answered with only a nod, but seemed to be looking at Sadie with a bit more interest than she had previously. Perhaps she sensed the emotional reaction Sadie was trying so hard to hide.
“What does this say?” Sadie asked, pointing at the Chinese symbols.
“It says ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’”
“I’ve heard that quote before,” Pete cut in, sliding his wallet into his back pocket. “It’s a Chinese proverb, right?”
“Well, it was said by the philosopher Lao Tzu, but it has been adopted as a part of Chinese culture. It means that nothing happens if we do nothing.”
She was an articulate girl, and Sadie immediately liked her. “I love it,” she said, brushing her hand over the top of the box again: Ji’s box. She liked to think that the journey toward forming a relationship with Ji was also beginning. “How much?”
“Sixty-five dollars. It’s entirely handcrafted. A man here in Chinatown makes the boxes, and my father paints them.”
Sadie reached into her purse for her wallet, but Pete touched her wrist gently and shook his head. He pulled his own wallet out of his pocket for a second time. Sadie would have argued, but she loved the chivalry, so she thanked him instead.
The girl removed a brown paper sack from beneath the counter and began carefully wrapping up the box. As Sadie watched her, she felt the questions bubbling and couldn’t resist asking at least one. “Is your father Ji Doang?”
The girl looked up at her and nodded.
Sadie couldn’t help but smile. She put her hand to her chest. “My name is Sadie Hoffmiller. My sister was your grandmother, Wendy.”
The girl’s face fell, and her eyes went wide, causing Sadie’s smile to falter. This wasn’t happy news? She remembered Ji had said he and Wendy hadn’t been close, and she wondered if perhaps Ji’s daughter didn’t know what had happened to her grandmother. Or perhaps she did know, and Sadie mentioning it had caused this girl some pain. Sadie swallowed and struggled to find a way to save this situation while the girl looked at her with cautious surprise.
Chapter 6
Afraid she’d inadvertently crossed a line she hadn’t considered,
Sadie attempted to repair her smile. “Um, is your father here?”
The girl finally blinked, but the tension of her reaction didn’t soften much. “He’s cooking.”
The waitress came up behind them and said something in Chinese. The girl looked past Sadie and answered her, also in Chinese, then pointed to Sadie.
Sadie and Pete turned toward the waitress, who was balancing a tray of food on one hand. Sadie kept her smile in place but felt increasingly uncomfortable. Why hadn’t she expected anything but a warm welcome when she met Ji and his family?
The woman came to a stop and looked between them for a few seconds before continuing toward the table she’d come out to serve. Once her tray was empty, she came back to them, the tray tucked under her arm. “Ji is very busy right now. It’s lunchtime. Please find another time to come see him.”
It was the most words the woman had said to them, and Sadie realized that she didn’t have a Chinese accent at all—rather she spoke a kind of formal English, even though the short sentences she’d used up to this point sounded like the halting English of someone not raised to speak the language. Was that some kind of game she played with the tourist customers? Pretending not to know English very well?
“When would be a good time to come back?” Pete asked.
“Wait here. I’ll ask him.”
She headed for the kitchen, and Sadie reviewed her experience so far at Choy’s. The food was good, but the dining area was run-down, the lighting too bright, the service efficient but lacking in warmth or attentiveness to things like keeping her water glass full and welcoming the customers. Sadie didn’t like to be judgmental, but she almost couldn’t help it. It was also disappointing that Ji’s daughter
“What does this say?” Sadie asked, pointing at the Chinese symbols.
“It says ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’”
“I’ve heard that quote before,” Pete cut in, sliding his wallet into his back pocket. “It’s a Chinese proverb, right?”
“Well, it was said by the philosopher Lao Tzu, but it has been adopted as a part of Chinese culture. It means that nothing happens if we do nothing.”
She was an articulate girl, and Sadie immediately liked her. “I love it,” she said, brushing her hand over the top of the box again: Ji’s box. She liked to think that the journey toward forming a relationship with Ji was also beginning. “How much?”
“Sixty-five dollars. It’s entirely handcrafted. A man here in Chinatown makes the boxes, and my father paints them.”
Sadie reached into her purse for her wallet, but Pete touched her wrist gently and shook his head. He pulled his own wallet out of his pocket for a second time. Sadie would have argued, but she loved the chivalry, so she thanked him instead.
The girl removed a brown paper sack from beneath the counter and began carefully wrapping up the box. As Sadie watched her, she felt the questions bubbling and couldn’t resist asking at least one. “Is your father Ji Doang?”
The girl looked up at her and nodded.
Sadie couldn’t help but smile. She put her hand to her chest. “My name is Sadie Hoffmiller. My sister was your grandmother, Wendy.”
The girl’s face fell, and her eyes went wide, causing Sadie’s smile to falter. This wasn’t happy news? She remembered Ji had said he and Wendy hadn’t been close, and she wondered if perhaps Ji’s daughter didn’t know what had happened to her grandmother. Or perhaps she did know, and Sadie mentioning it had caused this girl some pain. Sadie swallowed and struggled to find a way to save this situation while the girl looked at her with cautious surprise.
Chapter 6
Afraid she’d inadvertently crossed a line she hadn’t considered,
Sadie attempted to repair her smile. “Um, is your father here?”
The girl finally blinked, but the tension of her reaction didn’t soften much. “He’s cooking.”
The waitress came up behind them and said something in Chinese. The girl looked past Sadie and answered her, also in Chinese, then pointed to Sadie.
Sadie and Pete turned toward the waitress, who was balancing a tray of food on one hand. Sadie kept her smile in place but felt increasingly uncomfortable. Why hadn’t she expected anything but a warm welcome when she met Ji and his family?
The woman came to a stop and looked between them for a few seconds before continuing toward the table she’d come out to serve. Once her tray was empty, she came back to them, the tray tucked under her arm. “Ji is very busy right now. It’s lunchtime. Please find another time to come see him.”
It was the most words the woman had said to them, and Sadie realized that she didn’t have a Chinese accent at all—rather she spoke a kind of formal English, even though the short sentences she’d used up to this point sounded like the halting English of someone not raised to speak the language. Was that some kind of game she played with the tourist customers? Pretending not to know English very well?
“When would be a good time to come back?” Pete asked.
“Wait here. I’ll ask him.”
She headed for the kitchen, and Sadie reviewed her experience so far at Choy’s. The food was good, but the dining area was run-down, the lighting too bright, the service efficient but lacking in warmth or attentiveness to things like keeping her water glass full and welcoming the customers. Sadie didn’t like to be judgmental, but she almost couldn’t help it. It was also disappointing that Ji’s daughter
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