Chapter 014: Checking In

After hearing what Zheng Fuying had to say, Liang Dalong walked out to the gate.

When he reached the pavilion in the garden, Zheng Fuying elaborated, “Wu Zhichai said he found the watch, which contradicts what Wu Biyun said about the young lady selling it to her in exchange for smuggling fees.”

“When and where did he find it?”

“He said he picked it up on the smuggling route.”

How could that be possible? Liang Dalong began to understand; this watch must have been either robbed or stolen. It was likely taken during the chaos upon landing.

“What else?”

“This Wu Zhichai seemed very nervous when he saw us, speaking in a jumble and saying he wasn’t familiar with the young lady’s family or the situation.”

Fortunately, Sang Ming had reassured Liang Dalong earlier; otherwise, he would have thought that his granddaughter was no longer among the living.

But then he reconsidered; if they had stolen the watch, why would Wu Biyun feel so comfortable staying here to work? Once he found Liang Kefeng, her lie would fall apart without any effort.

He sensed something was off.

Zheng Fuying saw Liang Dalong stared blankly at the azaleas in the distance and quietly asked, “Should we lock up these siblings and interrogate them properly?”

After a brief moment of thought, Liang Dalong replied, “Aren’t there any leads yet? Let’s find the young lady first.”

It was clear that his grandfather had his own ideas. Zheng Fuying responded, “Alright, anyway, these two kids have someone watching them here, so they can’t escape.”

—

In the servant’s quarters of the Liang family’s mansion, Wu Zhichai looked around the bright and tidy room before him, with a spacious and clean bed, a bathroom equipped with a water heater and toilet… his eyes reddened with excitement.

He turned to Wu Biyun and said, “This is paradise! Even the workers live this well, each person gets their own room. Little sister, we’ve hit the jackpot this time.”

Wu Biyun had already calmed down. She lowered her voice, “Don’t speak so loudly; there are ears on the other side of the wall.”

Wu Zhichai pinched his throat, “I was too nervous at the time and randomly said that the watch was found. Is that going to cause trouble? Our stories don’t match.”

Wu Biyun was also worried, “It’s all your fault! You’re so stupid. At a time like this, you should just say you don’t know!”

Wu Zhichai picked up an apple from the table, wiped it on his sleeve, and took a bite, “I was just too nervous; you can’t blame me for that. Luckily, I didn’t say the watch belonged to Liang Ke’er; I was already quite clever.”

Wu Biyun’s mind was quicker than her brother’s: “If they have doubts, they might come back to ask me. When that happens, I’ll say I lied and that I actually bought it from Liang Kefeng.”

Wu Zhichai nodded, “What if they find Liang Kefeng?”

“Liang Kefeng was also seriously injured at that time; I estimate there’s a 90% chance she’s dead.”

“If those sisters are dead, then we can have a good life. This apple is really sweet.”

“Of course, it’s imported from Japan. Young Lord Long can’t finish all the fruits, so it would be a waste to throw them away; we servants can share them.”

Wu Zhichai lay down on the bed, “This is truly a heavenly life.”

“Don’t lie there; get up quickly. I’ll take you to Sister Lin to pick up some clothes. There’s afternoon tea later.” In just half a day, Wu Biyun had already figured out a lot of things.

—

The faucet was running noisily as Sister Lian washed dishes in the kitchen while Liang Kefeng stood by pouring hot water to make coffee.

Sister Lian occasionally glanced out the window, “A lot of police have come outside.”

Liang Kefeng also moved to the window to look outside. Just then, a police car stopped, and several people got out, looking like they were from the Organized Crime Unit investigating gang crimes.

Sister Lian said, “Something big happened on the street this morning. A little boy was shot and seriously injured by a gang member; he almost died.”

Liang Kefeng pretended to be curious, “Why did the gang member use a gun to shoot a child?”

To make it easier to speak, Sister Lian turned down the faucet a bit, “I heard that the gang member bought salted fish without paying and got into a dispute with the child’s mother. In front of her, he deliberately shot her child; how arrogant! The gang member laughed beside the boy after shooting him! What a wicked heart!”

“Did the police catch the gang member?”

“Luckily, heaven has eyes. That street punk was laughing on the street when he was shot in the head by some brave soul! He died right in front of that child. Tell me, isn’t that heaven’s justice? This is called retribution! That brave soul is truly a righteous person! In our society, there are plenty of police colluding with gangs, and everyone says we need more heroes like that. Just like in the movies, a black rose that eliminates harm for the people!” Sister Lian spoke with enthusiasm, as if she were that brave soul herself.

Hearing Sister Lian talk about these embellished “rumors,” Liang Kefeng took a sip of coffee and smiled, “Sister Lian, you’re right.”

She glanced outside again and saw two police officers walking towards the Liang family’s establishment, instinctively heightening her alertness.

She went to the living room to call the front desk, asking for Uncle Kun to come up.

