novellhall Chapter 4 Stray Dogs on the Road
Chapter 4 Stray Dogs on the Road
Sham Shui Po, So Uk Estate, Cha Fa House, Room 404.
Back home, Chen Guanjiang flipped through the newspaper to learn about the information from the past week. Before digital media became widespread, print media was the primary source of information.
Seeing Chen Guanjiang studying the newspaper again, his younger brother Chen Guandong asked suspiciously, "Where did you sneakily buy the newspaper?"
A newspaper is not expensive, but it still costs 3 cents. 20 copies would cost 6 Hong Kong dollars. In order to force Chen Guanjiang, who dropped out of school and was unemployed, to earn money, his family had already cut off his source of income. How could he have spare money to buy newspapers every day?
"Did you steal money from home?"
Startled by the sound, Du Huiying quickly climbed onto the iron bunk bed, opened the box, and waved the banknotes in her hand, demanding, "The amount of silver is correct, but every single bill is a large cotton quilt. What are you doing?"
"The fine silver looks messy; let's replace it with cotton batting for a neater look!"
"Burning newspapers at a grave? Are you trying to fool the ghosts?"
“…………”
Chen Guanjiang did indeed take money from his family, but when he discovered that the money had been used, he was the first person his family suspected, which still made him feel a little sad.
As for the truth, he couldn't tell even a little bit. If his family found out that he had misappropriated HK$3000 to buy a camera, even if it was secondhand, they would be severely punished, let alone borrowing money to make a movie.
"Do you think your mother is a three-year-old kid?"
Seeing that Chen Guanjiang remained silent, Du Huiying cleared the rice bowl from the table and glared at her two daughters, saying, "Who dares to leave him any food? They won't even have anything to eat themselves!"
The sound of the bowl hitting the stove was loud, as if it was deliberately thrown for someone to hear. Chen Xiangshui and Chen Jiagang lowered their heads and dared not make a sound, and the aroma wafting from the pot became tasteless.
Chen Guanjiang couldn't help but feel deeply moved. Economic ability is a person's confidence, even when facing his parents. He didn't care about the meal, but his gaze became increasingly unfocused.
Having access to information, ideas, and insights from future generations makes it easy to get rich; the real challenge lies in how to preserve that wealth.
after all!
Making money is one thing, keeping it is another.
Fortunately, Hong Kong significantly elevated the status of Chinese people. They would no longer be beaten by foreigners on the street for no reason, they no longer had to hand over their earnings to foreigners, and their businesses would no longer be seized by British capital.
However, not being targeted by foreigners doesn't mean that one's own people won't, especially relatives with blood ties who naturally have inheritance rights.
These foreigners don't care what means the Chinese use to compete for resources; in fact, they're happy to see it happen.
To safeguard wealth, one needs power. So how can one quickly acquire power? Chen Guanjiang turned his gaze back to the newspaper.
Based on ancient royal and divine power, the modern era has given rise to a completely new track: "money power".
In modern times, a fourth power called "discourse power" has emerged, which is easy to acquire and has a low barrier to entry.
Compared to the solidification of the former two over thousands of years, the development of financial power and discourse power started later, and since they have not formed a system, they cannot be considered completely solidified. Moreover, they are highly regional and exclusive.
Hong Kong, situated at the crossroads of Eastern and Western cultures, simultaneously belongs to one cultural system and possesses characteristics of another institutional system.
Especially in an era that is about to undergo a major reshuffle, the power of money and the right to know are the only choices.
Humans ultimately walk on two legs, and Chen Guanjiang wants to advance on both tracks simultaneously.
Regardless of the type of power, its most direct manifestation is influence, and the most convenient channel to expand influence is the "fourth estate," with print media being the easiest industry to enter as an extension of discourse power.
During the war, intellectuals migrated south.
Hong Kong champions the free market and adopts a tolerant attitude towards mass media, resulting in a much higher per capita number of newspapers compared to other cities.
The eight immortals cross the sea, each showing their magical powers.
