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

On the evening of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the streets of Hong Kong were filled with red paper scraps left by lion dances and firecrackers.

The phone rang in the living room. Lin Ying was arranging red envelopes at the table and answered the phone without thinking.

"Ah Ying! We've exploded!" Su Zhihao shouted excitedly. "Those other zombie comedies that followed suit, we've completely crushed their screenings!"

Lin Ying also breathed a sigh of relief: "Second Uncle is amazing! As long as the attendance rate remains stable, we'll see how the word-of-mouth spreads after the third year of junior high."

"They don't even need to wait until the third year of junior high! The young guys coming out of the gambling den are all talking about the plot of cheating by switching cards at the last minute. The underdog rising to become a gambling king—they're all green with envy, they're totally hooked on this kind of thing..."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Lanying sat on the sofa eating sunflower seeds: "The box office is good?"

"Fully booked!" Lin Ying said.

He Dazhu sat on a small stool on the balcony, holding a piece of unfinished jade scrap in his hand. He chuckled twice when he heard those two words.

Lin Qian poked his head halfway out of the corridor and asked, "So, does that mean we've received another share of the profits?"

Lin Lanying glared at him: "All you talk about during the Lunar New Year is money; we're going back to the New Territories for dinner tomorrow, don't show your face in front of Grandma like this."

On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, the family of four carried roast goose, gift boxes, and seafood, and took a car back to the New Territories.

The courtyard in the New Territories was unusually lively today. Li Yuzhen had killed a chicken early in the morning, Lin Yaoying was chopping firewood in the yard, and Deng Hui was washing vegetables by the well. Lin Yue, wearing a new cotton-padded jacket, saw Lin Qian come in and immediately ran over to snatch the biscuit box from his hand.

During the meal, the eight-immortal table was piled high with dishes: poached chicken, roast pork, black moss and dried oysters... all for good luck.

Lin Yaoying poured Lin Fu a glass of wine: "Old Dou, everyone in Mong Kok is talking about the play Ah Ying wrote this time. I heard from customers that tickets are sold out. This is going to be another big hit."

Lin Fu picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and nodded: "Now that you've made money, you should be even more careful about how you conduct yourself."

Everyone at the table was used to the old man's mannerisms and knew that he was actually very happy inside; everyone continued eating and chatting, while Lin Qian and Lin Yue bickered over chicken legs.

As the meal progressed, He Dazhu slowly put down his chopsticks.

He didn't eat much today, and he didn't touch the glass of wine that Lin Yaoying poured for him earlier.

Lin Lanying sat next to him, glanced at him sideways, and Lin Ying also put down her chopsticks.

The somewhat noisy sounds in the main room disappeared because of He Dazhu's unusual silence.

Lin Fu picked up a piece of bok choy with his chopsticks: "Dazhu, do you have a nail in your butt? If you can't sit still, just start talking."

He Dazhu looked at Lin Fu, who was sitting in the main seat, and said, "Dad, I want to... go back to my hometown for a visit."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yaoying stopped eating, and Li Yuzhen looked at her son-in-law and sighed.

He Dazhu continued, "I've been out here for over ten years. I didn't have any identity before; I came here illegally. I was afraid to go back for fear of being caught, and I didn't have the money to go back. Now it's different. I now have the identity of a Hong Kong and Macao compatriot, and I've also learned the craft of jade carving. A while ago, I got all the return permits for my family of four...

Lin Qian was stunned, then turned to look at Lin Lanying: "Mommy, a return permit? A family of four?"

Lin Lanying kicked Lin Qian under the table to shut him up.

He Dazhu's eyes reddened: "I haven't seen my father and mother for fourteen years. They're getting old, and as their son, I can't not even let them see me once in a lifetime."

Lin Fu put his chopsticks on the edge of the table and looked at He Dazhu.

"Dazhu, I won't stop you from going back to your hometown to fulfill your filial duties. It's a basic human responsibility, and I've kept my words in mind."

He Dazhu was about to speak.

"But," Lin Fu didn't give him a chance to speak, "you know better than I what the customs are like in the villages on the mainland. They favor sons over daughters, look down on girls; this isn't something that happened overnight, it's a problem that's been passed down from generation to generation."

Lin Fu tapped his fingers twice on the table: "I'm not worried about you taking Lan Ying back, or taking A Qian back. But I'm a little uneasy about you taking A Ying back."

All eyes in the family were on Lin Ying.

Lin Fu's words were blunt and hurtful; Hong Kong also favors sons over daughters, but in the Lin family, Lin Ying was the backbone of the family, the apple of everyone's eye. In the villages on the mainland, among the clan elders and distant relatives, who would care whether a little girl was smart or not? They would only care if she was a girl.

"Father, I understand what you mean," He Dazhu said anxiously.

"Aying is my own daughter. I, He Dazhu, would rather give up my life than let anyone, or anyone in my hometown village, say a single bad word about my daughter."

"I'm taking them back to let my parents see my granddaughter, not to let them suffer. If anyone dares to give Aying a hard time, I'll take her away immediately and never go back for the rest of my life!"

Lin Lanying looked at her husband's tightly clenched fists and remained silent.

Lin Fu stared at He Dazhu for a long time, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Lin Ying sat on a small stool, looking at her father; she saw He Dazhu's hands, which were covered in calluses, with tiny cuts left from polishing jade at his knuckles.

This man had never really been a presence in the family; he did heavy work, ate simple meals, and handed over every penny he earned to Lin Lanying.

