CH 162 CH 0161 [Escape From Shek Kip Mei]

I heard from Smelly Yuming that Hui Yinghong's father was originally a scholar. After coming to Hong Kong in 1963, he was cheated out of his money. After that, he couldn't get sick. In order to make a living, three-year-old Hui Yinghong was led by her mother in the Lockhart Road area of ​​Wanchai. Sells chewing gum, playing cards, Chinese chopsticks. She slept on the street with no place to sleep, and had no money to go to school. At that time, it was very difficult to survive. She ran on the street for more than ten hours a day selling goods.

Later, Hui Yinghong's father passed away, and her mother led several children to live a more difficult life. Not long ago, she met Smelly Yuming. Unexpectedly, Smelly Yuming fell in love with her at first sight, so they formed a family again.

"Congratulations, I didn't expect you to be married. I'm sorry I didn't go to drink your wedding wine." While speaking, Shi Zhijian took out his wallet from his pocket, took out 300 Hong Kong dollars and handed it to Smelly Yuming, saying, "The money is not worth it." A lot, the right is my share of the money, please accept it!"

"No, no, no, this is not allowed." Smelly Yuming waved his hands hastily, "I got married but I didn't have a banquet. I just had a casual meal with my family. I can't ask for this money."

Shi Zhijian was taken aback, the former Smelly Yuming was desperate for money, and often extorted money in Shek Kip Mei, why did he seem to be a different person after not seeing him for a few days?

Smelly Yuming scratched his head in embarrassment, "I know that I used to be very bad, and I always ate and drank in Shek Kip Mei. Hong'er's mother taught me that in the future, I should be upright, and I would eat a few bowls of rice for as much work as I could. ! It’s not your own money, so don’t take it!”

Shi Zhijian smiled, and put the three hundred dollars back into the wallet, but seeing that Hui Yinghong was looking at the drink but refused to open it, she smiled and said, "This is for you, why don't you drink it?"

Hui Yinghong blinked her small black eyes and looked at Smelly Yuming.

Smelly Yuming said: "Uncle Shi bought it for you, you can just drink it."

Hui Yinghong said: "Mom said you can't just drink what others give you."

"Uncle Shi is not an outsider, he is my neighbor, we have known each other for a long time."

Hui Yinghong turned her face to look at Shi Zhijian again: "Uncle, can I really drink?"

Shi Zhijian smiled, picked up the bottle of drink and unscrewed the cap, handed it to Hui Yinghong and said, "Hey, this drink is delicious. It's produced by my uncle's factory, and it's called Rock Sugar Sydney. If you like it, uncle will bring you a drink in the future." Go to my factory and let you drink your fill!"

Huiyinghong was happy, so she took a sip of the drink with her hands in her hands, narrowing her small eyes happily, "It's so sweet!" Then she handed the drink to Smelly Yuming, "Daddy, try it too, it's sweet very!"

Smelly Yuming laughed, looked at Bingtang Xueli and swallowed his saliva, then pushed the drink to Hui Yinghong, "You can drink it, Honger, I am old and I am not used to sweet things!"

When the food was served, Shi Zhijian handed a pair of chopsticks to Yuming, but Yuming handed the chopsticks to Hui Yinghong, and he took another pair from the chopstick holder. Then he said to Shi Zhijian, "Thank you in advance!"

Shi Zhijian nodded, but he didn't have the appetite to eat. He took out a cigarette from his pocket, pinched it, flattened it, but finished it.

Seeing this, the stinky fish who was eating didn't care that he was still chewing. He quickly got up and took out a box of crumpled cigarettes from his pocket, tried to chew and swallow what was in his mouth, and said to Shi Zhijian: " If you don't mind, just smoke me."

Shi Zhijian saw that the cigarette pack contained the cheapest roll-your-own cigarettes in this era.

There is no brand, no address, and no trademark. Many Hong Kong smokers jokingly call it "three noes" brand cigarettes made in Hong Kong.

To put it bluntly, some private households smuggled tobacco leaves from outside, and they just made low-quality cigarettes produced by a small workshop. A dozen packs of these cheap cigarettes.

Shi Zhijian didn't mind the cigarettes, so he took one out of the pack and bit it in his mouth.

Seeing that Shi Zhijian was willing to smoke his own cigarette, Stinky Fish was very happy, and hurriedly took out a match from his pocket, stabbed and struck it, and helped Shi Zhijian light the cigarette, and then carefully put away the half-pack of cheap cigarettes, fearing that the cigarettes inside would break. After arranging them one by one, he put them back into his arms, but he was reluctant to smoke even one.

