Rebirth: Outstanding

January 26, 1952, New Year's Eve.

The Chinese New Year complex is deeply rooted. Whether rich or poor, they have already brought joy to their faces. Rich people hang lanterns in front of their doors and put up New Year pictures. People who have no money in the wooden house area will also look for them. A piece of red paper written "safe in and out" and "good luck" and other Huaichun stickers on the door, hoping that the new year will bring good luck to the family.

The sound of firecrackers also rang early. Most of the children used bonus bonuses given by their elders and sent them to the grocery store to replace them with firecrackers. At this time, there was a ring of ping-pong-pong, and occasionally some people would put some more than ordinary ones. The firecrackers are thicker and bigger, and the explosion sound is deafening.

Although Hong Kong does not prohibit the setting of firecrackers, except for New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival, other dates, if you want to have a happy event, or the store opens and you want to set off firecrackers to celebrate, you need to go to the police station to pay for a permit to set off firecrackers on the same day. Otherwise, if you don’t have a permit to set off firecrackers privately, you will wait for the messenger to come and file a fine.

Most impoverished families are reluctant to spend money to buy a license to set off firecrackers even if they are married. Finally, when there is no restriction on setting off firecrackers, the children who have been holding back for a full year will naturally release all their accumulated expectations.

Therefore, in Hong Kong on the morning of New Year's Eve, from Hong Kong Island to Kowloon, from the streets to the end, the air is full of the smell of gunpowder burning.

Early in the morning, on Taihe Street, Song Chunliang, who changed into a new suit, used a bamboo pole to lift up the modified firecrackers on the roof of the building. There were several long strings of firecrackers, one end hanging from the bamboo pole on the fourth floor of the roof. One end hangs down to the bluestone slab on the street. It is more than ten meters long. Jiuwenlong and Shi Yehui, as well as Zhao Wenye, who graduated from the police academy and distributed to the Mong Kok police station, is holding a cigarette and looking up. Xiang Song Chunliang, waiting for him to set up the bamboo pole, ready to light the fire at any time.

Zhou Xiuer was led by Fu Yanniang and Shuhuan Shiyin to stand far away across the street. The bodies of several people were tense, and they wanted to shrink into the wall, but their eyes looked at those strings of firecrackers with fear and expectation. Waiting to be ignited by Zhao Wenye, Jiuwenlong and Shi Yehui, and many children and adults in the neighborhood also stood opposite, watching the firecrackers eagerly, waiting to see these long strings of firecrackers explode.

"Alright!" Song Chunliang fixed the bamboo poles one by one, stood on the top of the roof, waved down, and shouted.

Zhao Wenye, Jiuwenlong and Shi Yehui separately went to use cigarettes to gather the fuze of the firecrackers. When the crackle exploded, the three also rushed into the drugstore to escape with their heads.

"Chinese New Year."

Hearing the loud sound of firecrackers outside, Zhao Meizhen said with emotion. During the Spring Festival last year, Zhao Meizhen still remembered that the family of four people only covered dumplings with vegetarian stuffing. I bought a small bag symbolically. The Huichun posted outside the wooden house area was not willing to spend money to ask someone to write it. It was written by his son Song Tianyao.

But this year, Zhao Meizhen was busy distributing candies and candied fruit in her hands, but she looked into the living room, Lou Fengyun, Fen's wife, Meng Luqing, Song Wenwen, and her sister Zhao Meizhu, who worked with her next to her, and counted the men who set off firecrackers outside. , Children, more than a dozen people.

Last year, apart from Song Wenwen who bought a new dress, neither his wife nor Song Tianyao bought any new clothes. But this year, Zhao Meizhen looked down at the cotton-cotton fox fur trim coat she was wearing, and she looked at helping Lou Fengyun in the living room. Hongfengli is Meng Wanqing, who put the change in it. This year, more than a dozen people's new clothes are all sent by Meng Wanqing.

This Miss Meng asked the tailor to measure the size half a month ago, and came here early today. Everyone is two sets of new clothes including shoes from the inside out. I don’t know that Miss Meng’s house is. How much money did I make? The collar and cuffs of the jacket I wear are trimmed with fox fur. It is said that the same fabric is used for the expensive clothes in the Shanghai tailor shop.

