但是他认识史密斯牧师!

We had a significant plane delay at LaGuardia airport, New York, but we were in a hurry to get home to Cincinnati. The four of us decided to take a taxi to Newark airport a few hours away, to catch another flight. We got into the taxi, and I sat in the front. I like to chat with taxi drivers, since I usually find them quite informative and entertaining, but to my surprise, the driver actually was Cantonese, and from Hong Kong, which is not that common for New York taxis. It was a rare treat for me to chat in Cantonese (a language I am fluent in) with a taxi driver, so we had a lively conversation.
我们在纽约拉加迪机场(LaGuardia airport)遭遇了一次严重的航班延误，当时我们正急着要赶回在辛辛那提的家。我们四人决定乘出租车去几小时车程外的纽瓦克机场，去赶那里的另一班飞机。我们打了一辆出租车，我坐在副驾驶座位上，我喜欢和出租车司机聊天，因为我通常觉得他们消息灵通又有很多轶闻趣事。但令我惊讶的是，这位司机居然是广东人，来自香港，这在纽约出租车行业里并不常见。用广东话(我很流利的一种语言)和出租车司机聊天，这对我来说是一次难得的机会，所以我们聊得很开心。

Within a few moments, he turned to me and said, out of the blue, with no apparent reason, “do you know Rev. Smith?” After figuring out which Rev. Smith that he knew, it was actually Rev. Hugh Smith, my father’s best friend in Hong Kong! The driver continued, “He used to come to speak at our church in Kowloon City, Hong Kong, and he used to sing very well.” That was quite a shock to me.
过了一会儿，他转向我，毫无征兆地说:“你认识史密斯牧师吗?”在我搞清楚了他认识的是哪位史密斯牧师之后（他实际上是休·史密斯 Hugh Smith牧师，我父亲在香港最好的朋友!），司机继续说:“他过去常到香港九龙城我们的教堂讲课，他也很会唱歌。”这着实让我大吃一惊。

Photo 1: The Reverend Hugh Smith, with his best friend, my dad.
照片一:牧师休·史密斯和他最好的朋友——我的父亲。

In fact I told him, to his surprise now, “I just had lunch with Rev. Smith in Philadelphia last month!” For those not familiar, New York and Philadelphia are close, within a few hours driving from each other, but my home is 2 hours flying time away, so quite a distance. But here we were discussing Hong Kong, Philadelphia and Cincinnati like these were neighborhoods of each other.
也让他大吃一惊的是，我告诉他：“上个月我刚和史密斯牧师在费城吃过午饭!”对那些不熟悉的人来说，纽约和费城离得很近，开车几个小时就能到，但离我的家要飞两个小时，是相当远的距离。但我们在这里讨论着香港、费城和我的家辛辛那提，就像它们相互间近在咫尺一样。

By that time the driver and I were “old friends,” and since the traditional Chinese expression is always “have you had a meal? which in Cantonese is “你食咗飯未呀lei 5 sIk 6 dzo 2 fan 6 mei 6 a 3 ?” (or in simple mandarin, Chi le mei you 吃了没有?), obviously the subject came up. He enthusiastically suggested that we go to an “excellent Chinese restaurant” that he knew very well, which was sort of “on the way to Newark”: all Chinese know which is the best restaurant in town, and good food is always just conveniently “on the way to somewhere.”
司机和我很快已经是“老朋友”了，因为中国的传统的见面问候语总是“你吃过饭了吗?”，用广东话就是是“你食咗飯未呀 ?”(或简单的普通话就是“你吃了吗?”)，我们很快就聊到这个话题上来。他热情地建议我们去一家他非常熟悉的“很棒的中餐馆”，它好像就是“在去纽瓦克的必经之路”，就像所有的中国人都知道哪一家餐馆是最好的，城里最好的餐馆也总是在“去某个地方的路上”。

