When the ferry arrived at the Hong Kong pier on Hong Kong Island.
Huo Yaowen, carrying a large brown suitcase, was the first to step onto the wooden plank connecting to the land, walking to the shore to wait for Ming Zai to follow.
A dense crowd of ferry passengers disembarked, and then Ming Zai was seen carefully stepping ashore, holding his bedding.
Huo Yaowen glanced at the bedding Ming Zai was holding and thought about how far the bus stop was from here. If they weren't carrying anything, it would be fine to just walk, but carrying bedding and a large suitcase would be very inconvenient.
He scanned the continuous flow of people on the shore and suddenly noticed several rickshaws parked outside the boathouse. He patted Ming Zai's shoulder as he approached, pointed at the rickshaw pullers, and said, "Ming Zai, put your things down and go over there to call two rickshaws."
"Ah~? Call rickshaws? They're very expensive, Yaowen Ge. We can just walk to the bus stop." Ming Zai was a bit reluctant to spend money. He knew that taking a rickshaw to the bus stop would cost at least two dollars, which was enough for two large bowls of shark fin soup.
Huo Yaowen smiled, "It's okay, Yaowen Ge has money now. Go call two."
Things were different now. With the development of technology and the popularization of buses, Hong Kong's rickshaw resources were becoming scarcer. Most of those who used to earn a living by pulling rickshaws had switched to other trades, and rickshaws were gradually fading from the stage of history.
However, a small number of people still pulled rickshaws, and by offering convenient short-distance rides, they earned significantly more than before.
"Alright then, I'll go call two rickshaws. Speaking of which, I've never ridden one my whole life!" Hearing this, Ming Zai no longer refused. He chuckled, nodded, put down the bedding, and turned to jog away.
Don't even mention you, I've never ridden one either!
Huo Yaowen chuckled as he watched Ming Zai's departing back. He had never ridden a rickshaw, neither in this life nor in his previous one. In later generations, this profession no longer existed, and now it was due to saving money.
When Ming Zai called two rickshaws and they had agreed on a price, Huo Yaowen carefully sat down. The 'chassis' of the rickshaw was quite high, with two huge wheels, at least thirty centimeters off the ground.
The rickshaw master pulling Huo Yaowen was about fifty years old. Due to being out in the sun, his skin was not only dark but also tinged with a reddish hue. He glanced at the person pulling Ming Zai's rickshaw, and once ready, he turned back with a chuckle and said, "Young masters, please sit tight, we're off."
Immediately, the two rickshaw masters, flexing their arms and striding with powerful legs, dashed towards the bus stop, which was about a mile away.
Sitting in the rickshaw, Huo Yaowen, under the not-so-scorching sunlight, looked at the scenery around the pier: workers moving cargo, pedestrians who had taken the ferry from Kowloon Peninsula, and small trucks arriving to load goods. In this way, they passed through the bustling, mixed crowd of the port.
...
Seven or eight minutes later,
Huo Yaowen and Ming Zai, riding in the rickshaws, successfully arrived at the bus stop. After waiting another ten-odd minutes, they finally boarded the bus heading to Hong Kong University.
After buying tickets and finding seats on the bus, Ming Zai eagerly said, "Yaowen Ge, that rickshaw master just called me 'young master,' haha! I've never been called that my whole life!"
"Haha..." Facing the naive Ming Zai, Huo Yaowen thought for a moment and explained, "Most of the people still pulling rickshaws now are in their forties or fifties. They've been pulling rickshaws for twenty years. Back then, it was common to call people 'young master' or'sir.' Nowadays, there are basically no young people pulling rickshaws."
"Who would do this now? Just go out and find any job, it pays better than pulling a rickshaw and is much more respectable! Anyway, no matter how much money you give me, I'd rather die than pull a rickshaw." Ming Zai spoke boastfully.
As soon as he said this, a girl in a plaid shirt sitting in the very front frowned, turned around, and stared at Ming Zai with an displeased look.
Huo Yaowen glared at Ming Zai and said grumpily, "These people are all doing it to make a living. There's nothing respectable or unrespectable about it. Twenty years ago in Hong Kong, pulling a rickshaw was considered a respectable job, not something just anyone could do!"