Lou Fengyun seems to have made a lot of money. At this time, she brought the stacks of new change notes specially prepared on the table in the living room. She and Meng Luqing, Song Wenwen, and Fen’s wife were carrying them in the red seals. These red seals are She kept what Zhao Meizhen and Song Chunliang had prepared for the younger generations who came to visit the new year. Inside each red seal, there are five brand-new one-yuan banknotes. Looking at the stacks, don't they add up to five or six hundred yuan?

The firecrackers were exploding outside. At this time, the candied fruit in her hand was brought by Yan Yushuan’s wife, Fen’s wife, from the grocery store. The grain, oil, vegetables, chicken, duck and fish at home these days were sold by Shi Yehui to the workers of Tianming Company. Delivered by truck.

From the end of recent years, Zhao Meizhen found out that her family didn't seem to have paid for the new year's goods. When they wanted to buy it, everyone was ready.

"Fortunately, this building of your house has four floors. Otherwise, there are so many people, and the rooms on the first floor can't be greeted." Zhao Meizhu helped her sister to pack the last bit of candy in the happy bag, and said with emotion next to him: " How many girls, big and small, are Ah Yao's girlfriends?"

Zhao Meizhen shook her head, remembering the alienation that her son showed when he was away from home, and said helplessly: "I don't know that Ah Yao is older and he is not as obedient as he used to be. He and I dare not care anymore. I found that A Yao was bothered. Do you remember Suzhen in the wooden house area? At that time, A Yao adhered to Suzhen all day, and only Suzhen was in his eyes. Now it's okay. Listen to A Yun telling me that A Yao still has a ghost. My sister and girlfriend have red hair."

Outside Zhao Wenye, Jiuwenlong, Shi Yehui and others let off the firecrackers. At this time, they returned to the second floor talking and laughing. Now Zhao Wenye has a little stubble on his face, and his eyes are more cool than before. Shi was even more energetic, and walked behind Zhao Meizhen and asked, "Aunt Zhen, where is Brother Yao?"

As soon as he spoke, Meng Wanqing and Lou Fengyun in the living room immediately looked over. They didn't see Song Tianyao showing up when they came here early in the morning. They were just sitting opposite each other, and neither of them was embarrassed to ask.

"Look at his grandpa and third aunt." Zhao Meizhen heard Zhao Wenye's question about her son, and said angrily: "I drove out the door early in the morning and called him from behind. He pretended not to hear me and thought I was not Let him go? I want him to install some new year goods to send over!"

...

Song Tianyao did get up early on New Year’s Eve and drove to the Kowloon Walled City to see Song Chengqi. Song Chengqi had no lame company as his companion. Now he brought a few lonely old men with some strength, and together with Qi Weiwen, he was busy decorating the place where he had been sold. The two-story wooden building seems to be open for business after the Spring Festival.

After leaving behind the New Year’s goods that he bought and placed in the car yesterday, he quietly gave Song Chengqi 2,000 Hong Kong dollars to spend the Spring Festival for the elderly and children in the nursing home, and Song Tianyao then drove to Etou Mountain to visit the forest. Yu Jing and Feng Yunzhi.

Song Tianyao originally wanted to take the two to Taihe Street to celebrate the Spring Festival, but when he called to ask, Lin Yujing declined. After a moment's thought, Song Tianyao knew that the Lin family had great rules, and most of them were to gather a large family on New Year's Eve. Together, that's why Song Tianyao rushed to deliver the Spring Festival goods to the third aunt Lin Yujing on New Year's Eve, so as not to be too late.

At the bottom of the mountain, he was first stopped by the old servant of the Lin family, Wen Jingyuan. He first walked to Lin Yujing's small building to deliver the letter. After receiving Lin Yujing's reply, he let Song Tianyao drive up.

Song Tianyao didn't dare to put on airs to this Lin family servant. He heard the third aunt say that this was Lin Xizhen's subordinate when he was selling opium on the sea. His relationship with the Lin family for decades, marksmanship, and courage were all quenched by pirates and other opium dealers. , Don't look at the old age, a few young people waiting to be idle are not the opponents of this 60-something old man.

