***** Vol.2 Chap.25 Meeting a young boy *****

The next morning, May-Ling woke up early and chose one of the nicest dresses she had to put on. Her grandpa was already making porridge from the leftover rice from last night. As a growing girl, she ate two enormous bowls without stopping. They were good. After breakfast, she could hardly wait for him to get ready. Together, they started off towards the school. She had to stop and wait for him several times as they were going down the stairs, but she did not mind. She knew she would have to go to school by herself soon. As they rounded the corner and passed the restaurant section, a young boy came out of one of the side doors. It was the same boy who smiled at her the day before.

“Good morning, Mr. Chen. How are you?”

“Fine, just a little slow today, Haw-Ting.”

“Beautiful morning.”

“Yes, it is.”

“I heard you were away.”

“Yes, I travelled out of town to pick up my granddaughter.”

“Who is this?”

“Oh, this is May-Ling. She is my granddaughter.”

“Hi, May-Ling.”

May-Ling looked at him and hid behind her Grandpapa.

“May-Ling, this is Haw-Ting.”

“Hi, Haw-Ting.” She peeked from behind.

“I know Haw-Ting’s family well. His father owns that restaurant back there.”

“May-Ling, Haw-Ting goes to the same school as you. Be nice to him. He will take care of you.”

“Mr. Chen, I will take good care of her.” Haw-Ting said. Then he turned to May-Ling. “May-Ling, how old are you?”

“Twelve.”

“Oh, so you must be in sixth grade then.”

“Seven.”

“Well, we will see about that.”

“The counselor would probably give her a test and then place her in the right grade,” Grandpa Chen said.

“No doubt.”

“Is May-Ling coming to visit or to stay?”

“She will stay with me.”

“Great, a friend to play with.”

“May-Ling, Haw-Ting worked for his father.”

“Really?”

“Haw-Ting, would your father need another dish washer?”

“Well actually, I am kind of tired of washing dishes. I don’t mind if May-Ling takes over my job. I would rather be an assistant cook.”

“Would you like that, May-Ling?”

“I can and will do anything.” She said confidently, like a grown-up.

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“Good, I will check with my father after school.”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

“Mr. Chen, I can take May-Ling to school so you don’t have to walk all the way there.”

“You will?”

“Sure. I will take care of May-Ling and show her around.”

“That is very kind of you, Haw-Ting.”

“I will pick her up after school and bring her back to your place. So, you can just wait for us at home.”

“Thank you, Haw-Ting.”

“Come on, May-Ling. Let’s go”

When they arrived at school, the morning bell had already rung. But Haw-Ting stayed behind to show them the way to the office and to make sure that May-Ling was taken care of. Then he told her to wait for him at the office after school.

The day flew by quickly. May-Ling spent most of the morning in aptitude tests. In the afternoon, the school counselor told her she could be in seventh grade. She was so happy about the news. After the afternoon bell, she tried to find her way back to the office. She got lost twice and had to ask the janitor more than once. When she finally arrived at the office, Haw-Ting was already waiting there. As she approached, he immediately picked up his books and told her to hurry.

“I have to go back quickly and start washing dishes.”

She tried to follow her with her bundles of books as he zipped in and out of the alleys.

“Please slow down. I can’t keep up.” He slowed down so that she could catch up with him, still panting.

“So, what grade are you in now?”

“Seven.”

“You are in the same grade as me?”

“He, he.” She smiled.

“Remember how to get back home?”

“Not really.”

“I’ll show you the way. Follow me.”

They walked together. Along the way, she asked him all kinds of questions about the place and the neighborhood. He was always patient in answering her questions. Everyone else would have written her off as the biggest idiot and the most ignorant villager on earth. But he was patient and answered her patiently with a smile.

They passed a candy store, and he told her, “Never go into that store. The owner is dishonest. He will cheat you out of your money every time. He never gives you good candies. Every time I bought candy from him, the candies all turned out to be rotten.”

Passing by another toy store, he informed her that the owner was very nice and would let you play with the toys first before buying. By the time they got back to their neighborhood, she thought she had lived there all her life. She felt she already knew everything about the neighborhood.

When they arrived at the restaurant, he told her to wait while he quickly disappeared to the back of the restaurant to look for his father. He suggested to his father that May-Ling could be the next dishwasher and he could get trained as the new assistant cook who just left a few days ago. His father came out and examined her from head to toe, making her somewhat embarrassed. She felt like shrinking into a hole in the ground. But she wanted to help her grandpa monetarily, and she wanted to do her share to help with the expenses as well.

“Are you a hard worker? You have to be a hard worker to work here. If I catch you not working at all, I will tell your grandpa.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tsai. Don’t worry about me not working. I am a good worker and I have always helped my father in his clinic. Every day since I was six, I helped in housekeeping, house cleaning, delivering meals, delivering medicines, and running errands.”

Mr. Tsai was truly impressed. “Well then, you can start tomorrow.”

Haw-Ting told his father that he would be back in fifteen minutes because he had to take her back to her house. So, he practically ran all the way to her Granpa’s place.

May-Ling was so happy about getting the dishwashing job that she was smiling the whole time. As they were jogging home, she kept asking him about the restaurant and the job. She had forgotten about her shyness and he likewise. Along the way, he gave her a few pointers about washing dishes and working in the restaurant. She was too happy to remember anything he said. He realized that too, but thought he would just make conversation.

They climbed the stairs to the apartment and Grandpa Chen was already standing at the open door waiting for them.

“Grandpapa, Grandpapa, I got the job!”

“Really?”

“Haw-Ting talked to his father, and I got the job.”

“Thank you, Haw-Ting.”

“No problem, well, if you would excuse me, I still have to go wash dishes today since you are not working today.” Haw-Ting pouted and smiled. She smiled as well.

“Wait, Haw-Ting, I baked some cookies this morning. Would you like to have some?”

“Sure.”

“Here you are. Eat them on your way back.”

“Thank you, Mr. Chen. They taste fantastic.”

“You better be going.”

“Yes, goodbye.”

Haw-Ting turned to leave. Half way down the hall, he suddenly turned and ran back to the door.

“Mr. Chen, if you want, I will wait for May-Ling at the restaurant in the morning, so this way, you do not have to walk her to school.”

“Well, that is very sweet of you.”

“Then, after school, she could walk with me back to the restaurant and attend to her job.”

“That is very, very nice of you, Haw-Ting. Are you sure you don’t mind doing that?”

“Not at all.”

“May-Ling, see you tomorrow morning at the back door of the restaurant.”

“Okay. Bye.”

“Don’t be late. See you at quarter to eight.”

“Bye!”

“Don’t be late.”

“Bye.” May-Ling smiled

Haw-Ting turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.