Chapter 30 Hong Kong's Prosperity 01 She really did refuse her sister...
This person, who looked exactly like Yu Xingzhou, didn't bring flowers like the others; instead, he brought a photo album.
"I'm sorry, I can't burn any for you this year. Lighters aren't allowed in the cemetery anymore." Yu Xingzhou sat down on the side, opened a photo album, and began to tell the story of his photos to the empty cemetery.
Lin Tingyue also sat down, and after listening for a while, she discovered that he was actually a cameraman.
"...I don't know if I'll be able to see you next year. I probably won't. The doctor said it could be as short as three months or as long as six months, although that was said six months ago."
She didn't know what terminal illness Yu Xingzhou had, but in her eyes, Yu Xingzhou didn't seem like a patient at all.
"I'm so sorry, you saved my life back then, but I couldn't extend it any longer."
"I wonder how you are doing in that world over there. I hope there is no danger there, only warm sunshine and gentle breezes like today."
Lin Tingyue couldn't help but want to touch his face, but she couldn't touch anything.
His face was indeed too pale, and his eyes seemed to hide too much fatigue. Bathed in sunlight, his long eyelashes fluttered for a moment before closing completely, and he fell asleep.
So Lin Tingyue leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying this moment of peace.
I don't know how much time passed, but when I opened my eyes again, the people around me were gone, and I could hear the sound of an ambulance in the distance.
Lin Tingyue tried to follow the sound to find the person, but no matter what she did, she couldn't escape the cemetery. As night fell, her body grew cold.
"Tingyue... Tingyue..." Lin Tingyue heard the voice calling her name. Her attention was completely focused on the voice. The scene before her eyes gradually blurred until her consciousness returned and that handsome face came back into view.
This time, it wasn't the sunlight that illuminated the room, but rather the familiar orange-yellow glow of the indoor desk lamp.
"Sailing...I was dreaming..."
Yu Xingzhou bent down, hugged her, and gently patted her back to comfort her. "I know, don't be afraid, it was just a dream."
Whether "I know" meant knowing what she dreamed about or was just a comforting word, Lin Tingyue didn't know and didn't ask. As long as Yu Xingzhou was by her side at that moment, that was enough.
The room returned to darkness, quiet except for the sound of their breathing. Lin Tingyue nestled in her husband's arms, drowsiness washing over her once more.
Yu Xingzhou listened to her gradually calming breathing, and then opened his eyes.
The scenes in the dream were like a missing piece of memory, which at this moment became a complete puzzle. Looking back on the bits and pieces of these years, everything suddenly became clear.
Life went on as usual after that. Min Xue bought a house for 4,500 yuan. It used to be a shop, but it had been vacant for various reasons. If they had found this house earlier, they could have opened a shop here too. However, the house was quite old, and the yard was overgrown with weeds. It would need to be taken care of before they could live there.
Lin Tingyue successfully transferred the ownership of the small villa, and then contacted the workers who had previously done the renovations for the hotel to come and provide design plans for the villa.
Considering they were going to Hong Kong in July, Lin Tingyue paid for expedited service and asked them to finish before she left. She could use the time she spent in Hong Kong to air out the villa so they could move in directly when she returned to Guangzhou.
On the day school let out for holiday, Yu Muchuan and Yun Qing arrived in Guangzhou on time.
The couple felt heartbroken seeing Lin Tingyue come to pick them up alone at the airport. "Where's that brat? Why did you come by yourself!"
Lin Tingyue quickly explained, "I insisted that he stay at the new house to oversee the renovation progress."
Yun Qing's eyes lit up. "You bought a new house? Then you must be short of money. Mom will go to the bank to withdraw some for you right away."
"It's a small villa, and it's been quite a while, so we were thinking of renovating it so that the kids can stay there when we come back from Hong Kong." The house they rented before wasn't big, and the neighbors were close by, so the kids' crying would disturb the neighbors. Besides, with so many kids, there wasn't enough room, and they couldn't even find a place to hire a nanny.
