Chapter 2 stand at thirty

No one knew how much cash Mr. Wang had hidden at home, not even Wang Da.Regarding his father's financial situation, all Wang Da knew was that his uncle Mr. Tan, who passed away two years ago, had remitted money from Hong Kong to the United States several times.Since the death of my uncle, my father has never received any remittances from China.But he has never seen his father worry about money, and he rarely sees him talking about his money with others.When he was in a good mood, he would pull out a hundred-dollar bill for himself as quickly as a gangster pulls out a gun.During Wang Da's four years studying economics at the University of California, he was often confused by his father's financial system.He never received a check from his father.When he needed money, he always got crisp hundred-dollar bills.Whether it is paying tuition, board, or accommodation, he uses hundred-yuan bills.Sometimes the hundred-dollar bills really made him feel ashamed.

However, his father never thought of spoiling him with money.When he was studying in college, the money in his pocket was limited to fifty dollars a month, and the old man asked him to open a bill every month.Each expense must be itemized on the bill. It doesn't have to be detailed, but it must be honest.Once, out of curiosity, he spent five dollars on a prostitute introduced by a Filipino classmate.He hated the experience and was haunted for a long time; besides, he didn't know how the expense would fit on the bill.In the end, his entry reads: "America's college student's actual sexual experience from an economic point of view—five dollars." Father never questioned this account.

After four years of American education, Wang Da also accepted many American concepts, one of which is to be independent.After graduation, he was ashamed to continue to accept his father's financial support.This attitude baffled his father.In China, whoever is richer, the father or the son, should help each other, and it is only natural for each other to help each other, and no one will be ashamed. "What are you going to do now?" his father asked him after he graduated. "I want to find a job," he told his father.For weeks, with his brand new diploma in hand, he walked down California, Montgomery, and Sansom Avenues, trying to find a job that suited his major.After more than thirty short interviews, only one insurance company showed even slight interest in him.However, when they found out that he could not speak Cantonese, they immediately decided not to hire him.Knowing his disadvantages, he made up his mind to broaden his horizons and put his economics behind him.So he took a job washing dishes at an American restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf.When he came home to announce this independent work, his father was so shocked by the nature of his work that he almost passed out on the floor. "I won't let you do that job!" he yelled. "No one in our family can wash other people's dishes..."

Wang Da went back and forth for more than two months, trying to find a job in an office, but he still found nothing.Finally, through the mediation of his aunt, Mrs. Tan, he went back to school and entered the medical school of the University of California.He didn't like this new discipline, but it would keep him from looking for a job for at least five or six years.His father was also satisfied.In his eyes, although he does not have a high opinion of Western medicine, he always feels that the profession of a doctor is not bad. At the University of California School of Medicine, the biggest problem Wang Da encountered was love.He had been in love before, but each time the trauma got worse.He didn't know why, but at least he didn't worry about love affairs so much when he was studying in Berkeley.Is it because he has more social opportunities because he lives in San Francisco, or because he is more serious about life because he grows older, or because he has reached the age when he desires women the most?He couldn't figure it out.He liked American girls; they held a strong attraction for him, especially physically.Some American girls would send him pictures in swimsuits, he liked them, but he knew his father would never allow him to marry an American, and he also knew that many American parents would not allow their daughters to marry Chinese.He dated many American girls, but never seriously.He really enjoyed being with them and found them relaxed and interesting, unlike most of the Chinese girls he'd dated.Chinese girls, especially from the mainland, are usually reserved and polite, and some are very pompous, knowing that the sex ratio among Chinese places them in a favorable position.Wang Da knows that the situation of "six to one male to female" has become a social problem, so whenever he meets a girl from China, he will always rein in himself and control himself.He once dated a girl who just came from Taiwan, and when the word got out, all the old bachelors, including a bunch of those who lived in Monterey, flocked to San Francisco to meet her.This girl, who used to wear a blue cloth cheongsam worth two dollars, now wears a six-dollar flower cheongsam to concerts and operas.Wang Da wondered if she would ever accept an invitation to see a movie after being spoiled by so many horny bachelors.

