The First Time Return Home in the early 90s (2)
1, High Rank Cadres’ Ward
My elder brother Danjin arranged me a room at a gust house at his working unit. I stayed only one night there and the next day I moved to the Hunan Hotel, (the one that has elevate which my father took my brother but not me when we were a little once, that hurt my feeling) to keep my words that I would once stay the hotel as a guest. And I moved again to Hua-Tian Hotel, the newest hotel in the city as Meimei suggested.
In those couple of days, my mind was felt (stack) up with complicated emotions and thoughts. Therefore I locked myself in the hotel and seeing no one except Meimei for the excuses that I was too tired from jet lag and traveling. In addition if I did go out I might get lost in the street because of the enormous change in Changsha city which was completely different from my memory.
In the quiet two days, memory of my father was like move flash back repeatedly in my mind, that made it more and more clearly that the existence of my father was profoundly important to me; or put it in other words, to win the battle with him, is fatally important to me. If he were gone, to whom I could show off my success resulted from my very hard work and struggle? How boring that life would become! And now, finally the chance has come. If I could get my father into a High Rank Cadres’ Ward,(a special building in a hospital only for official rank higher than 15 cadres. My father was rank 16, one class lower, so he is called middle classed cadre) that would be a very good answer to what he used to call me “useless thing”, like a resounding slap on his face. At the same time to make him understand that the real “useless thing” is his party, the Chinese communist party that he used to believe he could rely upon. Yet only one man can rely upon, that is one of his sons, the most headache and the “one too many”, the most “useless thing” in the family. Now the son has become the most “useful thing” and regarded highly by the whole family. The battle between father and son, would, of course, concluded with the father’s failure and the son’s victory.
The plan sounds wonderful; however the problem remains how to find a back-door (“to open a back door” was a very popular expression by the time in China, meaning to use personal relations to break rules and get curtain privilege.) leading to a High Rank Cadres’ Ward, and to get my father in?
The reality was I did not really know anyone who is in power, in fact with my not very sociable personality, I even did not have many friends, plus I had been away from my city living abroad for more than 20 years, how could I suddenly find someone to “open a back door” for me? I decided to try, try anyone I knew in town. The very first man in my mind was my old school mate Wang Shiyi, as I remember his father is a professor at the hospital. I got his address from my brother Danjin, to see if he can help me to find a back door, though couldn’t say there is a deep friendship between me and Wang, but at least I helped him to get the most beautiful girl, what we called the school flower Lu-Ying to be his wife. Only for that, he owes me.
However, the address I got from my brother was wrong, be precisely it was not wrong; it was Wang who had moved again, to a much better new apartment. The apartment was so gorgeous in the town that I found it easily. A new luxury building appeared in front of me. I went into the marble lobby, into a Made-in-Japan elevator, that lifted me to the 18th floor. Walked out of the elevator and turned right to the end, Wang Shiyi’s name was on the door. A middle school aged pretty young girl answered my door bell. She called “Baba (Dad) ...”but stopped her voice with disappointment when she saw my face. Her smile face suddenly turned to be cold, said” we do not accept home sales.”
“wait,” I asked, “ I’m not your Baba, but your Baba’s friend.”
Heard that I was not a salesman, but a friend of her father’s, she did not change her face much .That might mean that a salesman and a friend of her father’s do not make much difference. She turned her face away from me and shouted “Mama, Baba’s friend, AGAIN.”
Then, I heard a familiar voice “just a second, I’m in the middle of shampoo my hair, soon will finish, please let the guest in.”
I was not let in, but waited in front of a two-large-iron-doors, like a prison. A few minutes later before I finishing my imagination how Lu Ying would look like now after about 20 years of no see, Lu came out from the bathroom to the door with large towel on her head. When recognized me, she was first surprised, then blushed and waved her hands, said: “Oh my God, I wear no make-up.” Quickly she ran back to the bathroom. I had no chance to see her face, but saw the back. Yes, that was a back I remember when she danced “the White-Haired Girl” at the middle school, but as twice as much.
.
“Can’t you let me in first?” I asked with a sour smiled.
The pretty daughter reluctantly opened the door for me with complaining to her mother “Your guest, why ask me to open the door?”
I had a quick imagination, that the younger girl would be my own daughter! A girl with today’s features!
Wang Shi-Yi’s “palace”, could be described as magnificent, large living room, full western-style furniture, large ultra-thin TV, central air conditioning etc. In short, many times gorgeous than the hotel I was staying in. If compare with my brother’ small old rooms…Silly me, how could they be compared.
