Sunken Fish - Chapter 31
The first major surprise was the restaurant itself. Quiet and charming, it lacked the noise of typical tourist spots, a choice I certainly made myself. The restaurant's layout was exquisite, with the courtyard now part of the dining area, facing a narrow river. The river, like a graceful ribbon, meandered through the streets of Lijiang. If you sat on the stone steps, you could even dip your feet into the water. The tables and chairs were antique, without scratches or cigarette butts; a century's worth of food scraps filled the crevices—they might be highly sought-after antiques in America.
The beer arrived, and my friends wished each other well:
May tomorrow be even better.
"Even smoother!"
Mr. Marseille suggested that everyone decide democratically whether to leave Lijiang for the Kingdom of Lanna the next morning. Only Benny, Vera, and Esmi objected.
This was certainly important to Benny; leaving Lijiang early would mean preparing new travel plans, but that was too risky, so he voted against it. Democratic methods are useless when traveling; as the tour leader, you should have absolute authority.
Vera also voted against it. A former high-ranking executive at a large company, she possessed natural leadership skills. Once she made a decision and ensured her subordinates were in agreement, everything was fine. But this was China, and she was just an ordinary member of a tour group. In her vote, she said, “I don’t believe that village chief can stop us from going anywhere else. Can he even access the internet to email his cronies all over the country?”
“He has a cell phone,” Mo Fei reminded her.
“I doubt it. When he calls, he’ll start by complaining about us, he’ll go on and on—as if he has the right not to get angry.” She glanced at Berliley and the others, then said sadly, “You all know this trip was planned by my friend Chen Bibi, it’s an educational and inspiring journey. If we run away like rats, we’ll miss the most interesting experience of our lives. Good heavens, we can’t miss the spectacular Tiger Leaping Gorge.”
Esmi's mouth dropped open in surprise. Was that where they were supposed to be?
"We also have to abandon our plans to ride horses across the grasslands..."
This caught the attention of Rocco and Heidi, who each had owned a pony when they were young.
"Will you ever have the chance to visit the 1,700-foot-high grasslands in your lifetime?" Vera nodded seriously in agreement, "Like those Guanyin murals in 16th-century temples..."
Poor Vera, she was almost convinced until she mentioned the murals. Her mention of Guanyin made the others uneasy—another temple? Oh, please, no more temples.
Vera's plan has fallen through again; she had considered it their "declaration of independence."
"This is the contract I signed, the return on my investment, and this is what I wanted to do. I voted against it, and I urge you to reconsider." She had no choice but to sit down.
Esmi slightly raised his hand, casting his vote against it as well.
Vera pointed at Esme to get everyone's attention: "Another dissenting vote."
But Esme couldn't articulate her reasoning and could only sit there stubbornly. She couldn't explain, especially not to Rupert, who would roll his eyes and snort whenever someone called them "two kids." He never spoke to her, and even when he was forced to sit next to her, he would bury his nose in his book.
“Some people are in an even worse situation.”
She had heard this nauseating excuse more than once. They didn't really care about others, only about foolish trips and whether the money they spent was worth it.
She couldn't tell her mother these things either; her mother still called her "Wawa," a Chinese nickname. "Wawa" sounded like a doll crying, which she disliked. "Wawa, what color scarf should I choose?" her mother asked in a girlish tone in the morning. "Wawa, is my belly bulging?" "Wawa, do you think I look better? Should my hair be up or down?" Her mother was the one who was like a doll, which was why she liked that hairy-armed Berliley. Didn't her mother see how stupid he was?
Mr. Marseille asked, "Is there anything else to add before the voting officially ends?"
I shouted with all my might: No! No! How could you leave China so soon? This is absolutely insane.
I want them to know that as long as I'm here, I will prove to them how absurd and terrifying any idea of leaving Lijiang prematurely is.