Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1007 A Daring Landing, Work Immediately After Getting Off the Plane (Two Chapters Combined)
The information above is about their products.

They started advertising even before it was officially launched.

This kind of money-spending behavior—spending money on advertising for over a month before the product is even on the market—is probably considered crazy by many people.

However, it turns out that doing something fancy can attract a lot of attention no matter the era.

After production was completed in Lao Hu's workshop in Chaoyang Dongba, the goods were immediately transported from Tianjin to Hong Kong by waterway. After being received by Hong Kong Tongrentang, sales began.

It achieved excellent sales results as soon as it was launched.

After advertising for so long, everyone's curiosity has reached its peak.

With reasonable prices and products targeting the pain points of various social classes and age groups in Hong Kong, many people bought them with a try-it-out attitude.

Bone-strengthening plasters have become a new favorite among middle-aged and elderly people.

Hangover pills have become a lifesaver for middle-aged people when drinking.

Calming and brain-awakening pills are also very popular.

Judging from the data, the first batch of trial products launched in Hong Kong achieved good results, indicating that the recipes developed using local dialects are quite promising.

This is basically a perfect start.

The next step is to continue expanding the publicity and then extend it to East Asia and Southeast Asia.

Next, Fang Yan looked at some other public opinion briefings.

For example, Tsumura Pharmaceuticals in Japan urgently adjusted the packaging of its traditional Chinese medicine hangover remedies, adding a label that says "contains kudzu flower flavonoids".

Shaw Brothers plans to make a film called "Wong Fei-hung: The Masters of the North and South".

The press release from the foreign affairs department targeting Keisetsu Otsuka also generated a reaction.

The story of the eldest son of the Huo family getting married also occupies a significant portion of the text.

After finishing reading, Fang Yan looked out the porthole again; by then, the sun had already risen.

The plane flew smoothly, and Fang Yan looked out the window into the distance. The clouds were dyed golden by the morning glow, and the closer they flew to Hong Kong, the fewer clouds there were.

It looks like it's going to be a nice day.

At this point, Fang Yan discovered that there was also a map of Hong Kong on the plane.

He picked it up and started reading.

The map is titled "Map of Hong Kong and Kowloon" in traditional Chinese characters at the top, with the words "1976 Revised Edition" in the lower right corner and the emblem of the Hong Kong Municipal Council in the lower left corner.

Hong Kong in 1978 was quite different.

The Victoria Harbour on the map is not yet covered by dense high-rise buildings. There are only a few high-rise buildings (such as the Peninsula Hotel) on the Tsim Sha Tsui side. Landmarks such as the International Finance Centre in Central have not yet been built. Instead, there are low-rise shops and dock facilities.

On the map, parts of Admiralty and Wan Chai are still marked as "Reclamation Areas." In the past, these places had become bustling commercial districts, but in 1978 they were still undeveloped coastlines.

A large area in the central part of Lantau Island is marked as a "country park," with only a few villages such as Mui Wo and Tung Chung; Lamma Island is mainly a "fishermen's settlement" and does not have the tourist pier signs that exist today.

The map only shows two planned MTR lines, the "Kwun Tong Line" and the "Tsuen Wan Line." In reality, these lines were not fully operational until 1979. Most traffic signs are concentrated on bus routes and ferry piers, such as the "Star Ferry Route Map," which is marked with a red dotted line.

Main roads such as Nathan Road and Hennessy Road have been completed, but expressways such as the West Kowloon Highway and the Eastern Corridor have not yet appeared. Instead, a narrow coastal road has been built.

Our destination this time, Kai Tak Airport, is marked with a striking red five-pointed star on the map. The runway extends directly into Victoria Harbour, with a warning sign next to it that reads "Do not approach the coastline during takeoff and landing." This is precisely the place where Kai Tak Airport is known for its "dangerous takeoffs and landings."

However, this captain was no ordinary person, and Fang Yan believed that he was not that unlucky.

In addition, there is a commercial district, with Central marked as the "banking district," which houses the headquarters of foreign banks such as HSBC and Standard Chartered.

Mong Kok and Yau Ma Tei were characterized by "markets" and "factory buildings," reflecting the industrial city characteristics of that time.

The map marks several "relocation areas" (government-subsidized housing) with blue circles, while Victoria Peak is marked with "Governor's Villa," which are marks of the colonial era.

