The worries about the domestic political environment and the government's inconsistent attitude towards those who became rich first left Zhongshi with no confidence at all. Most importantly, all his wealth was accumulated under his father's name. If the government decided to take action against him, the first to be targeted would not be him, a mere child, but his father, who was completely unaware of everything.
Now that the situation was already a fait accompli, it was too late to regret. The only thing they could do was to keep the news as secret as possible, at least until 1992, the year when a heavyweight political figure put an end to the economic route dispute.
In his previous life, although Zhongshi had lived abroad and in Hong Kong for many years, he still had some understanding of the major events happening in the country. In China, the tentacles of politics had already penetrated every corner of social life, and post-handover Hong Kong was also influenced by the mainland to some extent, with people's enthusiasm for politics clearly higher than during the British colonial period.
The father and son in the guest room fell into a moment of silence. Zhong Jianjun, obviously, would not be fooled by Zhongshi's few light-hearted words of comfort. He had no interest in watching the TV show "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," frowning for a long time before angrily pounding the bedside table: "What kind of world is this, where even making a little money makes you live in fear! It's not as if we stole or robbed!"
"Father, are we being a bit too worried? Besides, not many people know about this matter now!"
Zhongshi widened his eyes, putting on an innocent look. In his heart, he was equally puzzled by the current economic policies. In this era, being able to make money had also become a burden.
The father and son discussed in low voices for a long time, deciding not to publicize the matter and to attribute all changes to Liao Chengde. No matter how powerful the domestic public security authorities were, they couldn't possibly cross the border to arrest people in Hong Kong!
By the time they had agreed on a plan, it was already late at night. Zhong Jianjun and Zhongshi, with their minds full of thoughts, fell into a deep sleep.
The next day, at the reception desk of the largest China Travel Service in Nandu, the receptionist looked at the father and son in front of her, her face showing a formal smile, but in her heart, she was somewhat dismissive.
These days, not many people went to Hong Kong for tourism, but it wasn't nonexistent, especially since Nandu was one of the top ten major cities in China. However, going to Hong Kong required a lot of complicated procedures and a limited number of slots. If there were many applicants, they would have to wait in line, and some might wait for over a year without getting approval.
In addition to these, there were also visa and entry inspections. Even if you got a passport, it was hard to get a visa, but a tourist visa was relatively easier.
The father and son, dressed in a rustic manner, held letters from their Hong Kong relatives and foreign exchange vouchers, wanting to join a tour group to Hong Kong this year. From the materials in their hands, it was clear they were well-prepared, and it seemed these country bumpkins knew quite a bit. But what good was it if they couldn't pass the visa stage?
"Leave the copies of your documents here, and I'll notify you if there's any news!"
The female receptionist closed her Qiong Yao novel and said expressionlessly. For such a situation, she didn't see it often, but she could imagine the expression of the visa officer.
"Are you worried about the visa?"
The well-groomed little boy, with his black eyes twinkling, said exactly what the receptionist was thinking.
"Little boy, do you know about visas and passports?"
The receptionist was taken aback, not believing what she had heard. When she realized it, she couldn't help but ask with surprise and joy. If this child could be so clever in front of the visa officer, the chances of getting through would be much higher.
In this era, visa applications were not handled by travel agencies but by the agencies bringing the guests to the visa officers. Only those who passed the visa could join the tour group, and the rest could only be politely turned away!
"Auntie, is this it?"
Zhongshi took out a small green book from his chest, which was Zhong Jianjun's passport. The female receptionist took the passport and opened it, seeing a large "PASS" clearly marked.
"..."
The female receptionist was taken aback. She carefully examined it again and again, confirming it was a genuine passport, with the signature of a familiar visa officer. She couldn't help but believe it!
For the travel agency, visa officers were the most troublesome, especially those responsible for the Hong Kong route, who deeply detested the stiff and harsh British. The travel agency staff privately described the visa officers as "stuck in the past" and "inflexible." Thanks to these arrogant and rigid British, the travel agency's Hong Kong route could only be described as bleak.
The half-farmer-dressed man in front of her had somehow obtained a visa without her knowing, which couldn't help but surprise the receptionist.
In fact, Zhongshi had just chatted with the visa officer in English for a while, then in Cantonese, and finally showed the deposit certificate from HSBC to the visa officer, who was already smiling. The visa officer then happily stamped "PASS" on the passport.
"Please wait a moment, I'll check if there's a tour group to Hong Kong in September!"
The receptionist became noticeably more enthusiastic, even bringing two steaming cups of hot water to Zhongshi and his father, with a few tea leaves floating in the glass.
