Geistergrab einer buddhistischen Pagode

Kapitel 19

Beryl found a website about prostate problems, where other men in the same boat left messages. Some of these messages suggested that daily sexual activity could slow down prostate enlargement. Beryl resolved to find a lover—a compatible and devoted woman.

Yes, now he sees such a good lady.

The radiant Chinese woman, Zhu Malin, boarded the bus to Lijiang before him and sat in a window seat, while her daughter, Esmi, ran to the back of the bus and lay down on a long seat.

Beryl pretended to walk past Jumarin's seat, then turned back and quietly asked if she had any aspirin. Beryl knew that ladies were happy to help those in pain, and also knew that they always carried medication for headaches and fevers. Jumarin began rummaging through her bag for her medication, and Beryl sat down next to her to wait.

Although he had seen Marlene many times in San Francisco's social circles, here—in the valley of China—she looked exceptionally beautiful. How had he never noticed before? At this moment, in Berhali's eyes, everything about her was so radiant and elegant: her hair, her face, her clothes, especially her movements and posture. Even spraying insecticide looked like a goddess! She wore a sleeveless coat and a colorful, ruffled scarf, wrapped around her like a short skirt; the delicate scarf seemed to await being blown away by the night breeze.

Naturally, Beryl worried that his friend Murphy might have the same thoughts, as the two of them often clashed over women. However, he noticed Murphy staring intently at young Heidi. Murphy's son, Rupert, who had just finished a hand of cards, was also unabashedly staring at Heidi's chest. Beryl also noticed that Murphy had been stealing glances at Marlene several times, his eyes scanning her figure from top to bottom, seduced by her curves. Beryl then began to ponder how to sit next to Marlene to make his scoundrel friend more discreet.

One year, he and Murphy were dining at Stinson Beach when Berhali clearly expressed his interest in the restaurant owner: "She has such big eyes, like brown rainbows, I'd estimate they're at least fourteen millimeters in diameter." Murphy replied, "Really? I didn't notice." The next day, Berhali returned to the restaurant. The owner was friendly, but no longer affectionate towards him. Like a dog terrified of its owner, she cowered and hid at the slightest touch. Berhali loved a challenge; he wanted to make the frightened dog lick his hand affectionately. He reminded himself to take it slow and didn't rush into anything.

The next day, the shop owner disappeared. Beryl later learned that Murphy had beaten him to it, as he had offered her a ride on his newly painted Harley-Davidson. The shop owner took the bait, drove the motorcycle to Monterey Beach, and then stripped naked into the Pacific Ocean…

Two blissful months passed, and Mo Fei dumped her again, citing "too much difference in our life goals." She then sprayed a large pink spray all over his motorcycle. When Bai Hali heard about it—he was far more heartbroken than Mo Fei; the shop owner now hated men like a three-headed hellhound, wanting to kill any man she saw. Mo Fei had ruined her; there was no hope for future dates. Mo Fei rubbed salt into his wounds: "Dude, you like her big brown eyes? Let me tell you, it's because she wears brown contact lenses!"

In the women's eyes, Mo Fei was tall and slender, with no excess fat on his stomach. Regardless of the season or occasion, he always wore a jungle adventure shirt and baggy shorts. Mo Fei's shoes looked like work boots, and his hands were stiff like those of a manual laborer. He neither bought flowers for women nor spoke sweet words. Mo Fei had messy hair tied in a ponytail, and a broad forehead that made him look quite intelligent. Mo Fei was expelled from school at sixteen for truancy, but from then on became a self-taught individual.

His knowledge stemmed from a wealth of life experiences: in his youth, he worked as a dockworker in a warehouse, and trimmed fences and cleaned ponds in backyards in Miami and Los Angeles. His interest in bamboo began in the 1970s, using dense bamboo groves to conceal marijuana. To improve the growth of Indian marijuana, he devoured books, primarily on horticulture, especially on genetic enhancement. Later, his interest in cultivating bamboo surpassed that of the wicked marijuana: bamboo grows as fast as marijuana and is unregulated. In the 1980s, he transformed into a farmer, cultivating bamboo, which he called a "living product," selling it to office buildings in New York and Chicago, as well as luxury hotels around the world to decorate their opulent lobbies.

Murphy calls himself a "plantation owner," a title that holds immense allure for women. They might imagine a plantation as idyllic, like those in dinosaur movies. But Murphy himself has absolutely no concept of romance. His plantation is located in Salinas, near the Laguna Seca Raceway, which is also his dating spot. If any woman enjoys the smell of engine oil in the gearbox and the deafening roar of a Le Mans race car engine, she's right up Murphy's alley.

Beryl wants to confess to Morpheus that he has fallen in love with Jumarin.

He should say something like, "Hey buddy, I hope you don't mind, this..." He should nod here to emphasize that the person he likes is Jumalin. He imagines that Moke would reply with an "Oh—oh," then pat himself on the back, a knowing look on their faces. Jumalin would subconsciously sense that the two guys are close, and therefore wouldn't sleep with either of them at the same time.

"Did you notice the trees by the roadside?"

"Jumarin asked him. Berhali looked out the window, then leaned his chest against Marin's arm, his head bobbing close to her face.

Go to Lijiang (4)

The lower half of the tree trunk was painted white.

“It’s like that for miles,” she said, “like a white tree stump fence.”

"My God," Beryl thought, her voice as soft and mysterious as liquid amber. "That's insecticide," he explained.

Marlene was displeased: "Oh, is that so? I thought it was to help drivers see the road at night."

Berhali quickly changed his tune: "Brilliant! This white color kills two birds with one stone. It kills insects and saves lives at the same time."

"But looking at these trees can make you sleepy, which isn't good for drivers."

"Ah, maybe that's why I'm dizzy?"

He looked into her eyes as he spoke.