1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 514 Stars Falling into the Sea
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Zhai, we failed in our duty regarding Deng Amei's matter."

The corridor outside the ward at the MacLehose Rehabilitation Centre, Pok Fu Lam.

Xu Jiaqiang lowered his head and said in a hard voice, "I will definitely get those bastards out as soon as possible and give Miss Deng an explanation."

Zhai Yuan sat on a bench in the corridor and glanced at him.

Xiao Hanqiang, the head of Hutchison Whampoa, immediately chimed in, "We at Hutchison Whampoa will cover all the compensation, medical expenses, and resettlement costs for Miss Deng and her family, no matter how much it is. We will not shirk our responsibility."

Zhai Yuan turned to look at Shi Nansheng beside him and asked, "What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor said that Ms. Deng's physical injuries were not serious, but her mental state was not optimistic and she would have a stress reaction in the short term."

Shi Nansheng said calmly, "Her condition is better when her two younger sisters are around. The hospital is also contacting the best psychologists for consultation, so she should recover soon."

Zhai Yuan asked, "Still unwilling to file a case?"

Shi Nansheng gave an ugly smile: "She said she was afraid that if people found out, she wouldn't be able to get married in the future, so she had to keep it a secret... Even her two younger sisters only thought that she had been beaten and coerced."

Finally, Shi Nansheng glanced at him and added carefully, "In addition, if things get too big, I'm worried it might cause further mental harm to her."

"Okay, okay, I won't use this to make a fuss."

Zhai Yuan rubbed his face vigorously and exhaled a breath of stale air: "Then let's try to minimize the impact, give the doctor hush money, and tell those people in the program crew to keep their mouths shut... I didn't handle this matter well."

In Dashu Village, there are three sisters: Deng Amei, Deng Zhaodi, Deng Denan, and Deng Amei, Deng Zhaodi, Deng Zhaodi, Deng Denan ... Zhaodi, Deng Denan, Deng Denan,

Because their parents passed away, the ancestral property was awarded to their second uncle's family by the court. When they appealed, the village representatives removed them from the Deng surname and drove them out of the village.

Just as the recording of "Women's Voices" was taking place, and feminism was making headlines in Hong Kong, the eldest sister, Deng Amei, took the initiative to contact the program team to expose her own experiences. One reason was that she hoped to reclaim her ancestral property through public opinion, and the other was that she wanted to earn some money to take care of her two younger sisters.

As the first female indigenous person from the New Territories to dare to speak out, the production team naturally went all out to create hype, releasing information and promoting the show even before it aired.

After learning the news, Zhai Yuan was worried that the Deng girl would be retaliated against by the villagers of the New Territories. He specially ordered Xu Jiaqiang and Xiao Hanqiang, the two leaders, to send people to protect her. However, they were still careless and a few thugs took advantage of the situation.

“It’s hard to say who’s right or wrong in this kind of thing.” Shi Nansheng sighed, glanced at Xu Jiaqiang who was standing there, and added to his defense: “Besides, it was New Year’s Eve and these two days. Miss Deng was afraid of causing trouble, so she took the initiative to ask the bodyguard to go back to his family. Even now, Miss Deng says that it was the work of bad people, so that everyone doesn’t have to feel guilty or uneasy about it.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Jiaqiang gave Shi Nansheng a grateful look.

Zhai Yuan shook his head without speaking, then went back to review the situation. He realized that the gang should never have been involved in bodyguarding in the first place; their quality was too low, and these gangsters were only fit to do manual labor.

"As for the hospital, I'll have Ya'an send someone to take over."

Zhai Yuan finally stopped ignoring the two underworld bigwigs and looked up at them: "Afterwards, we will set up a 'Deng Amei Foundation'. Each of you will contribute 200 million yuan to cover the living expenses of the three sisters in the future. Let's leave it at that for now."

Xu Jiaqiang and Xiao Hanqiang both breathed a sigh of relief and nodded to show they understood.

Zhai Yuan glanced at Xiao Hanqiang again and said in a calm tone, "If anything happens again in Huangpuzai, you can buy a train ticket and go to Luohu to find Inspector Shi."

Xiao Hanqiang's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhai, don't worry, he's eating and staying well in Stanley. I'll definitely have my men take good care of him..."

Zhai Yuan waved his hand, looking like he wasn't interested in listening anymore.

Xu Jiaqiang and Xiao Hanqiang knew that the rest of the matter was none of their business, so they said goodbye and left one after the other.

After the two underworld bigwigs left, Zhai Yuan took out his elder brother's phone and called Xi Mitian of Natural Selection, asking him to pick a few people from Ya'an Security Company to guard the hospital.

