Chapter V
The Girl with the Golden Eyes
I swallowed hard to clear my raspy throat when the bony hand on my back pushed me the last two steps over the threshold with such strength that I almost lost my footing and stumbled into the interior of the impressive building. Within seconds I found myself in what looked like a completely different world to me. Open mouthed I was standing in the comfortable shadow of an arcade which was surrounding a bright inner courtyard in the style of a Chinese rock garden.
It was like a head-high wave violently washing over me, crashing down on my head with such severity it took my breath away. Even though it was just a yard it looked awfully expensive with its spotless, ebony-coloured shingles. Shimmering golden and orange carps were drawing concentric circles in a little artificial pond surrounded by neatly trimmed cedars. Somewhere a water play purled lowly.
"Welcome to my modest little refuge, Lau," my companion beamed at me when he stepped over the doorsill - it was just too obvious that he knew all too well that one simply couldn't call this palace modest. Not in the slightest.
"Thank you for the invitation," I simply murmured dumbfounded, eyes still attached to the little pond, glimmering in the afternoon sun. At least I still remembered some manners…
Reluctantly I turned my attention away from the carefully manicured garden.
The wide, heavy doors of the entrance portal were closed now and I realized the owners of the invisible hands which had held them open all the time. Two tiny men with long black braids greeted us with a deep bow. Both of them were wearing simple dark Tangzuans. Simple yet still terribly exclusive – judging by the faint reflection of light here and there, they were made of nothing but pure silk too.
"We've got a guest today," the baritone voice of my host resounded through the yard and the two men raised themselves in silent waiting for further instructions. Whatever they might be thinking of me - a little, filthy rat from the gutter whose clothes hung in rags, being the guest of their master - they kept it safely hidden behind their professionally friendly faces. Both smiled in the same kind yet perfectly non-committal manner - they almost looked like twins.
"Make preparations for tea. In about half an hour would be fine. And don't save on a few snacks, my young friend over here is almost starving to death," he snickered while adding the last sentence after short moment of silence. Both men nodded completely simultaneously before the left one turned around and hurried away into a small passage between the entrance portal and the exterior wall of the arcade we were standing beneath.
"A certain English gentleman is waiting for you in the lounge, Sir," the one twin left stated in a quiet, composed voice. "He said he had an appointment with you about an hour ago. He is rather disgruntled." His thin black eyebrow twitched.
Did I just imagine things or was it really possible that the stony, permanent smile of my strange companion suddenly had slipped a bit? Just for a few seconds it was replaced by an expression I instantly recognized. It made my flesh creep since I knew this expression all too well. It was more or less the same expression he had had when he… yes, when he had tried to kill me.
Just how stupid are you Lau?, the little voice in my head instantaneously started to scold me again. Throw all caution to the wind on the prospect of some food? Yes, very far-sighted, have to give you that!
Involuntarily I shuddered, I suddenly felt cold when an icy shiver ran down my spine even though it was still a very hot day, even in the shade of the building.
I look a second look at my encounter from the corner of my eye, trying my best not to appear afraid.
The little smile had found its way back onto his sharp features like it had never disappeared in the first place. His finger was curving around his beard again.
"Yes… I was indeed held up by a little chat…"
The last word made my knees feel like they wanted to give in.
"Anyway."
The silk of his wide sleeves ruffled when he put his hand within them together and turned on his heels, facing me with a stern expression.
"I'm afraid I'll have to take care of some business first before we can continue our splendid conversation from before," he simply stated, causing me to wince by the word "splendid". When blackmailing people ranged under the lable "good conversation" I simply did not want to know what he considered a particularly bad one.
"I'll keep it short, please wait here in the yard for me, will you?" he added more casually when he was already walking towards one massive door under the arcades, leaving me behind with a more than strange feeling in my stomach.
"Oh and Xao?" he did not turn around when he spoke to him. "Would you bring our guest some tea and some Scotch and tobacco into the lounge."
Orders. No questions. Orders.
He closed the door behind him without making a sound. All I could hear before it clicked shut was "Mr. Hollingsworth, I'm awfully sorry I've kept you waiting but the traffic these days…"
The door was shut, silence followed. Only the slight dripping of water and the faint sound of the street's noised outside the thick walls of the mansion reached my ears. The slight movement behind my back told me that Xao had presumably disappeared through the same alley his twin like college had before, in order to fulfil his master's desires.
