〈A Love Letter from Lhasa〉10

by Chen Ching-Yang

Chapter 19: Annie’s Doctoral Dissertation

01
Annie entered Professor Li Jianhua’s research office. Li picked up a bound draft and said:

“Annie, I’ve read your new dissertation topic and outline in detail. Structurally, there are no obvious flaws. However, I’m not an expert in rhetoric, so I can’t advise on that. You may consider switching supervisors; Professor Liang Wenqing in the literature department specializes in rhetoric and is a good choice.”

“But Uncle, I don’t know Professor Liang,” Annie replied.

“I can call him for you. I’m on good terms with Liang and often travel with him.”

“Uncle, I worry that changing the topic crosses boundaries…” Annie expressed her concern.

Li analyzed: “It’s true that this topic leans more toward literature. But interdisciplinary research is common; art and literature aren’t strictly separated. Don’t worry about thesis review for faculty recruitment. Your cross-disciplinary research may even impress the committee, showing your literary skills.”

“So should I audit Professor Liang’s classes first? I’ve self-studied rhetoric and grammar before.”

“That’s good. Rhetoric is one of your main methodologies; mastering it will strengthen your argument. It also leaves a good impression on Professor Liang. He studied Chinese at Peking University, is rigorous, and demands a lot. But having him supervise your dissertation will be a plus for your academic career. Once I schedule a meeting, you can take your outline to him.”

Annie bowed: “Thank you, Uncle, for arranging everything.”

Li smiled: “No need to be formal! By the way, did you and Huaimin have a spat last night?”

Annie apologized: “Sorry to worry you, Uncle.”

“At the time, he was like a headless fly, very anxious! I could tell he cares about you.”

“Last night I talked with Huaimin; he agreed to go back to Taiwan with me at the end of the month to face that girl together.”

Li was relieved: “Good. A married couple should support each other and face problems together. I’ll arrange a meeting with Professor Liang; wait for my call at home.”

02
In the evening at the Cangyang residence, the couple had dinner together.

“Annie, I want to close my portrait stall and focus on language studies at home on weekends.”
“I understand; with your Disney work, it’s hard to manage.”
“What did Professor Li say about your dissertation outline?”
“He said it’s cross-disciplinary and suggested Professor Liang from the literature department as my advisor.”
“The new topic leans more toward textual research.”
“That’s fine; I’ve studied rhetoric and grammar before. Remember the poem I sent you from Lhasa?”
Huaimin smiled: “That poem was very good; I could sense your concerns.”
“Actually, since middle school, I’ve been writing Chinese and English poems and essays, submitting them to newspapers.”
Huaimin was amazed: “Oh? My wife is a writer!”
“Not really, just casual writing as a pastime. After dinner, I’ll show you my clippings.”
“Tomorrow on the way back, I’ll buy some strawberry seedlings.”
“Bring two bags of rice bran and chicken fertilizer too; the strawberries and cherry and apple trees in the backyard need soil and fertilizer—they’re about to bloom.”
“I also want to buy more cherry and apple saplings to try in Alishan. The climate there is high, cool, and humid; they should grow.”
“Sure! You can’t escape your farmer nature. Here, have a bowl of aiyu jelly chicken soup.”
Annie scooped a bowl and handed it to Huaimin.

In the living room, Huaimin leaned back in his chair, flipping through Annie’s clippings while Annie hung clothes on the balcony.

“Huaimin, when we return to Taiwan, speak clearly with Miss Tang. Ask her to let you go. After all, I’m just an interloper, even if I didn’t know beforehand.”
“Alright, I’m prepared,” Huaimin said. “You mentioned changing supervisors. You can bring this clipping book to show Professor Liang so he knows you’re not a literature novice; he’ll respect you more.”
“Wouldn’t that be showing off in front of the master?”
Huaimin shook his finger: “Not necessarily! I think your writing is excellent.”

03
Walking through the literature department corridor, Annie arrived at Professor Liang’s office.

“Professor, I’m Annie.”
Liang stood: “Come in.”
Annie entered; Liang said: “Sit and relax.”

Annie sat on the sofa. Liang asked: “Tea or coffee?”
“Tea, thank you.”

Liang poured two cups: “Please have some.”
“Thanks, Professor.” Annie lifted the cup.

