Chapter 2 Ken's Poe

On the first day in Hong Kong, Chen Ken ate a bowl of beef brisket noodles.The aroma of this bowl of beef brisket noodles made him dumbfounded and unforgettable.When he left the noodle shop, he turned his head frequently and checked the signboard of the noodle shop again and again.This noodle shop is called Yiji Noodle House. Chen Ken remembered it in his heart: Yiji Noodle House. On the day I came to Hong Kong, I was picked up by my fellow teacher Lin Shufen.This arrangement was finalized half a year ago, and then everything proceeded step by step. When the day came, on this day, senior sister Lin Shufen picked up Chen Ken at the Kowloon Tong MTR station.Chen Ken set off early in the morning, flew from Wuhan to Shenzhen, entered Hong Kong from Luohu in Shenzhen, and then took the train to Kowloon Tong.Sister Lin Shufen raised a sign to meet the station.She held up Chen Kenda's name, and faithfully squeezed in the front of the exit gate, with a generous face and sweating. Although she was very different from the photo, Chen Ken recognized her at a glance.Chen Ken walked towards Lin Shufen.They spliced ​​very well.Meeting the students of the same tutor, there is a feeling of family.After some enthusiasm and a few greetings, Chen Ken left with his senior sister.

Senior sister Lin Shufen took Chen Ken to the subway.The subway clangs from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island.Chen Ken was already hungry.When we met for the first time, I was so hungry that I was too embarrassed to say it, not to mention the senior sister Lin Shufen said that she would clean up for Chen Ken.In the past, there were frequent exchanges of emails, and senior sister Lin Shufen sent him the schedule of Chen Ken's arrival in Hong Kong more than once.The schedule is also clearly listed: on the day Ken Chen arrives in Hong Kong, senior sister Lin Shufen will have dinner and tea with Ken Chen on behalf of all the teachers and students of the same school.In the subway, the senior sister Lin Shufen told Chen Ken again that she would host the lunch.Sister Lin Shufen’s ancestors are all Hong Kong people, and her mother tongue is Cantonese. How to say Mandarin is very awkward. If she struggles a lot, she still has the taste of translated sentences.But enough, Chen Ken already understood: senior sister Lin Shufen will treat him to dinner.That is, a dinner and tea talk in the textual sense.Chen Ken nodded and said thank you.The senior sister Lin Shufen is a lady, gentle, courteous and thrifty, with short words and a soft voice. She whispers to Chen Ken on tiptoe, and covers her mouth with her hands when she whispers. She also pays attention to covering her mouth with her hands when answering the phone. She is always afraid that her voice will be too loud. Dishonored.Senior sister Lin Shufen behaved so dignifiedly that Chen Ken was in awe. He was ashamed of himself, and Chen Ken couldn't say anything about his hunger.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ken would have a long journey after leaving the gate at Admiralty Station on Hong Kong Island. Taxis run all over the street.Senior sister Lin Shufen didn't even look at her.Naturally led Chen Ken to the bus stop.Go, go, come to the bus stop.Chen Ken knew that he must be the fastest.It's a small car again, so it must be more comfortable to sit on.If their Hong Kong guests come to Wuhan, Chen Ken will definitely call them without any explanation. As for the guests, we must make them feel more comfortable, and they will not be taken to squeeze the bus!Chen Ken was hungry, he was making comparisons in his heart, his mouth was silent, and his face was expressionless.Senior sister Lin Shufen seemed to be in high spirits, she didn't suspect Chen Ken's mind at all.While waiting for the bus, she enthusiastically acted as a temporary tour guide, showing Ken Chen the Admiralty Gallery, several famous bank buildings, and the old antique monorail running around on the street, which is what Hong Kong people call ding ding The car has no window glass, so the fare is cheap.Sister Lin Shufen said: We Hong Kong people generally don’t choose buses as long as we can take Dingding cars; we don’t choose subways as long as we can take buses; and we don’t choose taxis as long as we can take subways.Senior sister Lin Shufen's words are filled with love, love, pride and praise for Hong Kong.Chen Ken is out of the relationship with his senior sister.Chen Ken didn't understand why senior sister Lin Shufen didn't ask him if he was tired and hungry when a guest arrived after a long journey?It seems that the general receptionist should ask this question.If you don't ask, who has the guts to say it?Chen Ken didn't understand why the senior sister Lin Shufen didn't seem to be hungry at all.He also didn't seem to notice that it was already one o'clock in the noon, which was a time for lunch.Sister Lin Shufen seems to have no understanding of the eating culture in the Mainland.From being kindergarten children to college students, mainlanders have established the rules and habits for many years to eat lunch at 12 o'clock.Otherwise, it is easy to miss the meal, and people are easy to starve and faint.On Chen Ken's day, early in the morning, he got a bowl of Master Kong's instant noodles at the airport, and halfway on the plane, he added a small box of rotten noodles that lacked oil and salt.The sticky noodles were unpalatable, and Chen Ken almost gave up at that time, but now he is secretly glad that he still ate it.