"I quit smoking now. Hong'er's mother said that smoking too much is bad for your health." Smelly Yuming said coyly.

But Hui Yinghong said beside her: "My mother also said that not smoking can save money."

Smelly Yuming coughed hurriedly, picked up the chopsticks and picked up vegetables for her: "Eat the vegetables first! Eat more to grow taller!"

Shi Zhijian took a puff of the cigarette, the low-quality tobacco filled his lungs and he couldn't help coughing, then asked Smelly Yuming, "Why don't you stay in Shek Kip Mei, come to Kowloon?"

Smelly Yuming sighed, "The life in Shek Kip Mei is going to be hard!"

"Why?"

"No water!" Smelly Yuming took a piece of scrambled egg with chopsticks and swallowed it, then wiped it with the back of his hand twice.

"The last time the Water Supplies Department cut off the water, they said they would store water for those ghosts for Christmas!"

"Christmas is coming to an end now, but the gates haven't been opened yet, and the whole of Shek Kip Mei is about to be wiped out! Many people have to go far away to fetch water, and some directly spend money to buy water from those candle ghosts."

Through Smelly Yuming's narration, Shi Zhijian knew a little bit about Shek Kip Mei's recent situation.

Hong Kong has always been short of water. In order to draw water, the government has built many ponds, hundreds of them large and small, for the purpose of storing water.

Unfortunately, although enough ponds have been built, the problem of draft water has not been alleviated.

In May 1963, water was restricted. At the beginning, water was supplied for four hours a day. After one or two months, it was found that the water was not enough, and the water supply was changed to four hours every four days. This caused many livelihood problems. At that time, most of the buildings in Hong Kong were four-story buildings. Whenever there was water, the water pipes were opened downstairs to catch the water, and there was no water at all upstairs.

Even the "four-hour water supply system" doesn't work now. Since Shi Zhijian and others moved away from Shek Kip Mei, life there has become even more difficult, especially in terms of draft water. Take care of those ghosts.

At first they said they wanted to store water for the ghosts to celebrate Christmas, but after the festival, they found reasons to say that the floors in Shek Kip Mei are too high, and the water supply system can’t keep up with it. If they want to drink water, let them build their own water towers .

People who live in Shek Kip Mei are poor people. To build a water tower costs at least 30,000 Hong Kong dollars. Who can afford it? !

"Hey, all the big guys can't live anymore! The water money that Huozhugui asks for is getting more and more expensive, and it's almost like a business - the price of water is higher than the price of rice! We poor people have to spend every drop of water Save money, use the water for washing clothes to wash your feet, use the water for washing your feet to wash your clothes, it’s unthinkable to take a bath, it’s more expensive than going to a bathhouse!”

"Many families couldn't bear it anymore and moved out from Shek Kip Mei. I had no choice but to escape with my wife and children!"

Shek Kip Mei can't live anymore, people want to flee?

Shi Zhijian was taken aback.

"Then what are you doing now,"

"What can I do? Of course, a man like me wants to find a job to earn food and support the family. I can't let Hong'er's mother support me!"

Shi Zhijian flicked the cigarette between his fingers, "I have a company here, and it is now recruiting cleaners. If you can endure hardship..."

"I can endure hardship, of course I can endure hardship!" Smelly Yuming immediately became excited when he saw that there was work to do, patted his chest without thinking about eating, and said, "You also know that I came from a poor family, and I have been able to endure hardship the most since I was a child! Cleaner, I am willing to do it!"

Fearing that Shi Zhijian wouldn't believe it, Smelly Yuming took out some bottles and cans from the burlap bag he was carrying just now and said, "I'm picking up waste now! I can even pick up waste, let alone cleaning. carry!"

"Well, I'll write you a note later. You search for the address and look for it. If anyone asks, just say that I introduced you!"

"Thank you, thank you Jian! Oh no, thank you Mr. Shi!"

"What's your name, Mister? It's too old-fashioned! Let's call me Jian!"

"Hey, Ah Jian!" Smelly Yuming smiled, and hurriedly served Hui Yinghong food, "Hong'er eats food, we are lucky to meet a great benefactor!"

"He is not a benefactor, he is Uncle Shi!"

"Yes, it's Uncle Shi! Uncle Shi is our benefactor, and even more so, a good person!"

At this time, Shi Zhijian was thinking about taking his elder sister Shi Yufeng back to Shi Kip Mei to visit those old neighbors in the afternoon.

If the elder sister Shi Yufeng knew about Shi Kip Mei's current situation, but she didn't know what she would think? !