Hainan Dao

Book III Chapter 01

I stood up. Shaking my head, I whipped most of the water from it. I went back outside.

Biai was not in the hallway.

I strolled down the corridor, keeping an eye out for any chipmunks with a hurt ego. Soon, I had run out of hallway and reached the last room at the very end. It was the school library, or so the sign said. I peeped through the window and saw two tall shelves by one wall that were filled with books. Throughout the rest of the room, tables and chairs were lying strewn about in no particular order. The windows on this last set of doors were larger than the others, and I was sure I was about as visible to the people inside as they were to me.

There were only the two of them. They were sitting over by the window, two men, one tall and big with grey hair and glasses, and the other short, small and with neither, chatting. Actually, more like arguing.

I was standing behind the double doors, just getting ready to turn around and go, lest I should disturb the gentlemen in their discussion, when one of them waved to me.

I pointed a finger at myself.

He jiggled his head up and down and urged me to come on in.

I swallowed. Stepping through the doors, I shuffled over to the two of them. “Good morning sirs, you are good,” I said in my best Hainan.

The man with no hair smiled at me. “Don’t bother,” he said in stunted Cantonese. “Cantonese will be fine.”

The other man was more impatient. He waved his hand at me and interrupted us. “Well, what are you doing there, standing like a fool? Get a chair!” He pointed at a few in the far corner of the room. “We’ve been waiting all morning.”

“Oh, but I’m only looking for my friend.”

“You mean Biai?” The one with the grey hair adjusted his glasses. “She said she had some business to attend to, so she will come back for you later.”

My brows flicked up for an instant. “Oh…?”

“Now do hurry and get a chair. My neck is starting to hurt from looking up at you like this!”

I fetched one from the corner like he told me and sat down beside them.

“My, but look at that big frown upon your forehead,” the man with the grey hair said, “You look like you’re a thousand years old.”

I smiled. Lifting my eyebrows with an effort, I found that indeed they had been tied into knots. “I’m sorry. I guess I have had a lot on my mind lately.”

“Would you care to tell us what’s troubling you?”

I blinked. I opened my mouth, but closed it again. I coughed. “You must excuse me, but I’m afraid I do not know with whom I am speaking.”

The bald one glanced over at his partner and smiled. “Both of our last names are Ying, naturally, so that won’t be helping you very much. But we like to think that what sets us apart from other men, is that we are faithful gatherers of the wisdom of the ages, the final repository of knowledge both great and small…”

“Two old men,” the other interrupted. “Two old farts who have nothing better to do than to just sit around and gossip.”

I bowed to them. “It is my honour to make your…”

“Oh, please,” said the bald one, smiling, “you have already met us! At the dinner on the first night. You just don’t remember, that’s all.”

“Is that right? My deepest apologies…”

The grey one waved me to silence. “Bah! Be done with the formalities. We know who you are, and now you know who we are. Just call me Dashu (Eldest Uncle), everyone else here does.”