When again Lu Ying showed her face, her made-up face to me, I looked at her, looked at her, could not help saying “If walking in the street, I probably hardly recognize you, when you are with this make-up.”
“Don’t be so cruel, look at yourself, may be more than as twice as much you used to be.” She was amused by her wisdom words and burst into laughter. I recognized the laughter, as it sounded the same as before.
After a talk of nostalgia, Lu Ying did not lead the conversation to her husband. Of course I was not there only to renew old friendship, but to looking for a back-door to a High Rank Cadres’ Ward in a hospital (as I mentioned before Wang’s father used to be a professor of the Medical University and a well known doctor of the Hunan Hospital. He once saved Lu-Ying’s father’s life during the Cultural Revolution. That was how Wang get close to Lu-Ying) Heard me mentioning Wang Shi-Yi, Lu Ying’s facial expression cooled down, said “you’re looking for him, me too. He is a busy man, especially recently. I heard he is open a new company with somebody, again, hardly come back, perhaps once a month, that is mostly thanks to our daughter.”
Then, she started telling me that she did not like husband’s partners very much, especially that most of the partners have mistresses. No wonder their daughter had such cold attitude towards her “Daddy's friends”, as cold as to “visiting salesmen.” However, Lu Ying quickly added “I believe he is not like those men.” But I heard her saying rather like “I HOPE he is not like those the men who take mistresses.”
After she heard that my father was still lying in the hospital corridor, she immediately showed her willingness to take me to see her daughter’s grandfather.
At Wang’s parents’ home, although Wang’s father looked much older than in my memory, yet his spirit was much higher and younger. The grandpa answered the English questions to his granddaughter, as the same time answered Lu Ying’s question where about his son was. I had no chance to raise my issue of my father, until the last minute we were about to leave.
“With your power, and my status, now,” I emphasized “my status as a foreigner”, if we talk to the hospital leader, is it possible to get my father from the hospital hallway into a room?” I mentioned that is because I remembered in the early 80s, there was a family relative from the United States to visit us, the local government was extremely busy looking after not only the US relative, but also the whole family. Because of that history, I made my proposal.
Wang’father smiled, though did not say NO, but “impossible” was obvious. However, he said that although he would retire completely soon, but he would try to get the chance to do the surgery for my father.
On our way back, Lu Ying answered my question regarding “foreigner”. She said “who cares about foreigners any more. Nowadays people only interested in your money. Even if you were a real foreigner, immediately people would ask how much you intend to invest, what kind of project would you engage…” Paused, Lu Ying said with heave voice “What a society is it today? As long as you have money, anything can be done, corruption, prostitution, living being can be dead, and a dead could live again…”
My mind had no room for the emotion of the great changes of my motherland, as my mind was felt with the sorry of my father being one rank away from the high cadre’s class, therefore could not get the privilege into a High Rank Cadres’ Ward, instead had to beg Wang’s father to exploit his power to get my father from the hallway into a general hospital room.
“Nowadays, two things speaks, power and money. You seem not understand the situation, from this point of view, you are really getting more and more a foreigner.” Lu Ying added.
By now, my face, the most precious “Chinese face” was no longer fatal. I had to honestly admit “I’m just a violinist, how come to own big money or power? Talking about friends, after being out of the country for so many years, I have no one, except you, and Wang Shi-Yi.”
“Let’s go, I take you to see someone” Lu said.
“Who?” I asked.
“Soon, you would know.”
Out of the Wang’s parents’ home, I suddenly realized that Lu brought me there just as an excuse to inquire her husband where about, as she knew to see Wang’s father is useless to my father’s issue. And had the idea of taking me to see another person in her mind at the first place.
“Do you need an excuse to go to your husband's parent’s home?” I did not ask. May be women’s faces are thinner, or it apply to the whole Chinese nation?
Before I asked, Lu could not wait to tell me to whom we were going to see. That was our middle school mates Ma xiao-Mao. Lu briefly introduced that the father of Ma’s husband is the Premier Liu of a High Rank cadres Hospital. But Ma’s husband just died, therefore she wasn’t too sure whether it was the right time to see her and talk about my father’s problem?
“Ma Xiao-Mao married? Her husband died? How?” I just had too many questions and didn’t know where to start?