Dinner and tea talk, it sounds beautiful.It is more beautiful to write.In the email, it seemed that he was full of the charm of eating delicious food, which caused Chen Ken to seriously neglect to eat enough today.But the senior sister Lin Shufen who was beside him said a thousand words, but she didn't mention the dinner and tea.Unfortunately, the bus is still late.Chen Ken has money in his pocket, and his parents have prepared some Hong Kong dollars for him in case of emergencies. Chen Ken should use this money to get to school as quickly as possible.Chen Ken should use this money to eat lunch first to avoid getting dizzy from hunger.However, Chen Ken just couldn't move.Why?He himself does not know.Chen Ken lived and endured the torment of extreme hunger.

There are rules in Chinese dinners, and people are invited.If the host does not take the initiative to hold a banquet, the guests will never open their mouths to beg for food, even if they leave in a fit of anger, they will not let go of their self-esteem to beg for food.Beggars, beggars, beggars—— Chen Ken's grandparents would often say this to Chen Ken.Chen Ken was too lazy to listen.Including Chen Ken himself, everyone thought that Chen Ken didn't listen to what the adults said.However, on the first day of his master’s degree in Hong Kong, a very real problem arose. Chen Ken immediately realized it personally. He was indeed a little frustrated: Senior sister Lin Shufen was about to graduate with a master’s degree, why did she feel so hungry when she invited her to a dinner party and tea talk? People still can't see it?Is she still Chinese?Don't understand Chinese culture?I don't know if Chen Ken can't say this by himself?

Seeing the buses coming one after another, only 40M was missing.Sister Lin Shufen insisted on waiting for 40M.Chen Ken was sullen and angry, and wanted to leave.But this is Hong Kong, other people's land is unfamiliar, where can he go?Chen Ken racked his brains and finally asked a heuristic question: "Do we have to take 40M?" Sister Lin Shufen explained honestly: "Not necessarily, there are other buses, but 40M is the best." Chen Ken further guided: "The best? Where is the best place to go?" "Go to Hong Kong University. Go to our school." Senior sister Lin Shufen still explained honestly and earnestly.The general idea is: from here to Hong Kong University, there are many cars. Hong Kong’s public transportation is the most convenient in the world, but the 40M double-decker bus route is the most direct, the most convenient to the station, and the price is the cheapest. Get off at the East Gate of Hong Kong University. Just walk up the steps of Hong Kong University.

So Chen Ken guessed that the dinner and tea meeting might have been held at the University of Hong Kong, so he should facilitate their arrival at the University of Hong Kong as soon as possible.So he continued to ask roundabout questions: "Is it faster to get to school by taxi than by bus?" "Beat? Why?" Senior sister Lin Shufen's broad short eyebrows immediately raised Lao Gao, and the height was trembling there. She couldn't understand Chen Ken's question. She said: "We are not in a hurry .Wow, the taxi is so expensive!” Chen Ken originally wanted to say "I'll pay for it".The words were out of his mouth, but he still forcibly swallowed them down.How could Chen Ken be so arrogant in front of senior sister Lin Shufen?If you create a bad impression at the beginning of your studies, it will definitely be bad for the future.How fierce the competition is now, and under the influence of the financial crisis, it will be more difficult to find jobs in the future, and personal connections will become more important.Before coming to Hong Kong, his parents repeatedly told him to learn more and be more considerate.Chen Ken can't be stupid.

