store, opened a drawer, then dashed back.
She showed us a piece depicting a soaring crane above colorful waves. “See? This is an antique piece from the robe of a high Qing official.”
Obviously hoping Aunty would splurge, Plump went on excitedly in a high-pitched voice, her cheeks flushed a lively pink.
But Aunty seemed unimpressed. “Not bad. But do you have something better?”
“Of course, we have the very best work of any store here.”
Again, she disappeared into the back of the store, then quickly returned, this time with a flat wooden box. She opened it very cautiously, as if she were afraid to find out what lurked inside. With a flourish, she lifted off a swatch of yellow cloth, revealing a folded fabric with a proud dragon on the chest.
Plump lifted the object from the box. “Who knows what this is?” she asked, eyes challenging us.
Leilei beat us to the answer. “An emperor’s robe!”
“Correct.” Plump pointed to the different images on the robe and pedantically explained to us what they were—“Dragons are symbols of the Son of Heaven’s absolute power; colored clouds are auspicious; the sun, moon, stars represent the resplendent light of the throne. . . .”
“ Wah, how beautiful!” we all exclaimed—except Aunty.
She seemed preoccupied, as if remembering something sad and dark.
Suddenly she blurted out a question. “Have you heard of an embroiderer by the name of Qiu Niang?”
Plump looked deep in thought for a moment, then answered, “Hmm . . . the name sounds familiar. I think I might have heard of her, but why do you ask?”
“Just curious. She was very famous for a while, but then her fame faded. Now no one knows where she is. I just wonder if she’s still alive.”
“Hmm . . . Yes, Qiu Niang. Now I remember. I think I heard that she became a nun. Or maybe she jumped into a river and the nun is someone else.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“Oh, I can’t remember. You know, there are so many people coming in and out of our store gossiping every day—”
“Do you have any of her work here?”
Plump scratched her round head. “Hmmm . . . I’m not sure. I can go back to our storage room a few miles from here and take a look. But then you may have to wait a day or two. That’s if you want to buy her work, if not . . .”
“I understand.”
“You want me to show you our other works here?”
Aunty waved her hand. “Oh, no. We do not want to trouble you anymore. Thank you for showing us the work, especially the dragon robe.”
And that ended our first glimpse into the life of the emperor’s court.
As we all made our way out of the Lotus Embroidery Shop, we didn’t have the heart to see the disappointment on Plump’s face.
Once we were some distance away from the store, I asked Aunty, “You never mentioned this Qiu Niang. Who is she?”
She cast me a disapproving look. But then said softly, as if to herself, “She’s a very special woman—one of the greatest embroiderers.”
“Even better than you?”
But seemingly lost in thought, Aunty ignored my question. Or maybe she didn’t want to say that someone could be a better embroiderer than she. Soon we were again in front of the photography shop. Aunty was not in a good mood, so maybe she had changed her mind about the picture-taking.
But then she suddenly exclaimed, “That dragon robe is a fake!”
“Fake?” all the girls asked simultaneously.
“Yes, how could anyone get an emperor’s robe and have it in a store just like that?”
Purple said, “That’s true, how come we never thought of that?”
“Then how come the sales woman never thought of that?” I asked.
“Because the world is full of ignorant people who can’t tell a fake when it’s as obvious as the nose on their face,” Aunty hissed.
Now it was Leilei’s turn to ask. “So it’s just a copy?”
“Yes, and it’s a very bad copy.”
Leilei said, “It looks pretty good to me, though.”
Aunty cast her a disgusted
She showed us a piece depicting a soaring crane above colorful waves. “See? This is an antique piece from the robe of a high Qing official.”
Obviously hoping Aunty would splurge, Plump went on excitedly in a high-pitched voice, her cheeks flushed a lively pink.
But Aunty seemed unimpressed. “Not bad. But do you have something better?”
“Of course, we have the very best work of any store here.”
Again, she disappeared into the back of the store, then quickly returned, this time with a flat wooden box. She opened it very cautiously, as if she were afraid to find out what lurked inside. With a flourish, she lifted off a swatch of yellow cloth, revealing a folded fabric with a proud dragon on the chest.
Plump lifted the object from the box. “Who knows what this is?” she asked, eyes challenging us.
Leilei beat us to the answer. “An emperor’s robe!”
“Correct.” Plump pointed to the different images on the robe and pedantically explained to us what they were—“Dragons are symbols of the Son of Heaven’s absolute power; colored clouds are auspicious; the sun, moon, stars represent the resplendent light of the throne. . . .”
“ Wah, how beautiful!” we all exclaimed—except Aunty.
She seemed preoccupied, as if remembering something sad and dark.
Suddenly she blurted out a question. “Have you heard of an embroiderer by the name of Qiu Niang?”
Plump looked deep in thought for a moment, then answered, “Hmm . . . the name sounds familiar. I think I might have heard of her, but why do you ask?”
“Just curious. She was very famous for a while, but then her fame faded. Now no one knows where she is. I just wonder if she’s still alive.”
“Hmm . . . Yes, Qiu Niang. Now I remember. I think I heard that she became a nun. Or maybe she jumped into a river and the nun is someone else.”
“Where did you hear this?”
“Oh, I can’t remember. You know, there are so many people coming in and out of our store gossiping every day—”
“Do you have any of her work here?”
Plump scratched her round head. “Hmmm . . . I’m not sure. I can go back to our storage room a few miles from here and take a look. But then you may have to wait a day or two. That’s if you want to buy her work, if not . . .”
“I understand.”
“You want me to show you our other works here?”
Aunty waved her hand. “Oh, no. We do not want to trouble you anymore. Thank you for showing us the work, especially the dragon robe.”
And that ended our first glimpse into the life of the emperor’s court.
As we all made our way out of the Lotus Embroidery Shop, we didn’t have the heart to see the disappointment on Plump’s face.
Once we were some distance away from the store, I asked Aunty, “You never mentioned this Qiu Niang. Who is she?”
She cast me a disapproving look. But then said softly, as if to herself, “She’s a very special woman—one of the greatest embroiderers.”
“Even better than you?”
But seemingly lost in thought, Aunty ignored my question. Or maybe she didn’t want to say that someone could be a better embroiderer than she. Soon we were again in front of the photography shop. Aunty was not in a good mood, so maybe she had changed her mind about the picture-taking.
But then she suddenly exclaimed, “That dragon robe is a fake!”
“Fake?” all the girls asked simultaneously.
“Yes, how could anyone get an emperor’s robe and have it in a store just like that?”
Purple said, “That’s true, how come we never thought of that?”
“Then how come the sales woman never thought of that?” I asked.
“Because the world is full of ignorant people who can’t tell a fake when it’s as obvious as the nose on their face,” Aunty hissed.
Now it was Leilei’s turn to ask. “So it’s just a copy?”
“Yes, and it’s a very bad copy.”
Leilei said, “It looks pretty good to me, though.”
Aunty cast her a disgusted
Similar Books
