Bride of the Moso Prince (39 page)

             
“Come see us more,” Lisa said, “you’re welcome here any time.”

             
Sharon got into her car. Through the study window she saw a blissful family picture. The twins were still on her father’s laps. And Lisa was waving to her in the rose garden.

             
The picture stayed in Sharon’s mind as she drove down the hill. She was happy to see her dad’s new image of a family man, even though she wasn’t part of that family. And she was sorry that she had misjudged him over the years. Above all, she felt like a nut as she remembered her fear about marriage. She had thrown away her chance already. She didn’t tell her dad in order not to disappoint him. She had rejected a proposal from a perfect guy. And like her dad said, clocks wouldn’t run back, and chances wouldn’t return… or would they? She pulled her car abruptly to the curb on Atlantic boulevard and thought hard. It didn’t take her long to get back to the road. But instead of going home, she headed for Web Genius.

Chapter 16

A week later, Sharon was back to Lugu Lake.

That day after she had left her father’s house, she went to Web Genius and convinced her boss to let her change her position into an oversea employee. It wasn’t a promotion in title, but she did get a raise. And then she stayed for a few days to ensure that the new system for Pacific Bank was running well, cleared her office while transferring her duties to Jenny, who would be taking over her position.

No one would come pick her up this time as she wanted it to be a surprise. Charlene had gone to Lijiang a few days ago anyway.

At the market square Sharon got on a
minivan that would take her to Algae
village.

The driver, a man from a village around town, was amused by her two huge suitcases.  “Are these all yours?” He asked curiously.

“Yes.” She said, feeling the need to explain, “I plan to live here for a long time.”

“Are you a researcher of culture, or are you here to do business?”

“Neither.”

The weather was fine. But the puddles on the road showed that it had been raining for a few days. The scenery on their way reminded her when she came for the first time. On the bridge the van swayed and she was thrown to the side of the car from time to time. She clutched tightly the handle on the ceiling and closed her eyes, thinking how much safer it would be if she were on Nobul’s motorcycle and had his sturdy waist to hold on to. The thought of Nobul again stirred her emotions. How would he look when he saw her? She had anticipated the moment of their reunion hundreds of times within the last two days. He must have been hurt by her abrupt departure. Would he be angry when he saw her? Or indifferent? Had he changed his mind about her? Had he forgotten her already? Was he a man that would fall in and out of love quickly? Quickly she shut her doubts. No, Nobul wasn’t frivolous. He wasn’t a man that would change his mind easily. She knew it from the way he worked, the way he treated her, and the way he did his business. She could trust him on that.

The village looked busier than she had remembered. There seemed to be more people and motorcycles on the road and more boats in the lake.

“Is it a holiday of some sort?” Sharon asked the driver.

“No but it is a special day. The grand daughter of the late chief is getting married.”

“Uh?” Her heart sank as she processed the information. “You don’t mean Namu?”

“Yes. Namu it is. You know her?”

“Yeah. She’s a beautiful woman.” Sharon mumbled mechanically.

“She is the most beautiful woman in Algae Village. We went to elementary school together…”

Sharon took a deep breath to keep herself from passing out. She couldn’t hear what the driver was saying next and interrupted him impatiently. “Married to whom?”

“To a lucky guy.” The driver sighed and went on. “Such a beautiful woman Namu is. Many of us ha
ve
sought her out. We would wait in the lake for her to come and have a word or two with her. If we were lucky we would ge
t her to let us help her gather
algae.

When she walked married my friend Dazhu we were so jealous of him…”

“But who is this lucky guy she’s marrying this time?” Sharon leant towards the driver and raised her voice.

The driver was a bit surprised at her agitation, “I doubt that you know him. He’s her cousin.”

“Her cousin?” Sharon repeated weakly as she sank back to her seat.

“I know what you’re thinking.” The driver explained hurriedly, “but it isn’t what you think. Cousin marriage is a noble practice, really. Not primitive at all. You don’t get idiots, no. It’s purely a Han myth. I haven’t seen any idiot in our village though I know many cousins being married to each other. In fact their children are better built and healthier.”

Sharon smiled faintly at his words. Goodness! Wasn’t she the biggest fool in the world? What made her believe that Nobul, the Prince would wait for her? Couldn’t’ she have foreseen the marriage between him and Namu? She might even have been the catalyst of their marriage, considering that she had
probably
broken his heart…She was a fool to have left him, and a bigger fool to come back. Now what was she supposed to do?

“Here you are, Miss, but I doubt that anyone is home.”

The driver dropped her and her luggage off at the gate of Shangari-la and left.

The gate was closed and bolted from outside. Although it might indicate that no one was home, Sharon opened door and went in the yard, calling Sadama and Urcher. No one answered and no one was in the living room, although the room was full of wine jars and baskets of rice cakes that were obviously packed for the marriage ceremony.

She left her suitcases in the yard and went out to sit on the lakeshore. The solar boat was docking on shore. The sight of it brought back tons of memory in an instant: her first boat ride with Nobul, her impetuous act of swimming to Shangari-la, and her final runaway… Her eyes felt tingle and moist. She blinked and held back the tears that threatened to rush out. She wanted to look away but couldn’t move her eyes from the boat. And she was stunned by what she discovered next: On the front side of the boat painted the Chinese characters for Solar Snow. Sharon stared at them in disbelief. He did it! He really did it! She couldn’t control her tears anymore and they flowed all over her cheeks. But why? How could he name his boat after her while he was marrying Namu? She tried to make sense of it. Perhaps he wasn’t marrying? Perhaps she had mistaken it? No, that was a wistful thinking. She calmed her agitation. It must be that he had named it after her as a memorial to their love affair. Or he had painted it before deciding to marry Namu. He would probably erase it soon, after the wedding… It must have been so.

