At 9:30 in the evening, Qiao Wen accompanied his grandma to finish listening to the opera on the radio. He took out the gold bracelet from the bedside, put it on the old lady’s skinny wrist, and said with a smile: “Grandma, this is a New Year gift from Awen to you.”

Granny Qiao raised her hand and saw the heavy golden bracelet on her wrist, her eyes widening in surprise: “Awen, why did you spend money on such an expensive thing?” She inquired with concern, while her hands hovering to remove the precious accessory. 

Qiao Wen reacted quickly by holding her hand to stop her movement: “Grandma, I can make money now. A gold bracelet is nothing, you can wear it well. Besides, gold is not like any other thing, it forever hold its value.”

Upon hearing Qiao Wen’s words, Granny Qiao reluctantly relinquished her attempt to remove the bracelet, yet her gaze remained fixated on the glistening piece adorning her wrist, unwilling to stray. 

Granny Qiao’s emotions were stirred as she looked at the bracelet on her wrist, which seemed to transport her back through time, most of her life had passed, and the former glory and wealth of the past had long become an old dream. In the years in the walled city, all she had left were the roofs over her head as a shelter and food to fill her stomach. Now seeing such a bracelet in her hand, she suddenly had mixed feelings, and she didn’t know whether it was the fickleness of fate or luck finally showing some mercy by sparing her grandson from falling in this darkness of the walled city. 

She held Qiao Wen’s hand excitedly: “My dear grandson has made a fortune.”

“Grandma, this is just the beginning, and the days will get better and better in the future.” Saying here he paused, then continued, “I have another good news for you.”

Grandma Qiao looked up at him.

After a little consideration Qiao Wen said: “I’ve been lucky this year, I’ve made a lot of money from the stock market. Additionally, my boss graciously rewarded me with a generous dividend. So with together, I bought a small apartment. so we’ll be able to move out of the Walled City and live a life with water, electricity, and gas.”

Granny Qiao studied him intently, her initial reaction shrouded in concern rather than delighted. Her forehead creased as she regarded him suspiciously: “Awen, buying a house is not a small amount. It’s only been more than half a year, and you have made so much money. Tell grandma, have you taken a crooked path?” 

Stock trading was certainly not a crooked path, but the capital for stock trading was indeed not very legitimate. Naturally, Qiao Wen couldn’t divulge this fact to his grandma, with a smile said: “Grandma, don’t you know what kind of person I am? I just trade stocks and get dividends from my boss.” To further ease her concerns, he retrieved a newspaper and pointed out an article highlighting a stock market success story, saying, “Look here, the stock market is so good this year, some people earn hundreds of times a year, and I just happen to be the lucky wave.”

Grandma Qiao knew little about stocks. It’s not a bad thing, but it was also a speculative thing. He held Qiao Wen’s hand and said, “Awen, we still have to be down-to-earth as a human being. Let’s not get into speculation lightly.”

Qiao Wen nodded: “I have a sense of measure, that’s why I sold the stock and bought a small apartment.”

Granny Qiao sighed heavily and said, “Awen, I’m very happy that you can walk out of the Walled City on your own. However, having spent more than a decade here, I have grown accustomed to the neighbors and routines of our neighborhood. I’m afraid I won’t be used to living outside, and I can’t bear to leave my stall. Now that you’ve grown up and become independent, it’s time for you to stand on your own. After you move out, grandma will often visit you.” she expressed with a loving smile.

Qiao Wen frowned and said coquettishly: “Grandma, what are you talking about? Do you think I will let you live here alone? Don’t worry, I have already made plans. Anan’s family will move out with us and live next door to us so that we can take care of each other. The new home is not far from the city. If you don’t want to give up your life here, it will be convenient to go back and forth every day. When you are willing to enjoy your life at home or find a suitable new store, we can make plans.”

Her grandson’s thoughtfulness and consideration took aback Grandma Qiao a bittersweet mix of relief and sorrow intertwining within her. 

She was already grateful for being able to see her grandson grow up healthy, now seeing him capable to support his own life, she felt a sense of fulfillment, as if she had lived up to the expectations of her late husband and son and daughter-in-law. She sighed deeply, stood up and patted Qiao Wen on the shoulder, “Awen.” she whispered, her voice tender with emotion, “let us offer prayers and burn incense for your grandfather and parents, and then rest early.” 

