Chapter 15

"Brother Chuan, you and your wife can enjoy a good life from now on!"

"Yes, Brother Chuan, your two sons are really making a name for themselves!"

Li Haichuan's face lit up with a smile as he listened to the compliments from his neighbors, and he handed out cigarettes to everyone as if they were free. Today was the day the Li family moved into their new home. Li Xuan had rented a large four-bedroom, two-living room apartment in Taikoo Shing, opposite Victoria Harbour, and the family could finally say goodbye to the cramped public rental housing.

Early in the morning, Li Ke had brought a few of his brothers and hired a truck to start moving things.

The new place Li Xuan found was a fully furnished apartment, ready for immediate move-in. Therefore, at his strong insistence, they only took some clothes and a few old items that his parents were reluctant to throw away. The rest was given to the neighbors, which led to the lively scene at the Li family's place.

After Li Xuan and his older brother Li Ke decided to start a factory, they laid out the entire plan to their parents. After the initial shock, Li Haichuan, the head of the family, quickly calmed down. Although he had not received much education, his years of life experience allowed him to make a sound judgment.

Li Haichuan had never been worried about his second son. Li Xuan's performance had consistently exceeded his expectations, and the more successful his son became, the more joy it brought him as a father.

On the contrary, he was more concerned about his eldest son, Li Ke, who had skipped classes and fought since childhood and, as an adult, had become a gangster. Although Li Haichuan was angry at his lack of ambition, he was helpless and could only hope that the Buddha would protect his son and keep him safe, praying that he would not end up dead on the street, leading to the tragedy of a parent burying their child.

When his two sons suddenly came to him, their father, and told him they wanted to start their own factory, he was very surprised. But after listening to Li Xuan's detailed plan, he felt there was a glimmer of hope. In Hong Kong, many tycoons had started from nothing and built great empires, and many of them had not been much better off than his family before they made it.

Although Li Haichuan was also worried about what would happen if his sons failed in business, he ultimately decided to support them in starting a business, believing it was better than them hanging around the streets as gangsters.

Li Xuan stood to the side, looking at his father's weathered face, now full of proud smiles, and felt a surge of joy. Today was undoubtedly a very face-saving day for his father.

Li Haichuan was just a low-level cargo handler at a clothing factory, and the idea of starting his own factory seemed like a fairy tale to him. But he still handed over the 30,000 yuan he and his wife had saved to his two sons.

The moment he handed the bankbook to Li Xuan, he also passed the responsibility of leading the family to him. He believed his son could make their lives better. Li Xuan did not touch the bankbook, confident that his efforts would ensure a prosperous life for the family.

"Old man, everything is packed up. When are we leaving?" Li Ke came up from the ground floor, urging his father to leave.

Finally, amid the blessings of the neighbors, the Li family left the public housing estate in Sau Mau Ping where they had lived for many years.

Taikoo Shing is located in Quarry Bay on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island, facing Kowloon's Kwun Tong across the harbor. However, driving there required a large detour, first through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel in Hung Hom to cross the harbor.

Li Xuan sat in the front passenger seat of the taxi, with his parents and younger sister in the back. The taxi followed the moving truck, with his older brother and his brothers riding on the truck to lead the way. The MTR was just beginning construction, and the first line was scheduled to open on October 1st of this year. Although the bus routes were dense, Li Xuan hated the crowded buses and found it inconvenient without a car.

He considered whether he should get his driver's license before school started and buy a car once the company made a profit. After all, he would soon be starting school, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, unlike the University of Hong Kong, which is located in the Mid-Levels of Central, is far in Shatin, and it takes over 40 minutes on the MTR East Rail to get to the city center.

The site of Taikoo Shing was originally the Taikoo Dockyard. After the dockyard was relocated, the Taikoo Company developed a large residential project on the site. The Li family's new home was on the 20th floor of the first phase of Taikoo Shing, Dongting Pavilion. The building faced Victoria Harbour, and from the window, the sea view of Victoria Harbour was clearly visible.

Moving from the previous public housing to this large apartment felt like moving into heaven for the family. The most excited was undoubtedly Li Ying, who finally had her own room and could keep some of her girl secrets.

"Hey, Zhong Damei, didn't you say you would help me move? Where are you? Didn't oversleep, did you? Haha!" Li Xuan called Zhong Chuhong and teased her right away.

"Hmph! You have the nerve to say that! I didn't know where your place was, and I got up early to wait for your call. When I couldn't wait any longer, I called you, but you didn't answer!" Zhong Chuhong said indignantly on the other end of the phone.

"Sorry, it's my fault! My old man took the phone off the hook early this morning! There wasn't much to move, and my brother and his brothers took care of it. I just stood there watching the whole time!" Li Xuan explained, "Your thoughtfulness is enough. Come over for lunch; my mom is making a big meal!"

"No, thanks, you guys eat without me!"

"I already told my mom that I would bring a beautiful girl to help her. It's settled; I'll come pick you up!"

Li Xuan didn't give her a chance to refuse and quickly hung up the phone. He could guess that the girl on the other end was probably very conflicted, and the thought made him smile.

Zhong Chuhong had just moved out of her family home to live alone. Her family's living conditions were not much better than the Li family's previous home, with three sisters sharing a small room. Her new one-bedroom apartment was not far from Quarry Bay, in North Point. Li Xuan called a taxi, and in less than ten minutes, he was at the door of her rental apartment.

"Wow, you got here so fast?" Zhong Chuhong opened the door and saw Li Ke, who looked a bit embarrassed.

"It's just coming over for a meal, not a banquet!" Li Xuan leaned against the door and said with a smile.

Zhong Chuhong glared at him, almost on the verge of tears, feeling awkward about going to a boy's house for a meal so suddenly.

"Ah, seeing you so unwilling, let's just forget it!" Li Xuan deliberately showed a disappointed look.

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I just didn't have time to prepare, and we're moving too fast!" Zhong Chuhong explained hurriedly, speaking without thinking.

"I was just kidding. My mom is busy cleaning the house and won't have time to prepare a big meal today."

Li Xuan had already moved to stand in front of the girl. When he heard her say they were moving too fast, a flash of joy crossed his face. Her meaning was that she was not opposed, and his efforts over the past few days had finally paid off.

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