Creatures Who Forget Their Roots

"......" The moment the question was posed, everyone on stage looked at one another, at a loss for how to answer. The experienced official escort immediately picked up a microphone and smiled. "Hong Kong's prosperity is evident to all. Developing so rapidly to this level over the past twenty years has everything to do with the hard work and struggle of the people of Hong Kong. Today, ties between the two regions are growing stronger by the day, and we hope to see even closer cooperation in trade and economics." The reporter in the audience did not buy it and pressed on. "Then what do you think is the reason behind Hong Kong's present success?" "As I just said, it stems from the struggle and diligence of the Hong Kong people." "And besides that?" "Naturally, there are shifts in the international environment, trade liberalization, and Hong Kong's own industrial base, which enabled it to strengthen export trade." "Don't you think there are systemic, institutional factors as well?" The official's brows furrowed. Having frequently traveled abroad, he knew reporters outside the mainland loved to poke at political topics—political turmoil, systems of governance, and the like. Under such circumstances, officials typically resorted to politically correct platitudes or cut the questioning short. However, they were not the organizers and could not overstep their authority, so he signaled Fu Chi with his eyes. Fu Chi was experienced as well and was just about to speak when a voice suddenly cut in. "Hong Kong really is bustling. It's truly opened my eyes..." Huh? Fu Chi turned his head, only to see that Chen Qi had picked up a microphone at some point, unhurriedly continuing, "Yesterday, after checking into our hotel, I went out for a stroll in the evening to grab a bite. I randomly wandered into a small eatery, saw a bowl of noodles priced at ten dollars, and got frightened right back out the door. "Back on the mainland, a bowl of plain noodles costs eight fen, or twenty fen with meat and vegetables added. I really wanted to try that bowl of... what was it called again? Ah, offal noodles! "Unfortunately, my pockets were too light; I couldn't afford it. "I just thought to myself, Hong Kong's material wealth is indeed rich and varied—far superior to ours." *Why does this sound so strange?!* It took the reporter a second to catch on. *Is this mainlander being sarcastic?* He immediately fired back, "The average monthly income for a Hong Kong household is already three thousand dollars. I hear you folks only make a few dozen yuan a month?" "That's right, that's right. Our incomes are low and we have a lot of kids. Some families rely entirely on the father's lone income to feed five mouths—it really isn't easy. "Fortunately, our cost of living is quite low. A fried dough stick costs four fen and weighs half a liang; a stewing hen is one yuan thirty fen a jin; Chinese mitten crabs are seventy fen a jin. Going to the doctor and sending kids to school doesn't cost much either. Our housing, though, is a bit rough... Ah, that reminds me!" Chen Qi leaned forward and asked the reporter below, "I hear property prices here run about a thousand dollars per square foot. A four-hundred-square-foot flat costs three hundred thousand dollars. Going by the income level you just mentioned, let me do the math... Good heavens, you'd have to go eight or nine years without eating or drinking just to buy an apartment! "Our living conditions are worse, of course—simple and crude, with several people squeezed into one room. Luckily, we don't have to buy them; our work units assign housing to us, and we only pay a little rent. Take my parents' apartment—it's over two hundred square feet, and they pay two yuan fifty fen a month. "You don't look very old. When do you plan on buying a flat?" *Pfft!* The people on stage bowed their heads in unison, clamping their hands over their mouths to stifle their laughter. Fu Chi had no such reservations and laughed out loud. The reporter's face flushed red and white by turns. As the saying goes, the truth hurts most! He truly could not afford an apartment. On the surface, he held a respectable job as a reporter, but in reality, a huge chunk of his paycheck went straight to paying exorbitant rent. He had completely forgotten that he started out asking about political systems. In a setting like this, there was no obligation to answer their questions directly. Never dance to the other party's tune—just hit them right where it hurts. Seeing this, the other tabloid reporters felt the mainlander was behaving far too arrogantly, instantly uniting against a common enemy. A female reporter piped up, "Prices and living costs mean nothing. That is simply the inevitable result of an economy reaching a certain level of prosperity. What we also possess is a matching modern civilization and legal system." "I don't believe a place that only repealed the Great Qing Legal Code in the 1970s has any right to boast about modern civilization. You only banned taking concubines nine years ago! Seeing as you're a woman yourself, rather than empathizing with the disadvantaged, you're standing there preening with pride. I really wonder what's going on inside that