Chapter 2

After taking out the money, Song Shu had time to observe the layout of the entire room.

The total area of ​​the room is not large, about 80 square meters, but it is large compared with the Hong Kong residences that were later called pigeon houses.

The back area of ​​more than 30 square meters is divided into an accommodation room, consisting of two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen.

The two bedrooms are less than ten square meters each, one for the male protagonist and one for his older brother.

There is a small kitchen on the left outside the bathroom which is a few square meters.

The kitchen is not very big, about the same size as the bathroom. The wall connecting to the living room is separated by several transparent glass panels, on which are pasted two moldy upside-down Chinese characters for "Fu".

The living room is about ten square meters. There is a long wooden table in the middle of the wall, on which is placed a 20-inch color TV. Opposite it is a peeling brown leather sofa. There is a small long dining table against the wall of the front room, and some scattered things are piled up in other places.

Because this room is on the first floor and faces the street, my sister-in-law previously separated out a space of about 10 to 40 square meters in the front to sell fruits.

However, this business was closed down a month before my sister-in-law was about to run away.

When Song Shu opened the small door connecting the front and back, all she saw was an empty space with several wooden racks that had previously been used to store fruits.

The banquet was held here yesterday. The two tables were borrowed from a neighbor. After the banquet, the tables were moved away, and the room became much emptier.

There is another house on the right side of the room and it is a corner on the left side. My sister-in-law had opened two windows on the left wall before, so the room is not too dark.

Song Shu pulled Jiahui aside and walked towards the door, and it took them a while to pull up the roller shutter door.

This is the roller shutter that the original character in the book forgot to pull down when he ran away. If it was pulled down, the little girl would not be able to open it with her strength, so she might not be abducted and wait for the hero to come back, and the original character could have successfully escaped.

As the rolling door clicked, all the noise from outside the street came in, along with a familiar song that was playing in some store.

"Why do I like you?

Love is a burden, loving each other is like suffering,

My heart is now filled with tears.

The old love is so intoxicating that I am afraid to pursue it again.

I just want to see you."

Listening to her mother's favorite song "I Just Like You" and looking at the shops with various signs and neon lights hanging outside the doors, Song Shu finally felt that she was in Hong Kong in the 1980s.

When Song Shu opened this door, she had the same illusion as when she saw a door in science fiction movies opening through time and space.

At this moment, the little hand in her hand moved. Song Shu lowered her head and met Jia Hui's puzzled eyes. She probably didn't understand why she was standing there in a daze.

Song Shu came back to her senses and stopped thinking too much. She asked, "Jia Hui, do you know if there's anything delicious nearby?"

Jiahui nodded, "Next door, next door."

"Okay, let's go check it out together."

Song Shu held her hand and walked towards the right street. They passed the first store which seemed to be selling newspapers, magazines and books. The newspaper stand was set up on the side of the road.

Looking inside, I saw an old man sitting in a rocking chair, wearing reading glasses and holding an open newspaper in his hand.

Song Shu recalled that this grandpa also attended the banquet yesterday.

As if sensing her gaze, Grandpa raised his head, his reading glasses slid down to his nose, and looked at her with a pair of bright eyes, "You are, you are the one..."

"Uncle Fu, this is my sister." Chen Jiahui said in childish words, with a bit of pride on her face.

"Oh, it's you." Uncle Fu put his glasses back on and said to Jiahui, "Jiahui, she is not your sister, she is your second uncle's wife."

"Oh, what is a wife?" Chen Jiahui said confusedly, obviously not understanding the difference between a sister and a wife.

Song Shu, who was standing aside and listening to their conversation, felt a little embarrassed for a moment. Seeing that the grandfather wanted to tease Jiahui, she quickly said, "Good morning, Uncle Fu. I'll take Jiahui to have breakfast first."

"Go ahead." Uncle Fu glanced at Song Shu and nodded, then turned back and opened the newspaper.

Here, Song Shu took Jiahui to a noodle shop next to Uncle Fu.

"What are you looking at furtively, old man?" Aunt Fu asked curiously. As soon as she came out from the inner room, she saw the old man lying on the glass cabinet, stretching his head to look out.

"Strange, strange." Uncle Fu shrank back, stood up straight and muttered.

Aunt Fu rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are so weird so early in the morning, you are playing tricks on me."

Uncle Fu shook his head, "I'm talking about the mainland girl that Aunt Chen next door married for her brother-in-law."

When Aunt Fu heard that they were talking about the girl from mainland China next door, she immediately became curious. The girl from mainland China that Aunt Chen brought back before she ran away was the biggest gossip in this area recently.

They all attended the banquet yesterday. The girl from mainland China looked as thin as a bamboo pole. It seemed that she had trouble giving birth. I don't know what Aunt Chen was thinking. If she was going to find a girl, she should have found one who could give birth easily.

However, although he looked rustic, his face was handsome. Aunt Fu once murmured that Aunt Chen might have chosen him based on his appearance.

That's possible. Look at their family, they are all handsome boys and girls. Even the deceased Mr. and Mrs. Chen had good looks.

"That girl from the mainland looks much more energetic today." Uncle Fu didn't know how to describe that feeling. Although it was the same face, there was a huge difference.

"I thought you, you dead bastard, had discovered something. Isn't it normal for you to be in a good mood? She came here illegally, has an identity, has a home, and doesn't have to worry about anything, so she must be in a good mood." Aunt Fu threw the rag on the glass cabinet and said unhappily.

Uncle Fu thought this made sense and sat back on the rocking chair. "Hey, I was wondering why you are so angry so early in the morning."

