I'm back in 1990

Chapter 587: Family Life

Remember our domain name: [domain name omitted], you can read our content anytime.

Compared to Huang Xiaochuan himself, the lives of the elders of the Huang, Zeng, and Yu families after arriving in Hong Kong were truly indescribable.

Because paparazzi are like leeches, Huang Xiaochuan had no choice but to have his uncle and aunt take his grandmother to live in another villa in Hong Kong, as did his parents-in-law; otherwise, they would have been driven to despair.

The Huang family mansion has now become a "walled city," with paparazzi staking out every intersection and hillside leading to the Huang family's home. Family members going out has become a major undertaking. Zeng Lijuan wants to go out for a stroll and have morning tea with Zheng Aiying, while Lao Huang and Lao Yu want to play a few rounds of golf, but they must inform the security team in advance. Each time they go out, there are at least two cars, with bodyguards in front and behind, and the car windows are tightly closed. Although this tight protection brings safety, it also makes the elders, who are used to the ordinary life in the city, feel suffocated and uncomfortable.

Old Huang had complained to his youngest son more than once: "Going out is like committing a crime!"

Another issue is the food. Hong Kong is located in Lingnan, with a hot and humid climate all year round. The local food tends to be light and fresh, emphasizing the original flavor of the food. This is very different from the rich, oily, salty, and slightly sweet flavors of Suzhou cuisine, as well as the Huaiyang flavor that Lao Huang and Lao Yu are used to.

This made my grandmother always miss the taste of her hometown. She often talked about the savory and delicious mutton cake that was as thick as fat in the winter in Suzhou, as well as the braised mutton that was bright red, tender and flavorful. Her words were full of homesickness.

Seeing this, Huang Xiaochuan felt a pang of pain in his heart. He immediately arranged for someone to hire a chef skilled in authentic Suzhou cuisine from a well-established restaurant in Suzhou at a high salary, and brought him and his assistants to Hong Kong.

Moreover, some key local ingredients and seasonings, such as the "Three Whites of Taihu Lake," "Eight Treasures of the Water," specific soy sauces, and Shaoxing wine, were all airlifted to Hong Kong.

After Grandma tasted the flavors of her hometown again, her appetite improved significantly, and that finally solved the major problem of food.

Old Huang couldn't stand the gossip in Hong Kong newspapers and the local Cantonese text, so he insisted on reading the People's Daily and Reference News from the mainland. For this reason, Huang Xiaochuan had to arrange for someone to buy them from the mainland and deliver them to Old Huang's home every day.

The elderly mother, Zeng Lijuan, was a little better off. She became obsessed with TVB dramas, but she couldn't understand Cantonese, which gave her a headache. So, Huang Xiaochuan asked Cao Charlie to make a special request to Sir Shaw, the chairman of TVB's board of directors, to add subtitles to the dramas.

Zeng Lijuan used to enjoy shopping, but the entourage she went on was too extravagant, which she found too ostentatious. Huang Xiaochuan then told her that she could have her favorite brands send product catalogs to her home for her to choose from, thus saving Zeng Lijuan the trouble of shopping!

The most enjoyable time for Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan is every evening on their huge terrace, admiring the night view of Victoria Harbour and playing with their grandchildren.

Old Yu and Zheng Aiying, who lived in another villa, attracted far less paparazzi attention due to its more secluded location and Huang Xiaochuan's deliberate low-key approach. Their lives were relatively more leisurely and comfortable compared to their main house on the hillside.

Old Yu was a studious person, and he quickly developed a strong interest in Hong Kong's unique horse racing culture. Of course, he wasn't addicted to gambling, but rather he enjoyed studying the intricacies of horse racing, its pedigrees, jockeys, trainers, track conditions, odds changes, and other complex game theory and data analysis processes—to him, it was as fascinating as playing chess. He would wear his reading glasses and study with great enthusiasm, occasionally discussing the possibility of "unexpected" bets with Huang Xiaochuan, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Zheng Aiying focused her energy on health preservation and soup making. Hong Kong people pay attention to the health benefits of soups, and various ingredients and medicinal herbs are carefully combined. She bought cookbooks, consulted with the local domestic helper, and tried to make all kinds of slow-cooked soups, studying the effects of different soups, which she enjoyed very much.

When the couple chatted in private, they often lamented that although life in Hong Kong was wealthy and comfortable, it lacked the warmth and everyday life of the Qingjiang family compound, where neighbors would visit each other and chat about their daily lives. Their words revealed a faint homesickness.

