My trip back home (2/2)
My trip back home (2/2)
Going back home to visit my parents is an adventure for my friend, as he had never been to a place in China where neither plane nor train could get to. But that
’s where my parents live, five hours on a coach to my country and then another
hour bus to my town.
We didn’t get a chance to book the tickets far in advance, as a result we ended
up on a coach two o’clock in the afternoon. Though the coach was following highway roads, there were farm fields by the highway and it was wheat harvest time
. So at least half of the time we were on the coach, we had to endure the smoke
from wheat stalk burning in the fields. It was horrendous. I never could remember it was this bad in my childhood.
We got to our country around seven o’clock in the evening and the bus to my parents’ town terminates at six every day. As a result my father had to hire a car
and came to pick us up. While waiting for him, I was talking to my brother, my
mother and my father already. Not long after I left China in 2007, every member
of my family owned a mobile. So now instead of phoning the landline, everyone just uses mobile to get hold of one another.
It was a surprise for my father to see my friend, as they never met each other before. Also I think it was the first time my father had ever seen a foreigner in
his life. So at the dinner table that night, while my friend was relishing the
local cold dishes and specialties, my father just couldn’t take his eyes off my
friend to the extent I had to ask him to stop as my friend was getting really embarrassed.
After the dinner my father led us to our hotel room and the so-called room was actually a suite. I had to spend quite a while to convince my father that there was no need for such an expense. But my parents insisted me to ask my friend’s opinion before deciding to change to a double room. It was quite a funny situation.
But anyway in the end my friend and I chose a double room, by the window of which there was a lovely pond circled by reeds. The family by the pond had quite a
few chickens. So in the morning instead of woken up by alarm or traffic, we were
woken up by those lovely creatures! And of course at night there was noise from
the frogs, inhabitants from the pond as well. But who could rebuke those lovely
creatures from the nature.
In the afternoon of the second day we got home, after lunch I took my friend to
the countryside where I was born and grew up. I had to say it looked very different from what I could remember as a kid and a teen. But never mind, there are still wheat fields, corn fields, sweet potato and tomato fields, and of course rape seed fields. Not physically processing these fields any more didn’t give me any disadvantage of appreciating them. Instead, I found them more charming than ever.
These days with machinery the local farmers no longer need to do everything by hand. Also with vehicles people don’t need to transport everything by donkeys. The efficiency improves, and the work becomes less knackering for the owners of the fields. Haven said all this, both my friend and I were glad to see that donkeys still play a part in the countryside life. With a cart of hays and a docile
donkey on a countryside road, nothing could look more rustic and idyllic.
The third day my parents laid a party for us and all our relatives were invited.
Both of my friend and I got a little bit nervous, as neither of us knew how to
entertain people! My mother got quite emotional when seeing the relatives from
her side and I had to try to cheer her up before I broke into tears myself. The
party was noisy and everyone was merry and gay. With me being his translator, my
friend had drinks with everyone on each dinner table. Everyone was relieved to
see I didn’t marry a foreigner with yellow hair and red face (their imagination
of a foreigner). In my mother’s words: A foreigner at first glance, an amiable
son-in-law at second glance…
I had been worried that my friend couldn’t get along with my relatives. After all most of my relatives were people who rarely went out of the town they were born and grew up. But I was relieved to see that there were no barriers in the gathering party. Later during the party I didn’t even need to translate for my friend. He could communicate with my relatives himself with alcohol. Everyone was laid back and had a good time.
I think because of all this, my mother didn’t cry as normal when seeing me off
at the bus station next day, as my coming back this time and talking to her must
have relieved lots of her worries about me. I wasn’t very sad until my brother
’s wife told me how my parents and brother had been looking forward to seeing me back. How I wish I had tried to speak to them more, no matter how bad a communicator I am on the Internet.
But fortunately there is still plenty of future. At least now when my parents talk to me I could at least remember the nice time we had together back home. Before this trip, I think I hadn’t been home at least two years. And before that I
only remember I had a fight with my parents before I left home. But now all those unhappy memories can be updated. And I think I shall always remember the trip
and then look forward to my next trip back home.
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轻松英语