A Simpler Life
A Simpler Life by StSciurus H
Gang and Jawlong Chen were living the life they had always dreamed about, growing up in rural China. When they were both out of university, they moved to the bustling city of San Myshuno in Pixaly, got married and started their careers, Gang as an internist at San Myshuno General Hospital and Jawlong as an associate with the large law firm, Dewey Cheatham & Howe. They had both risen rapidly in their professions to the point where they were so busy that they actually had to schedule time to be together. One such scheduled time was an early morning breakfast at home in their elegant apartment in the Arts District. They were both quiet at first, and then Gang broke the silence. “This is crazy! We can’t go on like this!” “You want a divorce?” Jawlong answered with a worried tone. “No! Not at all!” Gang was astonished at his husband’s response and then began laughing. “I just want a simpler life—one where we don’t have to consult our calendars in order to see each other.” “That would be nice, for sure. Maybe we can find some time to take a vacation—maybe go back to China for a visit?” “I was thinking of a more permanent change,” and Gang showed his husband a clipping he had cut out
from Fabulous Homes magazine. It was an ad for a farm in Windenburg. “Doesn’t this remind you of the farms in Hunan?” “Yes, sort of. What has this got to do with…” “I was thinking we could relocate there and begin again, you know, on a much simpler scale.” “Whoa! Are we really ready for such a drastic change? Does the place even have indoor plumbing?” Jawlong asked uncertainly. “Of course it does! It is an old farm but the farmhouse has been completely renovated. There is even a small room in the back where I could set up an office and see patients. And I’d love to be able to practice some traditional Chinese medicine along with the modern medicine I learned in school. And Hui [their Burmese cat] could finally experience the outdoors!” “And what exactly would I be doing in this rural paradise?” “You’ve said that you always wanted to grow tomatoes. You could become a truck farmer!” Jawlong laughed, “And what do I know about farming?” “You could learn. And…” Gang paused dramatically, “there are cherry trees!”
“Cherry trees?! Really?!” Jawlong gave his husband a wistful smile. He thought cherry trees, especially in bloom, were the most beautiful things in the world. “Well, why don’t we investigate this a little further. Who’s the agent anyway?”
“The ad says ‘Karl Baldmann for St. Sciurus Realty’. I’ll phone today.” And six months to the day later, Gang, Jawlong and Hui pulled up in a truck they had purchased used to Happy Acre Farm. Karl Baldmann was there waiting to greet them and hand over the keys. “Welcome to Happy Acre!” Karl said jovially. “I hope you’ll love it here. I think you’ll find the people around here are all really nice. And we can always use another doctor in the neighborhood!” “But not another lawyer,” Jawlong thought to himself grumpily. Karl took the couple on a brief tour of the farmhouse. It had been furnished and decorated to their specifications, but when they came to the utility room off the kitchen, Gang was surprised. “I thought I told you we didn’t want a washer/ dryer.” “I know that’s what you said,” Karl replied not looking directly at his client. “And you don’t have to use them, of course, but doing laundry out of doors [pointing in the direction of the washtub and clothes line outside] in the dead of winter or in the middle of a thunderstorm may sound more romantic than it actually is. Same goes for the air conditioner.”
“This place is air conditioned?” Gang was astonished. “Yep, the finest HV/AC available. It gets pretty hot in the summer, and I’m afraid as good as the fireplace is, it won’t heat the whole house, especially the upper floor. Believe me, you’ll be glad you have it.” Just then they heard a commotion outside. Gang and Jawlong rushed to the front porch in time to witness their cat Hui emerging from a bush in pursuit of a squirrel, which raced up the large beech tree next to the pond.
