Chinaman - Part 2

Huo was already waiting patiently; it had become a custom between them to have dinner once a week together. Each week would be different, one week they would dine like the English, another week there would be sambar and Indian curry while on other weekends, there would be served dishes from across the world. They both had a liking for trying different foods and would often sit discussing dishes, cuisines and customs for hours together. Wei had made sure today was a surprise and Huo who usually was the one to choose the cuisine had to settle for not knowing what was in being prepared in the kitchen. He was excited and his wife had gone on the whole day trying to guess what Wei had planned out for them. Wei poured a clear liquid into 2 glasses and handed one over to Huo. A light frangrance of ginger and lotus petals arose from the Sake. Huo took a small sip and couldn’t believe the smoothness as the liquid slipped down his throat. There was a tinge of lime, a certain sweet lime… he had had this drink before but couldn’t pin point when or where. He could feel the sake go down his throat and felt a warm glow inside. He could see that Wei too had become engrossed in the drink and was happy to see Wei smile; Wei had almost forgotten to smile ever since Lin had been taken from him. He could see her portrait at the corner of his eye, the one carrying little Li in a small white kimono. The painting had been ordered for his first birthday and Li had made such a racket during the painting session; it had been a good year.
Wei looked light hearted and happy, “Huo, you still have to guess where today’s food is from. It’s been cooked by an expert I had secreted in from somewhere in China only.” Huo had already finished four glasses of the lively sake and could feel a certain excitement building within. Steaming trays with a rich aroma of seafood came in; he saw a feast which included scallops, prawns, clams, sea cucumbers, and squid. Beside it was a dish surely made of corn but he could get a grassy aroma from it; while his thoughts rushed in various directions trying to pinpoint the cuisine, another tray holding peanuts and Zhou (porridge made of Millet, wheat, oat and barley) were brought in. Wei was up to something, he could see the sparkle in his eye, was his friend trying to pull a fast one on Huo? Huo considered himself an expert on Chinese cuisine but there was something special in every dish on the table; the roast duck had a sprinkling of a rich herb he could quite guess, the corn was toying with him, it could be from the southern province where it was very sweet, this was a sticky and starch variety so it must have come from the north. The vinegar most certainly gave it away to be North Chinese cuisine, only fro mthere would you get this kind of vinegar which left such an impression on the food without actually affecting the cuisine’s taste. The mixture of sea grasses, and bell peppers with the hard cabbage dish was new to him, it had a sweet sour taste and the sea grass left a salty taste in the mouth. Each dish tasted unique and different, he knew he had tasted someof these dishes a long time ago but just couldn’t remember where. He still couldn’t pin point the location of the cuisine and had to admit that it was probably among the best meals he had but could only guess it to be from the North. Wei only smiled and told him that he’ll learn soon enough about the fabled chef and the exquisite dinner.The evening went on in lively fashion, they discussed his sons education, Lou was just finishing high school while Mei was quickly growing up to becoming a beautiful lady. He would soon be chasing away suitors trying their luck; a few had already come in. Grandmother as always was complaining about her eyes and her legs and her aches, it was a never ending tale of hers. Time quickly passed by and Huo couldn’t remember having such a good supper earlier. He felt drowsily satisfied and the sake also was numbing his senses.
“Come into the study Huo, I want to show you something” said a loud and jovial Wei. Huo suddenly became alert, his eyes lit up; he couldn’t believe it! No one had ever entered Wei’s study, there were rumours of all sorts of that room, the ceiling was supposed to be out of gold and exotic paintings adorned its walls, various busts of wild animals decorated the walls and it had two exquisite chandaliers hanging from its roof. Wei had always cleaned the room himself, always locked it when he went in or left; he had built the furniture inside by himself and setup up the stones for the fireplace with his own hands. “Bring the sake” said Wei as he turned around and headed in the direction of the study. Huo quickly grabbed the bottle and a couple of glasses before hurrying behind Wei wondering what it was that he was going to be shown inside that fabled room.
