1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 517 Catching the Murderer Who Killed Deng Amei

“My name is Deng Furong. It’s really old-fashioned to still have this name in the 2000s.”

On screen, a 23-year-old Zheng Yijian, with a face so youthful it could hold a handful of water, lies in bed.

The area was filled with fast food boxes, round mineral water bottles, and Tokyo Hot sexy DVD packaging.

“But my dad said that a man’s name must be auspicious. It is said that the name Fu Rong cost him 250 dollars back then. He specially asked a fortune teller to change the name. So I have another name, Er Wu Zai.”

Accompanied by a voice-over, the camera pans across the sexy DVDs scattered on the ground.

Forty-five-year-old Qin Pei stood at the head of the bed, forcefully strumming a guitar on the table, sending up a thick layer of dust in the sunlight.

Zheng Yijian suddenly woke up and sat up, looking at Qin Pei with fear and confusion.

"How have you been lately?"

"You scared me to death, Dad."

Zheng Yijian reverted to his dejected state, scratched his messy hair, grabbed a mineral water bottle from the table, and took two gulps: "What's up?"

Qin Pei looked at his son's mental state and shook his head with a sigh.

He pointed to the packaging box next to him and said, "It's just a small matter."

Zheng Yijian asked curiously, "What did you come from?"

"Urn".

"Mom's dead?!"

"...I don't think I've ever mentioned it to you before, but I have an older sister who is two years older than me, named Deng Amei."

Qin Pei picked up a Tokyo Hot DVD from the ground and started looking at it, but Zheng Yijian snatched it back.

He chuckled and continued, "He was found dead in a park a few days ago. He was fifty-three years old. I heard he lived alone in a housing estate."

Interspersed with scenes of Zheng Yijian washing his face and brushing his teeth in a cramped room, Qin Pei hands him another note.

Zheng Yijian's voice-over rang out again: "Dad came to Hong Kong Island from the New Territories to help that woman named Deng Amei with her cremation. He has to rush back today to attend the clan meeting, so he asked me to clean up that woman's room for him."

The scene shifts, and Qin Pei is already standing outside the door holding an urn, preparing to leave.

Zheng Yijian yawned, still looking dejected as he stood inside the door.

"Speaking of which, you should call her aunt, but this woman was utterly useless and was eventually killed."

Qin Pei stood outside the door and said earnestly, "Rongzai, you should find a proper job too."

Ignoring the last sentence, Zheng Yijian asked curiously, "Killed?"

Qin Pei held the urn in one hand and casually patted his clothes with the other: "Yes, the police are investigating, but no matter how you look at it, it was a boring life... He's gone."

Standing on the balcony, Zheng Yijian watched Qin Pei's receding figure and murmured, "A boring life..."

……

The film opens with a five-minute flashback from Ekin Cheng's perspective ten years later, highlighting Deng Amei's situation.

Was Deng Amei killed?
The audience in the theater frowned and whispered among themselves.

"It must have been done by those country gentry from the New Territories."

"Yes, let Zheng Yijian go and take revenge on those local gentry, just like he was in the short drama!"

"Let's see what kind of kung fu Yi Jianxue has, otherwise it's unrealistic for him to venture into the New Territories alone."

"Nonsense! It's already 2000 AD and they're still using kung fu? Of course, it's a gunfight movie!"

The trope of killing off the protagonist right at the beginning was still quite novel for moviegoers at the time.

Accompanied by a burst of intense rock drumbeats,
The screen flashed rapidly across Zhai Yuan's depiction of Hong Kong street scenes in 2000.
Supercars, graffiti, video walls, bustling streets with people coming and going.

There is also the five-star flag hanging outside the Hong Kong government building.

……

On screen, Zheng Yijian walks through bustling streets and arrives at an old housing estate.

In a room piled high with trash, he rummaged through Deng Amei's belongings with a look of disgust.

There was an old, yellowed Girls' Generation poster on the wall.

"No wonder he's the most popular idol!"

Zheng Yijian stared at the girls on the poster and sighed, then shook the backpack in his hand, and a metal box clattered to the ground.

He picked up the tin box and opened it; inside were photos of Zhang Manyu.

"Is this the woman?"

In the photo, Maggie Cheung is pouting and making a funny face.

The scene shifts, and Zheng Yijian has already packed up his belongings, standing at the door with a trash bag in hand, staring at the messy writing on the outer wall.

I'm sorry for being born.

The dense, bright red graffiti brought a touch of emotion to Zheng Yijian's face.

