Chapter 5

Under the strong public pressure from the local citizens, the authorities also realized that arrest and deportation was unpopular, so they changed their policy and began to build resettlement areas for those people. They provided wood and began to build wooden houses on the mountains or in open spaces to accommodate these people.

Ye Tianhui cleaned up the abandoned corridor where she was hiding until there was no trace of anyone living there. Then she dodged the crowd in the building and merged into the crowd quietly. The

local police would give them food, biscuits or porridge, and Ye Tianhui also drank the porridge distributed for free.

In fact, Ye Tianhui has been eating bread, egg pie and various biscuits these days. At first, she thought it was delicious, but later it was uncomfortable to have a greasy mouth. It was too dry.

Now being able to drink a mouthful of soft porridge is naturally a delicious delicacy.

Unfortunately, the porridge is too salty, so salty that it is uncomfortable, so she can only drink it with gritted teeth.

Afterwards, Ye Tianhui mixed in with everyone, followed everyone's actions, and lined up to register her name.

However, when the free meal certificates were issued, Ye Tianhui did not take them. She had less than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars on hand, which was actually enough for her own food and drink, and maybe she could even rent a cheap house. She didn't need to compete with everyone for this bite of food. She just wanted to have a legal identity, so she had to go through the procedures with everyone.

At this time, rows of wooden huts had been built. They were very simple, usually built with wooden boards and iron sheets, but there was water and electricity, and there were public toilets.

But it was obvious that these shanties were not enough to live in, and the local government had no choice. They simply did not have the manpower to do this, so they provided everyone with iron sheets, asbestos tiles, wire mesh and wooden boards, and let them build them themselves.

So a flood of people got the building materials, and built shanties on the edge of the city or in the mountainous areas.

These houses and building materials naturally gave priority to those with families. She was a person who could feed the whole family and sleep anywhere, so she naturally did not want to compete with everyone for this opportunity.

Fortunately, she finally received a certificate of residence. Although it was not an official identity, it meant that she could appear here legally and could freely do some work.

She knew very well that people would need such a small certificate at any time. In her time, people needed documents to go out. In the mainland, they needed a letter of introduction and a certificate from their work unit. Here, they naturally needed a proof of residence.

She carefully put away the thin certificate with a red stamp and left.

Not long after she walked away, she smelled the fragrance of food and looked back.

It was dusk, and the colorful clouds in the distance colored the sky. The high-rise buildings not far away had already turned on their lights. In this simple hut built on the mountain, there were dim lights and the smell of rice.

It should be the simplest porridge and rice, but it was very tempting.

At this time, the woman who was originally frowning also showed a little smile, children were already playing around the squatter house, and there were even men gathering together to talk, discussing topics such as "Going to the border to find money."

Ye Tianhui stood there silently, watching this scene in the faint smell of rice.

At this time, Ye Tianhui felt a line of sight.

She looked over and saw a tall, thin young man standing next to the squatter house in the dusk, looking at her.

He is very tall, with a straight back, a pair of narrow, sharp eyes, a slightly tight brow, and thin, dark eyes. He looks thin and poor, but he is ambitious and stubborn.

When their eyes met, the man pursed his lower lip slightly and looked away.

Ye Tianhui then remembered that she seemed to have seen this person before. When the crowd was in chaos that day, someone was robbing wood, and he stepped forward to stop them.

Although he looks about the same age as me, about twenty years old, he is very cold and tough, and he also has some skills in doing things.

Ye Tianhui saw it at that time, but didn't take it too seriously. Now she doesn't care much about people or things that have nothing to do with making money.

She withdrew her gaze, turned around and left.

**********

was walking alone on the streets of Xiangjiang, seeing the neon lights flashing here and the crowds of people here. This was a world she had never experienced before, and it was also a place where she longed to fight hard.

There are a dazzling array of signboards on the roadside. When customers walk out of the shop, the shopkeeper says "I have time to help" and bids farewell with a smile.

She passed by a place that looked like a movie theater. There were fashionable men and women. The men wore narrow-waisted pants that fit tightly against their hips, and loose flared pants. Some wore jeans.

