Chapter 236 Rooftop Postman (End) 2-in-1
Because part of the runway of the nearby airport was built using the former city walls of the Walled City, airplanes would soon reach the sky above the Walled City after taking off, causing a huge roar. After people got used to this rule, an unwritten rule emerged on the east side of the Walled City.
Use the roar of airplanes to cover up the sound of gunfire that is taking away fresh lives.
If this "cover" is missed, then this person will not die today.
Seeing that the people who witnessed his execution were only a young man and the postman in the walled city, Brother Xiong stared at the two of them coldly for a long time, and finally took back the Tokarev in his hand.
"You know what to do. If I hear any rumors later..." Brother Xiong made a gesture of wiping his neck, warned the two of them, and then left with his men.
It's not impossible to silence them all, but one of them is the postman in the Walled City. If they attack him, then the whole Walled City will know what they did today.
Just think of it as giving face to Mr. Cao.
Watching Xiong Ge leading the group away, Jia Hui and Wei Zai ran back to the west hand in hand, still in shock. After confirming that this corner of the rooftop was safe and no one was around, they finally relaxed.
"Why did you risk helping me?"
"I just don't want to see a good policeman disappear into obscurity because of this."
After hearing this, Wei Zai secretly looked at Jia Hui again: deep in the eyes of this postman, there was the same indescribable light as his own.
And he looks a little familiar...
So, Wei Zai couldn’t help but think of what his boss, Mr. Li, had said before: “Newcomers” are not suitable, so what about “old employees”?
He probably knew that Li Sir had a secret undercover agent in the Walled City to inform him, so that every patrol work could be completed safely, but he had no news about who this undercover agent was - but now it seems that the answer is about to come out.
After returning home, Wei Zai took out the photo that he had seen countless times.
Seeing the person with only half of his face exposed in the lower left corner of the photo, whose features were identical to those of the postman who saved him today, Wei Zai immediately smiled knowingly.
While I was deep in thought, I suddenly received a call from the police station.
"What? Mr. Li was beaten by gangsters today and is now unconscious in the hospital?" Wei Zai was shocked when he heard it. "Okay, I will go over and sort out the files he left behind."
After knowing that his boss's injury was not serious and that he only needed to sort out the files and wait for him to be discharged from the hospital without having to hand them over to anyone else, Wei Zai breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly packed his things and went out.
Back in the Walled City, a group of people were watching the news on a TV in a grocery store.
"Today's latest news: Hongfa Real Estate has successfully acquired most of the land in Kowloon Walled City, and will soon join hands with other real estate companies to carry out the demolition and new construction of Kowloon Walled City..." On the old TV with a few "snowflakes" sprinkled from time to time, the dignified-looking announcer was speaking in the calmest tone, saying words that made the people in the Walled City feel like a bolt from the blue.
"How could this happen? Didn't Uncle He from the Welfare Association ask us to sign our names or put our fingerprints on a petition to boycott the demolition? He also said that it's very likely that we'll be able to succeed again?" An old man sat down on the wet ground, his face filled with fear and disbelief. "Uncle He is such a good man, there's no reason for him to lie to us..."
"What a piece of shit he is! He Defu, that bastard, has already been in touch with Hongfa!" A middle-aged man cursed angrily, "He sold us for a good price, and now he has moved out with his grandson!"
"Uncle He ran away?!" everyone asked angrily.
"I saw the news in the newspaper this morning and wanted to ask him what happened, but I found out that not only his home but also the fish ball factory was closed!" The middle-aged man was an employee of Uncle Ho's fish ball factory. The more he talked, the angrier he became. "He paid a small amount of demolition fee, and now he has lost his job. What will my whole family do in the future..."
Seeing the middle-aged man squatting helplessly, many people fell silent.
Yun Ji, who was standing far away and watching coldly, turned around and quietly left this place filled with helplessness and sadness.
Ah Rong noticed that she was not in a good condition and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you?"
