novelden Chapter 31 Expenses in Hong Kong
Chapter 31 Expenses in Hong Kong
When Shen Wancheng converted all her RMB into HKD, she deposited HKD 17,000 in her bank account and kept HKD 3815 on her person.
I spent HKD 80,000 on stocks today, and I still have HKD 17,000 left in my bank account.
As for the HK$3815 he had, he didn't have much left.
In order to get the documents for Shen Mei, Guo Tao gave her HK$2000 and lent her HK$500 for daily expenses. They went to the supermarket twice to buy the documents, spending HK$300 each time, for a total of HK$650.
The major expense here was HK$3150, leaving me with only HK$700.
The night they won money betting on horse racing, Shen Wancheng and her three friends spent about HK$150 on food at the night market, and the next day they spent nearly HK$260 on dim sum from a pushcart.
In addition, we spent nearly HK$100 eating out these past few days. Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao were responsible for buying groceries every day, which was also an expense of more than HK$100.
Then Shen Wancheng bought magazines a few times, usually about 10 copies each time, which cost several tens of Hong Kong dollars.
They usually travel by bus, which is quite cheap, only HK$2 per person per trip.
The starting fare for taxis on Hong Kong Island is not uniform, but is generally HK$5. The starting fare for taxis in urban areas and the New Territories is HK$6, with the meter increasing by HK$0.4 for every 200 meters or one minute of waiting.
Shen Wancheng and her friends only took a taxi twice: once to rescue Shen Mei, and once from the racecourse back to their rented apartment. In total, it cost them thirty or forty Hong Kong dollars.
These expenses added up to approximately HKD 3800.
Before buying the pager, Shen Wancheng had less than 50 Hong Kong dollars left, so she went to the bank to withdraw 2000 Hong Kong dollars. She originally planned to buy a pager for 1000 Hong Kong dollars, but ended up spending 1400 Hong Kong dollars, leaving her with only 600 Hong Kong dollars.
Before returning to her rented apartment, Shen Wancheng went to buy groceries again, spending another 50 Hong Kong dollars.
Shen Wancheng couldn't help but sigh once again at the high cost of living in Hong Kong. They had only been in Hong Kong for half a month, and apart from the HK$2500 spent on Shen Mei, Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao had already spent about HK$2800 on living expenses.
In addition to the rent of one month's rent as deposit and one month's rent in advance, and the agency fee of HKD 3500, the total cost was HKD 6300.
If it weren't for the HK$100,000 prize money from the horse racing bet, Shen Wancheng would have had less than HK$10,000 left.
Now, most of the prize money from horse racing has been used to buy stocks. Seeing the HK$15,000 balance in her bank account and the HK$500 or so in cash on her person, Shen Wancheng felt the urgency to make money again.
Shen Wancheng plans to go to the horse farm with Shen Yao tomorrow to finalize Shen Yao's job first, and then she will decide what to do herself.
Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao returned to their rented apartment. They were still catching their breath at the door when they smelled a rich fragrance.
Shen Yao was the first to push open the door.
"Shen Mei, it smells so good! Are you cooking?"
Shen Mei peeked out from the kitchen, a spoon in her hand.
"You guys are back early too? I'm making pork rib soup."
Shen Wancheng followed Shen Yao into the house and asked Shen Mei with a smile.
"Found a job?"
Shen Mei smiled shyly and nodded.
"Yeah, Tao helped me find this job. I talked to the boss and came back early, so I went to the supermarket to buy groceries."
Shen Yao went into the kitchen to taste the pork rib soup, and Shen Wancheng followed her in.
"It's so fresh! Shen Mei, you have such a talent for cooking."
They were all members of the Shen family and knew everything about her family back home. Even if Shen Mei could cook, she could only stir-fry vegetables at home and had seen her family make braised pork.
As for spare ribs, they never appeared in the Shen family's soup. During festivals, they would make bone broth or chicken soup.
But Shen Mei's winter melon and pork rib soup was really great. It was fresh and sweet, with the refreshing taste of winter melon, and there was no meaty smell at all.