Furthermore, later attractions such as Disneyland and the Walk of Fame are completely blank on the map.

A yellowed sticky note was pasted on the edge of the map, which read in pen, "Centralized Chinese Medicine Shops: Bonham Street West, Sheung Wan." This was the location of Tongrentang in Hong Kong, which Fang Yan was about to visit.

In the morning light, the outline of Xiangjiang Island gradually becomes clear, with Victoria Harbour stretching across it like a silver chain. The clock tower in Tsim Sha Tsui and the high-rise buildings in Central are arranged in a well-organized manner. Although it is not as prosperous as later generations, it has already shown the prototype of an international city.

The term "Four Asian Tigers" flashed through Fang Yan's mind.

This economic term resonated throughout the world in the late 80s and early 90s.

At this time, Hong Kong was still in its early stages.

Leveraging cheap labor and policy advantages, and taking over industrial transfers from Europe and the United States, labor-intensive industries, represented by toy manufacturing, are quietly emerging.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's electronics manufacturing, South Korea's textile and shipbuilding, and Singapore's electronic component production were all embarking on the initial track of economic take-off, awaiting the full-scale explosion of the high-speed growth period in the 1980s.

In terms of time, it's only been a little over a year.

At this moment, the plane began to descend slowly, the roar of the engine gradually became deeper, and the fuselage trembled slightly.

Fang Yan folded the map and put it back on the small table, then turned his gaze back to the porthole.

Victoria Harbour is now clearly visible, with the seawater displaying varying shades of blue. Fishing boats and cargo ships dot the water like toys, while the runway of Kai Tak Airport cuts diagonally into the sea like a sharp knife.

The elderly gentlemen, visiting Hong Kong for the first time, also expressed their amazement at the scenery outside.

However, their feelings were somewhat unusual:

"When the troops arrived in Guangzhou, they almost took this place!"

"That's right. Back then, I heard that the vanguard of the Fourth Field Army had reached the Shenzhen River, and they could see British outposts on the opposite bank through their binoculars." The speaker was Mr. Zhou, who had fought as a guerrilla in the Guangdong-Jiangxi Soviet Area. His gaze was intense as he looked towards Kai Tak Airport.
"If it weren't for the order from above to temporarily ease restrictions, there wouldn't be any 'Governor's Villa' on the map right now."

Another elderly man wearing reading glasses adjusted his glasses and picked up the conversation:
"Before I came here, I read a report that said the runway at Kai Tak Airport was built by the Japanese devils forcing the local people to reclaim land from the sea."

He pointed to the rows of low-rise buildings outside the window:
"Now it's become the 'Pearl of the Orient' in the mouths of the British. Things are unpredictable."

At this moment, someone said:
"It's better that we didn't fight. If we had, we would have lost our window to the outside world, which wouldn't have been worth it!"

“That’s true…” everyone nodded in agreement.

Then the plane gradually descended, getting lower and lower, and Fang Yan could already clearly see the signs of many shops below.

As the runway of Kai Tak Airport drew closer, the buildings on both sides of the runway became increasingly clear.

To the left are densely packed red-roofed houses, while to the right is a container terminal under construction, with the crane booms slowly turning in the morning breeze.

"Everyone, please sit tight!" the flight attendant raised her voice, her tone carrying a touch of professional caution.

They quickly walked to the bulkhead, sat down on the folding seats, and gripped the seatbelts tightly with both hands. Kai Tak Airport was notorious for its "dangerous takeoffs and landings," and even experienced crew members dared not be careless in the slightest.

Seeing that they all did this, everyone quickly followed suit.

The roar of the plane's engines suddenly intensified, and the fuselage seemed to be pulled downwards by an invisible hand. Fang Yan subconsciously gripped the armrest of his seat, and his gaze swept across the window to the ripples on the sea surface, which were now clearly visible. The white markings on the runway of Kai Tak Airport were rapidly approaching.

A soft clattering of cutlery came from the back row; an old man's enamel mug had slipped and rolled to the ground, making a series of crisp sounds.

Then the plane jolted violently and crashed to the ground, with Fang Yan's head almost hitting the back of the seat.

The seatbelt snapped open instantly, digging into his shoulders and making his chest feel tight.

Then the plane decelerated rapidly, and the engine noise gradually subsided.

As the roar of the reverse thrust engines gradually subsided, the plane finally came to a slow stop at the end of the runway. The cabin pressure dropped sharply, and my eardrums stung.

