I'm catching tricks in the Hong Kong variety show world

Another point is that burying Tan Zuochen's ashes in the ancestral grave also requires the consent of these people. Back then, Tan Zuochen came to Hong Kong Island alone and never went back. The reason was not found in the notebook. Su Hao and Cheng Jiahui estimated that Tan Zuochen Leg Chen must have had a not-so-good experience in his hometown.

So this time we should go back in three steps.

The first step is to find Tan Zuochen's hometown.

The second step is to obtain the consent of relatives.

The third step is to recognize the ancestors and return to their roots to complete the burial ceremony.

It’s also appropriate to bring some greeting gifts back with you.

In addition, after Cheng Jiahui exchanged the check, she helped Su Hao exchange 2 yuan (deducted from the check money). The money was used as travel expenses on the way, and when it came, he said that he could not spend money to buy a 'yes'. It will cost some money to bury Tan Zuochen.

It is now 2008. Mainland China has just hosted the Summer Olympics. The economy is booming. The real estate economy has not yet begun. The purchasing power of 2 yuan is still very beautiful.

The gifts Cheng Jiahui bought for Jiang Xiaoya were mainly electronic products that took up little space, were easy to carry and were valuable, including electric shaving machines, Sony stereo cassette players, facial cleansers and skin creams for women.

All three generations, old, middle and young, have taken this into consideration.

All are imported products.

This stuff is everywhere on Hong Kong Island, and ordinary people can afford it, but it is very rare in the mainland. Imported products are not only expensive, but also represent style and class. Even some working-class petty bourgeoisie may not be able to afford it. rise.

If nothing else, let’s just say that this Sony stereo cassette player is used to play music tapes. It is palm-sized and has particularly good sound effects.

Su Hao vaguely remembered that in his previous life, there was a rich second generation person in his class who used this thing. Many classmates borrowed it from him. At that time, it cost 2000 yuan to buy one. It was a magical tool to show off his wealth.

The mainland is still using BBK repeaters, which are not only large in size, but also have excellent sound quality, which is far inferior to Sony's electronic products.

There is no need to consider more expensive smartphones and video recorders, as they are too expensive and inconvenient to carry.

Two days later, Su Hao accompanied Jiang Xiaoya with large and small bags in Tianjin. Looking at the motorcycles, tricycles and bicycles running around on the street, Jiang Xiaoya looked left and right, her face full of curiosity and freshness.

The two of them took a taxi and came directly to the old city. Based on the memory in Yue Yaer's copy and the information obtained in the taxi, Su Hao roughly judged that the ruins of the Dog King Temple were in this generation.

However, time has passed and he is not sure whether the Dog King Temple still exists or whether it has been renamed.

At least taxi drivers who are known as Tianjin experts have never heard of the name of Dog King Temple.

"Brother Hao, is my father's hometown here?"

Su Hao glanced at the sign of the Grand Hyatt Hotel next to the street, turned around and shook his head: "No, this is Tianjin. We will stay here for one night. I have to do something. If everything goes well, we will leave for Jilin tomorrow."

Su Hao carried a huge duffel bag on his shoulders, a trolley case in his hands, and a backpack on his back, which was full of stuff.

The two of them came to the hotel front desk to check in. After handing over their entry and exit passes and their ID cards, the girl at the front desk looked at Su Hao and Su Hao with a strange look on her face, and said in surprise: "Oh, I'm still from Hong Kong Island. My compatriot, are you coming back for a trip or to visit relatives?"

Su Hao asked in Mandarin with a Hong Kong accent: "Miss, I want to ask you something. Do you know the Dog King Temple here in the old city?"

The girl at the front desk was stunned, shook her head and said: "Dog King Temple? Never heard of it. I grew up in this area since I was a child, so I never heard of such a place."

Su Hao asked again: "It was at the gate of the old city more than 70 years ago, and there was a slum nearby."

The girl at the front desk covered her mouth and giggled: "Seventy years ago? My dad wasn't born yet? But this is indeed the old city. It's a pity that the gates and walls have been demolished, otherwise you can still go up and stroll around now. "

"After you have checked in, you go out and turn left and walk straight for a mile. There are some old-fashioned alleys over there, where locals from the former slums live. Go in and ask the uncles and aunties. Maybe they know.”