He reassured us that we could “easily” have our lunch there, he would pick us up one hour later, and we could safely reach Newark. Indeed we soon arrived at the restaurant in Manhattan Chinatown, New York, and all of us piled out of the car. Our luggage was in the car, and my three non-Asian doctor friends were getting a bit nervous about this whole adventure. I told them that the taxi driver would come back in one hour, and reassured them, “we’ll just leave the luggage in the car.” When they still hesitated, I made the deal breaker comment, “don’t worry, he knows Rev. Smith!” My three colleagues didn’t know whether they should laugh or be really worried.
他向我们保证，我们可以“轻松地”在那里吃午饭，他会在一个小时后接我们，我们可以安全准时地到达纽瓦克。的确，我们很快就到达了位于纽约曼哈顿唐人街的这家餐厅，所有人都从车里挤了出来，我们的行李留在车里。我的三个非亚裔医生朋友对这整个冒险有点紧张。我告诉他们出租车司机一个小时后回来，并向他们保证:“我们只要把行李放在车里就行了。”当他们还在犹豫的时候，我说了句促成他们同意的话:“别担心，他认识史密斯牧师!”对于我的劝解，我的三个同事估计当时不知道应该笑还是真的应该担心。

We had a great lunch there, as promised by our “guide,” and as we came out of the restaurant, the taxi driver arrived, at exactly the right time, presumably with all our luggage intact: no one really checked that, since we knew “he knew Rev. Smith.” But, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and we went quickly on to catch our flight at the appointed time, with our luggage and a good story to tell.
我们在那里吃了一顿丰盛的午餐，就像我们的“导游”承诺的那样，当我们走出餐厅时，出租车司机准时到了，我们的行李也应该是完好无损地出现了（没有人真正检查过这一点，因为我们知道“他认识史密斯牧师”）。每个人都松了一口气，我们带着行李和一个很好的故事，准时赶到机场并搭上了预定的航班。

Indeed I really had “just had lunch with Rev. Smith,” one month before the taxi event, after many years that I had not seen him, at a Chinese (of course) restaurant in Philadelphia. We were reminiscing about old times, when he suddenly overheard at the next table, full of excited Chinese, people speaking in a southern Chinese language, Chaozhou. Rev. Smith knew this melodious language well, so his (literally) big ears perked up; he instantly shot up and walked over to the table. So here is this big pinkish white balding guy with stereotypical generous nose, speaking fluently and dramatically in their native language. It seemed that they physically “fell off their chairs.” Their wide open mouthed shock was just wonderful to behold, and I can still remember the scene vividly.
事实上，在这次出租车历险的一个月前，我确实“刚刚与史密斯牧师(Rev. Smith)在费城的一家中国餐馆吃过午饭”，我已经多年没有见过他了。我们在回忆过去的时光，他突然听到邻桌满是兴奋的中国人，说着南方的语言潮州话。史密斯牧师非常熟悉这种悦耳的语言，所以他的大耳朵（他的耳朵的确是大）竖起来了。他立刻站起来，走向他们的桌子，这个有着典型的大鼻子、肉粉色秃头的大个子，用他们的母语流利而生动地和他们交谈。那些人的身体似乎快要“从椅子上摔了下来”，他们目瞪口呆的样子真是太有意思了，我到现在还清楚地记得当时的情景。

In fact Rev. Smith told me that not too long before that, he was attending a ceremony in Boston, and he noticed that one of the young men on the platform was listed as having a surname of Tsang, which is mine also. So he made a comment to the couple sitting next to him, that his very good friend, (my father), also had this surname. The man next to him said, “we just flew in from Hong Kong, and you must be Rev. Smith!” He continued, “Your very good friend is my father’s brother, and the young man in front is my son.” The man speaking turned out to be my childhood buddy and cousin, Gerald. It’s a very small world indeed, especially if you know Rev. Smith.
事实上，史密斯牧师告诉我，在那之前不久，他在波士顿参加一个仪式，他注意到告示板上有一个年轻人的姓氏是曾（ Tsang 香港广东话“曾”的发音），这也是我的姓氏。所以他对坐在他旁边的一对夫妇评论说他的好朋友(我的父亲)也是这个姓。他旁边的人说:“我们刚从香港飞来,你一定是史密斯牧师!”，并接着说，“你的好朋友是我父亲的弟弟，前面那个年轻人是我儿子。”说话的人原来是我儿时的伙伴，也是我的我的堂兄振釗。这是一个多么小的世界啊！尤其是如果你认识史密斯牧师的话。

