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

After becoming an apprentice, He Dazhu would leave from Yu Fat Building in Sai Wan before dawn every day, take the first tram all the way to Yau Ma Tei, and wait at the door before Master Su opened his shop.

He Dazhu took care of all the rough work that an apprentice should do, from sweeping and boiling water to wiping cabinets and organizing tools.

Master Su's name is Su Yongchang. He is an old man in his early sixties with a slightly hunched back.

Su Yongchang's shop was small, located on the old street of Yau Ma Tei; the storefront was narrow, and the interior was deep. In the front was a counter displaying about a dozen jade ornaments and pendants. In the back was the workshop, with a long table and several grinding tools, above which hung a bright lamp.

Because it was Uncle Lin who arranged the connection, and everyone there was an acquaintance, Master Su gave him face and didn't make things difficult for He Dazhu. On the first day, he made the rules clear: "You are not allowed to touch the finished products on the shelves, you are not allowed to smoke in the workshop, and you don't do anything unless you are told to. You have to learn the craft by looking at it first."

He Dazhu readily agreed.

Master Su sat in the workshop, fixing a piece of jade the size of a thumb on a vise, and picked up a fine carving knife to carve it little by little: "You used to carve wood, so you have a foundation, but jade is different from wood."

"See that?" Master Su placed his hand on the table. "The strength should come from your fingertips. Forget all that brute force you used to use when planing wood here."

He Dazhu stood to the side and nodded: "I'll remember, Master."

And so, He Dazhu spent his days watching the master craftsman work in the shop and helping out. At night, he would return to the Yufa Building and practice his carving skills day and night with the scraps of fabric left over from his wife Lin Lanying's sewing.

Master Su didn't talk much, but he didn't hold back what he needed to teach: "Your finger technique is good. You still have the foundation you gained from carving. If you switch to jade and dedicate yourself to it for another two years, you'll be able to start taking on jobs on your own."

He Dazhu worked even harder.

He Dazhu could see that Master Su was actually suffering. The old man had two sons, both of whom were capable, but neither of them was willing to take over the family craft.

The eldest son, Su Zhiming, is a manager at a major bank in Central. Every time he comes back to visit Su Yongchang, he arrives in a car.

But each time he would sit for ten minutes politely and then leave, never forgetting to say before he left, "Dad, you're getting old, and this shop doesn't make much money, you should close it down sooner rather than later."

The second son, Su Zhihao, took a different path. He was involved in the underworld in Kowloon City, and although no one explicitly stated what kind of business he was involved in, he had already made a name for himself. He Dazhu had personally witnessed Su Zhihao swaggering into the shop several times, always choosing the time when the eldest son, Su Zhiming, was in the shop.

That day, Su Zhiming was trying to persuade his father to close the shop when Su Zhihao walked in. He was wearing a floral shirt, a thick gold chain around his neck, and his arms were covered in tattoos.

Su Zhihao didn't even glance at his older brother, but pulled out a wad of cash from his bag and slammed it on the counter.

"Big brother works in a high-end office building in Central, counting money for others every day. How much can he give Dad?" Su Zhihao said in front of his eldest brother. "Dad, take it for tea. Your little skill is outdated. Our Su family's pocket money will have to come from me, a street urchin, in the future."

Su Zhiming's face darkened, and he left.

When Master Su saw his second son, he became even quieter. He neither accepted money nor cursed, and silently continued working. The two brothers, one dark-skinned and the other fair-skinned, looked down on the carving skills in the shop.

"They each have their own fate." After everyone left, Master Su said to He Dazhu with emotion after finishing his work, "A craft isn't something everyone can appreciate. The fact that you're willing to learn is already much better than my two unfilial sons."

------

It was mid-August.

He Dazhu studied under Master Su for almost a month.

That evening, He Dazhu returned to Yufa Building after work. Lin Lanying was cooking in the kitchen, the oil sizzling on the stove.

The second son, Lin Qian, was on summer vacation and spent all his time catching loaches with Lin Yue at their old house in the New Territories, refusing to return to the city. The eldest daughter, Lin Ying, sat alone at the square table, flipping through her fourth-grade textbook.