Then he met a Stoughton-born Chinese-American girl who studied music at City College, and they dated many times outside.Wang Da found that she was happy, lovable, and charming like ordinary American girls.Four months later, Wang Da started to get serious.He was sure his father would have no objection to marrying a Chinese-American girl.Her family background is good, her father owns a supermarket in Stoughton and all siblings have gone to university.She was the smallest and prettiest in the family, with big piercing eyes and long, shawl-length hair.One Saturday night, when they had dinner together in a private room in the Far East restaurant on Gran Via, Wang Da said to the mixed-race girl: "Mary, let's not go to the movies tonight. I want to take you home to meet my father." .”

"Oh, let's go to the movies," said Mary. "I want to see them very much. If I miss this one, I don't know when it will be shown again. It's an old movie, you know." "But I want you to meet my father." "Let's change the time, Lawrence." Mary said, "I have been calling you Lawrence for more than four months, but I am still not used to it. The name is a bit funny and sounds strange. Why don't you use your Chinese? name?" "Wang Da is fine in China. But in this country, everyone calls me Dawang. Dawang means 'bandit head' in Chinese. So I asked a classmate to give me an American name."

"Why did she name you Lawrence? Was she a spinster?" "No, he's a boy. He's learning Chinese. He named me Lawrence to help him memorize Chinese." "I do not understand what you mean." "'Lau-Lun-si' means 'old-man-death'. As long as he remembers my name, he also remembers this Chinese sentence. In 'bandit head' and 'old man dies' ', I'd rather choose the latter." He tried to make Marie laugh, but she just made a face.She's so cute when she makes faces, especially when she wrinkles her nose. "Why don't you change your name?" she said. "Why don't you use a more common name, like Tom, George, or Larry? Yes, why not Larry? It sounds pretty close to Lawrence's..."

Wang Da didn't speak, but swallowed hard, and said in a trembling voice, "Mary, will you marry me?" At this time, the waiter came to serve the food.Mary sipped her tea until the waiter left. "I'm already engaged, Laurence," she said, lowering her large, beautiful eyes. Wang Da stared at her, and then swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "But you never told me." He said suddenly, with anger in his voice. "I never thought you were serious." "Can I have other meanings?" Wang Da was furious, he was really hurt now, "I take you out every week, isn't that considered serious?"

"There are many people who brought me out. That doesn't mean I have to marry everyone." "But you let me kiss you!" "Oh, that's all," said Mary. "Let's eat, it's getting cold." "At least you should tell me that you are already engaged." Wang Da said. "Oh, for God's sake we don't talk about that. Do I have to bang the streets and tell everyone I'm engaged? Dick's in Japan now, and he's a soldier. I don't want to brag about him." "Then you shouldn't let me kiss you." Wang Da said.

"Oh, you must be old-fashioned. Like your name. I think you guys who grew up in China are like that." "I think you can kiss anyone!" Mary dropped her chopsticks, grabbed her purse and coat, and left the restaurant without a word.Wang Da was stunned for a moment, but quickly chased him out. "Mary! Mary!" he yelled, overtaking her on the Grand Avenue going south to California Avenue.But she ignored him, crossed the street, got into a taxi in front of St. Mary's Church, and drove away.This is their last date. Wang Da carefully read the book for two weeks, trying to drive Mary out of his heart.Sometimes, when he was reading medical books, he wished someone would invent some medicine that could cure a person of lovesickness and bruised self-esteem.Mary dumped him, he was hurt, but he didn't hate her.Maybe that's why it's so haunting to a girl.He knew that studying hard could not heal the wound completely, so he went to see many movies and read many magazines, all about love and psychology.Sometimes he was delighted when he read in a pocket book or magazine about a hero who, after losing the girl he loved, made an effort to win her back.He often compares himself to a hero, and imagines that those girls are hard to win, but in the end they must return to the hero full of passion, love and humility.