"Brother Tianyao!" Feng Yunzhi wore a women's hunting suit and walked over to Song Tianyao, who got off the car, his long boots almost reached his knees, and his hair was tied into a neat ponytail and flung behind his head. A black goatskin jacket with a white fur collar turned out, but Feng Yunzhi is a good girl. Wearing this wild clothing, she doesn't have the wild taste, but looks cute because of the contrast.

"You picked it yourself?" Song Tianyao got out of the car and opened the trunk, took out some prepared New Year goods from it, carried it in his hand and walked towards the small building with Feng Yunzhi: "What is the third aunt?"

"My mother is copying the Buddhist scriptures, and Xiang's wife is waiting for the bonus to other children when she returns to the mansion at noon. This is my own choice, not bad." Feng Yunzhi helped Song Tianyao carry a bag of dried abalone and followed behind Song Tianyao. Said.

After entering the small building, Lin Yujing had already stopped writing, and walked down from her room on the second floor. During this time, Lin Yujing's complexion seemed to have improved a lot, and people seemed more energetic. Seeing Song Tianyao, Lin Yu Jing walked down the stairs and said:

"There must be a lot of things in your house during the New Year. Why bother to come here in the morning. Have you had breakfast? Xiangsao, is your breakfast ready?"

Song Tianyao and Lin Yujing, Feng Yunzhi sat at the table and had breakfast together. Lin Yujing looked at Song Tianyao with only a smile, but Feng Yunzhi next to him was eating while looking at Song Tianyao, waiting to finish his breakfast in a hurry, and wiped the corners of his mouth. He asked Song Tianyao: "Brother Tianyao, when can I move to the Kowloon Walled City to see Grandpa? I don't want to go to the Lin family mansion during the New Year. The mansion is very boring, there are so many people and noisy. I want to spend the Spring Festival with Grandpa."

"It's coming, it's coming." Song Tianyao swallowed the breakfast in his mouth and said with a smile to Feng Yunzhi: "I am thinking of a way to make you go to the Lin Family Mansion without being bored."

Lin Yujing observed Song Tianyao's expression and said softly, "Ayao, do you have something to tell the third aunt?"

"Third aunt, I arranged for someone to buy Xizhen Real Estate stocks in the stock market a little bit. Doesn’t Yunzhi feel bored? When I buy a certain amount, when I can take charge of this company, I will put Lin’s family The big house helps Yunzhi to be turned into a playground, so I won’t be bored again? After seeing you last time, I thought about how the Lin family knocked you out in the first place and how we were going to return it. Originally, I wanted to hide it from the third aunt. You, but I'm afraid that you will be sad in the future, so it's better to be honest, and I want to ask, San Aunt, can you help me?" Song Tianyao turned his face to Lin Yujing, and said with a smile.

Just this sentence, but Lin Yujing's eyes widened in surprise. Although she does not do business, she also knows that Xizhen Real Estate is a company founded by her father Lin Xizhen when she was alive. It is the root of the Lin family outside the opium business. In the early days of listing, the market value was already worth four to five million Hong Kong dollars. Now that it has grown to the present, I am afraid that there are more than tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars, right?

Song Tianyao actually wants a snake to swallow a giant elephant? Dove occupy the magpie's nest? Still want to help him? How can I help him? Help him see how his greed is not enough to break his belly? Or after the Lin family noticed the matter, when the Lin family shot him, interceded with the elder brothers for him?

"I... what can I do for you? Ah Yao, don't make some money and do stupid things, you can't beat the Lin Family!" Lin Yujing suddenly felt that the air became tense for a moment, and said to Song Tianyao hurriedly.

Song Tianyao stretched out his hand and gently patted Lin Yujing's support on the edge of the table. The back of her hand was already highlighted by the force: "Third aunt, I have a sense of measure. I won't fight against Lin's family now. You and Yunzhi stay at the Lin family for the time being and continue to live here until I pick you up and Yunzhi and leave. Until then, you can't sever ties with the Lin family."

"That's it?" Lin Yujing looked at Song Tianyao's eyes and asked rhetorically.

Song Tianyao nodded: "In this way, I lose, everyone assumes that nothing has happened. If I win, I have to remind them that it is time for the Lin family to live in another person."