closely at her sister, “You’re blushing. Did something happen in the cave?”
“Nice try. You can’t see me blushing in moonlight.”
“Come on, Sharon. Tell me. I see the look on your face when Nobul and Namu chatted.”
Really? Was she so obvious?
“Well,” Sharon yielded to her sister’s coax, “I got scared by a cave worm. And he…helped me out. That was it.”
“Um!” Charlene considered, “it was not just ‘it!’ It sounds quite romantic!”
“Stop it.” Sharon’s cheek burned.
But Charlene wouldn’t. “Sharon and Nobul, how could I not think of it earlier? It’ll be fun!”
“What’re you talking about? I’m not here for fun. Besides, they’re a pair, aren’t they? Nobul and Namu. Is the child Nobul’s?”
“No, Binma is not Nobul’s child. But Namu is definitely interested in Nobul. In fact, every woman in the village, single or married, is.”
Sharon wasn't happy to hear that. “Then he must be very busy at nights.”
“Maybe. He is called “Prince” by the tourist agents, which really means Playboy. By the way, he hates it when people call him that.”
“Really?” Sharon laughed. No wonder he looked embarrassed earlier. “So is he indeed a playboy?”
“I have no idea.” Charlene shrugged. “He doesn’t have a regular girlfriend although he does flirt with the tourists sometimes.”
“Then he’s a playboy.”
“If you insist. But a millionaire playboy.”
“A millionaire?” Sharon raised her eyebrows again. Mountain elite was all she could imagine him to be. A millionaire was too much.
“Yes. Hard to imagine, isn’t it. Self made too. He’s a world famous architect and has a company in Chengdu.”
“No kidding? What kind of buildings does he design?”
“Ethnic style hotels, like Shangari-la. He and his brother built this one, from the house itself, to tables, chairs and beds. He has been a carpenter since he was a child, and is especially good with wood carving, which is a distinct feature in his design.”
“I have noticed it. So did he do all the woodcarvings here in the hotel?”
“Some of it. Some were done by his employees. He has a wood-carving factory in Chengdu and also one here in the village. It provides a major source of cash income for the villagers. But I'm sure he did some of the windows. He likes windows and says they're the most important artistic features in a house.”
“Really?” Sharon looked at the window frame near her. It was ca r ved in intricate geometric patterns constructed with small squares radiating from a bigger square in the center. She wondered how long it would take to carve that many squares. Could a man with such size and blunt manner do such meticulous work?
“So, what do you think?” Charlene teased her sister, who was still gazing at the window frame.
Sharon moved her gaze to Charlene. “I think it’s astonishing. China has become something entirely different from the one that I knew. Mountain millionaires, my goodness, who could have thought of it twenty years back…”
“Sister, I’m asking what you think of him, Nobul.”
“Oh,” Sharon avoided her sister’s eyes and mumbled, “I think he is impressive, sis. And I wonder why you haven’t fallen for
“Nice try. You can’t see me blushing in moonlight.”
“Come on, Sharon. Tell me. I see the look on your face when Nobul and Namu chatted.”
Really? Was she so obvious?
“Well,” Sharon yielded to her sister’s coax, “I got scared by a cave worm. And he…helped me out. That was it.”
“Um!” Charlene considered, “it was not just ‘it!’ It sounds quite romantic!”
“Stop it.” Sharon’s cheek burned.
But Charlene wouldn’t. “Sharon and Nobul, how could I not think of it earlier? It’ll be fun!”
“What’re you talking about? I’m not here for fun. Besides, they’re a pair, aren’t they? Nobul and Namu. Is the child Nobul’s?”
“No, Binma is not Nobul’s child. But Namu is definitely interested in Nobul. In fact, every woman in the village, single or married, is.”
Sharon wasn't happy to hear that. “Then he must be very busy at nights.”
“Maybe. He is called “Prince” by the tourist agents, which really means Playboy. By the way, he hates it when people call him that.”
“Really?” Sharon laughed. No wonder he looked embarrassed earlier. “So is he indeed a playboy?”
“I have no idea.” Charlene shrugged. “He doesn’t have a regular girlfriend although he does flirt with the tourists sometimes.”
“Then he’s a playboy.”
“If you insist. But a millionaire playboy.”
“A millionaire?” Sharon raised her eyebrows again. Mountain elite was all she could imagine him to be. A millionaire was too much.
“Yes. Hard to imagine, isn’t it. Self made too. He’s a world famous architect and has a company in Chengdu.”
“No kidding? What kind of buildings does he design?”
“Ethnic style hotels, like Shangari-la. He and his brother built this one, from the house itself, to tables, chairs and beds. He has been a carpenter since he was a child, and is especially good with wood carving, which is a distinct feature in his design.”
“I have noticed it. So did he do all the woodcarvings here in the hotel?”
“Some of it. Some were done by his employees. He has a wood-carving factory in Chengdu and also one here in the village. It provides a major source of cash income for the villagers. But I'm sure he did some of the windows. He likes windows and says they're the most important artistic features in a house.”
“Really?” Sharon looked at the window frame near her. It was ca r ved in intricate geometric patterns constructed with small squares radiating from a bigger square in the center. She wondered how long it would take to carve that many squares. Could a man with such size and blunt manner do such meticulous work?
“So, what do you think?” Charlene teased her sister, who was still gazing at the window frame.
Sharon moved her gaze to Charlene. “I think it’s astonishing. China has become something entirely different from the one that I knew. Mountain millionaires, my goodness, who could have thought of it twenty years back…”
“Sister, I’m asking what you think of him, Nobul.”
“Oh,” Sharon avoided her sister’s eyes and mumbled, “I think he is impressive, sis. And I wonder why you haven’t fallen for
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