The Western District and Sheung Wan of Hong Kong Island are mainly warehouse areas and dock areas. In later years, 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 dressed cleanly and neatly, and he had a high-spirited spirit. He did not look like a refugee at all. He took out a piece of paper and made sure that the address here was correct and the words were correct.
Without getting wet with sweat, he 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 there were
Some women were sitting in the corner with their children in their arms. This scene is the result of Hong Kong's rapid population growth, which is expected to last for several years. After all, millions of people will flock to Hong Kong later.
The refugees showed 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 could barely cover some rainwater. Once there was a violent storm, thunder and lightning, they would
I can only bear it silently, hold the child in my 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 a very luxury now.
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 Hong Kong. When Hong Kong 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 the 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 he was a cousin, Lin Zhichao had 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 garbage.
"Young boy, what are you yelling at? Are you a resident here?"
"Who are you, Li Gaofu?"
Grandma and aunt asked Lin Zhichao one after another, with wary looks in their eyes.
Fortunately, Lin Zhichao looked good and was dressed cleanly and neatly. He didn't have any big or small bags, so he might not be 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 and couldn't say it.
Sure enough, Chen Shufang remembered and said: "You are Zhichao. You have grown a lot in recent years, 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, both to Chen Shufang and to the grandma and aunties 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 was seeking refuge, that is to say, staying in the house; but her own home was only over 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 him in the evening to catch up with him. Cousin, please have a good rest first. It's important to take care of yourself. I see 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. In this way, Lin Zhichao would be somewhat passive in the future.
Therefore, instead of being passive, it is better to wait for cousin Li Gaofu to come home before he comes to visit.
We are both fellow villagers and relatives, so Li Gaofu is very likely to take Lin Zhichao in.
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, the king of charter boats, is still in the mainland
After Lin Zhichao left the corridor.
"Shufang, it seems that this is a relative who wants to stay with you. You have to be careful when dealing with it. Your home only has a total of more than 200 square feet."
"That's right! 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 should 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 a fuss and finally went back to their houses. In fact, everyone had work to do, such as washing clothes for others, mending clothes, and so on.
"Brother Gao Fu"
At around eight o'clock in the evening, Lin Zhichao finally crouched down to Li Gaofu, who had just gotten off work, and his voice conveyed his closeness.
"Zhichao?"
Li Gaofu was very surprised at first, and then happily came closer to check and confirm.
"It's me, Brother Gao Fu!"
"It's really you! Good!"
The two of them soon chatted happily while walking towards the arcade.
Knowing that Lin Zhichao had gone to his house, Li Gaofu complained: "This Shufang, why didn't you know to leave you at home and let you wait outside for so long!"
Lin Zhichao immediately said: "Brother Gao Fu, I don't blame my sister-in-law for this. It's because I want to go out for a while. Now that I've come to Hong Kong to make a living, naturally I have to get 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 now, Lin Zhichao feels very hopeful.
"Haha, that makes sense. It seems that after reading a lot of books, you are still very smart and able to adapt to the environment. 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 forthright 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 it was only more than 200 square feet, 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 for now and figure out a way later!"
Chen Shufang looked unhappy, mainly because she felt very inconvenient.
But Lin Zhichao acted very quickly and said hurriedly: "It's up to 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.
However, he has an advantage - future information, but also a disadvantage - no backend.
Looking at the later tycoons in Hong Kong, almost all of them had backers - Li Chaoren's uncle and father-in-law was the watch king, Li Zhaoji was a second-generation rich man, Shar Dantong was a wealthy 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, then 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 my 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 to give it to 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. Li Gaofu also liked Lin Zhichao's style in his heart, even though he said it didn'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, how could you like 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 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."
View 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 for 60 yuan a month.
It’s enough for living expenses. No matter how much 40 yuan you have, you won’t be able to make a fortune.”
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 the child and the 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.