As for hairstyles, they were even more varied, with curls, dyed colors, and strange, but trendy.

Many of those men and women were couples, holding hands, even hugging each other, and some were kissing each other on the side of the road.

Ye Tianhui watched with some curiosity and found it particularly interesting.

Her era was very conservative, and the boundaries between men and women were strict. A female general like her could still ride on a horse to fight, but for ordinary ladies, they rarely even left the house.

When she arrived in the mainland, although it was much better than her time, there were still a lot of rules and regulations, and no one would kiss on the street. She

didn't expect that people in Hong Kong were so open.

She watched for a while, and the couple found out and cursed at her, looking very angry. Ye Tianhui knew she was in the wrong, so she ran away in shame.

She walked a few steps and lost the couple, but she smelled a sweet fragrance. When she looked over, it turned out to be an old man pushing a popcorn machine. The popcorn machine was no different from the ones in the mainland, and there was a fire burning underneath.

Ye Tianhui was tempted by the sweet smell, and since she had Hong Kong dollars, she went forward and asked for one.

The popcorn was freshly made and popped. She waited for a moment and heard a "pop" sound. The popcorn burst out in a burst of rich sweet fragrance.

Holding the bag of popcorn, Ye Tianhui ate while walking and admiring the scenery of the Hong Kong River.

Soon she saw a place selling cart noodles. She went over to take a look. The soup looked good.

Ye Tianhui had been eating free meals from the government these days. It was either bread, buns, or salty porridge that was so greasy that she could not resist it. Now seeing such delicious noodles, she naturally couldn't help but ordered one.

The noodle maker was an old lady with shaking hands. After taking Ye Tianhui's money, she took a cracked rooster-shaped bowl and served Ye Tianhui some yellowish coarse noodles. She also added a few curry fish balls, a small piece of pork skin, two pieces of salted pork intestines, and some chives, and then stuffed the noodles into Ye Tianhui's mouth.

Ye Tianhui held the bowl, asked for a pair of chopsticks, and looked for a place to sit.

There are a lot of people coming here to eat Chezi Noodles, and they all look like poor people. They eat with their heads down, sweating on their foreheads, and looking satisfied.

At this time, someone left after eating. Ye Tianhui quickly occupied the seat. After sitting down, she followed everyone else's example and took a bite.

Ye Tianhui rarely ate these southern-style meals before, but now she enjoys them with great pleasure.

While eating like this, I could hear people talking around me. The accents were mostly Cantonese, but there were also some accents from the north of the mainland, which sounded familiar to Ye Tianhui.

At this time, the topic of discussion still revolves around "getting money". After all, we have to make a living.

Some said they wanted to sell blood, some said they wanted to work as assistants in casinos, and some said they wanted to work as laborers unloading cargo at the docks. After talking for a while, someone talked about horse racing.

One of them seemed to know a lot: That's the Emperor's Yujun! "

Ye Tianhui pricked up her ears and listened curiously when she heard this - she was always eager to know about things she didn't understand.

Obviously, there were other people around who were curious, so that person said mysteriously: Originally, gambling was not allowed in Hong Kong, but horse racing was an imperially authorized entertainment and was sanctioned by the Emperor. There was an area in Hong Kong called Happy Valley because there was a racecourse there.

In today's Hong Kong, horse racing is a sport for almost everyone. There is almost no one who has never played horse racing. In recent years, horse racing in Hong Kong has become more popular. Ordinary citizens can watch live broadcasts on TV, so they are more enthusiastic about participating. Many citizens even In the living room, she was shouting wildly for the horse she had bet on.

Ye Tianhui's eyes lit up when she heard it.

To be honest, her specialties in her previous life were fighting, riding and shooting, and marching troops. She was not good at anything else.

She could do needlework. She was so angry that her mother died. She could drive her teacher away when she was asked to study and write. She was not good at anything.

In this life, she was not good at studying, and her English was not good. She was often criticized when she worked as a textile worker in a factory. The kind.

