1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 513, Third Move

At the beginning of the new year, one show after another was staged in Hong Kong.

Chizuko Ueno and others discussed feminism online.
Villagers in the New Territories organized speeches and demonstrations offline.

The offline crowds continued until after the 20th, when they gradually subsided.
Lau Wong-fat may have gradually realized that with the Governor of Hong Kong not in the country, his radical protests would not be able to win the appeal.

Why isn't the Governor of Hong Kong in Hong Kong?
"He's both a god and a demon! Now that the big boss isn't stepping forward, they're pushing out their sworn brother, Zhai Yuan, to take the fall!"

New Territories Heung Yee Kuk.

Liu Huangfa forcefully stubbed out his cigarette. In a wisp of smoke, his expression changed from gloomy to sunny, and then he sneered, "Anyway, I don't care. I was just a farmer's son from Longgutan Village back then. Now I control more than 600 plots of land and own more than 70 companies. At worst, we can just part ways and I'll walk overseas to continue being a rich man!"

A plot of land is a single piece of land, ranging from a few thousand square feet to tens of thousands of square feet.

As he spoke, Liu Huangfa glanced at the group of local gentry and landlords present.

He grinned and said, "But you guys are different. This world changes so fast! Now a plate of pork chop rice on the street costs twenty Hong Kong dollars. How much will your ancestral lands be worth in the future? When the land rights are divided among women, the land price will definitely plummet to the core! I can afford to leave, but what about you? Can you afford to leave?"

The meeting room was completely silent, and the group of local gentry and landlords looked at each other in bewilderment.

"I don't think that's what people mean."

Deng Zhaotang chuckled and spoke up at the opportune moment, offering to light a cigarette for Liu Huangfa: "Recently, there have indeed been a lot of rumors circulating outside, causing you a lot of trouble, Brother Fa. But since it involves everyone's interests, as long as you are willing to speak up, I don't think anyone would refuse to stand up and help, right?"

The wind outside made the old wooden window creak.

The local gentry and landlords quickly realized what was happening and nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Uncle Fa, if you speak up, we'll definitely follow you to the end!"

"The most important thing is for our own people to unite, otherwise how can we live up to the centuries-old tradition of the ancestral hall?"

"Wei Yixin is playing dead! Tens of thousands of us villagers from the New Territories will march into the city together and see if the Hong Kong government really has the guts to suppress us!"

Liu Huangfa watched coldly for a moment, then took a deep drag of his cigarette and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"No need for too much nonsense."

Liu Huangfa said in a cold and hard tone: "One is to be of one mind, and the other is to die together! If we die together, we will have nothing. If we are of one mind, then everyone has to put in the effort."

"Tomorrow morning, everyone take out the 'official deeds' from the ancestral hall. Shaowei, you contact a few top foreign lawyers and personally go to England to appeal. Make this fire as big as it can be!"

"Wei Yixin refuses to show up? Then find his boss's wife and ask her if the British government is any different!"

Once upon a time, the New Territories belonged to Bao'an County of Guangdong Province.

After the Qing government leased the land to Great Britain, it sent Indians to survey the land and then confiscated the land deeds issued by the Qing government to the indigenous people.

These 'red deeds' bearing the official seal of the Qing government were all replaced overnight with British 'official deeds'.

The red deeds held by the indigenous people did not have restrictions on land use. In order to facilitate governance, the British added various clauses to the official deeds, dividing the land into third-class land without water sources, second-class land with fertile farmland, and first-class land that could both yield a good harvest and build houses.

The obedient landlords naturally received first-class land, while the disobedient ones received second- or third-class land. This combination of measures easily diverted and shifted the hostility of the indigenous people towards the foreigners.

Lau Wong-fat rose to prominence by learning that the British army needed to build an artillery training area in the New Territories. He then encouraged the villagers of Ta Kwu Ling to hand over their official deeds to the British army at a price that was practically free. This earned him their favor and allowed his business to grow bigger and bigger.

"Therefore, official contracts should be brought out and exposed so that the foreigners can see with their own eyes the words they wrote and the seals they affixed!"

Liu Huangfa glanced at Cao Shaowei and continued, "Remember, find the top-tier lawyers. Money is no problem. If you can't hire them in London, fly straight to Cambridge and Oxford and drag those scholars down with you. Zhai Yuan likes to stir up public opinion, right? We'll do that too! Go overseas and write articles and publish them in newspapers, so the whole world knows that it was the British devils who went back on their word!"

A chorus of agreement arose in the conference room.

"Secondly, I want you to form a delegation to personally go to Yanjing (Beijing) and contact the leaders in the interior!"

Liu Huangfa glanced around, narrowed his eyes, and slowly spoke.

After he said that, the atmosphere in the room seemed to suddenly tense up.

A local gentry member asked cautiously, "Uncle Fa means..."

Let me tell you a story.

Liu Huangfa exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at the group of local gentry, saying, "In the past, there was a man who owned an ancestral property, but someone used force to seize it and took over the attic. The occupier used the attic to open a noodle shop, and the business flourished."

"Later, the homeowner's descendants also opened a wonton shop downstairs, and the business was quite good. Everyone lived in peace."