Rev. Smith lived in Hong Kong at a time when there were less than 5 million people living there; still a formidable number, but there are now 6 to 7 million people in Hong Kong. The highly efficient subway there, called MTR, is packed full with people, but it is always amazing to still “bump into” people unexpectedly, out of one in 6 to 7 million chances.
史密斯牧师生活在香港的时候，那里的人口还不到500万，这已经是一个庞大的数字了，但香港现在有600万至700万人口。被称为“港铁”的高效便捷的香港地铁，每天几乎都是挤得满满的人，如果想意外地“撞见”熟人只有六到七百万分之一的机会，应该是一个惊奇。

One day when I was visiting Hong Kong, I “just happened” to sit next to a distinguished looking woman, and suddenly realized it was another cousin’s wife, Barbara Fei, a very famous singer in the city. We had a great but brief chat about the decades that we had not seen each other. And then we both disappeared into the teeming crowds, and I have not seen her since. What are the odds, I have often wondered.
有一天我在香港旅游，我“碰巧”坐在一位看起来很尊贵的女士旁边，我突然认出来她是我另一个表兄的妻子–費明儀–一个香港很有名的歌手。我们愉快简短地寒暄了一下几十年未见竟能偶遇的奇迹，然后，就都消失在拥挤的人群中，而且从那以后，我就再也没有见过她。我常常想，这种情况到底有多偶然？

Another time at the MTR, I saw coming towards the train, a very good friend from Cincinnati, thousands of miles away, Bill, who just happened to be visiting Hong Kong; I loudly shouted out his full Cantonese name, to his utter surprise and delight. And indeed, during another totally separate trip, as I was walking onto the train, I bumped into Bill’s wife Josephine, who was also just visiting Hong Kong. “Just visiting.” We are never really alone, and it is so much fun to meet someone unexpectedly, one in 6-7 million, even if it isn’t Mr. Smith.
还有一次，也是在香港的地铁上，我看见一位来自千里之外辛辛那提的好朋友比尔（Bill）正朝列车走来，他刚好到香港来。我大声用广东话喊出了他的中文名字全名，他惊喜万分。事实上，在另一次完全不同的旅行中，当我走上火车时，我碰到了比尔（Bill）的妻子约瑟芬（Josephine），她也刚刚来香港，而且仅仅就是来旅行。我们从来都不是真正的孤独，和熟人不期而遇真是太有趣了，即使那个人不是史密斯，也是有六、七百万分之一的可能。

Photo 2: Busy MTR, considered the most advanced and efficient mass transit railroad by many: just use the famous Bak Dat Octopus Card anywhere you go, and you might meet a familiar Smith or Bill or Uncle Reggie.
图二:繁忙的港铁，被许多人认为是最先进、最高效的地铁。只要你到任何地方使用著名的八达通卡，你可能就会遇到熟悉的史密斯、比尔（Bill）或曾叔叔（ Uncle Reggie）。

