Fried Dough Sticks

"How about some noodles?' Huajun said eagerly.

The three women were wandering the busy streets, looking hopefully for somewhere to eat. Suzhen, who thought they would celebrate at a tavern with some roast meat and wine, and a few dishes, wisely said nothing. She looked thoughtfully at Huajun's hopeful face, and the way they held onto their small purses tightly as they pushed their way through the crowd.

"Or some porridge, maybe. If we spend too much we may not have enough to buy anything else after that," warned Granny Hong, pulling them determinedly together with her. "I'm not leaving without my haw stick! Suzhen, what do you think? Porridge, or noodles?"

Suzhen did not reply. She was watching the people in the crowd keenly, and she had noticed that two faces seemed to be reappearing around them constantly. A young man with a thin face and shifty eyes kept brushing by Huajun's side, and when Suzhen turned her head she saw a girl's face duck out of sight behind them several times. They were being followed. Why, she could not understand; surely their plain clothes made it clear that they were just poor villagers here to visit? She did not realize that to pickpockets, and thugs, the villagers were easy prey, since they were gullible and unfamiliar with the town. Even though they might not have much money, they would never dare complain to the yamen, and there was always the chance that some might have brought their savings to town to spend on something special.

Just then, the young man suddenly lunged sideways and gave Granny Hong a hard push. If Suzhen had not quickly caught her arm, Granny Hong would have fallen forward.

"Watch where you're going, mister! What bad manners, to push an old lady!" cried Huajun crossly, turning on him.

"You're the one who pushed me! Country bumpkins, don't even know how to walk on the streets properly. Where are your eyes?" he snapped back at her touchily.

Huajun reached instinctively for her cudgel. The young man's eyes travelled to her hand and he hurriedly stepped back. "Well, count yourself lucky that I'll let you and your grandma off this time. Make sure you don't go around making trouble on the city streets, or you'll get kicked back to the village where you belong!" he retorted.

Suzhen was not listening. She looked around swiftly and sure enough, was just in time to see the girl coming up behind Granny Hong. With a quick motion, she slapped the girl's outstretched hand just as she reached for the small purse hanging from Granny Hong's belt, and bent the wrist sharply backwards.

The girl gave a gasp of pain and tried to pull her hand away, but Suzhen pulled her close with a savage twist. "Don't make a noise, or I'll tell everyone that you and your friend over there are pickpockets, and you'll be pulled to pieces in this crowd," she said lowly. The girl stared back at her with defiant but frightened eyes, teeth showing like a wild animal.

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Suzhen's voice was cold and hard. "Stealing from a poor old woman who barely has any money, and pushing her down as well. Don't you care that an elderly person could easily break a bone like that?"

She stared piercingly into her eyes, and then shook her off with a sound of disgust. Making a gesture to her accomplice, the girl melted into the crowd instantly, wincing as she shook her stinging wrist.

"How irritable the townspeople are," complained Granny Hong. "It's at times like this that I wouldn't mind having Yuanzheng with me."

She patted Huajun and Suzhen's arms. "But the two of you are taking good care of me."

Huajun pointed eagerly. "That stall over there looks good. There's a table we could sit at."

They slowly made their way towards the little stall, where a fresh-faced young woman was dishing out steaming porridge from a pot into a stack of chipped bowls. Next to her, her husband deftly fished golden dough sticks out of boiling oil with a pair of long wooden chopsticks. The smell of fried dough filled the air with a heavenly aroma.

"Boss! Three bowls of porridge and dough sticks," called Huajun, thumping her bundle down on the table. With a groan of relief, Granny Hong settled herself carefully down on a rickety stool. "Ah, it's good to sit a while and rest! I declare, these legs of mine are really getting more and more worthless."

She watched the couple tending their porridge stall, absently. "That man looks a bit like my LiJing," she remarked wistfully.

Suzhen rested her chin on her hands. "LiJing? Is that Yuanzheng's father?"

Granny Hong nodded.

There was a brief silence. "What was he like?" Suzhen said suddenly.

"Oh, he was a kind man. Not the most talkative. He often would go a whole day barely saying anything to me. His parents thought I was a good worker, and strong, so they arranged the marriage. My mother was so afraid they would change their mind, she forbade me to say a word throughout the whole ceremony--she always told me I talked too much for a girl." She shook her head with a smile.

"On our wedding night, he was so nervous, he didn't say a thing to me. He took off the veil and we sat there staring at each other, and I'm convinced we would have done so till morning, if I hadn't mustered my courage to open my mouth first. I told him, 'Look here, Li Jing. The two of us are married now and we both want our parents to be happy. You do your best to treat me well, and I'll do my best to be a good wife. You don't have to talk to me, if you feel nervous. That's fine with me. I'll do all the talking--and if you don't like it then just tell me to be quiet.' "

Granny Hong chuckled softly. "Then he spoke, for the first time. 'No, I like it,' was all he said. But that was enough for me."

Another silence. Suzhen watched Granny Hong's face, and asked carefully, "What happened to him, Granny Hong?"

"When Yuanzheng was a baby, Li Jing got into trouble. He was cutting wood in the forest one day, and the tree happened to fall on a young noble who was hunting on the mountains. It killed his horse and broke his leg. We were lucky he didn't die."

"But Li Jing?"

"The young noble's men beat him and left him for dead on the mountains. When he didn't come back, I went looking for him. I was half crazy with fear and anxiety, and I didn't even care about the wolves...all I knew was that something must have happened to him. When I found him, he was still conscious, but they had broken almost every bone in his body. He could still recognize me, though! I got help. We carried him onto a cart and dragged him back, groaning every time the cart jerked."

"Did he--"

Granny Hong abruptly sighed. "He didn't die. But he could never move around on his own after that. For all I know, he might have hurt his brain as well, because he hardly spoke. But then he had always been so quiet. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether he understood us or not. Yet, he would smile at me, and sometimes he would pat my hand. He died six years ago."

"Your husband was just starting to help out his uncle then," she added, looking at Suzhen. "He was very patient with Li Jing, and would often drop by to visit him. That's why Physician Xu will always have a soft place in my heart."

She smiled. "But there. Listen to me talk about the sad things of the past, like old women like to do! Here comes our food."

She reached out and grabbed a dough stick, blowing hastily on it as it scalded her fingers. "Let's eat while it's hot! After this, we're going to go have some fun--see all the trinkets they have to sell, and watch the street performers, and of course--"

"Of course, get your haw stick," Huajun finished for her in a muffled voice, sinking her teeth into a dough stick.