Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Hello My Little Friend
The large wall in front of them got bigger as they approached. They had sold off their horses right before getting to the capital. A large entrance of a red gate was wide open, situated with inspection soldiers for those entering the capital. Kun Shang and them got in line along with everyone else.
As they entered the capital walls, Xiu'er could tell that Kun Shang immediately felt at peace. He took a deep inhale of relaxation while his shoulders rolled back and his chest puffed out, then he exhaled and finally smiled. Probably because he was in his territory.
The capital was a city to live for. It's filled with famous foods such as roasted duck, braised beef, chicken soup, stir fried pork, meat buns, chow mien noodles, candied fruits, and so much more. The aroma of ginseng, garlic, green onions, cilantro, galanga, and cinnamon filled the nostrils of every person on the street. There are probably more than 12 different ways you could entertain yourself while in the capital. Entertainments such as the teahouse, the theater, puppet shows, street shows, brothels, festivals and so much more scattered at every corner. Its streets are always bustling with noises, colors, lights, and people.
The gates to the capital were flooded with hundreds of merchants every single day, carrying goods from all across the world making it the most cultured city in the country. From Persian jewelry to Indian spices, eastern fish to southern fabrics, all these travel through the Silk Road and into the capital.
The first thing they wanted to do was browse the fascinating city, its markets, and what it has to offer. Xiu'er was the first one to propose the idea of splitting up to explore, but they must pick a restaurant to meet up for dinner. Kun Shang was hesitant, but at the same time he needed his time alone and let Xiu'er cause trouble somewhere else. He split up some money to the four of them and pointed to where the rendezvous inn was. Before he could even finish with his instructions, they were already walking in different directions.
Silang wanted his freedom from everyone else, so he took off. Even from his sister.
Probably to a brothel somewhere, Xiu'er thought as she flicked her nose with her thumb.
Xiaogua went with Xiu'er and while walking next to her, apologized once more for almost killing her in the town with the muddy river. After the event, the local village man had blatantly accused Xiaogua of being a water demon and rejected his offering with a scoff. Why else would the town be flooded the next day without rain? And why was it that he could catch the fish in one night? With his bare hands!
"Water demon! You must be a water demon!" the man said and ran to notify the villagers. Very quickly, the villagers had gathered and threatened to burn down the abandoned house they were staying at. They had no choice but to leave as soon as possible.
Her heart ached to see how humble Xiaogua had reacted to the villager's accusations. He had apologized to them, let them malign him, and threw things at him while he just stood there, taking it all in with eyes so deep and broken.
Xiu'er and Xiaogua talked while wandering the city and ended up at the outskirts of the capital where the poor people resided, which looked like a totally different village compared to the rest of the city. A'Li had been getting used to Xiaogua's shoulder as he refused to stay on Xiu'er's shoulder any longer. She thought maybe it was the wider space, or A'Li's habit of claiming things to be his new territory when he gnawed on him.
In the slums, they saw many poor people who looked just like Xiu'er when Kun Shang first met her, or even worse. Two men were sleeping on foul stenched hay against the walls of alleyways. A shabby woman with a nestful of hair was scrounging in a pile of garbage and eating rotten food. A whole family lay in sickness right outside their neighbors shabby hut.
In this area, the houses were low and made of clay, straw and reused wood pieces. The street shoulders had trenches full of sewage water that stank. However, that didn't bother the children from having their fun in the neighborhood.
Xiu'er took out the red money bag and shared Gou Qingzhao's money to the overflowing crowd of impoverished and malnutritioned people until the bag was almost empty.
"Xiu'er, who would've thought that you stole to give back to the poor." Xiaogua said with a smile after the crowd had disappeared.
"Of course! I am most well known among the beggars throughout the country because of this," she proudly announced. Xiaogua was only joking at first, but it seemed like she was actually really proud of it.
Xiu'er and Xiaogua encountered a homeless little girl about five years old playing blindfold in the streets with some friends. She was smaller and more petite than the rest, wearing a brown dress with a sunflower embroidered on her chest. All of her hair was pulled up into two buns on either side of her head, secured by pink ribbons. Her cheeks were chubby, her laughter contagious and her smile was missing the two front teeth.
The little girl bumped into Xiu'er. She stepped back and opened her blindfold, then looked Xiu'er up and down.
"What are you doing here? You're not one of my friends. Are you here to challenge me to see who's the prettiest?" The little girl peeled back sweaty strands of hair from her face then pointed to the animal sitting on Xiaogua's shoulder with large eyes. "Is that a monkey?"
Xiu'er put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "What is this little turd saying? That I'm not pretty? Hey stupid kid, you haven't even grow your adult teeth yet and you still have baby fat on those cheeks." She reached a hand out and pinched the little girl's cheek. The little girl grunted a high pitched noise of slight pain and Xiu'er let go. "So don't come here telling me that you're any prettier than me, got it?"
The kid rubbed her cheek that now had a pink spot. "Well you're certainly not as pretty as the lady in black I saw this morning."
Xiu'er was surprised by the statement comparing her beauty and rolled up her sleeve to teach the little girl a lesson, but Xiaogua stopped her. The little girl continued to rant on about the beautiful lady in black she met who was definitely a lot prettier than Xiu'er. Xiu'er doesn't match up to her one bit.
That's strange, Xiu'er thought. Could she be talking about the same person?
She asked the little girl if she had seen the lady in black's face before, and the little girl nodded her head.
They met by the river earlier today. The lady in black told her a story about a Prince who fell in love with a girl with a bowl on her head. Afraid that she was ugly, she had put a bowl over her head and refused to let anyone see her face. One day, she saved a Prince's life who quickly fell in love with her, not with her looks but with her soul. He brought her back to the Palace but little did he know that the Harem was the very heart of jealousy and evil. The girl with the bowl over her head received a difficult life for years before the Prince finally convinced the Emperor to allow him to marry her as a concubine. Many years passed, the Prince had never loved another and even with her low status title, he only had her in his heart until the day she died. And even then, he had never seen her face.
"Little Girl, what is your name?" Xiu'er couldn't help but ask.
"Yaoyao."
"Ok Yaoyao, let me tell you something. What you've heard was only a version of the actual story. The real story was that at one point, the Prince's fiancee forced the girl to remove that bowl on her head and she did. She turned out to be the most beautiful girl in the entire kingdom. When the Emperor saw her, he quickly arranged for his son's marriage." The little girl scratched her head before agreeing that that was a better and happier ending. "You know, you really remind me of my little siblings--"
"Xiu'er, are you talking about A'Li?" Xiaogua scratched the monkey's chin.
"Don't be ridiculous. A'Li is special to me. I'm talking about human families I made on the way. Doudou and Xiaotu are just as cute as you, but they know their manners and it's important to show respect to your elders. Only then will you have good fortune to grow up pretty. Isn't that what you want?"
Yaoyao looked regretful and apologetic. Xiu'er smiled at the small child who didn't know any better and patted her on the head. Yaoyao had both hands behind her back and was twisting her body from side to side, her head still down in an innocent embarrassment.
"That's ok. Here, instead of playing whatever you were doing, let me show you an even better game."
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