"Hey handsome, do you know her? It's Shaw Brothers' new hottie, Sister Iman. She starred in the erotic film 'Beauty and Fragrance' earlier this year. It's super hot, and the seventh edition even features real sex scenes. Want a copy?"
Lin Baozai's head buzzed in shock, and he lowered his head like a thief, not daring to utter a word.
"Don't peek, you little brat!" Li Ling smacked Lin Baozai on the head.
Baozai lowered his head and remained silent. Li Ling asked the boss, "Fatty, what magazine is this?"
"Sapphire! The number one erotic weekly magazine in Hong Kong, only five dollars for you. The talented Ni Kuang, under the pseudonym Hong Xin, is serializing his hot novel 'The Immortal Hand Soars High' on the third page. I guarantee you'll enjoy it!" The fat man immediately switched his sales pitch.
"Ni Kuang? A great talent writing erotic novels? He's really despicable!" Li Ling curled his lip; he had no liking for this banana-like person with a yellow skin and a white heart.
"As long as the royalties are high, I don't care if I'm shameless to the bone. You can't put food on the table!" The fat man's point of view was very insightful.
"Five yuan is too expensive, I'll only buy it for five cents!" Li Ling started bargaining.
"Five cents? That's only enough for a cover photo! Handsome, I see you're stylish, good-looking, and have an extraordinary presence. You need a big busty woman to purify your mind. I'll give you a discount, four dollars and eighty cents! Only four dollars and eighty cents! Sister Iman's original photo album is yours!"
"Cultivate your character? Fatty, with such eloquence, why don't you host 'Enjoy Yourself Tonight'?" Li Ling chuckled. He relayed the bus driver's comments to the fat man, adding his own insights.
"You and Lydia Shum are a perfect match. I'll support you as a comedy star and give your future die-hard fans an extra discount, how about that?"
"Die-hard fan? Just for those two words, I'll give you a discount of two cents, making it four dollars and sixty cents!"
"Get rid of the fourth one!"
"Go to hell! I'll sell it to you at the listed price!"
You son of a bitch, shouldn't magazines be sold at a set price? Li Ling despises his heartlessness!
He picked out a few more newspapers and went to the school gate to find Lin Baozai.
Seeing him holding the magazine, Lin Baozai asked with a embarrassed look, "Brother Ling, can I take a look?"
"No problem." Li Ling teased, "Baozai, did you ever have a girlfriend back in your hometown?"
"I'm really popular with girls!" Lin Baozai boasted to the child.
"Brother Ling, my parents send money back to the mainland every month. I'm the richest person in the school. Even my principal isn't as rich as my family. My teachers are really nice to me, and my classmates all want to hang out with me. I've even dated a girl in my class, and we've held hands!"
"Oh, you held hands before? I didn't realize you were such a secret Casanova!"
"I wouldn't dare call myself a Casanova, I'm just competitive at most!" Lin Baozai said shyly.
"You're so impressive, now that all the girls are out of school, why don't you go and strike up a conversation with one of them!"
Lin Baozai turned his head and saw a sea of beautiful young women. He was stunned, his legs felt like lead, and he couldn't take another step.
"Go!" Li Ling pushed him. "What are you standing there for? A real man doesn't back down, just do it! Go now!"
"No, Brother Ling, I, I'm just a little shy sometimes!" Lin Baozai scratched his ears and cheeks, his face flushed with embarrassment, and stammered.
"Let me gather my courage, or I'll make a fool of myself!" He lowered his head, deep in thought. Where did my courage go? Liang Jingru, please give me some courage!!
Li Ling stopped teasing him and asked with a smile, "Tell me the truth, did you take your classmate's hand first, or did your classmate take your hand in return?"
Lin Baozai hesitated for a moment, then answered honestly, "We've known each other since primary school. She held my hand first, and I tried to stop her, but she insisted! Before I came to Hong Kong Island, she even went to my uncle's house to ask me to write her a letter."
“Then you must remember to write it down.” Li Ling began to lecture him, “A childhood sweetheart is so rare, you must cherish her.”
Lin Baozai was confused and embarrassed to talk about such things. "Brother Ling, I won't brag anymore. I don't want to hit on anyone!"
"I was just kidding with you. Remember to go back to your hometown and win back your childhood sweetheart sometime." Li Ling gestured for him to leave, "Come on, let's have a meal, I'll take you home."
For some reason, Li Ling felt a pang of sadness. Damn it, I don't even have a childhood sweetheart! How heartbreaking! How pathetic!
Chapter 82 Housewives' Gossip
Although Sha Tin District is located in the New Territories, it is adjacent to Lion Rock, and Kowloon is just across the mountain to the south, making transportation more convenient. As a result, it has received key development attention from the Hong Kong government, and its economic situation is much better than that of Yuen Long.
This district is bisected by the Shing Mun River, which runs through the city. At the end of the Shing Mun River is the estuary. To the north of the estuary lies Sha Tin Racecourse, a landmark of Hong Kong Island, and to the northwest of the racecourse is the Fo Tan Industrial Area.
Because the entire industrial area is backed by several peaks of Kau To Shan and Tsao Shan, this area consists of hillside buildings that overlook Sha Tin Racecourse and Shing Mun River.
Lin Baozai's home is in Suiheyuan, an industrial park.
Sui Wo Court was the first Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) building in Sha Tin constructed by the Hong Kong government. Occupied in April 1980, it consists of nine 36-story apartment blocks and houses a shopping mall, bank, and clinic, making it a self-sufficient small estate.
There are four types of housing for Hong Kong Island residents. One type is self-built houses in the countryside, which are the property of the original inhabitants and are generally not sold unless they are subject to high-priced demolition. The Ding House in the Hong Kong film "Overheard 3" is a representative of this type.
One type is commercial properties developed by real estate companies. These are tools for Hong Kong's real estate tycoons to amass wealth. They are the most expensive, and you can't afford to live in them without a certain level of financial strength.
The third type is public housing, which is public housing built by the Hong Kong government for low-income people. It is only for rent and not for sale, and half of the citizens of Hong Kong Island live in public housing.
Finally, there is the Home Ownership Scheme, which is short for the Hong Kong government's 'Home Ownership Scheme', specifically for citizens with limited financial resources.
They have some savings and are unwilling to rent public housing with poor conditions, but they cannot afford to buy commercial properties. So they buy subsidized housing from the Hong Kong government at a low price, which is equivalent to the real estate agent-friendly housing offered by mainland China in a parallel universe.
Whether it's subsidized housing or public housing, you have to apply to the Hong Kong government to live there. Moreover, this is a benefit that only long-time Hong Kong residents can enjoy; new immigrants have no chance at all.
Lin Baozai's family members arrived in Hong Kong one after another in 1976. They were new immigrants. New immigrants face enormous pressure in Hong Kong. They are marginalized in the workplace, ostracized by older immigrants, and cannot fully enjoy social welfare. They can only do the most basic manual labor jobs.
"Baozai, is your house rented or owned?"
Li Ling judged that it was rented. Given Lin Baozai's family situation, not to mention whether they had enough funds, applying for subsidized housing would be difficult, and it would be almost impossible for them to pass the review.
"It's a new house I bought last year!" Lin Baozai's answer surprised Li Ling.