She was born to be a person who was born in troubled times and grew up on horseback. Without those, she would be a mediocre person, destined to be mediocre.

So for her, if she wanted to make money, she had to rob houses or go She could work as a thug in a casino or as a stunt double in a movie.

Now, when she heard about horse racing, her eyes lit up instantly.

The Ye family had been in the military for generations, and they had raised all kinds of extraordinary people. Among them was a man Ye Tianhui called Uncle Wen. Grandpa has an old man under his command who is very knowledgeable about horse appraisal. When Ye Tianhui was young, she was interested in horses, so she pestered Uncle Wen to teach her, and Uncle Wen taught her everything he knew.

After that, Ye Tianhui served in the army for many years and saw countless fine horses.

She mastered Uncle Wen's horse-judging skills, and later, her horse-judging skills were almost unmatched in the Great Zhao Kingdom. He specifically mentioned that he had obtained several fine horses from the horse farm, and that she had a good eye, so he was just waiting for her to taste them.

Ye Tianhui used her chopsticks to pick the last curry fish ball into her mouth, and in the thick curry fish ball, In the incense, she thought about this matter with satisfaction.

Horse racing, betting, making money.

For someone like her who does not work, this seems to be the fastest way to make money.

It is better than being a gangster and robbing houses . Be nice.

*********

After finishing her cart noodles, Ye Tianhui got up and walked around. In fact, she had been secretly observing house rental information these days, and would take a look at any small advertisements

she saw on the street. There are also less than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars, but it is not easy to spend. For example, cart noodles cost about 6 or 7 Hong Kong dollars. If you rent a house, even if it is a low-cost public housing provided by the government, you can only use the public kitchen and bathroom, plus the rent, That is, tax, which is more than 100 Hong Kong dollars a month.

She naturally couldn't apply for public housing now, so she had to go out and find one herself. With this little money, she had to find a cheap place, preferably a second-hand house. Under 100 Hong Kong dollars, so she could save some money.

But it was already late that night, so it was hard to find her. It seemed that she had to stay out for the night and wait until tomorrow.

Fortunately, the weather is warm now, and it's not too cold at night. If she really can't find a place to stay overnight, she can find a telephone booth or a stairwell with few people.

She wandered around and when she passed by a newsstand, she looked at the newspaper. She found that

other newspapers and magazines were not expensive, but the newspaper about horse racing, called "Ma Jing", cost ten Hong Kong dollars, which was more expensive than a meal.

Ye Tianhui still bought it with great reluctance.

After buying it, she went to a store and flipped through it under the light from inside. She found that the Horse Racing Guide contained a lot of information, including the status of the participating horses, the ranking of the races, and the information of the jockeys and horses. There are also reviews written by well-known horse racing critics, which will provide detailed analysis of the participating horses, odds and tips provided by horse racing critics. There are also some analyses of the problems and shortcomings of the current horse racing industry, criticizing current ills, etc.

Ye Tianhui read through the magazine carefully and saw quite a lot. She had a general understanding of the horse racing industry here. Unfortunately, the photos in the magazine were not clear enough, so she could only get a general idea

. I dare not place a bet casually.

Horse racing is not about betting, but about technical judgment. She has limited capital, so she dare not squander it.

It seems that she still needs to find an opportunity to watch the horses up close so as to make a better judgment. It seems that the last betting time is only a few days away . Oh my god, she must make a decision as soon as possible, and then take out a few hundred Hong Kong dollars to bet, try to win and solve this urgent problem.

By this time, the sky was already dark, and the neon lights on the roadside were flashing. The night view of Hong Kong was naturally beautiful. Ye Tianhui admired the modernity of Hong Kong people and the prosperity of the lights and wine. She walked slowly forward and finally found a bend. The alley was winding, the corners were dark and damp, and covered with moss. However, judging from the street stalls and the people passing by on the road, this was the cheap place Ye Tianhui was looking for.

