mr frank is faithful to love

(FR. Hilde Frank)

I was in the same city as Ethan that night, texting at first, then I called him and heard the noise around him.

He said, "I'm blowing air on the Bund."

"Are you alone?"

"Correct."

Ethan was caught in a tangle that only he felt, avoiding me because of last night's events, emphasizing that there was no further possibility for me and him emotionally.

I told him slowly: "There will be no next Nozawa, it is impossible, and it is impossible in this life, if you don't believe what I say, that's okay."

Ethan said: "I feel like I'm sick, and I really want to be normal. I was at your house just now... I have a bad attitude towards you, so don't take it to heart."

"I know what you're mad about," I said, "After all this time and all this time wasted, if my mind still hasn't changed, then I haven't made any progress. Don't worry, I've changed. I can Accept failure, so you don't have to wait and wait—"

Ethan interrupted me and said, "Frank...thanks."

The air was very quiet until the next day. In the evening, I received a call from a friend who said, "I'm going to Mount Wutai at the end of the month, do you want to go together?"

"I know Mount Wutai," I said, "Yes, a weekend or two days off should be enough."

"Do you know why I went to Mount Wutai?"

"The scenery there is beautiful."

"No," the other party paused, and said, "No, I want to calm myself down. Sometimes people need this kind of complete quietness. If you have something hard to let go of now, it's good for you to go there. "

After that, I started to make simple travel preparations. I knew Mount Wutai because my Chinese teacher at that time, who believed in Buddhism all his life, recommended me to read "Four Famous Mountains". The book was not easy to understand, so I didn't read it later over.

The trip to Shanxi is on the agenda, and May is coming to an end soon. While waiting at the airport, my friend explained to me over and over again: "This is not a feudal superstition, it is not preaching. If you don't believe it, you should treat it as a tourist. , To some extent, this is also a part of Chinese culture, remove the superstition, and the rest is philosophy.”

I said, "Nothing, I'm very tolerant."

"Most of you believe in God Jesus, right?"

"And the Virgin Mary," I added.

"What do you believe in?"

"I don't believe in anything," I explained this for the umpteenth time after I came to China. I sighed and said, "There are still many people in Germany who believe in nothing just like me."

I showed a stiff smile, and my friend nodded, looking suddenly enlightened, and I said, "Actually, I don't know why, many Chinese think that foreigners are all religious."

My friend smiled and said: "A few years ago, there was a saying that 'Chinese people have lost faith for a long time. Compared with Western countries, Chinese people have no awe of the world'."

I felt puzzled, thought about it, and said, "I don't agree with it very much, this is prejudice."

It is rare to talk about such a serious topic when traveling and leisure, I continued: "I left Germany, in fact, I can go to work in any European country, or go to the United States, but I didn't choose these, I like it here , I don’t want to say anything else.”

I don't want to say more, because I have a lot to say. I am very glad that I chose to live in Beijing before. If I had taken another path, I would never have met Ethan in my life.

The beautiful Wutai Mountain makes people can't help but abandon their distracting thoughts and appreciate it quietly.

I spent two peaceful days and three nights there, and went to Wuye Temple to make a wish. Later, when I returned to Shanghai, I received a call from my colleague at the headquarters in Beijing. He took over the charity project in Xinjiang last year, so I told him News of my donation to build the school.

Recently, life has been smooth and peaceful, and I still keep in touch with Ethan, but because I don’t live in the same city and each is very busy, there are very, very few chances to meet each other. Summer has passed and autumn has come.

I received a call from Ethan, and he said, "Let me add your WeChat, it's more convenient."

Before I could answer, his friend request had already been sent. Recalling that he was deleted as a friend by Ethan, it was a long time ago. period of communication with the telephone.

"I'm going back to Beijing for a meeting in November," I said, "that's... about a month away."

"Let me treat you to dinner, okay?" Ethan said.

He had a slight smile when he spoke, and obviously, I replied: "Okay, I will contact you when the time comes."

This time we met, we didn’t change much, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before. Ethan had chosen a restaurant in advance, and I had lunch with him before going for a walk on the street.

The weather was already cold, and Ethan still looked very thin in a white cable sweater and windbreaker.

The sun in Beijing is often very bright in winter. In fact, there is no temperature. The light yellow light shines on Ethan's face. He turned his head while wearing a mask and said, "Find a place to take pictures for me later."

I said, "You said earlier that I brought the camera."

"No need, I should...it looks good no matter what you take." Quietly opened his eyes and joked, and then, Ethan laughed so hard that he covered his stomach.

I said, "Okay, I'll take pictures for you later."

As he was walking, Ethan stopped and said, "I want a candied haws."

To be honest, I have only seen four, five or six-year-old children doing this on the road. Ethan stood by the roadside and pointed to a shop not far away. Then, he went there, pulling my hand as he walked. sleeve.

Ethan put his hands in the pockets of the windbreaker, bent over to choose for a long time, chose a candied haws, and asked, "Which one do you want?"

"I won't eat," I said, "I just finished eating and I can't eat anymore."

"Alright alright."

Ethan took the candied haws from the clerk, as solemnly as if he was receiving a Grammy trophy. He didn't ask for a packaging bag, and took a big bite.

With a big hawthorn in his mouth, he said: "It's still delicious in winter, and the teeth stick to it at other times, and you must eat hawthorn. Everything else is heresy."

"Swallow it down before talking," I told him, "be careful not to get stuck."

After walking for a long time, Ethan finished chewing his mouth, and met a street painter, he and I each drew a portrait.

Ethan said: "If it snows next time, I can go out and eat a bunch of candied haws."

"Is it such a simple wish?" I asked.

"No," he shook his head hastily, and said, "It's actually very simple, right, but I hope that my mood is as good as today, and I can be so happy."