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 flower 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, on the banks of the Nile River, in the Sinai Desert, and on the Golan Heights, doesn't resemble a flower bud at all. She not only climbs mountains and hills every day without fear of hardship but also speaks eloquently in front of the camera at every location without any prepared script. She discusses the history and politics of millennia, yet she speaks with precision and without hesitation. However, standing in front of the pyramids, she feels intimidated. Such a magnificent history, forever closed off, and such a small flower bud—perhaps it's 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 and delicate, far from being the "flower bud" someone described her as. Everyone felt sorry for her and wanted to find a Chinese restaurant to let her drink some hot noodle soup. They searched from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv and back again, finally finding 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 even the most experienced male journalist flustered, yet she faces the unimaginable West Bank, Peres, and Ramallah with ease. She argues bravely and indignantly with Iraqi customs, embraces women whose homes have been destroyed in the war with tears in her eyes, and tries to get close to Saddam with money. All these actions are spontaneous and without prior preparation, yet they are always loud and powerful, like thunder and wind, energizing the global Chinese-speaking audience. At this point, Luyu seems qualified to judge everything in front of her, even calling Israel's retired prime minister a flower bud that has fallen to the ground and the new king of Jordan a flower bud still in bloom. Interestingly, even after her official duties are over, she becomes a fragile and helpless little girl. One night, she came to knock on my door wearing a bathrobe, saying the showerhead was stuck. Jia Guo Xian heard it and fixed it in no time. The team leader Guo Ying said, "I knew it, I knew it!" Knew what? It seemed to be saying that she knew Luyu always needed people 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 one or a 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 is too rustic and simple, and the others didn't like 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 is also amazing. Despite her slender and beautiful figure, she loves meat so much. In Greece, she always shared her meals with me. Three or four plates of meat would be served first, and 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 longing appetite.