When Uncle Kun arrived, he happened to bump into Cheng Yaojin coming down from the rooftop. Seeing the unfamiliar man with a full beard, Uncle Kun’s alarm bells went off. How could the young lady know such a person?

“Miss…”

Liang Kefeng understood what Uncle Kun was worried about, “I’m going to Sifang City today and plan to stay there to find someone. This is Cheng Yaojin, the bodyguard I hired. He will help me look for the Wu siblings.”

After greeting each other, Uncle Kun saw Cheng Yaojin go to the bathroom and hurriedly whispered, “Is this outsider trustworthy?”

“He saved me; he’s reliable.”

Uncle Kun still felt uneasy, “Miss, Sifang City is really too chaotic; it’s not a suitable place for you to stay. Just go find someone; there’s no need to stay inside.”

Liang Kefeng couldn’t tell Uncle Kun that her trip to Sifang City was more than just looking for someone; she only reassured him, “I know my limits. By the way, I saw two police officers enter our mahjong parlor downstairs. Has something happened?”

“Nothing. There was a drug dealer’s hideout across the street that got raided, and the police came to ask questions as a routine.”

Oh, that’s good.

Liang Kefeng cautiously asked, “I heard Sister Lian say that someone was shot on the street next door…”

The mahjong parlor was the most informed place, and Uncle Kun knew more than Sister Lian.

“There was a gang conflict; before the police arrived, their own people had dragged away the dead gang member, so there was no body at the scene. The police could only treat it as a normal injury case. In Hong Kong, such things could happen multiple times a day, and the police can’t manage that much.”

Liang Kefeng set down her coffee cup, “Uncle Kun, if someone comes looking for me, no matter who it is, you all say you don’t know me; there’s no one like me at the Liang family establishment.”

Uncle Kun wasn’t foolish; he could tell the young lady had done something he didn’t know about, otherwise, someone like Cheng Yaojin wouldn’t appear out of the blue in their home.

Since the young lady chose not to speak, he wouldn’t pry further.

In handling the affairs of the Yuan Dong family, Uncle Kun had already realized that the young master of his household was not an ordinary person.

Uncle Kun agreed, “I understand; I’ll instruct the staff how to respond.”

With Uncle Kun’s help, Liang Kefeng saved herself a lot of trouble. She instructed, “Prepare a car for me. We’ll set off for Sifang City in an hour. Also, get a few sets of clothes and daily necessities ready for Cheng Yaojin to take to Sifang City.”

“I’ll take care of it right away. Do you want Dr. Lin to prescribe you more medication?”

“Just prepare a bit.”

Liang Kefeng packed her belongings and returned to the living room to gather detailed information about Sifang City from Cheng Yaojin.

Sifang City originally belonged to the Qing government’s offices, covering an area of less than 40,000 square meters and nominally under the jurisdiction of the mainland, with the Hong Kong government having no governance rights.

After the Nationalist government took power on the mainland, there had been no substantial administration of Sifang City, causing it to gradually become an ungoverned enclave.

In such a lawless area, with no government and no police, Sifang City naturally became a hotbed of crime.

It also became the preferred refuge for many migrants, fugitives, and disaster victims coming from the mainland to Hong Kong.

The Hongmen brothers who fled from the mainland gradually gathered in Sifang City, and through years of development, they nearly replaced the government’s administration. Under the “governance” of the Hongmen brothers, although the enclave was a mix of good and bad, the residents could still live and work in peace.

Thirty years ago, the Hongmen…

The senior brothers had a conflict, and the elder brother led the members of the Hongmen to leave the Sifang City, ultimately becoming the patriarch of the major society in Hong Kong. That elder brother is Liang Dalong’s father. Meanwhile, the younger brother stayed in the Sifang City and established the Shuanglong Hall, which nominally also belongs to the Hongmen.

Nowadays, the Sifang City is controlled by the Shuanglong Hall. Generally, members of the three major societies do not enter the stronghold. According to the original book, the Shuanglong Hall is a disorganized group. After Sang Ming took over as patriarch, the first thing he did was massacre the Shuanglong Hall, allowing the Hongmen to regain control over the Sifang City for over a decade until the stronghold was completely demolished.

However, the matters related to the Sifang City are only briefly mentioned in the book without detailed descriptions, so Liang Kefeng doesn’t know much about it. She asked, “Who is in charge of the Shuanglong Hall now?”

To disguise his identity, Cheng Yaojin shaved off his beard, looking a bit more refined. He sat upright across from Liang Kefeng and said honestly, “The leader of the Shuanglong Hall passed away three years ago, and since then, the Shuanglong Hall has fragmented. A new leader has not been chosen to this day. Currently, the nominal authority lies with the account holder, but the Shuanglong Hall itself has split into several factions, and I hear they don’t listen much to the account holder’s commands, so things are rather chaotic.”

