Chapter 41
Having earned some money over the years, I had enough to roam freely for a few months. My first stop after leaving Beijing was the Land of Abundance. A few years back, I had been to Chengdu on a business trip and missed the bustling, spicy street food, especially the skewers and the cold drinks. I felt that both the food and the people here were just my type; shouting “What are you doing?” in Chengdu dialect was much more satisfying than in Mandarin. Moreover, my current melancholy mood urgently needed the cathartic relief of spicy food to save me!
That day, I couldn’t resist the allure of skewers again. Sitting on a small stool by the street, I guarded my hotpot, stuffing skewer after skewer into my mouth. I always felt there was a close connection between food and one’s appearance; perhaps spending a few more days in Chengdu could make me as radiant as the local girls! Soon, I was once again overwhelmed by the spiciness, tears and snot streaming down, and for the hundred and first time, I had to ask the boss for some tissue with an outstretched hand.
A man pulled over a stool and sat down opposite me. “If you can’t handle it, don’t eat it. It’s embarrassing, look at everyone else, who eats as messily as you?” While scolding me, he fished out a skewer of goose intestines from the pot and began to chew with a crunch. I looked up, stared at him, then angrily threw another skewer into the pot, “Mind your own business, it’s my money, my pleasure!” After a loud nose-blowing, feeling unsatisfied, I added, “You’ve got some nerve, your brother has been looking for you all over the world, almost to the point of involving the FBI, and here you are, hiding out in rags!”
He scratched his head and chuckled, “I’ve been wanting to get away from them for a while now, tired of being a leech. This is a good opportunity! What about you, why are you not staying in Beijing and come to Chengdu?”
