2016-04-22

【Aiden in English】

        And we’re back to the Lai-Lai Garden tonight. Actually, it wasn’t initially planned, as the first plan of dinner was at the newly opened Madang Korean & BBQ nearby, but we like our food the Chinese way. You may be wondering, however, what’s the occasion? Well, you see, mom, apparently, is hosting her college folk and his wife who she has only seen once in three decades. That was thirteen years ago when I was carried around in a cradle. The couple just moved from the Midwest to Philadelphia early this year. As the professors at Jefferson University, they are engaging the immuno-neurological study on the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis or MS, an autoimmune inflammation in the brain and spine. Hopefully, their research will help find a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of MS.

        Although the Lai-Lai Garden is great and all, there are many intense NBA playoffs going on. Seeing how the Boston Celtics have tied the series with the Atlanta Hawks after being down 0-2 really makes me wonder if the league has a reincarnation of Isiah Thomas (with an extra “a” in-between the “s” and the “i”). Indeed, I was growing tired of the same food. The purpose was not to satisfy me, but mom’s friends. It has been 13 years since they last met, having come face to face once at my year of birth. It’s quite creepy when strangers say that they saw you when you were so much smaller. I usually immediately place them under the “stalker” category, but that’s just what I do. The reunion wasn’t all that exciting for me, but mom seemed to care a ton about her long lost friend from college. The moment the guests said that they weren’t big onto spicy foods, the look on mom’s face was a facsimile of the time realized I didn’t like my birthday gift. Please mind that I didn’t really care all too much about birthdays. Luckily, the tofu in a clay pot with assorted seafood and vegetable was great, and not a single drop of the oily red was seen on the surface. Coincidentally, it was the fastest to go. As much as I liked the pot, I still enjoyed the red particles of pepper on my plate. It may be food coloring, but I’ll never know. Not that it matters since it still tastes the same.

        Many times, a similar feeling occurs at the beginning of the school year for me. To have that feeling amplified to 13 years is quite crazy. Not having that trustful person to talk to is nerve-racking, and my experience with it is only for three months. Friends are indispensable for comfort and to help you through life. Over time, they become a part of your soul, and when they leave, the piece breaks off. The bridges between the friendships can’t be broken, and even thirteen years later, the bonds are still strong between mom and her friend. And whether it is at a park, in a movie theater, or at Lai-Lai Garden, it is important in life to continue to work on strengthening the bonds.

        Good friends are like angels and they add blessings to live.

【红霞译文】

        今晚我们重返“来来花园”酒家，说来选择到此就餐并非初衷，原本打算去附近一家新开张的“韩式庭院烧烤”餐厅尝尝鲜，但最终还是执拗不过眷恋家乡风味的中国胃。你或许好奇怎么回事？如你所知，妈妈正为她的大学同学及其太太接风，过去卅年间彼此仅打过一次照面，那是十三年前我刚出生不久，当时只能躺在摇篮里访亲会友。这对夫妇年初才从美国中西部搬到东海岸费城，共同在杰弗逊大学担任教授，主要针对多发性硬化症发病机制进行神经免疫方面的研究，他们希望通过努力能够找出治疗这种脑干和脊髓自体免疫性疾病的新方法。

        “来来花园”不失为款待朋友的好去处，但再好也无法与当下许多牵动人心的美职篮季后赛相媲美，眼见波士顿凯尔特人队与亚特兰大老鹰队相遇，并在零比二落后的情况下奋起直追将比分拉平，我禁不住联想到美职篮联盟怎么偏叫伊塞亚·托马斯旗下战将起死回生，莫非缘于他的名字中“S”与“I”之间多了一个“A”不成。确确实实，我难免对一成不变的食谱心生腻歪的感觉，但今天这顿饭我满不满意并不重要，关键在于妈妈的朋友是否开心，毕竟双方距离上次见面已经时隔十三年之久，看我都长这么大了。其实每当有生人对你说他在你很小的时候见过你，冷不丁会叫你发怵，通常我把他们视作“盯梢者”，这完全出于个人之见。长辈之间的故友重逢对我来说没啥大不了的，但妈妈看起来却情真意切，对于久违的大学同学尤感非同寻常，当听说来宾不能吃辣时，她立马面带愧疚，如同意识到我不喜欢她送的生日礼物一般，实际上我从不在意任何生日礼物。幸好“三鲜豆腐煲”美味可口，表面没有丁点麻辣油花，真可谓歪打正着，这道菜备受推崇，不知不觉地便被一扫而光。煲固然可嘉，但我还是更倾向于盘上麻辣玩意，当然究竟是否货真价实，我没法辨认，反正两者味道差不多。

        每当新学年来临我难掩紧张之情，若把十三年来的不安叠加在一起简直不可思议，没有信得过的人听你倾诉衷肠，即使三个月也难以支撑过来。朋友的安慰和帮助都是人生必不可少的，久而久之，朋友势必变成自己的精神伴侣，当他们离你而去，你会心如刀绞。友谊的桥梁牢不可破，即使十三年过后依然如故，因为尘封年少的情感早已烙印于彼此内心深处。无论在公园、影院或是“来来”酒家，继续加强相互联系对于人生意义重大。

        好朋友就像天使，他们为生活带来祝福。