Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1028 I am Lin Jingxing, Young Master Lin, you are quite capable (Two chapters combined)
To be honest, the dialect is quite familiar to some Chinese medicine practitioners.

I know quite a bit about traditional Chinese medicine practitioners in Taiwan and abroad, but I don't know much about those in Hong Kong and Macau.

It gives you the feeling of "blind spots under the lamp".

Logically speaking, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner like Li Chunfang, who can have a private room at the Peninsula Hotel for extended periods and limits the number of patients she sees each day, should be quite famous.

Of course, I simply don't know any dialects; I've never even heard of them.

Apart from Shang Yunxiang, whom he mentioned.

This is a famous Xingyiquan master. He first studied Xingyiquan under Li Cunyi, and later received guidance from Xingyiquan masters such as Guo Yunshen and Liu Qilan, learning from their strengths and integrating them into his own style.

He was particularly skilled in the "Half-Step Beng Quan" of Xingyi Quan, and was known for his strong combat ability. He was known in the martial arts world as "Iron-Legged Buddha".

In his later years, he devoted himself to martial arts education and cultivated many outstanding disciples.

Shang Yunxiang passed away in Beiping in 1937.

However, I've never heard of Shang Yunxiang staying in Shenyang.

However, there are indeed people of Shang Yunxiang's lineage in Shenyang.

Xin Jianhou was quite influential in Shenyang.

He studied under Shang Yunxiang and, after mastering the art, returned to Fengtian (now Shenyang) to open his own school and teach students. As a result, Xin Jianhou became the leader of the Xingyi Quan community in Fengtian and spread the Shang-style Xingyi Quan.

The old man said that he learned martial arts in Shenyang back then, and he was taught by Shang Yunxiang.

Logically, it makes sense.

Fang Yan paused for a moment, then clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to the old man:

"So it's Grandpa Li, I've heard so much about you!"

Before Li Chunfang could speak, his grandson started complaining in the dialect:
"Do you look like you've heard so much about this place? You look like you've never heard of it before."

Fang Yan is speechless. This guy is really annoying.

Li Chunfang, standing to the side, said to her grandson:

"Alright, Ji, it's normal that they haven't heard of it before. You're being very rude."

The young man named Aji said:

"Grandpa, I'm not being rude, I'm just telling the truth."

Li Chunfang was speechless and apologized in dialect:

"Young man, please forgive my child's rudeness. He just returned from the United States recently, and his way of speaking is a little different from ours."

Ah Ji then said:
"Why is speaking frankly considered rude, Grandpa? I really can't understand your logic of politeness."

The dialect reveals a typical argumentative personality, commonly known as a contrarian.

"Shut up, you brat! Or I'll really beat you up! This isn't America!" Li Chunfang clenched her fist at her grandson.

Ah Ji shrank back, raising his hands in surrender:
"Okay, okay, Grandpa, don't be angry..."

Fang Yan was amused by this scene; the grandfather and grandson were quite an interesting pair.

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the old man and said:
"My name is Lin Jingxing, and I'm here to attend the Huo family's wedding."

Before the old man could answer, the argumentative person next to him muttered:

"Lin Jingxing... sounds like a character from a martial arts movie."

As a result, Li Chunfang glared at him, and he quickly shut up.

Then, Grandpa Li Chunfang cupped his hands and said:
"So it's you, young friend Lin. Actually, I have some acquaintance with Mr. Huo. I'm also going to a wedding today, so it'll be good if we go together and keep each other company."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ah Ji said:

"My grandfather is Mr. Huo's private doctor. Everyone in his family goes to my grandfather for medical treatment! Isn't that amazing?"

Fang Yan paused for a moment, then immediately gave a thumbs up:
"awesome!"

Li Chunfang turned her head and glared at her grandson before speaking to Fang Yan:

"This lad is too talkative; please excuse him, young friend Lin!"

Fang Yan smiled and waved his hand:
"It's alright, it's alright..."

Li Chunfang then brought the topic back:
"By the way, I still don't know who your martial arts teacher is, young friend Lin?"