The Shuanglong Hall is divided into Qinglong and Bailong, further split into Upper Qinglong, Lower Qinglong, Upper Bailong, and Lower Bailong, with each faction governing one of the four main gates of the stronghold.

The Sifang City covers only 40,000 square meters, smaller than a small community in the mainland, and yet this tiny area has divided into four small gangs, which is quite astonishing.

Liang Kefeng was puzzled: “What do they rely on to survive? Do they collect protection fees?” She opened a box of cookies and handed it to Cheng Yaojin.

Cheng Yaojin held the cookie box, looking like a well-behaved chubby boy. “Don’t be fooled by its small size; it’s densely populated with around 40 to 50 thousand residents. Everyone living there has to pay monthly dues. In addition to the dues, there should be other illegal businesses as well.”

The obedient chubby boy took a bite of the cookie. “On the surface, the Sifang City has little profit and is small in size, with gangs everywhere. The bosses of the external societies are unwilling to get involved. However, the management is not bad; our Sang Ming used to say that the Sifang City has order amidst chaos.”

The Sifang City was becoming more intriguing the more she heard about it. Liang Kefeng leaned back on the sofa, deep in thought, still needing to figure out how to smuggle in guns and ammunition.

An hour later, Liang Kefeng changed into a simple outfit, put on a wig, and went downstairs to prepare to leave. Just as she reached the first floor and was about to exit, she saw Uncle Kun approaching, stretching out his hand as if to stop them.

Liang Kefeng slowed her pace and glanced behind Uncle Kun, noticing two uniformed police officers standing at the store entrance, reporting to an undercover officer beside them.

“Mr. Bu, there are no new discoveries in the area, but…”

Mr. Bu? Could it be Bu Kaixin? There shouldn’t be another officer with the last name Bu in the O Department.

The male protagonist in the original book, Bu Kaixin, is a senior inspector in the O Department, and the author gave him the nickname “Unhappy.” However, Bu Kaixin’s Cantonese pronunciation doesn’t actually mean “unhappy.”

Liang Kefeng took a closer look; Bu Kaixin was about thirty years old, his face marked with scars from puberty. He wasn’t handsome, but he looked quite righteous. When Bu Kaixin glanced in her direction, she averted her gaze.

If she suddenly turned back, it would raise suspicions, so Liang Kefeng lowered her head and said to the approaching Uncle Kun, “It’s fine, the car is at the entrance, right?”

“At the entrance.”

“What about the car keys?”

Uncle Kun handed the car keys to Cheng Yaojin behind him and then walked ahead to lead the way.

Following Uncle Kun out of the mahjong hall, they headed towards the small sedan parked at the entrance. Liang Kefeng raised her hand to check her watch, completely ignoring Bu Kaixin and the other officers’ gazes.

Uncle Kun opened the car door for her. After she got in, she took a quick glance at Bu Kaixin. Although he was looking at her, it was clear he was lost in thought, so his gaze was unfocused.

Cheng Yaojin stowed the luggage and sat in the driver’s seat, starting the vehicle and slowly leaving the people in front of the mahjong hall behind.

This was the small sedan left by Liang Yaozu. Liang Kefeng could drive but didn’t have a driver’s license. Uncle Kun was originally going to find someone to help, but Cheng Yaojin said he could drive, which saved some trouble.

Uncle Kun and Liang Kefeng sat together in the back seat. Liang Kefeng whispered, “You need to find a way to get that officer’s phone number.”

Uncle Kun was puzzled: “The undercover guy standing at our store’s entrance?”

“Yes, I heard others call him Mr. Bu. His name should be Bu Kaixin; he’s a senior inspector in the O Department’s investigation unit. After you get his phone number, let me know.”

Uncle Kun never understood what the young lady was up to. He couldn’t ask in front of Cheng Yaojin, so he could only comply. “I’ll inquire; it shouldn’t be difficult to obtain.”

On the way, Liang Kefeng discussed the next arrangements with Uncle Kun.

Uncle Kun was in charge of several mahjong halls under the Liang brand. Additionally, he needed to use the mahjong halls to help her with cover and provide some necessary cooperation.

As they spoke, they had already arrived at the Sifang City.

From a distance, it looked like a densely packed square fortress made of tall buildings, with almost no gaps between them—like a high-level Rubik’s Cube, very magical and cyberpunk-like.

Driving around the outer streets of the Sifang City, Uncle Kun pointed to a storefront across the street from the stronghold: “Miss, this is our Liang brand Sifang branch.”

The branch looked smaller than the main store but had newer decor.

The Sifang City has four entrances and exits, with the eastern gate opposite Liang’s brand. Liang Kefeng asked, “Is the eastern gate managed by Upper Bailong?”

Uncle Kun was surprised: “How did the young lady know?”

“I heard you mention that someone from Upper Bailong came to the store to cause trouble. What happened later? Was it resolved?”

“Didn’t we give Ah Dan three thousand yuan last year? The matter has been resolved.”

