thefictionvixens Chapter 76 The Shadow of the Walled City and the Glorious Years of Domestic Products
Chapter 76 The Shadow of the Walled City and the Glorious Years of Domestic Products
The morning breeze in Deep Water Bay carried the distinctive salty smell of the sea. Lin Yan chose a casual outfit—dark trousers paired with a polo shirt and soft-soled casual shoes. It was both practical and wouldn't look too out of place in a place like Kowloon Walled City.
"Young Master, the car is ready." Lin Erjing stood by the door.
Lin Yan nodded slightly. "Today we'll go to the Chinese Goods Market first, then to Kowloon Walled City."
The Chinese Products Emporium on Des Voeux Road Central was even more bustling than Lin Yan had imagined. In 1958 Hong Kong, this place was not only a showcase for products from the new China, but also the first choice for overseas Chinese to purchase gifts to take back to their hometown.
As soon as Lin Yan stepped into the mall, a mixture of smells from silk, traditional Chinese medicine, and various local specialties hit him. Lin Yan's eyes swept over the neatly arranged counters: porcelain from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi; silk from Hangzhou; medicinal herbs from Yunnan; Seagull brand watches from Tianjin... all kinds of goods were categorized and marked with eye-catching slogans such as "Love Chinese goods, use Chinese goods".
"Gentlemen, what would you like?" A neatly dressed saleswoman approached, her gaze lingering briefly on their fine clothing.
Lin Yan smiled and gestured to the camera in his hand, "Just looking around, taking some notes."
He raised his Leica and focused on a candy counter crowded with customers. Shanghai White Rabbit milk candy was being sold there, and a group of mothers with children were queuing to buy it. The flash attracted a few curious glances, but no one stopped him; taking photos seemed to be a common occurrence here.
Lin Yan meticulously recorded the shopping scenes of this special era. The expectant faces of the customers and the carefully arranged merchandise displays were all unique marks of this time.
After leaving the Chinese Products Emporium, Lin Yan instructed the driver to head to Kowloon Walled City. As the car drove through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel, the scenery outside the window gradually changed. The skyscrapers faded away, replaced by increasingly crowded streets and mottled walls.
A hundred meters from the fortress, the car could go no further. Lin Yan and Lin Er got out and walked. The closer they got to the fortress, the heavier the air became—a complex smell of garbage, sewage, opium, and cheap food permeated the air.
At first glance, Kowloon Walled City resembles a self-grown concrete jungle. Countless illegal buildings are stacked on top of each other, almost swallowing the sky. Electrical wires are haphazardly strung together like a spider web, and clotheslines dangle from every window, with wet clothes dripping with water.
The moment the two stepped into the walled city, they were immediately met with countless gazes. Those gazes held a mixture of curiosity, wariness, and even hostility. The two well-dressed and handsome young men seemed out of place in this gloomy world.
Several children playing at the alley entrance first curiously gathered around, staring at the camera in Lin Yan's hand and the watch on Lin Er's wrist, but were quickly pulled back into the house by a woman who rushed over. "What are you looking at! Are you out of your mind!" the woman scolded in a low voice, glancing warily at the two of them before quickly closing the doors and windows.
Lin Yan's obsessive-compulsive disorder was aroused to its extreme at this moment. He subconsciously held his breath, and his divine sense quietly expanded, clearly imprinting everything within a 600-meter radius into his mind: barefoot children running in narrow alleys, unlicensed dentists operating in dark rooms, opium dens in hidden corners...
"Young Master, if you are not feeling well..." Lin Er said in a low voice.
"It's alright." Lin Yan waved his hand and raised his camera to start taking pictures. He specifically chose a 35mm lens, which would better capture the relationship between the environment and people.
The sound of camera shutters seemed particularly jarring in the quiet alleyway. More doors and windows were closed, and some residents had even drawn their curtains, but one could still sense wary eyes peeking through the cracks.
"What are you doing?" a rough, hoarse voice came from behind.
Lin Yan turned around and saw three shirtless men standing not far away, their bodies tattooed with dark blue dragon patterns. The leader was a scarred man who was staring at the camera with hostility.
"Just gathering material," Lin Yan said calmly, "to document the city's changes."
The scarred man scoffed. "Reporters and police aren't welcome here." He held out his hand. "If you want to take pictures, pay protection money first."
Lin Yan gestured to Lin Er. Lin Er calmly took out his wallet, pulled out a few Hong Kong dollars, and handed them over. Scarface was clearly surprised by their promptness; a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes, followed by even greater greed.
After getting the money, Scarface whistled, and immediately seven or eight thugs wielding sticks poured out from the surrounding alleys.
"The camera needs to be checked too," he demanded, his eyes fierce.
Lin Er was about to stop him, but Lin Yan stopped him with a look. Lin Yan handed over the camera, "Go ahead, but I can't give you the film."
Scarface rudely examined the camera, while his accomplices surrounded him, clearly dissatisfied with the meager "protection fee" they had just received.
Lin Yan sensed that more people were gathering in the shadows. "Young Master, they've called more people," Lin Er transmitted his voice secretly.