The door to the neighbor's house opened, and an elderly woman came out.

She complained with disgust, "This was all written by that woman who died a few days ago. She was so stupid, like a madwoman, always yelling and screaming. Now that she's dead, it'll finally be quiet..."

……

As this part of the story ends,

Through Zheng Yijian's perspective, viewers began to learn about the people Deng Amei knew during her lifetime, and gradually gained an understanding of Deng Amei's story.

"Ah! It's me! It's me!"

Cecilia Cheung, sitting in the audience, excitedly tugged at Maggie Cheung's arm and whispered as she saw her face appear on the big screen for the first time.

During her childhood, Cecilia Cheung, who played Deng A-mei, would always sit at the door of her house waiting for her father to come home from get off work, singing the nursery rhyme "Moonlight shines on the ground, little shrimp, you should go to bed."

But the father figure played by Li Xiuxian never even glanced at her.

Instead, after returning home, he casually tossed the farm tools to Deng Amei, then turned around and hugged his younger son with a big smile.

Xu Jiaqiang and Chen Lan's chubby son, Xu Zhanping.

The slender Cecilia Cheung and the burly Xu Zhanping form a stark contrast on screen.

Because he was a boy, Xu Zhanping received all of his parents' love and affection.

On the dinner table in the movie.

Xu Zhanping arrogantly expressed his desire to go to the city to see the circus performance, and Li Xiuxian immediately agreed with a beaming smile.

Liu Jialin, who plays the mother, glanced at Cecilia Cheung and casually said, "Sister, why don't you come along too?"

Li Xiuxian's smile immediately faded, and he replied indifferently, "Go wash the dishes first."

Cecilia Cheung squatted by the sink outside the courtyard, diligently washing pots and dishes, her eyes occasionally glancing at Xu Zhanping riding on Li Xiuxian's back, her face full of envy.

The scene shifts to a lively circus performance.

Li Xiuxian let Xu Zhanping ride on his shoulders to watch the show, while Zhang Baizhi could only see a little bit of the scene by standing on tiptoe.

It was during this performance that Cecilia Cheung observed that Li Xiuxian and Xu Zhanping, the two young masters, were especially happy when the circus clowns appeared.

So in the days that followed, she began to make funny faces and grimaces, making Xu Zhanping laugh, and Li Xiuxian also smiled at her, which was a rare occurrence.

Time passed day by day in the movie, and Cecilia Cheung made one funny face after another.
Interspersed with the rapid changes in Hong Kong, Kowloon, and New Zealand, 'Deng Amei' has gradually grown up.

The actress transitioned from Cecilia Cheung to Maggie Cheung.

"I've wrapped up filming, hehe~"

Young Cecilia Cheung didn't quite understand the content of the film, so she turned her face and said with a charming smile.

"Yes."

Maggie Cheung smiled and patted her head.
Watching the scene on screen where, because Xu Zhanping was sick, he once again made funny faces to make Li Xiuxian laugh, only to be scolded instead,

Maggie Cheung sighed softly.

……

In the story, since there is no Ding Quan to inherit, the adult 'Deng A Mei' played by Maggie Cheung is urged by her family to go to the city to find a job.

However, taking care of her younger brother since childhood meant she never had the opportunity to study. After moving to the city, she naturally faced setbacks everywhere and eventually ended up working for a real estate agency to find someone to help her.

Charlie Cho, playing a shady real estate agent, sized up Maggie Cheung's figure: "Of course there are jobs available, but it depends on your sincerity."

Zhang Manyu asked innocently, "What sincerity?"

Cao Charlie rubbed his chin and chuckled, "At least we should see the beam, right?"

Zhang Manyu's face gradually turned ugly. Thinking of her father Li Xiuxian's gloomy face, she still lifted her shirt.

……

The audience in the theater erupted in curses upon witnessing this scene.

She didn't even care to appreciate the fair back that Maggie Cheung showed in the shot.

Nine-year-old Cecilia Cheung witnessed this scene and was filled with thought. She asked, "Sister Manyu, why do you have to take off your clothes when you're looking for a job?"

Maggie Cheung's expression stiffened slightly, and she coughed awkwardly: "You need to have a physical examination before looking for a job."

Cecilia Cheung said "Oh," and then muttered, "My godfather didn't even check me before I came to film this movie."

Zhai Yuan, Zhong Chuhong, and Zhang Manyu: "..."

……

On screen, Maggie Cheung begins her life in the city, helping students boil water, do laundry, and cook in the dormitory building. It seems like she's going from one cage to another, but at least she has an income.

