Things to do before traveling
The Hong Kong issue has a long history and is related to the very complex historical factors it has left behind. Nearly a hundred years have passed, and to this day, there is still no definite answer.
Since the outbreak of the First Opium War in 1840, after two years of fighting, the Qing government was defeated. In 1842, the Qing government signed the first unequal treaty in Chinese history, the Treaty of Nanjing, with the British government.
It explicitly stipulated that Hong Kong and other places would be ceded, and later other treaties stipulated a 99-year lease. (1)
Although it was just a lease and could be returned after nearly a hundred years, when those empires signed the treaty, they certainly could not have imagined that the old society would be broken one day and the new China would gradually prosper and become strong.
As that centenary period draws closer, our country has been seeking ways to allow Hong Kong to return, and has been doing its utmost to negotiate with the British government in order to allow Hong Kong to return.
However, the British side has been trying every possible means to prevent Hong Kong's return and strive to gain most of the jurisdiction. Under such conditions, it is of course impossible for us to agree.
Jian Jianan read a lot of related news in the newspaper and couldn't help but worry about the negotiation process.
In this context, in 1983, the first free travel group from mainland China to Hong Kong came into being. Unlike ordinary tour groups, this Hong Kong free travel group, in addition to simple tourism, also shoulders a greater responsibility, which is to build a bridge for cross-strait exchanges and at the same time convey the ardent hope of the people of both places for peaceful reunification.
Anything that comes first is of great significance.
Since this is the first independent travel group to Hong Kong, the choice of the group members is naturally very important.
Therefore, Jian Jianan was very surprised when she heard her mother say that their family of four had been selected as four members of a free travel group during this winter vacation and were about to travel to Hong Kong.
At the beginning of November this year, Jian Jianan saw advertisements for Hong Kong tours in many newspapers. According to reports, before the end of the month, more than 5,000 people had signed up for Hong Kong tour groups, with more than 2,000 people from Guangzhou alone.
Jian Jianan's family was very interested in Hong Kong, so they were naturally on the registration list.
This list was carefully selected after much discussion, and the names of Jian Jianan's family of four were on the list.
This matter was already a foregone conclusion, so Su Qinxuan reminded the two children at the dinner table, "You should start preparing. The Hong Kong Free Travel Program is only a month away. If you cram at the last minute, it will definitely not work."
Although Su Qinxuan was talking to the two children, her eyes were clearly looking at her son Jian Jiabei. As soon as Jian Jiabei received his mother's gaze, he immediately felt guilty and his eyes drifted away.
He knew in his heart that it was not his mother's fault for reminding him like this. It was just that his procrastination was too serious. Once there was something that needed him to do, Jian Jiabei would not finish it until the deadline. The reason why he had not been beaten to death so far was because he could actually complete every task no matter how long it was delayed until the last moment. This made Jian Jiabei always proud and he thought it was a great talent of his.
But in front of his mother, Jian Jiabei didn't dare to use this talent of his.
He replied unhappily, "Okay, Mom, I understand. I'll get it ready after dinner."
Seeing this, Su Qinxuan nodded in satisfaction.
She faced Jian Jianan. She had nothing to worry about for her daughter. She racked her brains and could only say one thing: "Go and have fun. Mom will take care of other things for you."
Jian Jiabei: "..."
The difference in treatment is too obvious, Mom, can you wait until I return to the room before you tell my sister this?
As soon as the news was announced within the family, the four of them became busy in tacit understanding. Unlike before when they were busy with the business of the Nanbei Group, the family of four is now busy traveling to Hong Kong.
There are only two ways to go to Hong Kong now. One is to go through formal channels after being approved by the mainland government and the UK. However, the number of places for mainland people to go to Hong Kong is very small, with only about 100 quotas each year.
Another way is smuggling. Some people do not have legal channels to go to Hong Kong, but they think they are good at swimming, so they swim from Shenzhen to Hong Kong under the cover of night.
If you are lucky and don't get caught, you can stay in Hong Kong as a legal resident. Of course, this requires both skills and luck. If you are caught, you will have no choice but to go to jail.