"Today, the lease on the attic is almost up, and it's time to return it to the landlord's descendants. But this guy who runs the noodle shop came down and said, 'Brother, I'm sorry, our ancestors didn't do well back then. How about we renegotiate the lease? I'll continue running the noodle shop, but we'll split the profits 40/60, with 60% going to you and 40% for myself. Also, if the wonton shop needs flour in the future, I'll sell it to you at 80% off. Wouldn't it be better if we cooperated and prospered?'"

The meeting room remained silent for a long time, with only the creaking sound of the wind blowing through the windows and the light from the ceiling lamps swaying gently.

"What I mean is, if the mainland really doesn't support us local gentry this time..."

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Lau Wong-fat squinted and slowly spoke: "Then we can also consider continuing to cooperate with our old friend (a foreigner) who runs a noodle shop in the New Territories. We definitely won't hand it over for nothing!"

…………

"Using this tactic again? This isn't the first time New Territories gentry have used this method to threaten the mainland into compromising."

The end of the year is approaching.

This year, Zhou Xuejun came to Hong Kong alone to pick up Zhou Ping and Yu Feihong and bring them back to the mainland. He also shared some information with Zhai Yuan.

New Territories rural gentry formed a delegation to visit Yanjing City, where they once again raised the issue of implementing the New Territories Ordinance.

They subtly hinted that if they were swayed by the public opinion campaign launched by Zhai Yuan, they would lead their fellow villagers to join the foreigners.

"Back then, Chan Yik-sun, a bigwig of Lau Wong-fat, along with Cheung Yan-lung, two of the most powerful gentry in the New Territories, proposed to Beijing that after the handover, the mainland would hold power and foreigners would govern."

Zhai Yuan smiled and said to Zhou Xuejun, "Our Uncle Fat, the King of the New Territories, has a well-established lineage, but this time he didn't include the entire Hong Kong, only mentioning his small territory in the New Territories. It doesn't sound as domineering as his big boss's words!"

"A bunch of landlords and rich peasants!" Zhou Xuejun shook his head and cursed.

Zhai Yuan asked, "What's Grandpa's attitude?"

"Of course, we'll treat them to the best food and drinks." Zhou Xuejun smiled and winked at Zhai Yuan. "But when they arrive, the leaders will line the streets to welcome them. In a couple of days, when they board the plane back to Hong Kong, I guarantee there won't be a single person seeing them off at the airport!"

Zhai Yuan laughed.

This is indeed the way my grandfather does: he gives you face and guarantees, but remains noncommittal on the matter at hand, and finally uses a small detail to tell you what his attitude really is.

Liu Huangfa is used to being a local tyrant and really thinks he is a shadow governor of Hong Kong.

It's 1990 already. Almost ten years have passed since the Iron Lady fell and got her mouth full of mud outside the Great Hall.

Trying to reason with your grandfather using such a lame trick? Do you even think you can pull it off? Even your boss and Zhang Renlong weren't capable back then!
Zhou Xuejun spoke again, this time with some worry in his voice, saying, "There's also news that several landlords went to England to file a lawsuit, intending to make a big fuss about this. The leaders are worried about the negative impact..."

"Don't worry." Zhai Yuan waved his hand and smiled at Lao Zhou, saying, "First, they're not making as much trouble as I am. Second, we're in the right, so what are we afraid of?"

These landlords and wealthy people in the New Territories are really out of touch with the times.

They thought that by using a few 'collective official seals', they could make the British look bad for being 'uncooperative' and thus use public opinion to force the foreigners to help them.

What is being discussed internationally these days?
Human rights, equality, freedom, animal protection... Only an idiot would keep their word with you!

In short, in Zhai Yuan's view, Liu Huangfa's two consecutive moves were far from clever, even foolish. "So this person really needs to go out and broaden his horizons, otherwise he'll easily be deceived by past experiences."

Zhai Yuan patted Zhou Xuejun on the shoulder with a serious expression: "Besides, you can't be too concerned about saving face. We're just too concerned about saving face. When dealing with thugs, you have to be more thuggish than them. What's with all this talk about picking someone up at the airport but not seeing them off in such a refined manner? If he dares to use the New Territories as leverage, he should be slapped! Who are you trying to compete with for face with!"

Zhou Xuejun chuckled twice, finding it difficult to accept this statement due to the traditional moral education he received from childhood.

"Forget about that~ Since you're in Hong Kong, there's nothing else to entertain you with, so let's watch a movie, Jurassic Park, which is coming out on September 1st. I'll bring a copy to your film library later, so you don't have to go through the trouble of buying blockbusters in America."

Zhai Yuan held up one finger and wagged it, saying smugly, "Their films are no good, mine are awesome!"

Even in mainland China, Zhou Xuejun had long heard of the movie "Jurassic Park".

Because the production cycle is fucking too long! Every time we borrow footage from 91, Zhai Yuan's reply is always that he's working on something big.

I don't know how big it is, but I'll see it today.

December 23th,
The Southern Little New Year has passed, and Lunar New Year's Eve is approaching. Jurassic Park has been in theaters for a full 43 days and is still showing.