In peacetime, everything revolves around money. Even the Soviet Union started developing its economy. It started trade cooperation with South Korea and then apologized to Japan, using the return of the territory it had occupied as a pretext to cooperate with Japan. However, the Japanese were not so easily fooled. Fifty million people signed a petition demanding that the Soviet Union return the four pieces of territory before discussing cooperation, which became the biggest international news at the beginning of the year.

Given the current global downsizing environment, veterans from various countries are lining up to apply for jobs at Asia Security Company, with queues stretching to the other side of the coastline.

However, the security company currently only employs around a hundred people, and there are really no other ways to make a profit unless they go out to sea with gambling ships.

"Aside from a few jewelry companies that have recently become more aware of the risks due to the Tai Chung Tsai robberies and are looking to hire security teams."

Zhai Yuan thought to himself, "The remaining wealthy people are used to a peaceful life and have no interest in having a bodyguard."

In Hong Kong, a city that appears chaotic but actually possesses a certain order,

Security is something that ordinary people can't afford, and the wealthy can't afford either.

The first security detail in Hong Kong was established by Li Ka-shing after his son was kidnapped. He hired retired Commissioner of Police Li Junxia and instructed him to train a Gurkha regiment to handle security matters.

It should be quick in terms of time.

Zhai Yuan pondered that he might as well turn back and tell Brother Yonggan to stop running the martial arts school and go to Ya'an to become the head instructor, where he could wait for rich people to send money to him in the future.

"The Deng Amei Foundation, is it to be established in Mr. Zhai's name?"

Seeing that his boss hadn't spoken yet, Shi Nansheng took the initiative to ask a question.

“Nine One Entertainment Bar.” Zhai Yuan brought his wandering thoughts back and glanced at the tightly closed ward door across the way: “Use the company’s name to do some publicity, and then send a portion of the box office revenue from this movie to the foundation to ensure that the three sisters have money to make a living every month.”

Shi Nansheng nodded and said, "I'll make the arrangements."

Zhai Yuan took a deep breath to compose himself, stood up, and said with a smile, "Then let's leave it at that for now. Originally, I planned to call this drama 'The Life of a Disliked New Territories Woman,' but since Deng Amei is willing to take the initiative to appear on the show, let's use her as the prototype and call it 'The Life of a Disliked Deng Amei.' I hope to finish filming this drama within two months and release it as soon as possible, so I hope everyone will work overtime during the Spring Festival this year..."

…………

91 Entertainment started work very early this year.
Jurassic Park is still in theaters.
The project "The Life of Deng Amei, Who Was Disliked," which was initiated temporarily, has been quickly prepared and put into production.

Zhai Yuan personally took charge of the task.

For three days, actors, lighting technicians, cameramen, stagehands, and other staff have been on standby.

On the other hand, after airing for more than half a month, the ratings of "Women's Voice" increased instead of decreasing. In particular, the episode featuring Deng Amei as a guest, with her mature and stubborn personality like a mother at only seventeen years old, earned the tears of many middle-aged women in Hong Kong under the guidance of Ueno Chizuko.

Chizuko Ueno is essentially a master at using academic jargon to manipulate emotions.

Strictly speaking, her most famous books and academic viewpoints are inseparable from generalizations and emotionally charged expressions that amplify isolated cases. If one had to choose someone as a benchmark for comparison,

That was Da Bing, the bestselling author from mainland China in later years...

Although Chizuko Ueno's reputation plummeted in Japan afterward, she was forced to shift her focus to the mainland to regain popularity.
But in the 1980s and 90s, her masterful combination of techniques was a devastating blow to her female audience.

The awakening of Hong Kong women begins at this moment.
A landmark event was when countless housewives gained control of the remote control during prime time for TVB programs.

at the same time,

When the program was introduced to Japan, it revealed the plight of women in the New Territories for the first time. With the help of people like Leung Chi-Chiu, it spread rapidly, causing an uproar in Japan's wealthy society. If it weren't for the exposure by "Women's Voices", it would be hard for anyone to imagine that Hong Kong, one of the Four Asian Tigers, actually had such a land shrouded in feudal ideology.

As a Japanese man who respects women the most, he felt that his male chauvinism was greatly satisfied.

After the Meiji Restoration, we stopped doing things that way; in the mainland, women are now able to hold up half the sky.

Hong Kong guy, what are you doing? You need to respect women and be a gentleman!
Then this wind was blown to Singapore and Taiwan.
Although these two areas are not as chauvinistic as the Dongyangzi, the mainstream ideology still cannot accept the feudal practices of the New Territories villagers.

Previously, no one disclosed the incidents in the New Territories, but now that they have suddenly come to light, it's nothing short of a media storm. As a result, leaders in both places have begun to conduct self-examinations, fearing that similar situations might occur in their own areas and make them look bad on the international stage.

In the end, it turned out to be okay.

When Singapore was founded, it followed the mainland's lead and implemented the Women's Charter at the first opportunity. Most of the gender inequality systems in the old Chinese customs have been abolished. What remains at most is the concept of family property distribution, which has nothing to do with the legal system.

