- Whispers of Solitude: Book 151 by Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated, edited, proofread by Lotus Cheng of www.tb-translation.org
Chapter 2 - Visiting the Local Market
Everyone at the market knows there is this bald-headed fellow who visits the market once a week. Obviously they are very curious of me and they want to know who I am and where do I come from. I always reply with a smile and should anyone ask me what I do for a living, I would reply I have retired.
There is this old lady selling fruits in the market. She is kind of plump and she puts on very thick lipstick. When she laughs her open mouth looks awfully bloody. Thus every time she sees me she would greet me from afar and says, "Old pop, you're here! What are you getting this time?"
This is the first time someone calls me, "Old pop!"
I thought about it and did not take it to heart. My head is bald and they assume the hair has dropped off. I have gone through the trials of life and thus emerged much aged in the process. I have to admit I am old. So when someone calls me "Old pop" I just have to swallow it. So when I write my book, I shall call it The Mumblings of A Solitary Old Man.
The old lady asked me, "What do you want to buy?"
"I want some tangerines!" I replied.
The old lady said, "Old pop, you must be kidding. Tangerine is not in season now. I've got only oranges and Sunkiss. How about some?"
I said, "No!"
"Why not?" She asked.
I replied, "I can peel the skin of tangerine, but with orange and Sunkiss you need to cut it with a knife before you can eat it, and you can't peel the skin with your bare hands."
The old fruit seller smiled and said, "Old pop! I'll teach you how to eat orange and Sunkiss without using knife. All you need to do is to press and roll the orange with your hands on the table until the skin separates slightly from the pulp. You can then peel the skin and eat it. It's easy to peel."
She demonstrated how it was done. I stared unbelievably, but it worked.
Good heavens! I did not expect to pick up this technique when I went shopping in the market with my basket. Now I am buying orange and Sunkiss. There is much to learn in the market.
This old man here sure learns a few things when he goes shopping in the market. Please share with everyone you can actually eat orange and Sunkiss without resorting to a knife. You can actually peel it with your hands.
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