Uncle Zeng Jiahua was a restless man. Seeing the prosperity and volatility of the Hong Kong stock market, he couldn't resist the urge to try it. In his words, "Since I'm just idling around anyway, I might as well do some research, dabble in it a little, and have some fun." So, he also started paying attention to financial news, studying candlestick charts, and occasionally asking Huang Xiaochuan for advice on basic investment concepts. Although the investment wasn't large, he had found a new hobby to pass the time. Anyway, with Asia's richest man's nephew around, he wouldn't lose money.

Aunt Qian Jiazhen devoted all her attention to taking care of her maternal grandmother. She tried her best to maintain the family's lifestyle and routine in Suzhou, chatted with her grandmother to keep her company, and paid close attention to her grandmother's emotions and physical changes.

Hong Kong's humid and hot weather often leaves her in a flurry of activity, worrying about whether the elderly woman will catch a cold or suffer from heatstroke, and agonizing over whether to turn on the air conditioner or open the windows for ventilation.

Fortunately, it was summer vacation, and the arrival of the children injected tremendous vitality into these somewhat quiet mansions. Yu Wei's son Yu Chengping, Yu Min's son Yue Xiaoyong, Huang Dahai's son Huang Zemian, as well as Tang Ruixuan, Huo Xinyuan, and Huang Xiaochuan's two children Huang Zeji (Xiaodong) and Huang Ruiying (Xiaoduo), a total of seven or eight children of all ages, could practically form a class.

Huang Zeji remained quiet, often engrossed in his own world with a book in hand; Huang Ruiying was still as energetic as ever, pestering Huang Xiaochuan to go to Disneyland to see Mickey Mouse and Ocean Park to see dolphins; Tang Ruixuan, being a little older, sensibly helped take care of her younger cousins; Yu Chengping and Yue Xiaoyong, these two cousins, although one grew up in Qingjiang and the other in Shanghai, quickly became friends and were full of curiosity about everything in Hong Kong.

Huang Zemian led his younger siblings to explore the various novel facilities in the mansion. Watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren play carefree and listening to their cheerful laughter, the smiles on the faces of the elders finally relaxed.

Yu Xiang lived the most fulfilling life. Her role as a director of Kangci Hospital gave her a new perspective. She was no longer just a doctor; she began to get involved in hospital management, strategic planning, and the operation of high-end medical services.

Huang Xiaochuan provided her with the most professional management team to assist her, but she still insisted on participating in ward rounds and consultations every week. Although her mainland medical license is invalid in Hong Kong and she cannot practice medicine directly, she still insisted on scheduling time every week to put on her white coat and follow doctors from various departments to conduct ward rounds and participate in consultations and discussions on difficult and complicated cases. She wanted to stay connected with the forefront of medical development. Although she now has the titles of the wife of the richest man and director of a medical group, she still maintains her original aspiration as a doctor.

Her actions have earned her the utmost respect from everyone at the hospital, partly due to her position as a board member and the immense influence of her husband, Huang Xiaochuan, and partly due to her professional competence, humble attitude, and passion for the medical profession.

Mr. Wang Deyi was placed in a quiet and elegant room by Huang Xiaochuan. Outside the window, there were lush green trees, birdsong, and fragrant flowers, which isolated him from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The old man had no interest in the so-called life of the wealthy or social engagements; his world consisted solely of scholarship. Huang Xiaochuan provided him with a top-notch ophthalmology team to ensure his reading was unimpeded, and he also had a private doctor who regularly checked on him.

His study was furnished comfortably and warmly according to his habits, filled with the latest economics and philosophy journals and books, and he had a patient and meticulous assistant who was dedicated to reading articles aloud to him, looking up information, and taking notes.

The old man's daily life was regular and simple: reading, listening to lectures, thinking, and occasionally taking a walk on the terrace. His greatest pleasures, besides immersing himself in the ocean of academia, were being pestered by his clever and studious grand-disciple Huang Zeji to discuss chess games and ask him questions, or being pulled along by the quirky little Duo to tell him all sorts of interesting stories.

The hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, the noise of the media, and the rankings of wealth are like noise from another world to him, unable to disturb his inner peace and focus. For him, watching his outstanding students reach the pinnacle of academic achievement and enjoying this tranquility and family bliss in his later years is the greatest satisfaction.