lcionline Chapter 22 The Story of Ashish
Chapter 22 The Story of Ashish
Atubo would tear up any letters that he didn't like or that required him to pay the postage upfront.
Sometimes, he would even share the contents of the letters with his neighbor, Granny Cai… In his heart, there was no trust between people at all.
Joshua?
A Black boy.
The mother, who worked odd jobs in Chinatown, took him to Uncle Atu and asked him to write a letter to the child's father.
Uncle A-Tu just doesn't like black people!
So he didn't send the letter, but left it in the cabinet, intending to destroy it.
The very next day, the Black mother brought Joshua to the door again, telling Uncle Atu that she wanted to rewrite the letter because her wording in the previous letter had been too harsh. She wanted the child's father to return because Joshua had grown up...
But Joshua felt that Atub was not trustworthy.
He was very vigilant!
Until Joshua's mother died in a car accident, Joshua became a homeless orphan that could be seen everywhere in the Canal Street subway station.
A lonely, indifferent, and love-hate relationship with Chinatown.
A Black child who doesn't know who his father is, yet is like a hedgehog, covered in sharp quills...
And so, we had a wonderful encounter at the Canal Street subway station!
……
Xu Shengjie wrote a beginning, which he was quite satisfied with.
After creating "Buffy", his command of English improved significantly.
This is a new story.
It is based on the Brazilian film "Central Station," which has been hailed by countless film critics as "the best film in the world."
Of course, Xu Shengjie has never been to Brazil.
Or perhaps the original owner had never been there, so he set the background at the entrance of the Canal Street subway station.
There lives an old man named Atu!
It's amazing how it overlaps with Dora from "Central Station".
Released in 1998, this film won the Golden Bear, Best Actress, and Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival; it received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress and Best Foreign Language Film in 1999; and it was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1999 for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress, but ultimately lost to Gwyneth Paltrow, an Oscar-winning actress, and Shakespeare in Love…
In the original timeline, this film was adapted from "Broken April" published in 1972 by Albanian writer Ismail Kadel. The original work revolves around an ancient and cruel Albanian tradition, telling a story about family honor, revenge, and escape... Basically, it has nothing to do with "Central Station".
It is for this reason that Xu Shengjie decided to drastically modify "Central Station".
Many movies are labeled "based on **** novels," but in reality, the content has almost no connection to the original novel.
If it weren't for Uncle A-Tu, Xu Shengjie probably wouldn't have made the connection to this movie.
But now that I've thought of it, I won't let it go.
As far as I can remember, Walter Salles, the director of Central Station, had not yet begun to drastically alter the film at this point.
He must have read the original novel in 96, which sparked his idea to adapt it.
Xu Shengjie read the director's interview and said that he used the core themes from "Broken April".
He hadn't read the novel, so he really couldn't understand how a revenge story could turn into "Central Station."
However, he wouldn't care.
This work elevates one's sophistication.
Its sales might not match those of "Buffett," maybe... but that could elevate its status to something unique...
After he finished writing the beginning, he went back to his bedroom to rest.
His life has been quite regular lately.
He also worked on several story outlines, such as "Canal Street Subway Station," and "Sniper in the Phone Booth," which was inspired by the day he curled up in the phone booth and cried.
These past few days, he has been working on "Canal Street" while also organizing the outline for "Sniper Phone Booth".
This year is especially important for him.
He wants to complete all his creative projects before September.
……
The next day, after getting up, Xu Shengjie continued to create "Canal Street".
Around noon, he felt a little hungry, so he stopped and went outside.
Just as I was about to enter the elevator, I heard a faint sobbing sound.
It sounded like it was coming from the fire escape; it was a man crying.
Curious, Xu Shengjie walked over, pushed open the fire escape door, and asked, "Who's there?"
He shouted and then walked into the fire escape.
A sweet, smoky smell wafted over, and Ashish stood up from the stairs, casually tossing a DM cigarette butt on the ground.
"Hey Indian, what are you doing?"
"Nothing."
"You fucking fly a DM? WTF, do you know this is a public place? How dare you fly a DM here?!"
"Keep your voice down!"
"I……"
"I just don't want the room to smell like DM."
"So you're smoking here?"
"I only took two puffs."
Ashish's eyes were a little red, but he acted as if it were perfectly reasonable, which made Xu Shengjie laugh in exasperation.
"Let me tell you, this apartment building has regulations that prohibit flying these contraband items here."
