Chapter 2: Two Aunties-in-Law

While Hu Juncai was still marveling at the television in the room, Kang Jianfei had already struck up an easy conversation with this aunt.

The aunt's name was Zhou Mingfang. She was almost forty, full-bodied and well-shaped, and with a neat, pleasant face she had the lingering charm of a mature woman.

"Aunt, when is Uncle coming back?" Kang Jianfei asked from the sofa.

Zhou Mingfang was peeling apples for the two of them as she said, "Hard to say. He might be back this afternoon, or he might not get in until midnight."

Kang Jianfei asked in surprise, "What does Uncle do for work?"

Zhou Mingfang smiled. "He handles lighting at the TV station."

Hu Juncai took his eyes off the television in the living room and said in amazement, "Hong Kong really is different. They even have someone specially in charge of turning the lights on and off?"

Zhou Mingfang explained, "He's a lighting technician. The kind who sets up the lights when they're shooting TV dramas."

"Oh, so Cousin Uncle is a lighting guy," Kang Jianfei said with a grin.

Zhou Mingfang liked Kang Jianfei very much. She shot him an approving look and said, "So Afei knows about this too. But your uncle isn't really some big-shot lighting man. Back when he was at Jade TV, he was still getting by all right. After Jia Shi shut down last year and he moved over to TVB, he could only work as an assistant to other lighting techs, and he doesn't make much money either... Why am I complaining about this to you? Come on, come on, eat the apples!"

Hu Juncai snatched the peeled apple slices and shoved them into his mouth, chewing greedily. "Hong Kong apples really do smell better."

Kang Jianfei laughed. "Of course. Otherwise they wouldn't be called Hong Kong apples, they'd be called stinking apples."

While the two of them joked around, a baby's wailing suddenly came from the inner room. Zhou Mingfang hurried inside and soon came back out holding a child, muttering, "Oh dear, how did you pee your pants again!"

Kang Jianfei's mother had gotten along very well with this uncle, but after his mother died, the cousin in Hong Kong had rarely kept in touch with them.

When Kang Jianfei saw the baby, he said in surprise, "Isn't my cousin brother already in his teens? So Uncle has another child now?"

Zhou Mingfang was changing the baby's diaper as she smiled and said, "He's only a few months old, not even a year yet."

Just then, they heard the sound of keys unlocking the door outside.

Kang Jianfei thought his uncle was home, but when the door opened, it turned out to be a woman in her forties. He turned and asked, "Aunt, who is this lady?"

Zhou Mingfang said a little awkwardly, "She's your other aunt."

Hu Juncai blurted out, "Afei, so you really have two uncles in Hong Kong."

Kang Jianfei was speechless. He was certain he only had one uncle in Hong Kong. As for why there were two aunts, there was only one explanation: the uncle he had never met had married two women.

......

Before he transmigrated, Kang Jianfei had never married. Because of the way he had grown up, he had an inexplicable fear of marriage and family.

But he had been with plenty of women, especially after making a name for himself at that large state-owned film and television company. It was very easy to hook up with the young women who had only just entered the business.

When it came to romance, Kang Jianfei had something of a self-destructive streak, and his private life was a complete mess. At times, he even kept ambiguous relationships going with several women at once.

But those women were either after his money or hoping to borrow his rise to make a name for themselves; otherwise they would never have been willing to "share one man."

Because of that, the unseen uncle gave Kang Jianfei a feeling of almost worshipful admiration.

The uncle's family lived in public housing. On paper it was a two-bedroom, one-living-room, one-bathroom unit, but the place was astonishingly small, looking to be only about thirty square meters at most.

On top of that, the sofa, refrigerator, and beds in the rooms were all new, so Kang Jianfei was certain they had moved in here no more than half a year ago.

Taking the baby into account, their previous place had probably been even worse, which was why they had changed homes after another child was added to the family. In other words, the uncle's financial situation was clearly far from comfortable.

And yet, in those terrible conditions, two women had still willingly married him and given birth to several children. That uncle really did have some skill!

What made it most enviable was that both wives were legal ones. Hong Kong had only abolished polygamy less than ten years ago.

The other aunt was named Liang Ying. Unlike Zhou Mingfang's plump warmth, Liang Ying was small and thin. She was not ugly, but her pointed chin and thin lips gave her a sharp, mean look.

Liang Ying came back carrying the groceries she had just bought. After she learned from Zhou Mingfang that Kang Jianfei and Hu Juncai had come from the mainland, her expression immediately darkened.

Without even bothering to greet them, she carried the groceries into the kitchen and muttered, "A 300-square-foot place already has six people living in it and that's still not cramped enough? Now two more beggars show up at the door."

Hu Juncai's face changed when he heard that. He had only planned to stay for a couple of days before heading to Lantau Island to look for his cousin, but he hadn't expected to be treated like a beggar the moment he arrived.

Seeing the awkward mood, Zhou Mingfang quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "A Ying speaks her mind. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Don't take some of her words to heart."