Liang Kefeng asked, “I had a fallout with the couple Yuan Dong and Zhu Fengping. Ah Dan didn’t come looking for trouble, did he?”

Uncle Kun shook his head: “I was initially worried he would come looking for trouble, but the staff in the store said they hadn’t seen him, so he might not be in the stronghold during the New Year. Or maybe Zhu Fengping was afraid of causing trouble and didn’t tell him.”

In any case, it’s best to avoid Upper Bailong’s area for now.

After getting out of the car, they first went to the branch to settle down. Liang Kefeng handed Uncle Kun the bag containing the knives and guns for safekeeping.

They only stayed in the store for about ten minutes before Liang Kefeng and Cheng Yaojin took their luggage and went out.

To avoid attracting attention, Uncle Kun didn’t see them off.

They headed towards the busiest southern gate. It was around four or five in the afternoon, and there were many pedestrians in the street. Everyone was hurrying along, and if one didn’t pay attention to the surroundings, it looked just like any other urban area in Hong Kong.

As they neared the southern gate, they saw a hardware store hanging a wooden sign that read: “Bamboo shoots for sale, housing rentals.”

“Miss, looking for a rental?” A middle-aged man drinking tea stood under the sign, “How many people will be living here?”

Liang Kefeng stopped in her tracks. “Just me and my brother, two people.”

The middle-aged man walked over, sizing up the couple before him. Although they dressed plainly, they didn’t look poor. He cheerfully introduced himself: “My name is Li Facai; everyone calls me Brother Facai. In the Sifang City, you can come to me for renting houses, buying houses, and even for water and electricity.”

As long as you can think of a problem, I can help you solve it.”

With that, Brother Facai turned the conversation: “What’s your budget?”

Although Cheng Yaojin was relatively silent, he wasn’t stupid. To deal with such brokers, you need to be assertive. He said, “Big boss, you need to tell us what housing options you have and what the price range is so we can make a choice.”

Brother Facai immediately put on a smiling face: “Don’t worry, as long as the budget is sufficient, I have houses available in all directions. Since this place is close to the South Gate, if you enter through the South Gate, you can only rent houses in the southern district, got it?”

Cheng Yaojin had previously mentioned this rule to Liang Kefeng: where you enter determines where you can register and thus where you can rent or buy a house and pay the fees.

Liang Kefeng indicated she understood: “I want to rent a two-bedroom place with a bathroom, something clean. Do you have anything suitable?”

“Long-term or short-term rental?”

The future is full of uncertainties, and Liang Kefeng hadn’t decided yet. However, since she wasn’t worried about money, she feared that a short-term rental wouldn’t yield a good house. So, she replied, “I’m fine with either.”

“Then it’s a long-term rental. In the southern district, there are four or five suitable options for two bedrooms with bathrooms, but they’re all on higher floors, at least six or seven stories up.”

“Are there elevators?”

“Do you think this is Hong Kong Island? This is the Sifang City; no matter how tall the building is, there are no elevators.”

Liang Kefeng wasn’t afraid of climbing stairs. Her main concern was safety; she needed to see the place in person to know if the upper floors were acceptable.

Brother Facai went inside and grabbed a large bunch of keys and a flashlight, leading them toward the South Gate: “Did you bring your IDs?”

Cheng Yaojin said, “No ID.”

Brother Facai seemed to have anticipated this. “Here illegally? No problem without IDs. Once you choose a house, I’ll take you to the union to get residency cards for the Sifang City.”

Upon reaching the entrance of the South Gate, Brother Facai jogged ahead to talk to the guard and offered him a cigarette. As a slick operator, there shouldn’t be anyone he wasn’t familiar with.

At the entrance, they registered their details simply. Liang Kefeng and Cheng Yaojin used the false names they had prepared in advance. Following that, they went through a search and baggage check, a process comparable to airport security.

However, the security here was relatively humane, with women searching women and men searching men.

During the search, Liang Kefeng looked up and was surprised to see someone across the street in a small tea house on the second floor, peeking through the curtains with binoculars.

She quickly turned her back. Was it someone from Uncle Tian’s side, or was it just a coincidence?

Liang Kefeng suddenly became alert. She walked a few steps inward and quietly informed Cheng Yaojin of the situation, asking him to pay attention as well.

They were issued badges for the southern district and walked further inside.

Directly ahead were narrow, dark alleys, all small passages with no big streets. When they reached a narrow point, the two of them couldn’t pass side by side.

While the alleys below could still be navigated, looking up revealed no sunlight, with buildings crisscrossing above, interconnected by stairs, densely packed like an ant nest.

This ant nest expanded the Sifang City, which only occupied 40,000 square meters, into a built-up area dozens of times larger.

No wonder it could accommodate four small gangs; they weren’t willing to let any gaps go to waste.

Without a sense of direction, one would definitely get lost inside.

