A Love Letter from Lhasa 23
Chapter 22 – Tang Mengying and Annie Face Off
01
Huaimin returned home, sitting on the living room sofa, face solemn.
Aiyu brought him a cup of lemon aiyu jelly: “Calm down, big brother.”
“Where’s Annie?” Huaimin asked.
Aiyu gestured: “She’s taking a shower.”
Luo Sang and Meilan came out of the bedroom.
“How did the Tang family respond?” Luo Sang asked.
Huaimin looked dejected: “Father was angry. Mengying wouldn’t accept my apology.”
“Expected. Tang Yunfei is always brash and wealthy,” Luo Sang said.
“Don’t say that. At least he never raised his voice at you,” Meilan advised.
“I didn’t accuse him. I’ve seen him yell at subordinates,” Luo Sang replied.
“Will the Tang family come tomorrow?” Meilan worried.
Huaimin nodded, looking puzzled.
“Annie wants to meet them. What do you think?” Meilan asked.
Huaimin thought: “Let’s follow Annie’s wishes.”
02
In the bedroom, Huaimin paced anxiously.
Annie beckoned: “Sit with me, Huaimin.”
Huaimin sat on the bed; Annie wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“No difficulty is insurmountable!” Annie said. “Sincerely apologize to Mengying, she will accept it.”
“I was scolded like a pig today by her dad,” Huaimin said. “Mengying even tried to use money to dismiss you!”
Annie calmly said: “I understand the mindset of wealthy people, but I won’t accept it.”
“I went to apologize sincerely, but…” Huaimin murmured.
“...But they not only refused to accept, they cursed you,” Annie finished.
Huaimin nodded: “Yes.”
“Let them scold. They need to vent!”
Huaimin felt touched: “Annie, you’re so kind!”
“I just see things from their perspective,” Annie smiled. “Unless you change your mind, no one can take you from me.”
Huaimin turned to hug her: “You’re my true love. I won’t let you go!”
Annie made a face: “Don’t treat me like a little girl!”
Huaimin laughed: “I dare not, big sister.”
03
Tang Yunfei, Zhao Yayun, and Mengying arrived at the Tang residence. The Tang family and Huaimin came out to greet them.
Meilan and Luo Sang were prepared. They expected anger, yet the Tang couple smiled politely.
Meilan invited warmly: “Yayun, Yunfei, come in, sit.”
Mengying looked at Huaimin, sorrow in her eyes. She knew the key to success lay not in Huaimin but in the woman who took him away, Annie.
The families sat on opposite sides; Aiyu brought drinks.
Zhao Yayun broke the silence: “Meilan, Luo Sang, our families have been close. Mengying and Huaimin’s engagement was agreed on long ago. Mengying may have been spoiled, so Huaimin turned away. I’m ashamed. As a mother, I failed in education…”
Yayun’s submissive posture surprised Meilan. She glanced at Luo Sang, who was equally puzzled.
Meilan quickly said: “Yayun, don’t say that. Mengying is gentle and elegant. She’s always been dear to me. Huaimin just doesn’t have the fortune.”
Tang Yunfei calmly said: “Everyone is young and foolish. Let’s assume Huaimin made a mistake. Mengying will forgive. We are willing to talk to Annie and ask her to let Huaimin go, even at a high cost.”
At this moment, Annie, who had been listening, stepped out: “Elders, I’m Annie. I did not intend to eavesdrop, but morally I must face you and Mengying.”
The Tang family and Mengying were struck not only by her mature charm but also by her composure and rationality.
“You’re Annie?” Zhao Yayun thought. “Her demeanor is just like mine at her age!”
Annie continued: “I sincerely apologize to Mengying. I interfered with her and Huaimin’s childhood love. Even though I didn’t know in advance, it hurt Mengying. I can only apologize sincerely.”
Huaimin stood: “I should apologize! Annie did nothing wrong. Mengying did nothing wrong. I made choices that led to this. I apologize deeply to you and Mengying!” He bowed three times deeply.
Mengying said: “Huaimin, I want to speak with Annie privately. Do you agree?”
Huaimin looked at Annie; she smiled: “I want to talk too. Shall we go outside?”
Mengying nodded: “Yes, please, Annie.”
Zhao Yayun watched Annie leave, her mood darkening. “Annie is so clever. Mengying is no match for her.”
4
The two women walked out of the Tang residence, one after the other, strolling side by side along the narrow asphalt road that wound through the village.
“Annie, before middle school, our family still lived here. Although the infrastructure was underdeveloped, you could hear the chickens and dogs, and people lived in a rhythm of sunrise to sunset. It felt like a tranquil, secluded paradise, untouched by the world.”
