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Nan called Da
To Nan 's amazement, Da
Da
" You live like the nouveau riche, such a nice place," Nan said, beaming.
"I paid thirty thousand dollars for this piece of property, but we may have to move soon." Da
"Why give up this place? It's a luxurious home, better than any apartment," Nan said the moment he sat down on a sofa.
" A company wants to build a hotel in this area, so the entire neighborhood will be gone in a year or two."
"What a shame. This quadrangle is the real old Beijing."
Da
As the two friends were talking, Nan felt an itch in his throat. Unconsciously he massaged the area below his Adam's apple with his thumb and forefinger. He didn't give more thought to this discomfort and just kept drinking the jasmine tea Da
When Weiwei got the water ready, Nan went out to wash. On a stone bench under a crab apple tree sat a brass basin, beside which were a folded towel and a plastic case containing a bar of green soap. Nan soaked the towel in the water and rubbed his face and neck with it.
Quickly he went back into the house, eager to resume conversing with his friend. Although he felt refreshed after the washing, his throat still itched. His breathing went rough, but he tried to ignore it.
Over tea the two of them caught up with each other. Da
"It's safe to do that. Many, many writers are working on ancient stuff nowadays."
"Isn't it hard to make such work literary?" Nan said in earnest.
Da
"Isee, it's a trap."
Da
Nan drank more tea to soothe his throat; still he couldn't breathe easily, his windpipe tight. Da
"So you have trouble breathing, don't you?" Da
"Yes, like having asthma."
"You know what? You must have an allergy."
"Really? An allergy to what?"
" To the air, the smog. When my wife came back from America she had the same problem. It took her a month to get used to the air here, to become a Chinese again." He tossed his head back and laughed. "Let me see if we still have some Benadryl." He went into a bedroom and came out with a brown bottle. "Here, take this." He shook out two caplets into Nan 's cupped palm.
Knowing the pills might make him drowsy, Nan swallowed them anyway. Then together they headed out. Weiwei, watching a movie on TV didn't come with them. She asked her father to bring back a meat pie for her.
7
FOREVER LOVE CAFE was a very small place. Its side windows looked onto a man-made lake, which, ringed with white sand, was more like a pond, without any trace of fish or waterfowl in it. Two teenage boys were swimming near the opposite shore, their red and white caps bobbing on the green water. Da
They sat at a table beside a window. The room had a faintly vinegary smell, emanating from the cold dishes contained in the enamel basins in the glass display case. A waitress with squarish shoulders came and put a porcelain teapot and two cups between them. "Their specialities are braised pork tripe and beef tendons," Da
"Come on, you think I'm rich and finicky about food?"
"You're a businessman now."
"I'm still struggling to survive there."
"Yet you're rich."
" Only by Chinese standards. "
"That's what I mean."
Sirong, Da
"Three hours ago." He shook her hand, which was small and soft.
" Well, what do you think of Beijing now?"
"There are more cars, more buildings, and more people."
The couple cracked up. "That's a very accurate observation," Da