But the formulaic fiction offered him only temporary solace, like a sip of whiskey or brandy, after which disappointment was more unbearable.Several times he thought about calling Mary, but each time he dropped a coin, he changed his mind. "What's the use?" he said to himself. "She's someone else's girl. She's engaged." And he wasn't the type to tear people apart.He wasn't even sure if he could do it, if he really wanted to. Mary nearly ruined his first year of medical school.His father doesn't know anything about his romantic history, and Wang Dae doesn't intend to let him know.He became very lonely and unhappy, and his academic performance began to decline.He wrote a letter to Zhang Lingyu in Los Angeles.They were very good friends at the University of California, and Zhang Lingyu was studying for a Ph.D. in political science.They spent many weekends in Berkeley drinking coffee together and talking politics.Zhang Lingyu is short and fat, with a happy square face, and he is very talkative when it comes to women.Wang Da's impression of Zhang Lingyu is that he must be a great Romeo in China, who knows everything about women.Zhang Lingyu went to Los Angeles after receiving a Ph.D. in political science.Now, Wang Da suddenly wanted to see him very much, and immediately wrote him a letter, inviting him to San Francisco for the weekend. Zhang Lingyu did not reply, but three weeks later he called Wang Da. "I'm in Chinatown. I moved, and I only saw your letter when I went to the previous landlady to redeem the suitcase." He told Wang Da that he owed the previous landlady thirty dollars, so she Leave his suitcase as a "hostage".He said cheerfully, "Don't worry about me, I'm quite rich now. I want to treat you to morning tea in Xiangya. I'll see you there in twenty minutes." Wang Da secretly laughed when he hung up the phone.Zhang Lingyu has not changed, he is still so talkative, energetic and straightforward.He still remembered how they ate breakfast and lunch together at the Xiangya Teahouse, which was located in an unknown alley across the street from the Chinese YMCA.It's in a basement with an unassuming entrance, and it's only open between 10am and 3pm.It is impossible for American tourists to find the place without a guide, and few Americans are taken there.Maybe the residents of Chinatown wanted it to retain the Chinese teahouse character, or maybe they worried that Americans wouldn't like the food there.It never occurred to Wang Da that he would take an American girl there. To him, Xiangya Tea House seems to be the Chinatown of Chinatowns. Its atmosphere is typical Chinese, where diners sip tea and talk in typical Chinese manners.It would certainly spoil the atmosphere if there was a white American guy in there fumbling with chopsticks.A few years ago, he and Zhang Lingyu often went there to eat, chat, and taste chrysanthemum tea on Sundays until the teahouse closed.They once ate eight plates of dim sum and special meals.Their favorites include shrimp dumplings, three delicacies fan dumplings, stewed duck feet, chicken feet, pork belly, radish pies, glutinous rice cakes, as well as various steamed buns and delicious steamed dumplings.The food here is not cheap, but it tastes delicious and is authentic Cantonese cuisine, so there is no need to try hard to cater to the tastes of "foreigners".The two of them often ate so contentedly that they staggered when they walked. The teahouse was decorated with calligraphy and painting banners and red lacquered wood carvings everywhere. Zhang Lingyu sat at a dining table in a corner of the teahouse and waited for him.They reunited after a long absence and greeted each other warmly.Wang Da never felt at ease in the presence of his father or with a sophisticated girl, but with Zhang Lingyu he felt very relaxed, as if all the troubles that had been suppressed and fettered in his heart suddenly disappeared.When chatting with Zhang Lingyu, he doesn't need to think carefully about his words, he can speak freely, but in fact he can also enjoy Zhang Lingyu speaking freely, because he also has everything to say to himself. After they finished ordering, Wang Da asked, "What do you do now?" "I'm a grocery store clerk now," Zhang Lingyu said cheerfully. "Probably the first grocery store clerk with a Ph.D. in political science. Hope I can declare it a world record." "I heard that there is a doctor who washes dishes in a restaurant in Fisherman's Wharf." Wang Da