Chapter 2 Chapter two

one It took a few weeks for Tom and Eva to get used to how they felt about having a father.Tom had seen pictures of his father, but living with him was not the same thing.And that photo was taken by my father when he was young, wearing a coat with a stiff neckline tied with a bow tie, and holding a gold-rimmed cane in his hand.And he himself looks nothing like the photo. When he rolls up his sleeves and lowers his head to iron his clothes under the fluorescent lamp, his broad shoulders will be on the ironing board, forming a huge moving shadow.A few days after Tom's arrival he thought he might help downstairs, but the shop was so small that there was no place to step in.His father didn't say anything to him, which made Tom feel very far away from him.Father's voice was deep and powerful.He also seems to have spent a few days getting to know his youngest son.Tom!You go out and play with Eva!He only said this to his son, and went back to work.

It didn't take much time for Feng Laoer to rebuild his dignity as a father.Tom and Eva discover what it means to have a father within the first week. It's ten o'clock, and Tom's mother said, Tom, go downstairs and ask your father to come up.A lot of age, but also to work so late! Am I going to ask Deke to stop work and close together? He could go on and on if he wanted to. Eva would put his slippers by his bed when her father came upstairs to take a shower.Mom fetched a basin of hot water for him, and prepared soap and towels.In China, it is the housewife's responsibility to prepare bath water for her husband who comes home.After Mom made the bath water, she made a cup of tea for Dad and put it on the table in the living room.In short, they have to do some trivial things for the father who came upstairs to rest.Mom makes the word father so solemn and important.

Sometimes, my father would lie on the bed and let Tom kneel beside him and beat his back, shoulders and waist.It was obvious that his mother was pampering him and turning him into an elder respected by the children.He'd never needed this sort of massage-like back-thumping before, but after Tom did it for him, he admitted that it was very comfortable and very relaxing.His mother taught Tom how to beat his back, lightly clenching his hands into fists, his arms relaxed, and pounding lightly with the strength of his wrists so that the edges of his palms struck the muscles.Since the bed was so low, Tom found the kneeling height to be the most labor-saving.When he beat his father's back, the feeling of physical contact is something he will never forget in his life.Tom was doing well, and soon he heard his father say to his mother: You are too slow!Call Tom.Children's hands are relatively neat.

When Feng Laoer sat in his armchair after work, with a cup of tea beside him, and the light from the desk lamp shone on his head, he seemed to be a different person.Only Dai Ke and Yi Ke know how much their father has changed. Mother made tea for him, Eva fetched his slippers, and when Father sat down, Mother sat down on the hard bench too.The children waited nearby to hear what his father had to say.Father lit a five-cent cigar with a relaxed and satisfied expression on his face.Flora came in, unwrapped her hands, and gently put a lampshade on the light bulb, then turned around and asked her parents: Do you like it?

Mother stepped forward to look at the lampshade, and the children surrounded it. How did you put it on?My mother asked Flora, and my father acted as a translator. Just put it on and that's it! Flora repeated the demonstration, and the whole family was amazed. how much did you spend? Ten cents. Mom said with a smile: "Well!Very pretty lampshade!She looked at it and continued: But the whole room is much darker.Originally, the room was very bright, and it was no problem to find a needle on the floor.Now that the lampshade is on, you can't even see the photo of your grandfather clearly. Isn't that a pity?My father translated what my mother said into English again.

But it looks better this way!Flora emphasized, the light is softer, isn't it? Mom looked around and said, "This looks very wrong, there is no light at all over there."How much will it cost to buy another lamp? The lampstand costs fifty cents, and the light bulb costs ten cents. Not expensive!Let's install another lamp.Mom said, where to buy? In a store on Eighty-sixth Street, where everything was sold at rounded prices.We all go there to buy things.Tell mom we can go there and have a look. My father told my mother these words, but my mother said: No need!Just ask Flora to buy it!I dare not go out yet!

Flora!You go tell Roy that you can rest, and do it tomorrow!Dad said. alright!Tom, Eva!After Flora left, my father said, You are already in America!Do you like America?He has been in the United States for more than 30 years, and now he can pronounce the R sound very well. Tom and Eva sat on the bed. We love America!Eva replied. You have always wanted to come, and now you have come!What more do you want? We want to go to school.Eva said. I know you will go to school, a good school.In the United States, your schooling is free.That's one of the reasons I brought you here.What do you want to be when you grow up?

