Chapter 12: Meeting Again After Twenty Years
I talked a lot with Run Tu, but I felt the distance between us growing further and further.
He called me "Young Master," which made me feel very strange. When we were children, we played together as equals, without distinction between master and servant. Now, he treats me as "Young Master," as his master. This feeling makes me very uncomfortable.
I wanted to call him "Run Tu," but since he calls me "Young Master," I couldn't call him "Run Tu" anymore. The distance between us is not just the distance of time, but also the distance of identity.
I asked him how his life has been these past years. He said, it's alright, just that days are tight. He has a wife, three children, and has to be busy every day.
I asked him if he ever thought about leaving the countryside to live in the city. He said, no, he's used to life in the countryside and doesn't know what he could do in the city.
I looked at him, feeling very complex. Is this my childhood playmate? Is this my good friend?