Wei slowly inserted the key and Huo heard the click of the lock, he walked into the room and felt like he was walking on air. He looked admiringly at the beautiful thick carpet as he wanted towards the table to set down the bottle. There were different models of boats set on his opposite side and his keen eyes picked up the suttle differences in each of their designs. The hull of the junk ship closest to him was different, the shark boats seemed to be sleeker and tilted backward, models of double masts and 160 footers lay open at the other end. He looked at the massive book shelf taking up one wall of the room and wondered if Wei had read all those books. He probably would have and memorised every page. There were a few paintings, small and beautifully done hanging next to a mirror which seemed to be just standing in the air. He saw Wei assessing him, looking at him with warmth and a smile in his eyes while he took in everything he saw in the room.
He slowly walked over to the library and though he knew his master to be a learned man, he couldn’t but admire the wealth of knowledge Wei had collected over the years. Huo was renouned to be a master in poetry and had studied it for years; his knowledge of Daoist had no equal in South China. Yet as he ran his fingers along the stacks of books, he felt inadequate looking at the collection in front of him. With his favaourites Chinee poets Lao Tzu, Tu Fu & Li Po sat Huang Po, Chuang Tzu, Wu Men, Confucius, Khalil Ghibran, Virgil, Homer, Ovid, Horace, Beowulf another so many others whom he had not even heard of. He saw scrolls of Waka, Haiku and Shi; there were books in the English alphabet but not in English, he slowly flipped though scrolls in Persian and Urdu. Here was a treasure trove of knowledge and emotions, a compilation of the finest writings in the world. Yet during all these years, during all their interactions Wei had never come out to be more knowing than him, he had always listened to Huo, always made Huo to be the master while Wei had been content to listening as a pupil. Huo was so engrossed and in admiration of the collection that he didnt hear Wei till he was beside him. Handing a glass of sake, Wei left him to soak in everything, silently going back to his seat and enjoying his drink.
Huo didnt know how to react, he was thrilled and wanted to shout with joy, he wanted to cry, he wanted to jump and throw his hands up in the air and shout, and he had this great desire, a burning sensation to sit with all the books immediately. Yet at the corner of his mind, a question was beginning to form though he hardly gave it a thought. He whipped around and slowly went to where Wei was sitting, he was so weak kneed with excitement that he felt like he was in a trance. He sat down and let it slowly sink in, the sake was still in his hands and he took one small sip following the smooth and tingling sensation flow down from his mouth down his throat.
"What do you think my friend, is my collection up to your standards?" Wei asked with a twinkle in his eye, Huo could see that sly grin and knew Wei had expected exactly this reaction from Huo. He burst out laughing aloud and found tears running down his cheeks at the same time. His chest felt like it would explod, there were so many emotions running through him. "Huo, how long have we known each other? 10- 12 years? You've been by my side all along, supported me through everything. You've been a brother to me, been my mentor and looked after me as a father would. For this I can never repay you but I want you to have this collection. It’s a small gift for something I can never repay in full measure. I hope you will honour me by accepting this small gift." The moment was too much, Huo couldnt say anything, his chest swelled up, he felt almost breathless; he could only slowly bring his glass to his lips and take a small sip to clear his throat. When he spoke, the voice felt strange to him, "Wei, I dont know how... I have no words to... how did you, where did you get them from?”
"Ah my friend, you forget we run a fleet of ships and we trade across the world, it was nothing. I just got the captains to pick up copies of several journeys. The look on your face was well worth it, I hope you enjoy them." Huo had seen so many occassions when people, complete strangers had fallen at Wei's feet on the streets and thanked him with tears in their eyes. His house was always receiving gifts, trinklets from traders and home cooked food from the poor in gratitude. Huo felt that same sense of worship at that moment, Wei had risen ten fold and he knew that this man was special. “Well my friend, for one I think it would be wise to close your mouth and stop staring and me so; I don’t know if I should call the doctors.” said Wei, laughing and completely enjoying the moment.