Chapter 229 Welcome Home
After experiencing the "flag-raising baptism", Aqiang was eager to complete his work and return to Hong Kong Island.
Over the years, all the information Ah Qiang had come across about the mainland was biased and demonized.
Now when he looked at the people around him, he always felt that they were all the crazy red believers in the legend.
So during the entire flag-raising process, Aqiang pretended to be mute, for fear that others would discover that he was a "running dog of XXism", and then their red eyes would flood over him like a tide, and his weak arms and legs would be unable to resist.
But what you fear will come true. After everyone finished watching the flag-raising ceremony and Zou Zhiguo was about to take Aqiang to have breakfast, everyone around them looked at Aqiang. The collective attention scared Aqiang.
Aqiang was once a brave man who wielded a machete in Causeway Bay, but now he was holding Zou Zhiguo's arm, looking as pitiful as a kindergarten kid leaning on his teacher.
He really didn't understand. He had black hair and yellow skin. He didn't say a word and didn't look around. How could he be "discovered" by someone?
Just when Aqiang was getting anxious, an elderly man with white hair asked Zou Zhiguo: "Is this a foreign guest? A Japanese? Or a Korean?"
Zou Zhiguo, who was of a sullen temperament, said: "He is not a foreign guest, he is a compatriot from Hong Kong Island. Don't look at him like that, it will scare him."
“.”
“Hahahahaha~”
There was silence in the square at first, and then there was a burst of laughter.
"He's a fellow countryman from Hong Kong Island! What is he afraid of?"
"That's right! We are all family, don't be afraid."
“.”
The old man who had spoken at the beginning patted Aqiang on the shoulder and said, "I see you are carrying luggage. You just got off the train and haven't eaten yet, right? I know a very good breakfast shop. Come on, let me take you there."
"No, we can do it ourselves."
"What do you mean you don't need to? How can I not treat you to a meal when you are already in my house? Come on, come on."
The old man picked up Aqiang's luggage and led the way.
A Qiang was confused and was dragged away from the flag-raising square.
Only then did he carefully ask Zou Zhiguo: "How did they recognize that I was different?"
Zou Zhiguo said sullenly, "Because your clothes are different from others."
“.”
A Qiang was stunned for a moment, then he noticed that his fashionable sportswear and the new Nike shoes on his feet were out of tune with the surroundings.
Ever since Pei Wencong became rich, Aqiang's quality of life has skyrocketed. As a bachelor, he can't spend all the 3,000 Hong Kong dollars a month, so naturally he is wearing all fashionable brands.
It was fine when it was dark, but now that it was light, I stood out in the crowd.
"Then why are they so enthusiastic all of a sudden?"
What Aqiang felt most deeply was the change in the attitude of the people around him.
When everyone looked at him at first, it was as if they were looking at a "monster", but after everyone burst into laughter, it suddenly became different. He had never felt that kind of heartfelt enthusiasm before.
Zou Zhiguo still said sullenly: "Because you are not a foreign guest, you are a compatriot, one of our own."
"One of our own?"
A Qiang was a little hesitant. He was not sure whether he was "one of them". But when he thought about the time when he was hanging out on the streets, if a big boss wanted to "protect" you, and you didn't know how to appreciate it, haha.
[Forget it, the British Hong Kong government doesn’t consider me one of their own anyway.]
As we entered the breakfast shop, the old man's loud voice rang out.
"This is a compatriot from Hong Kong Island. He just got off the train and went to the square to watch the flag-raising ceremony. He hasn't eaten yet."
“.”
"Come, come, come and sit next to me."
"What do you want to eat? It's my treat!"
"Try mine first, it's hot from the pan."
Aqiang experienced that brief tranquility again, and then was treated with "epic" enthusiasm.
The best seats were given away.
Before we even had time to wait for the waiter to serve us, all the food items were piled on the table, in double portions.
The person in charge of the breakfast shop came out and asked Aqiang if he had any special requests.
Aqiang was completely confused.
He had no idea that he was just a poor kid in Hong Kong Island who was not loved by his grandmother and uncle. How could he deserve to be treated like this?
Because Aqiang has no idea what raising the national flag means in the eyes of the Chinese people.
A traveler who just came back from Hong Kong Island went to watch the flag-raising ceremony without taking a rest or having a meal right after getting off the train. What kind of behavior is this?
"Eat it, eat it! Try it and see how it tastes."
Many people were watching and laughing at Aqiang, which made Aqiang feel very uncomfortable.
The northerners’ eating habits tend to be salty, and Aqiang was not used to it, but he ate it silently, and tasted an indescribable warmth in the salty taste.
A Qiang couldn't remember which year it was, it seemed to be the second or third year after he came out of the welfare home. There was also an older brother who gave him warmth, took him out to eat, took him dancing, and took him to chop people.
Aqiang thought that was the warmth of family mentioned in the books.
But suddenly one day, the big brother asked him to take the blame for a disaster and he had to stay in the kiln for at least five years.
Just when Aqiang gritted his teeth and was ready to take the blame for the sake of loyalty, he met Pei Wencong, and then became what he is now.
Pei Wencong is a nice person, but he is very stingy. And after what happened with his elder brother, Aqiang became unruly and thought that this was a world where people eat each other, so how could there be any warmth?