said, "If my father hadn't ruined my job, I would probably be his subordinate." "Then what are you doing now?" Zhang Lingyu asked. "I went back to school, UC School of Medicine. If the professors there were indifferent to human life, they'd be training me to be a doctor in seven or eight years." He paused, then added half-mockingly, half-painfully. , "I truly believe that I would serve my fellow man better if I were to wash the dishes." "Don't you like medicine?" "I took medicine because it took the longest. At least I didn't have to look for another job while I was in school. Do you like your job?" "I like it very much." Zhang Lingyu said, "I make more money than being a professor. And the butchers sell me the best parts at wholesale prices. Because I eat well, live a regular life, and get more money from moving potatoes. Without adequate physical exercise, I intend to drastically reduce the workload of future doctors. Besides, my new profession is both my own salvation and the luck of our fellow citizens, depending on how I look at it.” "what do you mean……" "Since I got this daunting degree, I've applied for a lot of jobs. I found it to be the heaviest baggage I've ever carried, a bit like a second-married woman with eight children from an ex-husband. It's a burden in life. Once, I almost got a job as a clerk in a big hotel, the closest thing to a white-collar job, but when my future boss found out that I was a Ph. D., he hired me Son, fired me immediately. His son told me frankly that my degree made his father feel inferior. From that day on, I finally believed that the degree was my only liability. It ruined at least ten of my pretty good ones. My job brought me nothing but depression. Well, that day I threw my degree certificate into the gutter, and after that I became an ordinary person, reading detective novels, telling low-level jokes, and going bowling. Soon after, I Then it happened. I joined a bowling team, and a week later, a teammate of mine, whose dad was a chain store manager, got me the job." "Is this what you call self-help?" Wang Da interrupted him. "No." Zhang Lingyu said while pouring tea for Wang Da, "Let me tell you, the biggest problem for most of us Chinese is that we take life too seriously. We stick to the old rules and ignore that we are just a bunch of 'baihua ' The fact is that, like 'White Russia' back then, we refuse to adjust ourselves to the new environment. We dream too much. If I haven't adopted new philosophies and discarded many of our old habits, including our face-saving If I don’t get used to it, I will always be very unhappy. The new attitude has helped me see my future clearly. If I still lament the waste of my unfathomable university studies, I may have gone back to mainland China.” He He drank a big mouthful of tea, swallowed a shrimp dumpling, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and continued: "So, it was my self-help not to go back to the mainland; it was the luck of our compatriots not to go back to Taiwan, because under the influence of my uncle , maybe I will really seek my way into the government and become a corrupt bureaucrat. But I don't want that to happen to me. So I will be a grocery store clerk, which I think is the happiest thing. Well, let's Change the subject before I turn this pleasant little meeting into a tiresome lecture. How is your love life?" "Not very good." Wang Da said dejectedly. "Tell me something." "I'd rather not talk about that." "Well, I can tell you something." Zhang Lingyu gnawed on the duck paw and said. "You also make the same mistake of being too serious about relationships. You have to remember that you are a 'white flower'. The same disadvantages you face in relationships are the same disadvantages you face in many other things .I always say that for us girls are like a grocery store with an inflationary year. The few items in the store are too expensive for us to buy. Locally born girls don't want to hang out with us, I Don't blame them. What have we got to give them? Nothing. Take me for example. I'm in my forties and I don't look any handsomer than any local-born lad, be it a grocer or a restaurant owner. Son. The only thing I have more than them is maybe a degree, but it's not something that can be eaten like bread. And many things they have that I don't have at all, like cars, TV, possessions, youth, etc. !" "I think you are right." Wang Da stared at the chrysanthemum in the tea and said. "Once