Tom looked at Eva, and Eva looked at Tom, and the two didn't know how to answer. I do not know yet!dad!Tom replied. Don't you want to open a laundromat? No!dad! Isn’t opening a laundromat a great way to make money? no dad!I don't want to stand around ironing all day, and I don't like messing with women's clothes either. What's wrong with women's clothes?Eva protested. Women's clothes should be washed by women!I am a man!Tom replied, and I also think men's clothes should be washed by women, don't you, Dad? Eva glared at Tom sullenly, and tried to say something to contradict him, but she couldn't think of it.

You do the laundry and they pay you!My father said, it doesn't matter whether you wash men's clothes or women's clothes, because you have to live! If I wash women's clothes, I will count it as expensive! If a woman washes a man's clothes, it will be more expensive!Eva couldn't help but interrupted suddenly. Parents laughed!alright!Tom!That's what I'm going to talk to you about.I don't want you to stay in the laundry for the rest of your life like Dai Ke.Dai Ke and Yi Ke didn't have the opportunity to go to school before.Now both you and Abba can go to school.Tom, you don't run a laundry from morning to night like your father!You should think about it!

Where is Aba?asked Tom. Aba is a girl, she goes to school and gets married when she grows up.If she married a millionaire, she was a millionaire; if she married a grocer, she was the grocer's wife; if she married a doctor, she was the doctor's wife.Marry a chicken and follow a chicken, marry a dog and follow a dog!It doesn't matter whether in China or in the United States. But Dad, why did you choose to open a laundry?asked Tom. I don't have a choice!child!And the laundry isn't as bad as you might think.I do this for a living and now you guys are here!I still have to feed you!I have no other way.All you have is your hands, and you can only do what the Americans are unwilling to do and allow you to do.When they built the railroads in the west, there were no women there.American men can neither cook nor wash clothes.We Chinese men can cook and wash better than American men, so they allow us to cook and wash for them.Now we cook and do laundry for Americans because we do it better than they do.If I had enough money before, I would open a restaurant.You go to school to study, you may become a doctor, a lawyer or an engineer.Henry Lee has a son who graduated from Boston Technical School and is now a bridge engineer.Do what you want to do in the future, this is America.You can go to school for free, and as long as you are honest, no one will bother you at all.You like being an engineer, and you'll be an engineer; you're happy being a laundromat, and you're a laundromat; you want to be a drunk, and you'll be a drunk!America is a free country.