As law-abiding citizens, Jian Jianan and his family naturally chose the legal route. They signed up for China's first independent tour group to Hong Kong. Currently, there are only two reasons to legally visit Hong Kong: visiting relatives or working. Beyond these two reasons, signing up for an independent tour group is the only legal way to visit Hong Kong.
In 1983, many people from the mainland wanted to meet their relatives and friends far away in Hong Kong. With the national policy of reform and opening up, this call has become increasingly louder, and the country has responded by launching this Hong Kong free travel group.
Jian Jianan's family of four took advantage of this favorable situation and went along.
Jian Nan's family has never traveled far, not even from their hometown in Hainan Island to Shenzhen. They are not traveling long distances, but completely abandoning their past to find a way to make a living.
Su Qinxuan asked several employees in the hotel, and they said that they all had relatives in Hong Kong and had some experience to share.
Su Qinxuan is still the head of the family. She decides all matters big and small. In addition, she is meticulous, so Su Qinxuan is busy with all the preparations for going to Hong Kong.
It is not convenient to travel long distances nowadays. The things you need to bring are scattered. You need to bring personal toiletries and some special daily necessities.
Looking at the things that were packed up, Su Qinxuan took out her handbag and stuffed a roll of small notes into it.
These are the things that several friends and store employees asked her to buy for them after they knew she was going to Hong Kong.
Although the mainland economy has developed, it is still difficult for some things to come in. It cannot compare to Hong Kong, where foreign trade is developed, transportation is convenient, and many things can be delivered directly.
Friends and relatives asked her to bring a variety of things, including cosmetics and skin care products, ointments from pharmacies and drug stores, and more of them were nourishing products, such as bird's nest and snow clam.
Su Qinxuan thought, it’s not enough, the box for carrying things is not enough, I have to get a bigger box to carry these things.
Due to the special circumstances of Jian Jianan's family during this period, his parents specially applied to the school to temporarily transfer them to day students so that the brother and sister can go home every day. After all, some documents require them to appear in person, and some miscellaneous matters also need to be handled by them personally.
Taking these factors into consideration, the school readily approved the application, so the brother and sister were able to go home every day for nearly half a month.
So, one day when Jian Jianan came home from school, he was greeted by the living room at home filled with boxes of all sizes.
Her and her brother's jaws almost dropped to the ground. "Mom, do we have to take all these boxes with us?"
Su Qinxuan finally raised her head from the box and said in a matter-of-fact tone, "That's right, take everything with you."
She took out a long piece of paper, cleared her throat, and began to read. "Your sister Xiaotao wants the latest skincare and beauty products from Hong Kong, and your sister Xiuli wants a set of German-made steel knives. And your grandfather Zhang Dezheng heard that there are many pharmacies in Hong Kong, so he wants some less popular ingredients..."
The news that Jian Jianan's family was going to travel to Hong Kong not only caused a stir within this small family, but also attracted a lot of attention outside.
Among them, the ones close to them are particularly eye-catching.
Yang Tao, Ma Xiuli, Zhang Dezheng, Ye Cang, these people, whether familiar or unfamiliar, all came to Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping, wanting them to help them bring some things back from Hong Kong, and even made a long shopping list.
There are so many things on this shopping list, and they are of different types. After reading it, Jian Jianan can summarize it in four words: "eat, drink, play and have fun".
Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping were very loyal. In their opinion, there was nothing wrong in helping out if they had a good relationship, so they waved their hands and asked them to tell them what they wanted to buy, and if it was convenient, they would help buy it and bring it back.
Jian Jianan put down the long list, paused for a while, and said with relief in a daze: "Fortunately, I don't have anything that needs to be purchased for me." But it is also possible that the people around her don't know yet. Maybe by next week, more and more people will come to her.
Jian Jianan sighed with relief, and when he turned around, he saw his brother Jian Jiabei standing at the door with a sad face. It was obvious that he had encountered some unsolvable life problem.
Seeing his sister looking at him with a questioning look, Jian Jiabei slapped the paper in his hand on his face with a "snap", completely covering his facial expression.