The handshake buildings of the urban village were like younger siblings compared to the towering buildings of the Sifang City.

When they reached a dark area, Brother Facai switched on his flashlight, leading the way: “Be careful, there’s standing water on the ground. The sanitation has improved a lot; you won’t see a dead rat for ten days or half a month.”

“The layout of the buildings in the Sifang City is denser on the outside and much looser as you go inward. The South Gate is the most crowded, while the West Gate is more spacious and can accommodate vehicles.” Following Brother Facai, they navigated around two buildings, and indeed, the roads widened as they went deeper.

“If your budget allows, I recommend living further inside. Don’t be put off by the high floors; they get plenty of sunlight and the air is fantastic.”

They followed Brother Facai into a tall building. The stairway was narrow, and when two people met while going up or down, they had to turn sideways to pass. “This building was constructed a few years ago, so it’s relatively new and has a bathroom.”

The lower floors were dimly lit, but upon reaching the fifth floor, a small glass window at the stairwell corner finally let some sunlight in.

Cheng Yaojin asked, “What floor is it?”

“Total of nine floors.”

“I meant, what floor is the apartment we’re looking at?”

“Eighth floor. Actually, the top floor is the best; you can go to the rooftop, but top-floor vacancies are rare, and when one becomes available, it’s snatched up immediately.”

Finally reaching the eighth floor, they turned several corners to reach the end, and Brother Facai took out the key to open the door.

“This apartment has a bathroom and a kitchen; most importantly, it has a window. Such apartments are hard to rent.”

As he opened the door, a musty smell of traditional Chinese medicine rushed out, and the room was very dark. Brother Facai searched around for the light switch.

Liang Kefeng had sharp eyes; she reached up to pull on the light. She saw that the total space was only about ten square meters, divided into two rooms without a living room or dining area, and the kitchen and bathroom were so small that only one person could fit in.

The place was completely empty, with nothing but a bed and no other furniture.

As for the so-called window, it was just half a foot away from the wall of another building; it was impossible to fully open the window.

Seeing the distant scenery? That was even more impossible.

Liang Kefeng walked into the kitchen and found a pile of medicinal herb dregs in the sink, likely left by the previous tenant.

She turned on the faucet, but no water came out— not a drop.

Brother Facai casually remarked, “The water might be turned off. Living in the fortress is like this; the water and electricity can stop at any time, so you need to be mentally prepared.”

Liang Kefeng asked, “Are the other units we’re going to see like this?”

“About the same; this one is considered more square and even has a window.” Brother Facai emphasized again that the window was very rare.

“Do you have anything better, something more spacious with a view outside…”

Having a window to see outside is crucial; otherwise, it would be easy to be caught unawares.

Brother Facai smiled, “Yes, but you’ll have to wait until someone moves out first.”

Liang Kefeng didn’t want this apartment: “Didn’t you say it would be looser as you go further in?”

Brother Facai looked them over again: “There are better places further in, like the Sacred Heart Building in the central district, the best location, but it’s expensive.”

Expensive? Liang Kefeng didn’t care about that, but she couldn’t show that she had money. After all, her and Cheng Yaojin’s attire didn’t suggest wealth.

Liang Kefeng pretended to be in a dilemma: “If it’s too expensive, we can’t afford it either.”

“Exactly. Trust me, this one is good. After you look at the others, you’ll come back for this one. Plus, the rent isn’t expensive—only 150 yuan a month. This place is about 200 square feet, which would cost at least three to four hundred in the city.”

In 1975, when wages in the mainland were typically only about 40 to 50 yuan a month, the rent for a slum house here was 150 yuan.

If an ordinary person from the mainland escaped to Hong Kong without any relatives to rely on, they could very well end up sleeping on the streets.

Seeing that the siblings were hesitating, Brother Facai assumed they found it too expensive. “Let’s go check other buildings. The sizes are similar; the cheapest two-bedroom apartment is 120 yuan, without a window and without a kitchen.”

Liang Kefeng asked:

“You just mentioned that the house in the central area is the best location. How much is it?”  

“It’s bigger than here, 220 yuan a month.”  

“How do you pay?”  

“It’s different here; you don’t need a deposit. You just pay the landlord one month’s rent directly. Additionally, you have to pay a 10 yuan sanitation fee and a labor fee of 5 yuan per person per month. These two fees go to the Shuanglong Hall, and not a single cent less. Water and electricity are charged separately, based on usage.”  

“Take us to have a look.”  

Brother Facai was quite surprised. He was worried that they would go back empty-handed and also have to face the landlord of the Sacred Heart Building: “The people from the South Corner Building are difficult to talk to; they don’t negotiate prices. You two should think it through.”  

Liang Kefeng replied, “If it can be cheaper, that would be best. We are a bit tight on funds.”  

Seeing their insistence, Brother Facai said, “Okay, I’ll take you to see it. There’s a public large balcony there with a very open view. The money spent is worth it! If you two siblings work outside, each of you can earn at least 800 yuan a month. A house costing over 200 isn’t much.”  

