Chapter 229

A-Qiang, who had experienced a "flag-raising baptism," urgently wanted to finish his work and return to Hong Kong.

For many years, all the information A-Qiang had come into contact with regarding the mainland was biased and demonized.

Now he looked at the people around him, always feeling that they were all the kind of crazy red believers in the legends.

So during the whole process of raising the national flag, A-Qiang pretended to be dumb, for fear that others would find out he was a "running dog of xxism," and then they would cover him like a tide with red eyes. His small arms and legs couldn't resist.

But what he feared came. After everyone finished watching the flag-raising, when Zou Zhiguo was going to take A-Qiang to eat breakfast, everyone around looked at A-Qiang. That collective gaze scared A-Qiang.

A-Qiang was also a hero who waved a watermelon knife in Causeway Bay, but now he grabbed Zou Zhiguo's arm, as pitiful as a kindergarten child leaning on a teacher.

He really didn't understand, they were all black-haired and yellow-skinned, he didn't say a word, his eyes didn't look around, how could he be "discovered"?

Just when A-Qiang was panicked, an old man with white hair asked Zou Zhiguo: "Is this a foreign guest? A Fusang person? Or a Goryeo person?"

The dull Zou Zhiguo said: "He is not a foreign guest, he is a compatriot from Hong Kong. Everyone don't look at him like this, it will scare him."

"..."

"Hahahahaha~"

The square was quiet for a while, and then burst into laughter.

"It's a compatriot from Hong Kong! Then what is he afraid of?"

"That's right! We are all one family, don't be afraid."

"..."

The old man who spoke first patted A-Qiang on the shoulder and said: "Looking at your luggage, you just got off the train and haven't eaten yet, right? I know a very good breakfast shop, go, go, go, I'll take you there."

"No, we can do it ourselves."

"What no? You've arrived at your own home, how can you not treat you to a meal? Go, go, go."

The old man reached out and picked up A-Qiang's luggage, leading the way.

A-Qiang was pulled away from the flag-raising square in a daze.

Only then did he carefully ask Zou Zhiguo: "How did they recognize that I was different?"

Zou Zhiguo said dully: "Because your clothes are different from others."

"..."

A-Qiang was stunned, and only then noticed his fashionable sportswear and the new Nike shoes on his feet, which were out of place with the surrounding environment.

Since Pei Wencong became successful, A-Qiang's quality of life has risen linearly. He is a bachelor, 3,000 Hong Kong dollars a month is not enough to spend, not enough to spend at all, and he is naturally full of fashionable big names.

It was fine when it was dark, but now that it was bright, it looked very eye-catching in the crowd.

"Then why are they so enthusiastic again?"

What A-Qiang felt most deeply was the change in the attitude of the people around him toward him.

At first, everyone looked at him as if they were looking at a "monster," but after the laughter, it was suddenly different. That kind of enthusiasm from the heart, he had never felt before.

Zou Zhiguo still said dully: "Because you are not a foreign guest, you are a compatriot, you are one of us."

"One of us?"

A-Qiang had some doubts. He was not sure if he was "one of us," but thinking about when he was mixing on the street, if a boss wanted to "cover" you, and you didn't know how to lift, hehehe.

【Forget it, anyway, Hong Kong British didn't treat me as one of us.】

Entering the breakfast shop, the old man's high-pitched voice rang out.

"This is a compatriot from Hong Kong. He went to the square to watch the flag-raising as soon as he got off the train, and hasn't eaten yet..."

"..."

"Come, come, come, sit on my side."

"Brother, what do you want to eat? My treat!"

"You try mine first, just out of the pot, hot..."

A-Qiang experienced that kind of short silence again, and then suffered "epic" enthusiastic treatment.

The best seat was given up.

Before the waiter in the store could greet them, all the food categories were piled on the table, and they were all double portions.

The person in charge of the breakfast shop directly came out to ask A-Qiang if he had any special requirements.

A-Qiang was completely stunned.

He didn't understand at all that he was just a little punk in Hong Kong who was not loved by his grandmother and not loved by his uncle. How could he be treated like this?

Because A-Qiang didn't understand at all what raising the national flag meant in the eyes of the people.

A traveler returning from Hong Kong, who didn't have time to rest after getting off the train, and went to watch the flag-raising without eating—what kind of behavior is this?

"Eat, eat! Taste how it is?"

Many people were watching A-Qiang with a smile, which made A-Qiang very unaccustomed.

The northern dietary habits are salty, and A-Qiang is not used to eating, but he eats silently, tasting an indescribable warmth in the salty and astringent taste.

A-Qiang didn't remember which year it was. It seemed to be the second or third year after he came out of the welfare home. There was also a big brother who gave him warmth, took him to eat, took him to dance, and took him to slash people.

A-Qiang thought that was the warmth of relatives mentioned in books.

But suddenly one day, that big brother asked him to take the blame for a disaster, at least to squat in the kiln for five years.

Just when A-Qiang gritted his teeth and prepared to take the blame for the sake of loyalty, he met Pei Wencong and became what he is now.

Pei Wencong is a good person, but very stingy, and after the big brother's incident, A-Qiang became uninhibited, thinking that this is a world where people eat people, how can there be warmth?

