A Prompt

A Sparkle of Hope (8)

Shancai sniffed in the arms of Eliane whereas the latter patted slightly on the back of the desperate one. "If you want to talk, you know you can call on me at any time. Sometimes things will get easier, then." Eliane reassured and comforted her that way.

"He was my first love," Shancai started in a choked voice, "He is descendent from a wealthy family and compared to him I'm an absolute nobody. That's the reason why his mother detested me, she didn't like me at all, it seems that she even hated me, she refused to give me a chance and, in the end, we were separated by her by all means." 

Shancai told her in short words about that damn marriage he was forced in and about the circumstances why she left Shanghai. "Therefore, it was impossible for me to stay at my hometown, that's why I left."

Eliane pressed her to her chest even stronger: "My poor baby." She was about to sniff together with Shancai. Eliane's shirt began to wet by the tears of the tiny person in her embrace, the sobbing younger one literally sneaked into the soft body of the older woman.

Shancai breathed heavily in and out, her body was slightly shivering, actually she wanted to finish her story with it but couldn't. Her mouth automatically opened again and the words poured out with relief to lighten the weight which laid on her.

"This Tian Ye was a chef I became friend with while I was working for him. After a while he made approaches to me which I honestly didn't notice maybe because I felt nothing for him. One day Ah-Si revealed to me that Tian Ye wasn't poor which was his attempt on making me think he was the same like me - a nobody. At that time, I didn't want to admit that I began to have a crush on Ah-Si. Stupid me! In the end it happened what I ever feared it would happen. I lost him when I was clear about my own feelings, when I had reached the same level as him." She paused again, her voice has become stronger and more expressive in the meantime. Her sobbing has nearly almost stopped.

"I see, you still love him so deeply that you didn't want to get misunderstood by pictures like this one." Eliane made a move with her head towards the yellow press magazine. "Even if you think there is no more chance left for you both."

"I'm so slow, you know, I'm like a sloth when it comes to my own needs. Ah-Si has always supported me, he saved me so many times and took care of me, but I took so long till I understood. Initially he was one of the biggest arrogant and conceited morons. He always behaved like a spoilt brat which he truly was. Truth to be said he was such an idiot! You really cannot imagine. Now, I think I haven't taken him for serious at the beginning, but despite of it he never gave up on me." After another short pause Shancai started to chuckle. "So many misunderstandings, tststs. He really made me suffer after our first encounter, but I stroke him down with my perfect flying kick!"

"You did what? With a flying kick? Ahahah, probably this kick on his head helped him to clarify his mind, don't you think?" Eliane chuckled too and Shancai told her how and why they met each other at first.

It was almost noon when Shancai had finished. Her stomach gave some sound and Eliane let her out of her embrace and searched for a croissant to pass it to her guest.

"Here you have to eat something. Shancai, this is such an amazing and breathtaking love story! I have never heard something similar. Or better I've never met somebody with such a background. You definitely should write this down!"

Shancai shook her head now, "How could I? I'm the biggest idiot in the world," and with a more muffled tone also due to the croissant in her mouth she was chewing, she added: "Besides him. He is the biggest idiot in the whole wide Universe." She showed a shy smile on her face and Eliane was happy to see her in a better state again, still thinking about the meaning of the biggest idiot which gave her – Eliane - a signal not exactly knowing for what. The smile of that Chinese girl was so adorable, it could brighten one's day, she thought by herself. He must really be an idiot.

"It's rather late for breakfast, I'll go and make coffee and tea, just let's have a brunch now," Eliane went to the kitchen to prepare the beverages.

Shancai followed her slowly, "I'm sorry, Due to my dull stories I delayed our working schedule of today."

Eliane was meanwhile on her laptop which she has placed on the counter close to the water boiler and was scrolling through Shancai's blog. The tea was already steaming in a pot. She put her off concentrated on reading with a murmured. "shu shu."

"Ahaha," Eliane laughed after a while. "Okay, I think I've got it now. You had already put some hidden hints on your blog at the beginning concerning the cooking competition and our book is mainly about these recipes isn't it? How about inserting some of your hints as side stories. So, it does not only refer to the ' Book of Songs' but also to 'Recipes of Love'. What do you think?"

Shancai guffawed and kept quiet.

"How about to dedicate it to the one you love?" Shancai snapped air: "Dedicated to the Universe's biggest fool?" She started laughing.

"Well, that's probably not the most sophisticated way. I thought more of 'To my beloved family and the one who encouraged me most', for example, or something like that. You surely won't name him directly. We will find something suitable."

Shancai stood there in thoughts and Eliane tapped on her forehead. "What's going on inside of your head? Let me know!"

"There is a pretty new follower on my blog for some months already. He encouraged me as well to create this book."

"I remember we talked about it because we have already made this decision at almost the same time. It's the one with this strange user name BAGWAN0815 or so. First you took him for a stalker that's why you didn't answer. He uses this phrase of being the biggest idiot but he refers to the Moon Cake which he didn't succeed in creating. That's why I come to the idea of the side stories. Do you think it could be ... him?"

"He mentioned things only an insider of the competition could have known. And it's not BAGWAN, it's BWAN1314." She triumphantly added turning her upper part of her body in semicircles and was now dreamily smiling.

Eliane pressed her lips, she had no answer to all this she wished she would have. She could see the sparkle of hope in Shancai's smile, she could feel the sorrow in it as well. Keeping her love insight alive was her straw but also her motivating force.