Jian Jianan originally wanted to ask what had happened, but when he saw his brother's actions, he immediately understood.
She asked in disbelief, "No way, brother, you didn't promise to help others buy something, did you?"
As Jian Jianan spoke, he tried to snatch the paper his brother used to cover his face. Of course, Jian Jiabei refused to comply. Later, Jian Jianan tickled his face, and Jian Jiabei finally let go.
Jian Jianan took it and took a look at it immediately, and saw that it was clearly listed.
Pearl cream, one.
One thermos cup.
Holga camera, one.
…
This is clearly a shopping list! And it’s so long!
Jian Jianan looked at his brother in disbelief, "Why are you helping others carry things?"
Without paper, Jian Jiabei simply covered his face with his hands. "There's nothing I can do. As soon as they heard that our family was going to Hong Kong, they immediately surrounded us like a black bear that had just woken up from hibernation and saw bees, asking if I could help carry some things. I thought it was just a few things and it wouldn't be a big deal, so I agreed immediately. How could I have known that what they meant by carrying some things was not the same as what I had in mind!"
Jian Jiabei complained to his sister angrily, saying it was all a routine. If he had known that he needed to bring so many things, he would not have been so kind as to ask one more question.
His brother was complaining loudly there, Jian Jianan lowered his head, and his body was almost shaking like a sieve.
Jian Jiabei shouted angrily, "Don't laugh! Don't laugh at me! My brother is in big trouble, and you're gloating over his misfortune! How can you be a sister like this? Hurry up and help me think about what I should do!"
When Jian Jianan heard his brother's accusation, he laughed even louder. If he just didn't want to rub salt into his brother's wounds, now he was practically dancing on his brother's wounds, "Hahahaha!"
She was dying of laughter. It had been a long time since she saw her brother so mad. After a while, Jian Jianan stopped laughing, wiped the tears from her eyes, and said to her brother, "What good can I do? You have already promised others, how can you refuse? The news of the trip to Hong Kong is set in stone, everyone knows it, and you definitely can't refuse it anymore."
Jian Jiabei sighed to the sky in despair: "Oh, it's all my fault. How could I be so confused as to agree to everything after listening to a few nice words!" Even my sister said there was no way, so there must be no way.
Jian Jianan smiled and teased her, "When the time comes, each of us will have to carry our own luggage. You won't know how many suitcases it will take to pack all the things you bought for others, so you better take it all by yourself!"
When Jian Jiabei heard that he had to carry his own suitcase the whole time when he went out to play, and thought about how many things he had to buy and how heavy they would be, he immediately felt despair.
"Oh my god, do I have to carry so many things with me to every tourist attraction?"
Jian Jianan admired the expression on his brother's face for a while before smiling and saying to him, "You don't need to carry it with you. Did you forget? We took a bus there, and there's a hotel to stay in for the night. You can leave it in the hotel or in the car. It'll just be a little harder on the way back."
Only then did Jian Jiabei realize that his sister had just been playing a trick on him, but after hearing the solution, he immediately became friendly and just glared at his sister without saying anything else.
Su Qinxuan had packed part of her luggage and finally had time to focus on her two children. She walked over and patted her son and daughter's heads. "When you come back today, hurry up and do a final check to fill in the gaps. Bring everything you need and don't forget anything."
Jian Jiabei is like an ant moving house, thinking every day about what to bring and what he missed, and then going home to add them.
Jian Jianan made a complete list on the first day, with a general classification direction, dividing all the things he needed to bring into several directions, and then adding details.
She had already packed her luggage and was just checking to see if there were any omissions.
But her mother reminded her in time. She had forgotten that there was one last thing she needed to explain to her friends.
So, the next day at school, during the lunch break after lunch, Jian Jianan gathered three friends to discuss important matters together.
The first thing is the management rights of the book rental business.
He looked at Duan Duan and said, "Luoluo, while I'm away from school, remember to help me manage the rentals at the campus library. I've written down the number of books and how long each person has rented them for in a little notebook. I'll give it to you later."