Annie nodded in agreement. “Indeed, life here is very close to nature and remarkably peaceful. The villagers seem content and accepting of their fate. They live at a relaxed pace, fully enjoying the pleasures of a simple life.”
“Annie, you know? Back then, I used to walk to school every day with Huaimin and Aiyu, picking tea and coffee beans together, collecting aiyu fruit and wild vegetables in the forest, and catching fish and shrimp in the streams. I always thought that this was happiness and joy.”
Annie recounted, “Hmm! Compared to your childhood, Mengying, mine was rather dull. I was like a canary in a cage. Besides a piano and a room full of books, reading, playing the piano, and attending church were my entire life. I had no peers to grow up with. My classmates believed my grandmother was a witch who practiced magic; they dared not approach me or visit our home. Summer camps, winter camps, and various trips—they all advised me not to join. In their minds, my grandmother and I were mysterious, ill-intentioned witches. Being near me seemed to bring them misfortune and disaster.”
Mengying listened, astonished, and asked, “So you didn’t have friends your own age at all?”
“I was always alone. This continued until high school, when I had two classmates, but they didn’t live in the same community. Although the three of us got along, we weren’t particularly close. Most of the time, we were busy with club activities, dating, or applying for college.”
“You never took any ‘love credits’?” Mengying asked skeptically. “With your looks, it’s impossible that boys wouldn’t be attracted to you.”
Annie smiled. “A few boys did send me flowers and letters, but at the time, I had no desire to date or marry, nor did I want dating or cohabitation to be just a pastime. You might have heard that in open, predominantly white societies, dating and cohabitation have always been the mainstream ideology governing relationships between men and women. If I didn’t want to marry, only wanted to date and cohabit, I would have been the ideal target for boys—they wouldn’t feel pressured or morally responsible for me.”
Mengying said, “Hearing this, I believe you’re a girl who values her integrity.”
Annie smiled bitterly. “Perhaps you should say I’m an eccentric who does things my own way!”
“But why did you let Tang Huaimin get close to you?” Mengying asked directly. “You said you always had no intention of marrying.”
“The whole process was really quite miraculous,” Annie said. “On Lhasa’s Bajiangjing Street, I was admiring paintings of Vajrayana Buddhist statues at a street stall. Two paintings caught my eye, and I noticed that the portrait of Princess Wencheng resembled me. When Huaimin approached, I was surprised to see that the portrait of Songtsen Gampo resembled him exactly. These coincidences sparked my curiosity. I wanted to buy the two paintings, but the owner said they weren’t for sale. Huaimin negotiated with him and then gave me the paintings. Huaimin accompanied me on the walk, saying the two Buddhist paintings were his own copies, and emphasized that my features resembled Princess Wencheng…” The two women walked out of the village.
“Let’s go to the Tang family coffee plantation,” Mengying said. “That coffee plantation was originally run by my father.”
“I was just thinking of going there!” Annie smiled. “Later, at Xiao Zhao Temple, we met an old lama who suddenly approached, joined his hands in a gesture of respect, and pointed at Huaimin, saying he was the reincarnation of Songtsen Gampo, and I was Princess Wencheng reincarnated…”
Mengying interjected, “Annie, I remember. Huaimin told me that at the Shuishe Pier in Sun Moon Lake, an old lama told him he was the reincarnation of Songtsen Gampo. Then Huaimin suddenly changed his mind and told me he didn’t want to go to Paris to study art, but wanted to go to Tibet. I guess these two lamas must have been the same person.”
“I’m not entirely sure about that part,” Annie continued. “Later, when my father and I went to visit local herders at Namtso Lake, I walked along the shore and ran into Huaimin again. He told me again that I was Princess Wencheng reincarnated, and he was Songtsen Gampo reincarnated. This life, we were destined to be together. Later, I met Danzen, the elder of the herder team, who, like the lama at Xiao Zhao Temple, knelt and worshiped me upon seeing me. I was stunned into silence.”
Mengying, somewhat skeptical, asked, “So you started believing in reincarnation and predestined love?”
“I don’t consider it superstition! At that time, I was still half in doubt. Until my father and I discovered that the family heirloom we had been searching for—a scroll of ancient poetry—was actually preserved by Huaimin’s father. My father believed it was divine providence, Buddha’s arrangement, and arranged for me to marry Huaimin and accompany him back to Taiwan to take care of the scroll.”
“Sigh… after hearing your story,” Mengying said sadly, “I really don’t know what to say.”
Annie apologized, “I never intended to come between you and Huaimin or hurt you.”
Mengying said angrily, “Huaimin is detestable. He shouldn’t have hidden from you that he was my fiancé while approaching you! He also concealed the fact that he registered marriage with you in the U.S.—he deceived both of us. He should be condemned for his actions!”