"I thought I should be very happy after seeing this scene..." Yun Ji shook his head, "but I don't know why, I don't feel happy at all. Instead, I don't know what to think or do."
When she was helping Uncle Ho repair the machinery in his fish ball factory, she discovered something wrong with the so-called "Civil Petition": few of the middle-aged and elderly people in the walled city knew a few big characters, but Uncle Ho's document used particularly complicated words and English, which she presumably meant to be a disguised form of the original.
At that time, she did not expose it. Instead, she was looking forward to what the people in the walled city would do when they discovered this problem.
But after seeing this scene today, she found that she was not as happy as she had expected.
On the contrary, she even began to doubt whether she was right to do that.
"This proves that in your heart, there is more love than hate." Ah Rong, who was walking on her left, smiled: the person in front of him kept saying that he wanted revenge and wanted to see the people of the Walled City suffer, but in fact, he could not do or bear to see such a thing.
The two walked in silence in the alley they had walked through countless times. In the dim light, the person on the left moved his hand, as if he wanted to grab the person on the right.
Unfortunately, his hesitant fingertips trembled a bit, and he finally withdrew his deeply buried affection.
The Walled City will soon be demolished, and these stolen moments will finally come to an end, along with their unfulfilled goals, buried in this area that will soon become history.
At this time, the wandering Yun Ji suddenly stepped forward and suggested that she could take Long Po out for a look.
Hearing this, Long Po, who was rejected by other neighbors who were busy packing up their things, smiled at Yun Ji with gratitude: "Thank you, they are too busy to take me out, and I don't dare to go out alone..."
The old man and the young boy, who usually disliked each other, finally put aside their grudges and laughed it off at this moment.
Sitting on the bus, Luang Po chattered to the two people: "After I came down from the mainland, I have been living in the walled city and have never left. I didn't expect that at this age, I have to go out..."
But the outside world changed too fast. The hustle and bustle of the world opened Long Po's eyes, but also filled her old face with worry about the unknown future.
Walking with full of sorrow, I accidentally took the wrong road.
"Be careful!" Yun Ji was quick-witted and quick-handed, and pushed the person aside at the moment when the truck was about to hit Long Po.
Ah Rong, who was buying ice cream nearby, and Wei Zai, who was passing by, were shocked and hurriedly crossed the road and ran towards the two people who had fallen to the ground.
Only after carrying the two people to the hospital for X-ray treatment did Ah Rong turn around and look at Wei Zai who was kind enough to help: "Thank you so much this time."
"No need to be so polite. Any normal person would help immediately if they see something like this." Wei Zai said with a smile.
During the conversation, the doctor pulled open the curtain and explained to Ah Rong that Long Po had only suffered a relatively minor injury, with no bone damage, and was now receiving medicine and bandages.
"What about Xiaoyun?" A Rong asked anxiously.
"She just had minor scratches, but..." The doctor pulled him to a corner and whispered to him the bad news: the blood test report showed that Yun Ji was suspected of having leukemia.
"Sir, are you okay?" Ah Rong's body swayed when he heard the news, and the doctor was so scared that he hurriedly grabbed his shoulders, fearing that he would suddenly fall down due to the shock.
Wei Zai, who was standing not far away politely, saw this scene and his pupils shrank: if this man called "Ah Rong" grew a beard and wore glasses...
The reason his brother's action failed was that he was betrayed by his friends.
However, after his near-death experience in the Walled City, Wei Zai no longer had his previous impulsiveness and recklessness.
Wai Tsai clenched his fists and watched the backs of Ah Rong and the other two as they left. He followed them secretly and after getting the addresses of the two in the walled city, he left the walled city silently.
When Ah Rong returned home, he tossed and turned all night long, but he still didn't tell her the true situation of Yun Ji.
The next day, the two were awakened by screams outside.
"What happened?" Ah Rong asked, grabbing a child as he hurriedly put on his coat and walked out.