For guests who could handle their own visas, the travel agency was undoubtedly very welcoming. This meant the agency didn't have to spend time and effort on the visa officers and could still receive a large fee.
"Mr. Zhong, there's a Hong Kong-Macau tour group in September, but the duration might be a bit long..."
After waiting for about ten minutes, the receptionist came out of the room with a pile of documents and said apologetically to the waiting Zhong family.
"The longer the better, I like to stay longer!"
Zhong Jianjun glanced at Zhongshi, who nodded slightly, and he felt relieved.
For Zhong Jianjun, who was going abroad for the first time, the visa process was completely in the dark. He only saw Zhongshi and the blue-eyed foreigner chatting away, and the foreigner then stamped the passport. He was curious about why Zhongshi could speak a foreign language, but thinking of his college-educated cousin, he assumed Zhong Yi had taught Zhongshi English without their knowledge.
However, the truth was that Zhong Yi's spoken English was partly taught by Zhongshi!
"This tour group will last about a month, allowing you to visit both Hong Kong and Macau, but the cost..."
The receptionist explained patiently. In this era, most people going to Hong Kong and Macau were visiting relatives, so the travel agency would arrange a longer stay. In her view, if the father and son could get a British visa, getting a Portuguese visa wouldn't be a big problem.
In this era, Macau's casinos were already famous and had a great appeal to the emerging rich in China. The travel agency had also opened a route to Macau for those going to Hong Kong. In fact, one could stay in Hong Kong for a whole month, and not going to Macau was also an option.
"There's one thing, we want to stay in Hong Kong for a month. Is that possible?"
Zhongshi suddenly spoke up. He was well aware of the travel agency's tactics and was naturally interested in the Macau casinos, but he knew his simple and honest father would only lose a lot of money. As for himself, being a child, he couldn't even get into the casinos, let alone play.
"This... I need to consult with my superiors..."
The receptionist's face showed a difficult expression. She was only responsible for reception and was not aware of the details. She naively thought that the set route couldn't be changed.
Seeing that Mr. Zhong had no objections, the receptionist clicked her high heels and went into the inner room. In this era, high heels were still a very fashionable shoe, and only in departments dealing with foreigners would some women dare to wear them.
After another ten minutes, a middle-aged man in a suit and tie came out, his face full of a professional smile. Before reaching Zhong Jianjun, he extended his hand and slightly bent his waist, warmly saying, "Mr. Zhong, I am Luo Zhiqiang, the deputy manager of China Travel Service in Nandu. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Manager Luo, hello!" Zhong Jianjun nervously shook Luo Zhiqiang's hand, not knowing what to say.
"Actually, we plan to visit relatives in Hong Kong and do not intend to go to Macau. Is that possible?"
Seeing his father too nervous to speak, Zhongshi spoke up for him. In fact, everything was part of Zhongshi's plan, and Zhong Jianjun was just a cover.
From the moment he came out and shook hands, Luo Zhiqiang had a rough idea of the plain-dressed middle-aged man in front of him. He thought a few words would scare him off, but now the one speaking was the child sitting calmly beside him, which surprised him. He had misjudged the situation!
It seemed necessary to adjust his strategy. Luo Zhiqiang touched his smooth chin, thinking for a while before saying with a difficult expression, "Actually, it's not impossible, but the cost might be a bit higher..."
In fact, there were always tourists in each tour group who didn't want to go to Macau, and the travel agency wouldn't charge extra. They had two different plans. However, seeing the plain-dressed father and son, Luo Zhiqiang assumed they were inexperienced nouveau riche and put on a show.
"Is that so? I wonder how your company arranges for tourists who don't get a Portuguese visa in Hong Kong?"
His words clearly didn't fool Zhongshi. Zhongshi rolled his eyes and pointed out the key issue. Because Portugal had few consulates in China, the easiest time to get a visa was in Hong Kong. For those who wanted to go to Macau but were refused, the travel agency usually arranged for them to go to gambling ships on the high seas or continue sightseeing in Hong Kong.
"I wonder which relative you are visiting in Hong Kong..."
Luo Zhiqiang's eyes twinkled, casually changing the subject.
"Liao Chengde, have you heard of him?" When Zhongshi said this, he was also curious. He had heard Liao Chengde boast about his fame in Nandu, Lihai, and Hanzhou, but Zhongshi had always dismissed it.
"What? Mr. Liao from Hong Kong? So you are his relatives, I apologize! I apologize!"
Luo Zhiqiang's expression changed, becoming abnormally respectful.