As Jian Jianan spoke, he took out a small notebook from his pocket and handed it to Duan.
"You know the general process anyway. You just need to mark it in the notebook when someone comes to borrow a new book or return a book. Oh, and one more thing. Please collect the rent for me and give it to me when I get back."
When Jian Jianan was in junior high school, his parents wanted to give them a grand birthday gift. After consulting their partners, they gave Jian Jianan and his brother Jian Jiabei a complete set of Japanese comics.
I heard from my partners that these are the things that children nowadays love the most. If we give them to them, they will definitely be effective and will touch the hearts of children.
When the brother and sister received this gift, they really liked it. After Jian Jiabei flipped through a few pages, he immediately collected it as a treasure and was reluctant to let even a little bit of oil stain it. If he didn't live in the environment of the earth where dust is an objective existence, he would definitely find a way to put this set of comics in a vacuum and preserve it without being contaminated by dust.
Jian Jianan and her brother are two opposite examples. Although she also likes this set of comics, it is a user-oriented liking. She just opens it and reads it. She does not have the desire to put it in a safe and lock it up for protection like her brother.
One day when Jian Jianan brought it to school to watch, a female classmate who she knew but was not familiar with asked cautiously if she could lend it to her to have a look.
The generous Jian Jiangnan naturally agreed, and after reading it himself, he lent it to the female classmate.
This loan was a big deal, like opening a Pandora's box, triggering a craze among all the classmates to borrow books from her.
Not only this female classmate, but many classmates, and even classmates from other classes, knew that Jian Jianan had a complete set of comics, and they all asked to borrow the books.
Jian Jianan keenly smelled a business opportunity from this incident. After circulating a certain book among the class, she confirmed that all the classmates loved reading this popular comic book, so she announced the news.
"I have the complete set here. You may have only read one of them, and you're probably confused. You must want to know the whole story. I'm now renting books. Each person can rent a comic for three cents, and you can specify which one you want. Of course, you can also just spend a large sum to rent the entire set. You have two options, so take your pick."
I can’t let my parents’ money go to waste, Jian Jianan thought. Although I don’t know how many books I need to rent to make back the money my parents spent on them, if I can rent out one book, I will have earned back the money for one book.
Unexpectedly, Jian Jianan's idea was very popular in the class. Although a deposit was required to borrow books, the deposit could be returned after reading the book. Jian Jianan would return it in full when he was sure that the borrowed book was intact.
Besides, the price of one cent for a book and fifty cents for a whole set of books is not very expensive for the students, and they accept it well.
In just one week, all the dozen or so comic books in this set were borrowed.
That was not enough. When Jian Jianan came to school on the second Monday, some classmates from other classes even came to him and wanted to borrow the complete set of comics for fifty cents.
Jian Jianan went home and thought about it for a whole night. The next day, she took out her own pocket money and went to her parents to ask them to help her find someone to buy more complete sets of comics. Not only the one she already had, she even bought others, such as "Captain Tsubasa", "Fuma Kojiro", and "G.I. Joe"...
In school, Jian Jianan uses his original class as the center and support, and develops a book rental business that radiates to the surrounding classes. These books are of course extremely popular and cannot be bought even with money. You need connections and help from others to get them!
Jian Jianan actually had her eye on the comic book set owned by her brother. She proposed to him, "Let's work together. The two comic book sets can be rented out for a long time. Let's start this business together, and I'll give you half of the money we make!"
But brother Jian Jiabei refused to obey. He was determined to hold on to his precious comic book set until his death. Jian Jiabei protested his sister's perverse idea with all his might: "I will never hand it over even if I die! Don't even think about touching my treasure!"
It’s so scary, really so scary. Is there anything on his body that my sister wouldn’t want to covet?
In his opinion, if you like comics, you must collect them well. How can you sell them as commodities? Jian Jianan should not think of defiling the comic books that he has carefully collected and preserved in good condition.
Jian Jianan expressed great regret about this. A rotten tree cannot be carved. It is impossible to wait for his brother's stubborn head to come to his senses.
Come on, it seems that I am the only one who can enjoy this immense wealth.
