Chen Xiaoxi , don’t you think letting your guest wait at the door is a very ill-mannered thing to do?” Wu Bosong knocked on the opened wide metal gate, creating a clanging sound.
I leaned on one side to let him in, he sat on the sofa and laughed at me. I was still too immersed in memories and shock to snap out of it, I blinked and blinked my eyes, he was still there.
I fixed my eyes on him, from his ocean blue striped polo-tee to his Nike track shoes, then to his youthful 17~18 years old looking face. Su Rui should really learn to take care of his skin from Wu Bosong.
He suddenly took something out of his pocket and held it out in a fist towards me, “The New Zealand snacks that I owe you.”
I spread out my palm doubtfully, he shifted this fist above my palm and let go of a packet of long green sweet. That packaging, that outlook, that is quite an international sweet – Wrigley’s Doublemint Chewing Gum.
He is still smiling at me. I turned my head, having a sudden urge of wanting to cry. It’s not that I want to be pretentious, but he’s the friend that treated me the best during my youth, and he just suddenly disappeared, and suddenly appeared again, as though he had never missed a part of my life.
Furthermore, he still looked so young. Time didn’t bear to slash his face but hacked mine into pieces. How can I not be sad? How can I not cry?
Wo Bosong was caught off guard, “Why are you crying?”
I stomped my feet and roared at him, “Where have you been all these years? When I fought with my boyfriend I couldn’t find you, when I fell out of love I couldn’t find you, when I lost my job I couldn’t find you, when I was hungry I couldn’t find you too….”
He laughed while watching me make a fuss and pulled me down to sit on the sofa to say, “Calm down, I’m not your Chen Shi Mei*, it’s not good to cry like that.” (T/N: Chen Shi Mei was a heartless man who abandoned his wife and child for riches and politics influences in the Qing dynasty. Since then his name is used to represent a heartless man.)
I glared at him tearfully. I was crying like a pear blossom*, I was so pitiful, I was paying respect to our long-lost youth, crying for our incomprehensible friendship, stop putting gold to your own face**.(*T/N: Originally used to describe Yang Gui Fei crying. She was one of the four beauties of ancient China. Now it is used to describe how loving/delicate a girl looks when crying.)(**T/N: self-praise)
After that we sat cross legged on the floor before the sofa, drank plain water and talked about our past.
Wu Bosong said, “After I reached New Zealand for half a month, when things were finally all settled down, my father called me to tell me that his company had declared bankruptcy.”
I have never experienced bankruptcy, neither does my family’s financial ability have the qualifications to declare bankrupt. The most we can only declare that we have no money. Therefore I was not able to understand the seriousness of that. But I didn’t want to appear as ignorant, so I said in great sympathy and sadness, “Ah! How can that be…..”
Heavens and earth know that my words were euphemistic terms of expressing comfort, its to lament the state of the universe and pity the fate of mankind. However, Wu Bosong still explained in detail about how his father trusted the wrong person, how the business went downhill, how there were cash flow problems. He explained till my eyes, expressions were lifeless. Finally he said, “Even if I tell you too much you also won’t understand.”
After saying that I wouldn’t understand, he carried on as though I understood. He explained more on the terms of bankruptcy law, and I had to act as though I was very sad even though I couldn’t understand anything. At last I couldn’t take it anymore. I interrupted him and said, “Stop talking, I am too sad. If you continue to talk I will even feel like donating money to you.”
Wu Bosong looked into my eyes very seriously, “You don’t understand, right?”
I shrugged, “I think I don’t understand. Why not you start talking from why you disappeared?”
He laughed bitterly. “Sister, I went from being a young master* to having to work night and day to survive at a foreign country. You say where do I have the time to show concern about you?” (T/N: Young master is like Korean equivalent of a chaebol. Meaning a kid from a well to do and rich family.)
I nodded my head to show my understanding, “So, you returned with a successful business?”
He glared at me, “Don’t you think that you should show care for the me who had suffered so much the past years?”
I said, “I will. But the level of care will depend on how successful you are.”
Wu Bosong acted like he wanted to pour the cup of water on his hand on me, “These few years that we didn’t see each other, you’ve become wittier.”
I was feeling smug, “Our ancestral land’s education is good.”
What he continued saying was basically about how a man strived in a foreign land. Working part-time, applying for scholarship, entering a multinational corporation…. Anyways it was pretty positive and inspirational. I listened till my blood was boiling with pa.s.sion, making me want to strive for the best.
I asked him, “So your company sent you back here?”
Wu Bosong nodded, “That’s right, just came back and I still can’t acclimatize. Have been having diarrhea for three days, and I met Jiang Chen in the hospital.”
“Jiang Chen told you I am here?” Only then did I remember my issue with Jiang Chen, so I told him what happened while adding oil and vinegar*. (T/N: adding other things or exaggerating on certain things that might have/ did not happen.)
Wu Bosong sighed, “I have to say, Jiang Chen is really unlucky to have met* you.” (T/N: original word used here is 摊上. Usually used with negative things or trouble that one might have gotten into.)
