A Round Trip to Love 2: Separate Routes

Chapter Two

Approaching the end of April, the weather turned sunny and cool. Ding Ding, the ever energetic and exuberant youth has donned an Aloha shirt like he is ready to take off to a sunshine beach any moment.

Even if he is indeed planning to go for a trip to Hawaii, surely he need not advertise his itinerary so blatantly.

"Xiao Chen, where do you think is a good place to go?"

Relaxing at home, Lu Feng leans his body against the sofa flipping a travel magazine. We naturally would not miss this opportunity to unwind from our overstrung nerves ( the result of endless datelines to meet ) during this seven days long holiday in May.

I was in a predicament as I leaned over to peer at the colourful images and introductions, "Do we have to go overseas?"

"Yes, it will be crowded everywhere in China."

What he said is true, this early May long holidays is an annual celebration of national unification. The unity of the population is demonstrated by their one-minded determination to descend upon a few popular attractions, leaving you no room to place your feet on the ground. One time I visited the Great Wall during a peak season, the climb almost brought tears to my eyes. As far as the eyes can see, there were heads and hands and feet, in front of you, behind you, to your left and to your right. The progress of movement took as long as the history of China, the only magnificent scenery to be viewed is the sea of darkness of black hair atop human heads.

"Let's go to Australia, we can transit at ......"

"Lu Feng, what about Xiamen?" I grinned, testing my luck.

"What's fun there? Going to nearby Taiwan is at least worth considering."

"But I have already promised Yi Chen."

What, what is that scary glare for, I did not say anything wrong, what is with that menacing eyes ......

"When did you promise him?"

"Very ...... very long ago ......"

"Why did you not discuss it with me?"

You were the one who ran off to LA for a meeting and was not around when he called: "Actually Xiamen is not bad too, there's their local specialties like fried oysters omelet, asparagus jelly, etc ......"

Still staring at me unblinking.

"The stuffed biscuits at Gulangyu Island are famous too ......"

"I am not interested in all these." Lu Feng continued flipping the magazine, "This Japanese stone-grilled cuisine looks good, let's go and stay at a hot spring resort, I will make a call now to reserve the flight tickets and hotel."

"Huh ........ wait a while ........" I pulled at his leg and hugged his thigh, "Let's discuss a bit more ......"

"Give up now." He picked me up, "We rarely get a break and the last thing I want is for that guy to come in between us? Be good and come with me to Tokyo."

"No, the truth is ...... I have been invited to an alumni gathering! !"

"What?"

"Even though Xiamen city does not have many places of interest, but I can bring you to visit the university I attended, there are statues of Lu Xun and Chen Jiageng in the campus, ah ah, there's a lot of greeneries ....... there's even a lake ...... the newly paved German turf is really beautiful too ...... I will treat you at the cafeteria, the streets outside the university has several stalls selling local delicacies ...... You can also come with me to the gathering, the organiser encouraged us to bring family members ....... Our class has many pretty gals, the guys look good too ( ? ) ........ Oh yes, the temple just outside the campus is renowned, we can ask for an oracle lot or something, their interpreters are known to be very accurate ......"

In short, my pestering skills – involving two rounds of rolling on the carpet – coaxing and coercing finally tricked Lu Feng all the way up the plane.

Unfortunately, soon after arriving, I felt so bad for him that I could barely face him.

Firstly, the lunch I brought him to, a popular stall for fried oysters omelet, almost ruined his teeth from biting into shell debris, and that dish of poached sliced fish contained in it an ingredient that looked suspiciously like a baby spider.

To be honest, these are nothing unusual for students living it rough for four years of college life, one of our senior even found something resembling the tail of a mouse in a casserole. During our years living on-campus, we have ingested a considerable amount of questionable protein, yet we all grew stronger and healthier than most. As long as the food tastes good, even if it comes with six-legged or eight-legged friends, we will just treat it as special seasoning.

The affluence of Lu Feng's family allowed him to leave a developing country to a first world country in his high school years, so chances are he has never been exposed to a college environment where there are too many students, too much saliva, and too many houseflies. I can tell he is making a genuine effort to keep his chopsticks moving among the dishes, but by the third time his 20/20 vision caught yet another sight of a bug in the green vegetables, he hesitated to pick up his chopsticks again.

This privileged guy has to realize that during our university days, most of us have our eyes transfixed on some football match on TV, no one is bothered to inspect the extra additions or two in our meals.

Students from an average median income family have always been high on survival skills, low on standards of living.

If everyone were to be like him with eagle eyes, they might as well seal up their mouths and starve to death.

Secondly it is that temple with a reputation for accurate prediction.

The oracle stick we picked is linked to the following lottery poem, "What wasted time and what helpless regrets, when time runs out and the soul is drained, advise the gentleman to listen to his heart, and know that the world is but a dream of sorghum wine."

It turned out to be a 'medium low' lot, Lu Feng's face turned black immediately.

The old monk explained, "It means that the situation is very complicated, and may very well come to nothing. So to overcome this, you must be more considerate, more forgiving, more optimistic, remember that everything surrounds the vicissitudes of fortune, it is just a passing cloud, a transient smoke in one's eyes."

Whatever he just said, was equivalent to not saying anything at all. However I could not help but add, "So what should we do?"

"Think thrice before making a move, but if it all comes to nothing in the end, take it easy, and maintain a peace within oneself."

Lu Feng coughed impatiently: "I am asking for marriage destiny, so in your opinion is it a go or a no go?"

"Making plans depend on the inward self, success depends on the outward self, it is up to individuals to make things happen, those who are destined for each other are bound together at last, everything depends on the word 'fate'."

I am starting to get impatient too, "So do you mean we ...... I mean I, have the fate to be with the person I love or not?" I nearly used the word 'we'.

"The word 'fate', is the hardest to understand, it is fate that brought you together, it is fate that you love each other, the fact that you came here today, is also fate ......"

.........

When we exited the door, Lu Feng was dripping with sarcasm: "The way he was spouting out random nonsense, one sentence means one sentence, a hundred sentences also mean the same sentence. I can also hang a signboard for soothsayer and charge people for reading divination, I may have more success in making sense and possess more eloquence than him."

"Hey, hey," I reminded him, "it is blasphemy to speak in front of a temple like this."

"So you are trying to say you believe in that prediction, that we only deserve a 'medium low' fortune, and that in the end it all comes to nothing?"

"To believe or not to deliver, that is the question ...... a believer will interpret it as accurate, and a non-believer will not, Buddha is born from the heart ......" I learnt a trick or two of Tai Chi skills from the old monk. To say it is complete hubris is too disrespectful to the deities, I may not be devout, but if you asked me if I believe ...... to say the truth, I am really unwilling to believe.