A Blended Family in 1990s Hong Kong

Blended family + building wealth + everyday life raising kids

In 1991, Zhong Manhua brings her two young daughters to Hong Kong to join her husband, only to discover that he has found himself a second woman there, a sex worker. He curses her as a mainland bumpkin who is too low-class to show in public, then throws the three of them out.

That same year, Luo Chen's wife runs off with a gangster, leaving behind their two five-year-old sons.

Newly divorced and raising two daughters, Zhong Manhua goes on a blind date with Luo Chen, who is also divorced and raising two sons.

Zhong Manhua: My ex-husband got tired of me and found someone new.

Luo Chen: My ex-wife ran off with another man.

Zhong Manhua: I'm divorced and have two daughters.

Luo Chen: I'm divorced and have two sons.

Zhong Manhua: I need a Hong Kong household registration.

Luo Chen: I need a woman to help me look after the kids.

Zhong Manhua: Then how about we make do with each other?

Luo Chen: Then let's make do with each other.

Zhong Manhua and Luo Chen register their marriage, and everyone has something to say.

"The first couple walk shoulder to shoulder, but a second marriage means each looks after themselves."

"He had a perfectly good life, then married a mainland girl. Let's see how long they last."

As the days pass, not only do they stay married, their lives get better and better.

In the early 1990s, Hong Kong's economy is developing at breakneck speed.

Starting with a little stall in Mong Kok, they move on to a restaurant, then build their own brand, go public, and become a household name.

Zhong Manhua says that although she went through some hardships in the first half of her life, the second half is sweeter than living in a jar of honey.

Theme: Work hard to make money