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and made up a story on the spot:
“My master is a Malaysian Chinese. He changed his name to avoid his enemies. The name I mentioned is not his real name, so please don’t ask anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Li Chunfang suddenly realized and quickly cupped her hands in greeting, saying:
"It was my rudeness, old man!"

Even though I said that, I was already starting to wonder who it was.

Just then, the rising sun pierced through the thin mist, and a golden-red arrow of light suddenly slanted across the terrace railing, instantly coating the metal railing with a layer of scorching gold.

The three of them fell silent at the same time.

Looking in the direction of the light, one can see an orange-red crack appearing on the eastern horizon, like a curtain of sky torn open by a giant hand. Thick rays of light slowly rise and surge out from the crack in the sea mist, gradually dyeing the gray-blue sea surface amber.

"The sun has risen! I'm going to get the camera!" Ah Ji dashed back into the room, leaving Fang Yan and the old man standing on their respective balconies.

The waves of Victoria Harbour, shimmering like scattered gold, gently lapped against the breakwater.

The first Star Ferry is passing through the sea where light and shadow intertwine, and the neon lights at the bow illuminate the thin mist, turning golden from a distance.

The morning mist atop Victoria Peak was shrouded in wisps of gold by the sunlight, and the spire of the church in the Mid-Levels villa area peeked out from the mist, its cross gleaming in the rosy light.

You can even see rings of light.

I wonder if the church where Representative Huo got married today had such a dazzling cross.

"So, haven't you seen the sunrise over Hong Kong from the Peninsula Hotel yet?"

Li Chunfang's voice came from above. Fang Yan turned his head and saw that the old man had put on a pair of round-framed sunglasses at some point, with the sky full of clouds reflected in the lenses.

At this moment, Aji rushed back to the balcony with his camera in hand, and the sound of camera shutters clicking incessantly.

As the sun fully rose above the sea, the deafening roar of engines echoed from Kai Tak Airport, and a Cathay Pacific Boeing aircraft took off, its serial number "VR-HGA" clearly visible in the sunlight.

Just then, Li Chunfang went to look at Fang Yan's balcony again and found that Fang Yan had left sometime earlier.

"Hey, Lin Jingxing is gone?" At this moment, Aji also noticed.

Then he complained:
"He just left without saying goodbye, how rude!"

The old man sneered and said:

"Rude? You're the rude one!"

……

Fang Yan returned to his room because the sun had come out, and he needed to touch up his makeup. It wasn't noticeable before dawn, but now that the sun was out, he needed to fix it properly.

Another point of concern for Fang Yan is the camera in Aji's hands, that nitpicker.

If he pulls a card and then sees the flaw, things won't be fun anymore.

After Fang Yan had finished her makeup and changed into her formal attire, he returned to the balcony.

However, the old man has already gone back.

Fang Yan looked back at Victoria Harbour in the early morning, and compared to before, it had a more down-to-earth atmosphere, with people starting to go out to work.

The Peninsula Hotel's terrace gradually came alive. Fang Yan looked down at the terrace below and saw waiters in sharp uniforms setting up breakfast tables, the silver cutlery gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

It's only 6:30, and they're already offering breakfast delivery service here so early.

The blonde, blue-eyed woman below elegantly took a sip of her coffee and then handed the waiter a tip.

Tipping culture?

Fang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly:

I thought to myself, "Is this an American?"

Just then, the foreign woman looked up and saw Fang Yan watching her from the balcony. She immediately smiled brightly, raised her coffee, and gestured to Fang Yan in an invitation.

Fang Yan forced a smile and shook his head.

The other person took out a business card from their pocket, quickly wrote something on it, handed it to the waiter, and then pointed to the dialect.

The latter nodded knowingly.

What do you mean?
"That woman has her eye on you!" Ah Ji's voice came from the balcony diagonally behind.

Fang Yan turned around, and Aji stared wide-eyed, whistling in English, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Man, you look like a million bucks! That tuxedo fits you like a glove—are you sure you're not a movie star?"

He waved the camera in his hand and said to Fang Yan, "I should have saved some film to take a picture of you. The sunrise on the balcony just now, combined with your outfit, would definitely be on the cover of Playboy."