He Dazhu washed his hands and sat down, looking at his daughter hunched over the table: "Little sister, aren't you bored staying cooped up in the room all day?"

"fine."

"Why don't you go to the shop with Lao Dou tomorrow? There's a table behind the shop, you can take your books and go read there. Your mother and I are worried about you being home alone."

Lin Lanying came out of the kitchen carrying dishes, glanced at her husband, and said, "Your master's place is a workplace; why bring a child there and cause trouble?"

"She won't cause any trouble," He Dazhu said. "You know what kind of person she is, she never talks nonsense. It's better for her to sit in the corner and read a book than to be alone in the room. Master has a good temper, he won't mind."

Lin Lanying considered her daughter's personality and decided not to object further.

The next morning, He Dazhu led Lin Ying out the door. Lin Ying carried a leather backpack that her aunt had bought for her, which was stuffed with textbooks and exercise books.

The two took the tram to Yau Ma Tei and turned into a narrow alley. Master Su was sitting in his workshop grinding raw materials when he heard footsteps. He looked up and saw a little girl with a schoolbag following behind He Dazhu.

"Master, this is my daughter, Lin Ying." He Dazhu pushed Lin Ying forward a little. "There's no one to look after her at home during the summer vacation, so I brought her here to sit for a while. I promise she won't disturb your work."

"Hello, sister." Master Su put down the mold in his hand and glanced at Lin Ying.

Lin Ying bowed slightly: "Hello, Master Su."

Master Su nodded: "Dazhu told me about you. He said you got into a prestigious private school and your grades are excellent. Have a seat. You can use the small table in the back. Help yourself to water if you're thirsty."

Lin Ying thanked him, moved a stool and sat down at the small wooden table in the corner of the workshop, opened her textbook and began to read. Master Su saw that she was quite honest and didn't say anything more, continuing to grind the material.

From that day on, Lin Ying went to the shop with He Dazhu. She read books in the corner while He Dazhu learned the craft beside her. The shop was very quiet, with only the soft rustling of the molds rubbing against the jade, occasionally punctuated by Master Su's pointing.

Lin Ying would sometimes take a look. The old man was skilled; a piece of ordinary jadeite rough could be transformed into a jadeite cicada in just a few days.

------

August 23rd, Saturday.

He Dazhu arrived at the shop early in the morning and sensed something was off. Master Su was tidying up the counter at the front, wiping the glass counter, which he didn't usually clean, with a damp cloth.

"Master, are we not working today?" He Dazhu asked.

"That's an early finish for today." Master Su tossed the rag into the bucket. "My two sons will be home for dinner tonight."

Su Yongchang turned to He Dazhu and said, "Don't leave either. Bring your daughter over for a meal. You've been with me for almost a month now, and you've been honest and well-behaved. They should get to know you."

He Dazhu was a little surprised: "Is...is this appropriate?"

"It's appropriate for me to call you over," said Master Su. "Come to my house at four o'clock this afternoon. You know the address; it's on the third floor of the tenement building behind Temple Street."

At 3:30 p.m., He Dazhu led Lin Ying to the old Tang Dynasty building behind Temple Street. He had specially changed into his white shirt. Lin Ying was wearing a white T-shirt and a dark blue cloth skirt, without her schoolbag, but carrying a few oranges that He Dazhu had just bought from a roadside fruit stand.

"Sister, when we get to Master's house, be polite. Call Master's son 'Uncle'," He Dazhu instructed from the stairs.

"Okay." Lin Ying followed behind as they climbed the stairs.

Master Su lived on the third floor. The door was open, and you could hear the sounds of spatulas hitting iron pots and children making noise coming from inside.

He Dazhu knocked on the door frame: "Master, I'm here."

"Come in," Master Su's voice came from the inner room.

He Dazhu led Lin Ying through the door; the room was packed with people today.

A large round table sat in the middle of the living room, covered with a white plastic tablecloth. In the kitchen, a middle-aged woman in an apron was busy at the stove; that was Master Su's wife, Li Fenglan.

A man in his early thirties was sitting on the sofa, wearing a light blue shirt and a Seiko watch on his wrist. On the coffee table in front of him was a box of American ginseng.

