Read Online The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu - Free Book Online

tiny rivulet of spittle hung from the corner of his mouth.
    Definitely not the one.
    â€œ. . . his uncle owns twenty ships that ply the trade routes to Toaza,” the matchmaker said. She reached under the table and poked Jia with an eating stick. Earlier, she had explained to Jia that that was the sign for her to smile more demurely.
    Jia stretched her arms and did not bother to cover her mouth when she yawned. Her mother, Lu, gave her a warning look.
    â€œTabo, is it?” Jia asked, leaning forward.
    â€œTado.”
    â€œYes, that’s right. Tado, tell me, where do you think you’ll be in ten years?”
    Tado’s face grew even blanker. But after a few awkward moments, his face wrinkled into a wide smile. “Ah, I understand the question now. Don’t worry, sweet one. In ten years I expect to have my own mansion by the lake.”
    Jia nodded. Her face was unreadable. She stared at the young man’s salivating mouth without saying anything further. Everyone else in the room squirmed. It felt like an eternity.
    â€œMiss Matiza is an accomplished herbalist,” the matchmaker offered, breaking the uncomfortable silence. “She studied with the best teachers in Faça. I’m sure she knows of ways to ensure her lucky husband’s health and give him many beautiful children.”
    â€œWe will have at least five children,” Tado added magnanimously. “Maybe even more.”
    â€œSurely you see me as more than just a field for you to plow,” Jia said. The matchmaker poked her under the table again.
    â€œI hear that Miss Matiza is a skilled poet,” Tado ingratiatingly offered.
    â€œOh? Are you interested in poetry too?” She twirled a lock of her red hair in a way that would appear coquettish to someone who did not know her, but her mother understood her mockery and eyed her suspiciously.
    â€œI love reading poetry.” He wiped away his saliva with the sleeve of his silk tunic.
    â€œIs that so?” That mischievous smile appeared again. Jia was slightly sorry that the rivulet and her object of focus had disappeared. “I have a great idea! Why don’t you write a poem right now? You may choose any subject, and in an hour I will come back and read it. I’ll marry you if I like it.”
    Before the matchmaker could say anything, Jia was already up and away, retreating to her bedroom.
    Her mother stood at her door, fuming.
    â€œDid I scare him off?”
    â€œNo. He’s trying to write a poem.”
    â€œPersistence! I’m impressed.”
    â€œHow many eligible young men must you send off ranting and raving? We spoke to your first matchmaker back in the Year of the Toad, and it’s now the Year of the Cruben!”
    â€œMother, don’t you want your daughter to be happy?”
    â€œOf course I do. But you seem determined to become an old maid.”
    â€œBut, Mama, then I would get to stay with you forever!”
    Lu stared at her daughter, eyes narrowed. “Is there something you’re not telling me? A secret admirer perhaps?”
    Jia said nothing but looked away. This had always been her habit. She would not lie, and so she would refuse to answer if what she had to say would not be welcomed. Her mother sighed.
    â€œYou keep this up, and soon no matchmakers in Zudi will want to work with you. You’re gaining a reputation as bad as the one you left behind in Faça!”
    When the hour was up, Jia returned to the living room. She picked up the sheet of paper and cleared her throat:
    Your hair is like fire.
    Your eyes are like water.
    I want you to be my wife.
    Your beauty gives new meaning to life.
    She nodded thoughtfully.
    The young man could barely suppress his excitement. “You like it?”
    â€œIt has inspired me to think of a poem as well.”
    Your eyes are like empty wells.
    Your drool like an inchworm.
    I want you to have a wife.
    How about this matchmaker? She’s