Outsider: The Fifth Young Master of the Kang Family

"Kang Ershou, is Kang Ershou at home?"

That afternoon, Lao Dou's mother was picking vegetables with Xiu Gu in the courtyard garden. They were chatting when they heard someone outside calling Lao Dou's name. "Come here, who is it?" Lao Dou's mother went out to open the door, "It turned out to be Xi Ma."

"Guangfu has changed so much now. It took me a long time to find this place." Ah Zhuan handed the luggage to the old lady Dou and said with a smile.

"My dear, I thought you were just talking, but you really came back." My father's face looked a little unnatural. Ah Zhuan waved his hand and said with a smile, "You should keep your promise. It's been two months. Now Coco has gone to summer camp, so I came back to see her. You don't mean to say I'm welcome, do you?"

"No, welcome, welcome, just take a look around, haha." Lao Dou's mother took Ah Zhuan to visit the Xiguan mansion after it was renovated and merged. After looking around the house, Ah Zhuan was finally convinced that what Lao Dou said at that time was true.

After visiting the Xiguan Mansion, it was time for dinner. Everyone in the Kang family had returned. After a round of greetings, Ah Zhuan said, "Ah Shou, I came back this time to see what the Xiguan Mansion has become, and to meet old neighbors. How is the herbal tea maker next door now? I really want to visit him."

"Liangcha Bing? He went to sell salted duck eggs." said the old man.

"How pitiful! How could this happen? I was still missing his herbal tea, and now he's gone?" Ah Zhuan looked sad when he heard this. His father said, "You don't have to be so sad. He just went to immigrate."

"Then you said he went to sell salted duck eggs?" Ah Zhuan burst into tears. In ancient times, in the Cantonese region, people would fry salted fish and boil salted eggs to worship in front of the graves during the Qingming Festival. Over time, merchants developed the habit of selling salted duck eggs during the Qingming Festival and other sacrificial festivals, and when someone died, they would be referred to as "selling salted duck eggs".

A Zu smiled and explained to A Zhuan, "It's like this. After he immigrated, he changed his career to selling salted duck eggs because foreigners didn't like herbal tea."

"So that's how it is." Ah Zhuan finally stopped crying and asked, "What about Ah Lian, the tofu beauty at the end of the street?"

"She passed away" Before the second sister-in-law finished her words, Ah Zhuan was shocked and asked, "Huh? Passed away?" "Passed away" is also a euphemism for death in Cantonese.

The second sister-in-law was frightened by Ah Zhuan and had no choice but to explain: "It's Singapore."

"Sorry, I'm too nervous. It's good to go to Singapore, OK." Ah Zhuan apologized to her second sister-in-law awkwardly, and sighed about the situation of the old neighbor. She thought for a while and asked again: "What about the pork seller in the vegetable market?"

"He immigrated to England to sell beef," the second sister-in-law replied.

"Where's the fishmonger at the fish stall?" Zhuan asked again, "Isn't he emigrated too?"

"That's right. Of all the neighbors you know, the only one left is Mrs. Zhu next door." Dad pointed at Wanling and said, "She's Wanling's mother. Do you still remember her?"

"You mean Ah Jing, right? Of course I have an impression of her. I remember that she married into the Zhu family next door six months before your father passed away. We lived next door to each other, and although we were not very familiar with each other, we had chatted a few times." Ah Zhuan recalled and soon remembered who the Zhu Shi Nai that your father mentioned was. She looked at Wan Ling and asked, "Wan Ling, how many brothers and sisters do you have?"

However, she had a normal relationship with Mrs. Zhu, so it didn't matter whether she saw him or not. Since she couldn't see her old friends and neighbors, she wanted to go out for a walk, so she looked at her second sister-in-law and said, "Achan, do you have time to go to Shangxiajiu with me tomorrow?"

"Shangxiajiu? No, it's very far away." The second sister-in-law refused subconsciously, "Shangxiajiu is still far? You can get there in a few steps when you go out." Ah Zhuan was speechless. Could this reason be any more perfunctory?

"No, the whole Shangxiajiu Road is being renovated recently, so it's blocked and no one is allowed to enter." The second sister-in-law thought of another reason after a moment's thought.

"Shangxiajiu is also being renovated?" Ah Zhuan was puzzled. "Well, then I'll go shopping nearby by myself tomorrow." She also came to her senses and realized that the second sister-in-law just didn't want to accompany her. The mother thought about it and took the initiative to say: "Don't listen to her nonsense, my dear mother, she has to go to work tomorrow and has no time to accompany you. I will go shopping with you tomorrow."

Ah Zhuan naturally had no objection to having someone to accompany him out for a stroll.

Mazi accompanied her around the neighborhood for several days, during which many neighbors recognized Ah Zhuan. Even though they didn't socialize much back then, they were still very emotional after meeting again after many years. After spending some time with everyone, Ah Zhuan liked the atmosphere of Changsheng Street more and more.

That night during dinner, she suddenly said, "Ah Shou and Ah Lian, I plan to stay here for a long time. I will not leave this Feng Shui treasure land."

"Live here for a long time?" the old man asked in surprise. "Where did you say you were going to hunt, grandma? You don't mean to hunt here, do you?" Grandpa asked, expressing the thoughts of the Kang family.

"People will always return to their roots." Ah Zhuan is 65 years old this year, and it is time for him to consider "returning to his hometown, returning to his roots."

For the Chinese, returning to one's roots is not just a geographical concept, but also a cultural sentiment and a nostalgia for one's hometown. This sentiment stems from a deep affection for the land and water of one's hometown, as well as respect for one's family and ancestors. Even if many people have been wandering for many years, they will choose to return to their hometown when they are old to realize their spiritual destination.