The girl in the plaid shirt heard Huo Yaowen's words and couldn't help but look at him with higher regard. Seeing that he was wearing a white shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and gentle, she felt a good impression and couldn't help but say, "This gentleman is absolutely right. It's all for making a living; there's nothing respectable or unrespectable about it. All people are born equal, and everything exists for a reason. If you don't want to walk, naturally someone is willing to pull a rickshaw for you. Everyone has a different life: some for survival, some for ideals, some are overly ambitious, and some are down-to-earth. This is what distinguishes a respectable or unrespectable life."
When Ming Zai saw the girl in front of him turn to look at him, his cheeks flushed, and he completely failed to understand what she was saying.
Huo Yaowen, on the other hand, understood the girl in the plaid shirt's implied sarcasm towards Ming Zai. But seeing Ming Zai's flushed face and silence, he couldn't help but shake his head slightly, realizing that this guy hadn't understood that the other person was calling him overly ambitious.
Huo Yaowen chimed in, "My friend here didn't mean any harm; he's still young, and being overly ambitious is inevitable. My name is Huo Yaowen, may I know your name, miss?"
Ann Hui was not shy or timid; instead, with a very straightforward personality, she extended her hand and introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Ann Hui."
"Ann Hui!"
Hearing this familiar, somewhat masculine name, and matching it with the appearance he had seen in later generations, Huo Yaowen compared it to the twenty-something girl in front of him. It seemed she was indeed the person from his memory. He couldn't help but smile, not expecting to encounter Ann Hui, the pioneer of Hong Kong's New Wave cinema in the late 1970s and the most influential female director of art films at the time, just by taking a bus.
Reaching out to shake her hand, Huo Yaowen said with a smile, "Miss Xu, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Don't call me Miss. I'm not some 'Miss'." Ann Hui shook her head repeatedly. At that time, the term 'Miss' generally referred to the daughters of wealthy families. Although Ann Hui's family conditions were decent, and due to her father's status, they lived quite well in Hong Kong, they were not considered a truly rich and noble family.
Just then, the bus stopped, and the driver in the front roared to the back, "Hong Kong University! Get off quickly if you're getting off. I won't stop past this station!"
"Master, let's get off."
Upon hearing this, Ann Hui quickly picked up her small handbag.
"Ming Zai, grab the bedding, we're getting off."
Huo Yaowen also hurriedly grabbed his suitcase, preparing to get off, and at the same time, patted the dazed Ming Zai.
After the three of them got off the bus.
Ann Hui noticed that Huo Yaowen had also gotten off, and seeing the suitcase in his hand and the bedding Ming Zai was carrying, she asked curiously, "Huo Yaowen, are you also a student at Hong Kong University?"
Huo Yaowen shook his head and said, "No, I am the new lecturer for the Philosophy Class in the Faculty of Arts at Hong Kong University."
Ann Hui: "!!!"
Looking at the young and handsome Huo Yaowen, Ann Hui, who was only in her early twenties, naturally felt a good impression, like most young girls. Especially upon hearing him introduce himself as a lecturer for the Philosophy Class at Hong Kong University, Ann Hui's eyes lit up even more. She couldn't help but say, "I never expected Mr. Huo to be a lecturer for the Philosophy Class in the Faculty of Arts! My favorite subject is philosophy, so it seems I can take your class in the future."
Seeing Huo Yaowen's puzzled expression.
Ann Hui quickly explained, "I am a new student in the Department of Literature, Faculty of Arts, at Hong Kong University this year. Teacher Huo, please guide me a lot in the future."
Ann Hui started school late as a child, so she only just entered university at twenty-one. In contrast, Huo Yaowen, who was the same age as her, had already successfully graduated from university and become a lecturer for the Philosophy Class at Hong Kong University.
Huo Yaowen was momentarily stunned, then smiled and said, "I didn't realize Student Xu was also a new student this year."
Huo Yaowen hadn't expected Ann Hui, who looked about his age, to be a new student at Hong Kong University this year, and she even said she loved philosophy and wanted to take his class. He couldn't help but smile to himself, thinking that he would soon have an extraordinary celebrity student.