Many years ago I was assigned to guide a China man from Laos on how to establish an oil palm nursery. This man by the name of Liang originated from Jilin, China and working for a timber company joint ventured with a Malaysian businessman extracting timber at Paksan, Laos. The government of Laos wanted the Malaysian businessman to plant up the logged areas with oil palm. Liang was sent by his boss to Malaysia to learn what oil palm cultivation is all about. He was here only for about two weeks. I suppose he can learn some basic skills and knowledge on oil palm but it would be extremely difficult to learn from A to Z.
After a few days staying in Seremban, Liang started to ask how are we Malaysian Chinese doing in Malaysia. He was amazed and admired as to how well Chinese in Malaysia living happily and successfully as compared to him who was suffering in his home state in Jilin, China as jobs are rare and difficult to earn a living. His wife left him for another man and left behind a 12-year old son living with Liang's parents. That's why he left Jilin and worked as a logger in Laos, following a timber contractor also from his home town to earn about 200 to 300 US dollars a month.
While he was telling his story over the many dinners we had together, I often saw tears in his eyes. Liang said that I was lucky as my grand father had travelled long ago to Tanah Melayu and that's how I ended up here but unfortunate for him that his grand parents had not been courageous enough to find a better living elsewhere. We both laughed in agreement of Liang's theory of our different fates due to the actions of our grand parents. Before he went back to Laos after his 2-week stay in Seremban, Liang went to do some shopping and apparently, I saw him bought a gold ring and some ladies clothing. I asked him what was that for. He told me he was going to marry a lady he met in Laos after returning to Paksan. I was curious as to how Liang communicate with his lover as he didn't even know how to speak Laos. He told me they communicate through sign language and he was trying hard to learn Laos. I couldn't stop laughing at him and warned him that the lady might be cheating on him.
I went to Laos a few months after Liang went back. I met him there. He was so excited to see me as he could not remember a single thing that I taught him during his two-week stay in Malaysia. The oil palm nursery was in a mess. I pity Liang as the working environment in Laos was far from satisfactory. He was staying in a small hut at the nursery site far away from the logging camp without proper food and water and don't even talk about other basic facilities like electricity.
I was equally delighted to see him and asked him how was his married life going on. To my surprise, Liang turned on a sour face and started to curse his "to-be wife". Liang said the woman cheated on him. The lady had already married with three kids. As much as I sympathized Liang, I wanted to laugh, I warned him before that the lady might be cheating him as both of them can't even communicate. Liang then said he was so angry that he went to the lady's house and took back all the good that he bought for her including a ring, ladies clothing, bed sheet, cooking utensils and all others. I couldn't stop laughing at him, despite of his misery, Liang could still recoup whatever gifts he had given to the lady.
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