Chapter 529 - 543: Pigeon Coop
An Ning kept her head down, trailing fearfully behind Zhao Pandi, playing the part of a little mute who followed her big sister everywhere.
Behind the iron-grated door was a narrow corridor crammed with beds.
To call them "beds" wasn’t quite accurate. They were more like individual bedrolls. Some were nothing more than a piece of cardboard—and that was a home.
Brother Hu led the group from the first floor up to the third, weaving through another crowd as he explained the situation.
"There are no toilets here. If you need to go, you have to use the public restroom outside. Everyone’s space is limited. It’s two people to a bed. I’ll let you have it for the first month, but if you can’t earn enough to pay the rent after that, you can find your own place to live."
Brother Hu led a few of them to a doorway. The room inside was less than ten square meters, yet it was crammed with twenty-four beds.
Some dorms at Beijing University were also less than ten square meters, but those only had one set of bunk beds against a wall. Here, however, they had crammed in three rows of beds, so close they were practically touching.
And that wasn’t even the most terrifying part. Above each bed were three more beds.
In other words, what should have been two-tiered bunk beds were now four-tiered. Since the ceiling height hadn’t changed, the sleeping space itself had inevitably been compressed.
At this moment, the thought that popped into An Ning’s head was, ’The plot my eldest uncle saved for me in the ancestral graveyard is definitely bigger than this.’
She even felt that sleeping in a coffin would be more spacious.
"Two people to a bed. Take your pick."
Fuck!
Fucking two to a bed, on top of everything else!
An Ning could barely stop herself from cursing out loud.
But neither she nor Zhao Pandi were slow to act. With a common goal, they chose a top bunk in the space behind the door.
From what the two could tell, the door to the room was left open year-round. That was because each bed was enclosed by wire mesh. Some of the mesh cages had a padlock on the outside, meaning the wire mesh *was* their door.
The highest bunk had a little more headroom than the others. As for why they didn’t choose a bottom bunk—it was mainly because there were too many people.
Of course, "too many" was a relative term.
The two of them successfully claimed their spot. They set down their two small cloth bags, and just like that, they were settled.
Brother Hu, who had been standing at the doorway all this time, was sizing up the new arrivals’ first moves.
He was quite impressed by the actions of the "sisters," Zhao Pandi and An Ning. ’People with a clear goal don’t give up so easily.’
"Alright, don’t say Brother Hu doesn’t look out for you. Your first meal today is on me."
Hearing that Brother Hu was treating them to a meal, the group, who had been demoralized by their new environment, finally showed a spark of enthusiasm.
With a RUSH, the whole group followed Brother Hu downstairs. They walked out onto the street, taking in the splendor of Hong Kong.
’So buildings can be this tall... So there can be this many cars... So people can dress like that!’
A tall office lady in stilettos. A man driving with one hand, his other arm resting on the open window as he flicked cigarette ash. Elites dressed sharply in suits. Trams coming and going. Everything captured their attention.
"Take a good look, all of you. *This* is what you call living. Isn’t this why you all came here?"
"I’m telling you, as long as you follow me, Brother Hu, all of this can be yours. Don’t worry that the place you’re staying is a shithole. You just got here, right?"
"Once you find a way to make money for yourselves, you’ll have it all."
"Alright, we’re here. I’m treating you to a Hong Kong specialty: jook-sing noodles."
The group sat down timidly at an open-air food stall. Brother Hu, clearly a regular, called over a waiter. The waiter came over, immediately understood, glanced at their number, and announced, "Seventeen bowls of jook-sing noodles."
"That’s right. And make it quick!"
"You got it! Coming right up."
The waiter efficiently put in the order, and Brother Hu went right back to his sweet-talking.
"See that waiter? He used to be just like you guys. But look at him now. He’s got a proper job, and I hear he can even apply for public housing this year. Soon he’ll be a true-blue citizen of Hong Kong."
Brother Hu was smart. He didn’t paint too grand a picture. But the simple example of a waiter was enough to fill everyone with envy, making it seem like a goal that was well within their reach if they just worked hard.
One meal was all it took to secure the group’s loyalty to Brother Hu.
An Ning and Zhao Pandi saw right through it, but their performance was even more convincing than his.
After their bowls of jook-sing noodles, the group followed Brother Hu back to the pigeon-cage housing.
Brother Hu told everyone to rest for two or three hours. Afterward, they would have to go out with him to find work.
Far from having any objections, everyone was eager to get started, their hearts filled with grand ambitions and hope for the future.
An Ning and Zhao Pandi squeezed onto one bed without a word. This was no place to talk.
Three hours later, Brother Hu came back, and An Ning and Zhao Pandi finally had an opportunity to speak privately.
The two of them lagged behind the rest of the group. Zhao Pandi asked, "You’re looking for Jiang Donghua?"
"I am."
"According to our intel, he’s currently in a coma. The cause is unknown, but our analysis suggests it has to do with his immense wealth."
"Why are you looking at me like that? You didn’t actually think this was a world of sunshine, rainbows, and the rule of law, did you?"
An Ning shook her head.
Of course she didn’t think that. Even in the highly advanced interstellar age, war still existed.
She just hadn’t expected Director Zhao to be willing to activate his assets here for her personal reasons.
"Good. I decided we should stick with Brother Hu for now because he often gets jobs cleaning in the wealthy districts. If we can snag one of those opportunities, we’ll have a chance to get over there."
"There is another option, of course. We could ditch Brother Hu and just go on our own."
Zhao Pandi waited for An Ning’s reply. An Ning’s fingers moved rapidly, as if she were performing some kind of calculation.
"We stay put for now. I need Jiang Donghua’s exact address and a detailed map of Hong Kong."
"Alright. I’ll have them for you by tonight."
After that, the two said no more. As they walked, An Ning saw Zhao Pandi press a message into the palm of a passerby.
The two of them followed Brother Hu to a labor market. Their small group looked like a few lost ducklings swallowed by a flock of thousands.
Brother Hu told the others to wait there while he himself sidled up next to An Ning and Zhao Pandi.
"Brother Hu."
Zhao Pandi greeted him with a sharp sense of timing. Brother Hu smiled. "Zhao Pandi, right? Let your big bro give you some advice from the heart. You two ought to change your names. Otherwise, it’s going to be tough finding work."
"Huh? Change them to what? I don’t know how to do that."
Zhao Pandi looked completely flustered. An Ning pressed even closer against Zhao Pandi’s back, lowering her head further.
"Hey, don’t worry," he said. "I’ve got a little sister about your age. Seeing you two reminds me of her. Makes me feel a real connection."
Brother Hu began trying to cozy up to them. Most newcomers were eager to believe this kind of talk. Unfortunately for him, the two people he was talking to were not like most newcomers.
"How about I give you two some English names? Everyone has an English name here. I... Brother Tai!"