Morning Visit to Mr. Zhang

#2024-0628

I visited Zhengxing Zhang this morning.

He and I have been close friends for many years. Although we rarely met, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, I must confess that I've thought of him often in recent years. I heard from other friends that Mr. Zhang's health had deteriorated significantly. This decline is why he preferred not to, or was unable to, go out and meet people; crowded places, especially enclosed spaces, posed a risk of infection for him.

I started missing him very much and wondered if it would be okay for me to visit him. I called him the other day, expressing how much I missed him. I assured him that if I visited, I would stay for just an hour or less to avoid tiring him out. He thanked me for my thoughtfulness and welcomed me to his house this morning at around 9 o'clock to "relive old times."

We need to meet and chat more often. We have a lot to share, given our similar backgrounds and life stories. Both of us are Hakka (see the notes below), so we can even converse in the Hakka language. Despite our different religious beliefs—he is a devout Buddhist and I am a church-going Christian—we have always enjoyed chatting freely for hours. Our conversations have always been about sharing, never about quarreling or criticizing.

To my surprise, my neighbors Rev. Cheng and his wife asked for a ride this morning when I was leaving for the visit. They wanted to join me in visiting Zhengxing Zhang, our mutual friend. My wife had revealed my plans while chatting with them last night. As a result, the four of us paid a short visit to Mr. Zhang this morning.

= = =

Notes on "Hakka":  

(Taken from English Wikipedia)

• The Chinese characters for Hakka (客家) literally mean guest families. The Hakka people are thought to have originated from relatively northern provinces, particularly Henan (河南) and Hubei (湖北). In a series of migrations, the Hakkas moved and settled in their present areas in Southern China and from there, substantial numbers migrated overseas to various countries throughout the world. The worldwide population of Hakkas is about 80 million to 120 million.
• Today, Hakka is one of the official language of Taiwan. But like other official languages such as Hokkien and Formosan languages, they do not have the de facto special status of Taiwanese Mandarin (Guoyu)."

= = =

相關文章 (See also)：

1)  愛     (2010)

2)  塗居會 at Pinococo     (2015)

3)  Waterfalls, Lunch, and the Cottage     (2016)

4)  對聯 + 小品文 + 攝影繪圖     (2020)

5)  A Life Note: 關鍵時刻，龍吐珠的花語？     (2020)