He was referring to Playboy, which saw its circulation (including subscriptions and newsstand sales) and advertising revenue gradually increase from the 1950s to the early 1970s, becoming the world's best-selling men's magazine. At its peak in the 1970s, its monthly circulation reached 7 million copies.

This magazine is known for its erotic content, but it takes a relatively sophisticated and high-class approach to middle-class entertainment consumption. In addition to nude photos, the content also includes erotic novels, comics, and interviews.

In the relatively conservative social environment of the time, it advocated freedom, individuality, and hedonism, breaking the shackles of traditional moral values ​​and having a profound impact on American and even global culture. Together with its Bunny Girl logo, it became one of the symbols of American culture.

Fang Yan frowned and asked:

"Playboy also features men?"

Ah Ji was taken aback, then laughed and said:

"Haha, you're quite knowledgeable! Looks like you've been watching too!"

Fang Yan was speechless. This guy was just too despicable. She really wanted to beat him up.

However, Fang Yan calmly smiled and shook his head:

"Look at you, you're still a virgin. You can laugh like a monkey over such a small thing."

These words immediately made Ah Ji furious.

His face immediately turned red, and he stubbornly retorted to Fang Yan:
"Nonsense, I have a girlfriend in America!"

Nodding in dialect:

"Mmm, I believe you..."

Aji was furious and wanted to say something to prove himself.

"Ding dong!"

At that moment, Fang Yan and his family's doorbell rang.

Fang Yan smiled at him and said:
"Sorry, I don't have time to listen to your explanation. I'll go open the door first."

Ah Ji clenched his fists in anger, but there was nothing he could do.

The doorbell woke up the two people in the room.

They told them not to worry, and when they opened the door, it was indeed the same waiter who had come to give them his business card.

Fang Yan accepted the business card from the waiter. The name "Caroline Winters" was printed within a gold-embossed border, followed by the title "Senior Editor, Playboy Magazine." On the back, a line of small print was written in pen:
“Sir, your silhouette at dawn is too striking to be hidden. Would you do me the honor of a coffee at The Verandah at 8?——Caroline”

(Sir, your silhouette at dawn is too striking to be hidden in the shadows. Would you do me the honor of joining me for coffee at the terrace restaurant at eight o'clock? —Caroline)

Fang Yan thought for a moment and said to the waiter:
"Please tell that lady that, unfortunately, I am already married."

The waiter nodded, then bowed and left the door to report back to his superior. "What's going on?" Li Chong asked Fang Yan.

Deng Cai also looked at Fang Yan with sleepy eyes.

“A foreign woman has taken a liking to me and wants to ask me out for coffee,” Fang Yan explained.

The two were taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Then he said:

"We saw it on TV yesterday; those foreigners are so open-minded..."

Judging from their smiles, Fang Yan seriously doubted whether the program they were watching was serious or not.

"Alright, it's still early. I'll call food delivery. You guys eat and go back to sleep." Fang Yan changed the subject and went back to her room to pick up the phone.

Following the instructions in the phone book, Fang Yan picked up the phone and was connected to the hotel's service department within seconds. After Fang Yan stated his request, the other end quickly responded that breakfast would be served shortly.

Breakfast is provided in the suites here.

They deliver breakfast directly to the room without any extra charge.

A moment later, there was a knock on the door.

Sure enough, the food delivery person arrived.

The Peninsula Hotel's deluxe breakfast in 1978 exuded a rich colonial-era luxury.

The food cart was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, and the silver cutlery gleamed coldly in the morning light. The moment the waiter lifted the heater cover, the rising steam carried the aroma of freshly ground coffee, the oily fragrance of fried bacon, and the sweet and sour scent of roasted tomatoes.

The main course is an English breakfast.

A runny fried egg rests on a crispy toast, surrounded by marbled bacon, caramelized sausage, baked beans, and roasted tomatoes, with juice oozing from the cross-shaped cuts on the tomatoes.