After turning off the lights and locking the door, Brother Facai led the way. They didn’t retrace their steps but went toward another staircase.  

They encountered an uncle carrying a large plastic bucket of water upstairs, and Brother Facai greeted him: “Fetching water?”  

“Yeah, it’s for the shadows, the water’s been cut off during the New Year!” The uncle grumbled as he squeezed past them, only wearing slippers in the cold winter.  

Between the buildings, there were wooden or reinforced concrete sky bridges. Following Brother Facai northward, the space between buildings became more spacious. Finally, on the sky bridge, Liang Kefeng saw the view outside the building.  

Since it was the New Year, lanterns and colorful flags were hanging everywhere between the buildings. This four-sided city felt like a crowded, magical cage.  

Through the gaps between the buildings, she saw greenery, with climbing bougainvillea and large patches of vegetables.  

Brother Facai pointed at that patch of green: “Right there, the top floor of the Sacred Heart Building. The biggest advantage of living in the Sacred Heart Building is that you can go out through any door in the future; you’re not limited to the south gate.”  

“Why?”  

“The three buildings in the central area are managed by Master Ku. You know Master Ku, right? The Shuanglong Hall doesn’t have a leader, and now he’s the boss. If you rent the Sacred Heart Building, the sanitation fee and labor fee will go directly to Master Ku, not the South Gate. In the future, with a central area pass, you can go through any door you want, north, south, east, or west. But aside from being more convenient, there aren’t any other benefits.”  

They followed the staircase, spiraling down until they reached the first floor. The outside streets were relatively spacious, and a long line formed in the alley, with various water buckets and tanks by the feet of those waiting.  

“Hey, Brother Facai, if you see Brother Ma Liu, could you ask when the water will come? The other areas haven’t had their water cut, just the southern area!”  

“Yeah! We pay for the water and labor fees too; why is our water cut?”  

Brother Facai laughed self-deprecatingly: “If Brother Ma Liu noticed me, I wouldn’t have to sit on the street every day to hustle! It’d be great to fetch water downstairs; I’d save on water bills.”  

“Wow, it’s easy for you to say; we live on the ninth floor!”  

When they reached the water-fetching area, the water coming from the outdoor tap was very weak. With so many people in line, they had no idea how long they would have to wait.  

A young guy was arguing with an older lady over queue-jumping!  

The older lady, hands on her hips, shouted, “Young man, learning to cut in line?! With big eyes and a small mouth, no brains! Just looking at your miserable face, I can tell you lack gold in your five elements! Your time is so precious; go live halfway up the mountain! Fool!”  

Facing the barrage of insults, the young man could initially hold his ground, but as the older lady kept ranting, he ended up mumbling and lowering his head, too afraid to retort.  

Nearby, children were playing and roughhousing. Liang Kefeng sidestepped past them, while Cheng Yaojin raised his luggage higher to avoid being bumped into by the kids.  

As they walked further in, a whiff of incense drifted by. The deeper they went, the stronger the fragrance became, leading them to the very center of the four-sided city, which turned out to be an ancient temple dedicated to the Queen of Heaven.  

In front of the temple, a large cauldron was filled with incense sticks, many of which had already burned out or were about to.  

Behind the temple stood a small pink building, with a sign in front reading “Sifang City Elder Center.” Inside, the sound of clattering mahjong tiles could be heard.  

In the open space in front of the small building, some people were playing badminton.  

This was one of the rare spacious areas in the entire four-sided city where one could see the sky.  

Suddenly, a roaring sound filled the air. Liang Kefeng looked up and saw a plane zooming past almost touching the tall buildings of the four-sided city, while the people around her completely ignored it.  

She had looked at the map; Hong Kong City Airport was not far to the west of the four-sided city.  

Incense, ancient temples, mahjong, planes… all harmoniously blended together. Being in this environment felt wondrous to Liang Kefeng; it was so different from the era she had previously belonged to.  

The Sacred Heart Building was just to the left of the Queen of Heaven Temple, and the main building only had four stories, housing the Shuanglong Union, a candy factory, and a spinning mill.  

The stairways here were also quite spacious. Even though it was only the fourth day of the new year, the factories had already opened for business.  

Brother Facai walked ahead, turning back occasionally, saying, “The spinning mill and candy factory will be hiring after the new year. If you live here and work here, it would be super convenient.”  

Liang Kefeng smiled and asked, “How much do the factories pay here?”  

“Of course, it’s not as high as outside, but if you work overtime, female workers can take home about 500 to 600 a month, no problem.”  

Reaching the rooftop on the fourth floor, they were greeted by a view of a vegetable garden planted with garlic, scallions, cabbage, snow peas, and lettuce, among others!  

An elderly woman was bent over, using a small hoe to turn the soil in the vegetable garden.  

