Except from the book – Long Nu first encounter

Here is an excerpt from Tiger Eye, depicting Dela’s meeting of Long Nu at the Beijing Dirt Market (the excerpt has been truncated where “…” appears).

After nearly an hour of browsing, Dela found something perfect for her mother.  Generous rectangles of linen, dyed a vibrant navy, embroidered with delicate stylized flowers–a bouquet of colors, random and perfect.  She bargained like a fiend, dredging up every scrap of charm and language she possessed, and by the end of the transaction, both she and the seller were grinning foolishly.

“Aiii yo,” sighed the older woman, smoothing glossy silver hair away from an oval face that looked at least twenty years younger than her body.  Gold-flecked eyes glittered, but not unkindly.  “It has been a long time since I met a foreigner who made me work for a sale.”

Dela laughed.  “It’s been a long time since I met anyone I enjoyed arguing with.”

The woman quirked her lips, and for a moment her gaze changed, becoming older, darker, wiser.  “I have something else you might want.”

“Ah, no.  I think I have enough.”

The old woman ignored her, already digging through the tapestries and knickknacks piled at her feet.  Dela watched, helpless.  She did not have the heart to simply walk away.  A good haggle created a bond, a certain unspoken etiquette.  The “last chance” possibility of a final transaction.

The late summer heat was growing oppressive; air moved sluggishly between the stalls thick with wares and milling bodies.  The scents of dust and grease tickled Dela’s nose.  Sweat ran down her back.  Slightly bored and uncomfortable, she turned full circle, gazing at the throng of shoppers…

When the old woman popped up with a triumphant sigh, Dela stepped close.

“Behind me,” she whispered, not caring if the woman thought her strange, “there is a man watching you.”

Her gold-flecked gaze flickered; something hard rippled through her face.  “I am used to him.  He seems to think I have something he wants.”

“I don’t like him,” Dela said.

The old woman smiled.  For a moment, her teeth looked sharp, predatory.  “Which is why I am going to do you a favor.  For one yuan, you may have this riddle box.”

Dela stared.  One yuan was an incredibly low price for the Dirt Market, where everything was inflated to exorbitant amounts, especially for foreigners.  She gazed at the object in the old woman’s hands…

“What is the riddle?” Dela asked.

The old woman bared her teeth.  “Choice.”

Dela looked at her sharply and reached for the box.  The woman pulled away, shaking her head.

“Bought and sold,” she whispered, and Dela was struck by the intensity of her stare, more powerful than the gaze of the strange man still observing them.  “It must be bought and sold.  One yuan, please.”

Dela could not bring herself to argue, to refuse.  Despite the odd air surrounding the transaction, the vague uneasiness pricking her spine, she fished a bill from her purse and handed it to the old woman.

Another sigh, and the old woman looked deep into Dela’s eyes.  “A good choice,” she said, and Dela sense some deeper, inexplicable meaning.  She carefully slid the wrapped box into Dela’s purse–a swift act, as though to conceal.  Dela felt uneasy…

The old woman stepped back, smiling, and suddenly was just like any other Dirt Market hawker.

“Bye-bye,” she said, and turned her back on Dela.

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