The Language of Threads Read Online Free PDF Page B

were only two old servants who had long been part of their family.
    â€œAnd would I stay here?” Pei asked.
    Ah Woo nodded. “Chen tai is a very busy woman. She’s often invited to social events and her cheongsams must be ready and waiting for her. You will be the
saitong
, the wash-and-iron amah. Fong cares for Ying-ying, and Leen is the cook amah. Then there are the two drivers and Wing, the gardener. Two girls come in to clean every week, and I make sure the general running of the household continues smoothly”—Ah Woo smiled—“which is sometimes more difficult than you can imagine!”
    Pei nodded, weighing another question. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
    â€œWhat is it?”
    â€œI have a younger cousin whom I care for,” Pei began, thinking her request might carry more weight if Ji Shen were a family relation. “She has to come with me.”
    Ah Woo’s smile disappeared as she shook her head. “I’m afraid Chen tai won’t be happy with the situation.”
    Pei stood up, feeling the job slip through her fingers. “Then I’m sorry to have taken up your time,” she said.
    Ah Woo placed both of her plump hands on the table and pushed herself up. “Let me see what I can do,” she said. “You wait here.” She gestured for Pei to sit back down and finish drinking her tea.
    By the time Pei had walked back to Ma-ling’s boardinghouse, her head throbbed and her legs felt weak. She stopped in front of the herbalist store downstairs and wondered if he carried the white-flower and snake-tongue-grass tea that Moi used to brew at thegirls’ house when one of them couldn’t sleep. Pei hesitated, then pushed the door open. It was cool and dark inside, the musty aroma of herbs and dried abalone immediately enveloping her. Leaves in muted black, brown, and green, dried orange-red berries, roots, and gnarled branches lay in open wooden barrels. Behind the crowded counter, rows and rows of small drawers stood against the wall. And in one of the dusty jars on the counter, Pei recognized two bear paws floating in a cloudy liquid.
    â€œHello?” she called out softly. Her voice echoed through the room and back to her. She felt a whisper of wind brush against her neck, and was just about to turn and leave when an old man appeared from behind a curtain.
    â€œYes, how can I help you?” His slight, wiry build and kind eyes put Pei at ease.
    â€œI need some tea,” she said.
    â€œYes, yes, I have all kinds of tea. Medicinal or for drinking pleasure?”
    â€œTo help me sleep.” Just saying the word made Pei suddenly weary.
    â€œAh.” He slipped behind the counter and opened several drawers that Pei knew contained his magic. “Here we are,” he said, measuring different dark leaves into a white piece of paper. “And just a dash of chrysanthemum. You will sleep like a child.” He folded the paper and wrote “Dream Tea” on it in Chinese characters, then pushed the small package across the counter.
    â€œThank you,” Pei said as she paid the herbalist.
    â€œAfter you’ve eaten. Before you go to bed,” he instructed.
    Pei nodded. Then, as she walked out, he added, “If the tea fails, let me know. Every person is different. Fortunately, there are as many teas as there are days of the year.”
    Outside the shop, Pei found Quan and his rickshaw parked near the doorway of the boardinghouse. Ji Shen stood by the doorspeaking to him, curling the end of her braid around her fingers. When he heard Pei approaching, Quan turned and blushed.
    â€œHello, missee, I came by to see if everything was all right.” He smiled.
    Pei smiled back. “Everything’s fine. We’re getting settled here.”
    â€œAnytime you would like a quick tour of Hong Kong, I’d be glad to take you.” He glanced at Ji Shen. “Free of charge, of