“Senior Jianhua has always helped me since I came to Berkeley. He asked me to assist him. He said you’re the granddaughter of his mentor and the daughter of a close friend, and an outstanding student at the Art Research Institute.” Liang sipped tea: “I treat all students the same, holding the same standards.”

“Yes! Professor Li has always been strict,” Annie said, presenting her dissertation outline and clipping portfolio.

“Let me see.” Liang removed his glasses and quickly scanned the outline: “Concepts are clear; you’ve studied rhetoric and grammar.”

“I self-studied for interest.”

Liang reviewed the clippings, page by page, eyes bright, smiling: “So the writer Annie Ya is you. I’ve read most of your published works. When I was a newspaper editor, I even reviewed one of your poems.”

Annie humbly: “Professor, you overpraise me!”

Liang, serious: “You have talent, genuinely. Few literature students can research and create at such a level. With your work quality, you’ll have a place in literary history.”

Blushing, Annie sipped her tea: “Professor, may I audit your rhetoric class?”
“Of course! Teaching talented students is a joy!”

Annie placed three boxes of local gifts on the desk: “From home, as a token of respect.”
Liang smiled: “Thank you. I’ll read your outline and call you.”
“I’ll return to Taiwan with my husband soon, possibly for half a month.”
“Alright! Then we’ll schedule a meeting at year-end to discuss your dissertation outline.”

04
In the yard, the couple busied themselves separately. Annie took a small shovel to fertilize and cover the soil of the strawberry field, while Huaimin took a large spade and hoe to loosen the soil under the apple and cherry trees, poured in rice bran and fertilizer, mixed it well, and then covered it with a thin layer of soil.

When Annie finished her task, she stood up, went to the door, and carried a pot of chilled lemon aiyu (jelly fig) drink to Huaimin. “Take a break!” she said, pouring a cup of the drink for him. Huaimin finished it in three quick sips.

“These old trees—aren’t they over fifty years old?” he asked.
“Yes, the previous owner planted them. When my grandmother bought this property, they were already flowering and bearing fruit every year,” Annie replied.
“Americans really know how to enjoy life—they plant fruit trees in their yards.”
“Actually, it’s pretty much the same anywhere. Suburban residents value quality of life and keep yards. In the city, land is so expensive, it’s all used for commercial buildings and apartments,” Annie explained.

Huaimin complained, “Our yard is so small, it only fits two cars. During coffee and tea harvests, the cars have to be parked outside, and the small yard isn’t enough for drying the beans and leaves.”
Annie suggested, “Then buy another plot of land and design the space yourself!”
“That’s the only solution, but convincing my parents to leave the tribe might take a lot of talking,” Huaimin replied.
Annie smiled: “They like being around family and friends—it’s natural.”

Chapter 20: Huaimin’s Further Studies and Internship

01
At the English Language Center teaching building, students from all over the world gathered. Classes were arranged according to native language. Huaimin’s classroom was “Chinese 1A.” Each class had two instructors, one of whom was a native speaker.

The students in this class came from China, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, including some mixed-race students. Huaimin’s appearance also made classmates think he was mixed-race.

Another student from southern Taiwan, Chen Zhilong, spoke with him in the southern Taiwan accent of Mandarin.
“Hey, bro, I’ve been to your tribe’s war festival! It was in Tefuye.”
“I’ve performed at your Kenting White Sand Bay music festival!”
“Really?” Zhilong asked.
“Of course! Our Zou tribe youth are always good at singing and dancing.”
“What school and department are you in?”
“National Taiwan Normal University, Fine Arts Department.”
“I’m at Tsinghua University, Information Management. I plan to work in Silicon Valley.”

The two young men quickly became familiar with each other.

02
Huaimin’s SUV drove into Burbank and arrived at Disney headquarters. He showed his employee ID, and under the guard’s guidance, parked in the animation department’s staff parking area.

Dressed sharply in a suit and carrying a briefcase, Huaimin walked to the office building. Following staff into the elevator, he arrived on the fifth floor and entered the animation department. Director Johnson waved at him: “Huaimin, come here.”

Walking over, Huaimin was introduced to his team. Johnson led him to a cubicle: “This is the Character Illustration Department.”

A young Chinese woman with a ponytail and delicate features approached and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Su Limin.”
Johnson said, “Su is the head of this department. She will arrange your examiners and training courses. Su, take care of Huaimin! He was personally recruited by Mr. Hall and is very fast and accurate with character illustrations.”