Although on payday, Zhang Manyu would hand over half of her salary to Li Xiuxian when she returned home.

But life gradually became brighter, and soon she had her first romance.

Tony Leung Ka-fai plays a school teacher who pursues Maggie Cheung.

The two gradually fell in love, but when Maggie Cheung told her family about it at the dinner table, Li Xiuxian immediately turned hostile.

Because Tony Leung Ka-fai is a Tanka (boat people) who came ashore, he has neither a family right nor ancestral property.

In the first film, Maggie Cheung had a big fight with Li Xiuxian and stormed out of the house. However, the day after returning to school, she was expelled for protecting a student who had committed theft, and her relationship with Tony Leung Ka-fai also came to an end.

Having lost her job as a dormitory supervisor, Maggie Cheung was forced to become a hostess at a nightclub, where she met her second man.

Cheng Ho-nam plays a down-on-his-luck writer.

The two quickly moved in together, and even though Zheng Haonan was often an alcoholic and abusive, Maggie Cheung still tried to please him with a smile.

But one rainy night, Maggie Cheung returned home to find that Cheng Ho-nam, who had failed in his career, had hanged himself, leaving only a line of words from Osamu Dazai on the table.

I'm sorry for being born.

Meanwhile, news of Maggie Cheung working as a hostess reached the New Territories, and her name "Deng Amei" became "that woman" in her family's mouths, which they considered a disgrace.

Once again playing the youngest sister in the family, Cecilia Cheung approached Maggie Cheung with disdain in her eyes and said coldly in her childish voice, "Father, Mother, and Brother all told you not to come back to the New Territories and embarrass the whole family! I don't want to see you again!"

Maggie Cheung burst into tears.
Although she quit her job at the nightclub, she met her third boyfriend, a refined white-collar worker played by Andy Lau.

Unfortunately, the other party had a wife and children, and after their affair was discovered, it ended with Maggie Cheung being dumped.

Her fourth boyfriend, played by Lam Kwok-Bun, is a pimp for a triad. From sweet talk to threats and intimidation, he takes Maggie Cheung out to solicit clients. Unable to endure it any longer, Maggie Cheung eventually kills him and runs away.

Her fifth boyfriend, played by Elvis Tsui, is an honest hairdresser who cuts off Maggie Cheung's colorful hair, transforming her back into a ladylike figure. During their time together, Maggie Cheung experiences a tenderness and consideration she has never felt before.

The two started a barbershop, and their lives gradually improved.

But her good fortune didn't last long. The police came knocking on her door after she killed Lin Guobin, and she was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Despite eight years in prison, Maggie Cheung remained positive and cheerful because she believed that Elvis Tsui would be waiting for her outside. The two had agreed to get married, and she even obtained a hairdresser's certificate while in prison.

Eight years later, Maggie Cheung returned to Xu Jinjiang's barbershop with hopeful steps.

But through the glass window, she could see the happy smiles on the faces of the other man and his wife, who were holding a baby.

The film's timeline moves to the mid-1980s.
Maggie Cheung met her sixth boyfriend, Francis Ng, who had previously framed her and is now a gangster.

Facing Ng Chun-yu, who also committed domestic violence, Maggie Cheung smiled at the camera with her face covered in blood: "It doesn't matter if you beat me or kill me, it's better than being all alone..."

Unfortunately, her relationship with Francis Ng did not last long, as he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for street fighting and manslaughter.

In the late 1990s,
Nearly fifty years old, Maggie Cheung greeted Francis Ng upon his release from prison at the Stanley entrance with pomelo leaves.

After reflecting on his actions in prison, Francis Ng, wanting to avoid disturbing her normal life, punched Maggie Cheung hard and fled, choosing to leave in this way.

'Deng Amei' eventually suffered a mental breakdown and turned her life into a garbage dump.

His hair was filthy, he was slovenly, and he was overweight.

Years later, she returned to the New Territories disguised as a garbage collector.

I saw my elderly parents, my younger brother Qin Pei and his family of three, and the tombstone of my younger sister 'Deng Zhaodi'.

The villagers said, "Her parents wanted her to marry a widow in the village. He offered 50,000 yuan and two ancestral houses, but this foolish girl refused. In the end, she committed suicide by jumping into the sea. Sigh!"

Maggie Cheung hugged the tombstone and cried bitterly, but her parents and relatives who rushed over treated her like a crazy old woman and drove her away.

2000 years,
Fifty-three-year-old Maggie Cheung was picking up trash on the street when she unexpectedly ran into Brigitte Lin, her former cellmate from prison.