By the time he was in high school, Jian Jianan already had hundreds of books to his name, including comics and novels, scattered here and there. His rental business grew and became a stable source of pocket money.
But Jian Jianan did not do this simply for money. She started a small business in this small rental business and realized for the first time how important cash flow is. It can drive an industry to move forward continuously, like living water. When the cash flow remains sufficient, that is when the business will move forward and the income will continue to flow.
Ever since she understood this, Jian Jianan lost interest in the rental business and was no longer as concerned as before. She even thought about shutting down the business. When it was over, she would list all the books, give them a 50% discount, and ask if anyone was willing to buy them home.
Anyway, I have read all the books myself, so there is no need to keep them forever.
However, the other students were unwilling to do so. If they were to sell the books, each person could only buy one or a few.
But the book rental business that Jian Jianan runs can benefit many students. They borrow the books, and after finishing each one, they spend money to borrow the next one. In this way, over time, they can read every book, right?
Thinking of this, Jian Jianan had to give up the idea of closing the business and continue to maintain the rental business.
Fortunately, this rental business is not too troublesome. With her flexible mind and strong mathematical and arithmetic skills, Jian Jianan can handle it alone.
However, while she is traveling, she may have to trouble a few people.
Duan took the account book and assured Jian Jianan, "Leave this to me. I promise to do it perfectly for you!"
Shan Jiqing knew why Jian Jianan came. After she took out the account book, he straightened his back silently next door, waiting for this heavy burden to fall on his shoulders. He never expected that Jian Jianan changed the subject and directly handed the matter over to Duan.
Shan Jiqing felt a little disappointed. Why didn't Jian Jianan hand this matter over to him? Did he feel that he was not up to the task, or...
If Jian Jianan knew what Shan Jiqing was thinking now, he would definitely feel helpless. Why are you still feeling sorry for yourself here?
Just as Shan Jiqing was lost in thought, pretending to be indifferent, Jian Jianan turned and looked at him: "By the way, Xiaoqing, can the peach gum be kept at your house for a few days?"
Before they left, everything else was clearly arranged. With Yang Tao and several management staff helping out in the hotel, there was nothing to worry about. But there was only Tao Jiao, the clingy and home-loving puppy. He would definitely be anxious after not seeing his family for such a long time.
Jian Jianan has read several popular science books on pet raising. This is called separation anxiety. It will be much better if there is someone familiar around.
Shan Jiqing's eyes lit up and he naturally agreed immediately.
Taojiao is a good puppy, well-behaved, sensible and very human-like. Not only does he like it, but his parents like it too. He will definitely help with this favor.
The four of them chatted for a while, and Jian Jianan had roughly arranged everything that needed to be arranged. So, he finally asked them, "Is there anything you want to buy? I can help you bring it back from Hong Kong."
Duan Duan immediately started counting on his fingers. "I really want to buy these things, but I don't have enough money, so I can only choose one. Let me think about it: movie posters, wooden bows and arrows, Hong Kong shirts..."
Lin Chuan wanted to be polite: "How can this be so embarrassing? You guys are going there for fun, not just to buy things. If you carry it all the way back, it will be too heavy. Will it be a burden to you?"
Jian Jianan didn't give him a chance to be polite and waved his hand generously: "Don't worry, leave it to me, don't be polite to me. I only brought a few things, how can it hinder me from going out to play!"
These three friends are people that Jian Jianan can confide in. With several years of friendship behind them, Jian Jianan knows that these three people are very sensible and will not make excessive requests. Even if they do, he will refuse.
That's why Jian Jianan asked without any burden whether he wanted to help buy something. Unlike his brother who was unprepared and therefore frightened and sighing at home, Jian Jianan thought about it before asking this question.
After hearing what Jian Jianan said, Lin Chuan didn't bother to be polite with her anymore and immediately asked, "Can you help me get a comic book? Not a complete set, just a few of them will do. I've never been able to buy these. I heard there's a big comic book store in Hong Kong that has everything!"