head of yours." For a moment, he was taking on the whole pack single-handedly! After several sharp exchanges, an older reporter stepped forward. Bearing an air of senior experience, he said calmly, "Mr. Chen's eloquence is astonishing, and I admire it. But no matter how flowery your speech, you cannot evade reality. "Hong Kong's achievements today are the collective outcome of the hard work of all Hong Kong citizens, government support, open international trade, and many other factors. Our economic prosperity, upwardly mobile society, and advanced institutions are objective facts." "......" Chen Qi paused for several seconds before speaking again. "I hear Hong Kong suffers from a severe shortage of fresh water. In the 1960s, a once-in-a-century drought struck, and the British Hong Kong government rationed your water supply to once every four days, for four hours at a time. Three and a half million residents were plunged into dire straits, fighting in the streets every day over water. "It was your Chinese General Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Federation of Trade Unions that jointly petitioned the mainland for aid. Under circumstances where we ourselves faced immense difficulties, we allocated thirty-eight million yuan to construct the Dongjiang–Shenzhen Water Supply Project, channeling water from the Dong River for you to drink. "An army of ten thousand laborers was assembled back then, shouldering the load and carrying materials by hand, overcoming every hardship to get the water flowing within a single year..." "We bought that water with our own money! We pay water fees!" the other man interrupted. "Oh? We didn't even have clean water to drink ourselves. We were facing shortages of our own, yet we made sure your supply was guaranteed. Why didn't you spend your money buying water from Britain? "And another thing—over in Shenzhen, there's Wenjindu, established specifically to supply Hong Kong with fresh agricultural produce. For decades, farmers pushed handcarts and carried shoulder poles to deliver live chickens and ducks right to your doorstep. Why don't you ever report on that? "For that matter, would you dare publish today's conversation in your newspapers?" Chen Qi leaned back and crossed his legs. "Reporter, I don't know who you are, but there's an old Chinese saying: 'To eat the food from the bowl, only to put it down and curse the mother who fed you'... That describes creatures exactly like you!" *Step, step, step!* Stunned by the tongue-lashing, the older reporter staggered back several steps, clutching his chest. His face turned beet red—he probably had a heart condition and was so furious he seemed on the verge of an episode. He pointed at the stage, wanting to strike back, but could not utter a single word. The other reporters looked pale as ash, routed in minutes. Every word Chen Qi spoke drew blood, piercing straight into their sore spots. Did they dare publish today's exchange? Absolutely not! Just like the Dongjiang–Shenzhen Water Supply Project, which supplied seventy to eighty percent of Hong Kong's water—how many times had the media ever covered it? First, the British Hong Kong government banned coverage of such topics. Second, people took it for granted, feeling that since they paid, the mainland owed it to them. "*Fa hei din aa!*" On stage, Xiong Xinxin was trembling all over with excitement, blurting out a curse in his Guangxi dialect. Ji Chunhua looked at Brother Qi with even deeper admiration. Li Lianjie, Yu Hai, and the others harbored far more complex emotions. Having frequently performed abroad, they had always been cautious and timid, carrying an innate sense of inferiority and living in constant fear of leaving a poor impression on foreign friends. Thus, they were profoundly shocked by Chen Qi's blistering tirade, yet an extraordinary feeling welled up from deep within their hearts: *Damn, that felt good!* Who was stupid enough not to see that the Hong Kong press was deliberately picking fights and looking down on mainlanders? This was exactly how they deserved to be scolded! Gong Xue stared unblinkingly at Chen Qi's side profile, suddenly feeling a surge of pride. This cheeky younger brother was usually so irreverent, yet he possessed tremendous backbone—and when it showed, he looked every bit a true man. "Hahaha!" Fu Chi nearly clapped his hands in delight. *There is a worthy successor, a worthy successor indeed!* Xu Dunle also chimed in, "This kid is remarkable. No wonder you think so highly of him!" However, catching sight of the official escort's flabbergasted expression, as if he had just seen a ghost, they decided to prioritize the event and stepped forward to smooth things over. "Fellow friends of the press, are there any more questions?" "......" The room went as silent as a graveyard. No one dared shout or provoke them anymore. A few reporters, unable to stomach such "humiliation," turned and left on the spot. But the majority stayed behind—after all, how could mere "dignity" compare to a scoop? "Alright, let us move on to the next segment!" "We have specially invited two masters from Hong Kong Island to exchange martial insights and engage in friendly sparring. Please welcome Master Liao and Master Luo!"