Lin Qingxia inquired about her situation with concern, and finally handed her a business card, inviting Maggie Cheung to work at her hair salon.

At night, Maggie Cheung lay in her rented room, which was piled with garbage.
She took out the business card and looked at it from side to side, imagining what she would look like after her transformation, and finally decided to start a new life.

A gust of wind blew, and the business card was blown out of the window.

Maggie Cheung frantically rushed downstairs to search, eventually finding the business card outside a sports field.
She carefully put it in her pocket and walked towards home.

Across the field, several brightly dressed scions were still chasing and playing.

Recalling her experience as a dormitory supervisor, Maggie Cheung smiled kindly across her fat and dirty face: "You kids, what time is it and you're still not home?"

The gang of juveniles burst into laughter and scattered.

Maggie Cheung walked forward step by step under the bright streetlights of the stadium, her steps becoming lighter and lighter.

The gang of teens behind her winked and followed, one of them grabbing a baseball bat and slamming it hard into the back of Maggie Cheung's head.

Bang!
Amidst laughter and cheers, Maggie Cheung collapsed to the ground.

And so, her bizarre and extraordinary life came to an end...

……

In the theater, as the image of Maggie Cheung falling to the ground froze, the camera zoomed out further and further, eventually overlooking the entire night view of Hong Kong.

The screen went black, revealing two lines of cold, white text:

I'm sorry for being born.

This story is based on true events.

The lights come back on.

Images of 'Deng Amei' growing from Cecilia Cheung to Maggie Cheung flashed across the screen like a revolving lantern.

The theme song, sung solo by Zhou Huimin, then began to play: 'Stretch, open your arms, let the evening stars flood into the most beautiful dream, let your embrace hold everything, embrace the sky, let you soar…'

The audience in the theater gasped in shock when they saw 'Deng Amei' being killed so suddenly.

Then, a long silence fell over the scene.

Even the sound of the popcorn bag falling to the ground seemed particularly jarring.

Immediately, someone started clapping, and then applause surged like a tide, resounding throughout the entire theater.

The applause was mixed with sighs from men and sniffles from women, creating an extremely complex atmosphere.

At the beginning, everyone speculated that 'Tang Ah-mei' was murdered by the gentry of the New Territories.

Zheng Yijian will definitely transform into the Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King to avenge her.

Unexpectedly, the entire two-hour story unfolds at a leisurely pace, depicting every rise and fall of Deng Amei, even her death appears so casual and ordinary, without a single over-the-top scene.

Even the Dingquan system in the New Territories has not been discussed much.

Similarly, the character 'Deng Amei' is tragic, but also cowardly and foolish.

Throughout the entire film, there seems to be no so-called heroes or villains.

…………

The following day, Hong Kong media outlets mobilized.

"<Deng A-mei> Released with a Bang: I'm Sorry I Was Born in the New Territories."

Her name isn't 'that woman,' it's 'Deng A-mei.'

Has the New Territories ever truly cared about the fate of women like "Deng A-mei"? The Heung Yee Kuk should answer this!

"A heartbreaking film about feudal customs in the New Territories, with Maggie Cheung bringing to life the character of 'No-Ding Sister,' a true social documentary under the Ding rights system."

Is the movie too profound for me to understand?

No problem, plenty of film critics will launch editorials to provide you with in-depth analysis.

The understated narrative style of "Deng Amei" has once again become a hot topic in the New Territories' Ding rights issue. Starting with the most vocal and emotional female viewers, it gradually swept into a one-sided condemnation. Occasionally, different opinions were raised, but they were quickly drowned out by the wave of public opinion.

3 month 13 day,
"Deng Amei" averaged 120 million yuan in box office revenue per day, and accumulated over 800 million yuan in box office revenue over seven days.

As a low-budget art film, this achievement is truly remarkable.

3 month 14 day,
Ta Kung Pao, a leading newspaper representing the attitude of the mainland, published an article on its front page.

The headline reads, "Catch the Murderer Who Killed Deng Amei."

The article almost entirely describes the movie's plot, only including a brief digression at the end.

Looking at Deng Amei's tragic life, is her predicament due to her own self-destructive behavior, or are there more external factors at play? This is perhaps a question the Hong Kong government needs to consider deeply.

3 month 15 day,
Upon returning to Hong Kong, Wei Yixin announced the formal launch of the third public opinion poll and consultation, to be used for the final drafting and revision of the Basic Law...

(End of this chapter)