Very much so, she agrees. We see people from all over Beiguo—even from outside of it. Every day some group is off to a new destination. Every day someone new comes through our doors. Today it’s you. What brought you from the top of your mountain?
We hoped we could speak to the line keeper about getting more food to our village, I explain.
Her puzzled expression answers before she does. I don’t know anything about that. I never even knew your village existed. And who is this line keeper?
The curtain shifts again, and the woman who was serving the tables appears before us. Tall and willowy, she is dressed in silk, but I’m unprepared for it up close. Skirts of purest white—a color rare in everyday dress in our village—are covered by a long robe of the richest green silk imaginable. It is like spring has been spun into fabric. Cranes embroidered in golden thread dance across her robe; their glitter reflects in the sparkling golden pins that hold her hair into two buns. Her hair is equally incredible, the color of sunlight, and her green eyes sparkle. I’ve never seen features like that, not in our village of dark hair and eyes. Some sort of red paint makes her lips shine, and a dusting of powder gives her skin a fair, delicate hue. She is like someone from a story, and she makes me forget what we were talking about.
Beside her, I feel small, dirty, and plain. And that’s before I see how Li Wei is looking at her. His eyes are wide, as though that is the only way he could possibly take in so much beauty. After several awed seconds, he clamps his mouth shut to stop himself from gaping. I’m pretty sure I looked exactly the same way when I saw him emerge covered in gold from the mines so long ago.
She smiles at both of us, lingering on Li Wei a beat longer than me, before turning to Xiu Mei. She speaks, and her voice is high and light, reminding me of the birds I’ve heard singing. Xiu Mei smiles in return, speaks briefly, and then turns toward us. Lu Zhu is curious about you, she signs. Don’t worry—she’s used to me speaking with the others like you. She won’t tell.
Is that her real hair? Li Wei asks.
Xiu Mei says something to Lu Zhu, making both women laugh. Li Wei blushes, guessing the joke was at his expense. Yes, says Xiu Mei. She comes from a land outside of Beiguo, and all her people are like that. She works here now, just as I do. She’s come to see if you want dinner or rice wine, but I’m guessing neither of you has money.
We shake our heads. Xiu Mei opens her mouth to speak, and then a loud noise draws their attention back toward the center of the room. Some of the men in the center have begun moving the heavy wooden tables. Lu Zhu shakes her head in dismay, and Xiu Mei looks annoyed as she gets to her feet.
What’s going on? I ask.
They’re playing that stupid game again, she says. I need to go and make sure no one gets hurt by the . . .
I don’t understand the last word she says because it’s another unknown sign. She hurries over to where a group of men is huddled around one of the tables. Li Wei and I exchange puzzled glances and then rise at the same time to see what is happening.
A man with a gray-streaked black beard holds a small box in front of him. He lifts the lid, and everyone leans forward. I need to get closer to see and am small enough to slip forward between two larger men. My breath catches when I discover what’s in the box: a scorpion. It’s a little smaller than my hand, its carapace gleaming black. The man says something and nods to a boy standing near him. The boy produces a small leather bag and spills its contents onto the table: a pile of gleaming gold coins.