Fiction: Group 3
Meeting a Saint
Immaculate Heart of Mary College, Chao, Ying Chin - 12, Fiction: Group 3
very morning is the same. The strident voice of the people on the street woke me up. I tried to
grasp my alarm clock to check the time but I dropped it. I lazily and slowly got up from my cosy
bed and packed my things to go to Jiangmen.
As a freelance journalist, I have faced many challenges in my life, including the job I had to do, that was to
write book for an award winning TV program ’Travel around the Pearl River Delta’.
I had been to many places in China before, but not Jiangmen. I knew it is somewhere in Guangdong. It was
the first time for me to go there. I took a ferry from Central to Jiangmen. After three hours, I arrived at the
beautiful pier of this historical place.
Travelling three hours on a ferry was long enough for having my seasick. I wanted to throw up right after I
had arrived in Jiangmen. I could not stand steadily, and my whole body was a bit wobbly.
A woman came to hold my arms to help me. I was always a person who could stand on my own two feet
but certainly not this time.
"Are you okay, sir?" The woman asked me. She was about 40 years old, and she had sportswear on.
"I am fine. I just need some hot water or something spicy to eat," I said.
"Wait a moment, sir," she went to a kiosk at the pier to get me a cup of hot tea.
"Thank you," I smiled at her and tried to give her money for the cup of tea.
"No, thanks. Are you from Hong Kong, sir?" she asked. From my Cantonese accent, it was not difficult for
her to figure out I was from Hong Kong or Guangdong.
"Yes. I came here to write a book about Jiangmen, but I know nothing about this place, not to mention the
location of the hotel I have booked into."
"Let me see the address, maybe I can show you how to go there."
I gave her the paper I had printed out with all the booking details on it.
She then helped me to call a taxi, and went to the hotel with me.
"Thank you so much," I said.
"Do you need someone to show you some famous tourist spots in Jiangmen? That will be good for your
writing," she said.
"Do you know someone who can help me then?"
She then took out a picture, showing me a photo of a man about 50 years old.
"He is my elder brother, Zhang Ri Qiang. He has a car, maybe he can take you travelling around. Let me
call him to come here now."
"Thank you very much," I said gratefully.
"Can I pay your brother for his ride?"
"As you wish. He doesn't mind if he will have anything in return after helping others anyway."
We kept talking for a while, and someone knocked on the door. It was her brother, Ri Qiang.
Her brother was not a tall person, and he was even a bit shorter than his sister. I told Ri Qiang what I
wanted to do in Jiangmen. It seemed that he was really a helpful and generous person. I suddenly felt how
blessed and lucky I was once I had arrived. I should thank God for his blessings.
Ri Qiang decided to take me to taste some local food first, as I had not eaten anything so far. We got in his
car and he started driving.
On the way to a restaurant, I knew more about his family.
"What is the name of your sister?" I asked.
"She is called Ri Hao. She is a nurse. She is now working at a private hospital, so she can earn more money
than before."
"I see."
"It's not easy for me to get a job. I am the eldest son in the family, so I needed to go out to work when I
graduated from primary school. There are many people like me here but luckily my sister knows someone
in a travel agency, so I have a part time job there now."
When he was trying to tell me more about his family, a bus at a rather high speed suddenly passed ahead of
us. We were a bit frightened but something bad was just about to take place.
"Oh, Ri Qiang, watch out! The bus driver was very careless! He almost hit our car!"
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