"Luang Po turned herself into a duck and hung herself on the beam!" The young child did not yet understand the boundary between life and death, and said with great innocence what sounded extremely cruel and terrifying to adults.
But what is even more terrifying is that the two people who arrived at the door of Long Po's house also saw the bleakness and hopelessness of life in the eyes of some elderly people who were watching.
The volunteer from the welfare association was packing things in the house. When she saw Yunji coming, she handed her a small paper package and said, "Your name is written on it. Maybe Long Po wants to give it to you."
It had been more than a day or two since Long Po had been in arrears with various fees, so the volunteers thought that this was Long Po's plan to repay the debt to Yun Kee before her death.
雲記顫抖着手打開，映入眼中的卻不是意料的殘舊零錢，而是一些零零散散的報紙剪貼：《弘發遇難工人遺孀吞清潔劑自殺》、《幼女慘遭燒傷，親人棄之不管》、《城寨群衆為弘發遇難工人讨要撫恤金》、《為錢為情？城寨燒傷幼女終被舅父領養》……
除去那些粗體黑字标題，底下的詳情報道，更是詳細地寫出了當年舅父家明明生意失敗、但突然就有了資金周轉的往事，以至于寫這篇報道的記者，在最後忍不住加上了懷疑是舅父家吞了雲父撫恤金的猜測……
“原來，我一直以為的，都是錯的……”想起舅母臨終前用嘶啞的聲音和她道歉的舊事，雲記這才明白：原來當年舅母的道歉，并不是覺得再也沒法照顧她和連累她休學在醫院護理傷患的原因，而是為了他們家欺騙了她那麽多年而道歉。
可惜，最讓人心情複雜的是，直到生命的最後一刻，舅父舅母也都還是沒有說出真相。
而城寨裏那些曾經幫過她的所有人，也一直都在隐瞞着這個殘酷的真相，寧願被她所怨恨，也沒有把真相說出來，擊碎她這些年來自欺欺人的幻夢。
就連阿榮，也是一樣。
寂靜的夜裏，啜泣不停的雲記，被阿榮第一次擁入了懷裏，極盡溫柔地安撫勸慰。
但是直到最後，兩人之間也只有一個落在額間的輕吻，暗喻着兩顆心的癡纏吸引和無奈距離。
城寨裏看不到淩晨的第一縷光，唯有是鬧鐘滴滴滴地響起，在彰顯其存在感的同時，也是告訴了世人新的一天将要到來。
緩了過來的雲記，提着工具箱匆匆出門。
知道她是對照着名單前去道歉的阿榮，深深地嘆了一聲。
好不容易将心裏的複雜情緒按捺下來之後，阿榮在一邊做早飯一邊看城寨歷史資料的時候，腦海裏忽然閃過了雲記之前的話。
我一直以為的，都是錯的……
如果他們一直以為的，都是錯的——那麽，阿強當初的提示，到底是什麽意思？
那個東西，藏在城寨最不可能使用的地方，但是人們對它的存在習以為常。
滾燙的熱油随着鍋鏟卷起面餅的動作而炸開，被飛濺油點燙了一下的阿榮甩了甩手，低頭看向鐵鍋裏那塊卷起的面餅。
剎那間，腦子裏那些一直揮之不去卻又無法抓捕的、繁複的、封存的線索脈絡，在這一個瞬間閃現、彙合、交融……
匆忙跑到城寨那兩門廢棄大炮旁邊的阿榮，四下看看确認周邊空無一人之後，喘着粗氣，摩挲翻尋起來。
城寨早年還叫“砦城”之前，乃是清軍的駐點，自然也是擁有着兩門負責防禦攻擊的大炮，不過直到清軍撤離那年，這兩門炮都沒有被使用過。
後來清軍離開了這裏，各地貧苦人民聚集起來後，這兩門炮，也被城寨人當成是紀念，留在了這裏。
這是最顯而易見、最習以為常到城寨裏頭的人們，都不覺得它們的存在有什麽問題的東西……
從滿是鏽跡的彈藥填充機括裏艱難又小心地取出一個塑料小包，阿榮快速地将這裏回複原狀之後，又再轉頭，馬不停蹄地跑回了家裏。
将消息通過約定的暗號發給了聯系人之後，阿榮看着手裏的賬簿，一個違背初衷的大膽想法突然生出。
當夜，在李Sir辦公室裏接受到暗號信息的偉仔，匆忙趕到了城西的某個堆積貨物的角落。
肩上中了一槍的阿榮看到來人，頗為驚訝：“怎麽是你？！”
