearl. It means that her family dotes on her like a jewel in the palm of their hand.”

Zhu Youjun opened his mouth slightly, not understanding how Xie Hushan could blurt out the other party’s family situation.

Xie Hushan looked at her stunned expression and continued:
“Originally, her family planned to send her to South Bay to study in the United States for a year. Her grades were not excellent in Hong Kong Island, so it would be more convenient for her to study in South Bay and then study in the United States. However, her father changed his mind at the last minute. He was reluctant to let his little girl leave her hometown and was worried that she would learn bad things in South Bay or the United States. So he simply let her do whatever she wanted. No matter how much money she made, her father would give her another two thousand dollars every month. Now, is the information I have enough information?”

Zhu Youjun asked in confusion: “How do you know so much about Aqing’s family background? It’s impossible that Chief of Staff Han told you, he and Aqing have only met a few times.”

“How are your parents?” Xie Hushan changed the subject and asked Zhu Youjun about his family situation.

Zhu Youjun lowered his head and sighed, “My father’s health has recovered a lot, but he doesn’t want to come to Hong Kong Island. He doesn’t like capitalist society. He thinks it’s too cold. These are his original words. My mother was very angry. But fortunately, Hong Kong Island now has a daughter like me, and their lives are much better than before.”

“Capitalist society is inherently indifferent,” Xie Hushan said with emotion:
“As China opens up, it will also be infected with these problems in the future. Just like when Chief of Staff Han first came to Hong Kong Island, he said that there were fights on the streets of Hong Kong Island, but passers-by turned a blind eye. This made Chief of Staff Han very confused. After all, in Zhongping, we were taught from a young age to have the good virtues of being brave and helping others.”

Zhu Youjun curiously asked, “You still haven’t told me why you know so much about Aqing’s family background.”

“Nothing. Last time I came to Hong Kong Island and was busy shopping for Zhongping, I happened to pass by a fast food restaurant. I was hungry and went in to eat. I saw the boss taking out a photo and praising his daughter to the neighbors. He also complained that his restaurant business was too busy and he didn’t have time to pick her up from school. So I took a whim and went to take a look for him. That’s it.” Xie Hushan said to Zhu Youjun in a calm tone:
“He’s right, his daughter is really beautiful.”

Zhu Youjun stared at him suspiciously: “That’s it?”

Xie Hushan nodded: “That’s it, otherwise how do you think I know the situation in her family.”

“That means I guessed wrong and was just being sentimental.” Zhu Youjun shrugged and said with a self-deprecating smile:

“I thought you had known her for a long time. The way you looked at her at that time was obviously not just seeing a strange and beautiful girl, but clearly seeing a friend you have known for a long time. So out of curiosity, I deliberately went to become friends with her, hoping to surprise you. I also asked Ah Qing for a long time, and she repeatedly confirmed that she didn’t know you. Instead, I was curious and wanted to meet you. I want to ask you why you thought of going to see her on purpose.”

Xie Hushan said with a smile:

“Then tell her what I just said. As for introducing beautiful women to me, the more the better. But I haven’t figured out what to talk about with a girl from Hong Kong Island who is the same age as my sister Daxiu. So there’s no need to stay and see her. I’ll see you when I have something to talk about with her one day.”

“Then do you have anything to talk to me about?” Zhu Youjun looked at Xie Hushan with a smile and asked. Xie Hushan saw Han Hongbing and Accountant Zhao getting out of the taxi and waving at him in the distance. He left Zhu Youjun and walked towards the two of them, saying, “No, I’m busy opening up the Zhongping branch in Hong Kong Island now.”

……

“Is this the Hong Kong Island household registration?” Accountant Zhao, a social figure from Zhongping, waited until they entered a hotel before taking out his identity document and asked Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing with trembling hands.

This time, he followed Xie Hushan south to Guangzhou, carrying out the important task of inspecting Hong Kong Island.

Xie Hushan has always wanted the young people in the village to follow Han Hongbing’s footsteps and come to Hong Kong Island, but he has no say in leaving his hometown.