In addition to the vegetables, various nameless flowers bloomed, and in the corner, there were a few tall loquat trees.  

In front of the loquat trees, several power lines and ropes were strung up, filled with drying clothes.  

On either end of the vegetable garden, two two-story buildings had been built directly on the foundation of the Sacred Heart Building. It was truly building up on top of buildings.  

“Wait here for a moment; I’ll go find the landlord for the keys!” Brother Facai ran toward the building to the south.  

Liang Kefeng looked toward the northern annex. Vines covered the exterior of the building, and sporadic red and white bougainvilleas were blooming. The second-floor windows might not have curtains, and old newspapers were pasted on the glass.  

Cheng Yaojin also looked around: “This location is probably the best. You can access four doors, making it convenient to enter and exit in the future.”  

Liang Kefeng nodded; if something happened and they needed to escape, they could use any door.  

Before long, Brother Facai returned, saying, “Let’s go, it’s on the second floor of the North Corner Building.”  

It turned out that the annex was called the North Corner Building.  

By the water pool at the entrance, a man was scraping the ash off the bottom of a pot with a kitchen knife, while an older woman who had just killed a duck stood up and shouted for the children inside to come out and pluck the duck’s feathers.  

“Wow, Auntie, that’s a huge duck! Are you going to serve it boiled or braised?” Brother Facai’s eyes lit up at the sight of the fat duck.  

The older woman didn’t answer directly and changed the topic: “Brother Facai, you’re bringing people to look at houses again.”  

Brother Facai’s gaze was fixated on the duck, and he brought the conversation back: “Half boiled, half braised; I’m good at both. Just let me know if you need help.”  

Unfortunately, the older woman didn’t take the bait: “You bring people to look at houses every time, but you never make a deal. Does the landlord still want to give you the keys?”  

Brother Facai: “…”  

The older woman scrutinized Liang Kefeng and greeted her warmly: “Young lady, the rooms upstairs are quite nice.”

“Renting a room in North Corner Building allows you to join us for meals, which always include both vegetables and meat. The meal costs are very cheap.”

Auntie Hao knew how to attract business, and Liang Kefeng smiled and nodded, “Thank you, Auntie Hao. My brother and I will go upstairs to take a look first.”

Upon entering the house, the living room radio was on, and a middle-aged man was intently listening to a horse racing broadcast…

Brother Fa Cai was familiar with everyone and always had topics to discuss; he also loved betting on horses. After greeting everyone, they went up to the second floor. However, the second floor was different from what Brother Fa Cai described; it had four rooms. If Liang Kefeng and her brother wanted to rent, they would have to take two of them, and there was no separate bathroom.

Indeed, the agent didn’t speak the truth, but Liang Kefeng didn’t want to quibble over it.

“This room is the best in the Sifang City. It’s spacious and has a great view. When you open the window, you can smell the flowers,” Brother Fa Cai said as he opened the window covered with newspapers.

Unfortunately, what hit them was not the fragrance of flowers but a strong smell of urine.

Liang Kefeng covered her nose with her hand, and Brother Fa Cai shouted to an old lady watering the plants outside, “Liu Po, what are you watering with?”

“Urine water, Fa Cai!”

Brother Fa Cai awkwardly closed the window. “That Liu Po is something else. But don’t worry, whose vegetable garden gets watered with urine every day? It’s at most once every ten days or half a month.”

Liang Kefeng didn’t mind, “Can the price be a bit cheaper?”

“Honestly, it can’t be cheaper. If it could, it would have been rented out long ago; how could it still be available now?”

However, the rooms were indeed quite spacious, with beds and cabinets, and after tidying up, they could live there. The key point was that there were large windows to see what was happening outside.

They decided to rent it.

Brother Fa Cai was pleasantly surprised that the deal was happening so quickly. “Renting here is just right! It’s not worse than the environment outside and even cheaper. A real gem!”

They went to the South Corner Building, where the landlord lived, to sign the contract, paying 240 yuan for the rent, sanitation fee, and headcount fee, along with an additional fee to Brother Fa Cai as the agent.

After signing the contract, they went downstairs to the Shuanglongtang Hall to process their entry and exit permit.

Since they were not residents of the Hong Kong, after living for three months, they could apply for the Sifang City resident certificate.

Once out of the union, Liang Kefeng asked Brother Fa Cai, “Brother Cai, I want to find two people. Can you help me with that?”

Upon hearing about a new job, Brother Fa Cai’s eyes lit up. The siblings who helped him get a deal during the New Year were truly lucky.

“Of course! There’s no one in the Sifang City who doesn’t know me, Li Fa Cai. You came to the right person. Just tell me the information about who you’re looking for, and I’ll help you find them. Just give a little tea money as a gesture later.”

Liang Kefeng gave Brother Fa Cai the information about the siblings Wu Zhichai and Wu Biyun, asking him to inform her as soon as he had any news.

