Internet, how he had followed a possibly unreliable lead and come to Henan, and how he had put the pieces of the puzzle together and learned that she was in Warm Springs-and that woman was Little Xi. Now he only hoped that she would give him a chance, would communicate with him, would give him time, in Henan, in Beijing, or anywhere else to prove his love. He had also brought along a friend who could help restore her memory.
Lao Chen even told Little Xi of his thoughts about death on the drive to Henan, that if he were to die in an accident, he hoped it would be while holding her hand and facing their last seconds of life together; or if he were to die a natural death, he hoped that she would be sitting at his bedside watching over him. He wanted to live out his last years with her.
Lao Chen wanted to post the letter as a comment on Little Xi’s blog, but it was much too long. He had to divide it into several smaller sections and post each one separately while leaving a notice that he had a blog on the Sina network where the entire letter could be read as a whole.
After Lao Chen had finished pouring his heart out, he sat very calmly in front of the computer and checked every few minutes to see if there was any answer.
Shortly after lunch Little Xi had indeed gone online and very soon noticed Lao Chen’s post, after which she went to his Sina blog and read the entire letter. It made her whole body feel totally paralyzed. For the past two years, she had wanted so badly to find someone she could really communicate and share her feelings with, but every time she’d been disappointed. After meeting Lao Chen again, she had fantasized that he was different from other men, but in the end, or so she thought, she had become another woman. As she was despairing more and more, she discovered the church fellowship. She didn’t really believe in religion, but what she had found was a large extended family. Then when the Zhang Family Village rights-protection movement had come along, it made her feel useful. She never imagined that at this point Lao Chen would come into her life again, to declare undying love.
Little Xi sat blankly in front of her computer for over an hour. She knew that at another computer someone else was also sitting there blankly.
Finally, she posted an answer: “I’m no longer the Little Xi that you knew.”
“I like the present you even more” was Lao Chen’s immediate answer.
“I suffer from clinical depression,” she wrote.
“I know. I’ll take care of you,” he fired back.
“My body is decrepit beyond repair.”
“I’m proof of your beauty.”
“I’m not sure I want a relationship.”
“I’ll wait patiently until you decide.”
“I’m sure I don’t have time for a relationship,” Little Xi wrote.
“I can wait as long as you want, in Henan or anywhere else,” Lao Chen answered.
They went back and forth like this until after five in the afternoon, when Little Xi sent her last post: “I have to go off-line. Give me some time to think things over, then we’ll talk again.”
Little Xi went to help the fellowship prepare dinner, and Lao Chen closed down the computer; he decided to go to the church and look for her.
What the two of them didn’t know was that during the entire afternoon many netizens were following their posts with bated breath. After they left their computers, the netizens’ comments on their dialogue took over. Some said it was very moving, some said it was schmaltzy, some said it was cute, and some even said it was disgusting. Taiwanese netizens said they had to admire this romantic auntie and uncle, while mainland netizens said that no matter how you looked at it, it was amazing how they kept going. On the whole, though, these netizens reached a pretty unified verdict: “Stop messing around, Little Xi, make up with Lao Chen and everything will be okay!”
At around six the brothers and sisters of the Warm Springs fellowship finished their evening meal and came to the church with their hearts full of thanksgiving to wait for the witness meeting to begin.
Gao Shengchan and Li Tiejun had also just emerged from the county-government building and decided to say a simple prayer then and there on the street to thank the Lord for His grace. That morning at the meeting with the young and able County Head Yang, Gao Shengchan had said what needed to be said as though with the Lord’s help, stating his case thoroughly and in a dignified manner. Although the county head had remained silent throughout, Gao Shengchan was confident that Yang had listened to him attentively. As for how the official would evaluate the pros and cons of this case and what the fate of the church might be, Gao Shengchan left that in God’s hands.
When they left the morning meeting, the head’s secretary had come to find them, and advised them not to go too far and to be ready to be called back; this was a good sign. The two of them waited in a small restaurant near the government building. “Let’s say a prayer,” Gao Shengchan said, taking Li Tiejun’s hand.
County Head Yang conferred with his advisers, and then called the township leader and the businesses’ representative to an immediate meeting. The meeting lasted until after five, then Yang summoned Gao Shengchan and Li Tiejun to his office. Yang thought like a bureaucrat, but he was also pretty smart. He knew that Gao Shengchan was trying to force his hand, but he also knew that for the sake of his future career he had to back down somewhat. He informed Gao Shengchan and Li Tiejun that the Zhang Family Village land-requisition program was definitely going forward as planned, but, with the good offices of the county government, every family would receive increased compensation for their land. Furthermore, due to a revision in the amount of land required, the land occupied by the homes of the church members was no longer within the scope of the plan. In this way, the business-interest group had been made to give up some of their large potential profits, and the township leaders who had failed to stop corruption had been thoroughly reprimanded; the government’s credit with the people had been maintained and an organized mass protest had been prevented.
As County Head Yang formally escorted Gao Shengchan and Li Tiejun to his office door he reflected that when promoted to provincial level he would no longer have to deal with the schemes of these church people. Gao Shengchan, aware that he had achieved his goal, offered up a few words of praise: Yang was a genuine mother and father to the people, he said. And Yang replied that it was the people who were
Walking back to the church, Gao Shengchan felt he had accomplished something very good. The rights of his parishioners had been restored, and a direct confrontation between the church and the government had been avoided. His only worry was in facing those of his flock who had been so enthusiastically preparing to mount a protest, especially Little Xi. Nevertheless, Gao Shengchan never wavered as to what was important and what was not.
Meanwhile, Lao Chen and Fang Caodi were sitting in the chapel among the worshippers and looking all around for Little Xi. She was in the kitchen, and while helping prepare refreshments, she was just managing to calm herself after the emotional turmoil of the afternoon-when she looked out and spotted Lao Chen among the faithful, her heart immediately started to race again. She hid behind the door, not daring to enter the chapel. Just then she heard the sound of the Canaan hymn “What Am I?” and felt deeply moved.
Gao Shengchan and Li Tiejun entered the chapel and Gao instructed Li to ask the congregation to settle down because they had something to tell them. Then Gao Shengchan announced the new decision taken by the government on the Zhang Family Village land issue. This decision in favor of the brothers and sisters of their fellowship, he said, was an example of God’s grace, and demonstrated that God had heard everyone’s prayers. Finally, he led them all in giving thanks, shouting, “Thanks be to the Lord!” Some of the faithful were moved to tears of joy. Many of them, however, were there precisely to witness such moving reactions.
When they had settled down again, Lao Chen stood up and proclaimed in a loud voice, “Everybody, I have something I want to say to you.”
Li Tiejun tried to stop him, but Gao Shengchan indicated to Li to let him speak. Gao Shengchan knew that such events could not be prevented by force, but had to be handed over to the Lord for His disposition.
“Fellow countrymen,” said Lao Chen, “I am on the lookout for someone. Her name is Wei Xihong, also known as Little Xi.”
The people stared quietly at the stranger, but did not respond.
“I am a friend of hers,” added Lao Chen.
Still no response.
“If you know where she is,” Lao Chen continued, “please tell me. Please let me see her, because… because I love her very much and I can’t live without her. I hope you… hope you can tell me if she is here or not.”