"I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said. My vocabulary might not be very high!" Li Chunlei looked bewildered. Zuckerberg was speaking English, and "xiuzhen" was a word not found in English. So, Zuckerberg was translating it based on how "xiuzhen" was depicted in movies, as "bexian."
For someone who had been studying American English for years, this was incredibly confusing. He had no idea what Zuckerberg was talking about, assuming it was just a rare American word.
Truth be told, Li Chunlei was a formidable character who had passed English Proficiency Test Band 8 and even participated in international conference-level simultaneous interpretation. That's why he was highly regarded by the demanding secretariat of Jiangnan Group. Yet, he found himself unable to understand an important client, which was a huge embarrassment.
"My internship might get deducted points!" Li Chunlei mused dejectedly. This was undoubtedly the biggest mistake he had made in his career.
"Xian! Bexian, you Chinese people, flying to the world of xiuzhen, to outer space, to Mars, to the entire universe, Xian, Li Qiang, Fu Shan!!!" Zuckerberg repeatedly explained, but the more Li Chunlei listened, the more confused he became. It sounded like he was talking about immortals, but how could immortals go to outer space? To the entire universe?
Please forgive Li Chunlei; he was a diligent student who never indulged in the bad habit of watching television dramas. Therefore, he had never seen the currently popular "Piaomiao Zhilv" or played any related games. He genuinely couldn't understand what connection xiuzhen had with the universe.
Fortunately, Li Chunlei wasn't alone. He had a driver behind him. This driver was quite fond of watching television. Although he didn't understand much English, he understood the word "xian." He also knew some words like "universe" and "Mars." So, he tentatively said, "Secretary Li, he might be talking about 'Piaomiao Zhilv'!"
"'Piaomiao Zhilv'? How is that possible? How would a foreigner watch our Chinese TV dramas?" Li Chunlei shook his head. Although he hadn't watched "Piaomiao Zhilv," the TV series had been all over the media, so he naturally knew its name. But he couldn't believe that a foreigner would know about a TV series that had just aired in China.
"No, I read in the newspaper that 'Piaomiao Zhilv' was actually released overseas as a movie and was quite popular. This foreigner might have seen the movie and is very interested!" the driver said.
"Don't call him 'foreigner,' call him 'foreign friend'!" Li Chunlei reminded him. Then, he started asking Zuckerberg in English if he was referring to "Piaomiao Zhilv." Only then was the communication channel opened, allowing them to communicate smoothly.
"Secretary Li, do you know if there's anyone in your country who understands xiuzhen? Preferably a top xiuzhen master. I've come specifically to visit such a master!" Zuckerberg's question left Li Chunlei dumbfounded. He never expected that this foreign CEO was here for xiuzhen.
He thought about the five days and nights he spent researching various industries, cities, and technologies related to Weibo and related sectors, losing a lot of hair. Who knew what his hard work was for?
However, foreign friends were like gods to him. Li Chunlei couldn't say he didn't know. His mind immediately started racing.
Although he didn't understand Taoist culture well, he knew that there were two ancient aristocratic families in China, one surnamed Kong and the other Zhang, representing Confucianism and Taoism respectively.
Moreover, Li Chunlei was from Jiangxi province, so he naturally spoke about his province's history and culture.
Thus, Li Chunlei naturally said, "The ancestral home of Taoism in our country is naturally on Mount Longhu in Jiangxi province. It is the place where Taoism originated in China, so I believe the most outstanding masters would be on Mount Longhu!"
"I see!" Zuckerberg nodded and then asked, "But I heard that the most outstanding Taoist masters are actually on Mount Wudang?"
"That's all exaggerated in movies and TV shows!" Li Chunlei's pride as a Jiangxi native surged. He immediately said, "You might not know, but the ancestral home of Taoism on our Mount Longhu was established over 1800 years ago during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Mount Wudang's history is only over 600 years old. That's a difference of 1200 years!"
"Furthermore, successive dynasties have enfeoffed Taoist Celestial Masters as leaders of Taoism throughout China, and this Celestial Master has always been inherited by the Zhang Celestial Master of our Zhang lineage on Mount Longhu. This is the recognition of the highest state power. Mount Wudang only became famous in the Ming Dynasty; at other times, it was not well-known!" Li Chunlei poured out all the Taoist knowledge he had.
There were, in fact, some inaccuracies in this. For example, the Zhang Celestial Master was officially enfeoffed from the Yuan Dynasty. The Ming and Qing dynasties did not pay much attention to the Zhang Celestial Master.
"I see! Thank you, Mr. Li. If not for your guidance, I would have gone to the wrong place!" Zuckerberg said, becoming even more certain that he had chosen the right path.
