Chapter 2

The horse racing content in the *Tiger News* was actually quite simple, mainly listing the horse owners and their horses for this particular race.

What made Shi Zhijian's eyes light up was that one of the horse owners was named "Xu Shixun," and his horse for this race was called "Black Lightning."

In the *Colorful History of Hong Kong Horse Racing* from his previous life, it was recorded: "On October 5, 1967, Hong Kong horse owner Xu Shixun would win the championship with 'Black Lightning,' which was ridden by the three-time champion jockey 'Simak.'"

This event was recorded in the history of Hong Kong horse racing because of Xu Shixun's special status. He was a super tycoon who had won over a hundred races, leaving behind a 40 billion dollar estate after his death. Additionally, he was the father of Hong Kong's wealthy young man Xu Jinhen and the father-in-law of the actress Li Jiaxin.

Thinking about this, Shi Zhijian couldn't help but get excited, as the date on the newspaper clearly read "October 5"!

It was today!

The Hong Kong horse racing started at three in the afternoon, and it was now noon, so there was about three hours left!

"Seeking wealth involves risks! My first pot of gold will come from the racetrack!"

...

Shi Ka Wei, public housing estate—

The rickshaw was parked by the roadside, and the three of them got off.

"ABCD, big head in green clothes, can't catch people, just blowing hot air."

Three dirty children were singing a nursery rhyme and playing games downstairs. When they saw Jiang Meibao, they called her to join them.

Baoyi looked hopefully at Shi Yufeng.

"Don't just play around, go upstairs and do your homework first!" Shi Yufeng said, then limped and pulled Baoyi upstairs.

Baoyi looked pitifully at Shi Zhijian, who said, "I can't help you with this! Who made you procrastinate and always do your homework until midnight!"

This newly built low-cost public housing estate was very cramped, with a long corridor leading to the shared bathroom and kitchen at the end.

On the way, they occasionally saw people cooking and some squatting on the ground, lathering their heads and washing under the tap. The whole building was like a huge mixed-use area.

Once inside, Shi Yufeng immediately went outside to the kitchen to start cooking, while Baoyi pouted and took out her textbooks to do her homework.

Shi Zhijian was preoccupied with the afternoon horse race and was somewhat distracted. Shi Yufeng, who was reheating the leftover rice from the morning, called out to him, "Do you want to go to the hospital to have your stitches removed this afternoon?"

Shi Zhijian touched the wound on his left forehead, which was sticky and uncomfortable from sweat. Going to the hospital to remove the stitches would cost money, and the family was short of money.

"No need, I'll take care of it myself!"

Shi Zhijian took a pair of tweezers and carefully removed the stitches in front of a small round mirror on the table.

"How are you doing that? Don't leave a scar, it will ruin your face! You should go to the hospital, and if you don't have money, I'll give you some!"

Shi Zhijian didn't respond.

The wound, which ran from his forehead to his eyebrow, was about three centimeters long. It didn't ruin his good looks but added a touch of sternness.

According to his memory, this wound was also inflicted by Jiang Kun.

At the time, Jiang Kun led a group to raid a nightclub, where he saw a girl he wanted to force himself on. However, he was stopped by the suddenly righteous Shi Zhijian. In a fit of anger, Jiang Kun hit Shi Zhijian on the head with a police baton. When Shi Zhijian woke up, he had become the current "Shi Zhijian."

"Ouch!" Removing the stitches without anesthesia, even with Shi Zhijian's strong will, he couldn't help but gasp when the last stitch was removed.

At that moment, Shi Yufeng came in with a pot of porridge and frowned when she saw Shi Zhijian. "Why did you do it yourself? Does it hurt? If everyone did it like you, wouldn't all the doctors starve? Set the table, it's time to eat!"

Baoyi, who was doing her homework, was the first to respond, quickly putting away her books and shouting, "Uncle, hurry up, it's time to eat!"

...

The old dining table was propped up by a brick.

The blue brick was square and solid.

The meal was simple.

Three bowls of thin porridge, two dishes of pickled vegetables.

The only good thing was a boiled egg with the shell removed.

Shi Zhijian held his chopsticks, unsure where to start.

Seeing this, Shi Yufeng tapped the bowl with her chopsticks. "Don't say I'm stingy! There was no vegetables in the market today, not even radishes or cabbages, let alone tofu or bean curd! Just make do with this!"

Shi Zhijian, of course, knew that it wasn't that there were no good vegetables to buy, but that Shi Yufeng was trying to save money. He smiled and said, "I don't mind, but you shouldn't be too strict. Meibao is only eight and is still growing."