She observed carefully and found that this place was obviously different from the surrounding splendid and prosperous places. The density of rooms was very high. There are huge, bottomless tube-shaped buildings one after another, as well as some crooked illegal buildings, barely supported by steel bars and wooden boards. Each pigeon cage has a long clothesline with colorful clothes hanging on it.

Now at night, all the houses were lit up, and the smell of oil smoke and the sound of pots and pans banging could be heard. In front of the building there were people in ragged clothes, and some hooligans who were smoking and looked very unruly. Is it the legendary Young and Dangerous?

Ye Tianhui saw an old man walking with a basket of vegetables next to him, so she went up to ask about it. The old man pointed and said that if you want to rent a house, you can go to Grandma Wang. Grandma Wang’s house is There was an extra house for rent, and the tenant had just moved out.

Ye Tianhui followed the old man's instructions and went to a place. She saw someone cooking there and smelled a sweet and fragrant smell, very strong. , which made Ye Tianhui drool.

After she went over, she greeted them and asked, "Is anyone here?"

She was quite good at learning languages. She had listened carefully to what people said in the past few days and had learned some common expressions. Now, although she didn't speak authentically, she spoke this sentence properly. After

she greeted them, an old lady came out. She was wearing a Chinese cheongsam, had short permed hair, and was holding a cooking spatula.

She saw Ye Tianhui and asked, "What do you want?"

Ye Tianhui mentioned that she wanted to rent a house. She emphasized, "I hope it's cheaper."

The old lady then said that there was a house that was vacant. If Ye Tianhui wanted to go over, she could take a look. Ye Tianhui was naturally interested. Even though she could sleep on the street for a night, she hoped to settle down as soon as possible.

When she asked about the price, she found that it only cost 150 Hong Kong dollars for a room. Ye Tianhui asked carefully again. It included water, electricity and taxes, so the price was not bad.

At this time, the old lady had finished cooking. Ye Tianhui saw that she made honey-glazed chicken wings, which were delicious.

She retracted her gaze and told herself not to look, and then followed the old lady to the rental house.

The front of the building was not clean. The garbage in the trash can was almost overflowing. Outside the corridor were rows of rusty mailboxes. The mailboxes were densely packed, which also showed that there were many residents here.

Following the old lady, we walked up the narrow corridor and went up to the sixth floor. Each house had a small door. The corridor in front of the door was filled with stoves and kitchen utensils. Some people were cooking at this moment, and the pots and pans were clanging.

When the old lady led Ye Tianhui past, from time to time someone would say "Where did this young girl come from?" The old lady would casually say "A new northern girl."

Ye Tianhui walked behind, carefully savoring the meaning of the word "northern girl."

She thought, in fact, she didn't need to deliberately imitate their tone of voice and say something. She thought she was covering up well, but in fact, others could see through it at a glance.

In this city, some people looked at her with a slightly contemptuous look, and some people used their bodies to lie in front of a large truck to gain a glimmer of hope for those poor people who were about to be driven away.

How someone sees her is not important to her.

No matter what, this city as a whole has accommodated her, given her a legal identity, and also given her a glimmer of hope for wealth.

Ye Tianhui followed the old lady into the empty room, which was not really a room, but just a place to sleep.

The first thing she saw at the door was a bunk bed, and under the bed were drawers for storage. On the left was a gold mountain bar, and on the right was a five-barrel cabinet. There were also some storage panels hanging on the wall. These items had filled the entire room, leaving almost no room for footing.

Ye Tianhui asked if she could get it cheaper, and the grandma looked her over and asked, "Where do you work?"

Ye Tianhui listened and roughly understood that she was asking where she worked. Then she said that she had just arrived and received a residence certificate, but she didn't have a job yet and was now "looking for a job."

Grandma sounded a little sympathetic and said: "Then be more tolerant. You can give me some old water first, and then you can make up for it when you get the food."

The food should mean salary, but the old water?

Ye Tianhui was confused: "One old water?"

Grandma waved her hand: "Red shirt fish!"

Ye Tianhui: "?"

Grandma had to say: "One hundred yuan!"

Ye Tianhui guessed and finally understood, one old water, red shirt fish, one hundred mosquitoes, that's one hundred yuan.

