Taking A Stroll Down Memory Lane

Xiwang drove the black SUV to the edge of the district where there was a small wooded area. The area formed a kind of buffer zone with the neighboring districts and was not marked for development. Thus, the greenery of the area had been well-preserved.

The area was peaceful and beautiful, with many hills and flowering plants. Xiwang made his way to a solitary hill in one corner of the area. This was the hill where his mother was buried.

When Xiwang had bought his old apartment he also bought this entire hill as well. Measuring from the base, it covered an area of approximately ten square kilometers. Unlike the other hills in its vicinity, this hill was full of cherry trees and had high walls running all around its base, thus blocking it off from intruders.

Xiwang had spent lavishly to buy this piece of land. It was not that hard to get the approval for buying this place after greasing the palms of some of the concerned authorities. Along with the money that he spent on the apartment building Xiwang spent a total of three billion Yuan on the purchase and subsequent constructions. Three billion Yuan was actually very cheap to Xiwang considering his income.

There was an old cherry tree at the top of the hill and his mother used to take him there for picnics when he was a child. He remembered that his mother used to love looking at the cherry blossoms. So, after he bought this place he planted cherry trees throughout the hill and named it the 'Florence-Cherry Blossom Hill'. It was a spectacular sight to witness the cherry blossoms in full bloom during spring.

In fact, that (spring) was the only time of the year when outsiders were allowed access to the hill so that they could enjoy the sight. Every year, during spring, hundreds of couples and families would flock to the Florence-Cherry Blossom Hill to enjoy the beautiful scenery. They would have a great time enjoying the beautiful scenery.

But, no one was allowed access to the top of the hill where a magnificent mausoleum stood, lonely and majestic. It was the place which housed the grave of Florence Boutroux. Xiwang had had it built later and he spared no expenses on it. It was made of super rare and extremely precious materials and was decorated with gold, diamonds and many other precious stones. Its splendor far surpassed the famous Taj Mahal. Xiwang made sure of that. He had wasted many billions of dollars to ensure that it was the most breathtaking and magnificent building in the world.

At the base of the hill Xiwang built a large villa to be used by the caretaker of this place and his family. The caretaker was to oversee the occasional cleaning and maintenance of the mausoleum and was paid a handsome salary. It was also his job to make sure that the yearly tourists did not damage the hill or soil the place with rubbish.

Not far from the caretaker's villa, there was a barracks for security personnel. To ensure the security of the hill that housed his mother's grave, Xiwang had built his own private security company which he named the Angel Security Agency. The security personnel from the ASA were the most highly-trained and well-armed security force in the world and were highly sought after. They had to be good. After all, their training regimen was designed by the ultimate assassin himself who happened to be a master of all forms of combat. Aside from the ones that were stationed at the Florence-Cherry Blossom Hill, there were other security teams that performed protection missions all over the world.

There was a road that ran right to the top of the hill for easier access to the mausoleum. Xiwang drove the car to the top of the hill. He stopped close to the mausoleum and solemnly exited the vehicle. He looked around the place and smiled as he saw the old cherry tree still standing there, like a faithful sentinel that guarded his mother's tomb. He turned towards another direction where, far in the distance, the Forbidden City was faintly visible. After that, he finally entered the mausoleum.

He made his way to the innermost chamber which was built around his mother's grave. He sat down next to the life-like statue of his mother that was smiling happily and closed his eyes. After a long time, he opened his eyes and stared at the happily smiling statue of his mother. He also smiled and said, "Mom, I'm back. Your Little Xi is finally back."

For some reason, Xiwang did not feel sad at all. Somehow, he could feel that his mother was very happy as she looked down on him from Heaven. "I'm sorry that I have not come to visit you in such a long time. I've been very busy and I know that you'll understand. Mom, you are always with me in my heart." Xiwang began to tell his mother all about his life. He spent a long time talking about his different experiences. Of course, he left out all the bloody parts. As he talked, he felt like his mother was right next to him and the fearsome assassin experienced a peace that he had not known in a long, long time. That night, Xiwang slept at the mausoleum, close to his mother's grave.

In the morning, Xiwang bid his mother goodbye and left the mausoleum. As he made his way to the car he saw a bearded middle-aged man standing not far away. The man appeared to be in his mid-thirties and had sharp and intelligent eyes. When the bearded man saw Xiwang, he bowed respectfully and said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Boutroux."

