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

After Su Zhiming finished speaking, Su Yongchang, sitting in the main seat, softened his expression. His two sons, one in banking and the other in the underworld, had looked down on each other in their younger days. Now that the younger son had made a name for himself in film, and the elder son was willing to humble himself and discuss the rules, this was already a good thing.

But if you want a good thing to not turn into a bad thing, you have to make things clear from the beginning.

Su Zhihao picked up his teacup, took a sip, put the cup down, and looked at Lin Ying: "Ying."

Lin Ying looked up: "Second Uncle."

"Since we're talking about movie licenses, I'll just ask a quick question," Su Zhihao said with a hint of anticipation, "Do you have any new scripts on hand right now?"

Both films, "Death by Light" and "The Gambling King," were profitable. Now, the most valuable thing in the entire private room isn't Su Zhihao's underworld connections, Su Zhiming's banking resources, or Boss Peng's overseas distribution channels. It's the next story in Lin Ying's mind.

Lin Ying thought for a moment: "Not for now."

Su Zhihao was taken aback: "Really not?"

"Really not." Lin Ying shook her head. "Second Uncle, it's already the end of July. If things go smoothly in Hong Kong, from project initiation, preparation, filming, post-production, and scheduling, it'll basically be ready for the Lunar New Year season."

"That's the number. The Lunar New Year film season is good because there are so many people."

"It's precisely because there are so many people that we can't just do whatever we want." Lin Ying put down her cup. "You can't just grab any script and rush into the Lunar New Year film season. Back then, audiences wanted excitement, celebration, laughter, and something the whole family could watch together. If the subject matter isn't right, throwing money at it might not be effective."

Su Zhihao, who had been about to urge them on, immediately shut up upon hearing this. Su Zhiming added, "Miss Lin is right. Competition for releases at the end of the year is fierce; investing blindly would be very risky."

Su Zhihao glanced at him: "Big brother, now you know movies aren't like bank deposits, right?"

Su Zhiming smiled and didn't argue back.

Lin Ying continued, "I'll tell you, Second Uncle, after I've thought it through. I've been busy with my high school entrance exams this year, and for the past few months I've been working with simplified Chinese subtitles in Guangzhou. I don't have a detailed understanding of the hottest topics in Hong Kong right now, or the changes in theater schedules. Writing a script can't just rely on inspiration that suddenly pops into your head; you still have to read newspapers, look at box office figures, see what the audience is criticizing, laughing at, and what they want to see. You can only do it if you understand all of that."

Su Jun muttered under his breath, "Does writing a play depend on what the audience criticizes?"

Lin Ying glanced at him: "Of course we have to watch. The parts that viewers criticize the most are the parts they care about. You don't even know what people want to see, yet you expect to make money off their tickets?"

Su Jun immediately shut up.

Su Zhihao beamed with delight: "Good, good! I like that line. Tell your second uncle as soon as you come up with it."

"Okay." Lin Ying nodded. "I'll talk to my second uncle when I've thought it through, but let me make it clear beforehand that we won't open for business until it's ready."

Su Zhihao slammed his hand on the table: "We'll do it your way!"

Su Zhiming also picked up his teacup: "If there is a real opportunity to cooperate in the future, I will only pay according to the rules and will not ask for money indiscriminately."

Lin Ying looked at him and replied, "That's for the best. The worst thing for a film industry is for outsiders to think they know everything. As long as investors follow the rules, everyone will be comfortable."

These words, though spoken softly, were understood by all the adults at the table.

Su Yongchang chuckled: "Ah Ying, this child, is young, but speaks like a man."

The atmosphere became more relaxed in the latter half of the meal.

Su Zhihao stopped arguing with Su Zhiming, and Su Zhiming stopped putting on airs as the older brother.

Chen Meishan pulled Lin Lanying aside to ask about the tailoring of the cheongsam, saying that she had several wife friends who always complained that the cheongsams in the mall didn't fit well, and she would definitely recommend them to them another day. Lin Lanying was modest on the surface, but she made a mental note of this.

Lin Qian sat to the side, watching in stunned silence. He used to think that wealthy people simply ate and drank in large private rooms. Today he realized that adults at meals talked more than they ate. Each dish was served, eliciting smiles from everyone. A single sentence could contain old favors, new rules, risks, profit sharing, and even explicit and implicit hints…

After the meal, Su Zhihao personally escorted the Lin family to the hotel entrance.

"Ying, have you bought the computer yet?" he suddenly remembered.

"Not yet, I'll go tomorrow," Lin Ying said.

"Buy it." Su Zhihao waved his hand ostentatiously. "Don't skimp on this. Your hand is the hand that writes big money."

It was almost 10 o'clock when I got back to Taikoo Shing.

Lin Lanying first told He Dazhu to take a shower, and then urged Lin Ying to change out of her dress and hang it up.