—

Returning to North Corner Building, Liang Kefeng and Cheng Yaojin started unpacking their rooms.

Auntie Hao knocked on Liang Kefeng’s door. “I’m going to wash some rice and prepare dinner. Have you two siblings decided? Do you want to join us for meals? There’s only one kitchen in North Corner Building, and everyone else eats here with me.”

Liang Kefeng wanted to make things easier and also to get along with the other tenants. She smiled and asked, “How do you charge for meals?”

“It can be a monthly package, or you can pay for each meal separately. The monthly package includes three meals a day for 90 yuan; if you pay per meal, it’s 2 yuan each. You can barely get a curry chicken rice outside for 3 yuan! Here you get to eat well and cheaply.”

Liang Kefeng didn’t want others calculating whether she and Cheng Yaojin were home or not every day, so she said, “Let’s go with the monthly package.”

“Great, that’s more economical. Starting tomorrow? Tonight’s meal is my treat. We’ll have braised duck with perilla leaves.”

“Thank you, Auntie Hao.”

Seeing that Liang Kefeng had little luggage, Auntie Hao asked, “Didn’t you bring bed sheets and pillowcases?”

Liang Kefeng shook her head, “Brother Fa Cai said there’s a grocery store downstairs. I’ll go buy some later.”

“You need to wash them before using. They’re dirty if you don’t. You never know who used them before. I have clean ones at home, almost new…”

Liang Kefeng realized that Auntie Hao was just like Brother Fa Cai—she would do any business that could earn her money within her means.

Indeed, making money was the top priority for the people of the Hong Kong.

Liang Kefeng didn’t care whether the items were new or old, as long as they were clean. She said, “I need two sets: bed sheets, quilts, pillowcases, and pillows. Do you have those, Auntie Hao?”

“Yes, yes, yes! I have everything! I’ll go get them for you.”

—

As night fell, Liang Kefeng bought a piece of blue floral fabric from Auntie Hao, cut it into curtains, and Cheng Yaojin helped her hang them up with rope.

In the other two rooms on the second floor, one was occupied by a single man, while across from her lived a mother and daughter.

The mother looked quite young; she sold steamed rice cakes for a living, and the daughter was about seven or eight years old, very well-behaved and friendly. She was sucking on a lollipop and came up to announce that dinner was ready.

Downstairs, a big table and a small table were set up for dining. Since it was still the Lunar New Year, the dishes were quite abundant.

In addition to the braised duck with perilla leaves, there were stir-fried snow peas with sausages, steamed salted fish meat pie with eggs, garlic chives with tofu, and stir-fried mustard greens…

Auntie Hao warmly introduced everyone, “Let’s get acquainted. From now on, we’ll see each other during the day and at night; we’re all family here.”

Uncle Hao asked how they were to be addressed.

Liang Kefeng smiled, “My brother’s name is Ah Jin, and I’m Ah Feng.”

“Your surname is Hu, right?”

“Yes, Gu Yue Hu.”

Everyone was very friendly towards the new tenants. Earlier, the barber who had been listening to the horse race joked, “When you need a haircut, come to me. We give discounts to family.”

The old lady watering her plants earlier, Liu Po, sat at the main table and seemed to be highly respected. She glanced at her grandson, who was staring blankly at the beautiful new tenant.

At his grandmother’s reminder, he quickly introduced himself to Liang Kefeng, “I’m Ah Wei. If anyone bullies you in the Sifang City, just tell me, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Older brother, they’re older than you; do you really need to protect them?” Auntie Hao’s daughter, Ah Huan, who looked about fifteen or sixteen, stood up to get some food and teased, “Sister Feng, his nickname is Zhutou Wei. Don’t look for him for anything; be careful he doesn’t extort you!”

Zhutou Wei protested, “You think I’m like your parents? I’m honest and don’t care about money!”

At this, Auntie Hao wasn’t pleased: “Hey, Zhutou Wei, are you saying I only care about money? If we’re talking about money, you and your grandma haven’t paid this month’s meal fee; when are you planning to pay?”

Zhutou Wei immediately smiled and flattered, “In a couple of days, I’ll definitely pay. Auntie, you’re the best!”

Just as he finished speaking, a voice came from the door, “Uncle Hao, Auntie Hao, is dinner ready? I can smell the food!”

Liang Kefeng, sensitive to sound, immediately looked up. A greasy-haired man with a cigarette in his mouth walked in with a smile.

He also wore a big, thick gold chain around his neck.

It was Ah Dan!

Zhu Fengping’s cousin.

There were at least thirty to forty thousand people in the entire Sifang City. Liang Kefeng hadn’t met many people since she arrived, but she didn’t expect to encounter someone she didn’t want to see on her first day.

“People she met.

She really didn’t know if it was her bad luck or his bad luck.

It should be… his luck was just too poor.

When Ah Dan walked in, he immediately spotted Liang Kefeng!”