Hong Kong variety show: Beauty and Bones

Shanghai during the Republican era was a place brimming with charm and legend. Along the Huangpu River, skyscrapers stood tall, neon lights flashed, and traffic was bustling. The Bund's European-style architecture bore witness to the city's vicissitudes.

Shanghai at night is ablaze with lights and bustling with activity. In dance halls, melodious songs and graceful dancing fill the air; in casinos, the sounds of people buzz as gamblers indulge in the thrill and lust of life; in the streets and alleys, vendors hawk their wares, filling the air with the breath of life.

However, Shanghai is also a place full of danger and darkness. Gangs are rampant, fighting is constant, society is in turmoil, and people's lives are difficult.

In this city where prosperity and poverty, light and darkness are intertwined, everyone is struggling for their own survival and interests.

……

"Yinyin, are you back from school?" An old but kind voice came from the front.

The girl who returned home in the afterglow of the setting sun raised her head with a faint smile on her lips: "Yes, Grandma Li, I'm back." After that, she politely greeted the neighbors around her, with a youthful and energetic smile on her face.

Neighbors watched the girl leave and couldn't help but sigh, "This child, Yinyin, is getting prettier and prettier!"

"Yes, I'm a woman and I love watching it too." Another aunt echoed.

At this moment, someone couldn't help but say, "She's even prettier than her older sister." This statement caused a moment of silence, and everyone else fell silent. They sighed inwardly, thinking that being so outstanding might not be a good thing...

……

Yinyin gently pushed open the somewhat shabby door of her house and walked in cautiously.

This is a quiet and simple courtyard. Although it is not big, it is full of the warmth and atmosphere of home.

The Chen family of three lives in this small courtyard. Although the conditions are difficult, there is a special kind of warmth.

This small courtyard was originally the ancestral home of the Chen family, and it was connected with the two neighboring houses to form a large courtyard.

However, as the Chen family's life became difficult, they were forced to divide their home into three small courtyards with brick walls and then rent them out to others to supplement their household income.

Yinyin's family was small, so they lived in the smallest side courtyard.

The courtyard consisted of only two main rooms, a side room, and a simple kitchen and toilet built against the wall. Despite the simple, almost austere living conditions, Chen's father always believed in the importance of education and firmly supported his daughter's education.

He knew very well that there was no other man in the family who could take care of his wife and daughter, and that he was in poor health and didn't know how long he could stay with them.

Therefore, he hopes that his daughter Yinyin can learn knowledge and find a good job so that she can support herself and ensure her future life.

To this end, Chen's father divided the rent of the two houses into three parts.

The first is the living expenses of the family, the second is the tuition fees for my daughter Yinyin, and the third is the money for my wife to live on in the future.

"Dad, I'm back!" The first thing Yinyin did when she got home was to go into the main room where her parents were and report her whereabouts.

Father Chen's face was pale as he sat on a chair by the window. He raised the pocket watch in his hand and looked at the time carefully.

"You came back two minutes late today!" He looked at Yin Yin sternly.

Yinyin had long been accustomed to this and said calmly, "Dad, I greet the neighbors every day."

"Also, I've told you before, Dad, the school schedule you set for me is too strict. I sometimes walk a little slower, so a few minutes' difference is normal!"

Father Chen didn't listen to Yin Yin's explanation and said to himself, "Practice two more large calligraphy pieces today!"

Pouting...

Seeing this, Chen's mother was amused and sad, and hurried forward to smooth things over, "The food is ready, come out and eat!"

This is a scene that happens every day at home...

There was nothing to talk about with her old-fashioned and serious father, so Yinyin went to her room and put down her schoolbag.

After going to the kitchen to wash his hands, he helped Chen's mother serve the dishes and rice.

Soon, the simple meal was served.

Father Chen sat at the main seat. He picked up his chopsticks and said, "Eat!"

The mother and daughter picked up their chopsticks to eat...

Even after seeing each other for seventeen years, Yinyin still complains in her heart that the Chen family is feudal and old-fashioned.

A plate of stir-fried vegetables, a plate of pickled mustard greens, a plate of scrambled eggs, and three bowls of millet porridge.

Father Chen first put a lot of eggs in Yinyin's bowl, and the rest were for him and his wife.

Yinyin looked at the eggs in the bowl and sighed silently. This was the most nutritious dish on the table.

"Dad, you gave me too much. I can't finish it."

"Stop talking when you eat and sleep!"

Yinyin stopped talking and directly picked up a large piece of egg and gave it to Chen's father.

Then I buried my head in eating...

There was a hint of relief in Chen's father's eyes, but then he saw Yinyin's slightly rude look and began to frown again.

Are you so hungry today?

That’s right, Yinyin is still growing. I’ll ask Xiuying to buy some pastries and put them in Yinyin’s room.

"Mind your manners!"

"Dad, don't talk while eating and don't talk while sleeping!"

Mother Chen quickly picked up the bowl to hide her smile.

These two fathers and daughters clearly care about each other, but the things they do are so harsh that it makes people laugh and cry.

Yinyin took a few mouthfuls of rice. Seeing that her father looked unhappy, she didn't dare to make him angry, so she started eating in small bites.

Seeing this, Father Chen's brows relaxed.

Yinyin picked up eggs for her mother again...

Chen's mother works hard at home, eating little and doing a lot.

She takes care of her sick husband and her daughter who is studying, and manages everything at home.

Even so, in the eyes of others, you will still be criticized and there will be a lot of room for gossip.

Chen's mother married Chen's father at the age of sixteen and had no children for ten years.

Although Chen's father is a feudal male chauvinist, he is also a responsible man.

When his parents urged him to divorce his wife and remarry, he flatly refused, and solemnly declared that if he was destined to have no offspring, he would accept it.

Chen's elderly parents sighed and tried to find a way to get their daughter-in-law to see a doctor and take medicine.

Every doctor said that there was nothing wrong with Chen's mother's health, and perhaps it was just not her destiny yet.

The Chen family, who had already given up in despair, suddenly received good news: Chen's mother was pregnant!

After ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a lovely daughter as beautiful as snow white.

When the elders in the family saw it was a daughter, they were somewhat disappointed, but mostly delighted. First comes the blossoming, then the fruiting; good times are yet to come!

Four years later, my youngest daughter was born...

Fortunately, Chen's parents had passed away at this time, otherwise, he would have suffered a heart attack.

Until their death, they had the good wish that their son and daughter-in-law would bring their grandchildren to visit them in the future.

They will rest in peace in the afterlife!

Under such pressure and social environment, Chen's mother can only make herself work harder, do more, and do more, treating herself like a workhorse.

Fortunately, her husband and daughter at home both love her.

After finishing the meal in silence, Yinyin breathed a sigh of relief and was able to speak.

"Mom, let me help you." Seeing Chen's mother cleaning up, Yinyin hurried to help.

Father Chen returned to his bedroom silently. He was weak and could not sit for long periods of time, even in the wind.

Like a paper lantern, Chen's father laughed at himself, not knowing when it went out.

Leaving behind orphans and a widow, he cannot rest in peace even after his death, and cannot close his eyes!

After closing the bedroom door, Father Chen pounded his chest hard, hating his own weak body.

He felt a pain in his chest and an itch in his throat. He tried to endure it again and again, but when he couldn't bear it anymore, he took out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and coughed softly.

When I took away the handkerchief, I saw blood stains on it.