“Miss Han, thank you. This translation work, spanning so many chapters, has taken up your time.”
Zheng Bai Cheng had invited Han Yu Fang to be his tutor, but there was another reason for hiring her. He needed her to translate his short stories and novellas, which was why he offered her such a high salary.
Han Yu Fang chuckled, “Mr. Zheng, you flatter me. I’m lucky to be able to help you translate your novels. They’re truly well-written, and I enjoyed them very much.”
“Oh, is that so? It’s surprising to hear you like them, Miss Han. These stories will be published in the Kowloon Business Daily in the next few days. Do give them a good recommendation when they come out.” Zheng Bai Cheng was surprised to find out that Han Yu Fang liked sci-fi novels, which he thought were typically enjoyed by men. He figured women would be more into romance novels.
Han Yu Fang said, “I don’t usually read this genre, but yours are so good that I can’t help but like them. Hehe… forgive my impudence.”
Here, she revealed a hint of youthful charm, and she had indirectly complimented Zheng Bai Cheng’s writing skills.
“This is your payment. I leave Xiao Fen’s tutoring in your capable hands.” After their pleasantries, Zheng Bai Cheng pushed a large envelope towards her with both hands.
Han Yu Fang, with a touch of bashfulness, took the envelope with both hands. It was the same shy demeanor he had when he first received his salary from his first job.
“Don’t you want to open it and check? If there’s a shortage, I won’t be responsible!”
Zheng Bai Cheng watched his tutor with a playful smile in his eyes, hoping to see her flustered.
“Well, I wouldn’t want to be rude.” She opened the envelope, revealing a stack of Hong Kong dollars, sixty in total. She was surprised. This was more than she expected! She looked up at Zheng Bai Cheng, her expression full of confusion.
“You finished ahead of schedule, so this is a bonus for you.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, Mr. Zheng.”
“Miss Han, please call me Ah Cheng. ‘Mr. Zheng’ makes me sound so old. I just turned seventeen a few days ago.” New Year’s was just around the corner.
Han Yu Fang couldn’t help but smile. She said, “Ah Cheng, I’m only a few years older than you. Don’t call me Miss Han. Just call me Fang Jie.”
“Okay, Fang Jie, I’ll come to you for any translation work in the future.”
After Zheng Bai Cheng and Xiao Hua saw Han Yu Fang off, Xiao Hua took the translated manuscript to review it. She understood English, and while she wasn’t fluent in technical English, she could still make sense of the manuscript.
Xiao Hua had remained silent during their conversation, quietly listening to the two of them chat. Perhaps she was a bit shy. But seeing her happy expression, it didn’t seem like shyness. It was more likely a display of her claim to him.
Honestly, Han Yu Fang was pretty. After all, only the most attractive individuals got into Hong Kong University. Their family backgrounds determined their genes, and generations of optimization had given them a genetic advantage over ordinary citizens. They were definitely better looking than the average person.
“The lawyer delivered the documents the day before yesterday. After the new year, are we going to London or Los Angeles?”
Zheng Bai Cheng began discussing the matter with Lin Xiao Hua, seeking her input.
Lin Xiao Hua had never left Hong Kong. School didn’t teach anything about this, so she didn’t know where to go. She looked lost as she said, “Cheng Ge, I’ll follow your lead.”
Zheng Bai Cheng pondered for a moment and said, “London is quite cold right now, while the weather in Los Angeles is pretty good. How about we go to California? The environment is nice there, with sunshine and beaches.”
Zheng Bai Cheng had never been to America either. He wasn’t sure about the sunshine, as it was winter, but beaches definitely existed.
“Then let’s go to Los Angeles.” Lin Xiao Hua wasn’t very assertive. Upon hearing Zheng Bai Cheng’s suggestion, she decided to go to Los Angeles.
“So it’s settled then.”
In the following days, the most frequent activity they engaged in was writing. Neither of them realized how much they resembled workaholics.
Zheng Bai Cheng’s plan was to finish writing as much as possible before the New Year, which was in February. He needed to meet the demands of his two partners – the Business Daily and the City Daily – at least for the next six months.
The City Daily was manageable. He just needed to spend three days a week there. But the Business Daily would require more time.
Time flew by as they tirelessly wrote, and the New Year arrived. Za Huo Qiang didn’t have many relatives, so he mostly took Zheng Bai Cheng to visit their old neighbors for New Year’s greetings. However, Lin Xiao Hua had many relatives, and she took him to visit each one of them. Having a talented son-in-law naturally called for some bragging rights, so they wanted to show off their new family member and let their relatives see how their daughter had married into wealth and status.
The Lin family had moved to Hong Kong Island. With Zheng Bai Cheng’s help, they now ran a convenience store. He had provided all the capital and owned half of the shares, which were registered under Lin Xiao Hua’s name.
He didn’t care if the Lin family ever repaid him. It had significantly improved their financial situation.
During the New Year period, Zheng Bai Cheng noticed that the streets of Hong Kong were much safer. There were fewer gangsters, and even the triads had retreated. The number of police in uniform patrolling the streets had also increased.
Za Huo Qiang told him that it was an unspoken rule. For some reason, it was like this every year around the New Year. After the holidays, the triads would become active again. So for now, things were relatively safe. Of course, there were still petty thieves, but major crimes were rare, and even minor ones were infrequent.
Perhaps they knew that committing crimes during this time would cause inconvenience and anger everyone. No one wanted to cause trouble during the festive season, especially not when people were expecting a peaceful and enjoyable New Year. The wrath of both the police and the triads would fall upon them if they dared to cause trouble.
During the New Year, Zheng Bai Cheng also went to Central Business District to buy new clothes for his family.
“Ah Cheng, I don’t need new clothes. This…”
“Lao Dou, it’s the New Year. It’s good to have new clothes, a fresh start. Don’t be stingy. Xiao Hua, pick out some clothes for your father.”
It was the first time Za Huo Qiang had been taken to buy new clothes, so he felt a little awkward. It was also Lin Xiao Hua’s first time buying new clothes in Central. She didn’t know what to choose, and the clothes were so expensive, costing hundreds or even thousands of Hong Kong dollars, which made her a little speechless.
Zheng Bai Cheng chuckled, “We’ll be going out of the country soon, so it’s better to dress well. Those foreigners will think highly of us if we look good.”
He chose the most expensive clothes, brand-name items. When Lin Xiao Hua took a closer look, she saw that the price tag was over two thousand Hong Kong dollars. The clothes seemed less appealing now, and she felt a little nervous holding them…