***** Vol.2 Chap.20 Farewell to her childhood home *****

Finally, having taken care of all the details in the house and the clinic, Grandpa Chen looked at May-Ling and said softly, “Are you ready to leave?”

May-Ling thought for a little and then replied, “Sure, but can we stop by and say goodbye to Uncle Zhang?”

“Of course! I should thank him for taking care of you. Yes, I almost forgot about him. May-Ling, you know the way. Please take me to him.”

“OK, this way, Grandpapa.” Delighted, she grabbed his hand and was out the door in no time.

May-Ling knew the streets well and led him to Uncle Zhang’s porridge stand in no time. As usual, he was selling porridge in the same street corner he had occupied for countless years. Grandpa Chen saw Mr. Zhang and went straight up to him and shook his hands enthusiastically.

“Uncle Zhang, this is my Grandpapa.”

“Oh, Mr. Zhang, thank you. Thank you.”

“Mr. Chen, it was nice seeing you again. Hi, May-Ling.”

“Mr. Zhang, thank you so much for taking care of May-Ling.”

Mr. Zhang was speechless. He was never good at words.

“Mr. Zhang, you saved my little girl’s life.”

“May-Ling is a good girl,” Mr. Zhang finally blurted out. “I hate to see her get hurt.”

“You saved her life.” Grandpa Chen was almost in tears.

“I really have done nothing.”

“You have done much more than you realized.”

Mr. Zhang blushed and was embarrassed. He was just a simple street vendor.

“You are too kind. I like May-Ling. She is a good girl.”

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“She liked you too.”

“She was like a daughter to me.”

“Thank you. She told me all about your kindness.”

“I am glad that you are here. Will you be taking her back?”

“Yes, we are just about to leave for the train station. May-Ling just wanted to stop by and say goodbye to you.”

Uncle Zhang turned to May-Ling. A tear dropped from his eye as well. Speechless, he held out his arms and May-Ling ran to him and gave him a big hug for a long time. At the end, they were both crying. Finally, he wiped his tears and said to them, “Have a bowl of my porridge before you leave.”

“No, thank you. That is alright. We are not really that hungry, anyway.” Grandpa Chen responded.

“Nonsense. May-Ling, you will not have another chance to taste my porridge for a long time. Here, sit down.” Uncle Zhang quickly grabbed two empty bowls and filled both with porridge. Then he added different sauces on the porridge. He also chopped up two big fried bread sticks into the porridge and set them in front of May-Ling and Grandpa Chen. When Grandpa Chen tried to take the money out, Uncle Zhang stopped him.

“No money. This is from me for you and May-Ling.”

“No, I should thank you for taking care of May-Ling.”

“It was a pleasure and a special treat just to have May-Ling around. May-Ling, will you promise to come back and see me?”

“Of course, Uncle Zhang.”

When they finished the porridge, Uncle Zhang insisted that they have another bowl. Only after they finished the second bowl, before he would let them go. Grandpa Chen again thanked Uncle Zhang sincerely and profusely for caring for May-Ling. He could just smile and could barely hold back his tears. May-Ling ran to him and gave him another long hug before they finally set out to the train station. May-Ling looked back at him several times with tears in her eyes and waved as they were walking down the street.

At the train station, Grandpa Chen bought the tickets, and they found a chair to sit down to wait for the train. Finally, the train came, and they got on to a crowded section. He found a tiny seat for May-Ling and himself, and they settled down on the train. It would be a long ride before they arrive at their destination.

Among all the hustle and bustling sound, she heard the long whistle of the train. Almost instantly, she sensed the train began to move. Slowly, slowly, the station platform moved past her and fell out of view. Slowly, this childhood place that she had lived in for twelve years faded away. As the train sped up, she saw the steeple of the nearby church that they sometimes frequented. Further away was the hill that she sometimes played with the neighborhood kids when she was young. To her right, she saw the familiar smoke stack from the pulp and paper mill. The black smoke was pouring out, as usual.

With every turn on the tracks, a little more of her life was left behind further and further away. After a minute, the view of the city fell behind and she could barely make out a few structures in the distance among the outline of the foothills. But that was okay. She could see nothing anyway. Her eyes were filled with tears.

The train ride was long and boring. They had to change trains several times and there were long waits at the train stations. For her, there was nothing to do at all. Her Grandpapa spent most of their time taking naps whenever the train was moving, so she was relegated to watching the bundles whenever he was asleep.