Soul Returns to Hong Kong: From Tailor Shop to Richest Woman

Early on the third day, before dawn in the village of the New Territories, rustling sounds could be heard in the Lin family's courtyard.

Lin Ying was awakened by footsteps outside. She sat up in bed, put on a thin shirt, and went to the door. The main room was lit by a dim light bulb. Li Yuzhen was half-squatting in front of the octagonal table, placing two packs of cigarettes tied with red paper and some good wine on the table, moving them around several times.

He Dazhu stood to the side, wearing a brand-new white shirt; Lin Lanying had taken it out from the bottom of a trunk last night, wet it, and ironed it with an iron.

The collar of the new shirt was stiff and uncomfortable for He Dazhu, who kept pulling it inside to let in some air.

"Stop pulling!" Lin Lanying came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of steaming congee. "What kind of look is it to have your new clothes wrinkled? Today is the day you're formally becoming an apprentice and meeting your master, so stand up straight!"

He Dazhu put his hands down, put them behind his back, and stood up straight.

The curtain to the inner room was lifted, and Lin Fu came out. The old man was wearing a neat, dark-colored Tang suit with a front opening. His usually loose gray hair was now combed back neatly with a comb dipped in water.

"Is everything ready?" Lin Fu turned to ask his daughter.

"It's all here, Dad." Lin Lanying walked to the table and counted the items one by one. "Two packs of cigarettes, two bottles of wine, and a red envelope with a lucky number of 666 yuan, for good luck and all the best."

"Let's go." Lin Fu handed the red cloth bag in his hand to He Dazhu. "After you finish this bowl of hot porridge, head out to the village entrance to catch the early minibus to Yau Ma Tei. When it comes to seeing the master, we can only wait for him; it wouldn't look good if we were late."

He Dazhu took the red cloth bag with both hands and stuffed it into his inner pocket. He picked up the bowl of porridge on the table and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls, the heat making him gasp for breath.

Lin Ying stood quietly at the door of the east wing, watching; when He Dazhu straightened up, he inadvertently met his daughter's eyes, and his tense expression eased.

"Sister, Old Dou has gone to become an apprentice."

"Okay." Lin Ying nodded. "Old Dou, good luck."

He Dazhu's nose tingled with emotion. Afraid of losing face by shedding tears in front of his father-in-law, he quickly turned around and followed Lin Fu out of the courtyard gate.

Lin Lanying took off her apron and wiped her hands. She was going to go with them, which also showed how much the Lin family valued He Dazhu.

Before leaving, Lin Lanying instructed Li Yuzhen to look after the younger children at home: "Mom, my sister-in-law is feeling better these past few days. If she can get up later, have her take the three kids to Mong Kok to visit Yaoying. My younger sister is going to St. Paul's soon, and she needs a haircut. Let Yaoying's skills help her get it neat."

Li Yuzhen agreed and watched her husband, daughter, and son-in-law disappear into the morning mist at the village entrance.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, as the sun rose, Deng Hui pushed open the wooden door of the west wing and came out.

These past few days, Li Yuzhen's daily ginseng chicken soup and pig's feet with ginger have certainly paid off; Deng Hui's steps have become more steady, no longer as weak as she was in the days immediately following her miscarriage. Today, she specially changed into a light blue short-sleeved chiffon blouse, her glossy black hair pinned behind her ears with hair clips, giving her a refreshing and gentle aura.

"Ah Ying, Lin Qian, Yue Yue." Deng Hui stood by the courtyard, calling to the three little ones, "Go wash your faces and change your shoes. Today your aunt is taking you to Mong Kok to visit your uncle."

Lin Qian was squatting on the ground playing with pebbles when he jumped up first: "Great! They sell fish balls and bowl cakes in Mong Kok!"

Lin Yue threw down the small wooden stick she was holding and came closer: "Mommy, are you really able to go out? Your dizziness isn't there anymore?"

"She's not dizzy anymore." Deng Hui looked down and touched her daughter's pigtails. "Grandma has been giving her nourishing soup for so many days, it would be a shame if she didn't get better."

Li Yuzhen poked half her body out from the kitchen: "Ah Hui, you've only just recovered. It must be hard taking three kids on a minibus. Don't push yourself. When we get to Mong Kok, sit down and rest. Let Yaoying watch over them."

"Okay, Mom," Deng Hui replied, turning around to take a small black cloth bag from the wardrobe, containing money and keys for going out.