Even if they helped the village to get rich, the elders and young men of Zhongping would not let their eighteen or nineteen-year-old children or twenty-year-old grandchildren who were about to get married and have children to carry on the family line go to live in a place they had never heard of just because of Xie Hushan’s words.

There is no way. The people of Bingyang have strong attachment to their hometown. Xie Hushan also admits that the people here are not as decisive as their compatriots in Fujian or Guangdong provinces. When they hear that there is a way to go abroad, they kowtow to Mazu, pack their bags and set off. What’s more, the world is so big that there is no place where they can’t pass on their family line, marry and have children.

After hearing about how Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing got Hong Kong Island household registration, Han Laogou thought this was a promising idea. Young people from Zhongping could be given free household registration if they went to Hong Kong Island, and there were also many factories where they could work. Anyone, even if they only had a body of physical strength, could work as a loader or decorator and earn one or two thousand Hong Kong dollars as long as they were diligent.

Not to mention that if you are a little more motivated and willing to work hard to learn a skill, you can earn more.

It is true that Han Laogou is an old revolutionary, but he thinks that his actions of secretly taking advantage of Hong Kong Island by taking advantage of it with his fellow villagers are not undermining the revolution. The beef cattle in our Bingyang County are already sold cheaply enough, so can’t we find an opportunity to make some profit?

Moreover, in Han Laogou’s opinion, in Zhongping rural area, these young children in the village can only continue to farm and be farmers.

Now there is an opportunity to obtain a Hong Kong hukou and work in a factory to learn a craft. Only a fool would disagree. Moreover, the world is more open-minded nowadays. As long as you have relatives or friends in Hong Kong who you can contact and can send telegrams or letters, basically no one will stop you from leaving. Some people may even take the initiative to help you and make good friends with you, hoping that they will help you bring some foreign goods.

There are already a lot of agricultural machinery in Zhongping, which can free up a lot of labor. Instead of letting these Zhongping children do hard labor in the brigade’s factory, it is better to follow what Xie Hushan said and let them go out and see the world first. Those with the least promising can then come back to work in the brigade’s factory.

Xie Hushan’s words made Han Laogou agree. For these young men in the village, it was impossible to expect them to go back to school to study and pass the examination to go abroad. As for expecting them to join the army to go abroad, there were only one and a half quotas a year. For the sake of that conscription registration form, people would think like dogs.

Since the factory in the village can provide a guarantee and it is not illegal, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is good to go out and see the world. Han Hongbing has been there for half a year and has laid a rough foundation. He can send a dozen young people to Hong Kong Island to broaden their horizons. Even if they don’t want to stay, they can earn a worker’s salary for a year or two and then return to the countryside to get married and build a house.

So Accountant Zhao came to Hong Kong Island for inspection on behalf of Zhongping Village. The reason he came was because he was meticulous. When they were in Yangcheng, he had already asked Han Hongbing a lot of questions, from salary level to living expenses, no matter how big or small. Next, he would follow Han Hongbing to those factories and residences to look around and see them with his own eyes.

Only in this way can we go back and explain it clearly to everyone, and explain to Han Laogou, whether the team can take responsibility and send the young people to Hong Kong Island.

“Let’s take a walk around the Kwun Tong Industrial Area and pass by Bowl Lane. This will be a good opportunity for Accountant Zhao to broaden his horizons. Even if he doesn’t experience it himself, just walking along the entire street will be enough for him to brag about it to Er Mian Fei for the rest of his life.” Xie Hushan walked over, winked at Han Hongbing, and said with a smile.

Before Han Hongbing could speak, Accountant Zhao, wearing a magnifying glass, flipped through the account book and said:

“Why spend that money? You can’t do this kind of thing. My second brother told me that the ones in Bowl Lane are expensive. There are cheaper ones in Kwun Tong, two for three hundred dollars. Capitalism is so shameless… The government doesn’t care.”

(End of this chapter)