"Thank you."

After checking in, Su Hao took Jiang Xiaoya to have a meal at a nearby hotel. Barber shops and kiosks on the streets were all competing to play pop songs to attract business.

Su Hao listened for a while and felt astonished that time was intertwined.

"Honey, fly slowly, be careful of the roses with thorns ahead."

"Honey, open your mouth, the scent of flowers in the wind will make you intoxicated."

This is Pang Long's "Two Butterflies", which is played most frequently on the street, followed by Xu Yuteng's "Wait 1 Minute", Phoenix Legend's "Free Flying", and Jay Chou's "Blue and White Porcelain" and "Daoxiang".

The young men on the street either have Guo Tianwang's hair parted in the middle, or have haircuts with some personality, while most of the young women wear bell-bottom pants.

Although the order on the street is a bit chaotic and noisy, it also contains vigorous vitality.

Jiang Xiaoya saw Su Hao looking at the street from time to time, and took the initiative to talk to him: "Brother Hao, will you take me with you when you are doing something?"

Su Hao thought about it. He was going to see a ghost soon, and it would be inconvenient to take her with him. He immediately refused and said, "Just rest in the room and watch TV. Don't run around, or you will be cheated."

Jiang Xiaoya was immediately unhappy. She was actually about the same age as Su Hao. She should call Cheng Jiahui senior sister because Cheng Jiahui was indeed older than her. Calling Su Haohao brother was mostly out of respect.

After all, after Tan Zuochen died, Su Hao and Cheng Jiahui were busy, and Jiang Xiaoya saw it.

But at this time, Su Hao treated her like a child, and she was not convinced, "I have been helping at the fish stall when I was more than ten years old. Once, a gangster near the fish stall called me a fish girl, and I chased him for a few times with a knife. Who dares to lie to me?"

Su Haoyi knocked on the table in an old-fashioned way, "When you go out, you must abide by local laws and regulations, and don't fight with others. If something happens to you, I won't be able to take advantage of you."

Jiang Xiaoya said again: "Aren't you a policeman? Why can't you catch me?"

"This is the mainland, and my police officer and witnesses don't recognize me."

After a while, Jiang Xiaoya chatted again: "The songs played here are so tacky, and their clothes are also tacky."

This time it was Su Hao's turn to be unhappy, "What, Hong Kong Island also listens to Jay Chou's songs, why don't you talk about it?"

"Believe it or not, in ten years' time, Hong Kong Island will be full of people who have gone to the mainland to beg for food."

Jiang Xiaoya obviously didn't believe it, "How is that possible? Just now the girl at the front desk of the hotel wanted to buy this watch of mine with money. Judging from her expression, it seemed like she had never seen the world."

Su Hao was a little speechless, "You can't even speak Mandarin? When people talk to you, wouldn't it be like talking to a duck? After dinner, go back to the hotel to take a shower and rest. We are not here for tourism this time."

After sending Jiang Xiaoya away, Su Hao walked along the street for a while and saw an alley with an archway on one side of the street. Several old people were shaking fans and hiding in the shade to enjoy the cool air.

He roughly estimated that this was the gathering place for locals that the girl at the hotel front desk told him about, so he bought some ice cream from the nearby canteen and went to chat.

Youdao would not hit the smiling person with your hand, not to mention that Su Hao was holding ice cream.

"Young man, are you from Hong Kong Island?"

"Yes, hello, uncle and aunt, I came here to find a place called Dog King Temple, which should be nearby. Have you heard of it?"

"Temple of the Dog King? We don't have a Temple of the Dog King here. There is just a Little Empress Palace. The incense inside is extremely effective. Wait a minute. I'll ask Lao Wang to come out and ask. When he was young, he taught in a nearby junior high school. What he taught was You should know history.”

Soon, a junior high school history teacher (retired) named Lao Wang came over. He was about 60 years old, with a pair of thick reading glasses on the bridge of his nose, a white vest, and an invisible strip of color at his feet. He wears big trousers and has a very thin figure. He looks like an old scholar at first glance.

At the same time, there is a cattail leaf fan in the right hand and a large tea cup in the left hand.

Su Hao went to the canteen and bought him a pack of "Tulip" cigarettes and offered them to him.