"You say I have a bad temper, but it's you who is responsible for the hygiene." Aunt Fu couldn't stand it anymore and yelled with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, I can't say anything bad about you."

＊

Song Shu was unaware of the quarrel next door that had been caused by her. She had already taken Jiahui and sat in the noodle shop.

The enthusiastic proprietress stood by the table, "You must be Mrs. Chen, bring Jiahui to have breakfast."

When Song Shu heard her address, she was stunned for a moment before she realized that she was talking about herself. Suddenly, she felt ashamed. "Yes, yes, Sister Liang." Song Shu followed Jiahui in calling her.

Seeing her embarrassed look, Liang's wife smiled heartily, "Relax, Chen Er's wife. We are somewhat related. My husband and I also came from the mainland 20 years ago. You can come to me if you have any problems in the future."

Song Shu blurted out, "Sister Liang, are you from the northern province of mainland China?"

Liang's wife was stunned, "How did you know that?"

Song Shu raised the corner of her mouth and joked, "Because I think you are from the north, judging by your cheerful personality."

"Hey, you're really good at judging, girl." Liang's wife couldn't help but speak in Northeastern dialect when she was happy. "My husband and I are indeed from the northern province. Hey, don't tell me that I haven't spoken Northeastern dialect for many years."

Liang's wife thought of something and praised Song Shu: "You speak Cantonese quite well. When we first came here, it took us a long time to learn how to speak Cantonese."

Song Shu replied without changing her expression: "My hometown is Cantonese, and I can speak Cantonese, although it is a little different from Hong Kong dialect."

"Oh, I thought so. This is much more convenient."

Liang's wife was getting more and more excited as she spoke. She looked up and saw Jiahui, who was watching them talk with curiosity. She suddenly realized and slapped her head, "Hey, look at me. I almost forgot that you guys are here to eat. I won't talk to you today. Come to me when you have time. I'll tell you more about Hong Kong."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Liang." Song Shu did not refuse and agreed, "I'll trouble you in the future."

Liang Sao waved her hands and said, "No, no, no, what kind of noodles do you want, Chen Er Sao? Our beef brisket noodles are our signature dish."

"Then let's have two bowls of beef brisket noodles." Song Shu listened to her introduction and ordered two bowls of beef brisket noodles. She then said, "Sister Liang, don't be so polite in the future. Just call me Ah Shu."

Mrs. Liang did not hesitate to change the subject, "Okay, Ah Shu, wait for me to give you a few more pieces of beef brisket today. The one in my family who stews beef brisket is the best."

"No."

"Yes, yes." Mrs. Liang walked towards the kitchen and said, "Lao Liang, you have to make these two bowls of noodles for my sister today."

"Okay."

In the end, Song Shu finished her own bowl of noodles plus Chen Jiahui's half bowl with an empty stomach. Although the noodles were delicious, they were still a bit heavy, especially since Liang Sao had given them almost half a bowl of beef brisket.

The two said goodbye to the enthusiastic sister-in-law before leaving the noodle shop.

＊

Song Shu stood at the door holding Jiahui's hand, looked down at her and said, "The noodle shop Jiahui recommended is really delicious, Jiahui is awesome." Then she gave her a thumbs up.

Song Shu had never raised a child and didn't know how to do it, so she could only learn from her mother's experience. In her previous life, her mother was a single mother who raised her alone, but she taught her very well.

Everyone who has interacted with Song Shu says that she is a cheerful person and that being with her makes one feel warm.

Anyway, under the care of her mother, Song Shu did not feel that her family was any different from other families, and she did not know what it felt like to lack fatherly love. Instead, she often heard people say to her, "Song Shu, your family is so nice, your mother is so nice."

Therefore, Song Shu has no guilt at all when drawing on her mother's experience.

After hearing her frank compliment, Chen Jiahui was so shy that she twisted her body against her legs. It must be the first time for her to feel such undisguised compliments.

Song Shu didn't bother her and let her lean against her legs. After a while, she asked, "Can we walk around here to help digest the food before going back?"

Chen Jiahui listened to her negotiating tone, raised her head, her eyes bright, and nodded eagerly, "Okay."

Song Shu took her hand and walked along the street.

＊

Even in the 1980s, Hong Kong's street scenes were very prosperous, not much different from later generations, and those distinctive neon signs seemed to be even more numerous than later generations.

From time to time, Song Shu would avoid stalls that were about to be placed on the road, while observing various stores, thinking about what small business she could start.

Thinking about the money in her hands, she couldn't let it all go to waste.

As she walked, she looked at the beautifully dressed girls and white-collar workers passing by. Her eyes lit up when she saw the clothes they were wearing.

In the 1980s, ladies in Hong Kong began to dress boldly and diversely. When we watch Hong Kong movies from the past, we can find that the female stars all dressed very fashionably and avant-garde.

Just like the suspender skirts and vests that everyone can wear on the street with ease.

Song Shu suddenly felt that she could go back to her old profession and design her own clothes to sell.

With the improvement of living standards and the broadening of consciousness, more and more girls are willing to spend money on themselves.

The most important thing is that she has a ready-made shop to rent, if she can convince the male protagonist to rent the small shop that was previously separated by her sister-in-law and used to sell fruits to her to open a clothing store after he comes back.

The location there is also good, at the corner, at the intersection of three streets, with a large flow of people.

The more Song Shu thought about it, the more excited she became. The confusion in her heart was swept away. She couldn't help but lower her head and said to Jiahui: "Jiahui, let's make a lot of money to buy a house."

The villain looked at her happy expression, raised his hand and clenched his fist and said, "Okay, make a lot of money."