I got really angry hearing it, I jumped up and threatened to use a broom to sweep him out.
He stood on the floor as though he was the ocean-quieting needle* , and said very calmly, “Have you ever thought about it, you finally managed to catch him after chasing after him so shamelessly. You then unreasonably broke up with him, but you still hope that he will one cry, two make a fuss, three hang himself** to plead to you. Aren’t you making things too difficult for him?” (*T/N: Referencing from Journey to the West, lit. translation of 定海神针, which is a loooooong and huge pole that stands on the Dragon King of the East Sea’s palace that no one could move until Sun Wu Kong came along. This same pillar later became his Ruyi Jingu Bang.) (**T/N: lit trans of 一哭二闹三上吊. Which just means to make a big hoo-ha if the person doesn’t get what s/he wants.)
I said, “You can’t be like this. We have to have principles. You are a friend on my side. Your principle is to back me up. If I were to kill someone, then you must destroy the corpse for me, this is principle.”
Wu Bosong drank a mouth of water, “I didn’t contact you even after leaving for so long, that is because I believe even without my care you can still live very well, Jiang Chen will take care of you well.”
I said, “You are too much. You abandoned our friendship and made it sound so dignified, everything is correct from your point of view, you think you are a parent?”
Wu Bosong spoke again, “Do you know during the times we were always together, I could always feel Jiang Chen’s faint gaze. His feelings towards you is definitely not lesser than your feelings towards him.”
I said, “Wu Bosong you really have no shame. You can use a faint gaze to determine Jiang Chen’s feelings towards me. So why can’t you see from my faint gaze that I am going mad from your lecture? You should just return to New Zealand and sleep together with the koalas on the tree.”
Wu Bosong continued, “You think that it is impossible for you guys to be together, that his Mother will not agree. Don’t you like to watch romance, like to watch idol dramas? Wouldn’t true love triumph over everything else? If true love doesn’t triumph over everything why would it be freaking called true love. Also, koala belongs to the Australians*, not New Zealand. (T/N: not sure why the author used Australians here instead of Australia.)
I think we can’t come to a consensus even if we were to talk half a day, so I solemnly suggested, “Forget it forget it, let’s not talk about it, let’s talk about something serious.”
Wu Bosong said, “What serious thing?”
I said, “You just came back from overseas, you should have some imported goods, right? Anything to eat, wear or use, or even if it’s just plastic bag, give me one. I really look up to foreign things.”
Wu Bosong sighed again, “I just hope you correct your att.i.tude, stop faking, I thought you are some kind of invincible youth or pretty girl.”
I said, “It’s wrong of you to say that. Speak properly. What kind of hero are you to attack people’s age? Furthermore, I was also 15 ten years ago.”
Lastly, he threw a bomb, “Jiang Chen got me to tell you that he has a big surgery this afternoon, and he will be on duty at night. He has no time to eat dinner, asked you to deliver it to him.”
I said, I am not his maid, not delivering not delivering I am not delivering.
He shrugged, “We shall see you will deliver or not.”
Wu Bosong really just stayed at my house and refused to go. He laid on my sofa and tormented my 10 years old antique TV. Speaking of which, products nowadays are really getting from bad to worse, this 10 years old antique TV’s remote control batteries can last for a year. My (parents) house recently bought a new LCD TV. The remote control’s batteries have to be replaced once every month. Every end of the month when I call back home my mother will always scold about the LCD TV’s controller running out of battery again, it’s all your dad’s fault, insisted on changing a good solid TV to an LCD one.
It was time to eat. I really could not endure it anymore, so I took my bag and said to him, “Wu Bosong, treat me to a dinner, I’ll give you a feast to welcome you back.”
He stopped for a while, and frowned, “Your logic is quite shameless.”
I accepted his praise modestly. Insisted on cheating him to the highest cla.s.s and the most luxurious, a restaurant that I can usually only look at from afar. He held on to the taxi’s door and said he refused to leave the car no matter what. He said, “I can tell from one look that the ingredients in this restaurant are all like me, they just got shipped over from overseas. Even if you want to build up Jiang Chen’s health you also shouldn’t use my money to do it. My money is hard-earned money. My dad’s bankrupt.”
The taxi driver looked at the meter fare that is increasing. The evil black smile on his face is as equally heartwarming as a melted chocolate. He said, “Aiya* you two young couple stop fighting, talk nicely, I’m not in a rush, young couples are all like that.” (T/N: A form of exclamation.)
I felt very helpless about our citizens who are in the transportation line and their love to pair up boys and girls. Actually that’s not correct, all of our homeland’s citizens in every trade like to pair up boys and girls that they see. Their pairing logic is also often immoral. There was once me and my dad went to a department store to buy shoes. The sales lady persistently praised the leather shoes that me and my dad were trying on. “Miss your taste is amazing, the shoes you picked really suits your boyfriend…..”
We ultimately ended up at a good quality but affordable restaurant. I don’t know why, the restaurant that I suddenly felt like eating at was near the hospital. I guess this is fate.