And me?What do I hope to do, will I do in the future?Eva asked. no!You have to get married!You are free to marry.This is the freedom that American women have fought for.But they rarely get help from their parents.They must find their own husbands! Eva is only twelve years old!She couldn't help but blush when she heard this, and she squeaked and laughed. That night, Tom and Eva lay in bed thinking about what they were going to do in the future, and were also puzzled by this question. I used to think that men and women were equal in America.Eva whispered. You also heard what the father said.We men choose our own careers, and you only need to choose your husband, the rest is our men's business.You should be content with that! Eva felt somewhat humiliated.Well, it's no different than China.She felt so disappointed that she fell asleep out of breath. two Mrs. Feng observed their home and took note of all the places that should be paid attention to.The home and the two children needed some additions.When she arrived in the United States, she had $150 with her, which was the proceeds of the sale of her property when she went to the United States.She estimated that she would spend about thirty or forty yuan to buy things.Tom and Eva need new clothes. Coats can be bought in autumn, but things like suits, shirts, socks, shoes, etc. cannot be delayed.She can still afford these things.Flora knew that on the corner of Eighty-seventh Street and Third Avenue, there was a children's clothing store that was cheaper there.Also, they needed pillowcases and towels, and Eva asked for a comb. We need a little more towels.Flora suggested. What towel?Isn't one face towel enough for one person? I mean hand towels and bath towels. You mean, you're going to throw away the towels you've used once, like those people on the boat! I've never been on a boat, I just think it should be. These conversations were translated by Dai Ke for their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law respectively. Yes, yes!Flora bursts out in her best Cantonese, meaning, yes!Yes!Mrs. Feng laughed so hard that her mouth almost split open. very nice!she praised.Flora understood too, which was a great encouragement to her. Then we can go to Macy's, they have everything we need, and we can think about what we need on the way. What is Macy's House?Mother asked, Dai Ke explained to her. Then they decided to go to Macy's House on Saturday. We're going to Macy's House!Eva said. We're going to Macy's House!Tom repeated. Their tone sounded as if they were going to the city to destroy Macy's House.Mom promised to buy Eva a comb and some hair clips.Tom can buy a pair of socks.The atmosphere was like New Year's Eve, and everyone was happy. Finally Saturday came, Flora knew best about prices, and she had to go.Dai Ke wanted to go, he said he wanted to buy some soap, paste and bleach, besides that, he also wanted to take a break from his busy schedule and take the opportunity to rest.Father didn't want to go together, but Yike said he was taking the family to Chinatown for dinner, so why didn't he go together so the family could get together?Just keep the door closed.He was glad that he could leave everything behind for a while.So, it turned out that the family went together. Deck had told them what a department store looked like, where you could buy everything from garden spades to soda drinks, egg beaters to complete bedroom furniture.It is a shopper's paradise with everything you need for a variety of department stores.What steps are they to take when they enter this heaven?Mrs. Feng clutched the wallet tightly, this was her first reaction. The Feng family filed into the entrance facing Sixth Avenue.The first thing they saw was a row of transport vans filled with children. You didn't tell me that they sell small children too.Mrs. Feng exclaimed in horror, the United States is really a country full of wonders! OMG!no.Yike said, Tom and Eva, you two hold hands, don't get lost. No!Mom said, Eva, you hold Flora's hand.And Tom!You hold Yike's hand. Don't you think we're better off together?asked the father. Flora!cried Yike, I think it's best to save a little time, and you take Mum and Eva to the household goods department, and I'm with Tom and Dad. no!Mom said, Tom wants to buy socks, and I want to look at them for him. Children's clothing is sold on the fourth floor.Flora said. They decided to stay together as a family. Flora said to go to the bottom first, but Yike wanted to let the children see the elevator first. Flora and Yike were fighting for their leadership, and Yike won, as he often did. Once they entered the elevator, it was like they were in the Pink Army, and the elevator was almost entirely filled with women.They thought the elevator was an interesting American thing. The elevator kept going up, but they stood still, as if they were flying into the sky in a sedan chair.Mrs. Feng thought that the elevator would continue to go up, but when it stopped at two bends, she lost her balance and took a step forward. My purse!A woman next to her knelt down and picked up her wallet for her. Kyou!Righteousness can be said. Mrs. Feng smiled gratefully at the woman. Why did you say queue to her? That's what thanking her means! oh!I see. There are many ways to say thank you. You can say Thank you, which means thank you, or Many thanks, which means thank you!But say Kyou is the smartest. The elevator went up again, and when they stopped on the third floor, Eva went to another elevator.I kept going down and it felt great.She followed a dark-haired woman who she thought was Flora.Suddenly, she realized that the man was not Flora.She turned her head and didn't see any of the family.She touched the woman in front of her, and she was so frightened that she began to cry. What is it, boy?the woman asked her. Eva spoke Cantonese sobbingly. Mother!Mother!Where are you?She cried loudly. The crowd came over, and a waiter came over.He didn't understand what Eva was talking about, but he knew she was lost and she was looking for her mother.He told her not to cry, but Eva pointed to the elevator, and the waiter took her upstairs. They were halfway when Eva heard a familiar voice: Eva!Abba!Eva!Abba! When Flora reached the fourth floor, she found that Eva was missing.Everyone panicked for a while, then they went back to the third floor together, Yike