Following his grandmother’s lead, Qiao Wen lit the incense, paying his respects to the black and white photos on the wall. Despite the fact that these people were not his relatives, there was a solemn connection in the air, laden with the weight of memories left behind by the original owner. Thus, when he worshiping at this moment, a wave of genuine sentiment unexpectedly washed over him. 

Bidding goodnight, Granny Qiao went to the inner room to rest for the night. Qiao Wen lay down on the bed. Tonight seemed strangely quiet, which allowed even the softest footfalls to echo, making the outside world’s sounds unusually vivid. 

The noises from the neighboring households outside drifted in through the window, painting a vivid tapestry of the varied scenes unfolding in the underprivileged life of the city – From the distant sounds of card games being played, to children being disciplined, the heated exchanges of quarreling couples, even the faint sound of men and women fighting on the bed, each noise seemed to punctuate the night with its own story. 

Qiao Wen lay quietly, maybe because he did too much today, he was a little excited, and couldn’t sleep for a while. With the absence of Chen Jianan coming to share his bed recently, he couldn’t help but look through the window. 

But then again, why did this guy suddenly stop rubbing my bed?

Since the new year was fast approaching, Lin Zihui generously gave him a holiday in advance. With the Chinese New Year still a few days away, Qiao Wen found himself with some idle time on his hands, a situation he wasn’t entirely used to just yet. He slept a little longer for the next day, waking up he ate the breakfast left by his grandmother, and then began to plan of how to multiply his savings.

Looking ahead, that following the onset of the new year, the stock market would take a hit, leading to a prolonged period before the bull market regained its momentum. However, this downturn paved the way for a monumental shift of capital into the real estate sector. In the forthcoming three to four years, real estate was expected to boom, heralding a golden era of prosperity in the industry. Following this period of growth, a looming real estate bubble was on the horizon.

In other words, the present moment appeared ripe for venturing into real estate ventures. Yet, a challenge loomed in the form of capital constraints. The money in his hand could merely stretch to acquiring two modest apartments, a choice that seemed comparatively inefficient when weighed against the prospect of investing in a larger plot of land ripe with potential returns. 

However, when it came to buying land in Hong Kong City, the process was much more challenging than purchasing a house, after all the Hong Kong was only this big with limited land. During the mid-60s, when panic was rampant due to the prevailing circumstances, a significant amount of land was swiftly sold off. This period of uncertainty provided an ideal opportunity for courageous and foresighted capitalists to seize the opportunity to hoard the extensive parcels of land in sought-after locations. Fast forward to present times, the value of these lands has skyrocketed, if such plots were to be exchanged, the million-dollar sums fetched would not be sufficient to secure a piece of them.

Therefore, the only viable option was to scour the market for overlooked opportunities and acquire a small plot of land, albeit in a less desirable location, yet with promising development potential.

He bought several latest newspapers, carefully searched the advertisement pages, and after searching for a long time, he barely found two plots of land. Taking advantage of his free time, he went to inspect the field on the spot, but unfortunately, none of them met his expectations. 

Just as he was disheartened, feeling none left and was intending to leave, a stroke of unexpected luck befell him, in a fleeting glance he stumbled upon the perfect plot of land.

Mounted on the taxi, he flipped through the newspaper in his hand at random, a catchy headline caught his eyes, “Southern Hero” an article about the latest blockbuster movie. The movie’s massive success was highlighted, with reports indicating, filling up almost all theaters and becoming a big hit in the city.

Qiao Wen had been in this world for almost half a year, yet he had never gone to see a movie, this was the future Hollywood of the East. Thinking about this, he felt like he was missing out on the whole world.

So passing by a theater, he hurriedly bought two movie tickets for tonight’s show at 8 o’clock, ready to go back and call Chen Jianan to watch this hot movie. 

With the year drawing to a close, the pressures of Chen Jianan’s demanding work as a debt collector had reached its peak. Leaving early and returning late every day with a group of ponies with little to no leisure time. 

It was during one of these hectic days that Qiao Wen, on his way to the apartment, happened to meet his men, and asked him to let Chen Jianan go home early.

Well, it’s quite early indeed.

Chen Jianan, who received the message, hurried home at six o’clock, knocked on the door of Qiao’s house, and asked out of breath: “Xiao Qiao, are you looking for me?”

