Say hi to this guy. He works at a restaurant in Beijing.
I go to his restaurant almost every day for lunch. It’s a self-service place with a token system. When you order food, he gives you a token number. Once your food is ready, he calls out the number. Then, you pick up your food from the counter and enjoy your meal.
I don’t know his name. We don’t speak the same language, so we’ve never had a conversation. He remembers me because I’m probably the only person there who doesn’t look Chinese.
Our connection is simple. I visit the restaurant, and he places my order without me even asking. He knows exactly what I eat. I’ve never seen him take food to anyone’s table, but for me, he always brings it over. He even says something in Chinese, which I think means, “Enjoy your meal.”
Whenever I pass by the restaurant, he smiles at me. When I leave, he smiles. When I reach the counter, he smiles.
One day, the restaurant was super crowded. There was barely any space to sit or even stand. But he stopped taking orders for a minute just to bring my food to my table. I’m pretty sure the other customers weren’t too happy about that!
For the last three months, this has been our routine. I can’t think of anything kinder than this, especially from someone I don’t know and can’t even talk to.