The man was sitting next to a woman with big, wavy hair, wearing a floral silk dress, and dressed very neatly.

This is their eldest son, Su Zhiming, and his wife, Chen Meishan. Behind them are three boys, the oldest looking about fourteen or fifteen years old, and the youngest about six or seven, all dressed in polo shirts and shorts, sitting quietly on folding chairs.

Another man stood on the balcony. His floral shirt was open at the collar, revealing a gold chain, and he had tattoos on his arms... He leaned against the iron railing of the balcony, smoking. He was a size bigger than his older brother, and had a fierce look on his face. This was his second son, Su Zhihao.

Two boys were squatting behind Su Zhihao. The older one, who looked to be around twelve, was quietly flipping through comics. The younger one, who looked to be eight or nine, was kicking the iron flowerpot on the edge of the balcony, making a sound with each kick.

"Zhihao! Control your brat!" Li Fenglan shouted as she poked her head out of the kitchen.

Su Zhihao didn't even turn his head, exhaling a puff of smoke: "Ah Jun, stop."

The boy looked up, pursed his lips, and withdrew his foot.

Su Yongchang came out from the inner room and saw He Dazhu and his daughter standing at the door. He said to the sofa, "Zhiming, Zhihao, this is my new apprentice He Dazhu, a craftsman who used to do wood carving. Next to him is his daughter."

Su Zhiming stood up and politely extended his hand: "Hello, Master He."

He Dazhu rubbed his hands on his trouser leg twice, then shook hands with him: "Hello, Mr. Su, just call me Dazhu."

Su Zhiming smiled and looked at Lin Ying: "Is this your daughter? How old is she?"

"Nine years old." He Dazhu pushed Lin Ying forward.

Lin Ying greeted them: "Hello, Uncle Su. Hello, Auntie."

Chen Meishan glanced at Lin Ying and nodded politely.

Su Zhihao, who was on the balcony, stubbed out his cigarette and came in. He glanced at He Dazhu up and down, then at Lin Ying, without greeting her, simply asking, "Dad, when is dinner?"

"What's your hurry? The dishes haven't all been served yet." Chef Su glanced at him.

He Dazhu handed the orange to Li Fenglan and sat down at the round table. Lin Ying sat down next to her father.

The meal was quite chaotic. Su Zhiming's three sons sat there, eating silently and holding their chopsticks properly.

Su Zhihao's second son, Su Jun, didn't stay still on his chair the entire meal. He kept tapping his chopsticks on his bowl and plates, and sometimes he would stand up and stretch his arms to reach for the braised pork on the other side.

"Ah Jun, sit down." Su Zhihao took a sip of beer and ignored him.

Su Zhiming was talking to Su Yongchang at the table about the recent jade market, mentioning that a major client in Zhonghuan wanted to order a batch of jade pendants as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. Su Yongchang listened without responding.

Halfway through the meal, Su Zhiming turned to He Dazhu and politely asked, "Master He, your daughter is nine years old. Which school does she attend?"

"Saint Paul," He Dazhu replied with great enthusiasm, "school starts in September, and we'll be enrolled in fourth grade right away."

"Saint Paul's?" Su Zhiming was a little surprised. "The private one in Kowloon Tong?"

"Yes." He Dazhu nodded.

Su Zhiming turned to look at Lin Ying: "Your daughter is no ordinary person. The entrance exam for St. Paul's is extremely difficult; many children from wealthy families can't get in even if they pay a lot of money."

He Dazhu chuckled. He had originally wanted to say that his daughter had scored 299 points, but he was afraid of showing off too much at his master's house, so he held back his words.

Su Zhihao, who had been eating in silence, looked up at Lin Ying, then turned to look at his youngest son, Su Jun.

"Ah Jun." Su Zhihao tapped his youngest son's bowl with the tip of his chopsticks. "Which school do you go to? Tell this little sister."

Su Jun was poking at the rice in his bowl with a spoon when he heard Lao Dou call him. He casually replied, "Saint Paul? I'm from Saint Paul too."

He Dazhu was stunned.

Su Jun looked at Lin Ying and said, "You're going to fourth grade in September? Then we'll be in the same grade."