Seeing that Lin Tingyue had considered things from a long-term and thoughtful perspective, the couple repeatedly agreed.
After dropping her in-laws off at their hotel, Lin Tingyue immediately went to contact the authorities to buy ferry tickets, hoping to get the earliest available ferry. Her belly was quite large now, and the original plan was to travel by land from Pengcheng to the port city, but Yu Xingzhou couldn't bear to see her suffer the hardships of the journey, so they ultimately chose to take a passenger ferry. However, at this time, there were few legitimate ferries available, and they dared not take any unlicensed, small private boats.
Fortunately, they had money and connections in Hong Kong, so the family of four finally boarded a ship to Hong Kong in mid-July.
The ferry ride to the port city takes about four or five hours. The group went directly to the second floor of the passenger ship to rest. If she weren't feeling so heavy, Lin Tingyue would have liked to go up to the deck to enjoy the scenery.
Yu Muchuan asked, "How long was the leave requested from the school?"
"I took two months off, and I can go back after my postpartum confinement." It's only because Lin Tingyue's professional courses are so strong that she can get leave; otherwise, even if she got the leave, she would fall behind in class and suffer in the final exams.
"That's good. I've also asked the school for leave. Your mom and I will help you take care of the child."
Lin Tingyue hadn't expected her father-in-law to stay and take care of the child. Luckily, she had previously bought that detached villa in the Nanyang style with red bricks. It was a three-story house with a small yard, which was spacious enough for them to live in. It wasn't cheap, though. Even though she and Zhou Qichen bought it together, they only got a small discount, each paying eight thousand. Her savings from the past few years were suddenly gone.
"When we get there, we'll go visit your uncle first, then stay at my place. We're all in the same area, very close by." The place Yun Qing was referring to was Deep Water Bay. Initially, she lived with everyone else, but later, as the Yun family gradually established themselves in Hong Kong and amassed considerable wealth, Yun Yao took the initiative to buy his sister a villa. Later, Yun Qing got married and moved out, leaving only Yun Yao's family in the old house.
The Yun family is one of the wealthiest families in Hong Kong. Lin Tingyue was a little nervous and even started to recall the novels and TV dramas about wealthy families she had read in her previous life, wondering if there would be many rules after entering the family.
Upon hearing this, Yu Xingzhou said seriously, "Even if there is anything, it should be directed at me. I will not let you suffer any injustice."
“I don’t want you to suffer either, but maybe I’m just overthinking things. Perhaps your uncle is a kind person.”
Yu Xingzhou's impression of his uncle was still from his childhood: serious, unsmiling, and decisive, seemingly far from kind...
In the 1980s, Hong Kong was filled with skyscrapers. Stepping onto this land, I felt a sense of familiarity, as if I had returned to a past life.
The Yun family had already sent luxury cars to pick up the family and take them back to their old house. They even sent two cars because they were worried that there wouldn't be enough room for all the luggage.
"Young Master, Young Madam, let me take it." The driver helped them put their luggage into the trunk and then opened the car door for them himself.
This was the first time Lin Tingyue had heard herself addressed in this way, and she felt a sense of disconnect.
Yu Xingzhou remained calm and composed, as if he had long been accustomed to this form of address.
The driver drove steadily, and Lin Tingyue felt a little sleepy after sitting in the car for a while. Just as her head touched the man's shoulder, the world suddenly spun around her, and she almost thought she was dizzy.
However, the gunshots that rang out at the same time indicated that things were not peaceful.
"Damn it, there's a gang fight here." The driver realized something was wrong and tried to turn around and take another route, but the people fighting treated them as reinforcements and kept firing at them. Some even chased after them on motorcycles.
Fortunately, Mr. and Mrs. Yu's car was behind them, and the driver noticed something was wrong and stepped on the gas to leave the street.
Seeing the two motorcycles relentlessly chasing after them, Lin Tingyue immediately asked, "Are you sure you stumbled in by mistake and aren't coming for us?"
"I...I don't know either..." The driver was sweating profusely in a panic.