you understand the situation, you have to analyze the girls and strategize accordingly. If the girl is playful, you are suicidal if you take her seriously. If the girl is serious, you have to ask yourself, are you Love her enough to keep hanging out with her. Some girls may take the hard-to-get role, and they do qualify because there are few competitors. Some girls may be picky, like the old Chinese saying 'ride Donkey looking for a horse'. If you find a girl riding on your back looking for something, you'd better throw her off as soon as possible. Anyway, this type of girl is easy to spot." He took another sip of tea, "In fact, this kind of girl is simple-minded and the easiest to spot. If you call to ask her out and she feels that she has nothing to do, she will definitely agree to you. If she thinks that John Or George might call her up to ask her out, and she'll fumble on the phone for a while, then tell you to call her back tomorrow. If she's entertaining someone when you call, she'll probably tell you : 'Now I'm frying the lamb chops and I can't talk to you or it'll burn.' At this point you should be sure that the lamb chops are either John or George—the lad she likes. There's also a girl who is downright mercenary. You don't have to bother with this type of girl, though, because they'll come to you if they think you're a gold mine. If you're smart, you don't have to give any gold, and you can fully enjoy the unrestrained fun .Of course, there are plenty of good girls out there, but we're not talking about good girls right now. No matter what type you meet, you have to remember this rule: Don't jump headlong into love in such a hurry and urgency." "I know." Wang Da said.He fished a chrysanthemum out of the tea and crushed it with his fingers, "But sometimes you just can't control love. You can't turn it on and off like a light." "Then you need to wash your mind," Zhang Lingyu said. "Your attitude towards love has to change. Like I said, first of all you can't take love too seriously. I'm not saying that everyone should take this approach." This kind of attitude. I'm only targeting us, a group of 'Bai Hua' bachelors who are approaching middle age. You must remain indifferent and ready to face the worst situation. Heh, I've talked too much, and I can't even bother to eat. I'd better listen to your story, so I can also eat some food." He dropped his chopsticks, picked up a bean paste bun with his hand, and devoured it. "I decided to forget about my past romances," Wang said. "It was a painful failure, and it was all of my own making." Zhang Lingyu suddenly stopped chewing, narrowed his eyes, and stared intently at a girl sitting nearby. "I know her." He whispered to Wang Da, "She can speak Mandarin, Shanghai dialect, Cantonese, English, and a few sentences of French that she learned from a French sailor in Hanoi. Seven years ago we They came on the same boat." Wang Da took a look.In that seat, two women sat facing each other, gesticulating and chatting happily.One is middle-aged, still charming, with a lot of powder on her round face; the other is young and beautiful, wearing a light blue cheongsam with glittering ornaments, which accentuates her slender figure. "Which one?" Wang Da asked, swallowing. "The one who looks like a movie star." Zhang Lingyu said, "Do you want to know her?" "Which type is she?" Wang Da swallowed again. "I don't know. I didn't see it. I met her seven years ago on the 'Cleveland President.' I didn't know anything about classification then." Let me introduce you. You will never be bored with her. Her mouth will never stop talking. Maybe it will only take a moment for her to erase your bad romances from your memory." They leaned forward.Zhang Lingyu spoke Mandarin happily: "Miss Tang, what brought you here?" Both women turned around at the same time.Miss Tang sized him up, "Ah," she pointed at him with her slender index finger and shouted, "You are Mr. Wu from the Chinese Consulate!" The long nail of her little finger pointed to the ground at a slight angle. "Guess again." Zhang Lingyu said with a smile, "I have the same surname as that famous general who has sixty-three wives." Miss Tang withdrew her finger, put it on her lipsticked lips and thought for a while, her big black eyes gleamed. "Ah," she stretched out her finger again, "You are Mr. Wang from Wulu Import and Export Company!" "No." Zhang Lingyu chuckled, shaking his head slowly, "As the old saying