The meal was served with a basket of freshly baked French bread. The croissants had layers of flaky pastry that could be stretched into long, thin, milky white strands when broken open, and the whole wheat bread rolls were sprinkled with coarse oats.

The waiter opened the gilded bell-shaped cover, revealing a small dish of black caviar. The plump caviar shimmered with a purplish-black glow on the ice, accompanied by a delicate mother-of-pearl spoon.

The coffee pot is made of sterling silver with engravings, sugar cubes are served in a crystal dish, and the handles of the silver sugar tongs are engraved with the hotel's iconic lion emblem.

Western food?

Fang Yan frowned slightly.

Deng Cai looked at the knife and fork in front of him, perplexed: "With so many spoons, which one should I use to scoop the soup?"

Li Chong tapped the stemmed glass of orange juice with his finger, and a layer of water droplets immediately condensed on the inside of the glass, revealing that it was actually cold.
"Forget it, whatever. If the British can eat it, so can we."

The waiter asked them if they wanted to eat on the terrace, but Fang Yan shook his head, indicating that they would be fine eating in the room.

There must be more people outside now; the Peninsula Hotel's occupancy rate surprised Fang Yan.

I don't know if it's because Representative Huo got married.

Next, without even needing to speak in dialect, the waiter bowed slightly, holding a silver tray in his left hand and using a bone china knife in his right to scoop up strawberry jam. With skillful technique, he spread the jam evenly on the toast slices, the edges undulating in a wavy pattern, covering exactly two-thirds of the bread surface and revealing the crispy edges.

His movements were elegant and precise, each swing carrying the meticulousness of an English butler, as if he were completing a miniature painting.

"Sir, would you like me to cut the sausage for you?" the waiter asked in a Hong Kong accent.

He nodded in dialect.

Next, the waiter used a silver knife to cut the sausage into bite-sized pieces, each piece strictly maintaining a thickness of two centimeters, and the juices that seeped out from the cuts were promptly absorbed with a linen napkin.

This action left Li Chong and Deng Cai completely dumbfounded.

Next, he used sugar tongs to add a sugar cube to each person's coffee cup, gently shaking his finger about three centimeters above the rim of the cup to ensure the sugar cube fell vertically and avoid spilling a drop of coffee.

When the waiter saw Deng Cai staring blankly at the baked beans, he immediately handed him a small spoon.

“These are tableware for serving beans, sir.”

He then turned to Li Chong and used silver tongs to scoop black caviar onto the small pancakes, arranging them into an exquisite pyramid shape:
"It is recommended to eat it with sour cream for a richer flavor."

Finally, the waiter stepped back two paces and nodded slightly: "Please feel free to ask if you would like some butter or honey. The guests on the terrace have already started enjoying champagne. Would the three gentlemen like some?"

His tone was polite yet distant, displaying a colonial service aesthetic.

This made Fang Yan and his friends very uncomfortable.

Fang Yan said to them:

"It's alright, you guys go out first, we'll eat by ourselves."

Upon hearing this, the waiter smiled and nodded, then stepped outside the door, gently closing it behind him. Before doing so, he said:
“We’re right outside. Call us anytime you need anything.”

After the door closed, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Eat whatever you want, order whatever you like," Fang Yan said to Deng Cai and Li Chong.

Upon hearing this, the two immediately dropped their utensils, picked up slices of toast with their hands, and began to eat.

Deng Cai nodded:

"Well, it tastes okay."

He said in dialect:

"It tastes better than I expected."

Li Chong said:

"They didn't have any steamed buns, all these things are so fancy, and their service is so weird."

"I wonder if today's wedding will be like this too."

Deng Cai said:

"I heard that in a British wedding, a group of people gather together and choose from a bunch of food."

Fang Yan said to him:
"You mean the buffet style, right?"

Deng Cai nodded:

"Yes, yes, a buffet."

Fang Yan said to him:
"Representative Huo's wedding ceremony will first be a British-style wedding in a church, and then lunch will be on the terrace of his home in Repulse Bay. It will probably be Western food, but not a buffet; it should all be main courses."

"It'll be in a Chinese restaurant tonight, that'll be fine."