"I know, don't worry!" Shi Yufeng said, but she pushed the boiled egg towards Shi Zhijian. "You just got better, this is for you to regain your strength."

Baoyi looked longingly at the boiled egg, swallowing her saliva.

Shi Zhijian directly picked up the boiled egg and put it in Baoyi's bowl. "I don't like boiled eggs, Meibao, you eat it!"

Baoyi smiled, but before she could pick up her chopsticks, she was scolded by Shi Yufeng. "Meibao, don't be impolite! This is for your uncle to regain his strength!" She then picked up the egg and put it back in Shi Zhijian's bowl.

Baoyi pouted, unhappy.

Shi Yufeng glared at her, and Baoyi quickly said, "Uncle, I don't eat it, I don't like boiled eggs... you eat it!"

Shi Zhijian smiled and said, "Since neither of us eats it, let's give it to your mom—she works so hard at the plastic flower factory, right?"

Shi Zhijian then put the boiled egg in Shi Yufeng's bowl.

Shi Yufeng didn't expect the egg to come back to her. Just as she was about to speak, the door was knocked on loudly, and a fierce voice said, "Shi Zhijian, you scumbag, pay up quickly!"

"Oh no! It's Kin Ya Bing!" Shi Yufeng's face turned pale!

...

"Bang, bang, bang!"

"Shi Zhijian, you scumbag, open the door quickly! If you don't, I'll tear this place apart!"

Kin Ya Bing's voice was loud, and the neighbors, hearing the commotion, came out to watch.

When they saw that the person was the notorious "Loan Shark" Kin Ya Bing, they were all shocked.

Kin Ya Bing was a notorious thug in Shi Ka Wei, and no poor person in the area had escaped his bullying.

"If you don't open the door, I'll set it on fire!" Kin Ya Bing threatened from outside.

Hearing the billiard ball sounds, Baoyi was scared and trembled all over.

Shi Zhijian, hearing the deafening knocking, frowned and was about to get up, but the protective Shi Yufeng got up first, limping to the door and cursing, "Set it on fire, set your mother on fire! Shi Ka Wei is so big, how much can you burn?"

The door was slammed open, and two men burst in.

"You bitch, don't be so mouthy! Your brother owes me money, and I'm here to collect, it's only right!" Kin Ya Bing sneered, showing his gold tooth, the smell overwhelming.

"That's right, Lame Feng, your brother owes Brother Bing a thousand dollars, and with interest, it's at least two thousand now! We're here to collect, it's only fair!" the thug behind Kin Ya Bing said.

Shi Yufeng was not afraid at all. "Who was it that knew my brother was going to take the police exam and wanted to benefit from it, so they lent us money without interest? Now that my brother isn't a police officer, you, Kin Ya Bing, are the first to come and collect?"

"You can't say that, you old hag! I saw potential in your brother and wanted to help him, but who knew he would be so useless? Others became police officers, and he became a failure. Others became rich and famous, and he became a dead fish. In short, your brother is a waste!"

Shi Yufeng's eyebrows shot up. "Waste your mother! Kin Ya Bing, you can insult me, but don't insult my brother! My brother is educated, and who in Shi Ka Wei doesn't know he's the most literate?"

"So what if he's literate? He's still a poor man! If you have the ability, pay the money first!"

"Isn't it just paying the money? I, Shi Yufeng, never owe anyone money!" Saying this, Shi Yufeng found all their savings, a total of fifty-eight dollars, and shoved it at Kin Ya Bing. "Here, that's all I have, the rest I'll pay later!"

Kin Ya Bing looked at the money. "You're playing with me, you bitch? This isn't even enough to fill my teeth!"

"I said, I'll pay the rest in a few days!"

"In a few days? How long is that? A week, a month, or a year? Screw your mother, I'm a businessman, not a charity, do you think I'm an idiot?"

"What do you want to do then?"

"What to do? Hehe!" Kin Ya Bing leered at Shi Yufeng. "It depends on whether you're reasonable. You may be a cripple, but your figure and face are not bad. How about working as a dancer in a dance hall? You'll have food and drink, think about it?"

"Think about your mother! I, Shi Yufeng, no matter how poor, will never do that!"

"If you don't, it's not up to you!" Kin Ya Bing signaled to his henchman and was about to grab Shi Yufeng.

Suddenly—

"What are you doing? Forcing a good woman into prostitution?!"

Before Kin Ya Bing could react, someone stood in front of him, and it was Shi Zhijian!

Shi Zhijian stood in front of Shi Yufeng, protecting his sister and Baoyi, like an unscalable mountain.