Because the one hundred Hong Kong dollar is red, it is called red shirt fish.

She was naturally grateful after hearing this, and immediately reached an agreement with the old lady. She took out a red-shirted fish and gave it to the old lady, and settled down here.

She had neither bedding nor clothes, but it didn't matter, as having a place to shelter from the wind and rain was good enough.

After settling down, she looked around again. Here, cooking was done in the corridor, and the toilet and bathroom were shared. Of course, this didn't matter to her.

She wanted to make a fortune and earn a lot of money. Living here was just a temporary measure, and it was good enough to make do.

She also found that there were all kinds of people here, including prostitutes and gangsters. Of course, some people looked at her with strange eyes, which clearly had other intentions.

But that didn't matter anymore.

Anyway, she had already decided that if no one offended me, I would not offend anyone. If anyone came to provoke her, she would beat them up and then rob them of their money. She

would rob them openly and justly!

She also asked around and bought a bath towel, a quilt, two sets of simple clothes, and of course some toiletries from a nearby grocery store.

She asked the uncles here and bought a spittoon and a mosquito net.

These cost her a lot of money, but after buying these, she really felt that she had settled down.

She walked back with her things, and when she reached the corridor, she saw a few uncles chatting there, and it seemed that they were discussing "horse racing".

Ye Tianhui deliberately slowed down her pace and pricked up her ears to listen.

It seemed that one of the uncles was a horse fanatic. He held a horse racing book and a pen in his hand, and calculated the odds of winning and odds in the dim light of the shop next to him. He knew all the racehorses by heart, such as "Good Daddy" and "Unfortunate", which sounded like famous horses that had won several times in a row.

He also mentioned a man named Ke Zhiming: "Ke Zhiming will also participate in the race, he will definitely win!"

A young man next to him heard this and asked mysteriously: "Have you heard the "secret tips" today? Can you buy it?"

The uncle waved his hands and shook his head repeatedly: "You don't understand, you can't buy it. Don't look at any secret tips for horse racing, you have to rely on yourself."

Ye Tianhui stood aside and listened for a while. She knew that the uncle's surname was Sun. Uncle Sun had been studying horse racing for decades and obviously knew a lot.

This tip seemed to be a secret, like gossip or something, which experienced horse racing professionals analyzed and sold to ordinary people to make money.

She listened carefully and knew that the Jockey Club's racecourse was open to the public, and ordinary citizens could go over and watch through the fence. Of course, there was a fee and certain safety regulations had to be met.

It was a trouble, but it was fine as long as you could watch.

She listened to it and went back with her things. It was already very late, and she didn't know the time, but looking at the stars in the sky, it was estimated to be after ten o'clock in the evening.

She ran to the bathroom to take a shower. The bathroom was naturally shared and very small. It could only accommodate four or five people at most. There were only three shower heads. It was obvious that there would be a queue during peak hours. Fortunately, there were fewer people at this time.

Ye Tianhui took a serious shower and cleaned herself from head to toe. She also used shower gel. The shower gel had the scent of jasmine. Ye Tianhui felt it was a bit pungent. She didn't like the scent, but she endured it.

In her eyes now, this jasmine shower gel is stability, relaxation, and proof that she is finally living like a human being, instead of being chased and scolded by others, or hiding secretly in an abandoned stairwell.

After taking a shower, she held her wet hair in a towel and went back to her room. When the wind blew, Ye Tianhui felt cool and refreshed. She felt relaxed all over.

These days, she first soaked in the sea water, then hid from place to place, living like a beggar. Now she is finally clean and comfortable. She even thinks that the scent of jasmine on her body smells good.

She smells so good!

She walked into her room, closed the door, threw her body on the bed, and lay there comfortably, looking at the ceiling, thinking about the words she had just heard.

Tomorrow, she will try to sneak into the racecourse, preferably to watch the horse racing up close, and place a bet as soon as she can figure out some tricks.

After placing the bet, if I have time, I will try to find out about the Ye family's situation and see if I can meet her father and test his thoughts.