Taiwan stated that we also have a Civil Code that stipulates equal inheritance for children. Although in practice there is still a preference for sons over daughters, we are far more civilized than you in the New Territories!
After all four Asian Tigers have competed to see who is worse in this matter, the next step is to stand on the moral high ground and offer cynical remarks.

Those familiar with Singapore know that due to the lack of entertainment in the area, any news from Hong Kong is immediately reported and amplified by Singaporeans.

When the September 1st Daily News first exposed the New Territories Ding Quan incident in Singapore, the two leading local newspapers, Lianhe Zaobao and Sing Tao Daily, immediately followed up, making it the biggest social hotspot in the country since the beginning of the year. Television stations spontaneously formed a program team to create a special column to discuss such incidents. Not only were representatives of women's groups present, but also academics, legal professionals, and even elders of clan associations. Everyone adopted an attitude of "we have already progressed and will never allow feudalism," showing a strong sense of vigilance against the encroachment of Hong Kong feudalism on Singapore.

Taiwan, sharing the same roots, was even more outspoken.

Following closely behind the September 1st Daily, the Formosa Times ran a provocative headline:
Hong Kong's New Territories: Feudal Remnants in a Modern City

The article begins by praising the history of the Three Principles of the People, which led to the overthrow of the Manchu Qing dynasty.

Then, changing the subject: Friends in Hong Kong, do you want to become one of the Four Asian Tigers, or do you want to go back to being a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty?
In the public sphere, Singapore and Taiwan have been kicking Hong Kong a thousand times over.

In a situation where everyone is using Hong Kong as a negative example,
Needless to say, Governor Wei Yixin is now on the side of the new Lantau Airport and hopes that Zhai Yuan will resolve this matter before he leaves office. Even if he is on the same side as the New Territories, he still needs to consider how to handle the negative public opinion.

Moreover, Wei Yixin had already fled under the guise of diplomacy long ago...

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary for Administration Hodd made three phone calls to London in one day.

While criticizing the Governor of Hong Kong for inaction, he also asked for instructions on how to proceed.

2 month 2 day,
Just as the public outcry was beginning to die down, Zhai Yuan revealed a Tanka knife that he had been sharpening for some time.

…………

It was the early hours of the morning, before dawn.

Stanley, Lei Yue Mun, Shau Kei Wan, Tuen Mun...

The laborers at the docks in various waterways returned to work yawning and began loading and unloading cargo.

"No way! Which company sends its ship out so early?"

In a rest room at a river and land dock, the manager looked out the window at the unloading laborers. Seeing that everything was normal, he leisurely made a cup of tea and was about to open the newspaper to read a serialized novel when he suddenly felt a blur in the corner of his eye. He squinted and looked towards the distant coastline.

Several lights lit up on the sea surface, slowly approaching with the waves.

The dock manager muttered something unpleasantly, knocked on the window to beckon the nearest laborer to come closer, and gestured with his chin: "Go check what's going on, are those Vietnamese smuggling themselves in again?"

The coolie responded and walked towards the sea. After a short while, he strolled back, grinning with his yellow teeth, and said, "Manager, they are just a few Tanka fishing boats. It's nothing."

"Damn it! Let them get out of here!"

The person in charge rolled his eyes, glanced at his watch and said impatiently, "This batch of goods is going to set sail at 4:30. There are still ten minutes left. Tell those Tanka otters not to get in the way."

"Received~"

The coolies responded and stepped onto a cargo ship moored at the dock.
Standing on the deck, the coolie turned on his flashlight and shone it towards the few fishing lights in the darkness ahead. Then, the helmsman on the cargo ship sounded a few short blasts of the horn in an attempt to disperse the fishing boats ahead.

The fish lantern swayed gently on the water's surface, its light flickering, showing no sign of turning.

"Ah! Your mother!"

The coolies on deck clicked their tongues, grabbed a megaphone, and shouted towards the sea, "What the hell is up there? Mama hasn't gone back to her cabin to sleep yet. Move aside, we need to load cargo and get it out of the ship!"

The sound was carried away by the sea breeze.
The laborer held up the megaphone, took a deep breath, and was about to urge him again when his expression suddenly froze, and he stood there dumbfounded.

On the dark sea in the distance, clusters of fishing lights twinkled.

One, two, three...

Like stars falling into the sea.

Clusters of gas lamps illuminated rows of boats swaying with the waves.

The Tanka fishing boats, once looked down upon, now resembled a slowly approaching black wall.
The sound of oars mingled with the sound of waves, crashing in layer upon layer.

"I'll fuck you up..."

The coolie swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine. He turned his head and shouted almost in a hoarse voice, "Hey manager, the Tanka otters are rebelling!"

(End of this chapter)