Fortune Is a Woman - Elizabeth Adler [75]
A woman opened the door and he told her he had come to see the Honorable Elder.
“Who is it wishes to see him?” she asked warily, half closing the door.
“Tell the Honorable Elder that Ke Lai Tsin from Anhwei Province wishes to speak with him on a matter of business.” He used his family name “Ke” for the first time in many years and it felt strange on his tongue. The old woman closed the door abruptly in his face and Lai Tsin’s new self-respect shriveled with every minute he waited. He reminded himself he had twelve thousand dollars wrapped in the red silk bandana under his arm, that he was a man of substance and responsibility now, and he pulled himself taller and lifted his chin higher.
At last the door opened again and the old woman reluctantly bade him follow her into a spacious downstairs room. He glanced around, marveling at the many treasures it contained, at the porcelain vases, the carved jade animals, the soft silken carpets and screens inlaid with mother-of-pearl. There were painted scrolls and calligraphy, tassled lanterns and ivory figurines. A carved altar table from the Ming Dynasty held a collection of Han bronze dressing mirrors, jade bowls, and Tang sculptures. Elegant blackwood chairs were crammed in between enameled chests and tables and a dozen Chinese clocks ticked away the passing of time. The darkened room was filled with the old man’s earthly riches and Lai Tsin was afraid to move in case he knocked into something and broke one of the valuable pieces.
A man entered the room, wrapping his padded silk jacket closer around him, trying to keep the cold out of his old bones. His bald head gleamed in the lamplight, his eyebrows slanted ferociously upward and his long moustache drooped into his pointed white beard. Lai Tsin bowed quickly three times, seeking courage to speak to such an important and rich personage.
“Honorable Grandfather,” he said nervously, calling him “Grandfather” as a sign of great respect for his venerable age, “I am here on a matter of business. Because of the earthquake there are many shortages in Chinatown. Our people do not have the things they need and the merchants who have lost everything are slow to return to their businesses. It is my wish to leave my lowly standing and become a merchant, importing things directly from China.”
The old man’s dark eyes bored into him, assessing his poor clothing, his thinness and his air of need. “And how do you propose to start this business, Ke Lai Tsin?” he asked.
Lai Tsin unwrapped the red silk bandana. “With my twelve thousand dollars, Honorable Grandfather. And, good joss be with me, also with an extra sum borrowed from the rotating credit and yourself as the Honorable Banker.”
The old man’s expression did not change as he looked at the bundle of money, but when he looked back at Lai Tsin, his eyes hardened. “And where does a poor coolie come across such a sum?”
Lai Tsin lifted himself taller and said proudly, “Just yesterday, Honorable Elder, the man you see before you was a gambler. Yesterday he won these many dollars and gained face as a man of substance. And today the peasant Lai Tsin will become a merchant and a man of respect.”
The elder nodded, satisfied that he had not stolen his new wealth. “Tell me your ideas for your new business,” he commanded, summoning the old woman to bring jasmine tea while he listened to Lai Tsin’s tale.
“Honorable Grandfather, I will ask the Chinese themselves what it is they need most urgently. I will walk the streets and see what is lacking. I have not sufficient funds to rebuild their homes and businesses, but with the Honorable Elder’s generous assistance I can provide the goods they will need in their new abodes. Foods and spices,