goes, the nobles really forget things!" "Don't tell me." Miss Tang hurriedly interrupted him, "Give me another hint." "My surname is the most common and well-known in China." Zhang Lingyu said, "There are more generals and warlords with this surname than other surnames. Do you still remember the young marshal who advocated dancing in the ballroom and detained Chiang Kai-shek? ?” "Oh, oh," exclaimed Miss Tang, "you're Mr. Zhang! We played poker aboard the 'President Cleveland'!" She laughed out loud.Then she turned to Wang Da, blinked her long eyelashes and asked, "Who is this gentleman?" Zhang Lingyu introduced them to each other.Miss Tang stared at Wang Da for a long time, until Wang Da's face turned red. "Let me introduce, this is Mrs. Wu." Her eyes lit up again, and she introduced her plump female companion to them. Zhang Lingyu and Wang Da saluted Mrs. Wu, and Mrs. Wu nodded with a smile. "Please come and sit with us." Miss Tang invited, "Mrs. Wu wants to recognize me as a goddaughter. We are discussing the recognition ceremony. I want to hear your opinions. Please sit down." She turned her gaze to Wang Da, staring at his face as he sat down.When Wang Da's eyes met hers, she blinked her eyelashes and smiled.Wang Da's heart beat violently immediately.He finds her very sexy, especially when she smiles.The most touching thing about her smile is her white and neat teeth and two deep dimples. "Mrs. Wu is from Sichuan." She went on to introduce, "Her husband is a great general. He fought against the Japanese as well as the Communist Party in China. Please come and eat with us. Oh man, let's go again." Bring two teacups and chopsticks. Now this Mr. Wu, Mrs. Wu's husband, has become one of the top people on the mainland's blacklist. Now she wants to recognize me as her daughter. Mr. Zhang, what do you think? Is the ceremony more appropriate? I insisted on bowing three times to her, but Mrs. Wu said three bows to her and heaven and earth are enough, what do you think?" "Kowtowing is more formal and more effective. Don't forget to invite us to the recognition ceremony!" Zhang Lingyu said. "Mrs. Wu is going to hold a banquet." Miss Tang said: "We will invite you to attend, please leave me your address and phone number." She immediately opened her handbag, took out a golden notebook and handed it to Wang Da . "Do you live in San Francisco, Mr. Wang?" "yes." "You should visit Mrs. Wu's new house." Ms. Tang said, "It's in Marina, the most beautiful residential area in San Francisco. After we become mother and daughter, I will move in and live with her." She filled Mrs. Wu's teacup with tea, took a piece of chicken liver with her chopsticks and put it on Mrs. Wu's plate. "You like chicken livers. This one is good. Mr. Zhang thinks I should kowtow to you, Mrs. Wu. If you don't let me kowtow, I won't be your daughter. Hey, buddy, have another chicken liver. Mr. Wang, What do you like to eat?" "I've eaten a lot on my side." Wang Da said, "Thank you, I'll just drink some tea." "Oh, eat more." As she said, she picked up a bun and put it on the plate that the waiter had just put on Wang Da, "Try this pork bun, it is the most famous and delicious one in San Francisco. I heard that the pork inside is Made with a secret recipe. Please try it. If you like chicken fried rice noodles, you have to go to Guohua restaurant on Grand Avenue. The chicken fried rice noodles there is the best in San Francisco. Mrs. Wu, do you want to What would you like to eat? Please." Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "No, this meal today will keep me from being hungry for two days." Miss Tang took another piece of chicken liver for Mrs. Wu, "This piece is not bad, please try it. Our argument is over here, Mrs. Wu. Unless you accept my kowtow, I will not accept anything from you. " "Oh, this is America." Mrs. Wu said, "Kowtowing is an old fashioned thing. Foreigners may laugh at us." "Oh, don't care about foreigners." Miss Tang said, "We only invite a few foreigners. Like my vocal teacher and your piano teacher—Mr. Clark and Mr. Rogers." After she finished speaking, she turned to He turned to Wang Da and said, "Mr. Rogers is Mrs. Wu's piano teacher. He plays very well. He is teaching her to play the piano without looking at the music score. You should come and listen to Mrs. Wu playing the piano. She can play "Yankee Du De and Dixie Rand as well as Mister Rogers. Can you sing, Mister Wang?" "Can sing a few lines of