Journey To The Heartland by Huang Xiaolong

Author:Huang, Xiaolong [Huang, Xiaolong]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B0B5S8MK14
Goodreads: 61429286
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-07-12T00:00:00+00:00

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“Is my car ready?” Hanwei walked into the mechanic shop with Sidharth and talked to the staff standing outside. A skinny brown Labrador walked away with his head hung low. The mechanic shop was only a block away from Hanwei’s graduate student housing, a rather convenient location. And Hanwei was not a new customer.

“The Ford Escort?”

“Yes.”

“Check with Miguel over there.” The staff pointed to the Hispanic looking guy around the car lifts.

“Yes. It’s a piece of junk, man. You can throw it away. But it’s ready,” Miguel said sarcastically.

Hanwei knew his car had years on it. Besides living with many of its mechanical problems, he once spun his car out of control with a one-eighty degree turn and hit the wall of Freeway No. 10, right around downtown Los Angeles.

Hanwei paid two hundred bucks for the repairs and then drove with Sidharth into the McDonald’s parking lot around the corner. It was Saturday. They had planned to meet Bob for lunch before they would go fishing at the Manhattan Beach Pier.

“My classmates in Beijing University are making a good living now in China, bought their homes, and are helping their parents. And here I am with a broken car, struggling with my PhD program, and can only afford to go to a formal restaurant once a week in Chinatown,” Hanwei said while biting into the ice cream he bought from McDonald’s.

“You shouldn’t think like that. Once you graduate with your PhD, you can make a good living,” Sidharth said.

Bob added, “Hanwei, like you said before, a PhD is less about making money, more about the type of work it would open to you. You’ll have a better chance to work on high-tech and research work you are interested in.”

“My professor is too tough. He often trashes my proposal, tells me what he thinks I should do, then a week later, trashes what he proposed I should do. It’s been really difficult. Sometimes I want to argue back. But my future lies in his hands, so I just swallow my pride and keep my mouth shut.”

“Hanwei, my father once told me, ‘It is easier to do bad things, much harder to do right things.’ You’ve got to think carefully about your next best move; do not react with your temper. Finishing your PhD is really important, you know?” Sidharth tried.

“Hanwei, you are very intelligent. I played video games with you. The way you play is way above me. I am a director in a small IT firm. I see many people. I know you can make it. It takes time. Sometimes it can be really hard. But you can do it,” Bob said. “And no matter which way you go, your future lies in your hands, not others’.”

“Thank you both. I am lucky to have you as my friends. I love LA. I will do my best to stay.”

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