Deng Cai took a bite of the soft-boiled fried egg and then said:
"We are different."

Li Chong nodded as well:
"Yes, we are responsible for your safety; eating is secondary."

They were technically part of the entourage and not on the invitation list, but the Huo family certainly wouldn't treat them as ordinary attendants.

He said in dialect:

"The Huo family will take you into consideration, don't worry."

"Knock knock knock..." A knocking sound suddenly came from the doorway.

The three of them stopped what they were doing at the same time. Fang Yan asked, "Who is it?"

"It's me!" came Ah Ji's voice from outside the door.

Li Chong and Deng Cai immediately became alert, and Fang Yan quickly explained in a low voice:
"It's Mr. Li Chunfang from Chunfangtang in Hong Kong. He usually has a private room at the Peninsula Hotel. The man outside is his grandson. We met him while we were doing our morning exercise on the balcony."

"Dong dong dong..."

There was another knock on the door.

Li Chong was the first to stand up and say loudly, "Young Master Lin, I'll go open the door."

He walked to the door and opened it. When Aji saw Li Chong, he was slightly taken aback.

"Hey, you..."

Li Chong nodded politely but distantly: "Our young master Lin is having breakfast. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Ah Ji leaned over and saw that Fang Yan was already sitting at the table. He smiled and said, "Oh, you've already started eating? My grandpa was going to invite you to eat downstairs in the restaurant."

Fang Yan put down his knife and fork, cupped his hands in thanks to A Ji, and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Li. We have already ordered."

“Alright, we’ll come up and call you when we leave for the Huo family wedding!” Ah Ji said readily.

"Okay." Fang Yan nodded.

Ah Ji had just turned around when he suddenly turned back, pointing to the plate with the dialect accent and saying, "By the way, let me remind you, don't order breakfast from your room anymore. They always bring the same few things. Go downstairs to the buffet and take whatever you want. It's much better than this!"

Fang Yan smiled helplessly upon hearing this, but still said:
"Thanks, I got it."

Ah Ji then waved his hand with satisfaction: "You're welcome! It's a pity you didn't eat with my grandfather; he could have told you some health tips while he was there." After saying that, he shook his camera and left with a smug look on his face.

"That kid really deserves a beating," Deng Cai muttered, watching A Ji's retreating figure.

Li Chong also frowned and nodded:
"He speaks without any respect for others, and looks like he's asking for a beating."

"Haha, let him be." Fang Yan shook his head with a smile and urged the two to continue their meal.

After breakfast, Fang Yan told Li Chong and Deng Cai to go and rest, since it was still early.

The two didn't go back to the bedroom; instead, they sprawled out on the living room sofa and took a nap.

Seeing this, Fang Yan didn't disturb them.

He went to the side, turned on the TV, turned the volume down to the lowest setting, and started watching today's Hong Kong news.

On the television screen, the news anchor is reporting:

"A gang fight broke out in Kwun Tong District early this morning. Police responded quickly to the scene and have brought the situation under control. Preliminary investigations suggest the incident may be related to a turf war, and the suspects are currently being pursued..."

After the news broadcast, I watched some news about the financial markets for a while.

I watched until after nine o'clock, and finally the knocking on the door sounded again.

Deng Cai, Li Chong, and the others woke up again, their spirits lifted.

The person who came to remind us this time was actually from the hotel. Representative Huo had instructed us yesterday to call someone around 9 a.m.

Then people are given time to tidy up and wash up, and then they wait for their car downstairs.

After Deng Cai and Li Chong washed up and changed their clothes, Fang Yan touched up their makeup.

Just as I finished, Li Chunfang and Aji came knocking on the door.

The old man and his grandson seem to be very interested in dialects because of Xingyiquan (a style of Chinese martial arts).

Fang Yan invited them into the room.

Upon seeing where Fang Yan lived, A Ji looked around and exclaimed in admiration:

"This place is even bigger than our upper floors!"

Then he said to the dialect:

"I didn't expect you to be so capable, Young Master Lin!"

PS: The basic chapter of 6000 words has been updated.

There will be an extra chapter later.

(End of this chapter)