Chapter 611: The Grand Welcome Ceremony of the Zhalun Family
Mr. and Mrs. Charon and Miss Dana were waiting at the door.
Sasha and I walked in front, and according to Thai custom, we had to change shoes at the door. But Chunlai was already standing outside, handing out a pair of shoe covers to each of us.
I introduced my assistant, Chunlai, to the group members. They shook hands with him and chatted.
After changing into shoes, everyone filed in. The three members of the Charun family put their hands together in front of their chests and said "Sawadee Ka" to everyone they met.
Chalun led everyone up to the second floor, where there was a medium-sized reception room. I had never been to this place before.
A very elegant reception room, furnished uniformly with mahogany sofas, carved rosewood cabinets, and a pair of meter-tall Jingdezhen underglaze-glazed vases. The conference room walls were decorated with banners depicting plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.
Sasha whispered in my ear, "This was recently replaced to welcome you."
I nodded.
Everyone sat down in turn. On the large coffee table in the middle was almost a fruit display table, with all kinds of tropical fruits and melons.
In addition to the drinks, the servants were serving tea. Everything was done according to Chinese custom in receiving us.
Chalun gave a speech, and Sasha translated it simultaneously:
"Dear Mr. Wan Shanhong, friends from China. Today is the happiest day for our family. Your arrival makes us feel blessed.
Pattaya is a tourist city. I work in the tourism industry, and I will do my best to ensure everyone has a pleasant seven days in Thailand."
At this point, he pointed at Guide Jin and said, "He is the best tour guide in our company. He will accompany you throughout your trip to Thailand."
Director Jin smiled and nodded.
"At such a happy moment, my daughter would like to express her gratitude and welcome to you in Chinese."
After saying that, he pointed at Shasha and said, "This is her credit."
Dana stood up, holding a piece of paper, ready to read from the script. I knew that she learned English in the same way as I did, and the paper should be full of pinyin.
But I was wrong. When she started to speak, she read very purely.
"Brother Shanhong (those of us who went there didn't show any unusual expressions because we had been told so beforehand), and his friends. Good morning, everyone.
applause.
I learned some Chinese. It is a great pleasure to have friends coming from far away.”
Although the first few words of this sentence were awkward, the rest flowed smoothly and received applause. Dana became even more excited. She continued:
"I will accompany Brother Shanhong's friends to explore the beautiful scenery of our country. My Chinese is not very fluent yet. But there is a saying: 'It is better to be happy alone than to be happy with others.' I will be happy with you. Thank you all."
He quoted two lines of ancient Chinese literature in one paragraph and read them out loud, and everyone applauded enthusiastically.
Charun and his wife's faces were filled with happiness.
Shasha looked at me and indicated that it was time for me to speak. I took a sip of tea, cleared my throat, and said:
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. Chalun, lovely Miss Dana, it is very heartwarming to return to such a familiar place after 49 days.
I listened to Sasha's introduction and learned that the calligraphy and paintings and vases in the living room were all replaced temporarily and all used Chinese elements. I was moved.
I was even more touched that Ms. Dana delivered her welcome speech in Chinese today. She quoted two lines of classical Chinese in one paragraph, which moved me deeply and made me feel particularly close to her.
I also quote a line from an ancient Chinese poem to express my gratitude: May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart. This line means:
I hope that the person I miss will be safe and long-lasting. No matter how far apart we are, I can always look up at the moon and wish that the other person will always be as bright and beautiful as the moon."
After Shasha translated this passage directly and Director Jin added the artistic conception of "May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart", the Chalun family clasped their hands together and expressed their gratitude solemnly.
At this time, Director Jin began to speak:
"Dear guests, I have been entrusted by Mr. Chalun to introduce to you the general arrangements for these days.
We had lunch at Mr. Charon's house this afternoon, where they hosted a luncheon. In the afternoon, we checked into the luxury Andaz Hotel. I won't spoil the details of our meal or activities just yet.
This is a creative journey. I won’t spoil the meaning of a creative journey now. You will understand it when the time comes.
So, today, I can only tell you about our afternoon itinerary. Our itinerary is like meeting a beautiful and cool girl.
We can't guess what she's thinking. We're always pursuing her, trying to understand her. That's what makes it fun. What do you think?