That Bishop Song Hua from Mount Wudang was indeed not the best expert. He really needed to come to China to find out who the most powerful Taoist master was!
"Mr. Zuckerberg, it's still early today. Would you like me to show you around Shanghai?" Li Chunlei asked with a smile.
"No need, we wish to go to Mount Longhu immediately. You'd better arrange for us to go to Mount Longhu now!" Zuckerberg said eagerly.
"Go now? There isn't enough time to buy plane tickets!" Li Chunlei was a bit troubled. There was no Changbei Airport back then. In fact, Jiangxi province had only one military-to-civilian airport, with very few flights to Jiangxi province each day.
Li Chunlei inquired and confirmed that the earliest available flight ticket would be for tomorrow, so Li Chunlei still suggested that Zuckerberg stay in Shanghai for a day.
However, Zuckerberg shook his head repeatedly, stating that if there were no planes, they could take a train or even a car, as long as they could go to Mount Longhu immediately.
There was no other way. Li Chunlei had to contact them to buy train tickets. But it was just after the Spring Festival holiday, and it was the peak of the Spring Festival travel season. Where could they buy train tickets at such a time?
So, Li Chunlei helplessly contacted the headquarters' secretariat. Upon learning of the situation, the secretariat decided to send a business car. Thus, Zuckerberg got into the car immediately after getting off the plane and headed for Mount Longhu via the expressway.
Although cars sounded slower than trains, in 2005, cars were the fastest mode of transportation. There were no high-speed rail back then. It took a full day and night for a green-skinned train to reach Shanghai, but driving took about 12 hours. The business car was of high quality and drove very fast.
Therefore, they departed at nine in the morning and arrived at the provincial capital of Jiangxi around 7 PM. Local staff had already booked hotels and restaurants, and Li Chunlei accompanied Zuckerberg and his entourage to have a decent meal.
Li Chunlei chatted with Zuckerberg along the way. They talked for ten hours, and they could be considered rare friends. After all, even parents, siblings, and children couldn't sit down and chat for ten hours. Thus, Li Chunlei learned that Zuckerberg's purpose for this trip was indeed to seek apprenticeship and cultivate into an immortal. The reason was that he had watched a movie. This made Li Chunlei feel that the world was too magical.
Li Chunlei had always believed that the Western world was as described in magazines, media, and by prominent figures – full of technology, democracy, freedom, and wisdom. All Westerners were high-quality elites, and Western company presidents were the wisest among the wise, possibly holding the future of humanity in their hands. The entire China should learn from such elites.
But these people were now coming to China for xiuzhen. This was undoubtedly a huge blow to Li Chunlei's worldview.
"Mr. Zuckerberg, we have booked the best Western restaurant in Yuzhang for you!" Li Chunlei said enthusiastically upon arriving in Yuzhang City, the provincial capital of Jiangxi.
"Western food? No, that's something the French eat. We're not interested in this kind of Western food. Instead, I'd like to try some local specialties here!" Zuckerberg said quickly.
"Local specialties!" As a native of Yuzhang, Li Chunlei naturally knew his hometown's specialty foods. But the question was, should he really take this group of foreign friends to experience the delicacies of Jiangxi?
Could they handle it?
So, Li Chunlei said tactfully, "Perhaps it's best not to. I think the cuisine in Yuzhang might not suit your tastes!"
"How could that be?" Zuckerberg laughed heartily. "It won't be. I forgot to tell you, my girlfriend is Chinese, and I often go with her to Chinese restaurants in America. I'm very familiar with your Chinese food, and I can definitely adapt to your tastes!"
"Gentlemen, what about you?" Zuckerberg asked the few followers in the car with a smile.
"That's right!"
"We all love Chinese food!"
Since Zuckerberg had said so, his secretary and followers naturally couldn't refuse to give their president face!
"But Mr. Zuckerberg, our Jiangxi cuisine is actually a bit different from the cuisine of other regions in China. Our Jiangxi food has a characteristic that I fear you might not be able to accept!"
"What characteristic?" Zuckerberg asked curiously.
"It's spicy!" Li Chunlei said. "Our Jiangxi province is a province that cannot do without chili, so the taste will be on the spicier side. I'm worried about you!"
"Hahahaha! Mr. Li, you must be trying to fool us because we don't understand China. We did our homework before coming. The people in China who can eat the most spicy food are from Hunan province, followed by Hunan province. We haven't even heard of your Jiangxi province!"
"Do you know that McDonald's in the United States has a condiment called Sichuan Spicy Sauce? I can eat ten bags of Sichuan Spicy Sauce by myself without any problem!"
"Alright, stop trying to persuade us. Hurry up and take us to try the local cuisine!"