Karl had joined them on the porch by this time. “Ah yes, ‘fraid there are a lot of pesky squirrels around here. I don’t know what it is ‘bout those bushes, but the squirrels like to hold court in ‘em.” Just then, a second squirrel emerged from another bush and began to chase an astonished Hui. All three men began to laugh, and Jawlong exclaimed to his husband, “Songshu nonchang!” “What’s that?” Karl asked. “It means ‘squirrel farm’ in Chinese.” “That’s what we should call our farm!” Gang chimed in enthusiastically. And so Songshu Nonchang it was.
Having arrived in summer, the couple had a lot of work to do getting crops established, and Gang made sure there were medicinal herbs as well. He also fancied having a flower garden so perennials of all kinds were planted. By fall, what could be planted had been planted, and now Gang could think about starting a local medical practice.
Before long, the locals started to come to him for everything from a sprained ankle to teenager test-itis (especially prevalent during final exam week at the nearby high school). Gang also enjoyed brewing herbal remedies, which he used in his practice and occasionally sold to his neighbors.
After his initial enthusiasm for gardening, Jawlong started to become bored. With some prompting from Gang, he got involved in local politics and ran for and won the position of alderman for their district of Windenburg. He enjoyed interacting with his constituents, and even more, always being home for dinner.
One cloudy day towards the end of fall, Gang had been clearing leaves, and he noticed an orange spot near the rock outcropping by the gnarled oak tree. On further inspection, he could see a little fox sitting completely still but with a raised paw, as if it was hurt. He approached it cautiously, and the fox was clearly wary of his presence. He could see that the fox had a collar around its neck! Was it someone’s pet? Gang went inside, got a dish of kibble and put it on the front porch, then went back inside to watch what might happen. The little fox limped up onto the porch and began gulping down the food.
After a while, Gang came out and began talking gently to the fox. The fox looked at him pitifully, and Gang said, “Would you like to come inside and get warm, little fellow?” The fox immediately raced inside, all limping forgotten, and planted himself in front of the fireplace. “Well, aren’t you the sly one!” Gang laughed. And when Jawlong got home, they consulted one another, phoned around to see if any of their neighbors was missing a fox [no one was] and decided that they now had another pet! They named the little fox Jiaohuá which means “sly one” in Chinese.
Fall turned to winter, and both men were glad for the washer/dryer and the central heating as they watched the snow come down sideways. As they were relaxing after their Festivus dinner, Jawlong ventured, “We once talked about adopting a child, you and me. Do you ever think about it? It seems to me that this is exactly the kind of place to raise a kid.” Gang laughed. “You read my mind! Should we put our names in at the local adoption agency?” “Or should we try to adopt a child from China? We might have better luck. What do you think?” They continued to talk about adoption as the winter wore on. The waiting list in Windenburg was a long one, but they put their names on it just the same. Jawlong also began making inquiries in Hunan, where they had both been born.
Finally, towards the end of spring, Jawlong received a phone call. He rushed to find Gang. “They have a girl for us!” he said to his husband. “But…” “But?” “Well… the girl isn’t a baby. She’s…” “A child? We can handle a child…I think. How old is she?” “She’s thirteen. She’s a teenager.” Gang fell silent. “Everyone wants a baby,” Jawlong continued gently, “but no one, it seems will take a teenager, especially a girl. Don’t you think we could…” “What’s her name?” Gang asked, interrupting his husband. “Lánhua” [which is Chinese for “orchid”] “Oh!” Gang was astonished. He had been taking a class in flower arranging at the local community college and had just learned how to use orchids in an arrangement. He saw this as a sign. “I think we must invite her to come live with us then,” he said quietly.
And so the little family added one more member. One year after Gang and Jawlong had moved to Windenburg, they sat together on the front porch as the sun was setting. “Do you think our life is simpler?” Jawlong asked his husband. Gang laughed. “No. Life is never simple, is it?” He thought back on the past year—the crops, the 3 am visits to the vet with Jiaohuá, the aldermanic election, the bee keeping and now, raising a teenager! Jawlong smiled, “But our life is more fulfilling. Maybe that’s what we were really looking for by coming here. And I think we found it!”
H