Read Online Song of the Silk Road by Mingmei Yip - Free Book Online

banquet hall, I went back to the reception desk. Scrutinizing the three receptionists—one man and two women—I finally picked the broad-faced young man and asked if he knew anything about villages near the Mountains of Heaven.
    He studied me curiously. “There are a few, but why would you want to live in a village instead of at our hotel?”
    “I need to be there for business.”
    “What kind?”
    “Hmm . . . something personal.” That’s really none of your business!
    Now he looked at me suspiciously. “Miss, you traveling alone?”
    “Yes.” Damn, I really shouldn’t have told him this!
    “Then it’ll be too difficult doing this by yourself. I know most of the villages in that area. Why don’t I take you around?”
    I studied his face and thought for a while. “How much does that cost?”
    He scratched his big, crew-cut head. “What about five hundred renminbi including renting a car and gas?”
    “Why so expensive?”
    “Because it may take a whole day before you find the right one.”
    After some bickering we settled at four hundred.
    Since he worked at this international hotel, I figured he would not jeopardize his job by robbing or killing me. But it never hurt to be extra cautious. “Are you married? Any children?”
    He laughed a hearty belly laugh. “Ha, my boy has just turned one year old.” Then he fished a photo from his pocket and thrust it under my eyes.
    A chubby baby held by a young woman stared back at me, smiling.
    “Very cute, and your wife is very pretty.” I smiled, handing the photo of the two treasures back to its owner.
    Good, a family man. I should be in safe hands.
    “You bet,” he said, pocketing the photo.
    “All right, what about tomorrow, after you finish work?”
    “OK, come back here tomorrow at five then.”
    As I was about to turn to leave, a familiar voice shouted “Lily!” next to my ear.
    I turned.
    “Alex, what are you doing here?”
    He shrugged, looking a bit amused. “Traveling, like you.”
    “How come . . .”
    “Lily, don’t look so shocked. This is a very popular hotel in a very popular tourist city, so there’s always a chance of running into your fellow travelers.”
    Seeing that I was not able to respond, he smiled sunnily. “Can I invite you . . .”
    I cut him off sharply. “Alex, don’t you see I’m busy right now?”
    Broad Face and a young couple being served by another receptionist turned to look at me disapprovingly.
    Embarrassed, I softened my tone. “Why don’t we meet tomorrow for breakfast here. Is eight-thirty OK?”
    “Sure, see you tomorrow then,” Alex said, then cast me a deep look before he disappeared into a crowd of tourists.
    I turned back to Broad Face. “Now there’s a change of plan. Can we leave here tomorrow morning early—at six?” I needed to get away before Alex woke up.
    He nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, of course!”
    “You don’t need to work tomorrow?”
    “I’ll take care of that.”
    Of course, he’d rather miss a day’s work—even if he had to pay a small penalty—to make a fortune of four hundred renminbi .
    A mischievous smile blossomed on his face. “That foreigner your boyfriend?”
    I was not going to answer a personal question like this, so I asked instead, “What’s your name?”
    “Little Fong.”
    “All right, Little Fong, remember we need to make an early start. Be here at six tomorrow morning. Don’t make me wait.”
    Another belly laugh exploded in the air. “Ha, Miss, if a pretty woman can trust me to have a big, fat baby boy, why can’t you trust me to be punctual?”

    My four hundred renminbi proved to be well spent. Little Fong, though nosy, did a good job of driving me around the Mountains of Heaven to the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, where I found a tiny village not on my map that seemed suitable. The small village was located along a dried desert river that once flowed from the Mountains of Heaven. Kucha, an ancient Buddhist kingdom that ran along the