The New Tales of Old Shanghai
Po Leung Kuk Hong Kong Taoist Association Yuen Yuen Primary School , Wong , Maisy - 11
C indy stood in front of his dad ’ s office door , her palms sweating and her pulse racing ... Cindy was your average 10-year-old , black waist-length hair and big , brown-eyed girl . She lived in a small apartment in Yuen Long , Hong Kong with her mother and 4-year-old brother , Timmy . Cindy was always cheerful and she took great care of her family . Her dad worked in Shanghai , as the job there provided him more money . They weren ’ t happy with the arrangement , but they knew it was necessary to survive . One day , Cindy was baking strawberry cupcakes . She was a great baker and she loved baking strawberry cupcakes , as they reminded her of Dad . When Mom and Timmy tried them , they both claimed they were scrumptious . It was so delicious , Mom decided to send her to Shanghai to see her dad . Not only could Cindy show him her great baking skills , she could show him how much she had grown since he left . At first , Cindy was nervous and didn ’ t want to go . She hadn ’ t seen her dad since she was three . Then , after some encouragement from her family , she reluctantly agreed to go . To prepare her for the trip , Mom gave her a red backpack with a Hello Kitty theme with some food , two bottles of water and some money inside . Cindy had to travel on her own , as she was the only person with a holiday and free to go . Timmy needed to go to school and Mom had to take care of him . Mom also wrote where Dad ’ s company is in her notebook , while Cindy baked more cupcakes and put them in a box . Cindy put the notebook in her backpack , grabbed the box of cupcakes and waved goodbye to her family before leaving . Since Cindy ’ s family was poor , Mom could only afford a ticket for the cheapest train in HK . It would take longer than usual , but Cindy was more than happy to gain the opportunity to see her dad . At the train station , she managed to find train A15 after getting lost multiple times . She sat on a bench , waiting for the train to arrive . After half an hour , it finally did . She got on the train and headed for Shanghai . On the train , people were either sitting on their assigned seats or walking around . Cindy was one of those people sitting down . She was prone to getting car sickness , so she sat on her chair eating her lunch made by her mom . The people that didn ’ t stay in their seats were either finding their friends or getting food . The meals on the train consisted of a piece of French toast , a bowl of fried rice and a drink of the customer ’ s choice . Throughout the whole ride , Cindy was thinking about seeing her dad . She kept one of her hands on the box of cupcakes to keep it from spilling . After three hours , the train that carried Cindy and the other customers finally arrived in Shanghai . Cindy ’ s first impression of Shanghai was that it smelled salty . Then , she remembered what her mom had once said . Shanghai , like Hong Kong , relied on fishing . Fishing was a big business in Shanghai , so the air always smelled like the sea . Around her , shopkeepers screamed for people to buy their products . Man-powered carts went around the streets , looking for people that wanted a ride . Upon arriving in her dad ’ s work city , Cindy took her notebook out to see where Dad ’ s company was . She took another bus , Bus A11 and headed to her dad ’ s company , CDs For You . Inside , another worker came to greet Cindy . The worker led her to her dad ’ s office . Cindy stood in front of his dad ’ s office door , her palms sweaty and her pulse racing . Ironically , he was actually thinking about Cindy at that moment . He had no idea his daughter was about to enter his own office . His dad went from shocked to astounded to happy in seconds . “ Cindy ? Is that you ? What , b-but how ?” He said , stuttering . “ Yes , Dad . It ’ s me , Cindy .” Cindy said , laughing . “ I came from HK to visit you . Mom sent me so I could show her what a great baker I am .” “ Really ?!” Dad replied . After a few minutes of letting Cindy freshen up , Dad tasted her cupcakes . “ It- it ’ s delicious . Cindy , you ’ ve grown so much . I ' m so proud of you .” He said and he meant it . Later , they met one last time before Cindy left . “ Good bye , Cindy . I ’ ll miss you .” Dad said , waving goodbye to his daughter . “ I ’ ll miss you , Dad .” Cindy replied , before heading on the train and heading back to HK .