After all, we weren't in a car, so we couldn't shout. So everyone nodded and said, "Okay."
"Well, it's lunchtime now. Mr. and Mrs. Chalun, as well as Miss Dana, will be at the restaurant entrance to greet you. Please wait a moment while Miss Sasha and I take you there.
Mr. and Mrs. Chalun, and Miss Dana will take their leave first.
After they left, Director Jin and Sasha went to the side to discuss something. Everyone was talking about what kind of ceremony was there for going to the restaurant?
I nudged Qing Ruo, who was chatting with Mr. Wei. She glanced back at me. I waved back at Mr. Wei, indicating I had something to say.
The three of us gathered together and I said:
"Don't discuss any ceremonies in the restaurant. If there is a ceremony, it's a small one. We're here to inspect. We should pay attention to what Director Jin just said.
He only revealed the hotel he was staying in that afternoon. He didn't say anything else. This is worth learning from.
Qing Ruo asked, "What are you going to learn?"
"For domestic travel, they send you an itinerary first. They tell you where to go in the morning and where to go in the afternoon. But before you even get there, everyone has searched the internet thoroughly and then loses interest, or perhaps no longer has any expectations.
He didn't tell us about tomorrow's event today, so we are not looking forward to it, are we?"
When Qing Ruo heard this, she said, "That's right. Brother Shanhong, you have one more sweetheart than we do."
Manager Wei also suddenly realized and said, "After all, he is a gold medal tour guide. My hotel can also learn from him."
Qing Ruo asked: "What do you learn in a hotel?"
Manager Wei said, "We've prepared a dish for the guests, and named it 'Wuming'. If you ask what 'Wuming' is, the waiter won't know."
I immediately understood and said, "Manager Wei is a quick learner. Today 'Wu Ming' represents this dish, tomorrow 'Wu Ming' represents that dish. Anyway, it's a gift, so it makes the guests a little curious."
Qing Ruo smiled and said, "Brother Wei and Brother Shanhong are both smart people who are good at dealing with ghosts."
Manager Wei said, "You can't call him Brother Shanhong. This is an honorary title given to him by Miss Dana."
Qing Ruo laughed.
Wen Jing and Wu Xiaosong lowered their heads and exchanged some thoughts. Fortunately, spring had arrived, and Ning Jing finally had someone to talk to.
At this time, Shasha and Director Jin came over. Director Jin said:
"My friends, let's go to the restaurant now."
We went downstairs and walked towards the backyard. When we were almost in the kitchen, we were startled.
It turned out to be all the servants of the Chalun family. The staff stood in two rows, stretching from the restaurant entrance to the corridor behind the tourist pool.
Director Jin said, "This is the most solemn ceremony for the Chalun family. Except for his son who is studying in the United States and has not returned, all his family members, including relatives, came."
Sasha added, "This is to welcome you and to celebrate Dana's recovery."
As I walked along, I saw people on both sides with their hands clasped together and bending over.
The sounds of "Sawadee Ka" came one after another.
We all put our hands together. I suddenly remembered something I forgot to tell everyone before leaving the country, so I reminded them: When meeting an older person, you should return the greeting by putting your two thumbs together close to your nose.
The restaurant is luxurious and spacious, with a Buddha statue on the main wall.
All the relatives of the Zhalun family came to pay their respects to me, and I responded to them one by one.
There were three tables in the hall.
As for this Chinese-Thai lunch, I won't describe it in detail. There's an old Chinese saying, "Eat by the dish." We ate by the person.
Since I told Shasha about it, she introduced each dish to us, including its name and how to eat it.
To quote Dana: We ate—a lot. It was a feast.
An hour after lunch, three cars drove off. One carried Miss Dana, two carried four bodyguards, and we took the luxury tour bus at the back.
It was then that I realized there was a world of difference between me and my patient, Miss Dana, who always went out with four bodyguards.
Qing Ruo whispered to me, "Brother Shanhong, please give me some guidance on the next step."
Manager Wei said, "Only if you promise not to call Shanhong brother when you go back, will he teach you."
They sang in unison, but I ignored them. I turned back to count the number of people. Chunlai was with Ningjing, and they were talking.
I said to Director Jin, "You can go now."
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