Lao Wang smoked a cigarette and Su Hao was overjoyed as soon as he said, "The Dog King Temple has been renamed. It stopped being called the Temple a long time ago. Now it is called the Little Empress Palace."

"Originally, there was a statue of Zhong Kui enshrined inside. There was a maid in student uniform next to the statue of Zhong Kui. However, this Zhong Kui was too fake and his appearance was nothing like the one in history. So the statue of Zhong Kui was moved to the back, and the statue of the maid was moved. When we get to the front, the incense inside is extremely effective."

"Whether you are seeking a child, sick, or taking exams, you can come in and pay your respects. The empress inside will appear from time to time."

Having said this, Lao Wang suddenly moved forward, stared at Su Hao and whispered: "I will take you there in a minute. You are a foreigner, and you may not be able to go in without an acquaintance. The Niangniang Temple has now been taken over by the local community. It was circled, and all the ticket money collected became their welfare. If it hadn't been so effective, people might have smashed it when the country was first founded."

Su Hao's eyes lit up and he was indeed in the right place.

"I'll have to thank Uncle Wang later."

The two of them were walking and chatting. From time to time, Lao Wang secretly looked at Su Hao's clothes, and also made insidious remarks about Su Hao's background.

"Young man, did you come here specially to offer incense?"

Su Hao nodded and said nonsensically: "A relative of mine is a local and said that the Dog King Temple here is particularly efficacious. I am going to take the public exam this year, so I came all the way to pay my respects. I am going back to Jilin to visit my relatives this time."

When Lao Wang heard that Su Hao was going to take the civil service exam, he immediately got excited and immediately praised: "It's good to take the civil service exam as soon as possible. It's easier to get a job if you take the civil service exam earlier. These days, no state-owned or foreign listed company is as comfortable as a civil servant, with guaranteed income despite droughts and floods, and good welfare benefits." , retirement will be guaranteed, I think you are only about 22 years old, good-looking, you will be admitted to the civil service and you will be able to find a partner at will."

Su Hao also knows the market conditions in the mainland.

The generation in Tianjin, Shandong, adhered to the view of "civil servants only", everything was inferior, only "civil servants" were high, not only in these two places, but even in the entire north.

It's different when you go to the south. The south is very business-oriented, and the rich are the bosses. They are the bosses everywhere, and they look down on the three melons and two jujubes of civil servants.

I don’t have any connections or background. I am a civil servant who works hard and takes the blame. I have no power and no salary. On the contrary, there are many restrictions. As for benefits and wages, I can’t survive or starve to death. I can survive until I am 50 years old and get a minor degree. That's basically it.

The kind that can be seen through at a glance.

However, for most ordinary people, taking the public examination still represents a great attraction.

(The Xiaoniangniang Temple in the previous article has been changed to Xiaoniangniang Palace, special notice)

Chapter 242 This prosperous world is as you wish

Without him, stability.

Once you are admitted as a civil servant, there will be no such thing as middle-aged unemployment, bankruptcy and resignation of the company. You can save hundreds of thousands by buying a house with a provident fund loan, and you will still have a generous pension after retirement.

He also has a high status outside.

Compared with the disadvantages of being restrained, there are too many advantages.

Su Hao knew that this was due to the national conditions of the mainland.

Although civil servants on Hong Kong Island have good welfare benefits, some positions are still difficult to recruit.

After learning that Su Hao was preparing to take the public examination, Lao Wang's tone suddenly became much closer.

The two of them walked through the old street alley, which was less than 3 meters wide, with densely packed private houses on both sides, most of which were two or three stories high, without a trace of sunlight.

At this moment, it happens to be meal time. Many residents place folding square tables directly at the door, and families sit together. Most of them are three generations of the same family. The staple food eaten by locals is generally porridge and steamed buns, served with A little cold dishes and green vegetables.

Along the way, the delicious food, the sound of children crying, and the sound of TV series playing from inside the gate formed a lively scene.

Although the sanitary conditions in this old street are not very good, with trash cans and sewage everywhere, Su Hao feels extremely friendly.

He took a deep breath of the local air, as if he had returned to his previous life.

Old streets (villages in the city) like the one in front of him are probably going to be demolished soon.

The urchins running around with bare feet in the alleys will become memories of a generation in a few years.