The flight attendants unbuckled their seatbelts, maintaining their professional smiles, and then the captain's voice came over the intercom:

"Distinguished leaders, welcome to Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong. The current temperature is 28 degrees Celsius..."

Fang Yan loosened his grip on the armrest, which had turned white, and only then did he realize that his palms were covered in cold sweat.

I'd heard about this place's bad reputation before, but I didn't realize how real it felt after experiencing it firsthand. But the weather's been pretty nice today, though.

Could it be that the captain simply prefers to land this way?
I don't understand some of the dialect.

He looked out the window and saw several workers in overalls working on the breakwater at the end of the runway.

Looking to the other side, there were more than a dozen black sedans in the direction of the helipad.

"Let's go, it's time to meet the Huo family." Director Liao unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up. Secretary Zhou had already packed the map and document bag into his briefcase.

Fang Yan composed himself, unbuckled his seatbelt, and then got up to pick up his bag.

Once the gangway was in place, the hatch slowly opened.

Director Liao was the first to step out of the cabin.

Fang Yan let the old men go out first, while he walked at the very back.

Stepping out of the cabin, a sea breeze wafted over.

His gaze was then drawn to the scene at the edge of the tarmac, where two Hong Kong police officers in khaki uniforms were standing next to the barbed wire fence.

Behind them, a sign reading "No Unauthorized Access" appeared alongside traditional Chinese characters, exuding a strong sense of colonialism.

The Huo family steward quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly at the foot of the gangway, and two attendants immediately unfurled a red carpet behind him.

"Director Liao, esteemed leaders," he said, his voice tinged with just the right amount of humility, "the Master originally intended to come and fetch you personally, but unfortunately, the Governor's Office had a last-minute appointment..."

The term "master" has disappeared from mainland China for many years, and everyone was slightly taken aback upon hearing it.

Director Liao said:
"Oh, it's alright. We arrived early today, so we can wander around a bit."

The Huo family steward smiled humbly and said to Director Liao:
"We have prepared the hotel for you all. Please get in the car, we will arrive at our destination shortly."

Director Liao nodded, then turned to the crowd and said:

"Then let's go!"

At this moment, the Huo family steward asked:
"By the way, which one of you is Dr. Fang?"

The dialect responded from the back of the line:
"I."

The Huo family steward nodded to him and said:

"Hello!"

"What's wrong?" Fang Yan asked.

"Madam said that when you arrive, she would like you to help her see a patient first," the Huo family steward said to Fang Yan.

"Oh?" Fang Yan was taken aback, not expecting to get work done as soon as she got off the plane.

He glanced at Director Liao, who hesitated slightly before nodding in agreement.

Fang Yan then asked:

Where is the patient?

The steward of the Huo family said:

"It's in the Huo family's hospital."

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said:

"Well... since there are patients, let's go see them first."

The Huo family steward said with some delight:
"Okay, thank you so much, Dr. Fang! You've really gone to so much trouble!"

Then he began arranging for everyone to get into the car. Just as Fang Yan was about to get in alone, three of the old man's assistants suddenly entered their group. They immediately addressed the three bodyguards wearing sunglasses already in the car:

"We are here to ensure Dr. Fang's safety."

"You get off, we'll get on."

The three bodyguards from the Huo family were somewhat bewildered.

They all looked at the steward of the Huo family.

Finally, the Huo family steward nodded in agreement, and they left the vehicle, giving their seats to the three assistants.

"What's going on?" Fang Yan asked in a low voice.

One of them said with a smile:

"Director Liao said that you don't understand Cantonese, so it's easier for us from Beijing to communicate."

Another person also said:

"We will follow your instructions now."

"Yes, yes." The person sitting in the passenger seat nodded repeatedly in a deep, resonant voice.

Fang Yan and the others all came from Beijing. These people are soldiers who are specifically responsible for the security of leaders. Director Liao said at the time that the Huo family would be responsible for his safety when he arrived in Hong Kong. But now he suddenly called people over to replace the Huo family's security.

The dialect suggests that things might not be so simple.

Could it be that Director Liao discovered something amiss?
That's not right either. If he realized something was wrong, he should have told me not to go.

Is there another reason? Or is it simply a feeling that one's own people are safer?

By this time, the car doors had been closed. There was only one driver in the car who was from Hong Kong; the others had come with Fang Yan.

