Missing Books, Left and Right

Last week, my textbook 老外在中国 (Laowai zai Zhongguo--Foreigner in China) disappeared. I'd had it with me when I went into a restaurant to play Chinese chess--my new distraction--with some local cabbies. The games were interesting enough that I forgot to take my book with me when I headed home.

Last year, this wouldn't have been a problem, since forgotten personal possessions were generally treated with more than their due respect out in the untamed boondocks of Bao'an. I once left a copy of "Zorba the Greek" at a restaurant, only to return the next day and find it set upon its own little table, perfectly centered on the table cloth. Here in civilized Nanshan, though, it's a different story. I returned to the restaurant the next day and inquired after the book. Though the waiter seemed unable to understand my question, one of the cooks spoke up quickly, "老外在中国!" I affirmed this, and the waiter went off to find the manager while the cook babbled the title over and over again.

The manager showed up just to tell me, "没有; 没见 (meiyou, meijian--don't have, didn't see)," with a shifty sort of look in his eyes. I suspect he just decided to take it home, since he has been making some half-hearted attempt to learn English. Now that Jia has managed to order the same book online and the loss doesn't irritate quite as much, I can finally find hilarity in the situation; that someone out there is probably using my Chinese textbook to learn English--and learn miserably bad English at that, since the book's author is no whiz in the language, forming conversations like the following (set in a doctor's office):
D: What's wrong with you?
P: I feel uncomfortable.
D: Where do you feel not good?
P: My body has the ache.
D: It should be caused by the cold.

Elsewhere, more books have disappeared. Having met "a nice girl, I thought" at a party, Baolou later invited her over to his apartment, from which she promptly lifted his teaching materials. At least this second person (however not nice she may be) is pretty sharp and will be studying well-constructed English in the future.