“李Sir最近在醫院，我幫他整理檔案，收到暗號的人也是我。”偉仔小聲解釋了一下，“既然你良心發現彌補過錯，我也應該給你一次機會……”
聽完偉仔的話，阿榮苦笑了一下：“沒辦法，當年是為了小雲的手術費，現在，也是……”
“但是你為什麽又要通知警方？”偉仔追問道。
“我手上這份東西是假的，真的那份在小雲家裏，我也給她留了暗號。”阿榮縮在一邊，用破布包紮着肩膀，“我以為可以就這樣瞞天過海，拿到足夠的手術費……”
“你當年已經錯了一次，為什麽還要一錯再錯？！”想到他明明已經打算将賬簿交給警方，卻又在打着短暫的時間信息差而想要一魚兩吃的操作，偉仔咬牙切齒地說。
“沒有為什麽，你記得我是個出賣朋友的叛徒好了，賬簿我會留給你立功，錢我會帶着，和小雲遠走高飛……”阿榮別過頭，看向追趕而來的一大群黑影。
不料，一番混戰裏，竟是巷戰經驗不足的偉仔先一步中槍倒地。
“我掩護你離開，但你要記得，出去之後，還我哥哥一個清白！”當年卧底行動失敗之後，阿強始終無法恢複警察身份下葬，這是偉仔心裏永遠的痛。
“新來的郵差是李Sir安插在城寨裏面的卧底，你去找他，他會幫你離開城寨！”偉仔挪動着傷腿躲到貨物背後，低聲吼道。
“他也是卧底？”阿榮皺了皺眉，但現在的情況由不得他多想，咬牙看了負傷頑抗的偉仔一眼後，終于還是起身往另一邊走去，“放心，你哥哥會一直都清清白白的……”
一路奔逃到家輝所住的棚屋門面時，被家輝帶進去的阿榮，卻是看到了一個令他絕對無法接受的場面。
滿身是血的雲記躺在木板床上，無論曹老伯如何按住她腹部的傷口，都是無濟于事。
血流了一地，他的心，似乎也碎了一地。
“發生了，什麽事？”阿榮的聲音幾乎輕不可聞。
“雲記去弘發的公司裏幫我們偷合同，被弘發的人發現了……”曹老伯語氣沉重，“而她逃回來的時候，人們都以為是她被外面的仇家追，她平時人緣又不好，所以沒有人開門讓她躲一下……”
此時的雲記已經完全說不出聲音來了，虛弱無力的手往前動了動，立刻就被阿榮緊緊抓住。
但即使沒有任何聲音，他也能看得出，她用嘴形，對他說了三個字：對不起。
她一直都知道兩人之間的那種在這些年的相處裏，無可避免地生出的情愫；不過因為兩人之間隔着一個間接因她而死的阿強，所以已經猜到真相的她，還是一直都自欺欺人地把叛徒的名義安在他身上，盡量用最冷漠的态度，隔開兩人的距離。
亦因此，兩個人最終便都沒能揭破那層觸手可破的窗戶紙。
而在那雙褐色眼睛失去了所有光彩的同時，阿榮的眼中，似乎亦随之失去了一直堅持的光。
避開曹老伯之後，萬念俱灰的阿榮，把雲記偷回的合同和自己找到的賬簿，一起交給了家輝。
随後，他用手阖上了雲記的眼睛，抱着她消失在了這個多災多難的深夜裏。
太陽自地平線上升起，被發現了情況的李Sir送到醫院搶救的偉仔，總算是悠悠轉醒。
但他這次醒來，面對的卻是過往一切的颠覆：當年洩密導致卧底行動失敗的人，不是阿榮，而是他哥哥阿強。
為了籌夠女朋友小雲的手術費，阿強把賬簿的消息告訴了弘發，想要用來換錢。
可惜的是，阿強并不是弘發那些人的對手，不但錢沒拿到，連自己也搭了出去。
臨終時，阿強用賬簿埋藏處的信息提示，和被他出賣的朋友阿榮交換，讓他幫忙照顧女朋友小雲。
而阿榮用自己所有的積蓄，再加上預支了行動的部分資金，湊齊了小雲的手術費，後來亦一直隐在城寨裏，與扮作“富婆”的李Sir用暗語信件傳遞消息。
而阿榮會甘願背負“出賣朋友”的叛徒之名這麽多年，除了當初是他親手抓住重傷瀕死的阿強之外，亦是因為他在那些年裏，逐漸喜歡上了好友的女友——在這一方面，他承認是背叛了朋友。
所以，即使阿強“殉職”，警方也沒有恢複他的身份的原因，而不是偉仔所以為的，為了繼續卧底行動而将一切都隐瞞了起來。
“如果你在城寨裏的聯系人一直都只是阿榮的話，那曹家輝……”偉仔面露駭色。
鏡頭随着他的視線，轉移到病房牆上的電視機上，相貌端莊的播報員，依然用她那溫和平靜的語氣，解說着九龍城寨的拆遷工作。
以及，新上任的設計師們。
“這位設計師隊伍之一的曹家輝先生乃是城寨出身，請問為何你會主動申請，加入城寨的拆遷與重建工作之中呢？”
“因為我想看到香江更好的未來。”
“但是國外有很多人都認為，城寨是近代的、一個難得的人為奇跡，還有不少人聯名上書，請求保留一部分作為紀念博物館……”
"If dirt, chaos and squalor can be considered miracles and souls, I would rather it never existed - something built on pain cannot be called true aesthetics. What I want to see is that Hong Kong people will have a cleaner, more comfortable and beautiful home..."