Long queues still form outside the cinemas owned by 1024.

No matter how much the villagers in the New Territories and the feminists in Japan protested, it never affected the audience of "Jurassic Park".

In fact, thanks to Chizuko Ueno's popularity, a large number of female viewers have been drawn to the event in recent days.

The queue wasn't as long as it had been a few days ago.

The entrances to several large theaters were still packed with people.

The air was filled with the aroma of popcorn and the excited chatter of the audience.

Students in school uniforms or white-collar workers in suits are now often seen drinking beverages in plastic bottles instead of glass ones.

Looking across Hong Kong, at that time, only 'Yuan Yuan' brand was using plastic bottles to package beverages on a large scale.

Peng Jiayan's flagship healthy drinking water is gradually changing the consumption habits of young people.

"Congratulations on Jurassic Park surpassing 4000 million at the box office?"

Zhou Xuejun walked to the entrance of the 1024 Theatre in Ngau Tau Kok, looked at the huge poster on the outer wall, and frowned in surprise.

His first reaction was to turn to Zhai Yuan and ask, "Did you write it wrong?"

HK$4000 million? Are you kidding me?
Zhai Yuan rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay attention to him, and pulled Zhai Yao and Zhou Haimei into the theater.

Finally, he turned back and called out to Yu Feihong with a smile, "Let's go, Feihong~"

The tall and slender Yu Feihong responded, leaving Zhou Xuejun and his daughter Zhou Ping behind, and followed the main group.

"Feihong had his birthday a couple of days ago? I was so busy I didn't even remember to celebrate with you."

"It's alright, Brother Yuan. The newspaper said you have something important to do."

"Sweetie~ By the way, I remember you were born in the 70s, so you're in your teens, right?"

"Just turned nineteen after my birthday~"

Zhai Yuan glanced at Yu Feihong, who had lived in his home since she was fifteen and had grown from a tiny little girl into a graceful young woman, and clicked his tongue: "That's great! Next time, Brother Yuan will throw you a birthday party separately~"

…………

Zhou Xuejun was still incredibly excited when he arrived in Luohu.

Amazed by the high-level CGI technology used in "Jurassic Park" even at his age, Mr. Zhou was still thrilled by the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, and Tyrannosaurus Rex, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Are you sure you want us to take these videos back?"

Old Zhou said embarrassedly, "How about we charge you some money? We still have enough money for buying films this year..."

"Forget it," Zhai Yuan waved his hand with a smile, then added, "When you're making the internal report, just remember to mention it a bit. With 91 here in Hong Kong, our mainland compatriots won't lack entertainment."

Zhou Xuejun stuffed a stack of dinosaur posters and calendars he had brought home as gifts into his bag, giving a thumbs-up: "Great vision!"

Old Zhou left with Xiao Zhou and Xiao Yu.
This means that another Spring Festival is just around the corner.

The Lunar New Year of 1990.

"We are honored to have Ms. Tang Ah-mei, an indigenous woman from the New Territories, with us today. Ms. Tang, please give us a brief self-introduction..."

On New Year's Eve, the television screen was still showing the program "Women's Voices".

Deng Amei, a girl from Dashu Village dressed simply, nervously rubbed the hem of her clothes in front of the camera.

But her eyes were firm: "Hello everyone, my name is Deng Amei, from Tai Shu Village in the New Territories..."

The program was recorded two days ago and will be broadcast tonight, New Year's Eve.

Zhao Meizhen and Zhai Yao both watched with great interest.

However, they don't know yet, or rather, due to Zhai Yuan's gag order, very few people know.

After recording this episode, Deng Amei was ambushed by several strange men on a deserted area by the roadside when she returned to her temporary rented wooden cabin that evening.

The police officer found her the next morning and notified the production team.

At that time, Deng Amei was covered in bruises, her clothes were disheveled, and she had become somewhat insane.

She looked completely different from how she appeared on television at that time.

"Landlord, oh landlord."

Zhai Yuan sat in a rattan chair by the window, holding a mainland Chinese language textbook left behind by Yu Feihong.

I flipped through one of the articles,
The excerpt from Gao Yubao's "The Rooster Crows at Midnight" tells the story of Zhou Bapi, who, in order to exploit his hired farmers, gets up at midnight to imitate the crowing of a rooster.

Another piece is an excerpt from "The White-Haired Girl," which tells the story of tenant farmer Yang Bailao and his daughter being exploited and humiliated by landlord Huang Shiren.

“Hong Kong’s language textbooks never cover these things. This is a bad trend. They’re starting the year by having Spring and Autumn revising the textbooks… Don’t they know how to write about the New Territories’ landlords? Or are they afraid to write about them?”

Thinking of Deng Amei's plight, Zhai Yuan gently closed the book.

The teaching materials are only half of the techniques.

The other half is film, which is also a channel for artistic works.

Combining these two moves, this is the third tactic he will use against the New Territories.

Following the example of South Korean directors in Chungmuro, they used artistic works to revise regulations.

This led to the brutal "tale" of fighting landlords and redistributing land in the New Territories.

"The Life of Deng Amei, the Disliked Woman"...

(End of this chapter)