Of course, Jian Jianan agreed immediately, and Duan Duan also chose the things they wanted most. Jian Jianan wrote down everything they wanted in his notebook one by one to prevent forgetting.
After she finished writing it down, she turned to look at Shan Jiqing, "What about you, Xiaoqing? Don't you have anything you want to bring?"
Shan Jiqing looked at Jian Jianan with a smile and shook his head, "Everything I want is with me now, just have fun!"
After hearing this, Duan Duan was not only very alert, but also Shan Jiqing didn't know where he was attending the language training class. How come he was already saying such touching sweet words after just one night apart? Wouldn't it be that Jian Jianan was completely hooked by this guy?
No, no, she also needs to study the language well!
Jian Jianan solved another big problem and checked off the things one by one according to her list. When she returned home that night, she was in high spirits.
However, this good mood came to an abrupt end when I saw Guanshan on the way home.
Since Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping were using the family car, Jian Jiabei volunteered to take the responsibility of riding home with his sister.
When the brother and sister saw Guan Shan coming out of a restaurant on the road, they both cursed in their hearts, but then their eyes were completely attracted by Liang Tianxue who followed closely behind him.
She was wearing a pair of silver high heels, a long cashmere coat, and her hair was tied up high. Although her face was still the same and her appearance was still the same, her whole temperament had completely changed.
Jian Jianan was first slightly surprised by Liang Tianxue's change, and then greatly shocked by the way the two of them got along.
Even though Guan Shan rushed out of the restaurant impatiently, he didn't dare to go straight ahead without waiting for Liang Tianxue like he did before. Liang Tianxue seemed to know this. She walked out of the restaurant slowly, walked towards Guan Shan without any panic, and then took his hand.
There were two bodyguards following behind them.
If Jian Jianan saw correctly, when Liang Tianxue took Guan Shan's arm, Guan Shan even seemed to tremble.
The brother and sister looked at each other in disbelief. Were they afraid? Were they seeing things?
Oh my God, there came a day when Guan Shan was afraid of Liang Tianxue!
Liang Tianxue noticed that someone was staring at him, and cast a glance at him from afar. Perhaps because he had personally experienced the ups and downs of the business world, his eyes were much sharper than before, and a slight glance carried a lot of weight.
When she realized it was Jian Jianan, her eyes softened a little. She stood there and waved at Jian Jianan from a distance as a greeting.
If it weren't for this little girl's reminder, she wouldn't have known that disadvantages could be turned into advantages. Thanks to Jian Jianan, she was able to save herself from Guan Shan's beatings and abuse in her marriage.
Marriage is a cage. In the past, it was oneself that was trapped. But from now on, it is Guan Shan that is trapped.
All the scars he had inflicted on her in the past were now returned to her without a single cent left.
Sensing her husband's resistance to physical contact, Liang Tianxue's smile deepened, and she quietly tightened her grip on his arm.
Guan Shan was so irritated that he hissed and gasped. He begged for mercy in a low voice, "Be gentler, the place where you hit me yesterday is still bruised. It hurts so much!"
When Liang Tianxue heard Guan Shan calling himself "Laozi", his expression remained unchanged, but his fingers pressed down hard on the bruise quickly and accurately, making Guan Shan want to cry but unable to.
I don't know where his wife went to study, but while he was traveling outside, she teamed up with Old Li and several people from the repair shop to take away all his business. Now everyone listens to Liang Tianxue, and no one is willing to listen to himself.
Not only that, Liang Tianxue also specially spent money to hire people to act as bodyguards. At the beginning, Guan Shan couldn't use violence like before, because the professional bodyguards could knock him down with one punch.
As things have developed to the present day, Liang Tianxue gets furious every time she comes home and sees Guan Shan at home in such a depressed state. At this time, she will ask the bodyguards to hold Guan Shan down and she will teach him a lesson.
Guan Shan now is just like Liang Tianxue in the past, covered in scars every day. It’s really retribution, and it’s karma!
Jian Jianan and Liang Tianxue met from a distance on the street, and then parted ways.
She simply couldn't spare any extra thoughts on other things, because the day to travel to Hong Kong had finally arrived!
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