Annie softened her tone. “Part of what you say is true. Huaimin accompanied me back to California and set up a street stall painting portraits. Our plan was originally for him to help me complete my Ph.D., then return to Tibet for research, and only after that marry. But the plan changed. Following my advisor’s suggestion, after earning my Ph.D., I stayed at my alma mater to teach. I wanted Huaimin to study nearby for his graduate work to enhance his professional skills. To facilitate this, I persuaded him to register our marriage for long-term residence. That night, he told me about you—his childhood sweetheart—and said that although you had always been good to him, he could not envision a future with you because of your strong career ambitions. He didn’t want to be a businessman; he wanted a simple life.”
“Huaimin told me the same thing when he was at the portrait stall near Sun Moon Lake,” Mengying said sadly. “But he shouldn’t have used that as an excuse to abandon me. If he had been honest, I wouldn’t have forced him to run the hotel with me. I would have respected his choice because I truly loved him!”
“Part of that, Huaimin told me. I insisted he face you and clarify things. He promised, saying you were studying in Paris and would explain when he met you. A few months later, I got pregnant. I accidentally saw an email you sent him in his laptop inbox, revealing you were looking for him and signed as his fiancée. Realizing the gravity, I pressured him to face you in Taiwan before your birthday. That’s how everything unfolded.”
The two walked into the Tang family coffee plantation. Mengying asked, “Annie, if our identities were reversed and you were Tang Mengying, what would you do?”
Annie thought for a moment. “I’d respect Huaimin’s choice. If he insisted on leaving, I would ask for a sincere apology.”
Mengying asked in a desolate tone, “Does twenty-plus years of our relationship only deserve an apology?”
Annie said firmly, “Huaimin should sincerely apologize and feel guilty.”
Mengying suddenly shouted, “I don’t want his apology! I don’t want an apology!” Tears streamed down her face as she cried, “I want him back. Every day when I wake, I want to see him, touch him as before. I want to prepare his breakfast, send him off, bring lunch to the lake, watch him eat, talk to him…”
“Mengying…” Annie put her arm around her. “You know… that’s all in the past.”
“It can come back!” Mengying pushed Annie away fiercely. “If you’d just let go! Huaimin would come back to me!”
Annie was stunned by Mengying’s reaction. “Alright! If you can convince Huaimin to tell me to leave him, I will go immediately.”
Mengying wiped her tears with a handkerchief. “You know I can’t convince him! His heart is with you.”
“That’s exactly it!” Annie said. “Why not step back and think—if you can’t be his wife, you can still be a good friend.”
“I can’t! I cannot accept my fiancé becoming your husband while I am just a friend!” Mengying pleaded. “Annie, please let Huaimin go! You can live well on your own, can’t you?”
Annie firmly said, “Impossible. I cannot break my marriage promise to Huaimin.”
“I can give you money to support you and your child. If you don’t want the child to be a burden, I will adopt him as my own!” Mengying finally laid her last card, though she suspected Annie would refuse.
“Dreamying, I am not a woman driven by money. I will not sell my partner for money. If you were in my place, you wouldn’t compromise for money either.”
Mengying fell silent, feeling drained, powerless to reclaim her love. The two walked quietly through the abundant coffee plantation, their fates sealed.
5
After seeing the Tang family’s car leave, the four Tang family members finally breathed a sigh of relief. Annie slowly walked back.
Aiyu approached, asking, “Sister-in-law, how did you persuade Mengying?”
Annie smiled mysteriously. “Just an apology. No concessions.”
Aiyu barely understood, but the Tang family got it. Tang Meilan said, “We owe the Tang family; it’s right to express our apology.”
Losang said, “Yayun and Yunfei’s reactions today were unusual.”
Tang Meilan smiled. “At first, I thought so too, but on second thought, it must have been Yayun’s idea. She still has feelings and doesn’t want a rift with us.”
Losang was relieved. “Indeed! Leave a bit of face—good for future encounters. We’ve been friends for decades.”
Annie held Huaimin’s hand, whispering, “I hope Mengying really lets go; otherwise, we won’t have peace.”
Huaimin understood, “I know. We must remain cautious.”
Losang laughed, “You two whispering again?”
Annie smiled. “I reminded him to find a place for the apple and cherry saplings we brought back.”
“That’s true!” Huaimin scratched his head. “Dad, can I have half your garden?”
“I knew it! You brought the saplings just to claim my garden.”
Tang Meilan scolded him, “Your garden? I usually do the work! Huaimin, if you want to plant fruit trees, go ahead. Half is enough for me.”