She gazed at Empress Island. She could see the golden rooftop of Empress Palace above the pine forest. It had been in her dreams for the past few days. And now it seemed to be so unreal. She had pictured herself living there for the rest of her life like a goddess, surrounded by the blue water, topped by the silver clouds. She supposed she could still be there for a few days to set up the rest of the museum…if Namu wouldn’t mind? Oh no. She couldn’t imagine it. The picture of Nobul and Namu together made her jealous. She had to get out of here. She would find a place and give Charlene a call and she should go to Lijiang to meet her…

As she was about to go back to the house she remembered the pictures that she had acquired from the national geographic. What was she supposed to do with them? Leave them in the living room or take them to Lijiang and give them to Charlene? She was not happy with either idea. She wanted to give them to Nobul in person. She knew that he would be happy to see them. Even if she couldn’t give them to him in person, she should at least make sure that he was the first person to see them…

She looked at the solar boat again and got an idea. Wouldn’t it be better if she would drop off the picture at the museum? She wanted to see the progress that had been made.

She went back to the living room and found the keys on the wall, took the pictures from her suitcase and went on the boat.

As Sharon turned on the engine and headed the boat towards the island, emotions flooded her. This boat too had been in her mind all the time. Suppose she didn’t run away last time? Suppose she stayed one more night at the island… would she have changed her mind? Would she have changed everything?

It was too late to think all that. She thought. The boat was in the center of the lake. She was in the miracle world of blueness again. She tried to enjoy the scenery but found it hard. She
let the tears flow on her cheeks
.

             
When Sharon got out of the boat she stopped to look at the sign “Moso Cultural Museum” at the dock and remembered making it together with Nobul. It was made out of a piece of pine wood from a tree that grown in a forest just few miles away from the island, and it was carved out the characters in both Chinese and English. They placed it at an angle such that the blueness of the lake would fill the characters. She touched the sign gently before went up the path.

             
When Sharon was going up she heard the sound of drilling. Her heart beat violently. Someone was here! It could be Nobul! She ran her way up and pushed open the gate that was unlocked. She paused at the gate and listened for the drilling sound. But the yard was absolutely quiet and still. She sighed. It was only her imagination.

             
As soon as she stepped into the yard Sharon gasped at the sight of the woodcarving panel that was erected in the middle of the yard.
It was finally completed!
Gemu and Dragon in the picture seemed to be greeting her. The work had been polished and varnished, and she could see the sparkling of the moon. How could he have done so much in a week of time? Obviously he had not sat idly and thought about her, like she had done for him. She bit her lips and turned away.

Sharon walked towards the main building slowly in spite of her excitement. She felt nostalgic while observing the place that she had missed so much. And she was amazed by the changes that had been made. The marble fountain had been installed and the Dahlias were blooming madly.

             
Her heart was about to leap out of her chest when she got in to the main exhibition room. Seeing each object inside, her nose felt itchy as
happy memories once again
flashed in her mind. Leaning her head on the phoenix column, she sobbed quietly. Oh, why did she ever go away? How could she have thrown away her happiness just like that?

             
Suddenly she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned and looked up. Through the mists of her tears she saw a big man blocking the light behind her.
             
“You’re back.” It was that familiar male voice that had rung often at her ears. Her body shivered at that resonance that it had caused.

             
She blinked quickly to clear her vision and when his handsome face became apparently her heart turned into a rabit. Her hand automatically clutched his back and felt the silky material. He was wearing a traditional Moso costume. One that unlike the one he had worn at the dance. A gorgeous golden brocade jacket that fit a groom. Her hand froze, remembering his wedding. “Nobul? Why are you here?”

             
He frowned slightly and smiled. “Shouldn’t I be asking you the question instead?”

             
“I, uh,” she controlled her emotion. “I’m just, passing by.”

             
“Oh?”

             
“I’m going to Lijiang. Charlene is there.”

             
“I see,” he nodded, “but I must say it’s a very inconvenient way. Going to Lijiang through here.”

             
“Yes.” She mumbled. His voice was devastatingly husky. His eyes were gleaming and his lips tempting.

             
“I know,” she said uneasily, “I want to give you these.” She thrust the envelope into his hands.

             
When he opened the envelope his eyes brightened instantly as they met the contents. “You got more photos! Was it difficult?”

             
“Not really…just a couple email exchanges and a check.” She watched his face as he went through the pictures one by one.

             
Nobul was obviously impressed. “Look at this one,” he commented on a picture, “it must have been taken it in the Bridge
End V
illage. I know this guy. He’s the grandfather of someone
who works in my factory
. That is one showy picture of the pickled pig!”

             
But Nobul’s excitement didn’t cheer Sharon up. On the contrary, all she wanted was to cry. How could he be so excited over the picture of a pig while she was heartbroken? Of course, he was about to be married. He had forgotten her completely. The brief passion between them had cooled off after just a week. Tears threatened to fill her eyes again.