A Fateful Meeting

As the nobleman made his turn, a little girl, perhaps five years of age, in tattered clothes and no shoes shyly approached Lulu and waited for Lulu's attention. Lulu heard the scuffling sounds of the child's feet, smiled to herself, and looked down. "Hello, little girl," said Lulu cheerfully. The little girl brightened up and said "Ni hao jie," as a greeting for an older sister. Lulu gestured with the fingers of her right hand in the shape of an O and the fingers of her left hand in the shape of a three-sided rectangle. The little girl pointed to the right hand and Lulu picked out the biggest sweet bun they had and handed it to the little girl. She had yet to pick the rectangle, which stood for bread.

The girl brightened up and thanked Lulu by saying, "Xie xie ni, jie, xie xie," as she bowed up and down.

"It's okay," Luly smiled. Then she put her index finger to her lip and quietly said "Shhh" indicating it was their little secret. The little girl smiled and nodded. Lulu turned to look at Mrs. Sun after the little girl had skipped away to make sure it was indeed ok, but Mrs. Sun was busy at her work and looked as if she hadn't seen anything. Still, Lulu could see a slight smile on her lips and felt relieved. Lulu turned back to her work of organizing the bins.

In the late afternoon, a young man, of average build and look, leading a horse by the reins, stopped by the stall. He was dressed in dark blue robes with a matching hat and looked as if he was trying to be taller than he was by the way he was standing with his chest out a little more than looked natural. He spoke some words, but Lulu's eyebrows furrowed in a look that indicated she did not understand. He tried gesturing with his hands. First, he pointed to her, then to himself. And then he motioned with his index and middle fingers pointing down and moving back and forth, indicating a walking motion. Lulu interpreted this to mean that he liked her and wanted to go on a walk with her. She looked down, blushed, and shook her head. He nodded up and down. She shook her head and waved her hands. He then pointed to the horse and then pointed in the direction of the road, but Lulu still shook her head and looked down. He looked at her once more and tilted his head to one side then sighed and walked away.

Lulu smiled and straightened her apron. The young man left the stall, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the woods outside of town at a hard gallop. There he saw the carriage that was waiting for him. It was a plain black carriage devoid of any ornamentation. The only color that could be seen was that on the spokes of the wheel which were the color of the wood from which they were made. Even the curtain that covered the doorway into the carriage from where the driver sat was black. The driver himself wore all black as well and sat stone-faced, holding the reigns of the two horses in front of him with ease and patience, staring ahead as if waiting for a fare.

The man inside lifted the black curtain with a black-gloved hand, just enough to see the darkness inside, and asked, "Well?"

The young man replied, "I couldn't get her to come with me. And she never leaves the store. Forgive me. Give me one more chance."

The stern voice inside the carriage grumbled, "Fine. I have one more job for you to do. But if you don't get it done this time, don't blame me if I'm not kind to you afterward."

The young man shuddered and bowed, "Thank you, Sir."

As twilight fell, Lulu started packing up the last remaining breads from the bins before helping the Suns close the shop for the day. She was stopped by a man asking to buy a piece of bread. He was a burly young man, with his hair in a sloppy top knot, and clothes that seemed just a little too tight. He had mean-looking eyes under thick, furrowed brows, giving a look of intimidation. She grabbed the tissue paper, reached into the basket at her hip, picked up the loaf, handed it to him, and then raised three fingers of her hand to indicate the price. The man seemed upset and began gesturing angrily and saying words that she could not understand.

Lulu felt the anxiety rising like hot water from her stomach to her heart and then to the spot in her throat that became very tight. She could feel herself turning red and her palms were getting sweaty and tingly. It was happening again, but she didn't want to bother Mrs. Sun for help. She motioned with her palms facing up that it was alright. Then she raised two fingers. The man did not seem appeased. He gestured over to Mrs. Sun who was in the back of the stall cleaning up. Lulu shook her head and gestured with her hands back and forth to indicate she could not bother Mrs. Sun. The man became irate and raised his hand to slap her.

Unbeknownst to the angry man, the nobleman who had been watching Lulu earlier was nearby. The nobleman's dark eyes, which were as cool and still as a lake on a spring day, had been surveying the current situation. He sat his horse with grace, but it was clear that he was always on alert and ready to use the sword in the leather sheath at his side. He said nothing but a slight movement of his eyes spoke volumes. Right before the man slapped the young woman, a hand grabbed his and twisted it behind his back. It was the nobleman's attendant. "How dare you assault this young woman in the presence of Young Master Tang." Seeing the nobleman, the burly man dropped to his knees and apologized profusely. He kowtowed up and down, hitting his forehead to the ground. The nobleman dismissed him with the wave of his hand and the attendant helped the man up, scooting him away.

He came down from his horse, approached Lulu and asked her if she was alright. Mrs. Sun had joined Lulu when the attendant had saved her. They both went on their knees and bowed. Mrs. Sun replied, "She does not speak our tongue, but she is fine. Thank you, sir, for your concern." The nobleman bent down and gently eased the shop girl back up by putting his hand under her elbow and helping her rise up.

"There is no need for that," he said.

Lulu lifted her head up, said, "How do you suddenly know English?," and fainted in his arms.