Heart's Promise - (New Version)

Author: Chen Luyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: I know, it's time for dreams to come true. It's said that Luyu described Guo Hui as a bud that never blooms, and at 90, it falls to the ground without opening. Hearing this, Luyu seems to have a sense of heroism and the demeanor of an elder. But based on my observation, Guo Hui, by the gun-infested banks of the Nile, in the Sinai Desert, and on the Golan Heights, doesn't resemble a bud at all. She not only climbs mountains and hills every day, completely unafraid of hardship, but also must speak eloquently in front of the camera at every location without any prepared script. She talks about the history and politics of millennia, yet she speaks with precision and without hesitation. However, standing in front of the pyramids, she is filled with awe. Such a glorious history, forever closed off, and such a small bud—better to keep it closed. Luyu's appearance made us realize to what extent we had become dark, including Guo Hui. Later, it was revealed that Luyu's whiteness was related to her having a bad cold, but at a glance, she looked frail, completely unlike someone described as a "bud." Everyone pitied her and wanted to find a Chinese restaurant for her to have some hot noodles. They searched from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, and back again, and finally found a restaurant, but she fell asleep in the car. In this dangerous place, where guns are everywhere and explosions occur constantly, could such a frail woman deliver strong reporting to a global Chinese-speaking audience? Completely unexpected, Luyu is a different person on the job site. The interview targets placed before her would make any experienced male journalist flustered, yet she calmly faces the indescribable West Bank, Peres, and Ramallah, bravely and indignantly argues with Iraqi customs, tearfully embraces women whose homes have been destroyed in the war, and attempts to get close to Saddam with money. All of these actions are spontaneous and without prior preparation, yet they are always loud and powerful, like lightning and wind, energizing the global Chinese-speaking audience. At this point, Luyu seems qualified to comment on everything before her, even calling Israel's retired prime minister a bud that has fallen to the ground and the new king of Jordan a bud still waiting to bloom. Interestingly, even after completing her official duties, she becomes a fragile and helpless girl again. One night, she came to my door wearing a bathrobe, saying the showerhead was stuck. Yaguo Xian heard this and fixed it in three seconds. Captain Guo Ying said, "I knew it, I knew it!" What did she know? It seemed to be that she knew Luyu always needed others to take care of her. Luyu couldn't meet Saddam, so she went to an antique shop filled with pictures of Saddam and bought clothes. Finally, she bought a vibrant Islamic robe to wear. I noticed a small hole in her robe, likely from a cigarette, which might hold a story—whether a happy or sad one, I think it was mostly the latter. Luyu didn't care and carried that story with her. Her foolish appearance made everyone forget the sharp words she had spoken just an hour earlier or later in front of the camera. Luyu has a great appetite, which I share. The food in Iraq was too rustic and simple, and none of the others were used to it, but Luyu and I especially loved the flatbread there. We would stuff ourselves with a pile of it every day, looking completely foolish. In fact, Guo Hui's appetite was also astonishing. Despite her slender and beautiful figure, she loved meat so much. In Greece, she always shared her meals with me. When three or four plates of meat were served, she would casually move the empty plates aside, hiding behind two heads so others wouldn't notice her gluttony. However, this only happened in Greece. When Luyu took over, the food situation worsened every day, leaving only a one-sided appetite.
[Editor's Recommendation] I know, it's time for dreams to come true.