This time, Du Zhaohui truly gained respect for Ke Yixiong.
Though Ke Yixiong might have been meticulously planning to climb up to his level, unlike Xia Ziyu who wanted to discuss cooperation with empty words, Ke Yixiong had produced something that interested Du Zhaohui – that was true sincerity.
Du Zhaohui had Ah Hua keep the wanted notice safe.
“Very good, we’re already friends now. If this information proves accurate, you’ll find that I’m always very generous to my friends.”
Who doesn’t want money?
Those who say they don’t want money certainly think the amount is too small and want greater benefits.
Du Zhaohui wasn’t afraid of people wanting benefits – as long as they proved their worth, he was quite willing to provide rewards.
This trip to Guangzhou had brought unexpected joy, and Du Zhaohui was quite satisfied.
Ke Yixiong hadn’t exaggerated. Early the next morning, he delivered another refugee-like couple – Wang Jingui and Xia Hongbing, whom Boss Ke had “rescued” from the illegal brick factory.
Wang Jingui, typically lazy but stout, had lost possibly 20 jin in just one short month.
Xia Hongbing was even worse off – working hard but eating little, never getting a good night’s sleep, he was so thin you could count his ribs through his chest.
When the family of three saw Xia Dajun, they all burst into loud sobs.
Originally, they had frequently cursed Xia Dajun as foolish behind his back, but now seeing him, they were truly affectionate.
They were certainly grateful to Xia Dajun, but more importantly, Xia Dajun had found himself a Hong Kong boss – only a Hong Kong boss could afford to stay in such a fine hotel!
Xia Hongxia was so smelly she had driven away Du Zhaohui, the host himself.
The Xia family of three didn’t know this and thought the Hong Kong boss greatly valued Xia Dajun, giving him such an upscale room.
Xia Dajun, who had been worried sick for so long, could finally relax now that his brother’s family of three had been found. His gratitude toward Young Master Du was beyond words. Though Xia Hongbing’s family of three looked like they had escaped from a refugee camp, the White Cloud Hotel was a very high-class place in Guangzhou. High-class meant expensive, and in 1985, without much hype, expensive meant everything was the best, including but not limited to the food provided by the hotel.
The food was truly delicious – those who could work at the White Cloud Hotel were all chefs with many years of experience.
Even Du Zhaohui couldn’t find fault with their Cantonese cuisine. How could three country bumpkins like Xia Hongbing’s family be picky? After starving for a month, they wolfed down their food without any manners, exactly like when Grandmother Xia ate the Spring Fellowship meal.
Xia Dajun felt embarrassed. After the three had put down their chopsticks and burped contentedly, Xia Dajun awkwardly suggested leaving the hotel:
“Hongbing, I see you’ve lost your luggage too. Why don’t we buy some clothes here in Guangzhou to take to Shenzhen? What do you think?”
Being smelly wasn’t such a big deal in the countryside, but it was truly embarrassing in the big city.
The guests entering and leaving White Cloud Hotel were all well-dressed, occasionally casting surprised glances at Xia Hongbing’s family. Xia Dajun didn’t know how long Young Master Du would stay in Guangzhou, and he couldn’t possibly bring his brother’s family back to the Special Economic Zone in this state.
This was exactly what had worried his mother.
If they could get a fresh start in Guangzhou, Grandmother Xia wouldn’t need to worry so much.
Hearing about buying clothes, Xia Hongxia grabbed the white napkin and eagerly interjected, “Second Uncle, buy several sets, and get some for Grandmother too.”
The old Xia Hongxia hadn’t been so tactful, but after a few days of “training” at the small hair salon, she had gotten smarter – Brother Feng at the salon had them please customers, every young girl had to learn how to sweet-talk people, and Xia Hongxia, though unemployed, had learned by observation.
Buying clothes for Grandmother Xia wouldn’t cost her anything anyway, and saying a few nice words would surely please her Second Uncle.
Xia Hongxia secretly watched Xia Dajun, seeing approval and comfort in his expression… she felt strange – what they taught at the small salon worked.
She wasn’t particularly clever and still had aftereffects from being trafficked, but she knew Xia Dajun was her lifeline, so she determined to try hard to please him from now on.
“Hongxia has become sensible, her suffering wasn’t for nothing.”
As an uncle, Xia Dajun couldn’t ask deeply about whether Xia Hongxia had been… you know… by anyone.
But Wang Jingui, as her mother, could ask.
She and Xia Hongbing had been sent to the illegal brick factory, but where had they sent young Hongxia?
Xia Hongxia stammered: “They just had me wash customers’ hair.”
The barbershops in Anqing County all had old masters, never young girls working there. The unseemly business hadn’t spread to places like Anqing, and Wang Jingui, a rural woman with little experience, didn’t know the difference between Guangzhou’s small hair salons and Anqing’s. After secretly asking if Xia Hongxia hadn’t been violated, she spat on the ground fiercely:
“Pah! City people have no shame, in having young girls wash men’s hair!”
Xia Hongbing, so thin a breeze could blow him over, said, “Say less. Don’t you see Second Brother’s leg isn’t good? Hurry up and help push him.”
Life in the brick factory truly wasn’t fit for humans.
Xia Hongbing had thought farming in the countryside was hard, working on the river embankment in the heat was hard, but compared to the brick factory, those weren’t worth mentioning as hardship.
Anyway, his Second Brother had rescued him, so he’d consider that month in the brick factory as having used up all his lifetime’s worth of hardship in advance. If he didn’t have to work anymore in the future, of course, he should curry favor with Second Brother.
Xia Hongbing had never been simple-minded. Even when the family had jointly supported Xia Ziyu’s education, he had kept his wits about him.
Facts proved that Xia Changzheng and Zhang Cui were crafty, secretly opening a snack shop in the county town, making who knows how much money while trying to squeeze dry the family’s money.
There was only one wealthy Second Brother, and Xia Hongbing thought if he didn’t maintain good relations, wouldn’t that just benefit the eldest brother’s family?
Guangzhou’s garment industry had already begun to flourish. Besides department stores and wholesale street stalls, some small clothing stores were gradually opening for business along the streets.
In this prosperous area of Guangzhou, there was a women’s clothing store being prepared.
Though not officially open yet, the bright glass windows already displayed its high-end decorations.
While other stores had names like ‘Xiao Fang’ or ‘Ah Li’, this one just had several letters.
Wang Jingui couldn’t read those gold-plated letters: “What kind of ghostly symbols are these!”
Xia Hongxia hadn’t even finished junior high, but she had learned pinyin at least, “Luna? Luna… what kind of name is that? Hey, Mom, look, that woman in the store looks familiar.”
Wang Jingui craned her neck to look.
A fashionably dressed woman was talking to a young man, her face in profile, and she did look familiar.
“Looks like your Second Aunt…”
Like Liu Fen!
But how could it be Liu Fen?
Liu Fen had been skinny and so dark she barely looked like a woman. Wang Jingui had seen Liu Fen during last year’s Spring Festival – though Liu Fen’s complexion had improved a lot by then, it wasn’t such a dramatic change.
Xia Dajun had Xia Hongbing stop – was the woman in the store Liu Fen?
To be honest, rather than saying she looked like Liu Fen, she looked somewhat like Xia Xiaolan.
How could Liu Fen look like this? Xia Dajun had lived with her for twenty years, how could he not know?
Just then, another woman standing nearby turned her head slightly, and Wang Jingui nearly burst a blood vessel:
“That’s Xiaolan’s Aunt Li, surname Li, can’t be wrong!”
– Who else could be appearing with Li Fengmei except Liu Fen?!