The bearded man did not know who Xiwang was because he had never seen him before. But, he knew that someone had gone to the mausoleum the previous night. The top of the hill was enclosed by another wall and only two people had the keys to the gate. One was himself and the other was his employer, whom he knew as Lucien Boutroux. That was how he was able to identify Xiwang as his employer.

On the other hand Xiwang knew all about this bearded man because he was the one who had hired him, through a proxy of course. His name was Tao Fu and Xiwang understood him to be a capable, loyal and dedicated worker. He was quite satisfied with the way Tao Fu had been taking care of his mother's mausoleum. So he smiled and said, "It's nice to finally meet you too, Mr. Tao Fu."

Tao Fu was very curious about Xiwang. All he knew was that his employer was very rich and very powerful. But, he was a good subordinate and knew better than to probe his employer for information. So, after the greeting he just stood there quietly waiting for instructions. Xiwang finally spoke, "I will be staying in China for a while and may come here again. For now, I'll be heading back to the city. Tao Fu, I'm quite satisfied with the way you have been carrying out your responsibilities. Keep up the good work." Tao Fu bowed respectfully and said, "Yes, sir. You can count on me, sir" After that, Xiwang got into the car and drove off.

Xiwang spent the entire day going to all the places that he used to visit with his mother. He spent the whole day reminiscing about his childhood. He recalled every little thing that his mother used to say to him and all the little things that they would do together. It was a very emotional day for him. Some of the places had undergone great changes but many were just as they had been all those years ago. Sometimes, he would look wistful and sad while at other times, he would smile happily. It was as if he were a little boy again going out to explore the city with his loving mother.

When night finally came, Xiwang visited his final destination for the day. He drove to Beixi Street which was the place where his mother used to operate her food stall. He smiled involuntarily as he saw all the street stalls in the street. 'Looks like this place has not really changed much. How nostalgic!' Xiwang would often accompany his mother as she sold dumplings and noodles on this very street all those years ago. He was happy to spend time with his mother but even as a child, it had pained him to see his mother working so hard to support him. It was both a happy and painful memory for him.

He walked up to one of the food stalls and took an empty seat in the corner. It was a small stall in the form of a single food cart and nine foldable stools and three makeshift tables. The stools were arranged in a row, with four stools sharing a small table. The last table was even smaller and was only enough for one person. It was there that Xiwang had sat. There were four other customers near Xiwang who were sharing a table. They seemed to be enjoying their food.

Xiwang looked around and saw a few other stalls selling different kinds of street food. This particular stall was operated by a woman and someone who seemed to be her daughter. The woman appeared to be in her late-thirties. She had decent looks but they were marred by the lines on her face. She even had a few grey strands of hair on her head. It was obvious that in her younger days the woman must have been quite a beauty. But, many years of hard work had sapped her beauty and her appearance had greatly deteriorated.

On the other hand, the young girl next to her was very exquisite and pretty. She looked to be about fifteen of sixteen years old. She had smooth, jade-white skin and glossy black hair that she tied in a ponytail. She had enticing bright-red lips. Her body was slim and curvy with a big chest and an eye-catching ass. She could not exactly be described as beautiful yet because she was still young. But, it was obvious that in a few years she would grow up to be a nation-toppling beauty.

Noticing Xiwang, the older woman said to the younger one, "TingTing, go and attend the customer." The younger girl replied, "Yes mother," and made her way to where Xiwang was sitting. Her voice was clear and upbeat and was very pleasant to hear. When she reached Xiwang's side she was stunned by his handsome appearance. She felt dazed as she looked into his enchanting deep purple eyes. She turned away shyly and said, "Hello, sir. What can I get you?"

Xiwang saw himself in this bright young girl who was helping her mother and had a favorable impression of her. He smiled and asked, "What do you have?" The girl was once again dazed when she saw him smile. She swore in her heart that she had never seen such a handsome man anywhere before, not even in the movies. At the same time, she scolded herself for being so easily distracted by a man when she should be helping her mother work. She was actually not the frivolous type. In fact, she was very conservative and had never even held hands with a guy before. With great effort she pulled herself together and said in that same cheery voice, "We have steamed dumplings, noodles and fried chicken wings. The dumplings cost ten Yuan a piece, the noodle costs 20 Yuan per plate and it's fifty Yuan for a pair of chicken wings. Which do you want? Oh, and we also have beer."