Su Hao shook his head, took out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes and handed one to Lao Wang.

The latter took it and looked at the cigarette holder, and said in surprise: "I have seen this cigarette before. It is said to be imported cigarettes. They are not cheap."

Su Hao said: "It's not expensive, only more than ten yuan a pack."

"More than ten yuan a pack is enough for cigarettes. I usually can't afford to smoke. By the way, young man, since you are here to offer incense, I have to inform you of some things in advance."

Su Hao said humbly: "Please tell me."

"This Little Empress Palace is currently under the management of the local neighborhood committee. It charges a fee, and the price is not cheap. One-time admission is 20 yuan. After entering, you have to pay for incense. This incense... is 100 yuan per stick. Do you think you can accept it? "

As he spoke, Lao Wang secretly looked at Su Hao. Seeing that the latter remained silent, he thought he thought it was too expensive, so he quickly added: "When you offer incense, sincerity brings wisdom. In fact, you can just buy one incense stick. This way you only need Spend an extra 100 yuan.”

"It's definitely worth the money. We also have a Grand Empress Palace in Tianjin (formerly known as Tianfei Palace, commonly known as the Empress Palace). The annual sacrificial activities are particularly lively. Many locals go there to offer incense, but the incense is not as good as this. It’s very effective, and the charges are not cheap.”

Su Hao asked as he walked: "What kind of effective method?"

Lao Wang secretly glanced around and lowered his voice: "Because many people of our generation have seen the empress during the process of offering incense and praying. Sometimes she wears a cheongsam, sometimes she wears the student uniform of the Republic of China. She looks very young and is full of Zhuang Yan slowly walked down from the statue. Last time, a child who was just one month old seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit. He would not cry, make noises, eat or drink. This lasted for several days, which frightened the child's parents."

"Later, after listening to someone's advice, I came here to burn a stick of incense with my child in my arms. At that time, I saw the empress coming down from the altar table, reaching out and touching the forehead of the baby. Then the baby started crying heartbreakingly. It’ll be fine in a few days.”

"Many people were present at the scene at that time."

Su Hao said absentmindedly, "If it works, it will be worth the money."

Lao Wang took a long drag on the cigarette, and there was a look of pride on his face, "Isn't it? But not every time I pray for blessings and burn incense, I can see the empress appearing. I won't lie to you. Also, no matter how effective it is, Or not, you can’t talk about this to the outside world, or you may be overheard by those tabloid reporters and say that we take the lead in promoting landscape superstition here.”

"Before, our Little Empress Palace was not completely closed, but open to the outside world. A reporter from a local TV station came with a video recorder to make a secret visit and even broadcast it on the TV station. As a result, the Little Empress Palace was almost demolished. In the end, the local The neighborhood committee was preserved in the name of a historical monument, and now it is half-dead.”

"Later, the TV reporter was scolded miserably. This grandson is really wicked."

Lao Wang took two puffs of cigarette, and his face became a little more embarrassed, "I'm not afraid of your jokes. There are no locals in the Little Empress' Palace nowadays, and they don't dare to let you in, so you will have to pay me a 100 introduction fee later. Then I will tell you that you are my relative in Guangdong Province, otherwise they will definitely not let you in."

Su Hao suddenly realized, no wonder this old Wang looked like an old scholar and was very enthusiastic when he heard that Su Hao asked about the Dog King Temple.

It turns out there is oil and water in it.

Su Hao came here to help Judge Bi regain his credibility. It didn't matter if he spent a little money. Without Lao Wang's initiative to introduce and lead the way, he wouldn't have found the target so quickly.

Su Hao was not stingy with the extra hundred.

Thinking of this, he took out a big ticket from his pocket and handed it over, "I'll bother you later."

Lao Wang happily took the money, with a happy expression on his face. He originally thought Su Hao would bargain.

He kept saying politely: "It should be right. The gatekeeper inside, Lao Qian, knows me. As long as I take care of you, they won't ask you for more money. You will definitely spend this guarantee fee well worth it."

The two walked while talking.

After a while, I came to an antique building.

The courtyard wall of the building was covered with a plastic tarpaulin, leaving only a large iron door in the middle and a side door next to the iron door.

Lao Wang stepped forward with his slippers on and patted the iron door with his hand.