Chen Ken is not stupid.Give up oblique inspiration.endure.With an ignorant look, he nodded obediently. About ten minutes later, the 40M double-decker bus arrived.Careful senior sister Lin Shufen recommended Chen Ken to go to the second floor.Sit on the second floor for a better view of the street.They will soon enter the Mid-Levels, which is what Hong Kong people call the wealthy district.Their school, Hong Kong University, has a very good location, just in the middle of the mountain.There is a road up the mountain behind their postgraduate dormitory building. The mountain climbing is very good, and you can climb to the top of the mountain in 50 minutes.

Just nod obediently.But Chen Ken definitely has no interest and strength to go up to the second floor.He pointed to his trolley case with his chin.Fortunately, senior sister Lin Shufen immediately nodded faster than him.She is the kind of person who is willing to understand others unconditionally.No matter how much enthusiasm she paid for her recommendation, she did not force Chen Ken at all. I don't know whether it was because of the twists and turns of the 40M double-decker bus driving in the middle of the mountain, or because of his hunger, Chen Ken's eyes began to turn green dizzily, and the street scene close to the window made Chen Ken even more dizzy, but it didn't attract him at all.Where is the dinner party and tea talk?Where the hell!

Finally, Chen Ken, who was really hungry, began to have various bold ideas.For example: if there is regret medicine in the world, he must buy it. He must refuse his senior sister Lin Shufen to pick up the station at the very beginning. have a meal. The statement about regret medicine also came from Chen Ken's parents.Chen Ken used to just listen to the rumors. At that time, he felt that parents were so boring and boring. At this moment, he thinks that parents do have their own reasons. Parents eat more salt than children, and they know that the world is salty. Suddenly, senior sister Lin Shufen said: "Get out of the car!"

Chen Ken was so excited that his ears rang, "What?" "Oh, Suo Rui Suo Rui, I'm sorry I speak Cantonese again! It's getting off. Get off. Stop again and we can get off." "Are you at school?" "No, not yet. This stop is Banhamadao, get off, the place where we eat is nearby." Chen Ken said from the bottom of his heart: "Thank you! Thank you!" Chen Ken's vision became clearer, and he saw a banner hanging on the wall of the church outside the car window, with a huge Chinese written on it: Hungry and deprived people come to me to rest.Although Chen Ken has never been in contact with Christianity, at this moment Chen Ken has a strong sense of religious identity from the bottom of his heart, because he is really hungry and sleepy, and really needs to rest.He really wanted to say: Thank God!Sure enough, he heard his own groaning voice: "God!" Reality is reality after all, often unexpected and unthinkable. Senior sister Lin Shufen was ingenious and deliberately got off at Banham Road, not for them to be able to eat as soon as possible, but to walk through the high street.The purpose of walking the high street is to allow Chen Ken to see more of the beauty of Hong Kong by the way.There is an old European-style classical building on the high street, majestic and majestic.Senior sister Lin Shufen walked beside Chen Ken intimately, tirelessly explaining its story. The conclusion is: "At present, this building is a comprehensive community building in Xiyingpan. It used to be a mental hospital." Senior sister Lin Shufen has already graduated with a master's degree. Never knew the word "hunger". Chen Ken said: "Yes." Chen Ken only had the strength to utter a single word.His vision was blurred and he couldn't see anything. The trunk wheels cuckoo, the high street ends.Cross the road and enter the main street.There are small doors and faces in the small streets and alleys.Laundry, flower shop, car repair, tutoring, slap the big land at the feet, as long as possible, also offer a land Bodhisattva, all kinds of small thoughts and small livelihoods necessary for daily life, there are no traces of restaurants and