Curious, Su immediately took an interest in Huaimin.
“No problem! I’ll take care of him,” Su said. “Huaimin, follow me.”

She led him to the “Character Design Area” and pointed to an empty seat. “Sit here, open your computer, fill out your employee profile, and hit send. Then someone will come guide you through the rest of your internship.”
“Thank you, Director Su,” Huaimin said.

Su asked, “You don’t look very Chinese.”
“I’m mixed Tibetan and Taiwanese indigenous.”
“Oh? Which tribe?”
“Zou tribe from Alishan.”

Su thought: What a coincidence—Zou tribe from Alishan, and his surname is Tang… Could he be the childhood fiancé mentioned in Mengying’s email?
She decided to stay calm, reviewed Huaimin’s profile, and then planned to verify through Mengying’s email. Switching to Taiwanese-accented Mandarin, she said: “I’m from Tainan, immigrated to Silicon Valley early. I went to elementary school there for three years. Can you speak Taiwanese?”
Huaimin scratched his head, smiling sheepishly: “A little, not very fluent.”
“Okay! We’ll just speak Taiwanese Mandarin from now on,” Su said with a smile.

03
Huaimin’s SUV returned home. Annie heard the car, came out from the study, and took his briefcase.
“Dinner’s cold. You rest first, I’ll reheat it.” She put the briefcase on the coffee table and took two dishes into the kitchen.

“In the future, if I come home late, you just eat without waiting for me,” Huaimin said, loosening his tie, taking off his suit and shoes, and sitting on the sofa by the coffee table with a glass of aiyu lemon drink.
“Of course, I’ll wait for you to eat together!” Annie said, putting the steamed fish in the microwave and heating the braised beef on the stove.
“Today at work, I learned a lot. But it really is exhausting there,” Huaimin remarked.
“You’ll get used to it quickly. What matters is learning,” Annie replied, bringing a pot of soup into the living room.

Huaimin mused: “America dominates in entertainment because of creative and efficient companies.”
“That’s American business! Everyone relies on their own skills, no favoritism,” Annie said, rinsing spinach in the sink.

Watching the news, Huaimin muttered: “Why are there shootings every day? Guns are too widespread!” He switched to the Disney channel to watch Kung Fu Panda 2.
About ten minutes later, Annie called, “Dinner’s ready!” Huaimin turned off the TV and went to the dining table.

04
The next morning at the office, Su Limin opened Huaimin’s employee profile and noticed his wife, Cangyang Annie, and the marriage registration date.
She murmured: “Just married? Cangyang Annie? Cangyang… that must be Tibetan. There’s a Cangyang Gyatso in Tibet.”

Using a search engine, she confirmed several records: “Yes, Cangyang is a Tibetan name. Huaimin’s wife must be Tibetan.”

Su immediately drafted an email, attaching Huaimin’s profile with the modified filename, and secretly sent it to Tang Mengying.

Soon, Su received a reply:
Limin Sister:
I was heartbroken receiving your email!
That man is indeed my childhood fiancé. Last year, he went to Tibet, met a new girlfriend, and after more than six months of dating, secretly registered marriage without telling me. In his previous letter, he didn’t even reveal his whereabouts. I wrote to him asking him to return to Taiwan before my birthday, and I’m still waiting for his reply.

Thank you for letting me know. Though my mood is frozen, I’m not giving up. Please keep an eye on him at work.

—Mengying, by the Seine, Paris

Su muttered angrily to herself: “You dare play with my sister’s feelings? I’ll deal with you!” Then she calmed down, thinking: By becoming his examiner, I can control him.

Su reported to Director Smith and then approached Huaimin:
“Huaimin, I’ve reviewed your profile. You were personally recruited by Mr. Hall. I volunteer to be your examiner during your internship and will arrange your training courses.”

Huaimin, astonished, stood and bowed deeply: “Thank you, Director Su. I will work hard and learn from you.”

Su, smoothing her waterfall-like hair, said softly: “I naturally take care of my people first!”

Huaimin hesitated: “Director, in a few days I need to accompany my wife to Taiwan. Could I…”

Su immediately frowned: “You just started, and already want leave? This may leave a bad impression!”

Embarrassed, Huaimin explained: “It’s a fixed schedule, important family matters. I must go… Please understand.”

Su smiled generously, secretly amused: “Alright! Leave for Taiwan is approved.” She thought: He’s going to see Mengying; I’ll email her in advance.