Their car had just had a tire blown out, so it was best to stop and change it. Lin Tingyue then asked, "Is there a gun in the car?"
"Yes, there is..."
"Give it to me."
The driver didn't expect her to ask for a gun directly, but he still controlled the steering wheel with one hand and opened the glove compartment with the other, pulling out a handgun and handing it to her.
Lin Tingyue glanced at the motorcycle and weighed it in her hand before rolling down the window. Almost instantly, she loaded the gun and aimed at the approaching motorcycle, the bullet hitting the front wheel precisely. At the same time, Yu Xingzhou's window had also rolled down, and he too hit the tire of the other motorcycle with a single shot.
Seeing both motorcycles lose their balance and fall to the ground, the driver finally breathed a sigh of relief. After accelerating past several intersections, he dared to stop and change the tires.
At that moment, Yu's parents' car drove up from the other end of the street. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the back door opened, and the two people hurriedly ran towards them.
"How are you? Are you alright?" Yun Qing had just lost her temper and made the driver turn around.
Lin Tingyue: "Luckily, there was a gun in the car, otherwise it would have been hard to say what would have happened."
Yun Qing subconsciously assumed that the driver had taken care of it with a gun, and she didn't expect that the person who fired the gun would be Lin Tingyue. Meanwhile, the driver was busy changing a tire and didn't pay any attention to what they were talking about.
The group had just arrived in the port city when they accidentally stumbled upon a gang fight and were chased around. Lin Tingyue always felt that the gang fight was a cover, and their real target was their two cars.
After the two cars of people safely returned to the old house in Deep Water Bay and met with Yunxiao, they talked about the danger they encountered today. Yunxiao looked apologetic and said, "These two cars are the ones I often ride in. Recently, I've been fighting with someone over a piece of land, and I guess they were trying to stop me from keeping my appointment today."
After learning the whole story, Lin Tingyue felt a little relieved. She was worried that she might have offended someone in Hong Kong.
As soon as the two finished speaking, the elevator in the villa suddenly started running. A servant pushed a wheelchair down to the living room on the first floor. Then, with the help of the servant, the wheelchair stood up and slowly walked towards Mr. and Mrs. Yu.
The elders exchanged pleasantries and took their seats, followed by the younger generation. Although this uncle from the Yun family wasn't exactly kind-looking, he didn't seem particularly intimidating either.
Then the butler came over with a tray containing two sets of keys.
Yun Qing immediately recognized the keys as villa keys and car keys, and declined, saying, "Brother, there's no need to go to such lengths. Just let them live with me."
Yun Yao waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "It's a gift for the children."
Yunxiao also gestured to Lin Tingyue to take it quickly, so she readily accepted the key.
They will definitely be having dinner at the old house tonight. The servants have prepared guest rooms for them to rest in, and they will call them when the food is ready.
As soon as the door closed, Lin Tingyue couldn't wait to pull back the gauze curtain. From this room, one could see the undulating white buildings and lush tree canopies surrounding the room.
"I wonder where that villa they gave us is."
Yu Xingzhou opened his suitcase, picked out a set of clean clothes, handed them to her, and replied, "We'll know tomorrow when Mom takes us to see it."
Lin Tingyue drew the curtains again. Although the buildings were so dense that no one outside could see inside, it was just a habit.
The young couple were used to sleeping in clothes they had sat in outside, so they both changed their clothes. As soon as Lin Tingyue lay down, Yu Xingzhou placed a strip-shaped cushion he had brought from home beside her to make it easier for her to sleep on her side. Then he turned on the air conditioner before pulling back the thin blanket and lying down himself.
Lin Tingyue nestled against his shoulder, saying, "It feels like we're still missing a watermelon."
Yu Xingzhou was about to throw off the covers and get up when he said, "I'll go ask in the kitchen."
"Don't go, I was just saying it offhand." After all, they were guests, and Lin Tingyue didn't want to attract too much attention. "Let's go out for a stroll tomorrow. I heard the sweet soup here is delicious."