restaurants in the surrounding area, only The sea breeze blows from Victoria Bay and wanders through the small streets. The salty smell is only to awaken people's imagination about scallops and shark fins.On the first day Chen Ken set foot on the land of Hong Kong, Chen Ken was almost desperate.Or desperate.Or about to despair.His first and most important discovery about Hong Kong is: Hong Kong people are not hungry!Or Hong Kong people can stand hunger!Or they eat less and more meals, and they eat so often that mainlanders who can't imagine three meals a day have to eat when the time comes!When I was in despair, suddenly, a strong aroma of beef soup came to my face. When I looked up, Yiji Beef Noodle Restaurant was right in front of me. As soon as senior sister Lin Shufen walked into the noodle shop, she was greeted by Sabina: "Hello Heidi!" Chen Ken remembered that senior sister Lin Shufen once told him that her English name was Heidi.But Chen Ken never felt that Chinese people living in China would really need English names.Once Yiji Beef Noodle Restaurant was born, it broke Chen Ken's previous understanding of the world. "Hello Heidi!" "Hello Sabella!" The two Chinese women in Hong Kong greeted them very smoothly.It's an unmistakable feeling.Sabina, a young woman, with black oily hair, delicate and tight yellow skin, Mongolian eyes, absolutely Chinese, customers who flock in, but everyone calls her Sabina. Sabina greeted regular customers with a different attitude, elegant and trance-like, some kind, some casual, some flattering, some unreasonable protection among family members. Hello Heidi! Hello Sabella. Afterwards, Sabina's waist was sideways, her eyes were raised, and she passed over the head of senior sister Lin Shufen, and said to Chen Ken: "Hello pretty boy!" handsome? !Are you referring to Ken Chen?certainly! Chen Ken, who was so hungry and desperate, came to Hong Kong on the first day, and Chen Ken, who was already afraid of his senior sister Lin Shufen, was enthusiastically called pretty by the young woman Sabina who smelled of beef without hesitation.Chen Ken was so surprised that he was immediately embarrassed, and his face was burned red by a ball of fire.Sabina quickly put a smile into her eyes, and went to greet the customers behind Ken Chen, "Hello Liu Meilan!" "Hello Sabella!" Chen Ken couldn't help looking back, but immediately regretted: What are you looking at?It's all a boy with a master's degree!What are people who are blind and irrelevant? ! Sabina laughed again, and was discovered by Ken Chen, and Sabina hurriedly collected her smile again, ignoring Chen Ken, pretending not to notice this pretty boy, and being embarrassed again.Chen Ken was wronged, and there was a reason why Chen Ken turned around: the so-called Liu Meilan, an authentic Chinese name, happened to be a Caucasian foreign woman.She said "Hello Sabina", but her pronunciation was different from that of her senior sister Lin Shufen, and she could hear the sense of her mother tongue as soon as she heard it.What is the sense of mother tongue?Chen Ken couldn't tell.He went back to confirm it.The extremely hungry Chen Ken, at this moment, on this day, in a foreign land, for some reason, suddenly became a very sensitive boy.Before that, he was relatively dull and naive about these aspects of his environment.Now he suddenly understood: the place where the senior sister Lin Shufen booked the dinner and tea meeting is here - Yiji Noodle Restaurant. The Yiji noodle shop did not appear suddenly, but the senior sister Lin Shufen had already arranged it. The hall of Yiji Noodle House is so narrow that it is completely an aisle.The facade facing the street is quite impressive, but after entering the door, there are only a row of small round tables, just seven or eight.The customers inside are full and there are no spare seats.Since the senior sister Lin Shufen had made a phone reservation in advance, Sabina always gave priority to the small round table with the fastest flow.After they greeted each other, the two middle school students got up after eating, and Sabina hurriedly arranged for Lin Shufen and Chen Ken to sit down.The