"I'm telling you, you damn Indian, you're dead meat! Mrs. Susanna hates these things the most. If she knew you were flying them in the fire escape, she'd kick you out."
"No, please, I'm just in a bad mood and want to calm down."
"That's no reason for you to fly this thing... Wait, were you crying just now?"
"I don't!"
Ashish maintained his last shred of defiance, vehemently denying the allegations.
Xu Shengjie laughed, "Why are you crying? Have you encountered some difficulties? Tell me about it, and make me happy."
"You Chinaman..."
"I'll call Mrs. Susanna."
"Jeffrey, I was wrong!"
Ashish knelt down readily and grabbed Xu Shengjie's arm. "I'll treat you to dinner."
Upon hearing this, Xu Shengjie couldn't help but laugh.
"I want to eat at Qilin Pavilion."
"That's too expensive. How about I treat you to Indian food?"
"You're repaying kindness with enmity; you want me dead."
"Indian food is good, I'm not kidding, it's delicious."
"Then, I want to eat Japanese food."
Ashish opened his mouth, but seeing Xu Shengjie's resolute expression, he finally lowered his head and gave in.
He drove his taxi and took Xu Shengjie to a Japanese restaurant in Dongcun.
It's not a high-end Japanese restaurant; it mainly serves ramen, gyoza, and sushi, and the average cost per person is about thirty US dollars.
Xu Shengjie didn't seem to care.
As long as there's food, that's fine, especially when someone else is treating.
The two sat down in the restaurant, ordered food, and then ordered two bottles of beer.
"Hey Indian, why are you crying? Tell me about it."
I'm heartbroken!
"Huh? Didn't you just lose it two weeks ago?"
I broke up with my boyfriend again yesterday.
"Wow, you're quite popular, aren't you? You've been dumped twice in just two weeks?"
"You don't understand... In our Indian customs, there's no such thing as courtship; people usually get married first."
"so……"
"So, that woman rejected me. But I really like her; she's rich and beautiful."
Xu Shengjie became interested.
"With such great qualities, why would she be interested in you?"
"Why not? The key is that I've fallen for her... I proposed to her, but she refused."
"So, you weren't dating, and it was you who proposed and was rejected?"
"As I just said, in my hometown, we get married first. If I think she's suitable, I'll tell my dad, and if my dad thinks she's suitable, I can propose, and then my dad, my mom, and my relatives can come over."
Xu Shengjie was stunned!
"Wait, wait, where are your parents and relatives?"
"My hometown in India."
"So, if you propose and she says yes, you'll bring your parents and relatives to live in New York, is that what you mean?"
"Yes!"
"But do you have money? Do you own a house? Do you think Mrs. Susanna would accept your whole family living in your rented house? How big is your house? And how many relatives do you have? If there are too many people, there won't be enough room for them all."
"But her house is big!"
It's enough for our family of twenty-seven to live in.
Xu Shengjie couldn't help but take a big gulp of his drink. "So, you're broke, living in a rented apartment, and you're going to propose to a rich, beautiful American woman with a big house. If she agrees, your parents and relatives will come to America, move into her house, and then she'll have to pay for your lives... Is that what you mean?"
"Almost there!"
"What American woman would be crazy enough to agree to your marriage proposal?"
What gives you the right?
Xu Shengjie was a little confused by Ashish's thought process!
What was he thinking? Did he really believe the woman would agree to his proposal?
"Because I am sincere!"
Ashish replied very seriously, "I think a man must be honest. I told her my thoughts without hiding anything. She should be able to understand me and accept my proposal. We will definitely be very happy."
No, on what grounds?
"My older cousin found his true love in this way, and now his family of 34 people are living happily ever after."
"I……"
Xu Shengjie suddenly didn't know what to say!
Are American women really that easy to fool?
sincere?
Oh, no wonder that Indian man could become the mayor of New York City in the future.
That's truly shameless... and incredibly confident!
The most crucial point is that there are actually people who fall for this?
Xu Shengjie was a little jealous. If a woman with a net worth of tens of millions and who looked like Charlize Theron was willing to accept such a request, he would also like to be more sincere. Besides, he had no relatives, and it was enough for him to support himself!
However, considering the legendary lizard and exhaust pipe, Xu Shengjie felt that this should be a minority.
With a population of over 300 million and free public opinion in the United States, there might actually be some mentally unstable individuals who would be willing to believe in such sincerity.
At that moment, ramen and fried dumplings were served.
He quickly picked up a fried dumpling and then downed the beer in one gulp.
No, I need to calm down!
That's absolutely ridiculous.
……