Lin Qian didn't rush to watch TV as usual, but instead sat on the sofa in the living room, hugging his knees and staring blankly.

Lin Lanying came out carrying a glass of warm water: "Have you eaten enough today?"

I'm full.

"Then why are you sitting there pretending to be an old monk? What did you experience at that fancy restaurant today?" Lin Lanying asked.

Lin Qian whispered, "Mommy, I think...they're acting really strange today."

"What's strange about it?"

"Why do even brothers have to be so calculating?" Lin Qian frowned. "Uncle Su and Second Uncle Su are brothers, why do they have to calculate 300,000 favors, and still have to follow the rules and take risks?"

Lin Lanying placed the water glass on the coffee table and sat down opposite him: "Of course, do you think only our family is like this? Every reasonable family is like this."

Lin Qian remained silent.

Lin Lanying continued, "Whether they're brothers or sisters, feelings are feelings and money is money. If money isn't clearly defined, favors will slowly turn into resentment. Did you see that today? Uncle Su was willing to take Uncle Su under his wing because of a past favor. His brother also has to follow the rules. If Uncle Su had tried to control the script and make decisions today, do you think Uncle Su would have turned on him?"

Lin Qian answered without hesitation: "Definitely."

"So we made these things clear from the beginning so that we could sit down and eat together in the future."

Lin Ying sat beside him, watching her younger brother and seeing how much he understood.

She thought for a moment, then turned to Lin Lanying: "Mommy, could you talk to Uncle and Grandpa? You'll have to be the one to build Uncle's hut."

Lin Lanying nodded thoughtfully.

Lin Ying continued, "I only learned about the Ding right after Grandpa talked about it at Yufa Building. But the Ding house on my uncle's side still needs to be built as soon as possible. Materials and labor will become more and more expensive. I have money now and am willing to pay for it. The important thing is to build it as soon as possible so that Grandpa and Grandma can enjoy it sooner."

Lin Qian interjected, "But Grandpa said Ding Quan is the younger brother's son."

"So we need to discuss this clearly with my uncle." Lin Ying looked at her younger brother. "The property rights belong to my uncle, and the deed and procedures should be done according to the rules. We also need to make it clear in advance whether our contribution is for our grandparents or a loan. We can't leave things unclear."

"Okay, I'll discuss it with your uncle," Lin Lanying said. She was always decisive. "He'll definitely have to pay the lion's share. Ding Quan is his, and in the future, this house will nominally be inseparable from him."

After taking a shower, He Dazhu came out, drying his hair, and said, "This is good. Everyone feels better after making things clear. We'll talk about it when we get back to the village, and I'll go too."

With the matter settled, Lin Lanying then looked at Lin Ying and asked, "When are you going to buy your computer?"

Lin Ying said almost without hesitation: "Tomorrow! If I don't buy it now, I'm afraid I'll feel like throwing up whenever I see manuscript paper in the future."

The next morning, He Dazhu went to the jade carving shop in Yau Ma Tei early in the morning. Lin Lanying took Lin Ying and Lin Qian out and headed straight for the office equipment company in Central.

Computer stores in the early 1980s were completely different from those of later years. Behind the counter were bulky monitors, computer towers, keyboards, and a rather large printer.

The salesperson was wearing a shirt and I didn't pay much attention at first. That is, until Lin Ying asked about the specifications.

Are there any printer models suitable for both English and Chinese word processing? How many floppy disk drives are available? Is the printer dot-matrix or daisy-wheel? Can word processing software be installed? Also, I need to apply for dial-up internet access; do current models have a reserved dial-up interface?

The salesperson paused for a few seconds, then changed their attitude: "Miss, is this for personal use?"

"I write the draft," Lin Ying said. "It requires extensive revisions, printing, and archiving. Later, I'll also need to handle file transfers."

The salesperson quickly pulled out some brochures and introduced the product. Lin Lanying only half understood what he was saying, but she grasped one key point: "If it breaks, someone needs to come and fix it."

Lin Ying tested the keyboard and checked the printing results to confirm that the Chinese system could handle traditional Chinese documents before finally finalizing the plan. (This is a period novel, not a serious drama, so don't worry about the computer; it's just a tool needed for the plot.)

"Computer host, monitor, word processing software, printer, spare ribbons, printing paper, all included. Plus maintenance service." The salesman typed away on the computer for a while, "Total HK$65,000."

Lin Qian gasped, "Sixty-five thousand?"

Lin Lanying felt a pang of regret, but she didn't hesitate to take out her checkbook and sign it: "This money has to be spent; it's your sister's livelihood."

As Lin Qian walked out of the store, he was still counting on his fingers: "If I earn three thousand a month in the future, it will take me more than twenty months of not eating or drinking to afford a computer..."

Lin Lanying smiled and nodded: "So now you know whether studying is useful or not?"