To ensure she could attend a prestigious university, he would take on jobs late into the night; to ensure she had a stable place to live, he would stay at Taikoo Shing after get off work.

"Grandpa," Lin Ying said.

Lin Fu turned to look at his granddaughter, Ying: "Ying, you speak."

Lin Ying looked at He Dazhu: "Old Dou has been out for over ten years now. He's made something of himself, and he should let his grandparents see him. With his wish fulfilled, he can focus on his work in the future. Let's go back as a family of four."

He Dazhu's eyes welled up with tears: "Sister..."

Lin Ying looked at her father and said, "Going back for a few days is fine, to visit the elders. Dad, I'm asking you about the border crossing procedures, the necessary documents, and the route for buying train tickets. Are you sure you've got everything sorted out?"

He Dazhu nodded quickly: "It's all done, everything's ready. I asked my fellow villagers in Yau Ma Tei for help, it's very reliable."

Since Lin Ying had agreed, Lin Fu didn't press the issue any further.

"Okay." Lin Fu made the decision. "Yaoying, while your eldest sister and Dazhu are back in their hometown, keep an eye on their new house in Taikoo Shing and their old house in Sai Wan every two days."

Lin Yaoying immediately assured him, "Don't worry, Lao Dou, I've got it covered. Sister, you can go back without worry."

Once things were settled, things at home suddenly became hectic. We didn't need to pack too many nice clothes for the trip back to the mainland; instead, we needed to prepare plenty of dry food, medicated oil, and identification documents.

On the afternoon of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, He Dazhu walked to Lin Ying's room and knocked on the open door.

Lin Ying was looking at her first-year high school textbook when she turned around and asked, "Dad, what's wrong?"

He Dazhu walked in, somewhat flustered: "Sister... I want to ask you for a favor. I'd like to borrow some money."

Lin Ying put down her book: "How much do you want to borrow?"

"Ten thousand Hong Kong dollars." He Dazhu said the number with a bit of embarrassment. "When I go back to my hometown, I have to give some red envelopes to the elderly and relatives in the village. I didn't have anything when I left before, so I can't lose face this time."

Fearing Lin Ying would think he was wasting money, he quickly added, "Consider this money a loan from Lao Dou. I'll be doing jade carving for Master Su, and once I've completed my apprenticeship and my salary has increased, I'll slowly deduct the money to pay you back."

Lin Ying didn't say much. She asked her mother to open the safe, took out ten thousand Hong Kong dollars from her own box, and handed it over: "Here you go."

He Dazhu took it with both hands: "Old Dou, put it in the account."

"Just look at the flowers, we're not strangers, father and daughter."

The next day, He Dazhu made a trip and exchanged all 10,000 Hong Kong dollars into RMB. In the early 1980s, 10,000 Hong Kong dollars could be exchanged for about 3,000 RMB.

At that time in inland China, a worker's monthly salary was only about thirty yuan. Bringing more than three thousand yuan back to the countryside was considered a huge sum of money.

That evening, Lin Lanying spread all three thousand yuan on the dining table.

Lin Lanying took out scissors and a needle and thread, and carefully sewed the thickest wad of money into the lining of her underwear. She divided the remaining money into two parts: one part was sewn deep inside the pocket of He Dazhu's coat, and the other was stuffed into a hidden compartment in her old leather bag.

"Don't flaunt your wealth." Lin Lanying warned Lin Qian, staring at him. "When you're crossing the border, when you're on the train, no matter who asks you, just say that your father is a jade carving apprentice, and your mother makes sewing machines; that it took the family several years to save enough money to buy a train ticket back home. If anyone dares to utter a single word about your sister making money by writing plays, I'll sew their mouth shut when they get back to Hong Kong!"

Lin Qian covered his mouth and nodded frantically.

Lin Ying took two hundred yuan in smaller denominations and put it into her small crossbody bag: "You can take the big money, I'll just bring two hundred for my own spending money."

It was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, and it was still dark.

The family of four, carrying three large canvas bags, left home on time.

Crossing the Luohu Port, it was so crowded that there was hardly any room to step. It was full of Hong Kong people carrying burlap sacks and large and small bags, heading back to their hometowns to visit relatives. He Dazhu walked ahead, clearing the way, carrying two heavy bags in one hand and protecting Lin Lanying behind him with the other. Lin Lanying was holding the hands of Lin Ying and Lin Qian.

After queuing for several hours, I finally passed through customs and set foot on the land of Guangdong.

The accents around me had changed, and the road surface had become a dusty cobblestone and cement road. Vendors pushing bicycles and hawking their wares along the street, and crowds of people wearing blue and gray Zhongshan suits, instantly pulled me into a completely different era.

After waiting at the station for three hours, the family finally squeezed onto the green train heading towards their hometown.

He Dazhu bought four hard seats, which were very narrow, with one seat opposite the other.

Lin Ying and Lin Qian sat by the window, with He Dazhu next to her and Lin Lanying opposite them, her hands always pressed against her purse and stomach.

The train whistle sounded, emitting a long, muffled blast. The train swayed slightly and began to move slowly forward.

The platform outside the window gradually receded, and the utility poles passed by one by one.

From the moment the train started moving, He Dazhu's gaze was fixed on the scenery outside the window. His weathered face was reflected in the glass.

The next leg of the journey will take more than thirty hours.

At the end of the railway tracks lies the old village he left fourteen years ago, a place he dreams of returning to, yet is also afraid to return to.