Followed Lu Ying we arrived at the Library of Hunan Medical University, the same place my brother was working, at the photography department. The real surprise when I saw Ma Xiao-Mao was not she was working at the same place as my brother’s, nor she gained no weight after so many years, but looked almost the same as school time, not a much older, apart from becoming little nobler.
Seeing me, Ma did not expose much joy, at least not on her face. She only made a comment that life is just like movies, classmates or friends after a long time would meet again. Then, briefly she asked me how well my life has been, and how well my life would be? Before I finished my talk she started to tell us that she very satisfied with her life, at least up to now. “I like to work in the library, because I like reading, I had this habit since childhood. In the future if you write a book, I will read too.” But I think, if her explanation was not trying to cover up her unhappiness, she must be not living in the real society. I mean in the virtual societies of the books she has been reading.
Lu Ying cut our conversation off, told the big truth, that is, of course ask Ma’s help to find a back-door to my father in a room of a High Rank Cadres Ward. I, even as a half foregoer, felt Lu Ying’s honesty and straightness was somewhat too blunt or abrupt, so quickly made a clumsy lie “No, no, I mainly wanted to see my old classmates.”
To talking about get help from the father of Ma’s ex-husband, we will have to talk about her ex-husband; and talk about her ex-husband; we will have to talk about her ex-husband’s death. However, my worry about the embarrassment seams to be unnecessary, for Ma Xiao-Mao did not show much sorrow on her face, only softly commented: “This is my fate. Is there anything I can do?” But from her tone, showed she would never succumb to any fate that she did not like. Thinking about it, how could Ma Xiao-Mao, a person of extremely eager to excel, easily show her inner pain to outsiders?
Ma clearly expressed that to find a back-door into the high rank cadres ward was almost impossible, at the same time gave us some basic information about Premier Liu, the father of her dead husband, being an iron-hard non-flexible man.
“Begging you to bring some gifts to your father-in-law, is also impossible?” I was surprised such unfamiliar word would come out from my mouth.
Ma smile with disdain. It is most probably for the sake of old school mates, she started to tell us some truth. The truth is, there were just too many people trying to payoff her father-in-law by all means. Among those, a wife of middle ranked cadre, through all kinds of channels sending different gifts, but Premier Liu still adhere to his principle, not let the middle ranked cadre into his Hospital.
Liu said: “high rank cadre’s ward is for high ranked cadres, ordinary people should stay in ordinary hospital. If ordinary patients stay in the high rank cadres’ ward, how can we called it the High Rank Cadres Ward? No matter how bad corruption widely spread, I,named Liu, is going to uphold the principle, no way to make one more bad example.”
In a word, Premier Liu is man can hardly be paid-off. He is a man always doing the right thing, and the right thing only.
Later I learned that the wife of the middle ranked cadre, who had been trying hard to send Liu gifts, was my mother. My mother has always been proud to be a honest and straight forward person, and never learn to do those bad doing in the society, such as go through back-doors, now adopt it so well as to send gifts to someone in power who she even did not know, is like a bird learned to swim, or a fish learned to fly. Incredible Ah! Looks like my mother is also follow the change of society very closely, “Gone with the times”.
My poor face must be full of disappoint and sorrow, Ma Xiao-Mao eyes brightened suddenly, out of an idea, said: “If I propose to my father-in-law that I want to go abroad in order to achieve my ex-husband’s last wish, and you tell him you can help me with that, we might have a chance, at least, worth trying.
To help Ma Xiao-Mao going abroad is to achieve her ex-husband’s last wish? What do these words mean? Lu Ying later explained.
The story goes like this: my abroad successful stories returned hometown through various channels. Ma’ husband Liu Kang-Kang was much influenced by my fantastic stories, under a strong pressure and supported by his wife, Lu’s dream of being successful in abroad was also aroused. In order to go abroad as an overseas’ student, Liu Kang-Kang followed my footsteps, learning English, taking TOEFL test, earning money for the school fees. And all went pretty smooth. Until the last step when he went the Bank of China to transfer fees to a school in Australia, the bank machine found in his dollars two fake 100usd bills which he paid high price from the black market.(by that time, Chinese RMB was not a international exchange currency.) Perhaps after a long-term overwork, mental stress leading to the ultimate collapse, Liu Kang-Kang heard the word “counterfeit,” smiled, then like a piece of wood falling on the ground, and never up again…
Liu’s story made me feel very sad Yet in order to get a back-door, I had to accepted Ma’ proposal, went to see Premier Liu, Lu Kang-Kang’s father, claim myself to be his son’ close friend, revealed my willingness and ability to achieve his son’s last wish, that is to help her daughter-in-law, Ma going abroad. Of course, I could not forget to mention a little about my father’s present situation. (through his back-door to get my father from a ordinary hospital corridor to a room in a high rank cadres’ ward)
Premier Liu said nothing at the spot. But the next day, he asked Ma to tell me, “Give me a week or so to find a way. I would go to talk to Minister Luo, trying to work on him, to see whether we can let him go home for a while?” In fact, the Premier Liu and Minister Luo were best friends and old comrade through out many years. Their relations are more like brothers. By now, for daughter-in-law going abroad, Premier Liu had to scarify his iron principle temporarily, to ask his friend for the bed.