foreign woman Liu Meilan in the back had no place, but she was neither impatient nor giving up. She stood close to the cash register, her hands covering her backpack, her red nails, a big ring, and the meridians on the back of her hands were like dried loofah, but they were powerful. Oh, this is called dinner tea talk.In Hong Kong, among Hong Kong people, Chinese characters are like foreign languages, and foreign languages ​​are like Chinese. Sabina whispered something in senior sister Lin Shufen's ear, and the senior sister quickly nodded in agreement.Sabina smiled lightly at Ken Chen again, dragged a chair, and put it on their table, apologizing in English: "Crossmi! Kerosmi! Kerosmi!" Sabella Na successfully got Meilan to restrain the limbs of her huge body tightly, and sat down in self-restraint, with an extremely obedient appearance, for fear of bumping into Lin Shufen and Chen Ken, who were at the same table.In the end, it mainly depends on whether Chen Ken's body can sit in it.Chen Ken looks thin, but in fact he is still burly. Boys have big bones and take up more space.Sabina assisted Chen Ken to sit down with gestures.As soon as Chen Ken sat down, Sabina flicked Chen Ken's shoulder lightly with her fingertips and said, "Wow." Chen Ken doesn't understand what "wow" is?Embarrassed again.Sabina, however, floated away with her smiling eyes, busy with face-to-face. Sister Lin Shufen quickly translated for Chen Ken: "French, French. Wow, the meaning is correct. Sabina used to be a noodle shop in Paris." While talking, Sabina brought three bowls of beef brisket noodles.Every time a bowl of noodles is safely put down in front of customers, Sabina will say "Wow--" with satisfaction, and the rhythm is as good as music, which is nice.With Sabina's "wow", the fragrance of the beef brisket rushed into Chen Ken's lungs.The soup is a thick soup made from beef bones, the meat is a thick and tender beef brisket, and the spicy aroma of chopped green onion can stimulate the tears in the eyes.When Chen Ken started to eat this bowl of beef brisket noodles, all the despair, grievance and depression of the day disappeared.Very indifferent and distant memories floated: when Chen Ken was young, his grandfather described to Chen Ken many, many, many times the beef noodles that his grandfather ate when he was young, in Hankou, yes, in Hankou, in that far away In the past, Hankou also had very delicious beef noodles.A bowl of beef brisket noodles, this bowl of beef brisket noodles, has deeply stirred Chen Ken's memory and life for many years in Hong Kong, deeply, yes. "Another bowl?" Lin Shufen, the senior sister, took the initiative to ask. Chen Ken smiled, and suddenly he had a sense of humor. It was only at this point in the day that he was able to talk casually with his senior sister Lin Shufen.He said, "Senior sister, why are you so understanding?" Senior sister Lin Shufen was stunned, and then burst into an unprecedented laugh, as if she had been choked, and then she covered her mouth, secretly laughing. Sabina responded with a second bowl of steaming beef brisket noodles, and placed it in front of Ken Chen, "You pretty boy eat well—wow!" Liu Meilan, who was on the side, had a wide smile on her face, picked up the noodles with one chopstick after another, caught them with a spoon, put them in her mouth, closed her lips, and chewed slowly.Her deep sunken clear gray eyes admired Chen Ken unabashedly. Senior sister Lin Shufen leaned close to Chen Ken's ear and whispered to him: "Kane, it seems that you are too handsome!" Kane? !Who is Kane?Today the sun rises as usual, but how many new things will happen to Chen Ken?Kane is Chen Ken's English name.Students of HKU are required to have an English name.Chen Ken was actually named Kane after he was admitted, but it only existed in theory before. Chen Ken was never mentally prepared to be called "Kane" by others.Chen Ken is still not used to it, sorry, did not answer, just looked at the senior sister Lin Shufen with a silly smile, and went to eat noodles again, eating very vividly, full of love for this bowl of beef brisket noodles.Sabina smiled at Chen Ken from time