Fruits, flowers and fresh air - the stuff of eternal youth

A university graduate joined our office recently. She is a sunny, youthful and beautiful girl. As her surname is Yang (sun), we call her Angel Sunny. Within a month of joining, Angel Sunny had launched a campaign to "freeze one's youth".

At first, her other three young workmates - Liu, Deng and Wang - were skeptical. One day, we had lunch much later than usual. Before Director Yao had emptied the bottle of beer with me, Angel Sunny had finished a small bowl of rice with vinegar-fried cabbage. She then took out a big apple from her handbag and chewed on it.

"A woman is like an apple - if you don't store it in the fridge while it's fresh, it will be too late in just a few days. No super-fridge can make a dried apple fresh again."

I paid little attention to her apple theory. But the other women urged her to go on. She continued: "To freeze our youth means to store our youthful face in the fridge, so that it will come out fresh as new many years later."

She sounded like a cosmetics agent. But she had her friends' full attention. What was their exact plan? Of course, none of the men bothered to listen.

The next day, it was apparent that the project was no longer Sunny Angel's private business. Liu, one of the ladies, arrived early to boil water and fill the glasses for the others. When all the ladies had arrived, they took out a banana and munched it slowly with the boiled water, which had now cooled.

Next, Director Yao's cigarettes were banned. Barely a second before the director lit his first cigarette, Deng protested: "Director, obviously you don't know how much harm your smoke is doing to our delicate skin. Our efforts will be wasted if you don't find another place to smoke." The director walked out, leaving the ladies very happy.

A few days later, Wang threw a bag of expensive mushrooms on my desk, asking me to exchange seats with her. Her corner was quiet, fit for someone like me to write articles, she said. I said nothing. After all, she had been kind to me.

Later, I found out that she didn't want to sit by the window, as the sun would "cause heavy damage to her delicate skin".

The four ladies often engaged in heated discussions that involved mysterious cosmetic brands, which sounded like incantations to me. Several pots of flowers appeared in the office. The window was opened frequently to let in fresh air.

The men often enjoy fruits offered by the ladies. Sometimes, when I'm really hungry, I will ask: "Does anyone have a fruit?"

I asked Director Yao if he found the youth project hard to accept. He took out a pack of cigarettes, saying: "I used to smoke three packets a day. Now, I'm down to two. My wife is very happy, she has started cooking dinner. I'm wondering if I should tell my daughter about the project."

Both of us smiled, for we had also benefited from the youth project.

Beijing Youth Daily has contributed to the story

(China Daily 04/16/2008 page20)