The four people walked to the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village to wait for the car.

Lin Ying stood next to Deng Hui and looked up at her aunt.

"Auntie, are you sure you can handle it? If you're tired, we can stay home and read." Lin Ying asked.

Deng Hui smiled and said, "Ah Ying, your aunt isn't that delicate. She's been resting for almost a month now, and her bones are practically rusting. Coming out for a walk and seeing the lively atmosphere outside actually makes her feel better."

As they were talking, a red-roofed minibus screeched to a halt in front of them, and four people lined up to get on.

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Mong Kok.

The minibus came to a stop on Nathan Road, and as soon as the door opened, the street was packed with people.

As soon as Lin Yue got out of the car, she sniffed the aroma of food in the air: "I smell it! Curry fish balls! It's on that street ahead!"

"Let's go to your old man's shop first, and eat after we finish our business." Deng Hui grabbed her and led the three children into a narrow alleyway.

After walking for less than five minutes, I saw a wooden sign with a red background and white lettering that read "Yao Ying Hair Salon" in traditional Chinese characters.

The shop was wider than Lin Lanying's tailor shop in Sai Wan, but not by much; two old-fashioned rotating lampposts at the entrance turned red and blue, and large mirrors were embedded in three walls inside the shop, making the space appear twice as large by reflecting light.

Both old-fashioned barber chairs were occupied, and the table in front of the mirror was covered with scissors, clippers, hair wax cans, and spray bottles of various sizes.

Lin Yaoying stood behind the chair on the left, the scissors in her hand making a snip-snip sound, and fine strands of hair fell onto the striped apron.

On the chair to the right, a woman with big, wavy hair had her eyes closed, her head covered in colorful curlers, while a young female apprentice applied cold perm solution to her hair.

"Old Dou!" Lin Yue called out as soon as she pushed open the door.

Lin Yaoying paused for a second with the scissors in his hand. He saw his wife and three children walking in in the mirror in front of him and smiled, "You're here? Sit down and rest for a while. I'll be finishing in ten minutes."

Deng Hui nodded and sat down with her three children in the waiting area by the door. The waiting area was actually just a row of wooden benches nailed to the corner of the wall, with a few thin plastic cushions on them.

Lin Qian remained quiet for less than a minute before becoming restless. Pointing at the posters of exaggerated hairstyles popular in the 1980s on the wall, he began to criticize: "This afro is so ugly... this one is ugly too... this uncle's hairstyle looks like an alien's..."

"Speak softly!" Deng Hui slapped the back of his head. "Don't disturb your uncle's business."

Ten minutes later, Lin Yaoying finished styling her hair, saw the guests off, and pulled off the apron to shake off the stray hairs.

"Ah Ying, come here." Lin Yaoying patted the newly vacated barber chair. "You're going to study at a prestigious university like St. Paul's next month, and your hair is a complete mess. Your uncle will give you a trim today."

Lin Ying walked over and sat down in the chair. Lin Yaoying tore a new apron off the table and tied it around her neck.

"What kind of haircut do you want?" Lin Yaoying picked up a wide-tooth comb in one hand and a spray bottle in the other, spraying water on Lin Ying's hair to detangle the knots.

"A student-style haircut, as long as it's easy to manage," Lin Ying said, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Alright." Lin Yaoying switched to a smaller pair of scissors and started working.

He cut hair quickly. The comb held down a lock of hair, and with a snip, the scissors snipped along the bottom of the comb, sending the loose hair falling to the ground.

Lin Qian and Lin Yue leaned over the mirror next to them to look at themselves. Lin Yue commented, "Beautiful! Ah Ying is a hundred times more beautiful than before!"

"She wasn't ugly before, the Lin family has great genes," Lin Yaoying said, her hands still moving.

Finally, he took the hairdryer and dried the stray hairs on Lin Ying's cheeks and neck. He then untied the apron, spun around halfway around the chair, and made sure Lin Ying was facing the mirror.

The little girl in the mirror had neatly cut short hair to her ears, with bangs falling above her eyebrows, revealing her small face and bright black eyes.

"Beautiful girl." Lin Yaoying patted Lin Ying on the shoulder. "This hairstyle looks great! When you go to St. Paul's School, stand up straight. If anyone bullies you, your uncle will back you up."

Lin Ying looked at herself in the mirror: "Thank you, Uncle."