He scratches his head. ‘I’ve never met any hulijing except Lady Jing.’
‘It doesn’t make any sense,’ I say.
‘Well, at least now we know who is responsible,’ Gigi says, her tone conciliatory.
‘I guess,’ I say, though the knowledge only makes me more confused, not less. As the others finish their breakfast, I debate not telling Gigi and Ah Lang about the men who were following me. But then I remember Mr Lee’s words:I cannot prepare if you don’t tell me what’s going on.
‘I should probably tell you – three men followed me this morning,’ I say.
‘I bet they were smitten by your beauty,’ Ah Lang says sweetly.
‘Actually, they were scary. They wore Peking opera masks, and I didn’t get the sense they wanted to give me flowers. More like they wanted to hurt me.’
Gigi’s eyes blaze and Ah Lang’s brow furrows.
Mr Lee’s eyes are wide. ‘You’re only telling us this now? What if something had happened to you? We need to call Willie.’
‘I’m fine,’ I say. ‘I had the sense of being watched yesterday too, but not when Gigi and Ah Lang were with us. I’ll be fine so long as we stay together.’
‘We still need to tell Willie,’ Mr Lee insists.
Both Ah Lang and Gigi nod.
‘We can ask Fisherman Lo to fetch us early,’ Ah Lang says.
I sip the last dregs of my soya milk. There’s no reason to doubt Brother Zhu’s word. The talisman is another dead end. I can’t make heads or tails of Lady Ay’s involvement. And besides, something has shifted inside me. I want to make our last day count. Maybe friends do matter more than face.
‘No, it’s our last day,’ I say. ‘Let’s do something fun together. There’s an amusement hall at the end of the road. How about an opera?’
‘But what about those men?’ Mr Lee says.
‘So long as we’re together, we’ll be fine,’ I say, though Mr Lee doesn’t look convinced. ‘Gigi’s the Jade Emperor’s daughter. No one would dare attack her.’
She nods, because she knows it’s true.
‘I saw some people flying kites on the Bund. Can we do that?’ I say.
Gigi claps her hands in delight. ‘Oh that sounds fun! Ah Lang, what do you think?’
‘Anything you want, petal,’ he says, gaze disgustingly syrupy.
I make loud gagging noises, but Gigi pays me no attention and gazes doe-eyed back at Ah Lang.
We head out together in the sunshine. As we stroll along the Bund towards the kites, Mr Lee catches my hand, and interlaces his fingers with mine. His palm is warm. I glance up at him. He smiles and squeezes gently.
We fly kites, and then watch an opera, laughing and sharing snacks. Ah Lang is delighted by the singing, humming along so loudly an old lady tells him off. But she’s loud herself, and her shrill complaints make the opera singer stumble over his lines. Gigi laughs and gives red-faced Ah Lang a wet kiss that earns another shrill protest from the old lady.
After the opera, Mr Lee offers to take Ah Lang on a ‘scholar’s’ tour, while Gigi and I opt to shop on our own. When they meet us at the French café on Rue Bourgeat, Ah Lang flops into his chair, eyes bright and rapturous.
‘Mr Lee took me to Moutrie and Co – the oldest music shop in Shanghai!’ Ah Lang gushes, gazing doe-eyed at Mr Lee. ‘They make pianos and sell all kinds of instruments. Some of the customers recognised me from the Paramount and we had an impromptu jazz session. Then Mr Lee took me to a university lecture on modern farming practices!’ Ah Lang shakes his head as if he can’t believe his good fortune and wraps an arm around Mr Lee. ‘Abundant gratitude, treasured brother. I will never forget these glorious memories.’
Mr Lee blushes, pleased.
‘I am so happy I didn’t kill you when Jing brought you to my house; you really have been a good friend to Jing and Ah Lang,’ Gigi says. She bows her head, folding her hands in front of her in the old way, the right hand on the left, then the left on the right.
‘Gigi bestows a great honour on you, Mr Lee,’ I whisper. ‘Only high-ranking deities are offered this gesture of respect.’
Mr Lee immediately stands. ‘This unworthy one labours your procession and offers your exalted glory ten thousand years of abundant gratitude for your friendship and kindness. Manifold gratitude by your fortune.’ He bows so low he’s almost bent himself in half.