to time.She shuttled back and forth with the noodle bowl in her hand, but her eyes always looked at Chen Ken with a smile.Of course Ken Chen noticed. But after all, this is Hong Kong.Hong Kong is Hong Kong.No one can change it.Chen Ken's shyness and restraint from the mainland were immediately broken at Yiji Noodle Restaurant.The foreign woman Liu Meilan finished her meal and was about to leave. She still smiled and said goodbye to her acquaintances.She said: Sabella, bye!He said to Chen Ken again: Kane, goodbye! Liu Meilan was still standing there, smiling and waiting for the other party to answer. Sabina said: Goodbye Meilan! Forced by the situation, Chen Ken had to hastily use English: Bye! Liu Meilan corrected: "Bye bye Meilan—my name is Liu Meilan." Chen Ken had to do it again: "Bye bye Meilan!" Liu Meilan said solemnly: "I'm glad you agreed to squeeze you to eat noodles." Sabina flicked Chen Ken's finger behind her back, and Chen Ken had no choice but to return the salute: "I am also very happy." So everyone repeated the "bye" again, with respectful etiquette, as if returning to the old China in the past.No wonder the senior sister Lin Shufen used the term "dinner and tea talk". Even a small noodle restaurant seems to be able to carry a cultural weight. Chen Ken's face continued to burn.If you are full and calm your mind, you will have a new understanding of everything.Chen Ken gradually found that Yiji Noodle House became fresh and clear in his eyes, and there were many things that he hadn't discovered just now.The shop has a back door.There is a high slope outside the back door.Hanging in strands and strands are the fibrous roots of the banyan tree.On the high slope, there are cars passing by, which is another road on the mountain.Standing in this palm-sized courtyard, Chen Ken was amazed to see the deep structure of Hong Kong, a mountain city. In the folds of the mountain, the slopes piled up layer by layer, becoming the livelihood of Hong Kong people.Hong Kong!Sabina came to the hillside by the back door, took some ginger, put it in a small basket, and put it on the bend of her waist.She called out behind Ken Chen, "Kane." "My name is Ken Chen." "what?" Chen Ken didn't dare to look directly into Sabina's eyes. He looked around, picked up a small stone, and carved his name on the slope stroke by stroke: Ken. Sabina walked forward with a smile, touched the word with her finger, and said, "Ken!" Chen Ken said: "Chen—Ken." Sabina smiled and read: "Chen Ken—" Chen Ken finally smiled. This day, for the first time, in Hong Kong, he only smiled at Sabina from Yiji Noodle Shop. Since then, Chen Ken has become a frequent visitor to Yiji Noodle House.In the days of graduate school, Chen Ken always came alone.Sabina always brought beef brisket noodles to Ken Chen without asking for advice.She always smiled and said: "Ken—wow!" Chen Ken doesn't eat beef noodles or tripe noodles, but he loves beef brisket noodles the most.A few school years have passed in a flash, and Chen Ken has already obtained a master's degree and is about to leave Hong Kong.Chen Ken still took the 40M to Admiralty Station and didn't take a taxi.He didn't say goodbye to Sabina either.But when he ate beef brisket noodles for the last time, Chen Ken called Sabina, but he didn't want to say anything. Chen Ken didn't know what to say.Sabina felt something was wrong, she spilled the beef soup on Ken Chen.When squatting beside Chen Ken to wipe, Sabina still had a smile in her eyes, but there were tears in her eyes.Chen Ken didn't dare to look at it.He kept avoiding Sabina's eyes.On the first Spring Festival after leaving Hong Kong, Chen Ken mailed Sabina a New Year's card.I finally wrote what I wanted to say into a card: Sabina, you gave me Hong Kong.Signed: Ken's Poe.Chen Ken has been waiting since sending out the New Year's card, but has never received a reply from Sabina.Always.Always.Chen Ken always thought that one day, he would receive a few words from Sabina: a letter or a card?have no idea.But Ken Chen will wait. Some people are like this and have no deep friendship, but they are unforgettable and will always exist in all your days.