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The Railway in the Jungle
墨書 Inktalez
I, Fan Xi, a chef who has honed my skills among pots and pans, spend my days repeating the glory of my father's past in a fast-food hotel’s Chinese restaurant. That dish, Supreme Broth Jadeite and White Jade, is essentially just cabbage stewed with tofu, but the flavor of that broth is truly exceptional; my father had a secret recipe. Back in his day, this dish brought him immense fame in the city. But me? My personality is like undercooked cabbage—limp and soft—and I’m particularly playful, like a child who never grows up. Ambition is a luxury I can hardly afford. My performance in the kitchen resembles a roller coaster; my boss's scoldings are hotter than the oil in the pan, coming at me every few days. My life feels like a chaotic stew, and the taste of it is hard to describe! I often mock myself, wondering if my brain needs to be reworked. Yet every time I see that dish served at the table and the satisfied expressions on the guests' faces, I secretly give myself a thumbs-up.
But today, it seems my life is about to turn upside down. My phone rang with an unfamiliar number. When I answered, I heard Hua Yiduo's voice—my runaway wife. She said she wanted to see the kids, and the meeting place was near our home in a dense forest at the Small Train Station. Moreover, I had to walk there with the kids. This call struck me like lightning, leaving me dazed. Just when I had finally settled into a semblance of calm in my life, it seemed I was about to be tossed back into turmoil. I wanted some peace.
When I was 28, I married Hua Yiduo through an introduction. Her family lived in a neighboring city connected by a slow train line that passed through a deep forest and a small hill 150 meters high—a place where trains occasionally stopped for supplies or whatever else; I had only heard about it and never bothered to find out more. Aside from some cycling enthusiasts and mountain runners who occasionally frequented that area, most of the time all you could hear was the sound of trains passing once a day. I heard the ecology there was well-preserved. But as someone who has never sought adventure, I only ever passed through on trains when marrying Hua Yiduo. Why did she choose that place as our meeting point? It baffled me; after all, I'm not one to think things through!
The following year we had children—surprisingly twins: Dou Dou and Ya Ya—bringing joy to our family. But who would have thought that when they turned five, they were diagnosed with autism? I had never even heard of it before; it was truly disheartening! However, I'm not one to panic easily; I thought we could take our time treating it—perhaps they would grow out of it. With her and my parents taking care of them, my life didn’t change much, which suited me just fine!
Little did I know that Hua Yiduo would leave! One rainy night she told me she needed to stay at her parents' house for a couple of days and took that evening's train. A week passed without her return; when I called her in-laws’ house, they said she hadn’t gone back at all. At that moment, I felt utterly lost. Just as I was about to report her missing, my brother-in-law told me to be patient and not to stir up trouble. Fine then, I'll wait!
My parents helped take care of the kids during the day while I lent a hand at night; it wasn’t too difficult since Dou Dou loved drawing all day long while Ya Ya chatted with her "zoo" animals—two rabbits, two hamsters, a dog, two cats, and a tank full of goldfish. The community also sent volunteers occasionally to lend support.
Days passed quietly as I waited; before long over a year had gone by. What did Hua Yiduo want now? Just thinking about it made me furious.
One evening, feeling dejected as I returned home, I found my mother lying in bed sick while my father sat beside her sighing heavily; he also had many underlying health issues. What was I going to do? Even someone like me who doesn’t usually panic began to feel anxious.
After much contemplation, I made up my mind: if we were going to meet, then so be it—who’s afraid of whom? What if it turned out to be something good? See? That's just how optimistic I am!
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