"Okay, I'll go tomorrow."
The two rested for about an hour when the servant knocked on the door.
Yu Xingzhou got up first and carefully helped his wife up, then carefully tidied her clothes before going out.
The large round table in the downstairs restaurant was almost full. She immediately spotted the bright yellow Typhoon Shelter Crab, followed by Roast Goose, Honey-Glazed Char Siu, and a bowl of Wonton Noodles in front of each seat.
Besides Cantonese dishes, there were also several meat dishes on the table that were clearly from inland cuisines, perhaps prepared in case they weren't used to Cantonese food.
After everyone was seated, Yun Yao picked up his chopsticks first, saying, "Help yourself to eat whatever you want, don't worry about it."
Yu Xingzhou really didn't care about anything, and got up to serve his wife a bowl of congee.
Yunxiao happened to be sitting next to Lin Tingyue, so she praised, "Xingzhou knows how to eat. Aunt Mei's congee is especially good. You should try it."
The porridge was still steaming. Lin Tingyue picked up a piece of beef and tasted it. It was surprisingly tender. She nodded and said, "It's really delicious."
Yun Yao immediately turned to his kind-looking servant behind him and said, "Amei, starting tomorrow, you will follow Yueyue and the others until they leave, and take good care of their food."
Lin Tingyue was so surprised she almost dropped her spoon. "There's no need for all that trouble..."
"Amei is very experienced in taking care of pregnant women."
Yunxiao also took the opportunity to persuade her, "Don't refuse. Normally you can't borrow Aunt Mei's things."
"Thank you, Uncle."
Lin Tingyue ate a very full dinner, so she insisted on walking back to Yun Qing's villa.
Yunxiao accompanied her, but the person who usually walked hand in hand with her was suddenly left behind, and she could only walk side by side with her cousin-in-law.
"...Don't worry about the house transfer, someone will handle it. Just live here in peace. My dad knows about the stupid things that mother and daughter did and wants to make it up to you."
Lin Tingyue nodded, "No wonder, the fact that they're giving away both a house and a car really shocked me."
“The Yun family is now small, and the house is just sitting empty anyway. Besides, the Yun family isn’t short of money.” Yunxiao sighed after saying that. “But now that the mother and daughter are gone, my dad is all alone. Lately, our family has been going back to the old house for dinner every day.”
"We should definitely spend more time with him. It will make the old man feel better, and when he's in a good mood, he'll be in better health."
"Yes, it would be great if you could come and live in Hong Kong permanently in the future. It would be more lively with more people, and there are also the little ones in your belly. Don't let my dad's stern face fool you, he's always all smiles when he's with my daughter. When your children are older and can go to school, you can just leave them with my dad to take care of."
Now even the issue of the child's future schooling has been resolved. Lin Tingyue couldn't help but sigh that standing on the shoulders of giants always offers a better view.
When Lin Tingyue arrived at Yun Qing's villa, she felt that she had almost digested the food.
Before leaving, Yunxiao said, "If you go out tomorrow, I'll arrange for two bodyguards to follow you."
"Isn't that a bit much?"
“There are plenty of gangsters on the street, I’m just worried they might hurt you.”
Lin Tingyue thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you just give me a gun for self-defense?"
Yunxiao looked at her incredulously after hearing this, "You can use a gun?"
Lin Tingyue had no choice but to use her family as a shield, "...My father and brothers are both soldiers, and they taught me."
"How about we practice shooting tomorrow?"
Lin Tingyue was about to agree when her husband behind her suddenly coughed and said, "Let's not go. What if it frightens the baby in your belly?"
“I’m not that easily scared. I still practiced shooting when I was pregnant.” Yunxiao said, then turned around and hugged Lin Tingyue. “Don’t listen to him. We women aren’t that delicate.”
Lin Tingyue had no choice but to agree, because she really couldn't bring herself to refuse her sister.
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Author's note: Finally finished the rankings... See you after the holiday, and have a great holiday everyone!
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