As his seemingly hopeful words fell, in the background that was not captured on the camera screen, a group of wailing old people were driven out of the walled city by strong workers in protective clothing like animals.
"The house inside is going to be demolished soon. It's very dangerous. Come out and stay here!" the worker shouted in a rough voice.
"That's the home we've lived in for decades!" The elderly burst into tears. "How can you treat an elderly person like this? Where is justice?"
"Justice? Justice is - when the time comes, you shouldn't live that long, occupying the place of the young and hindering the rotation of the earth! Now it's good, you can't get to the shore at both ends, you will have to suffer in the future!"
"We are old, but can we be blamed for this..." The old people looked sad and hopeless.
Watching his old neighbor of several decades come to such a miserable end with grief in his eyes, Mr. Cao grabbed his grandson's sleeve angrily and said, "Did you see that?! Tell me, is this how people are going to be treated when they get old?!"
"Of course I don't think so. They are the ones who refuse to accept new things and insist on clinging to the dirty, messy and slums of the past!" Jiahui tightly grasped the drawings in his hand: He sacrificed so much to become one of the chief designers, why did his grandfather only know how to blame and scold him?
Although he lied to his grandfather and said he was resigning, he actually agreed to the company's undercover plan and sneaked into the walled city to draw drawings of the internal situation. He even handed over all the things that Ah Rong and Yun Kee left for him to the company... But he also did it for the future of Hong Kong!
"Reform is bound to be accompanied by bloodshed and sacrifice. This is inevitable in the course of historical development!" Jiahui said, arguing with reason. "Places like this should have disappeared long ago!"
"Do you think the walled city can be destroyed like this? No, never..." Angry at Jiahui's attitude that he still thought what he did was right, Uncle Cao covered his chest and fell to the ground in pain.