Slowly I walked towards a little stone bench near the pond with faltering steps. I still had no idea how I got myself into this so surreal situation. The moment I had woken up with rigid limbs and an aching back when a drop of water from the leaking ceiling had hid my nose seemed so far away as if it had been years ago. Just a few hours ago I was sitting on a pile of cargo, surrounded by loud noises and a sickening smell and now… I was sitting here in this house… no, not a house, in the mansion of the man who wanted to kill me with his bare hands… patiently waiting for tea. No, it simply couldn't be true. I was sure I would wake up every second, lying there on the blank floor of the old house again, huddled up to a bunch under an old, smelly blanket.
"I hope Jasmine is to your liking."
The soft voice of Xao right next to me gave me a start. With a faint smile he put the small tray with a steaming cup of tea and two biscuits on the bench next to me, stoically ignoring my embarassment.
"Of course," I mumbled - what else could I possibly say? He could have also asked me if I would mind riding to town on the back of a dragon because unfortunately the rickshaw was broken… how the hell was I supposed to know how Jasmine- tea tastes like?
Once again a deep bow before Xao vanished as quickly as he had appeared. Of course servants were supposed to work silently but he surely had taken it to a completely new level. He was more like an apparition... like a…
Of course!
Maybe I was not dreaming but … did I somehow manage to stumble into the world of ghosts?
The bench under my bottom felt very solid indeed but… with trembling fingers I reached out for the hot cup filled with a yellowish content. They always said that one could not eat or drink something in the spirit world… so…
Carefully I took a small sip, eager not to burn my tongue. If I would taste nothing that would mean all this was nothing but the prank of the spirits.
I got bitterly disappointed.
A strong flavour instantaneously filled my mouth. It did not taste bad. Strange, but not bad.
I sighed deeply. No, the tea was real. Like everything else around me it was as real as it could possibly be.
The shingles on the ground, the solid bench I was sitting upon, the slowly swaying branches of the cedars, the carps in the pond and the… the blue shadow over there…?
A flash of blue suddenly tugged at the very edge of my field of vision, this little spot of colour somehow seemed way too bright and completely out of place. Moving my head so quickly that my neck hurt I turned my gaze towards the blue glimmering and my lungs suddenly forgot to breathe. .
A girl.
A little girl in a deep, navy blue Quipao was standing only a few metres away from me. Obviously she did not realize I was in the garden too when she held her pale face into the warming sun, eyes tightly closed. Her dark black hair was tied up in a complicated appearing pinned-up hairstyle, some golden tresses where hanging from one of her hair slides, glistening in the sunlight.
"Liang?" I whispered tonelessly. I wanted to stand up, yell and run to her and suddenly the spell was broken. With a loud clatter and bang my leg knocked the ceramic cup from the bench which broke into tiny little pieces when it hit the ground, spilling all its content over the shingles.
The closed eyes snapped open in utter surprised before her head turned towards me in a mixture of shock and perplexity.
My movements froze like I had been petrified. I wasn't even able to move a single muscle while under the eagle eyed supervision of this girl.
No, this wasn't Liang. How could it be Liang? Liang was dead… and this wasn't the world of ghosts and spirits.
Of course it wasn't her. On a closer look the girl just barely resembled her… but one aspect in particular tightened up my stomach it hurt:
A pair of large eyes mercilessly stared at me. The dismissive look. The deep colour of molten gold like a captured sunset made me feel even less comfortable than I had already felt before.
Without saying a word she turned a little more towards me, so that the embroidered ornaments of her dress reflected the rays of sunlight.
She kept silent but even without a single tone the difference between her and me was just too great not to realize it - she was eyeing me like I was some kind of nasty insect.
In this surrounding it was definitely me who was completely out of place... who didn't belong in here and that was exactly what her silent musing seemed to shout out loud.
I tried to steady myself, forced myself to smile but it didn't reach her. Throwing one last disdainful glance towards my direction she just turned on her heels. The expensive Quipao swayed slightly in the wind before she headed towards a little side door under the left arcade with quick steps.
My eyes were still attached to the spot she had stood before when I could hear a slight coughing behind me.
With a deep bow one of servants – I wasn't sure if it was Xao again or his twin - greeted me again and simultaneously pointed towards the door my host had been gone through before.
"Tea is served in the lounge, young master. Please follow me this way."
My legs fulfilled movements against my will and as if they weren't part of my body anymore. Like a puppet on a string I smiled and walked towards the wooden door.
The words "Young Master" echoed in my ears like a scornful infinite loop when it opened. The contemptuous look out of golden eyes still engraved in my memory.
I hope you had fun reading the newest chapter and see you soon ^^