Milady's Fine Gentleman 238 HOW WE ME

"Zhu Li Qiang, I'll tell you a story of a young girl and a boy who met in Hangzhou."
"Tell me. I'm all ears."
"The story started when a fourteen-year-old girl had set foot in Hangzhou for the first time one summer. She was there to take lessons from famous art and cultural master for the summer."
"One afternoon, her class ended rather earlier than usual. The car that would pick her up hadn't arrived yet. She used this free time to roam the streets of Hangzhou enthusiastically. Her eyes sparkled from the exhilarating fact that she was alone in a beautifully woven, cultural place like Hangzhou."
"She wasn't even an adult at the time, merely a young girl. Still, in her pigtails and cute little frock dress, she went on with her casual stroll. Due to the thrill of the experience, she even forgot the fact that she had not a single penny on her since she wasn't used to bringing cash with her. Someone always took care of everything that she needed. Oh, how thoughtless of her on hindsight."
Teng Man Rui paused to sip from her tea. She was studying Zhu Li Qiang studiously, too, for his reaction. He really was all ears.
She continued with her story.
"Yet, even without pocket money, she proceeded with her walk, and explored her new environment with such delight."
"She delved into the heart of Hangzhou, along the smaller residential streets. It was getting late."
"The previous excitement was slowly replaced with heightening fear."
"She was lost."
Teng Man Rui kept on studying Zhu Li Qiang's face. The man held her breath and listened attentively. He stared back at the lady's lovely face tenderly, dotingly. He had an inkling of what it was all about but he kept his silence.
The lady resumed.
"Added to that, the young girl met a dead end. Collecting herself, she turned around. But in doing so, she met a yellow pair of eyes and bare sharp teeth. Two sets of them."
Teng Man Rui's voice broke at this point. She took a sip from the tea before proceeding.
"Right there staring at her were two growling, drooling shabby stinky stray dogs – one black and the other dirty white."
"The poor young girl started trembling. There was no way she could reach the open side of the streets without passing through the dogs. She whimpered and soon after, helpless tears started rolling down her cheeks. She asked herself repeatedly in her mind, 'What am I gonna do?' and called her mother several times in her mind too."
"The street was a long one, despite having a dead end. If she ran, the probability of her not getting overtaken by the dogs was quite slim."
"Still, she decided to make the run for her life. The two mad dogs chased after her."
"She ran and ran, but oh, she felt something sting on her calf. She was bitten. Staggering and getting more frightened, she ran faster, ignoring the stinging sensation on her calf. Her vision blurred. The tears got in the way, but she could discern the light from the open space. Perhaps someone could help her once she got out of that street."

"She gave it her all, her best. She had not run this desperately before, not even during her physical education classes. After all, she had always been meek and ladylike all her life."
"One step. Two steps. She was almost there."
"But when she finally took the last step towards an open space, a force so strong around her elbow pulled her towards the side of the road, while a raging car passed through. Everything happened almost at the same time."
"Whatever energy left in her vanished upon seeing the fast car passed her. She could have gotten herself ran over by the car if it wasn't for the force that pulled her aside."
"The two dogs that were chasing her were almost ran over too. Perhaps, because of this the dogs whimpered and returned to the dark alleyway where they came from."
"Her knees felt soft like marshmallows. She collapsed on the cold cement ground."
Teng Man Rui who was retelling the story was trembling. She tucked both hands under the table so that Zhu Li Qiang could not see it. But, he had perceived the tremors already, right from the onset.
Zhu Li Qiang, with such a contorted expression, urged the lady to continue with her story. "And then?"
Teng Man Rui felt encouraged. She pressed on. "A boy two to three years older than the girl emerged from the sides. Perhaps he had been there all along, perhaps he was just passing by, but the young girl noticed him for the first time. And most likely, he was the one who pulled her aside."
"The boy told her that she was bleeding and went down on his knees, back turning towards the girl. 'Hop on. The clinic's just around the curb.' He said."
"Without thinking clearly as the stinging of her wound was getting stronger, she hopped onto the young lad's back, as he instructed. He piggybacked her until they reached the clinic. There, her wound was cleaned and the doctors even gave her vaccine shots. She was extremely scared and weak."
"After she was treated, the young lad who helped her bid farewell. He wasn't much of a talker, and he seemed to be experiencing his own hellish life and the girl was just an unwelcome intruder, an interlude."
"The lad was not unkind, but he wasn't too accommodating either. He was aloof, but not unreachable."
"The girl followed him everywhere even if she was having a hard time walking. The distance between them widened. Her wound still stung although it was bandaged and treated already. The girl wasn't sure if the lad knew she was following, but the lad had not given her any more attention. He continued walking."
"She was shaking and staggering, yet she continued to follow. Soon, the young lad reached his home. That was the time when he finally noticed and addressed the girl who jerked from the unexpected attention."
"The lad asked the girl why she kept on following him. 'I don't have money or food. What else do you need?' His words were harsh, but the girl understood that his social responsibility ended when he helped her reach the clinic. They should have gone separate ways after that."
"She told her that she was lost and that she had no money. She asked for his help again."

Chapter end

Report