Ma Xiao-Mao was really crafty, that she could make iron hard Premier Liu becoming flexible!
Through this matter, I seams had seen a new face of the Chinese nation after the “reform and open door”, the interpersonal relations was finally on the world track, had become “no longer just about friendship, but also about interests of each part.”
There is no free lunch in the world. I have to quickly find a way to get Ma Xiao-Mao abroad.
In fact, I am not really worried about “how to get her abroad,” but rather “what after her is abroad?”
2, Reencounter Jiang Lang-Sha, Xiao-Lin, and uncle Feng
Waiting for Premier Liu get a bed for my father at his High Rank Cadres’ Ward, I was alone in the streets to re-familiar with the city that once I was very familiar with. All main streets of Changsha have been reformed (rebuilt) beyond recognition, only some small alley still preserved the old flavor.
I casually got into a small alley, surprised to find that almost all shops around there were book whole sellers. I ventured to talk to a woman in a store. She told me this street was THE well known, might even be the largest “copy books wholesale market.” (Say “black book” wouldn’t sound very pleasant. Isn’t it?) In other words, any best seller books, as long as they are on the state publishing house’s book shelf, here would have for whole sale at the price several times lower than the state’s price. The book from here went throughout the whole country, to meet the needs of hunger of spirit for those were still poor in materials.
I took a very strong interest walked along the alleys shop to shop. My steps stopped in front of a small book store, not because something special about the store, but because in front of the shop there was a small ground bookstall, wrote a few words “retail world classic literature works.” That stall arrayed full of books that loved at my childhood during the Cultural Revolution, when Western Europe, only to see classic unawares, like the "Red", "War and Peace," "Third Reich", "sba Dax, "" Les Miserables "," Notre Dame de Paris "," David Copperfield "and so on. When I see Romain Rolland, "John Christophe", I could not help squatter down. Enthusiastic feeling when reading those books at my youth aroused I spontaneously picked up the book John Christopher opened the familiar first page.
“This is the dearest of all the books I would recommend; it was my guide in life.” A familiar voice, the voice I had heard before. I looked up, oh my God! Not that many years ago, wasn’t this man told me about the same words? Yes, this was the man, Jiang Lang-Sha. After so many years, he aged a lot, also lost a lot of weight. This is the man greatly influenced my way of thinking and thoughts when I was young and unformed. In addition, how could a boy forget the man who was the first and last putting his thing into a young ass? Suddenly reencountered so many years later, making me confused. I smiled at him awkwardly. He obviously did not recognize me, but went on selling his quotations that he must have been selling for many years. Lack of psychological preparation, I took the chance of before his reorganization, quickly bowed away.
Back to the hotel, after hours my mind still couldn’t calm down. Youth time those things, like a movie showing in my mind: violin playing in the railway track; Jiang’s little wooden hut near the railway; falling sleep on a railway track in the rain; I was taken by Jiang to his bed; under his bed of a box of books; assuming I stole out large sacks sheet music from the library hidden in Uncle Feng… How did all those ended? They all ended by Xiao-Lin jumping down from the fourth floor window of her home...and final sight of Jiang Lang-Sha was I saw him being captured and taken away…
What then? I do not know, even, whether Xiao-Lin’s be or not to be?
More and more bothered by those questions, I decided to go back to the book market again. I went straight to the spot where I met Jiang Lang-Sha last time. But Jiang was not there, instead a fairly good looking county girl was there to cleaning the ground in front of the book store, (the spot Jiang borrowing to sell his books).the young girl told me that she did not really know Jiang well, only heard from the wife of the book store owner that to let Jiang selling books in front of their book store, for Jiang could attract more customers coming to the store (they are selling completely different books), in addition, because Jiang is a poor but a good man. To use the wife’s original words “jiang sells books in order to support his long-term sick wife; and never heard he seduced any other women, a honest good man.”