But at this moment, facing the eyes of many people around him, he always felt that this was a different world.
“Ahem…”
Perhaps because he was preoccupied with something, or perhaps because he was eating too fast due to his enthusiasm, Aqiang suddenly choked and started coughing continuously.
A little girl of about seven or eight years old who was standing next to Aqiang quickly handed him her millet porridge.
"Uncle, you drink my bowl, I didn't stretch out my mouth"
A Qiang was choking, so he took the drink and drank it. It took him a lot of effort to swallow the food in his throat.
At this time, the little girl timidly said something under the instigation of her family.
"Uncle, welcome home!"
Aqiang: “.”
Although the little girl's expression was not so natural, a little stiff and timid, but that cautious look completely broke Aqiang's defense.
"Am I home yet?"
"I have no home."
How can a child who grew up in an orphanage have a home?
A Qiang is not a scheming person, otherwise he would not have confronted even his boss Pei Wencong. He was so excited that tears instantly rolled down his eyes.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"What did he say?"
Because Aqiang was speaking Cantonese, no one around him understood him, but when they saw that he made the person cry, they immediately became nervous.
Zou Zhiguo had no choice but to say, "He said he has no home. In fact, don't be too enthusiastic. He just came to the mainland and may not be able to adapt well."
Aqiang was listed as an "orphan" in the registration documents when he came to the mainland, so Zou Zhiguo knew about it, but because he was concerned about personal feelings, he did not explain it to everyone.
The white-haired old man quickly called out, "Everyone, make way. Don't scare the child."
The people around quickly stood up and made room for Aqiang.
The little girl, who was about seven or eight years old, thought that she had made Aqiang cry, so she pursed her lips and huddled close to her family, tears of grievance almost coming out.
After a while, Aqiang wiped away his tears, stood up, bowed to the people around him, and said in very unstandard Mandarin: "I'm sorry, thank you everyone, it's my own fault that caused everyone to misunderstand me."
"What kind of misunderstanding is this? Man, you eat first and be full first."
"I'm full."
A Qiang searched around for his luggage, opened one of the handbags, and took out a Walkman from it.
He walked up to the little girl, squatted down and handed her the Walkman.
"Thank you, little sister. This is a gift from your uncle."
"I can't have it."
The little girl was obviously a little panicked and quickly hid behind her family.
The little girl's mother also quickly declined, "No, no, no, I can't accept this. Please don't be so polite."
Aqiang was a little embarrassed, but he still insisted: "Since we are going home, we must bring some gifts for our family."
“.”
"Big sister, please accept it! We, the men in the capital, promise to repay you for this favor."
"That's right, my tricycle is outside! No matter where he goes later, I will give him a ride for free."
The little girl's mother was in a dilemma, and finally took the Walkman embarrassedly.
“Pah pah pah pah~”
The warm applause made Aqiang feel uncomfortable, but the smiles on the faces of the people around him made him feel warm and comfortable in his heart.
“Crack~”
A young man in the corner took a photo.
Then she came over and said, "Hello, I'm Pan Xiaoqing, a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily. This is my work ID. May I interview you?"
"Interview?" A Qiang thought for a moment and shook his head, "That's not very convenient. I still have work to do and I'm in a hurry."
Pan Xiaoqing immediately asked, "Are you here in Beijing to work? Can you tell us what your job is?"
A Qiang was stunned for a moment and looked at Zou Zhiguo again.
Zou Zhiguo looked at the curious eyes of the people around him, frowned and said, "Show them your letter of introduction."
In 1983, if a Hong Konger appeared in Beijing and was asked by a reporter, you might get into trouble if you didn't explain clearly.
A Qiang also found a letter of introduction from Blue Ocean Publishing House in his luggage.
As soon as Pan Xiaoqing saw it, he felt that his news material had arrived.
"This Mr. Huo Renqiang was invited to Beijing to discuss a literary cooperation project with the Beijing University Lone Army Literary Society. He is a cultural figure who came to exchange ideas."
"So he is a cultured person! He is so young and promising."
"Alas~, you can't judge a person by his age. People with knowledge are different."
“.”
Aqiang was very embarrassed.
If you say he is a handsome guy, he can readily accept it. If you say he is a cultural figure, he can also barely make that claim, after all, comic book artists are also cultural figures, right?
But if you say that Aqiang is young and promising, he would feel a little embarrassed.
He is knowledgeable
I'm so ashamed! I didn't even graduate from junior high school!
After leaving the breakfast shop, the tricycle driver insisted on taking this order for free, so A Qiang and Zou Zhiguo had no choice but to take the tricycle to Peking University.
And the reporter Pan Xiaoqing followed behind on a bicycle.
Ah Qiang kept looking back on the tricycle, and finally asked Zou Zhiguo in Cantonese: "Mr. Zou, that reporter has been following us, will there be any trouble?"
In Hong Kong Island, wherever reporters appear, some "situations" are bound to occur, so Aqiang is very worried.
Zou Zhiguo said: "Don't worry, at most you will just become famous."
Ah Qiang was surprised and asked, "Famous? Who is famous?"
Zou Zhiguo said: "Who else? You!"
“.”
(End of this chapter)
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