Sometimes I really don’t want to bump into anyone (except the esteemed Reverend?). I was in San Diego giving a talk. I was so very busy with my academic papers, and I had so much work to catch up, I told no one that I was in the city, even though I had nearly 30 relatives there, so I could have some peace and quiet. As I was working in my hotel room, suddenly the phone rang, and a young man said “Uncle Reggie, is that you?” It was my nephew Caleb, so I quickly asked him, rather abruptly, “how did you know I was here?”
有时候我真的不想在外面偶遇任何熟人(除了尊敬的史密斯牧师?)。有次我在圣地亚哥做演讲。我要忙于我的学术论文，有很多工作要赶，就没有告诉在那个城市里的任何我认识的人，即使我有近30个亲戚在那里，我希望可以有一些时间来安静地处理工作。当我正在旅馆房间里工作时，突然房间的电话铃响了，我接起来后，一个年轻人问:“雷吉叔叔（Uncle Reggie）是你吗?”，竟然是我的侄子迦勒打过来的，我惊讶地问他:“你怎么知道我在这里?”

Caleb explained, proudly, “I was attending a meeting in the next hotel, and I happened to stroll over to this hotel. I saw that the topic of the meeting held at the hotel was pediatric nutrition. I asked one of the attendees casually, “do you know Reginald Tsang?’” The attendee exclaimed, “Yes of course, he’s a key speaker at this conference!” “So I just called from the lobby of your hotel, assuming you would like this surprise.” I did not dare express my “real feelings”, and awkwardly told Caleb, “Don’t tell anybody I’m here! I’ll come right down and have lunch with you.” So I was successful in hiding, but only partly. You still might bump into someone that you know, even if you did not want to.
迦勒自豪地解释道:“我当时正在隔壁酒店参加会议，碰巧漫步到这家酒店。我看到在酒店举行的会议的主题是儿科营养。我顺便问其中一个与会者:“你认识雷金纳德·曾（Reginald Tsang）吗?”，与会者惊讶地说“当然，他是这次会议的主要发言人!”。“我在你们酒店的大堂给你打电话，想给你个惊喜。”。我当然没敢表达我的“真实感受”，只得尴尬地告诉迦勒:“不要告诉任何人我在这里!，你等等我，我一会儿会下来跟你吃中饭。”。我就只和他一起吃了午饭。所以我成功地躲藏了起来（当然只是部分成功）。有时即使你不期望，你也可能会撞到你认识的人。

Life is full of “bumping into,” “coincidences” or, I like to call them sometimes “divine appointments” or “tian yi” in Chinese. I have had innumerable tian yi experiences in life, certainly a great reason for me to tell all my uncle Reggie stories! For example, I feel it was really through several such tian yi that I was able to help start an exciting more than 10 year program of visiting scholars to our hospital, which I will write about one day. You just never know whom you might meet, in whatever place and whatever circumstance; often unexpectedly or even unwanted. And unexpected surprises can be pretty inspirational.
生活总是充满了各种“偶遇”、“巧合”，有时我喜欢把它们称为“神圣的约会”或“天意”。我在生活中有无数的这样“天意”的经历，这些经历，是我要讲我的雷吉叔叔故事的理由，也好像是这些经历本来就是这些要讲的故事的预备!例如，我觉得真的是因为“天意”，我才得以在我们医院帮助启动了一个激动人心的已经超过10年的医院访问学者项目（有一天，我会写这个项目）。你永远不知道你会在什么地方、什么情况下遇到什么人;它们总是那么出人意料，有些甚至是你不情愿的。意想不到的惊喜会给你带来灵感。

It is undoubtedly fun if you “bump into” someone “who knows Rev. Smith”, or even better, Rev. Smith’s Master. Certainly I know Rev Smith very well. But I also know his Master personally, as do all the names in this story. I certainly hope indeed, by the greatest tian yi, you are one “who knows him” also.
如果你“撞见”某个“认识史密斯牧师”的人，甚至是史密斯牧师的主人，这无疑是一件很有趣的事。我当然很了解史密斯牧师，我个人也认识“史密斯牧师的主人”，就像在这个故事里提到名字的人也都同样认识“史密斯牧师的主人”。我当然希望，因着最美的“天意”，你也会认识“史密斯牧师的主人” 。