Before the war, there were local powerhouses like the Cen Weixiu family and the Ho Tung family, who founded the Overseas Chinese Daily and the Industrial Daily, as well as the Sing Tao Daily founded by the Hu Wenhu family, who came from overseas.
Those who ran newspapers in Hong Kong during the war included Mao Dun, Zou Taofen, Liu Weigao, Xia Naixi, Cai Yuanpei, Xiao Hong, Liang Huanding, and Mr. Qiao Guanhua, a proud figure from their ancestral home. What level of existence were these people?
After the war, the romance novels of the "Three Heroes" emerged, followed by the emergence of martial arts novelists such as Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Liang Yusheng, and various horse racing and dog racing stories appeared one after another.
Including all kinds of modern newspapers, daily newspaper sales reached 60 copies in 50 and 70 copies in 90. This terrifying growth rate makes it a golden opportunity.
The number of newspapers in Hong Kong has grown from 39 in the 40s to 70 today. Because they are both profitable and control the media, the print media industry is extremely competitive.
To break through the enemy's defenses, we need to find another way.
After the lights were turned off, hungry, I watched the moonlight filter through the iron bars of the window, casting irregular, cage-like shadows on the concrete floor. The urge to escape my confinement grew stronger.
Suddenly, something hit him in the stomach. Following the trajectory of the projectile, Chen Guanjiang could vaguely see his younger sister, Chen Jiagang, and her smiling eyes in the darkness.
I fumbled for the cocktail bag, gave the little sister a big smile, and realized that even in the most realistic families, there is no lack of warmth, because children who are not valued will huddle together for warmth.
...............
The next morning, after washing up and preparing to have breakfast, Chen Guanjiang sat down and realized that he didn't have his own bowl and chopsticks.
Du Huiying, carrying the soup noodles, said without looking up, "We don't support idlers in this family. If you want to eat, go to school; if you don't want to study, go do something."
This sentence means: You either have money in the future, or you earn money now; if you don't have money, you don't deserve to eat.
Chen Guanjiang nodded, got up, and walked away.
Hong Kong is an economic city where money is the loudest voice. Everyone is an economic animal, and the main focus is the economy. There is nothing more practical than money.
When you're poor, no one cares if you live in the bustling city; when you're rich, even distant relatives come to visit if you live deep in the mountains.
Family members are an inherent community of shared interests, and their relationship is one of mutual benefit. Without money, one will not be valued, whether within the family or in society.
In my past life, I studied the "Zeng Guang Xian Wen" (Expanded Collection of Wise Sayings) when I was in school, but at that time I just memorized it without really understanding its principles. I didn't have the energy to change anything then. Fortunately, it's not too late now.
Du Huiying still sneered, "Oh? You've gotten quite ambitious, huh? If you're so capable, then don't come back for dinner."
Chen Guanjiang didn't turn his head or utter a single word of explanation.
HKD 3000 was paid out, HKD 2000 was spent on film negatives, HKD 2000 was spent on changing the ID card, and after all the miscellaneous expenses, HKD 1500 was left.
Without worrying about food and drink, one doesn't have to live at the mercy of others' moods, and is certainly not forced by one's family to perform elaborate rituals like breaking tiles with a peach-sword, applying makeup, or playing musical instruments...
"Like a dog, wait!"
The third sister, Chen Xiangshui, who usually cared most about her appearance, chased after Chen Guanjiang out of the corridor wearing a floral blouse embroidered by a Southeast Asian factory worker and flip-flops, stuffing crumpled banknotes into his hand: "Mommy's too soft-hearted..."
"I really have a plan!"
Chen Guanjiang felt the banknotes being stuffed into his hand. Touched, he straightened them and put them back, saying, "Third sister, keep them safe! I have plenty of money in my purse!"
"You're like a dog..."
When Chen Xiangshui saw his fourth brother pull out a thick wad of banknotes from his pocket, he felt as if his brother had become a different person after being beaten up for dropping out of school, and he almost didn't recognize him.
In those eyes, no longer brimming with youthful exuberance, he seemed to see an emotion he had never seen before, a heavy weight that seemed to hold some kind of promise…