went to the third floor to look for it, Deke and Flora went to the second floor and called: Aba!Abba!They shouted loudly in the crowd.Flora ran up and down between the third floor and the second floor. Flora heard her voice and looked up, she was descending in another elevator. There, right there.Eva points up. Her name is Flora.Flora hastened to answer her.After the elevator stopped, Eva rushed to Flora and hugged her tightly.The waiter took Eva into Flora's hands and left with a sense of relief. After reuniting, they returned to Siluo and saw their mother waiting anxiously.She was always afraid, but she was furious when she saw Eva, Eva explained.But Aba, Aba's cry still came over, it turned out that Yike was still looking for Eva. A few minutes later, Yike came up with a guard, and the guard was about to leave when they knew Eva had been found. Have a cigar.Yike handed over the cigar, and at the same time took out his business card and said: I am Frederick. A． T．Feng, an insurance broker. Thank you!said the guard. Kyou!Yi Ke said that he shook hands with the guards, regardless of his family members standing aside waiting for him. Keeping a family together in a department store is not an easy task.When the children's clothes were bought, Flora wanted to take their mother down to the ground floor, but Jack wanted to take the children to the toy department, and Tom wanted to buy some pencils and erasers.Eva didn't dare to leave these two women anymore, so she went to the bottom floor with her mother and Flora, and her father and Roy came with them.They agreed to meet downstairs later. Once on the ground floor, Mrs. Feng lost all resistance.She couldn't resist buying a new tea set with teapot, cups and a shaker.She couldn't resist buying another dozen glasses, all made in America.She likes the feeling of owning something new.Roy went to buy his soap, paste, and bleach, while Mom and Flora dug into their purses, and Dad decided to put a gold frame on his grandfather's photo.Since they love having a new home, why not?Roy went with him. Half an hour later, Tom came down, and he said he would be here soon.The two shoppers finished their shopping, but Yi Ke didn't come down, and even father and Luo Yi didn't know where to go. Tom, where did you leave Yike's? I broke up with him on the seventh floor. Tom went up to look for it, but Yike came down. Where is Tom? We sent him to find you. Didn't I agree to meet here? Tom went to find Yike, but he searched all over the seventh floor but did not see Yike.When Roy and his father came back, they found that Yike and Tom were gone. Roy also went upstairs to find Yike, but Yike and Tom came down after meeting on the second floor. Where did Roy go?Righteousness can be asked. He went to find you. I told you, we meet here!Yi Ke said angrily. After Lowe came back, the family reunited happily again.It's just that everyone is hungry and tired.Except for her mother, she calculated a total of forty-three yuan and seven cents, and she was happy and excited. But what about the teacups and shakers and glasses, and the new kitchen clock? Flora told her that people from Macy's House would send things home. They walked out of the department store and went to eat in Chinatown. three Macy's House finally sent someone to deliver the things. They were sent by Macy's House.Flora stated so. Mom didn't believe it, this man brought four big bags.He climbed up the three floors in two steps and put the things in the kitchen.They must be mistaken!Mom thought so. They unwrapped it excitedly, and they were not mistaken.The people in Macy's House are too luxurious, and indeed only the United States can be so luxurious.Toilet paper and coffee take up a whole lot of space.A dozen glasses were packed in a large carton twenty-four inches wide by thirty inches long, wrapped in fine-grained paper, and stuffed with five pounds of sawdust. Are you saying we only paid for a dozen glasses and they gave us these?What a beautiful paper!Eva flattened and folded these papers, maybe we could use them sometime!And these beautiful ropes. They began to dismantle the smaller white box, which contained the kitchen clock.Mother forbade Flora to cut the rope. After she untied the knot slowly and carefully, she saw a large layer of snow-white paper. What's in it? Mom kept looking down, and finally found the clock under the layer of paper.As she carefully rolled the rope and smoothed the paper, she saw Flora throw the carton over the kitchen gate.She jumped up and snatched it off. My Bodhisattva, such a nice box! Flora was taken aback. She assumed her mother-in-law was talking about the box. If you waste things like this, you will lose your life!Her mother-in-law lectured her in Cantonese, but luckily Flora couldn't understand her. The blue box with the silver lid is indeed a beautiful thing.Everything is so new and so beautiful.The box was beautifully printed, the lid was shiny silver, and the clock itself was chrome.Buy a clock and get a box for free.Mrs. Feng used this box as a sewing box, and it has been used for two years. The cords were rolled, and the brown and thin papers were flattened, folded and put away.As for the cardboard, what should they do with it?The cardboard takes up too much space.After thinking about it for a while, the mother made a compromise with Flora, but still reluctantly agreed to Flora's throwing away some, and put some cardboard and fine and clean sawdust on the passage to the balcony. After some time, the mother finally gave in.She had collected half a dozen coffee cans and a dozen empty pickle bottles, things that seemed to have nothing to do with them but throw them away.She simply didn't know what to do, because the American ones were so good, those jars were at least twice as thick as the Chinese jars.Why is the United States so extravagant, so wasteful and not damned?The food thrown away in a small city here can feed an entire village in China. This kind of thing hurts my mother very much, it is completely against her tradition and her conscience.America is a rich country and they can eat very well if they know how to cook.But they just don't know anything about it. But Mrs. Feng is still such a person. She never discarded any cardboard or wrapping paper in her life, and even in the United States, her virtue of frugality would not change in any way.