Then the convoy started and drove off towards the airport.

As the convoy drove out of Kai Tak Airport, the first thing that caught the eye was the Kowloon Walled City bathed in the morning light.

Its mottled exterior walls have a cyberpunk feel to them. Smoke is rising from this area, which is known as the "no man's land," and the smell of honeycomb briquettes mixed with the sea breeze is seeping into the car windows.

The streets are lined with dense tenement buildings, and the stalls under the arcades are already open. Vendors selling fish balls are banging their copper bowls, and the "ding-ding" sounds rise and fall, intertwining with the tram bells not far away.

Director Liao's car led the convoy toward the Peninsula Hotel.

The car with the dialect was then directed to Sai Ying Pun by another car.

Through the car window, Fang Yan saw a double-decker bus on Nathan Road puffing black smoke as it drove by. The bus was decorated with a poster of the Shaw Brothers film "Chor Lau Heung," and Adam Cheng's image was particularly eye-catching in the morning light.

At roadside newsstands, the front-page headlines of Ming Pao and Sing Tao Daily mostly revolved around the wedding of the eldest son of the Huo family and Sino-British trade negotiations.

The comrade sitting next to Fang Yan was looking at a pocket map in his hand, confirming his current location.

As the convoy passed through the Sheung Wan, the bumps on the cobblestone road caused the carriages to sway gently.

Fang Yan noticed that most of the buildings here retain the carved doors and windows in the Lingnan style, and the signs of Chinese medicine shops sway in the wind next to the street signs of "Yongji Street" and "Taipingshan Street".

There were no unexpected incidents on the way.

The Huo Family Hospital is located halfway up a hill. Its exterior walls are painted in the beige color common in colonial times, and the words "Huo Family Charitable Hospital" are engraved on the stone pillars on both sides of the gate.

Fang Yan saw two bronze lanterns hanging under the porch, with the words "Hanging a gourd to save the world" written on them by Mr. Huo.

After separating from the main convoy, Fang Yan's car drove alone into the hospital's back gate.

The three people in the car immediately became alert.

Through the car window, Fang Yan saw the national flag flying on the roof of the hospital building and was momentarily taken aback, as this was a rare sight in Hong Kong in 1978.

Did they know that Fang Yan and his group were coming today, and put it up on purpose?
"What's with the national flag on it?" Fang Yan asked the driver.

The other party smiled and said:

"Fang Sheng, I don't come here often."

Okay, it seems you don't know.

The car then stopped downstairs, and everyone got out.

Of the three people, one of them was carrying Fang Yan's package.

The other two stood on either side of the dialect.

All three of them looked around warily.

While waiting for the others to arrive, Fang Yan asked them:

"What's going on? Is someone trying to harm me?"

They shook their heads, one after the other:
"I don't know. The leaders just discussed it and then sent us to protect your safety."

"Perhaps they think you might be in danger..."

"Since we're already here, it's better to be careful since we don't know anyone here."

Fang Yan asked them:

"What are your names? Or... code names?"

The short, thin man on the left, who was only a little over 1.6 meters tall, said:

"My name is Li Chong."

Another young man, about the same height and with a well-proportioned build as Fang Yan, said:
"My name is Deng Cai."

The young man, who spoke in a deep, resonant voice and was at least 1.9 meters tall, and who looked somewhat simple and honest, said:
"My name is Wang Feng."

Fang Yan silently memorized the names of the three: Li Chong, Deng Cai, and Wang Feng.

Just then, Ms. Lü from the eldest branch of the Huo family came out with her entourage. Upon seeing Fang Yan, she called out from a distance:
"Is it Doctor Fang?"

Fang Yan felt relieved upon seeing this person.

I was being suspicious just now because I was afraid that the person who picked me up at the airport was someone else's arrangement, but now that I've seen Mrs. Huo, I feel relieved.

"Mrs. Huo, we meet again!" Fang Yan called out to her loudly.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Huo quickened her pace even further.
"Oh, that's great! You've finally arrived!"

Fang Yan noticed her anxious expression, as if she really had some kind of urgent illness waiting for her.

She spoke to the dialect:

"Let's not delay, come inside with me right now!"

"What's going on?" Fang Yan asked.

Mrs. Huo said:
"Let's go upstairs first, I'll tell you on the way."

Fang Yan nodded and beckoned Deng Cai and the other two to come together.