Chinese opera." Wang Da replied, "That was many years ago..." "Peking opera?" Miss Tang exclaimed excitedly: "It's great! Mrs. Wu also sings Peking opera. I know a person who can play the huqin. He played the huqin for Mei Lanfang in Beijing. I can invite him to our You and Mrs. Wu can sing Peking Opera with the accompaniment of his famous huqin. I will let you know when he comes. Have you written your phone number in my notebook?" "I wrote it." Wang Da said, and returned the golden notebook to her.She put the notebook back in her handbag and suggested: "Let's go to the park, the sun is shining today. Or drive to the beach. My brother bought me a new car, and I'm teaching Mrs. Wu to drive. Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang, are you free this afternoon?" Wang Da expected Zhang Lingyu to accept the invitation, but Zhang Lingyu found an excuse to decline, saying that they had to go across the bay to visit some friends.Miss Tang was very sorry, "You must find time to visit us." She repeatedly reminded her, then paid the bill, and left the teahouse holding Mrs. Wu's arm. "Why didn't you accept the invitation?" Wang Da asked when he walked out of the teahouse, "I think she's quite interesting." "You mean she's very sexy." Zhang Lingyu said with a chuckle. "It might be fun for us to play with them," Wang Da said. "She talks too much," Zhang Lingyu said. "With her, I can't even get in a word. I like to talk, and I like to listen to others, as you know; but nothing she said is worth listening to. She's probably only good for sex, I guess. But to me, as the saying goes, it's purely 'a toad wants to eat a swan'. Don't worry, you'll see her soon, and she'll be soon Calling you. Did you notice that during the one-sided conversations, she didn't always look at you and invite you to her house, or her future godmother's house? Maybe you were in her eyes It's also very sexy. You just have to play it safe and remember the rules." As they walked toward Sacramento Avenue and reached Grand Avenue, they saw Ms. Tang and Mrs. Wu getting into a brand new Buick parked half a block away. "Let's go to Clay Street." Zhang Lingyu said and turned to the left. "If she sees her, she may stop the car and talk for another half an hour, which may cause traffic jams in Chinatown." "You think she might be a gold digger?" Wang Da asked. "She confuses me," Zhang Lingyu said. "If she was, she might try to find out where you work, or who your father is. But she doesn't show much about your job or your father." Not showing any interest. Seems like she's the playful type." A car horn sounded twice, and Wang Da turned around.Bright red new Buicks passed by them.Miss Tang waved to him, her snow-white hand with jewels on the ivory steering wheel, her bright smiling face with dimples, her curly black hair and fancy red scarf reflected in the car. In the window, it was as pretty as an ad in a national magazine.Wang Da swallowed and waved to her.He wished he was in that car, driving up to Golden Gate Park, down to Ocean Beach, through the Cleaver Theater, into Lincoln Park... "What a nice car!" Zhang Lingyu said. "Maybe the fastest car in Chinatown. Her brother must be as rich as Ali Kahn." "I don't think she's a gold digger." Wang Da suddenly found himself protecting her. "She's just a happy, innocent girl who likes to talk and make friends." "I hope you're right." Zhang Lingyu said after a while, "Yes, I think she's a playful girl. She doesn't have any characteristics of a gold digger. Do you want to know the characteristics of a gold digger?" He paused and nodded A Cigarette: "Well, the first thing a gold digger looks at are men's shoes. She has an impeccable eye for men's shoes, and she knows their price better than the shoe seller. In her eyes, if A man who wears leather shoes that aren't worth twenty-five cents, or needs twenty-five cents to have their heels polished or replaced, is a poor 'safety risk'. If your shoes pass inspection, She'll start working on your shirts. If you're well dressed but your shirts are a little dirty at the neckline or a little worn in the back, she'll treat you like a - in American parlance - a一个phony（冒牌货）来看。假如你的鞋子和衬衣都达到了她的标准，那么她就会要搞清楚——当然是以非常巧妙的方式——你是否有一辆汽车。假如你有，好，她就会要求你带她去你家，或者带她去兜风，告诉你医生说她需要呼吸大量新鲜空气。假如你的汽车碰巧是辆嘎嘎作响的老爷车，她就会突然头痛起来，告诉你医生就住在附近……” 王大几乎没有听见他的朋友在讲什么。他满脑子想的都是唐小姐，并且想象着他们已经接受了兜风的建议。在他的想象中，他看到自己坐在她的身边……汽车出了林肯公园，沿着风景如画的海岸线飞驰，驶入普勒西迪奥区，然后拐进用黄灯作隔线的高速公路，穿过金门大桥，直接驶向马林县境内那些美丽的绿色山谷之中……