But at this moment, facing the eyes of many people around him, he always felt... this is a different world.

"Cough cough cough~"

Maybe it was because he was thinking about things in his heart, maybe it was because of the wolfing down caused by enthusiasm, A-Qiang was suddenly choked and kept coughing.

A seven or eight-year-old girl sitting next to A-Qiang quickly handed her millet porridge to him.

"Uncle, you drink this bowl of mine, I didn't touch it with my mouth..."

A-Qiang was choked and panicked, took it and drank it, and finally swallowed the food in his throat.

At this time, under the instigation of her family, the little girl said a sentence timidly.

"Uncle, welcome home!"

A-Qiang: "..."

Although the little girl's expression was not so natural, a bit stiff, a bit timid, but that cautious look made A-Qiang completely break the defense.

"Did I go home?"

"I don't have a home."

How can a child who grew up in a welfare home have a home?

A-Qiang is not a deep-minded person, otherwise he wouldn't have even offended his boss Pei Wencong. Excited, tears slid down the corners of his eyes instantly.

"This... this... what's wrong?"

"What did he just say?"

Because A-Qiang spoke Cantonese, no one around understood, but seeing that he was made to cry, the people around were immediately nervous.

Zou Zhiguo had to say: "He said he has no home. Actually, everyone don't be overly enthusiastic. He just came to the mainland and might not be used to it."

A-Qiang's reporting data when he came to the mainland was "orphan," so Zou Zhiguo knew about it, but because of personal feelings, he didn't explain much to everyone.

The white-haired old man hurriedly greeted: "Everyone let go, don't scare the child."

The people around hurriedly got up and vacated a large space for A-Qiang.

The seven or eight-year-old girl thought she had made A-Qiang cry, pursed her lips and shrank behind her family, and the aggrieved tears were about to come out.

A moment later, A-Qiang wiped away his tears, stood up and bowed to the people around, and said in very non-standard Mandarin: "Sorry, thank you everyone, it's my own reason, let everyone misunderstand."

"What kind of misunderstanding is this, brother, you eat first, eat until you are full."

"I'm already full."

A-Qiang looked for his luggage left and right, opened one of the handbags, and took out a Walkman from it.

He walked to the little girl, squatted down, and handed the Walkman to her.

"Thank you little sister, this is a gift from uncle."

"I... I can't take it."

The little girl was obviously panicked and hurriedly hid behind her family.

The little girl's mother also hurriedly pushed back: "No, no, this cannot be accepted, please don't be so polite."

A-Qiang was a bit embarrassed, but he insisted: "Since it's going home, I should always bring some gifts to my family."

"..."

"Big sister, accept it! This sentiment, our Beijing men guarantee to help you return it."

"That's right, my tricycle is outside! No matter where he goes later, I will send him there for free."

The little girl's mother was in a dilemma, and finally accepted the Walkman very embarrassedly.

"Clap clap clap clap~"

The warm applause made A-Qiang very unaccustomed, but the smiles on the faces of the people around him made him feel warm and comfortable in his heart.

"Click~"

A young man in the corner took a photo.

Then she walked over and said: "Hello, I am Pan Xiaoqing, a reporter for the Beijing Youth Daily. This is my work permit. Can I interview you?"

"Interview?" A-Qiang thought for a while and shook his head: "This is not very convenient, I have work to do, in a hurry."

Pan Xiaoqing immediately asked: "You came to Beijing for work? Can you tell us what work it is?"

A-Qiang was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Zou Zhiguo.

Zou Zhiguo looked at the curious eyes of the people around, frowned and said: "Show your introduction letter to others."

In this era of 1983, a Hong Kong person appeared in Beijing. Since he was asked by a reporter, if you don't make it clear, there might be some trouble.

A-Qiang found the introduction letter opened by Blue Sea Publishing House from his luggage again.

Pan Xiaoqing saw it and felt that her news material had come.

"This Mr. Huo Renqiang was invited to Beijing to discuss literary cooperation projects with the Lone Army Literature Society of Beijing University. He is a cultural person who came to communicate."

"It turns out to be a cultural person. So young, really young and promising."

"Sigh~, looking at people can't look at age, people with knowledge are different."

"..."

A-Qiang was very embarrassed.

If you want to say he is a handsome guy, he can accept it happily. Saying he is a cultural person can barely be counted, after all, those who draw comics are also cultural people, right?

But to say that A-Qiang is young and promising... he is a bit embarrassed.

To say he has knowledge...

So ashamed! Didn't even graduate from junior high school, okay!

Out of the breakfast shop, the tricycle master insisted on pulling this order for free, so A-Qiang and Zou Zhiguo had to take a tricycle to Beijing University.

And that reporter Pan Xiaoqing followed on a bicycle.

A-Qiang kept looking back on the tricycle, and finally asked Zou Zhiguo in Cantonese: "Mr. Zou, that reporter has been following, will there be trouble?"

In Hong Kong, where reporters appear, there must be some "situations," so A-Qiang is very worried.

Zou Zhiguo said: "Don't worry, at most it's just becoming famous."

A-Qiang asked in surprise: "Famous? Who is famous?"

Zou Zhiguo said: "Who else? You!"

"..."

(End of chapter)