His grandson is still too young to see the truth of the world...
The scene changes, and under the urging of Jiahui's girlfriend, "See what inheritance your grandfather left you," Jiahui opens a letter left for him by Mr. Cao.
There was no proof of assets inside, only nine crooked words: The Walled City will never disappear.
Dissatisfied with his grandfather's behavior of going against him until his last moment, Jiahui threw the letter aside and hurriedly went to the street outside the walled city with his briefcase.
Staring at the shattered building ahead, Jiahui held up a blueprint of a large commercial and residential building and smiled with great happiness.
In the accelerated empty shot, everything in the world develops in a short period of time. High-rise buildings are erected from flat ground, razed to the ground, old buildings are replaced by new ones, and vast seas are filled with land...
Until the news on TV, the time was clearly marked as 2012, thirty years later.
"Today, another robbery and murder case occurred in Chongqing Building. The deceased, Mr. He, was stabbed dozens of times and failed to receive treatment..." The announcer reported another murder case expressionlessly. The Chongqing Building, a mid- to high-end residential building that people once yearned for, has now become a new "Kowloon Walled City for ethnic minorities."
His temples have turned a grey, gray hue. Looking at the old man sitting on the rooftop in grief over the death of his grandson, I vaguely recognize him as Uncle Ho, who sold out his relatives and friends in the walled city in order to escape from it and change his social class.
"It seems that Xingzai lives in Chongqing Mansion, is that right?" Jiahui looked at his wife.
"Isn't it?" the old wife said with disdain, "It's his father's fault for not being able to do great things and not accumulating good karma. He did so many things but in the end he only got back a one-bedroom tofu block in Quarry Yong. Now he can't live in Chongqing Mansion anymore. He may have to move into one of those 'coffin houses' in the future..."
Jiahui was silent for a while, then slowly stood up and went back to the room to search on the desk.
The older generation likes to use a large piece of glass to cover the desk. On the one hand, it can prevent the desktop from being scratched. On the other hand, some information can be pressed under the glass for reference when writing at the desk.
Therefore, in the places not blocked by Jiahui’s body, under the transparent glass, there were yellowed newspaper clippings: “Police undercover sent electronic evidence, exposing Hongfa’s crimes”, “Old people from the Walled City reported: many people have committed suicide”, “Hongfa collapsed overnight, major real estate companies rushed to pick up the leaks”, “Government took back the land in the Walled City and planned to build a memorial park”, “Chongqing Mansion homicide statistics in the past 30 years”, “Quarry Yong has another new building plan”…
After putting his hands behind his back and handing over his savings to his wife so that she could use it to rent an apartment for their son Xingzai, Jiahui dragged his old and heavy body to the rooftop.
Sitting quietly on the rooftop and looking at the buildings in other places is his usual way of calming down.
His shaking hands can no longer draw the perfect blueprints he used to, but his heart is still soaring in the dream of future construction.
Suddenly, the loud roar of an airplane once again passed over our heads - because there is an international airport nearby, when the airplane leaves the airport and flies over Sha Tin, it will also turn south and pass by Quarry Springs.
But even such noise and increasingly densely built commercial buildings cannot stop people's desire to have a home.
He watched with his own eyes as the area that was once an industrial and residential area was filled with new buildings rising up next to the building where he lived, dividing the area into separate parts.
Sometimes, when looking down from the rooftop, the empty spaces surrounded by tall buildings look like the huge mouth of a monster, waiting to devour the blood and flesh of ordinary people.
Looking at the high-rise buildings that are gradually being built in the distance, spreading out in the afterglow of the setting sun, Jiahui seemed to have returned to the twilight of the rooftop with the huge roar.
He had thought that the existence of the Walled City, a deformed collection of coincidences, was a historical stain, but at this moment, he finally understood that the birth and development of the Walled City was not accidental.
It was only today that he realized the true meaning of the last letter that his grandfather sent before his death.
As long as capital exists in this world, the walled city will never disappear.