boyutpedia Chapter 43 Chronicles of Hong Kong in the Past 1
Chapter 43 Chronicles of Hong Kong in the Past 1
A note at the beginning: The author doesn't know much about the Hong Kong entertainment industry, but is saddened by Leslie Cheung's untimely death. He was, in my opinion, the most outstanding figure in the entertainment industry for those of us born in the 80s, both in terms of values and character. I won't discuss his sexual orientation. If you follow statistics, you'll know that nearly 20% of the world's population is homosexual, and this number is increasing year by year. The author only dislikes those who conceal their sexual orientation and commit marriage fraud; towards other homosexuals, I hold a blessing in mind. The world is so big, and everyone is a unique individual. Perhaps in someone else's eyes, you are the special one? The author's attitude has always been: as long as my personal rights aren't violated, everything else is justified! If you don't like this part of the story, you can skip to the next one. I'm a new writer, please be understanding!
Liu Yuxi opened her eyes again. Because the bedside lamp was on, she found herself on a gorgeous princess bed. The room's decor was the same as the wealthy families in the Hong Kong TV dramas she watched when she was a child. This at least showed that the original owner's living conditions were very affluent. Feeling a little relieved, she then asked Xiao Liu to transmit the original owner's memories to her.
From her memories, she knew it was July 1970. The original owner of this body had just celebrated her 10th birthday yesterday and was on summer vacation after graduating from fourth grade. She was the youngest daughter of the Bao family, the shipping magnates of Hong Kong, born to the fourth wife. As the youngest daughter in her father's family, she was quite pampered at home, both by her father and her stepmother. After all, she was a girl, and her stepmother wasn't worried at all that she would compete with her son for the family fortune in the future. After all, the Bao family had no rule that girls could participate in the family business, and she was also a beautiful girl, which would be helpful to her son in a future marriage alliance. Because she was the youngest child, there was a large age gap between her and her older brothers and sisters. She had always been sweet-talking and charming, so she had always been quite spoiled at home.
Her mother was a bit materialistic. Because of her humble background, she didn't receive much education. Besides being good-looking, she only knew how to spend money and wasn't very brave. When she was young, she worked as a waitress in a five-star hotel, hoping to marry a rich man. However, she met a shipping magnate who had been drugged by someone else. Because she was good-looking, she was dragged into his room. At that time, her mother was only 18 years old and was still a virgin in order to marry a rich man. When her father woke up the next day, he took her as his concubine.
The wealthy husband her mother had imagined was nothing compared to the shipping magnate. So, she was willing to become a concubine. Once in the Bao family, she obeyed the shipping magnate and the first wife without question. As long as they didn't cut her allowance, she never caused trouble, fearing she would ruin the life of wealth she had already acquired. Therefore, Aunt Liu Yuxi treated her and her mother the best among all the concubines.
As for why Liu Yuxi doesn't have the surname Bao, it's because her mother wasn't in good health when she was young. She got pregnant two months after entering the family. At that time, the shipping magnate was also quite old. When her mother was eight months pregnant, the second and third wives had a conflict. As a result, her mother, who was just an observer, was pushed down by someone and sent to the hospital. She was finally able to give birth to Liu Yuxi, but she was born with a congenital heart defect.
Hong Kong people are quite superstitious. The first wife felt that she and her mother had suffered an undeserved misfortune. Regardless of whether the second and third wives did it intentionally or unintentionally, it had to be unintentional. So she invited a master to calculate her fortune. Only the shipping magnate and the first wife knew the specific details. But from then on, Liu Yuxi took her mother's surname, Liu. Moreover, from then on, the shipping magnate and the first wife both showed affection for the original owner.
The original owner died of a heart attack in her sleep last night because she was angry. Why was she angry? Because in previous years, she would travel everywhere during summer vacation, sometimes even going out to sea or traveling abroad. But this summer, her father wouldn't even let her leave the house. She had been at home for more than ten days, and she was so bored that her emotions exploded yesterday on her birthday. Her father wouldn't let her go out on her birthday, so she had a fight with him and went to bed without eating dinner.
The little girl didn't understand why her father wouldn't let her go out, but Liu Yuxi had some guesses. Didn't her mother's marriage into a wealthy family sound like a romance novel plot? Didn't her mother's premature birth sound like a romance novel plot? Didn't she gain her father's and the first wife's favor after seeing the master? Following the conventions of romance novels, it must have been that the master predicted a major calamity before her tenth birthday, and if she survived, she would bring prosperity to the Bao family. Doesn't that make sense? Absolutely perfect!
Liu Yuxi chuckled to herself as she thought about it, but then she wondered if this was some romance novel set in Hong Kong. She wondered if there was an older brother in the story. Even if it was a novel, given her character's fate of dying before even appearing on screen, she was probably a minor character, or perhaps the younger sister of a supporting character who died young. She decided to keep that in mind and observe her more closely later.
Because the original owner was too young and had always been pampered, and her passing was too sudden, her only thought before leaving was: I want to go out and play! This was basically a non-obsessive thought, easy to fulfill, so Liu Yuxi didn't pay much attention to it. The most important thing now was to go to sleep quickly, hoping that the "strong as an ox" attribute could cure the original owner's heart problem. After all, in this life, she had goals to strive for.
The next day, after confirming that she had fully recovered, she got up, washed, and went to the dining room. There, she saw her father sitting at the table watching her. Maintaining her original persona, she gave him a "humph" and walked towards her mother. Her mother, afraid the shipping magnate would be angry, scolded her softly, "What are you humming about so early in the morning? Don't you have any manners?" "Alright, don't scold her. Since Xiaoxi can't stay home, let's go out and play. Uncle Liu will take you later, okay?" "Really?" Liu Yuxi's face lit up with surprise, but in her heart, she thought to herself, "See! See! After my tenth birthday, I can go out! Just as I guessed!" "Of course, when has Daddy ever lied to you?" "Okay, then I'll forgive you this time. But next time, you can't stop me from going out!" "Okay, okay, I'll listen to Xiaoxi. Let's eat!"
After dinner, her mother told her to be careful when she went out, and then went to find her mahjong partner. Yes, her mother's biggest hobbies were playing mahjong and shopping. Every time she went shopping, she couldn't stop herself. She felt bad about spending too much money, so her mother always controlled the number of times she went shopping each month. The rest of the time, she would play mahjong with the other wives from several families. The wins and losses were not big. It was a good way to pass the time and chat about gossip. How nice!
Before she left, her aunt gave her some money and told her to take Uncle Liu with her wherever she went. She obediently agreed, changed her clothes, slung her small bag over her shoulder, and went to find Uncle Liu. Uncle Liu was someone her father had specifically assigned to her since she was born, responsible for her safety. Every time she went out, Uncle Liu would escort her and accompany her the whole time. Only the children of the first wife and she received such treatment. The children of the other two wives all used the family's personal drivers. So, although the children of the other two wives treated her well—after all, her father liked her, and how could they go against the big boss? Their mothers wouldn't agree either—they were still envious of her treatment in private and had said some sarcastic things, but nothing too extreme, since she was too young and had a heart condition.