"Try not to use force," Lin Yan replied. He was genuinely afraid that he might accidentally break the bones of these ordinary people.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. When more than a dozen thugs wielding sticks surrounded them in a dead end, Lin Yan knew that things were unlikely to end well that day.
"Leave the money and camera, and you can leave." The scarred man grinned maliciously, revealing a switchblade.
Lin Yan sighed softly and nodded slightly to Lin Er.
In the next instant, Lin Er moved like a ghost. A series of muffled thuds and cries of pain followed, and more than a dozen burly men lay on the ground, their weapons scattered around. Lin Er didn't even change his breathing; he simply calmly picked up the camera and checked for damage.
Scarface watched this scene in horror, then suddenly let out a particularly sharp and piercing whistle, unlike the previous signals.
Shortly after, heavy footsteps echoed from the depths of the alley. More than twenty burly men emerged, escorting a middle-aged man in his forties with prominent temples. The man wore a traditional short jacket, and his eyes were sharp; he was clearly a trained martial artist.
"Which gang of friends dares to cause trouble on my, Chen Zhennan's, turf?" The middle-aged man's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
Lin Yan bowed slightly. "Master Chen, I am Lin Yan. I was just here to take photos and had no malicious intent. It was your men who demanded protection money first, and after they got it, they tried to steal my camera. I had no choice but to act in self-defense."
Chen Zhennan's eyes flickered as he glanced at the groaning crowd on the ground. "There has to be an explanation for those who injured my people on my turf." He suddenly stepped forward and delivered a sharp chop to Lin Er's face.
Lin Er neither dodged nor evaded, but simply raised his hand to block. The moment their palms met, Chen Zhennan's expression changed drastically. He took three steps back before regaining his balance, his arm trembling slightly.
"Impressive skills!" Chen Zhennan's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately assumed a fighting stance, unleashing a powerful and forceful set of punches. Lin Er remained calm and composed, only lightly deflecting and blocking at crucial moments, causing Chen Zhennan's attacks to completely miss.
After more than ten moves, Chen Zhennan suddenly groaned, staggered backward, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Lin Er in shock, knowing that he had encountered a true master.
"Master Chen, I truly had no intention of being your enemy," Lin Yan said at the opportune moment. "Today's events were purely a misunderstanding. I run some businesses in Hong Kong and am planning to open a grain store near the Kowloon Walled City. At that time, all Kowloon Walled City residents can enjoy special prices on grain upon presentation of their identity documents, as a way of repaying the trouble I caused today."
Chen Zhennan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looking at the two men with a complex expression. After a long while, he sighed, "Young man, you know how to handle people. In that case, let's let today's matter drop. If you encounter any trouble in the walled city in the future, just mention my name, Chen Zhennan."
He turned to Scarface and his men, and shouted sternly, "Get back here! You disgraceful wretch!"
The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and hurriedly helped each other away.
Chen Zhennan then cupped his hands to Lin Yan and said, "If Mr. Lin truly opens a grain store, benefiting the residents of the city, I, Chen, will thank you on behalf of everyone."
"You're too kind, Master Chen," Lin Yan returned the greeting. "The grain store will be opening soon, and I hope Master Chen will take good care of me then."
Chen Zhennan nodded, left an address, and then took his leave.
With Chen Zhennan's tacit approval, Lin Yan was able to continue filming in the walled city. Although he could still sense wary glances, no one dared to disturb him anymore. He captured more authentic moments: silhouettes of children chasing each other on the rooftop, the profile of a woman sewing by the window, the silence of an old man squatting by the door smoking…
At a relatively open intersection, several elderly people were distributing thin porridge. Lin Yan raised his camera and focused on the scene. An old woman noticed him, hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly at him before continuing with her work.
"Wait!" A thin boy ran over and handed Lin Yan half a steamed bun. "Grandma said it's for you to eat."
Lin Yan paused, then took the steamed bun. In his divine sense, the boy was malnourished, yet he was giving food to a stranger. He then used his pocket to actually take a piece of chocolate from his spatial storage and handed it to the boy, saying, "Thank you, this is for you."
The boy took it with delight and skipped back to the old man.
Lin Yan took a bite of the steamed bun. Its rough texture was completely different from the spiritual food in the space, yet it had a peculiar warmth to it.
On the way back, Lin Yan stared silently at the rapidly receding street scenes outside the window. The orderly state of the Chinese goods market and the chaotic disorder of Kowloon Walled City together constituted a dynamic duality of Hong Kong in 1958. And he, this stranger from the future, would record and intervene in this history in his own way.
"Lin Er," he suddenly spoke, "have Lin Yi arrange for a grain store to open near Kowloon Walled City. Residents with Walled City residency certificates can enjoy special prices on grain, with a limit on the amount each person can purchase."
"Yes, young master," Lin Er replied calmly. "This way, we can help those who truly need it without disrupting market order."
As the sun set, the car drove back to Deep Water Bay, leaving the chaotic walled city behind. Lin Yan knew that only by providing assistance through commercial means, rather than charity, could he both uphold the dignity of the recipients and establish a sustainable aid model.