The smile on Kang Jianfei's face never faded, as if he hadn't heard a thing just now. "Why would I take it to heart? Uncle is such a good man, so his whole family must be kind too. I like straightforward people like Aunt Liang the most. People like that never scheme behind your back."

Liang Ying dumped the groceries on the kitchen counter and muttered, "What's the use of being kind? Kind people can only live in public housing. Only people with black hearts can live in luxury houses. Your uncle is too kind for his own good, which is why life keeps getting worse and worse for him. He saved money for more than ten years and still couldn't even buy a house!"

With that, Liang Ying turned and went back out, calling over her shoulder to Zhou Mingfang without looking back, "I'm going to buy some more meat. A-Fang, call that deadbeat and tell him if he's not coming home for dinner tonight, he doesn't need to come back at all!"

Kang Jianfei had only been speaking politely a moment ago, but now he felt that this aunt was actually rather adorable.

Her words were so sharp, yet in the blink of an eye she ran out to buy meat and make something good for them to welcome them properly. Just as Zhou Mingfang had said, Liang Ying really was the kind of woman with a knife in her mouth and tofu in her heart.

By evening, their uncle Wu Chenggang still hadn't shown up, but the two younger cousins were back from class first.

The cousin brother, Wu Ruiqing, was a thin, bookish young man with thick-framed glasses. He didn't even ask questions when he saw two strangers in the house, just hugged a wuxia novel and went straight into the bedroom.

If he had been born thirty years later, the guy would have been a total shut-in.

The cousin sister, Wu Ruixue, had inherited her mother Zhou Mingfang's good genes. She was delicate and pretty, her round cheeks still carrying a little baby fat, making her look extremely cute.

After seeing the two of them, she looked them over curiously more than once, but a little timidly sat off to one side and didn't dare speak to them.

Liang Ying cooked a big table full of good dishes to welcome Kang Jianfei and Hu Juncai, but unfortunately their uncle still hadn't come home, so they had no choice but to start eating first. Only after they had finished did Uncle Wu Chenggang finally come back in the dark.

Wu Chenggang was already forty-four. He had escaped to Hong Kong during the years of hardship three years earlier, and even at his age he was still somewhat handsome, with a steady, composed air about him. No wonder he had the charm to win two wives.

Wu Chenggang came in carrying a briefcase, and the moment he stepped through the door he explained to Kang Jianfei, "The crew's shooting schedule is too tight. I really couldn't get away."

Hu Juncai tactfully helped him off the hook. "Work comes first, work comes first!"

"You're patriotic. I even saw a photo of you when you were little," Wu Chenggang said, recognizing Kang Jianfei at a glance. "You've grown up so fast. How old are you now?"

Kang Jianfei said, "I just turned eighteen. Oh, right, Uncle, I've changed my name now. I'm called Kang Jianfei."

"Mm, a name should be changed," Wu Chenggang said, then pointed at Hu Juncai. "And this young brother is...?"

Kang Jianfei introduced him. "He's Hu Juncai from our village. He's also come to Hong Kong to look for relatives. His cousin is fishing over on Lantau Island, and he even married the daughter of a fish boss."

Wu Chenggang patted Hu Juncai on the shoulder encouragingly. "Fishing is hard work, but if luck is on your side, you can earn quite a bit. Work hard, young man!"

......

It was already very late. As for helping Kang Jianfei find work, Uncle Wu Chenggang didn't bring it up for the moment. He only said that since they had just arrived in Hong Kong, they should spend the next few days walking around and looking at the place, and maybe buy a few sets of clothes to change into.

Wu Chenggang had been exhausted from a full day of work, and after chatting with them for a while, he went off to sleep.

Hu Juncai had been drawn in by the television program and crouched in front of the set without moving. In the end, Kang Jianfei had to shut the TV off by force, worried that staying up too late watching it would disturb the rest of the uncle's family.

The public housing flat was tiny, which made sleeping a bit of a problem.

The master bedroom was slightly larger. It held the uncle, the two aunts, and the little cousin who was only a few months old. The other bedroom had a bunk bed, which was the room for Wu Ruiqing and Wu Ruixue.

As for Kang Jianfei and Hu Juncai, they had no choice but to sleep in the living room.

Hu Juncai curled up on the short sofa, while Kang Jianfei folded away the dining table in the living room and laid out a bedding pallet on the floor.

Although Uncle Wu Chenggang was very warm toward him, Kang Jianfei still hated the feeling of living under someone else's roof.

In the darkness, Hu Juncai whispered to Kang Jianfei, "Afei, I think you should hurry up and find a job, make some money, and move out. Your little aunt over there isn't easy to deal with. If you stay here too long, everyone's face will end up looking bad."

Kang Jianfei was also thinking about how to make money. Before he transmigrated, he had spent years drifting from place to place, and more than once had nearly starved or worked himself sick, so he was terrified of poverty.

But he couldn't be bothered to say much to Hu Juncai, so he lowered his voice and said, "Go to sleep. I know what I'm doing."