"This is my first time making it, and I was worried you wouldn't like it."
"That's why I say you have talent. You've already reached the level of opening a shop on your first try."
Shen Wancheng saw a plucked and cleaned chicken in the kitchen and asked Shen Mei about it.
"You can also make poached chicken?"
Shen Mei glanced at Shen Wancheng in surprise, then looked a little embarrassed.
"Sister Wancheng also knows about poached chicken? I thought it was a relatively new way of cooking. I learned it from the chef today."
Although poached chicken is a famous Cantonese dish, it would never appear on the dinner table of a rural family like the Shen family.
Shen Yao answered for Shen Wancheng, "Sister knows, we ate in Yue City."
During the week that Shen Wancheng and Shen Yao stayed in Yue City, they didn't deprive themselves of anything and even ate poached chicken at a restaurant.
Shen Wancheng then asked, "Is the job you found in a restaurant?"
"No, it's just at a food stall. As a kitchen helper, I earn HK$1,800 a month, and there's a raise depending on the situation after three months."
Shen Wancheng nodded. The salary was quite good; the starting salary of 1,800 was already higher than the average salary in Hong Kong.
But street food stalls aren't so great for girls.
Shen Wancheng then asked, "What time do you get off work tonight?"
One o'clock in the morning.
Shen Yao and Shen Wancheng frowned simultaneously, "So late?"
Shen Wancheng also asked, "Do you take a taxi back every night?"
There are no buses running at 1 a.m.
"Yes, a taxi would cost 9 Hong Kong dollars."
"So your commute costs 300 yuan a month. Is there any subsidy?"
What kind of subsidy?
Shen Wancheng touched her nose. How could she forget that this was the 80s? Perhaps the laborers, like cattle and horses, didn't yet have the awareness to fight for their rights, and there were no meal allowances, travel subsidies, or the like.
"It's nothing, after deducting travel expenses, my monthly salary is 1,500, which is not bad."
"Well, I mainly feel that being a kitchen helper allows me to learn cooking skills for free."
Shen Yao patted Shen Mei on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, Shen Mei, you have a long-term vision."
"I'll cook more dishes in the future and cook them for you. As long as you don't mind."
"This is absolutely wonderful! How could I possibly dislike it? I love you so much."
Shen Yao provided so much emotional value that Shen Wancheng didn't repeat her words, but instead said...
"One o'clock in the morning is really too late. From now on, we'll pick you up from get off work downstairs in the evenings."
Shen Mei was deeply moved.
"Thank you, sisters."
Shen Yao put her arm around Shen Mei's shoulder, "We're all sisters, no need to be so polite. From now on, I'll come downstairs to wait for you every night at one o'clock. My sister doesn't need to come down, since I'm the only one out of the three of us who can fight."
Shen Wancheng rolled her eyes with a smile, "Yes, yes, you're so capable."
"I know I'm capable, but sis, don't try to flirt with me."
Who was flirting?
"You? If you don't believe me, ask Shen Mei. Didn't I just wink at her?"
"Yes, my heart is pounding."
Shen Wancheng was speechless. "Fine, Shen Mei, you're teasing me too."
"Shen Mei is just telling the truth, sister, you're getting prettier every day lately."
Shen Wancheng was stunned for a moment. Was she getting more and more beautiful every day?
Shen Wancheng originally thought that they were just barely making ends meet and didn't have the means to buy cosmetics or care about their appearance.
So when she went to the supermarket before, she didn't even buy facial cleansing products like face wash.
There were no mirrors in their rented room, and Shen Wancheng didn't even notice that.
Knowing that Guo Tao wanted them to enter the entertainment industry, Shen Wancheng thought that Shen Mei and Shen Yao both had regular features and were quite good-looking.
Then I thought that since I'm eating well now, my complexion should have improved.
But judging from Shen Yao and the others' tone, she seemed to have changed a lot in appearance.
What girl wouldn't be happy to be complimented on her looks?
Shen Wancheng was quite happy.