Under the Stars and Stripes, Chinese treasure

Author: Liao Wei Jia
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: In the United States, Olympia. On a crisp autumn day, the noon sky was a brilliant blue without a single white cloud, but by evening, it magically transformed into a kaleidoscope of colors—red, yellow, and creamy white layered upon each other, ever-changing, casting a backdrop against the long highway. There weren’t many vehicles on the highway, so a half-new, white sports car speeding along caught everyone’s attention. Suddenly, with a loud bang, the screeching of brakes pierced the colorful sky as the white car’s front end slammed to a halt right against the highway’s median. The teenage driver’s face was pale, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. When her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, she finally opened the door and stepped out.
“Damn it! Oh no, oh no!” The girl looked at the car in panic, muttering to herself, “What am I going to do?”—The car’s left rear tire had completely deflated; it must have burst! Fortunately, it was the rear tire, not the front one, she thought, or her life might have been in danger! Suddenly remembering something, she opened the trunk and rummaged through it clumsily, exclaiming in frustration, “What bad luck! I haven’t fixed that leaking tire for a month. Now what am I supposed to do?” Her expression shifted from anxiety to disappointment. After hesitating for a while, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
“Uncle,” she said.
“Jiaqi, how are you? Have you almost reached Uncle’s restaurant yet?”
“I’m not there yet, Uncle. I’m so unlucky.”
“What’s wrong? Did you forget to buy the seasoning Uncle asked for?”
“No, I bought the seasoning, but my tire burst on the highway on the way home.”
“What happened, Jiaqi? Were you injured?” The uncle’s voice on the other end clearly grew anxious.
“I’m fine, and the car’s fine, it’s just that it’s no longer drivable.”
“Wow! My little Jiaqi is quite skilled at driving!” Hearing that Jiaqi was safe, the uncle’s heart, which had been pounding in his throat, finally eased, and he started calling her by her nickname.
“Don’t tease me, Uncle. Please help me think of a solution.”
“Don’t hurry, Jiaqi. Right now is the busiest time at Uncle’s restaurant, so it seems Uncle can’t come in person. Listen, there’s a spare tire in the trunk, isn’t there? You”
Before the uncle could finish, Jiaqi couldn’t help but interrupt him:
“Uncle, it’s all my fault. Last month, I didn’t listen to what you said—I kept putting off fixing that leaking tire.”
“Huh?!”
“Uncle,” Jiaqi’s voice trembled slightly.
“Don’t worry, Jiaqi. Here’s what you do—wait, Uncle will call a towing company right away to take your car to the repair shop.”
“Thank you, Uncle!” A slight smile touched Jiaqi’s face, and she seemed less worried.
Four months ago, Jiaqi left her parents in Chongqing, China, and came to Olympia, Washington, in the United States, to live with her uncle, starting her life as a little international student. Washington State is located in the northwest corner of the U.S., bordering Canada to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west, while Olympia is the capital of Washington State. In Jiaqi’s eyes, Olympia is a picturesque city.