Jiang was married? How could that be possible! Stripping the skin of Jiang’s man’s body, he is indeed simply not a man. This fact I knew the best. Just to think of it a sudden pain could come back to my back again.
The fact that Jiang got marriage made my curiosity increase. After walked up and down in the book market for a few times could not find Jiang, I returned again to the Book store, asked the pretty country girl for a favorer. I told her that I was an old friend of Jiang’s, just returned from abroad, would like very much to meet him. So I wrote my hotel phone number with another piece of value paper passed to her together, asked her to make sure to call me when Jiang shows up.
The next morning, I did receive a call from the country girl. In addition to the information that Jiang was there, she asked me “boss, how long are you going to stay in Changsha? If you need a full time companion (girl being with the guest all the time as privet service), I have a pretty good looking fellow sister…”
I quickly went to the front of the book store. I squatted down picking up the book, of course “John Christopher”, pretended to turn the pages. Jiang started his sells quotation like tape recorder “This is the dearest of all the books I would recommend; it was my guide in life.”
“You said it to me before, many years ago, remenber?” I looked up, ready to see his expression of surprising. Jiang looked at me, not surprised but puzzled. After a short while his facial expression turned to be astonished.
“It is you, little nine-bother, you grew fat, hard to recognize.”
We started to chat.
“Hey, how much do you sell this book?” A customer asked.
“20 rmb 40% off.” Jiang answered, and turned to me continuing our talk.
“Hey, can’t I get a little bit cheaper?” The book buyer started bargaining.
“50%off.” Jiang quickly responded and immediately turned back to me again.
“How about 60% off? Do you do business or not?” the book buyer looked a little offended of being taken too lightly.
“Take it, and go away.” Jiang looked a little annoyed.
“I would also like to take a copy if it is 60% off.” Said another customer.
Jiang looked really troubled; he answered nothing, started to pack up his bookstall, and said “We find a place to talk.”
“How about to your place?” I suggested, of course, for finding out more facts about his life.
“En…” Jiang hesitated, then nodded “might as well, but my place is not a very nice place. However, there is a person, I mean used to be a person, but not really a person anymore, you should meet, perhaps.”
No doubt, the person, “used to be a person, but not really a person anymore” must be his wife. We will meet first, then to think about whether I should claim compensation to her for my button pain.
Jiang skillfully sorted his books into two large boxes, and then loaded on a bicycle. I followed him, walking into a very narrow alley to the end, stopped at a very old brick house He opened the iron gate, pushed his bike in. I followed him; hardly get my body through that narrow pass. Then I found myself in a book warehouse.
“I know the owner of the place. we stay on the second floor. He let us stay for free, we at the same time look after the warehouse free for him.” Jiang explained.
Followed Jiang through the warehouse and narrow staircase we arrive at the second floor. All the way I smelled unpleasant mold, up to the second floor, smell changed from mold into awfully toilet. No need to look, a toilet
closestool was right in front of us.
Jiang had no sign of apologize,
He opened the door to let me.
Familiar sight appeared before my eyes, because the layout of the room is almost as same as the railway wooden hut many years ago, a single bed, a wooden chair, just added a table, and a computer and some books.
This is entirely a bachelor’s place; there was not a slightest smell of a wife, a woman, a family. I could not suppress my curiosity, asked “Where is your wife?”
“There.” Jiang nodded.
“Where?” I couldn’t see.
“Sleeping right in the bed.”
Then I found someone really in the neat quilt on the bed. I then remembered that the country girl in the book store said Jiang had a long-term sick wife.
I extended my tongue out, lowed down my voice said “I'm sorry, I don’t know…”
“Never mind, she can’t hear. nothing.” said Jiang.
“When will she wake up?” I asked.
“Good question. She has been sleeping for many years.” said Jiang.
“What!”
Jiang started to tell me the following story.
3, Xiao Lin's story
That year (during the Chinese Cultural Revolution), Xiao Lin jumped out from her home window, down from fourth floor on the canvas roof on a van. She was taken to a hospital immediately. After emergency treatment, though not dead, but the brain damage made her from a “person” to a “vegetable”. No winder Jiang mentioned “technically used to be a person but not a person anymore.”