My father could only nod his head in agreement. "That's right. After the domestic environment improved in recent years, many overseas Chinese have returned to settle down. It's good to come back to Guangzhou. Now Guangzhou changes a little every year, a little every three years, and a lot every five years. It's getting more and more beautiful."

"Yes, yes. The most important thing is that the cost of living is low." Ah Zhuan said with a smile, "I've checked the market. It's only one dollar to take the bus, eight dollars a pound of pork, and seven dollars a pound of chicken. I think about a thousand dollars a month is enough."

(After SARS and bird flu, chicken was the cheapest meat in the market for a long time.)
"I have many friends who are in sales. I'll ask them to sell you some houses. There are many beautiful properties." A Zu took the initiative to introduce a real estate agent to A Zhuan, but what he feared came true. A Zhuan said, "Why buy? This place is good now. I'll just live here."

"Ah? You want to live here?" Everyone was surprised.

"Yes." Ah Zhuan looked at everyone's expressions and said bluntly, "I know that none of you want me to live here for a long time. You think it's easier to get along with others than to live here for a long time. But don't forget that according to the law, half of this Xiguan mansion belongs to me. I have let you use it for so many years without saying anything. I am just going back to live in my own home now. What right do you have to object?"

"You're not right to say that." Lao Dou disagreed with Ah Zhuan's words, "This Xiguan mansion was left by our ancestors. I don't think it has anything to do with you."

"That's right. This Xiguan mansion was left to your father by our ancestors. Am I your father's legal wife?" Ah Zhuan also had her reasons. "I am your father's legal wife, so half of this mansion belongs to me. I have the right to live here."

The old man was speechless now, but Grandpa stood up and said, "Grandma, let me remind you, the law stipulates that if you are missing for three years, it is considered a natural death. You have been missing for more than 40 years, which means you have died more than a dozen times."

"Am I dead now?" Ah Zhuan pointed at herself and asked. Seeing that no one paid any attention to her, she slammed the table and said loudly, "I'm not dead, so this big house is mine and I can live here. None of you have the right to refuse."

Everyone looked at each other, and then looked at Kang Qirui at the same time. Everyone could only place their last hope on Kang Qirui. Kang Qirui was eating quietly with his wife and children. After feeling everyone's pleading eyes, he sighed secretly, put down his chopsticks, looked at Ah Zhuan and said, "Grandma, actually you said you wanted to come back to live, I have no objection."

The others were shocked when they heard Kang Qirui's words. Kang Qirui stretched out his hand to signal everyone to stay calm. He continued, "Although this Xiguan mansion has been expanded and renovated, you are my grandfather's legal wife, so this mansion will always have your share. You said you want to go home and live there, so of course no one has the qualifications or the right to refuse."

"Ah Rui, what you said is fair." Ah Zhuan was happy now, thinking that someone finally said something fair. In fact, Kang Qirui was not a saint, but Ah Zhuan was indeed the wife of Kang Qirui's grandfather, so she definitely had a share in the big house.

"However, you have been away for more than 40 years, and you can say that you don't know anyone anymore. You can be said to be unfamiliar with life. You have been in Hong Kong for so many years and you must have become accustomed to the atmosphere there. I think there is no reason for you to suddenly feel that a place you have lived in for so many years is not good and want to move back. What is the real reason why you want to come back? Why don't you tell us and see if we can solve it?" Kang Qirui chose to appeal to his emotions and persuade him with reason.

Ah Zhuan was persuaded, and she said frankly: "I will tell you the truth now. Don't think I am a rich man. I lied to you before when I told you that I have a mansion in Hong Kong City. I only live in a 65-foot building. I am already 14 years old. No one wants me to work in Hong Kong City. And Coco is only years old this year. How can I support her without any income? Hong Kong City's expenses are so high. How long can my savings last?"

"So when I came back this time and saw that the cost of living here is so low, I wanted to come back and live here. Like A Rui said, I've long been accustomed to the pace of life in Hong Kong City. It's not that I have no choice. Do you really think I want to move back?"

Ah Zhuan thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I hope Coco can come back to the mainland to study in high school. The development here is so good, and there is a future for her to develop here."

"That's it?" This question certainly didn't bother Kang Qirui. "Then if I help you solve your income problem, where would you like to live?"

"Then I'll definitely live in Hong Kong. I've lived here for decades and have so many old friends. It's definitely better than here where I don't know anyone." Ah Zhuan was speaking from the heart. She asked, "How are you going to solve my income problem?"

"If other people are unwilling to treat you, why don't I treat you?" Kang Qirui said with a smile, "I have an investment company in Gangcheng, and now I'm short of a cleaning lady and a cooking lady. Are you willing to help?" He was talking about KS Investment Company. The investment company was originally established in Gangcheng. Initially, it only wanted to better operate the equity of Kang's own business. Later, it gradually invested in some other projects, all of which were managed by professional managers.

The past two years have been going very well. It just so happened that the cleaning and cooking auntie he had previously quit was no longer employed. When he saw Ah Zhuan saying that he had no job and no income, he immediately thought of this. Ah Zhuan did not hesitate, "It's fine for me. At my age, it's good enough to still have a job."

"Then I'll give you a business card later. When you return to Hong Kong City, contact the person on the card and tell them that it was arranged by me." Kang Qirui nodded and said, "As for Coco's matter, you are only in the third year of junior high school now. Wait until next summer vacation to decide whether to help her transfer back." (End of this chapter)