Read Online Separate Roads by Tracie Peterson, Judith Pella - Free Book Online Page A

ask.”
    Victoria smiled and shook her head. “I don’t think that would work. At least not right now. Kiernan would have to be consulted.”
    “Con-so-ted?” Li questioned.
    “Consulted. It means ‘asked.’ I would have to ask Kiernan.”
    Li nodded.
    “So how do we make this tea?” Victoria asked as Li began grating a piece of ginseng.
    “We make like any tea,” Li replied, pushing her dark black braid over her shoulder.
    Victoria watched as Li put a kettle of water on to boil. “Did your husband say anything about the progress on the railroad?”
    Li shook her head. “He only say he get job washing clothes.” She waited for the water to heat, then added the ingredients. Lovingly, she checked her son and nodded. “I think he better now.”
    Victoria agreed. “He’ll be weak for a while, and we have to be careful that he doesn’t get pneumonia. Measles weakens the lungs.” She remembered her mother saying this. “If he appears to have trouble breathing, we’ll make him a mustard plaster.”
    Li settled down to some mending she’d been working on, and Victoria picked up her Bible and began to read. The twelfth chapter of Mark caught her attention at the thirtieth verse.
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
    Her mother had always taught her to live by these two commandments, assuring her that if these were observed, all previous commandments would also be obeyed. Victoria stole a glance at Li. The other woman’s attention was riveted on her tiny stitching. She gave completely of herself, no matter the task. And it was always evident in her work. Victoria supposed her attitude was one grounded in her cultural upbringing, for she seldom ever saw Li sit idle. Not that there was much time for anyone of poor means to sit idly by, but Li and the other Celestials Victoria had chanced to know were hard workers who eagerly focused on their task and appeared to never lose sight of the goal. They were good people, when you took time to know them. Many folks considered the Chinese rather queer with their mannerisms and dress, their food choices and different-sounding language, but Victoria had known only goodness from Li and Xiang.
    Sometimes it was exceedingly difficult for them to communicate. Li had learned English quickly—first from missionaries in San Francisco and then from Anna Judah, who had labored meticulously with the girl to teach her proper English. Victoria had picked up the task in Anna’s absence and, in doing so, had also learned a fair amount of Chinese. But in spite of this, it was still difficult for Victoria to understand the Chinese philosophies of life and religion. On more than one occasion she had questioned Li about her upbringing, wanting only to better understand the Chinese people. Li’s family had followed the teachings of Confucius or K’ung-fu-tzu, as did most Chinese. It wasn’t taken on as a religion, according to Li, but rather as a manner of living one’s life.
    “Master K’ung did not talk of God,” Li had explained. “He taught of goodness. He say, ‘Respect the gods, but have little to do with them.’ ”
    But Victoria knew that while goodness was something she had been taught since childhood to strive for, Christianity focused on being saved by grace rather than by works. Of course, it didn’t appear to Victoria that Confucius was worried about saving anyone from anything in particular. His teachings were more a litany of conduct—a standard to live by in order to get along with others.
    She thought of the verse she’d just read. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Golden Rule said to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Confucius, Li had told her, agreed with this philosophy in