Qiao Wen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Didn’t I ask you to come back at seven? It’s only six o’clock.”

“I’m afraid you have something to do with me.” Chen Jianan said while scratching his head.

“If I really have something to do, I will go to you directly.” While speaking, he turned around and took out two movie tickets, waving them in his hand. “I heard that recently a movie “Southern Hero” is released and it is very popular. I happened to pass by a nearby theater when I was out on business today, so I bought two tickets, let’s watch the movie tonight.”

Chen Jianan took the movie ticket and glanced at it, saying cheerfully, “We haven’t been to the movie for a long time!” Saying this, he handed the movie ticket back to Qiao Wen, “Wait for me, I’m going to take a shower and change my clothes.”

Without waiting for Qiao Wen to say anything, he ran out of sight.

Qiao Wen: “…” You don’t have to be so serious when watching a movie.

Chen Jianan was more than just serious. He not only took a fragrant shower, but also combed his hair with fragrant oil, put on an ironed shirt and suit, and then bought a pair of leather shoes that he seldom wore, polished them until they were shiny, and then went downstairs with his hands tucked in his pockets, looking handsome and cool.

Qiao Wen looked at him in his solemn attire, and didn’t know whether laugh or cry: “Brother Nan, you look like this. People who don’t know think you are going on a date with a girl?”

Chen Jianan was taken aback for a moment, then curled his lips and smiled: “It’s almost the same anyway.”

Qiao Wen didn’t think deeply about his words as he casually donned his jacket before heading out with Chen Jianan. To keep up appearances, undoubtedly, due to his financial prosperity, Chen Jianan decided against using a motorcycle and opted for a taxi ride as they set out for their destination.

Upon arriving at the theater, they were greeted by a sea of eager moviegoers. Luckily, Qiao Wen secured the ticket in advance, resulting in a prime seat right at the center of the theater. However, the only and major drawback was, the theater was filled with modern pairs, highlighting the awkward situation of two grown men seemingly sandwiched amidst the romantically inclined audience.

But as soon as the movie started they put everything back in their mind and engrossed in the movie.

The film being “Southern Hero,” as the title suggested, heralded a classic martial arts theme within the movie genre. This particular genre of action-packed martial arts films had gained prominence in recent years, poised to carve out a significant niche in the coming decades, ultimately leaving a lasting impact on an entire generation. Indeed, it stood as a hallmark of the thriving era of Hong Kong city cinema, symbolizing the peak of its cultural influence and entertainment industry. 

For Qiao Wen, who has watched countless films in modern time, this film was said to be poor due to the limitations of the times and technology. Nonetheless, the plot was indeed very heartfelt. 

Lost in the movie unfolding on screen, he suddenly noticed an unusual occurrence transpired before his eyes: the silhouette of the couple seated in front transformed inexplicably into a pair of kissing fishes, accompanied by intermittent humming noises resonating from their proximity.

Qiao Wen cleared his throat discreetly, attempting to break the surreal moment unfolding before him, but his attempt went unnoticed by the enraptured duo lost in their own world of romance, further accentuating Qiao Wen’s awkwardness.

Chen Jianan, seated beside him, also beheld this unusual sight, and found his mind wandering down unexpected paths, his thoughts eluding his control as they strayed to those sitting within arm’s reach. Fortunately, he was a rational person, so he quickly pulled himself back to his senses and drove away the dirty thoughts in his mind.

He glared at the affectionate couple in the darkness. His irritation at the couple deepened not for them disturbing his viewing of the movie, but because of their unabashed display of affection, that they could be so unscrupulous, in stark contrast he felt guilty just thinking about it. 

The flames of jealousy erupted within him, adding intensity to his annoyance.

Just as Qiao Wen contemplated offering a gentle reminder, yet before he could act, Chen Jianan impulsively extended his arm, seizing a fistful of the man’s hair, tugging him away with a brusque motion.

The man, now visibly irked, locked eyes with Chen Jianan, poised to voice his discontent. Yet, his protest dwindled as Chen Jianan deftly drew a knife, tapped it discreetly against the chair, before delivering a stern whisper: Please don’t disturb others watching the movie.”

Qiao Wen: “…”

Not to mention, he’s quite polite – if you ignore the dagger in his hand that’s flashing coldly in the dark.