I Failed to Go to Church This Morning

    I failed to go to church this morning, and it was due to several reasons.

    This morning, as we were about to have breakfast cooked by me, Doctor Zhhang said all of a sudden, "Aiye, I almost forgot, we planned to go to church this morning and it is 9 o'clock already. We have to hurry up. Yi Ming is still in bed. I must wake her up."
    "I won't go to church with you," I declared, "My religion does not encourge its disciples to attend a different religious service."
    "Do go with us," Doctor Zhang said, "You can get some idea of the Christian life."
     When we finished the breakfast, it was already 9:30.
     "Let's hurry up," Doctor Zhang urged.
     "Do you know where the Church is?" I asked.
     "We shall ask the way on our way there," Doctor Zhang replied.
     "Bring me a Bible when you come back," I came to the stairs and reminded them when they were about to get down.
     "Will the church give us the Bible?"
     "Of course," I replied."My husband took many free Bibles home in 2001. I gave them away to my non-English majors as a reward for their performances in class.The only one with a red cover that I kept for myself, I gave away to Miss Qi Lili."
     Not all the three house-sharers know Qi Lili in person.
     Q Lili came to our univeristy from the middle school and she had been working with me for several years, and then was transferred to the Railway Institute, which later became merged with our university. She later married a white man in Australian and soon divorced, and then she married again, this time with a black man, a film director, one of the colleagues at home told me last winter.
     "Do go with us. It is boring to stay alone in the house."
     "OK."
     I was the last one to go out of the house, which was unusual. I used to be the first one to leave the house.
     I saw them waiting on the pedestrian opposite the house.

     No sooner had I joined them than Yingzi said, "It seems it's going to rain."
     I looked up at the sky and saw loose and thin black clouds above.
     "Have you brought your umbrellas with you?" She asked.
     "I have brought my umbrella with me," Doctor Zhang said with a little laugh.
     "No, I haven't," I said.
     "It is raining now," Yingzi said.
     The next moment, I felt a drop of rain on myy face.
     "I will go home," I said and began to turn back.

     I saw drops of rain that wetted the ground take the shape of beans but bigger in shape. I began to run.
     
    I did some reading and then began preparing for lunch. As I was cutting the meat and the carrots and the green peppers into pieces, I saw the sunshine outside the window. I was surprized that it did not rain long.
     When I finished the preparation work, it was already 12.
     I wondered if they would have their lunch at the Church, and did not cook the food.
     But in a few minutes I heard shoutings outside the house, "Teacher Fu! Teacher Fu!"
     So they have come back from the Church.
     I went down to open the door for them.

     "What a pity that you did not go with us," Doctor Zhang said with her typical little laughs, as soon as she entered the corridor. "The rain did not last long. There were many people there, and they approached you and talked with you voluntarily. If you had been there, you could have made at least two friends there, as you are so communicative."
     "I thought you would be provided with free lunches there, so I did not cook the food I have prepared."
     "We ate some fruits and cakes there,anyway," Doctor Zhang replied.
     "What did you see in the church?"
     "We have heard wonderful singing there, it is gorgeous. the voice is so beautiful."
      "Is it sung by a male or by a female?" I asked.
      "A female."
      "Your description made me have a strong desire to hear such a singing.Maybe next Subday I will go there, too," I said honestly.
      I began to cook the food in the dining-room.
      It wasn't long beofre the lunch was ready.
      They all praised the food I have cooked.
      "It is still the Chinese food that is our favorite," Doctor Zhang remarked, with a little laugh.
     
      This was almost what I have done the whole morning and noontime,the preparation took me a lot of time,getting the corns off the bar with a knife, cutting the pork meat into slices and the pepper and carrots in the same way, while they were enjoying the church music and chatting and eating snacks.