18. As Water Reflects an Image, So the Face Reflects the Heart 2

For the first few nights in taiwan, i lived at my second uncle house. This second uncle (EGZ), when placed next to Aunty L, is contrasted magnificently, especially in his style of welcoming guests. After my tour around the island, he, for some reason wanted me to go back to his place to live for a few more days. He called me on my mobile, and upon picking up, he said: "Wei yu-keng...(pause) lai jiao wo ying wen (come to teach me english)." This question had me frozen for words, as 'no' was not an option, since he had already hosted my stay for three nights. And it wasn't even a question, it was a statement.

EGZ has three daughters, two of whom don't welcome guests. At their house, because EGZ has no sons, i was treated more like a son, than a guest. I had a funny feeling on the second day that the reason he invited me back was to have another go at experiencing the feeling of having a son. So, what is the difference between a guest and a son? A guest has the influence to squeeze the host's family members into other bedrooms, the entitlement to touch anything on any shelf, and the right to request the host for help at any time. A son, has all of the above privileges, except he has to help out with house chores and does not receive financial aid. EGZ bought a sim card for me, but asked me to pay for it myself. The aunty and EGZ were rather inconsiderate, not in a bad way, but in a family type way, and asked me to help with making dinner and odd jobs.

For all the inconsiderate things this family did, there were reasons to back it up. Most significantly, it was because their financial situation wasn't very strong. So, when it came to welcoming guests, it was all about the heart. In this family, though two out of five don't talk, i still felt the warmth in the way they paid much attention to me, and how they involved me in family activities. One day, EGZ took me to check out a christian bookstore, which was probably the least worldly place in the entire city. After browsing for a while, i saw him pay for an item at the counter. He turned his head to look at me, adjusted the item in his hand and walked towards me with a smile.
"Song gei ni de (this is for you)," he said.
I reached out and palmed the gift in my hands. It was a desktop christian tree trunk with a message clip mounted to it. It would have costed less than 100 dollars or $4 australian.
"Xi huan ma? (do you like it?)," he asked. His smile broadened and it was broader by the second. I also smiled, but before i had a chance to give a proper reply, he had already broken out into a super boss laugh: "Haaaa haaaa haaaa haaaa! Wo jiu zhi dao ni hui xi huan (i just knew you would like it)." He said good-bye to the storekeeper and whistled loudly out the door. I don't know how much money he had in his pocket that day, but if it had been 100 dollars, he 1) would've had a tricky time selecting the gift, and 2) would've been a very joyful man as he whistled out the door that day.

In the very end, it was all about the heart. EGZ could have bought me a present for 10 dollars and took me to view road-side chinese calligraphy, and Aunty L could have invited all her friends over to watch me eat 'ginger female duck'. That doesn't matter. The present would still have been lovely, the calligraphy an interesting new experience, and the ginger duck, or more like Aunty L's hospitality, would have all the same struck home.

These two men, and a lot of other candidates running for a seat in the taipei government, had posters plastered everywhere in taipei during pre-election times. The man on the right somehow does not look proper enough to be sitting on a seat in the taipei government. And the man on the left, described as his side-kick, also looks suspiciously unfit. That is, for a typical politician in a typical australian culture. Whether they were born to look so, or whether it is the prevailing wisdom of proverbs 27:19, only their mothers would know.