Since Jiang was taken out from his railway wooden hut, he was not put into Jail, but returned to his adopted father, the real father of Xiao Lin. The father kept his words, that is “my daughter living is your human, dead would be your ghost.” Jiang was forced to marry her adopted sister, then a “cabbage” to be his life long wife.
After the marriage be done, the father’s health deteriorating day by day, literarily paralyzed after a stroke. On the contrary, the mother used to be on the wheelchair, since watching her daughter climbing up the window, she suddenly stood up from her wheelchair, actually started to re-learn to walk. When the father becoming paralyzed, the couple had a role change. Then the mother helps the father get on the wheelchair that she used to sit, and pushes her husband around.
Just like that, Jiang took care of the Xiao-Lin, a cabbage that would never wake up, until the day we met.
I took a quick look on the bed. I do not know I should describe her as “fat and white” or “edema”? (She looked completely different from my memory) I felt a tremendous psychological shock, in it a strong sense of remorse.
When Jiang was busy feeding milk to Xiao-Lin, I had his premising of taking a look at his computer. I found his disc top a Word file called “My Father.”
“Isn’t the book you once told me you want to write?” I asked.
“Not complete yet. I plan to continue it after I pass the TOEFL test (Test of English as a Foreign Language).” said Jiang.
“You, take the TOEFL too?” I was really surprised.
When I learned that he had been thinking about going abroad, I started talking about my experience of living abroad, ended to tell him not only a high score on the TOEFL counts, but more important is money…”
Jiang told me both TOEFL or MONEY shouldn’t be major problems, as his English was already quite good, and after many years saving, plus profits gained from stock exchange. His only problem is Xiao-Lin.
“If someday my Lin sister (he still call her sister, not wife) could wake up, or becoming a real plant, a flower or a tree, I could carry her leave the country. So that I could learn more English, read more classics in the original languages. By that time, I want to use English to write my own story. For I have the will and passion to let my story be heard all over the world, let people see the life of a real life of ordinary Chinese people in the new China.” Jiang said with fantasy glittered in his eyes.
Watching him, as if seeing myself by the time before I went abroad. I dare say, at that moment, no one knows Jiang’s feeling better than I.
Who made the life of Jiang and his sister Xiao-Lin so miserable? Was that all my fault? The society and the age had nothing to blame? However, the society and the age do not have to take any responsibility. What about me, take no responsibility as well? Even if I do not want to take any responsibility, can’t I find a way that could be win in both parties, or even win in three parties?
Asked for Jiang’s Email address, took a look again on Xiao-Lin, made a promise that we would meet again, I was out of the Jiang’s home (if that can be considered a home)
I didn’t return to my hotel, but went straight to the Changsha Construction Company, the unit I used to work from 15 years old. To save time, I deleted all the details, just say through all the difficulties; I found Uncle Feng. He was by the time retired from work. Due to he could not receive full retirement pension, he went suburb renting a small piece of vegetable land from a distanced relative, with many years of picking up building material from construction site he built himself a small shed. He is making living by repairing people’s houses.
I did not tell Uncle Feng much myself, especially mentioned nothing about my abroad. I only talked about to help jiang studying abroad, to let him bring his dream coming true. By look after Xiao-Lin, Uncle Feng’s life would also becoming richer. Of course, I did not forget to mention Jiang’s promise that he would send money regularly.
Uncle Feng heard what I was saying; no words, nothing, only silence, but started to prepare a bed space.
I knew I did a good very thing, for my own for Jiang, for Xiao-Lin, even for Uncle Feng. I assume Uncle Feng’s life in the future, by being needed by another human being, would be of great magnificence of being a human.
Before I left, Uncle Feng took a cloth bag out under his bed. He opened bag layer after layer, until an envelope appear in my eyes. 20 Years ago, it was because of this envelope, caused all the tragedy to Jiang and Xiao-Lin up to today, and the tragedy had to go on. I touched the envelope, the envelope with great fear, fear of in it there could be too much secret, I finally could not get the courage to open, only said to Uncle Feng “the time is not read yet. Let it stay in your place for a little longer. I will come to take it when the time comes.”
Two days later, Jiang transported his sister, his wife, the only family in the world to Uncle Feng. After a long talk about how to look after Xiao-Lin, Jiang passed a notebook to Uncle Feng, in it, all the details about Xiao-Lin’s record and hospitality.
After many thanks, Jiang finally promised Uncle Feng “I would come to see you both often.”
To be continued.
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