Then, on the way, Mrs. Huo said:
“My friend’s grandson, who is three years old, has been having diarrhea on and off for half a month. No matter what treatment he has tried, it has not worked. He has diarrhea six or seven times a day, and sometimes eight or nine times. He has become very thin and looks emaciated. If this continues, it may be dangerous.”

"I knew you were coming here, so I quickly asked you to come and save my life."

Fang Yan exclaimed in surprise:
"It's just diarrhea, does that mean Western medicine isn't working?"

At this moment, a middle-aged woman in her fifties, dressed elegantly, standing next to Mrs. Huo, said:
"It's somewhat useful, but not very useful; it's like being possessed."

"I just called a fortune teller over last night and spent 20,000 yuan to resolve it. It worked all night, but it started again early this morning..."

Twenty thousand?

Fang Yan was stunned. She only made 10,000 yuan a month, but the gentleman could make 20,000 yuan just by doing it?
Is this money really that easy to make?
Fang Yan composed himself and asked the middle-aged woman:
"You didn't give him talisman water, did you?"

The other person shook their head and said seriously:
"No, that's feudal superstition!"

"..." Fang Yan was speechless, not knowing how they made the distinction.

The group entered the elevator, which quickly ascended to the third floor. As the doors opened, two nurses in white coats stood outside a ward at the end of the corridor. Upon seeing Fang Yan and his group, they immediately spoke in Mandarin with a Cantonese accent:

"Is it Doctor Fang?"

Fang Yan didn't know what to say. She had said she was traveling under a different identity, but her identity was exposed as soon as she got off the plane. She would have to put on makeup when she went out from now on.
Mrs. Huo responded:

"They're here! They're here! There's definitely hope!"

She now has unconditional trust in dialects, bordering on superstition.

My illness has been treated for so long without any effect.

The dialect solved the problem immediately.

Moreover, it took a very short time, and after returning for a check-up, the doctors here exclaimed that it was impossible.

So, that's the source of her trust.

Pushing open the door, the smell of disinfectant mixed with a hint of sourness hit me.

The three-year-old child in the third bed was curled up on the snow-white sheets. He was half-naked and so thin that he was just skin and bones, with his ribs clearly visible. His skin hung loosely on his body, as if all the moisture had been drained away.

His eyes were sunken, with dark circles around them, but his lips were unusually red, dry, and chapped. He was murmuring "drink water" in a weak voice.

The young woman beside the bed, who was probably his mother, hurriedly brought the spoon to his mouth. After feeding him only two spoonfuls, the child coughed violently, and water droplets from the corners of his mouth dripped down his chin.

Fang Yan walked up to him and found that his mouth was full of white grime, scattered all over his oral mucosa, and even the inside of his cheeks was covered with grayish-white scabs.

"Yesterday I could still drink half a bowl of porridge, but today I can't even swallow water..." The middle-aged woman who had just gone upstairs with Fang Yan said to him with red eyes:

"Look at this stomach, it's been gurgling all morning and night, and all I'm coming out is like egg drop soup..."

She lifted a corner of the blanket, which smelled sour and foul; it was obvious the baby had soiled himself again. Just as the nurse was about to change the blanket, the baby let out a weak cry, kicking his legs but unable to muster any strength.

At this moment, a middle-aged doctor wearing a white coat and glasses came over and handed Fang Yan a medical record.

Fang Yan took it and glanced at it:
The blood routine test showed elevated white blood cell count, stool culture showed no pathogenic bacteria, electrolyte imbalance, and obvious signs of acidosis. The diagnosis was toxic dyspepsia.

Penicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin... Nystatin orally for seven days... Massage to tonify the spleen and large intestine meridians, moxibustion at the Shenque acupoint... Traditional Chinese medicine prescribed a modified version of Shenling Baizhu San...

This involves the use of both traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

"Dr. Fang, you must save our A-Kang!"

The child's mother suddenly grabbed Fang Yan's wrist:
"They said if he doesn't get better, he'll have to be transferred to Mary Hospital for dialysis...but he's only three years old!"

Seeing how excited she was, Fang Yan said to her:
"Please calm down, I'll think of something!"

Speaking in his dialect, he came to the bedside, took the child's little hand, and carefully felt his pulse.

PS: By the end of the month, I had gained another 500 monthly passes, so I owe you another 10,000 words, bringing my total to 107000 words.

The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated today.

There will be an extra chapter later!

(End of this chapter)