Xiwang momentarily spaced out when he heard the word 'dumplings'. It made him recall those moments that he spent watching his mother sell steamed dumplings in this very street. Nostalgia overwhelmed him as he said in an absent-minded tone, "I'll have three dumplings, one plate of noodles and a pair of chicken wings."

"Thank you, sir. Please wait a moment."

The girl soon returned with his order. She immediately went back to her mother's side after placing down the plates. But, she would cast furtive glances in Xiwang's direction every now and then. She was not a frivolous person but she was still attracted to the handsome Xiwang nonetheless.

Xiwang looked at the dumplings in his plate and suddenly felt very emotional. His mother's kind face emerged in his mind and he recalled the words that she used to say to him. 'Little Xi, mommy is almost done. Just wait a little bit longer and we can go home.' 'Little Xi, here, have a dumpling. You're such a good boy.' 'Little Xi, mommy is so happy to have you.' 'Little Xi, mommy is not tired. Don't be sad and have a dumpling.' 'Little Xi, mommy loves you very much.' 'Little Xi, eat a dumpling and remember to grow up into a good man. Mommy made these just for you.'

Thinking back on how his mother had worked tirelessly to support him Xiwang felt a pang of guilt in his heart. He was never able to help his mother. All he could do was watch her toil and sweat for him. She was often very tired yet she always smiled in front of him and told him not to worry about her. He was now a very rich man yet he would never be able to do anything for her. She would never be able to share and enjoy any of his success or wealth. Xiwang suddenly felt very empty inside when he thought about that.

That night, for only the second time in his life, Xiwang suddenly felt like crying. His eyes turned moist and tears threatened to fall from the eyes of the tough assassin. But, he held himself back. He knew that he could never change the past. Rather than a source of sadness he wanted his mother's memory to be source of strength for him- a happy memory. He breathed deeply to clear his head. The tears did not fall. But, he still had a desolate and lonely look on his face as he stared at the dumplings.

From her mother's side, the young girl had seen clearly the changes to his expression. Before, the handsome young man looked quite cheerful, although aloof and indifferent. But now, he suddenly looked so sad and lonely after staring at the steamed dumplings.

He looked like he was about to cry. For some reason, she felt a pang of pain in her heart when she saw the lonely look on his face. She suddenly had the urge to go over and hug him. The innocent girl did not really understand why she had the urge to comfort him. After all, she had never seen him before and they were just strangers. But, all she knew was that her heart was also hurting when she saw his desolate look.

Finally, she could not control herself and she walked up to him. Standing in front of him she said softly, "Customer, are you alright? If there is something wrong with the food I can get you new ones." She looked very concerned and even surprised herself by how gentle and caring her tone had become. It was like the tone a wife would use when trying to console her beloved husband.

Xiwang heard the girl's voice and was suddenly brought out of his trance. When he saw the concerned look on the girl's face he understood that she was worried about him and was trying to console him. His heart softened and he suddenly appreciated this caring girl even more.

He smiled gently at her and said, "It's nothing. I just remembered an old…memory. I'm fine now. Thank you." The girl could see that he was indeed feeling better so she smiled gently and left. She did not know why but she also felt a lot happier after knowing that he was no longer sad. She went back to her mother's side and continued to help her serve the customers.

Xiwang finished eating quietly. After adjusting his mentality, he felt very happy when he ate the dumplings. He remembered his mother's smiling face and also smiled subconsciously. After finishing everything, he went to the woman and put down a single bill as payment. When he tried to leave, the woman suddenly called out to him and said, "Wait a minute, sir. There's 10,000 Yuan here. This is too much. What you ate only cost 100 Yuan. Do you have something smaller?" She was also a little concerned because she did not have change for a 10,000 Yuan bill.

But Xiwang just smiled as he turned around and said, "I think what I ate is worth that much. To me, what I bought was not food but a memory." With that he turned around and left. Before the woman could stop him, he had already disappeared into the street corner.

Watching his back disappearing around the corner, the young girl had a dazed look in her eyes. She was intrigued by their strange customer. He was gone just like that without even leaving a name. He was very handsome and soft-spoken. He was also obviously rich. But, he also seemed to carry a great weight on his shoulders.

His lonely expression was still very fresh in her mind. She suddenly realized that she was very curious about the man. That surprised her because she had never had an interest in the opposite sex before. She wondered if she would ever see him again and found herself thinking that she would like it very much if she did.