In the Orient by Art Collins Page A

through the front hallway on their way to the kitchen to get something to eat. Following them into the kitchen, she looked at Jockabeb and remarked in a questioning tone of voice, “You’re not even limping.”
    Jockabeb, not looking at anyone else, stared Mrs. Chen straight in the eye and answered truthfully, “You know, I’m a really quick healer.”
    “By the way,” she added, patting him on the shoulder, “William called to find out how you and Willowenjoyed your hike up Lantau Peak and whether it had helped your jet lag. He was very sorry to hear of your mishap and hoped that such a bad start wouldn’t ruin the rest of your holiday.”
    Jockabeb did his best to suppress a laugh when he said, “The next time he calls, please thank him for the Lantau Peak suggestion, and tell him that Willow and I can’t wait for his next recommendation.”
The Final Days in Hong Kong
    The next five days flew by quickly. In addition to visiting the top tourist attractions, May planned several out of the way stops so that Willow and Jockabeb could experience the real Hong Kong. Robert Liu drove them each day except for one afternoon. That was when Wu Feng took May, Willow, and the boys back to Ming Wei’s home.
    After Ming listened to May’s account of what had taken place on Sunday in the Monkey Clone’s dungeon, he stroked his beard and then gave his opinion as to what had really happened.
    “Some powerful spirit help you,” Ming began. “Not sure which one, but very powerful. So happy that flying dart and arrow work well. Also happy that elixir trick fool Monkey Clone.”
    Before they departed Ming’s home, he handed a pen and piece of paper to May. Then he said something to her in Cantonese. She wrote while he spoke. Whenhe’d finished speaking, she repeated the English translation she’d just written down.
    “Ming said he wants us to remember something Confucius said around 520 BC. He didn’t want to be rude to you when he spoke to me in Cantonese. He just wanted to make sure I translated the exact words Confucius used almost twenty-five hundred years ago. Anyway, here’s what Confucius said: ‘He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.’
    “We studied Confucius in one of my classes at St. Paul’s, and I’ve read that quote before. Even so, it takes on a whole new meaning after what we went through last weekend.”
    Jockabeb couldn’t have agreed more when he said, “You can say that again.” Then he asked, “If you wrote that saying down in English, can I keep the piece of paper?”
    “I did, and you can,” May answered, handing over the piece of old rice paper.
    The highlight of the week in Jockabeb’s mind was Friday evening. It was their last night in Hong Kong, and Mrs. Chen had agreed to let the four teenagers go out to dinner by themselves. However, when May told her mother that Jockabeb wanted to pay for her meal, Mrs. Chen wouldn’t hear of it, saying, “He is our guest. Tell him that if you ever visit the States, he can buy you dinner then.”
    While Jockabeb felt badly about not being able to pay for May’s dinner, he knew it was an argument hewould never win with Mrs. Chen, so he reluctantly agreed. It did, however, give him an opening to say, “Okay, May, you’ll just have to visit me so I can buy you the biggest steak you’ve ever seen.”
    “You may be sorry if you get what you ask for,” she answered with a big smile on her face.
    “No way!” he said emphatically, smiling back.
    Both May and Archibald suggested that they return to Fook Lam Moon for their final dinner together. It didn’t take Willow and Jockabeb very long to agree after Archibald described the meal he’d previously eaten there.
    From the moment that Robert Liu dropped them off in front of Fook Lam Moon’s front door at half past seven that evening, Willow and Jockabeb knew they were in for a special treat. Mrs. Chen must have been very specific when she made the reservation