SNL 2020

Hater pt2

GrandBaba BanLu served roasted barley tea which is famous here in this part of the country. Barley is plentiful here. Roasted Barley tea is good for digestion and it has a nice taste and aroma. He also served almond biscuits and sesame sticky rice balls with the tea.

I love this combination of tea and snacks. GrandBaba BanLu knows that. Its quite clear that he readied everything when he got the call yesterday from my GrandMa that I will be visting and greeting him.

GBaba BanLu: (sitting in the middle of the long bamboo sofa) Well, what are you waiting for. Give me your greetings, Dayu ah.

I stood up and bent my waist to bow to him.

Me: Happy Holidays, GrandBaba. (straightening my body) I am happy to see you looking healthy and strong.

GBaba BanLu: (smiling and nodding) You too. I am happy to see you healthy. Sit down and have some tea.

I sat down on a solo chair and took an earthenware mug of tea. Like GrandBaba BanLu, everything in his home is simple but very efficient. It has the same old but sturdy charm in it, like my GrandBaba has in him.

GrandBaba is proud of his home that he bought from his own hard work when he got married and this is where he raised his two children with his now deceased wife. GrandBaba BanLu's children also live close by. He instilled on them that there is honor in hardwork and living a simple life in a peaceful town like ours is the stuff of heaven.

GrandBaba BanLu has no use for large cities like Beijing. He has disdain for frivilous lifestyle of the rich and famous. He thinks people working on showbusiness are not really working. He has no use for arts like paintings or music. He reads a lot of scripture and poetry books. For him, the only art worth mentioning are books. My singing and acting will be useless to him.

For GrandBaba BanLu, living in the city will mean you will get lost amidst the sparkling lights and looming skyscrapers. Any country person who moved to the city will have a destroyed life.

That is why GrandBaba BanLu never approved of my move to study in Beijing. He thinks I will have a decent life even if I stayed and live in our simple hometown.

GBaba BanLu: What does living in the grand large city ever given you? The living expenses on those cities are high. Here, you can plant what you need and harvest your food. In the city, all you can eat there are food filled with preservatives. Not natural food.

Me: Qing and I go to the wet market to buy real food and cook them.

GBaba BanLu: (disdainful grunting) Don't mention his name in my presence.

Me: Oh, come on, GrandBaba. I love him.

GBaba BanLu: Why? He is a man. What could you possibly like about being with another man?

Me: (sighing) I don't need to explain myself to you. Why I love him, I don't need to explain that. Just know that am happy with him. I am marrying him one day.

GBaba BanLu: (surprised) What? Marrying him? Marrying another man? You have totally gone insane.

Me: (smiling as I showed him my engagement ring) He gave me a ring. Its beautiful, right?

GBaba BanLu: (unimpressed) And probably expensive. He obviously use his money to entice you to stay sinning with him. He bought you using his evil fortune.

Me: You are making it sound like I sold myself. I didn't...

GBaba BanLu: No, but you let him seduced you using all his wily techniques.

Me: (sighing) I don't want to say this but you are forcing me so here we go...Qing's body was included on those wily techniques he uses to seduced me.